Diary of a Chain Stitcher

The Textile Forum happens twice a year in Central London near Bond Street tube station. It's a chance for anyone to see a wide range of fabrics from cotton poplins to leathers and wool tweeds to embroidered modern blends from a number of companies all exhibited in one place as well as the chance to talk to the people who know their fabrics best in a space dedicated to just that. I went along mainly to help expand my understanding of fabric and knowledge of suppliers for professional purposes but had a fantastic time looking for my own home sewing projects too! The show is a exhibition purely for fashion fabrics so it was great to have all in one room hundreds of samples of fabrics all suitable for dressmaking rather than craft or upholstery. I did not go with the intention of making a purchase for personal uses as I expected prices to be fairly high as most of the exhibitors were big brand and high end fabric companies offering their latest creations. However after a bi...

Yesterday I bounded out of the house bright and early to the long awaited exhibition on Hollywood costume design which has (after 5 long years) just opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I booked my ticket months ago when dates were first announced as I think even then I knew I was going to love it and boy did I! Curated by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, an esteemed Hollywood costume designer herself, the press releases beforehand had suggested that this was to be an exhibition not just about beautiful dresses and extravagant designs but about the process of costume design and the importance of what it can communicate to the viewer. I was wondering how this might be put across in an exhibition when the attention would probably easily be drawn to the beauty of the finished article but I was really impressed! I trained in costume design so probably was keener than most to learn about the designers' processes and the story behind each item and therefore spent more time looking at...

Just a quick post about a quick little project I made for my Nan's birthday earlier in the summer. I had planned on making her the apron from scratch but as with everything else I had planned over the summer time ran away with me! Instead I bought this lovely printed apron and decided to personalise it with a little embroidery! There's a bit of a running joke in my family (involving some cushions!) that my Grandad is Lord of their 'Manor' and therefore my Nan is the 'Lady', a title she quite enjoys! So i decided to embroider this to the apron bib in purple to tie in with the rest of the design. I'm a big fan of cross stitch and can quite happily wile away a few hours in front of the TV barely looking at what I am stitching. However this was my first time hand-stitching a decorative design without the grid of the Aida fabric to follow. Using a sharp pencil I traced the outline of the letters  very lightly onto the apron, using examples of letters f...

Apologies for the picture heavy post but I am seriously pleased with this dress! I made this dress to wear to my cousin's wedding and it was amazing being able to tell people I made it! I was comfortable in it all day, standing up or sitting down I didn't feel the need to wriggle about and adjust it. I think this may have been much more down to Tasia's fantastic design rather than my fitting skills but I'm pleased I made the effort to make a muslin to make sure it fit as not only did the time and care taken I think show in the finish of the final dress but I felt much more confident cutting into the fabric for this one! This time the make came together pretty quickly as I knew what I was doing and that what I was doing would work. I love the contemporary floral print I didn't get off to the best start with this make. I was really happy with my fabric choice and couldn't wait to start working with it but after I'd pressed it ready to cut I realised...