Nora on LazyArchives

Vintage Pin Stripes

Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Finally Nora is here!

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

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.

So here we are.

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I only got one little piece of stitching done between Christmas and the New Year, and that was this grey Nora Dress for Eden. I’d cut it out back in September, she’d been waiting so long for it, she had forgotten all about it! I’ve another cut out at the same time for India that she can’t remember either!

I’m not one for making resolutions really, but maybe I should at least make one about making things up as soon as I cut them out…anyone else have a pile of garments cut out, but not yet sewn?

Nora, Nell and Nancy

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Starting this post with a silly but happy photo of me. After my last post full of doom and gloom I decided this place needs a bit of silliness and some smiles. Summer is tough around here, and it’s hard not to let that affect everything. Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and messages of support after my last post, I appreciate every one, you are all wonderful!
This photo was taken last week in my mother in law’s garden in Anglesey North Wales. We stayed there for five days, and it really was a lovely break from routine. Eden and I had a lot of fun taking photos in the garden of one of my new designs.
Yes, despite my low mood I’ve still been working over the summer, planning classes (see my learn to sew page for more details on those.) and designing three new dresses.
Nora, Nell and Nancy are not only the names of two of my friend’s children that I have always loved, but the names of the three new dress patterns I plan to launch this month…..yeah I know I should probably keep quiet for now, have a big launch when they are ready, but come on, you should know me well enough by now to realise that’s not really my style.