SEWRENDIPITY

How to style a grey-based capsule wardrobe | Late Summer 10×10 Challenge Outfits
STYLE

How to style a grey-based capsule wardrobe | Late Summer 10×10 Challenge Outfits

Yes, I know you have your doubts, but grey is a colour too and in the right combination, it can actually become an accent colour in itself, not just a neutral. 

I like a lot of black and white and reds, navies and now grey. And I really like pushing myself to create outfits within the confines of themes.

Usually, when doing capsules (this is my 4th this year), the difficulty is making pieces work together, especially if you have prints or loads of colours. For this one, I had the opposite problem. How can I make things look interesting with just three colours to work with and all three neutrals to boot. I did get a bit of help from my trusty red accessories (scarf and earrings), but I also made things harder by only using two pairs of shoes, black and silver.

I am looking forward to showing you what I ended up with and of course,  to hear what you think.

2 September 2018
10 Comments
How to destash your fabric sustainably | 7 easy ideas
SUSTAINABILITY

How to destash your fabric sustainably | 7 easy ideas

I just have too much fabric! Said no sewer ever!

And yet, if you are working towards a minimalist lifestyle, or on a journey to a meaningful wardrobe through sewing, like me, there comes a time in your [sewing] life where you just know you need to get rid of some fabric. It might be because you just do.not.have.the.space anymore. It might be because there are just too many options to choose from and you can’t see the forest from the trees in the insanely big stash. Or because you are just not in love with certain pieces anymore and you want to make room for something you might enjoy (and use) more.

Whatever the reasons, and I’m really not in a position to judge here, with my 150 metres+ stash, there comes a time when you just need to let some pieces go. But of course, you would like them to get a loving new home or at least do some good when you part ways.

So I’ve come up with some ideas that would make your next destash a bit easier and also help towards a higher purpose (even if it’s just to make you feel a bit better about yourself).

30 August 2018
9 Comments
Why everybody needs a white silk camisole in their life | Just Patterns Kate bias top
HANDMADE WARDROBE

Why everybody needs a white silk camisole in their life | Just Patterns Kate bias top

I have been craving a white silk camisole since forever.

Ok, at least since May this year.

My red silky Diana cami was in heavy rotation in 2018. So I felt there is definitely room for more such tops in my life and my wardrobe. I love my burgundy Diana, but it’s 100% polyester and felt I should treat myself to the real thing, i.e. some luscious, wonderful silk.

But what pattern to choose this time?

23 August 2018
12 Comments
Late Summer Capsule Wardrobe | How to choose your items and a quick formula
STYLE

Late Summer Capsule Wardrobe | How to choose your items and a quick formula

It’s been a very busy summer, so I could not take part in the Style Bee Summer 10×10 challenge when it took place at the beginning of July. But you remember how much I enjoy these style challenges, building capsule wardrobes and pushing my wardrobe limits. I have already done 3 of them this year, starting with the official Spring 10×10 Style Bee challenge, plus two Me-Made-May ones (one and two). So I did not want the official summer time to end without trying to put together another 10 items capsule and have a play. Unfortunately,  or maybe, fortunately, the ultra…

19 August 2018
8 Comments
Hand-sewn gifts | 5 reasons why you should and 5 reasons not to bother
SEWING

Hand-sewn gifts | 5 reasons why you should and 5 reasons not to bother

As sewers, we have a skill that might seem a bit magical to other people –  turning a piece of flat fabric into a beautiful 3D garment that fits and flatters. Not to mention all the other situations when it helps with more mundane or practical issues like sorting out the kitchen curtains. But how other do you use your ability for hand-sewn gifts?
Sewing as a profession aside, home sewers sometimes categorise themselves as selfish or selfless sewers, depending on their inclination to use their skills for themselves or for others. I am a very selfish sewer and I usually flat refuse to make things for anyone other than myself. However, I have been on a sewing gifts spree lately which lead me to wonder what other sewers feel about hand-sewn gift giving. Are you for or against it and why? I’ve made a list of pros and cons to get the conversation started.

12 August 2018
31 Comments
Summer robe | Seamwork Almada review
HANDMADE WARDROBE

Summer robe | Seamwork Almada review

I never imagined I would sew a kimono, I’m just not a kimono kind of girl. I never even had a RTW one in my wardrobe. And yet, I’ve now made two Seamwork Almada robes in less than a month as gifts. Maybe one day I will actually end up making one for myself…
All sewers have a go-to handmade present that they pull out of the bag for birthdays and Christmases and such. It used to be tote bags when I first started sewing, then infinity scarves, then asymmetric clutch bags. And now I have a new favourite, you guessed it, kimonos!

9 August 2018
4 Comments
Sustainable, Ethical, Green, Bio, Responsible, Thoughtful | What do they mean and what’s the difference?
SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable, Ethical, Green, Bio, Responsible, Thoughtful | What do they mean and what’s the difference?

Like me, you are trying to lead a more sustainable life, or better put, a less impactful life. You are willing to make the right choices. But what are those right choices? Marketing and advertising people in brands and retailers are shouting from the rooftops that this product is sustainable, or that brand is ethical, or we should be conscious consumers or fight fast fashion with slow fashion, or choose FairTrade or organic and live clean lives… And what’s worse, they tend to use them interchangeably as well.

Arghhh, makes your head spin, right? And you haven’t even begun looking into said claims…

2 August 2018
6 Comments
Let’s build a meaningful wardrobe together! | Sewrendipity blog relaunch
ACCORDING TO ALEX

Let’s build a meaningful wardrobe together! | Sewrendipity blog relaunch

After 3 years and a bit of blogging, someone asked me one day why do I blog? The answer that came to mind was not actually to the intended question. What I answered instead was the question ‘why did I start blogging in the first place?’.  
In 2014, I had finished my stint on the Great British Sewing Bee Season 3 (although it was only shown in February 2015), and I was feeling totally useless. I got eliminated in episode 2 (of 8) and I was convinced I had made a fool of myself on national television. Although I had only been sewing for three years at the time, I felt I needed to prove myself to the world.

26 July 2018
36 Comments
10 ideas to style a navy-based capsule wardrobe | Me-Made-May 2018
STYLE

10 ideas to style a navy-based capsule wardrobe | Me-Made-May 2018

Me-Made-May seems such a long time away now, but I still owed you pictures of the second part of my DIY 10×10 challenge. Me-May-Made is an annual challenged in the maker community when we pledge to wear our hand-made wardrobe more than we usually do, be it one item each day or entirely hand-made throughout the month. My personal challenge this year was inspired by the Style Bee 10×10 Challenges, where you need to choose 10 items to be styled into 10 outfits over 10 days. So I decided to put together 3 capsules in May, which consisted of at least 70% hand-made, and style them into different outfits, each containing at least one handmade item each day. I was partially successful in my challenge, and I achieved two of the there capsules. I continued to wear all handmade for the remaining 10 days, I just could not figure out a theme to build a capsule around it with my remaining hand-made items.

19 June 2018
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Fabric Shopping in Chicago | A mini guide
MY FABRIC SHOPS GUIDES

Fabric Shopping in Chicago | A mini guide

What do you do when you are in an unfamiliar city where you don’t know anyone, hundreds of miles away from home? Why, you find the nearest fabric shop, of course! This is exactly what I did when I was travelling to a conference in Chicago in May 2018.  I have been dreaming of going to America for a very long time, but for various reasons, it took so long for me to get there for the very first time. An architect friend who used to live in America once told me that it’s the most beautiful city in the…

13 June 2018
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