Diary of a Chain Stitcher

So I've got A LOT of patterns I want to make now and when considering which one to make first I've been thinking about which patterns i might get the most wear out of and therefore what I could wear with them to make an outfit. This in turn has led me to thinking about my personal 'look' and how these items would fit into that and what I would like that look to be. Katy Perry - CLEARLY has an abundance of individual style I've never felt cause to feel proud of my personal style, I've never really thought it was particularly 'put together' or interesting or even very 'me'. I've always somehow compiled a wardrobe of things that I've seen in the shops and liked so bought. There's nothing wrong with this of course, the outfits we feel best in are complied of things we like. However, all of these items don't really go together to achieve a particular style. I know you may think that maybe this mismatched look is a style in itse...

I thought I'd briefly share with you a couple of other sewing/costume related gifts I received over Christmas. Firstly... 'Costume from 1500 to the Present Day' I asked for this one and I must admit was very surprised at the size of it on opening as I have a couple of other Cally Blackman books and they are big thick reference books. However I have to say I think the size of it is a huge plus point. Learning about the history of costume can be a hugely daunting task particularly when starting out as there is simply so much ground to cover and so much depth to go into. I had ploughed through this one by New Year and it has really all sunk in and stuck because it simply spells out what you need to know, you don't have to dig out the important facts and it leaves you feeling fairly confident about all periods. Obviously don't expect to become an expert on any one thing but there are some great little nuggets of information in there. First part of the 18th Ce...

This was another Christmas pressie from my Mum (I know. She's amazing!) Believe it or not she discovered this gem in Urban Outfitters. 'Famous Frocks' by Sara Alm and Hannah McDevitt contains full size patterns of 10 iconic dresses of the 20th century and gives instructions on how to make them and fabric choice advice. Those included are: Bette Davis - A gorgeous 1940s short gown with flounce Rita Hayworth - A slinky gathered 1940s dress Marilyn Monroe - Obviously the 'The Seven Year Itch' white halterneck Jackie O - A classic minimalist fitted a-line number Audrey Hepburn - The little black 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' dress of course Twiggy - A fun 1960s mini Diana Ross - A very funky disco dress with HUGE sleeves Farrah Fawcett - The must have wrap dress of the 1970s Stevie Nicks - A loose fringed number with a handkerchief hemline Madonna - One of her earlier 1980s looks, corset top with puff skirt Each dress has it's o...

So my current project is learning about fabrics; something that has been made dramatically easier by Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book . However this book only gives non patterned and non dyed examples of the different weaves and knits of the different fibres. While this is amazing and I now have a much better understanding of the properties of each fibre and weave I still struggle when trying to identify fabrics in a store or at work as I find myself misled by the prints, patterns and sometimes the way the fabric has been used in the garment in question. ...enter my Mum with The Fashion Designer's Textile Directory which she was very proud of herself for finding in Barnes and Noble in New York. (This was a Christmas present along with some vouchers for Sew Over It which I hadn't even told her about! Legend) This tome goes through each and every type of fabric ordering them in chapters based on their properties (Structure, Fluidity, Ornamentation, Expansion and...

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas period and all your handmade gifts were fully appreciated!  As promised here are some snaps of my completed Christmas table set up for mine and my boyfriend's mini Christmas day (I'd never be allowed to get involved with my Mum's table plans back home!) The fabric for the runner was a bargain from Ikea when I wasn't even looking for fabric and they also did matching paper napkins and wrapping paper which I also made full use of! I love using simple candles as a centre piece (I'm having a bit of a candle moment actually) but when it came to putting the table together I wished I had a bit of festive foliage, just some fir or holly, to lay around the bases of the candles to make it that little bit more interesting and Christmassy. I think I'm quite minimalist usually decoration-wise but I've definitely come round to thinking that Christmas is the one time you can go all out and throw decorations up everywher...