Make a simple pleated skirt with DIY Couture and The Thrifty Stitcher

Autumn, my favourite season, is just around the corner. Whilst I'm still basking in our great British summer.... I've also been thinking about what's around the corner. Skirts are a brilliant garment to bridge the seasons, wear bare legged through an indian summer, and slip on top of opaque tights when the rain falls.

  

I am so excited to announce that fellow Hackney Entrepreneur and Fashionista Rosie Martin of DIY Couture fame is bringing her unique "How to make a simple skirt without a pattern" class to The Thrifty Stitcher on September 25th.

Rosie loves high fashion, and was dissapointed by the lack of  fabulous contemporary dressmaking patterns available for home stitchers. Rosie set out to create a collection that could be easily made at home, piece by piece through simple instructions and beautiful photos. The first 3 pieces are available as delightful instruction books, and do away with the need for a fiddly pattern.

If you want to make your own clothes, and can already thread and use a sewing machine, then this Skirt class is a great way to start dressmaking. Included in the cost is a copy of Rosie's skirt book, and you'll be led through the day by Rosie herself ( I'll be the glamorous assistant for this session)

You bring along your own fabric, so you'll make the skirt you've always wanted, we'll provide the know how, tools and equipment and some DIY Couture magic!
We've a summer sale, so grab a 15% discounted class here

Fabric care and storage

Top tips for clothing and fabric care & storage

Clothes, fabric and wool that are stored will attract the Webbing Clothes Moth. Moth eaten fabric and clothes are depressing and the holes will weaken the fabric and in some cases make it unwearable or unusable. Moths have been a real problem for the last few years, and 2011 is set to be one of the highest in terms of moth infestations. You can bring moths into your home from buying clothes/fabric, transference from someone who has moths in their home, and they fly in during summer months!

• You need to use deterrents, and they need to be replaced every 6 months. 
• If you get an infestation, the moths will attack not only fabric but books, papers and photographs, so all your precious memories can be reduced to dust!
• Start by using lavender bags/sachets, and cedar. I personally can’t bear moth balls which are super effective, but stinky! 
• The best and cheapest resource and supplier of moth products I’ve found is this one.

          http://www.mothcontroldirect.co.uk/acatalog/clothesmoth.html

• Pheromone traps are a great way to break the breeding cycle without using chemicals. The moths think they are all male! These sticky traps are also a good way to monitor how big a moth problem you may have.
• Spring cleaning is a tradition for a reason. In order to get rid of moth eggs, you need to empty drawers and cupboards and clean out all the surfaces. Moths like to breed under static areas like furniture, so moving your furniture out and cleaning underneath breaks their cycle. Sunlight also kills eggs, so getting rugs and carpets outside and thoroughly beating them and leaving in sunlight will kill any eggs/larvae.
• If like me, you don't have access to a garden, then running a sticky roller brush over your clothing can lift off eggs.
• Ensure you change your hoover bag regularly. You may well hoover up eggs, and the hoover bag is a perfect environment for the moths to breed in! It's pretty gross, opening up the hoover and finding a big bunch of moths.....

Storing Fabric and clothes

This can be a nightmare. In terms of fabric storage i need to be able to access my stash, and see exactly what i've got. 

Using plastic for storage is a contentious topic. Whilst plastic vacuum bags are great in the fight against moths, they can leak plastic fumes, which isn't great for valuable vintage fabric and clothes. Personally i don't want to see my lovely old things being eaten away by moths, so I do use some plastic storage. 

I have limited space in my home for fabric storage, so i try and use what i already have. CD storage towers are great for showcasing smaller pieces of fabric, just make sure it's not in direct sunlight as the fabric will fade

A great system for easily storing and finding fabrics is the Antonius System in the Ikea wardrobe range which you can customise to suit your own needs http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/ products/S29877698

Get the most out of your sewing machine

Top tips for sewing machines

A good sewing machine whether it's new or vintage needs some love and TLC! Here are a few tips on keeping your machine running well

• Learn how to de-fluff your sewing machine. Use a pressurised air-can that is sold for cleaning keyboards. The fluff in the bobbin area of your machine soaks up the oil and can clog the mechanism. Doing this yourself will prolong the life of your machine, and cost you less in servicing.

• Do get your machine serviced regularly. That clunking noise in your machine means something is out of sync! You wouldn’t dream of driving your car for ten years without a service, and like cars, sewing machines have moveable parts that need maintenance. If you don’t use it very often then every couple of years should be okay, and if you use it regularly then do every year. A service should cost around £45

• Keep your manual handy! So many tasks you may want to do are explained in your manual, so it is an invaluable resource. If you’ve got a vintage machine with no manual, then check out this site to see if it’s there. http://www.sewingmanuals.com/

• If you like doing a specific task like gathering, or piping, research whether or not there is a special foot for your machine that makes that task quicker. A piping foot for example gives you a perfect result each time, without you having to put as much effort in. I always buy an invisible zip foot, as I do lots of those types of zips, and the foot makes it so easy.

• Change your needle! Many people have had the same needle in since they bought their machine. Needles on average last a continuous 8 hours only! You need to change your needle according to the fabric you’re using. A fine needle for delicates and a thicker needle for heavier fabrics. Needles are made for specific tasks, for example a denim needle is the best choice for jeans, it’s strong but has a very sharp point that will pierce the dense fabric. This is a great article on what needle to use for what fabric http://thesewingdirectory.blogspot.com/2010/09/n-is-for-needle.html

• Needles and pins are one area that buying cheap means you pay twice. I always use Schmetz, or Gros-Beckert needles which are German and very high quality. For hand sewing I usually use John James which are British steel, or Milward needles. For pins I use a longer, finer good quality brand like Prym.

Alteration tips and tricks

I do a lot of alterations in the Theatre. Unless a costume has been specifically made for that particular actor then most of my work involves getting an existing garment to fit correctly.


I will confess that some sewing jobs are a lot more tedious than others so why not use that dry-cleaner for the really boring stuff.


Here are a few of my tips for getting alterations done well

• When thinking about altering clothes, remember the body has 2 planes- height and width. If altering the width of a garment you may not need to re-fit as this plane is easier to adjust. If you are altering the height of a garment, you will nearly always need to re-fit after the adjustments are made. For example taking up the shoulders will shorten the arm-hole which may then need to be adjusted. Shortening flared trousers for example means the flare is less at the hem, and they may not look as attractive.

• Trying to make clothes smaller than about 2 sizes involves a lot of alteration time, which if you’re paying someone may not be worth it. If you find a vintage Chanel suit in a charity shop that’s 4 sizes too big, it may well be worth the additional expense. If it’s a Primark dress in the sale, then just leave it on the rail.

• If something is more than one size too small, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get it let out. Fashion garments rarely have less than 0.5 cm seam allowance, meaning that there is total of 1.5 cm available around the body to let out. Letting out satin or fine fabrics means you may be left with track-lines where the stitching was. Letting out darker fabrics means that you may end up revealing fabric that is a different colour from the faded outside.

• If you let down a hem and get a strong line where the original hem was, think outside the box. Stitch some ribbon and make a feature of the ribbon whilst disguising the ugly line.

• Some alterations or repairs are boring to do. Personally I would rather get the tedious jobs like replacing zips done at a dry cleaners. Replacing a zip is fiddly and time consuming and I would rather use the time to make something fun, It’s generally only about £10-£15 to get it done for you. Shortening hems however, is a relatively quick and easy thing to do yourself and not worth paying £10 for.

• Big jobs that require a lot of space and equipment are often worth getting done by someone else. If you have to clear away your sewing space each time you sew, then the chances are that you’ll never finish that pair of curtains. If that’s the case you can concentrate maybe on the small hand sewing jobs that are achievable.

• If you want to do a big sewing job but really don’t have the space or a sewing machine, then go to a sewing studio that offers the space by the hour/session. There are lots of sewing schools across the UK that offer space by the hour and it’s a great way to get sewing and not worry about clearing up!

• Fabric is no longer cheap, and the cost of cotton and wool has just gone up, meaning both our clothes and fabric will soon get a lot more expensive. Think about cutting up existing old garments or curtains to use as fabric. Recently a student of mine used a sarong she bought on her honeymoon to make a yoga mat bag. Something that would have sat in her cupboard is a reminder of her honeymoon at every yoga class.

• Before you take stuff to charity shops think about whether or not you could re-purpose the item. Taking the waist band off a pair of jeans and binding the edge for example makes them bigger. A pair of old worn out jeans can be opened up and made into a skirt using perhaps an old favourite worn out blouse as the insert.

Fascinator making tips for the racing season.

Racing season is upon us, and with it the perfect opportunity to go wild with hair accessories!
Ascot is next weekend, so there's still time to rustle up a perfectly wild fascinator

Chrisse King from Hat Therapy has given you some tips on making fabric flowers or YoYo's. YoYo's are also known as suffolk puffs, and are a great way of tying in a colour scheme across your outfit.

Check out this fab suffolk puff fascinator for inspiration from Knit and Purl Stitch

To make a sheer fabric flower/suffolk puff  you will need.

1. A woven headband (randall ribbons in Luton sell them on black and ivory) tel 01582 721 301
2. Some fabric you want to use
3. A dinner plate
4. A button or bead for the centre
5. Some hand sewing thread and a needle

Cut a circle, dinner plate size for a larger flower or smaller if not.

Knot the end of your thread and sew along the edge of your fabric.

Pull gently as you sew creating a little bag then secure together with a few small stitches, cut off thread.

Decide what you would like to trim your piece with, here's a few ideas.

• sequins, 
• buttons,
• beads, 
• another smaller circle in a contrasting fabric
• ribbon

Starting from the back, pass a threaded needle through to the centre of your flower and start to build up a trim. This will pinch together your sheer fabric in the middle.

Once finished you can attach to your headband by sewing together or pop on a comb or hair clip.

If you want cover your headband cut a piece of your fabric on the bias (across the fabric where you feel the stretch) Pin and sew, turn inside out with a safety pin then push the end of the band into the tube, sew at each end to secure

Enjoy

Chrissie

Why I'm sacrificing saucepans for sunshine

At the beginning of the year I set out goals for the year ahead. Six months on and one of those goals has not only eluded me, but continues to make me feel that I've failed myself. So I've decided to get rid if it altogether!

Cooking for myself as a veggie has always been important in order to eat interesting and tasteful food. It's been something I've shared with friends, and was a favourite way I used to unwind. I now work fulltime and run a small business, and at least 10 hours of every day are consumed by Working at both of those things. I need at least 7 hours sleep, so when you factor in travelling to and from work, I'm left with little time for myself. I've been trying to carve out time to cook, but the pressure of feeling obligated to squeeze it in us frankly wearing mr down. When I get time out, I want to see friends, go to a spa not slave over s saucepan. I'd love to live the lifestyle of Jamie or nigella, but frankly when they're cooking it's their work, so of course they can fit it in. Cooking isn't just about the actual effort of chopping and heating, there's shopping and ensuring you have what you need in, and even if you do get food deliveries, there's still a time commitment to checking and ordering. Like many of my friends and colleagues, my boyfriend and I seem to spend a great deal of time talking about food shopping, food ideas and all the mundanity of those conversations is just well BORING!
I work weird hours, I work at night, so it's tough to cook when all my food gets heated up at work. Within the covent garden area, I know all the convenience vegetarian foods I can get hold of, and most of my menu comes from pret, marks and Spencer and tesco. They each offer limited vegie options, so my diet has begun boring mr senseless.
Added to all of the above i want to slim down a little, but that means more prep and thought, and cooking time.
So....
I will shortly be signing onto a weight loss food delivery service. I will spend no more than I currently spend on microwave meals, and take out sandwiches. So I'll eat better, free myself from feeling guilty that I'm not a domestic diva, and with the extra hours I gain hopefully I can do more for me.
Since I decided on this plan, I've had a huge sense of a weight being lifted from my shoulders. I'll need a couple of months to slim down, but who knows during that time I may re-discover my cooking mojo!
I still want to have friends over for dinner, but I warn you if you're invited I will have cheated and bought in. I guess for me the point is to see friends and enjoy their company, rather than putting off the invite cos I can't face the kitchen!

Here's to more sunshine and less saucepans!

What someone's said.

Just had this lovely feedback from someone who attended a skill sharing day I participated in, made me feel all warm!

CL was really lovely. She was patient with me and my daughter (and pal) and explained things really clearly. Even when having to repeat, she didn't make us feel silly or as if we were wasting her time. She made eye contact and didn't patronise which means a lot to me, from someone who is technically very good. I felt like I could take what I had learnt home with me and carry on and develop further too."

Skill sharing is a fantastic way to engage with your neighbours and community and learn from each other. I attended one in Clapton, and it was a great day with tai chi, gardening, reiki, drumming, baking, history and sewing on the menu throughout the day.
Check out wether or not there are events near you, and if not then have a gobar organising one yourself.

Have a fab weekend. I have a day off to attend the wedding of a good friend, and an excited to see her in her dress