Diary of a Chain Stitcher

Among the bag of patterns that came from my Nan was this amazing little booklet which I thought I'd give you a closer look at. It looks like a little supplement with Woman's Realm magazine as part of a 'Guide to Successful Homemaking' series. It's really quite brilliant, guides you through everything you need to know to get making your own garments quickly from the equipment you need to begin with, through cutting, construction, hemming to the finishing touches. Check out these notes on collars and cuffs: The illustrations are fantastic, really simple and clear. It includes everything you need to know for quick reference as you make up a garment. Who needs a modern fat tome about sewing, I'm going to learn the way my Nan did!

I started this blog after my Nan gave me a collection of her old sewing patterns which she used to make all of her and my Mum's clothes from in the 1960s/70s. I love having a look through the patterns and the instructions so I thought I'd give everyone a peak into the bundle and an idea of what projects I might be working towards. They were in a bag with some other treasures including these: Below is a collection of various 1960s patterns including Style 1033 which I am currently working on. The green outfit in Simplicity 5231 my Nan told me a brilliant story about making in gold to wear to a James Bond theme party in the 1970s, I wish I could see photos! How Mad Men are these two?! I'm sure the woman in the pictures is actually Joan Holloway! These were both in envelopes with my Nan's coupons on the front. From the postmark both are from 1960: Some kid's clothes with brilliant illustrations: My Mum must have been the coolest kid in school: I think this...

For the next part in this little series I'm going to go through some of my favourite vintage stores from all across London, which is just a fantastic place to be for vintage anything. I started hunting out vintage clothing when I was at uni and since then have continued to explore more stores, warehouses and markets when sourcing costumes for my job. Now you may think 'this is a sewing blog, we sew our clothes, we don't buy them...' however, I find vintage stores great to browse around and get a bit of sewing inspiration or to take a closer look at how things are put together. Also, there's certain things we just can't make (or at least I can't!) so for the time being the perfect accessories for those 60s numbers I'll be making up will be purchased. Different stores/areas are good for different items and periods so here we go: Beyond Retro - 110-112 Cheshire Street (off Brick Lane), 58-59 Great Marlborough Street (Soho) and 92-100 Stoke Newington ...

So I know I’m a bit slow picking up on this one but I’ve recently discovered the fantastic American drama ‘Mad Men’. I’ve fallen instantly in love with it, perhaps slightly influenced by the gorgeous early 1960s costumes. On top of the joy of looking at all the beautiful dresses (I’ve lost track of what’s happening plot wise on a number of occasions because I was too busy studying an outfit) it’s just a fantastically well written, acted and put together series. I love the way the camera suddenly focuses on one tiny little action of a character often involving an intriguing 1950s/60s prop (such as Don’s odd spring contraption for exercise in the office down to the drinks cans) or sometimes the editing highlights a fascinating detail of the setting, such as a drawer in Don’s office filled with freshly washed and pressed shirts. Everything works together to conjure up the world of the 1960s ad men of Madison Avenue and their housewives. But let’s get to my real interest in the series ...

Finally! A finished product! I’ve had lots of projects on the go recently and a lot of them sitting around half finished as I’ve been hampered by not having the right tools and equipment as I’m just starting off. I know in situations like this I’m usually one for just seeing what else I’ve got to do the job and cutting a few corners but the results never turn out as well as I hope so with these sewing projects I really wanted to try not to rush things and do them properly. So at long last here is something to show for my efforts: I am very happy to proudly show these off around my home (although my boyfriend may be less willing to display stiletto covered cushions around the house!). The main fabric is a gorgeous printed cotton designed by Manolo Blahnik for Liberty which I just could not resist treating myself to even though it cost a lot more than I would ever normally be prepared to spend on fabric! But isn't it just beautiful?! It features his designs for last winte...