Diary of a Chain Stitcher

The team at The New Craft House asked me to join their ambassador team a couple of months ago and I was really excited by the prospect of working with their fabrics. All the fabrics they stock are deadstock and sourced from local designers. Deadstock fabrics are left over once collections have been manufactured, which means when buying this fabric you are using up waste products rather than buying 'new'. I've been thinking a lot about the sustainability of my sewing recently, given that I like to sew a lot. Looking in to where your fabrics come from and have been manufactured can be quite a daunting process so buying deadstock is a straightforward place to start.

I've had this beautiful embroidered organza fabric in my stash for sometime now. It is rare for me to buy a fabric without a project in mind but this was one of those occasions when I fell for something and ordered a length without much thought! I originally got it from The Fabric Store ; it is still in stock and comes in white too. I really love the large scale of the foliage pattern, it has real drama. The contrast of the dense embroidery and the sheer organza is really stunning.

I'm a big fan of dungarees and have sewn up at three pairs over the last few years. I thought that was plenty of dungaree options to have in my wardrobe until By Hand London put out a call for testers for their recently released Leo Dungarees and I fell head over heels! They are a bit of a departure from my usual day to day style with their slouchy oversized fit and voluminous legs. Whilst they probably wouldn't see much wear in my regular working life they are exactly what I like to wear when travelling in hot climates and have turned out to be down right ideal for lockdown days at home. They are that wonderful combination of comfortable yet incredibly fun which feels like the perfect thing to sew at the moment.