It’s oh so quiet….

I’m still here!
Apologies for the lack of posts.
I have been working away like made on the book AND the new website, and am pleased to report that significant progress is being made on both…!

Here’s an update:

The Book-Make Do and Mend-able Back to Basics
I originally, naively, embarked on this project as part of a 30 day challenge. In June. It is now waaaaaaay more than 30 days (!) and has been a huge learning curve. It’s also been hampered by some new EU VAT laws that affect the selling of digital content, but I think I’m nearly there now!
All the content is finally done after quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing and for a variety of reasons needing to bring some new contributors on board.
So, here’s the final list:

Chapter 1 – Source it! Finding secondhand supplies and equipment for Make Do and Mend – Me!
Chapter 2 – Learn to Love your Sewing Machine – Lauren Guthrie, from series 1 of the Great British Sewing Bee, and owner of guthrie & ghani
Chapter 3 – Sew it! Basics of hand sewing – Tamara Melvin, from series 2 of the Great British Sewing Bee, who blogs at The Green Thimble as well as teaching sewing and upcycling classes, and yoga too!
Chapter 4 – Button it! How to sew on a button – Zoe Robinson of The Good Wardrobe-the style sharing community hub that is the antithesis of fast fashion
Chapter 5 – Hem it! How to sew/alter a hem – Ginny Farquhar of Alice and Ginny, co-author of three sewing books, and blogger at Sweetmyrtle
Chapter 6 – Patch it! How to repair your clothes with a patch – Jo Poole aka The Dress Doctor
Chapter 7 – Remake it! How to produce a pattern from an existing garment, so you can make it again and again! – Franki Campbell-creative pattern cutter and zero waste deisgner
Chapter 8 – Unpick and Knit Again – Joanne Scrace – knitwear and crochet designer at Not so Granny
Chapter 9 – Knit it! How to knit – Alison Nurton and Caroline Bradshaw at Butterfly Bright-a treasure trove of fabrics, haberdashery and yarn in Dorset
Chapter 10 – Crochet it! How to crochet – Kat Goldin of Slugs on the Refrigerator and author of Crochet at Play, and Hook, Stitch & Give
Chapter 11 – Tom says Darn it! – How to darn with darning king Tom of Holland!
Chapter 12 – Love Your Clothes for Longer – Caroline Hannam, wardrobe mistress in the West End, currently working on The History Boys UK tour, and Dance til Dawn
Chapter 13 – Clean it! – Natural methods for keeping your house clean – Emma Northcott of Mommy Emu, a blog all about living more simply
Chapter 14 – Upcycle it! – An introduction to upcycling with Lynn Haughton of the Upcycle Movement
Chapter 15 – Re-paint it! – Breathe new life into old furniture with a lick of paint – Trixie Bradley of Lovingly Made Ltd
Chapter 16 – Re-cover it! – Simple upholstery by Becky Striepe of Crafting a Green World – the home for eco-friendly crafts
Chapter 17 – Plug it! – How to re-wire a plug – Bright Sparks, Islington’s re-use and repair project
Chapter 18 – Seal it! – How to fix a puncture – Angela Walker from CycleBoost
Chapter 19 – sugru it! – An introduction to sugru-the new wonder fixing material – Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh, inventor and CEO of sugru

And here’s a sneak peek of the front cover….

The new Make Do and Mend-able website
The designers have worked their magic and handed over the reins for me to have a play and start populating it.
Once all the bugs are ironed out, and I]m happy that there is enough content on there to start with, I’ll be putting it LIVE!! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks 🙂
Here’s a couple of screen shots to tease you with…

I’m very excited and not a little bit scared, but I really hope that both projects will be useful resources and well received!