Hurray! I have finally, and very belatedly, finished my January make for the #mmaw2015 challenge 🙂 I decided a little while ago that I wanted to try and work my way through Tilly Walne’s fab book, Love at First Stitch. It makes sense, as it is aimed at beginners dressmakers, and with each project it … Continue reading
I blogged earlier on in the week about finding secondhand supplies for dressmaking and crafting, as part of my Make Me a Wardrobe 2015 challenge, to make an item of clothing a month for the year. I love mooching around charity shops and vintage fairs to see what fabulous retro fabrics I can find, and … Continue reading
Making your own clothes will ALWAYS be much more ethical than buying something off from the High Street. BUT I think sometimes it is easy to overlook the environmental impact of cotton and other fabrics, and yarn too. Conventionally farmed cotton uses vast amounts of water (about 200 litres to make a t-shirt) and pesticides. And … Continue reading
Having decided I want to up my sewing skills, and make myself a handmade wardrobe (contents of, not the actual wardrobe…!) I realise I need a plan. Contrary to my usual ‘bull in a china shop’ approach to sewing, and just jumping into having a go at whatever I think looks nice, with whatever fabric … Continue reading
OK, so I’ve blogged about suggested resolutions for a sustainable 2015, and useful tips for anyone thinking of Buying Nothing New this year, but today I want to share with you one of my two main resolutions for 2015. I really want to make more time for crafting and making, and to improve my skills at sewing … Continue reading
I made a bag. From trousers. I was planning on making this post into a tutorial, a ‘How-to’, as you would all be so dazzled by my fabulous upcycling, that you would be desperate to have a go yourselves… Well, ermm, my planned trouser to bag upcycle did not go exactly to plan. It looks … Continue reading
I made a scarf! From my new book. You know, the one that’s going to turn me into a dressmaking whiz, and enable me to make all my own clothes 🙂 I don’t really wear scarves, but I wanted to work my way through the book properly, and not skip bits. I am really, really trying, … Continue reading
No, not a blanket made of lego, that would be pretty uncomfortable. A blanket for the Smalls to tip their lego out on to, that can then double as a storage bag. All in the (possibly naive) hope that this will prevent from feeling like many hours of my life are spent scooping up pieces … Continue reading
Finally, after 5 weeks, my sewing machine is back! Apparently it needed more than a service… Even to my inexperienced eye, this looks pretty broken. It has now been repaired and my machine is back in place, ready for action. What I really want to do is to start having a go at making some … Continue reading
I bought a dress at the weekend, for the princely sum of ÂŁ4 from the flea market bit of the Frome Super Market. As a complete aside, the Frome Super Market is AMAZING. It started off as an Artisan Market up one of the quaint little streets in the artisan-y bit of the town and … Continue reading
Knitting ideas, inspiration and free patterns, plus crochet, weaving, and more
Other than my pants, the rest are charity finds
A money-saving, growing-our-own, making-do-and-mending husband-and-wife blog
Some of the cool and useful food, craft and sustainability skills that your grandparents knew, but probably didn't teach you!
Inspired by Make Something Month
Author, trainer, coach
connecting people, place and planet
by Jack Monroe, bestselling author of 'A Girl Called Jack'
Let's fix our relationship with electronics
On the 1st Saturday of the month we bring people together to give the objects we share our world with a second lease of life and to chat and have a cuppa whilst we're at it!
Makes, remakes, mends, darns, sews, arts, and crafts.
thrifty, creative & eco-friendly ways to raise children
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Proof that "We're going to live in a tent in a field" is easier read than done
My Make Do and Mend Year 