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My Cath Kidston bathroom!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to make changes to our downstairs loo. It was ok really, not long ago painted but it needed a loving touch and some freshening up! I was shopping in Homebase and picked up a paint catalogue and saw a lovely fuschia colour paint which I thought wouldContinue reading “My Cath Kidston bathroom!”

A Potteries day out; Emma Bridgewater

Fed up of the continual rainy Saturday’s in Birmingham (and everywhere else I think!) we decided to have a day out in Stoke and visit the potteries. An hour from Birmingham, so basically on our doorstep, it was somewhere I wanted to visit, especially after watching BBC’s The Great Pottery Throwdown. I collect vintage teacupsContinue reading “A Potteries day out; Emma Bridgewater”

My favourite fabric shop in Birmingham

I had a lovely Saturday before Christmas visiting my local fabric store; Barry’s in Birmingham. Those of you who live in Birmingham and are addicted to fabric, will I am sure know this store very well! There is no pattern of fabric that they do not sell! Anything you could wish for in terms ofContinue reading “My favourite fabric shop in Birmingham”

Sewing on Television/Films

A couple of weeks ago, me and hubby (bullied into!) went to see the new Kate Winslet film, The Dressmaker. The film is set in the 1950’s and is based on the book by Rosalie Ham. Its about a dressmaker returning to her native Australia to right the wrongs done to her in the past.Continue reading “Sewing on Television/Films”

1950’s Sewing Patterns – A brief history

There is a trend today for making your own clothes, with programmes such as “The Great British Sewing Bee” encouraging would be sewers to throw caution to the wind and have a go! However this isn’t an entirely new phenomenon as sewing patterns have been in existence since the 1860’s. In wartime Britain, women couldContinue reading “1950’s Sewing Patterns – A brief history”

1950’s dresses – A brief history

I think sometimes that I was born in the wrong era. I feel much happier in a dress with a fitted waist and a full skirt. Not necessarily over the top with a petticoat underneath (I do the school run!) but something that makes me feel feminine at least. Jeans are comfortable and practical butContinue reading “1950’s dresses – A brief history”

Knitted Clangers!

As a child of the 1970’s loved the Clangers, my favourite character was the Soup Dragon. It sounded such a brilliant name for a dragon to have. To my surprise my young son loved the Clangers too (we bought him all our childhood DVD’s) so imagine the excitement when CBeebies decided to bring the seriesContinue reading “Knitted Clangers!”

Sewing for curvy people? Not always successful!

I started dress making when my son went to school and I was at a loose end. I had always been creative, making curtains, cushions etc. but I decided I wanted to have a go at making my own clothes. I enrolled on a sewing class and have never looked back. Not everything has beenContinue reading “Sewing for curvy people? Not always successful!”

Sew Brum -Saturday 31 October 2015

I had an interesting email from my local fabric store, Guthrie & Ghani in Moseley (you may remember, Lauren Guthrie was a finalist in the Sewing Bee in 2013) about Sew Brum, coming up in October. http://www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk/events Sew Brum is organised by the sewing blogger Englishgirlathome http://englishgirlathome.com/sewbrum/ and promises to be a lovely day ofContinue reading “Sew Brum -Saturday 31 October 2015”

Hanging floral hearts – tutorial

I decided to have a go at making these lovely hanging heart decorations after having some left-over fabric from the Cath Kidston designed “Rosalie” range from Ikea. The first couple of efforts weren’t that successful as I couldn’t quite figure out after stuffing the heart, how to sew it up neatly so it looks seamless. However,Continue reading “Hanging floral hearts – tutorial”