sewing, travel, and combining the two as much as possible
Over the last month I've made my first foray into the world of pattern testing. When pattern companies are designing a new pattern, they need to ensure the pattern pieces and instructions make up how they planned them to, and are user friendly for the sewing community. Often, indie pattern companies especially will put out…
Each month the Modista newsletter brings you updates from around the sewing world, useful links and videos and exclusive discounts and offers from some fabulous indie brands. This month we have THREE brands to choose from so here I'm listing some of my favourite picks.... Dragonfly Fabrics Dragonfly are one of my favourite UK online…
Welcome to this month's stop on the global sewing tour - Spain! One of my favourite countries, Spain in my opinion has it all. Gorgeous landscapes, delicious food, amazing culture and of course the FASHION. @maria_bernad Dressmaking in Spain, in my opinion, is perhaps not as mainstream as it is in the UK or France…
Continue reading ➞ Bienvenido to the world of Spanish sewing!
Since launching the latest plant themed label designs this week I have been so pleased with the positive response to them! Thank you to everyone who has ordered this far and I hope you enjoy sewing them into your makes. Like many of us I became far too emotionally attached to my plant babies during…
Continue reading ➞ Growing inspiration….plant themed sewing projects and more
This blog post contains gifted fabric. I chose the fabric to be able to blog about a garment and topic of my choosing; One of my favourite recent makes is the Sew Over It Libby blouse. I'm entering the sewing stage that follows the immediate intense obsession of initially discovering sewing; now I'm realising I…
Continue reading ➞ Constructing the Sew Over it Libby collar
I think one of the common misconceptions around sewing is that making your own clothes will always be cheaper than buying RTW. This is categorically not the case! Yes, you can often pick up bargain fabric at the thrift store, rag markets or ebay and find a fab pattern in a charity shop. But if…
Continue reading ➞ How to DIY the new Rouje x Liberty collection
Happy hump day everyone! I was off on Monday and it's strange how easily that throws me completely out of kilter - it's felt like Tuesday all day and the last 3 months have basically been the longest Monday ever. A couple of weeks ago I worked on this project while taking part in the…
This blog post contains gifted products that I received in exchange for a blog entry Have you heard of Simple Sew? If you haven't already, theirs are a collection of staple wardrobe pieces that are a great option for both experienced and beginner sewers. From their patterns you could easily build a lovely capsule wardrobe…
Salut! As I've written before on here, I love all things French and have enjoyed French culture, language and fashion ever since I started learning the language when I was little (the cool kids went to dance class, I went to French Saturday school...) and lived in Paris on and off between 2014-17. Years later…
Continue reading ➞ An introduction to the world of French sewing
The Kew dress is one of my all time favourite patterns. When I first became interested in dressmaking I was living away and didn't have a sewing machine so set myself to planning (read: spending too much time on Pinterest) and the Kew was one I heavily pinned and bookmarked. Photo from the Nina Lee…
Who else can count on one hand the number of days they've worn a bra since lockdown? Strangely, for me jewellery was the first thing to leave my daily routine in lockdown - normally I wear a necklace, earrings and a minimum of two rings but stripped them all off in March and have barely…
Continue reading ➞ Lockdown loungewear – my favourite patterns
As you may know I recently launched my Modista French labels, as a little homage to both the time I cherished living in France and my love of all things French fashion. Hopefully you have discovered it by now, but the French DIY fashion scene is HUGE. And fabuleuse. As you might expect, French pattern…
Even before lockdown, I was dreaming of comfy linen trousers to lounge in. Linen makes me dream of warm summer evenings, romantic European city breaks and categorically not being sweaty. Aka, the ideal garment. I wanted a simple, wide leg shape and elasticated waist to be friendly to the extra tummy rolls I've gained during…
Wow, just wow! When I laid out my target of £1500 during #memademay2020 for the sewing labels, I really thought I was pushing the realms of possibility a bit. But here we are just halfway through #memademay and we've not only hit the target, we've SMASHED IT! When I released my French labels on Friday…
Earlier this month I used the Sew Over It Eve dress to recreate one of my favourite designer brands, Rouje. I really enjoyed the process of this, and not just because I love a bargain (and man, DO I) but because it helped to really focus my pattern and fabric planning. I don't know about…
So. We all know of my borderline creepy francophile obsession with French style and its place in my #MeMadeMay2020 objectives. Having studied French since I was tiny and after living in France for a few years, I love their style and have come to really enjoy incorporating my adoration for la vie française into my…
The time is flying by this year and for some reason, the routine of lockdown is meaning for me the days pass even more quickly than usual, and suddenly May is here again! I am not a creature of routine. I have mentioned in previous posts that I usually travel 12 weeks of the year…
Sometimes you successfully hack a pattern, and sometimes you make a complete hack of it. Such was my experience of playing with the Ogden cami pattern this weekend. I had the insta-perfect idea of making a cute ruffle bottom Ogden hack in the half a metre of gingham I had left from my Burda Hepburn…
It's mad how the lockdown changes your perspective so quickly. Usually I travel around 12 weeks per year for my work and rarely spend a full month in the UK; my main hobby besides sewing is exploring the places I'm lucky enough to visit for work and researching what to see and do. Last week…
For a long time I've fantasized about being as effortlessly chic as the French, who seem to have the knack for making a sack look classy. As far as I can tell from careful study and Instagram stalking, the common denominator between the French women who look so cool on their way to buy the…
