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One day last week I decided I hated most of my clothes. I was sick of trying to fit my ever expanding waistline (sad face) into dresses and skirts that refused to co operate. So over half of my wardrobe went in a charity collection bag…well, more than one actually! I have only kept clothes that I really love, and my new sewing resolution is to sew things I really want to wear, and to satisfy my urge to sew random clothes I will sew with someone in mind and spread the joy. ...

My friend found this fabulous vintage housecoat a few months ago, and knowing how much I would love it, she sent it to me. Sadly it wouldn’t fit over my ample boobage and so hung on a hanger for a while, while I pondered what to do with it. I felt kinda guilty hacking into it, not something I usually worry about, but it was a gift… ...

I had a hankering for dungarees, much to the amusement of a couple of my friends! I’m 47, I’m curvy (overweight) and I’m short, with short legs! Undeterred by these facts I went ahead and made myself a pair anyway, albeit rather half heartedly. I was convinced I would make them up, hate them and then having satisfied my desire for something I would hate that would be that! ...

I sew every day, I sew for work, I sew for myself, I sew for college and I sometimes sew for gifts. July is a busy month here, three birthday’s, end of school year…this year it’s even more hectic with Sid about to leave Primary school, so lots of events and visits and special days and parties and assemblies. Sid has ASD so all of this has to be handled carefully. Florence’s birthday takes a lot out of me emotionally, grief even after 7 years is exhausting, it demands your full attention, and if you don’t give it you soon know… Work is easy, I get my deadlines and my projects and I get on with it happily. College is finished now, but my coursework needs handing in by the end of August…guess who is very behind with the course work? So, a normal person might spend their time catching up with that rather than starting three million other projects right? Seems I am not a normal person…this past week instead of course work, I have sewn a pair of dungarees, two teacher gifts, pyjama bottoms, a summer kimono robe, and this dress! I can’t actually decide if it is procrastination or therapy sewing, maybe both? ...

Gosh I’ve been slow with this one! The Nora dress and her sisters Nell and Nancy made their debut on my blog last summer, and I kept meaning to release them as a pattern, but then kept putting it off, with one excuse after another, then Sam Sterken the editor of Sewing Made Simple magazine expressed an interest in Nora and asked me to let the magazine release her, which gave me the boot up the bum I needed to get things going again with this design. I’m really pleased how the chambray version turned out, it looks great on the model. Nora is such an easy dress to wear. I have several of the first drafts that I wear in rotation over leggings or jeans at least once a week. The pattern can be downloaded from the Love Sewing website here the instructions are in the magazine, which also comes with two free paper patterns. ...

It’s been a while since I made myself a Maude Skirt. I do love this pattern so much; I can squeeze it out of a metre of fabric usually, it stitches together super quick, even with the pockets, and it’s a flattering easy style. I had made one up recently for a future issue of Love Sewing Magazine (you’ll have to wait to see photos of that one.), and I was reminded how much I love making up this skirt, and also how I have wanted to make a denim one ever since the very talented Jayne had made a denim one when the pattern was still being tested. ...

I rarely buy sewing patterns these days, unless they are vintage finds. I prefer to draft my own designs. Last week though I aquired two new sewing patterns for me! I was smitten by Marilla Walker’s Bennett Dress as soon as I saw it, and knowing Marilla’s style, plus the need to stitch up something lovely in a hurry I thought I’d give it a go. I wasn’t dissapointed, in fact I was really pleased with the result, and wore the resulting dress twice in one week! I used a lightweight poly cotton blend I’d bought in Abakhan. As always Marilla’s pattern and instructions were faultless. I chose the printed pattern this time, and I love the cute hand printed envelope it came in . Trust me, packaging is hard to figure out when you are a small independant designer with an equally if not smaller budget for such things, and I’m quite envious that I didn’t think of doing something as cute with my paper patterns! (Which are still on pause…best not talk about that right now! ) ...

I’ve been working at Ministry of Craft today. I love my job teaching classes, even if I do go home with aching feet like I have today. Ministry of Craft operates mainly out of the basement at Fred Aldous, right in the heart of Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter, offering classes in almost every craft you can imagine; embroidery, knitting, screen printing, paper cutting……it’s a very long list! I teach most of the advanced beginner classes, focusing mainly on pattern cutting and fitting. Today was an Introduction to Bodice Fitting. A class I always enjoy, it’s intense and the students always work so hard…there is a lot to fit in to five hours, but we always manage. ...

So, I had a birthday, I’m now the grand old age of 47, and feel every second of it recently! Angus often jokes with me that I have outlived my biological usefulness now that I am no longer having babies or feeding them, lately I have felt, all too keenly the truth in that joke! India turned 20 on Saturday, and spent her first birthday away from home. I can’t quite believe I am the mother of a 20 year old! She has grown into a lovely young woman, but she will always be my first baby. ...

I’m still working on perfecting the fit of my new bodice block. I’ve been working on this dress on and off for a few weeks now, finally finishing it last week only to put it on and realise despite all my tinkering it still doesn’t quite fit right! I re drafted the front into a princess seam, which I think works well on a larger bust, but kept the back bodice darted, which hasn’t worked well at all! My upper back is rounded and wider than might be expected, while my rib cage is actually very narrow, so fitting my back is often more of a challenge than fitting my bust….the problem with learning about fit is the more you know, the more you find there is to learn….actually that’s how it is with sewing anyway, and why I love it so much! ...