In 2023, I attended a week-long course in weaving double cloth fabric with Margo Selby, at an Association of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Summer School. We warped our looms in advance of the class, and spent the week sampling different patterns and colours. I especially liked the checkerboard patterns I […]
Double Cloth Woven Cushion Read More »
I started this Barberry Jacket around four years ago, while developing the pattern. I had almost finished it – it was just missing buttons, buttonholes and the lining hem needed securing – and then I left it hanging uncompleted for the next four years. In a recent fit of finishing
Long Postponed Barberry Jacket Read More »
I’m back at work this week, after an extended Christmas break (three weeks, including a trip to London and a week in Hamburg), so I thought it was about time I recorded what I made, and got up to, in 2024. My sewing output over the last year was fairly
My final knitting project of 2024 was the Pressed Flowers Kerchief, designed by Savory Knitting for the Pom Pom and Hobbii garland yarn and pattern collection. As a big fan of PomPom magazine, I was really keen to try their new yarn, following the closure of the magazine last year.
Pressed Flowers Kerchief Read More »
As a great lover of a vintage swimsuit, when I found out that Palais Galliera’s latest Fashion on the Move exhibition included a section dedicated to vintage swimwear, I planned a short trip. A few photos of the swimwear – and related ephemera – included in the exhibition, are below.
Vintage Swimwear at Palais Galliera Read More »
Back in September, I had a short article about my knitted swimsuit included in Slipknot, the Knitting and Crochet Guild’s members magazine. The magazine (like all roles in the Guild) is created by volunteers, so I was glad to be able to make a small contribution, and being the cover
Knitted Swimsuit in Slipknot Magazine Read More »
I’m a member of the national Knitting and Crochet Guild, and very occasionally I make it along to meetings of the Birmingham branch. At one meeting I did attend, I took home Sue Bradley’s Cotton Collection, published in 1988, which a fellow member was giving away after a clear-out of
Birmingham Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers holds a dyeing day every other year. It’s hosted by one of our members, Sarah, who prepares a selection of different natural dyes which are bubbling away in pots in her garden through the day. As an attendee, you just need to bring
Naturally Dyed Patchwork Sport Shorts Read More »
When we booked to travel to New York by ship, earlier this year, I knew I needed to sew a sailor top. I already had this fabric in my stash, and when I started looking at possible patterns, I realised that I already had the perfect pattern – I Am
As a teenager, I was an avid reader of 90s teen magazines (Bliss and Sugar) and was fascinated when one issue (bizarrely, as it certainly wasn’t a regular feature) included a pattern for a, presumably crochet, string bikini. I didn’t knit or crochet at the time, but the idea of
Knitted Swimsuit from a Vintage Pattern Read More »