Six months without shopping!

Firstly, apologies for my miserable migraine-induced post earlier - the hypnotic sewing machine mechanism seemed worth sharing at the time, but in retrospect I realise the post probably came across as slightly creepy meds-induced art! I'm feeling much better now and promise not to do it again. 

Anyway, I'm excited to announce that I've made it to the end of my six month Wardrobe Refashion pledge! Woop! Six months ago I declared:
I, Tilly, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract.

Seeing the pledge through was much easier than I thought - as soon as I'd made a conscious decision to stop shopping, I felt a burden lift from my shoulders. I could walk through the shops on my way to work and spot things I liked but not feel like I was missing an opportunity if I didn't buy them. As Hayley puts it, I let go of the need to show appreciation for a thing by owning it.

Sticking to the pledge, combined with making my own clothes, also made me realise that I love the clothes in my wardrobe more than the clothes in the shops. I feel more confident with my own sense of style and I know that in the future I'll be much more discerning about what I'll buy - it'll have to be something really special to make me buy it.

Erm... like this dress, which perfectly encapsulates everything I like in a garment - 1960s silhouette! Peter Pan collar! Scalloping! Proper sleeves! Bows! Redness! 

What do you think? Do I deserve a treat?

[Soundtrack: 'Blues de la Prison' by Canray Fontenot & Bois Sec Ardoin]

Loire Valley skirt

I took the opportunity of the trip to the Loire Valley to take some pics of my latest finished project while I had a different backdrop - you're probably bored of seeing the walls of my flat by now! So here I am posing in my boyfriend's parents' garden...

... and this is their humble home. Just kidding of course (hoho) - this is Azay le Rideau.

Here I am posing in front of their house, blissfully ignorant of the stinging nettles that are about to get tangled up under my skirt. Yikes! The pattern is McCalls 5631 and the fabric is a medium-lightweight cotton, £3/metre from Ikea! The pattern was fairly straightforward, although the instructions weren't too clear, meaning that (coupled with my laziness at reading instructions properly) at one point I realised I'd only cut out half a skirt - oops! I didn't have quite enough fabric left to cut out the rest of the skirt, so I had to leave out a couple of pleats. But it's fine.

Here's the view from the back. I didn't even try to match up the pattern on the seam line, firstly because I didn't have enough fabric and secondly because I'm too lazy. But I don't think many people IRL will notice or care too much, so try not to dwell on it! Just to distract you from those mismatched seams (I can hear you practising your deep breathing), here are some pictures of the chickens I spent the weekend chasing...

I just wanted to be their friend!

[Soundtrack: 'L'Accordéoniste' by Edith Piaf]

Stash Amnesty!

Reading the comments on my Tidying Up post made me think it would be fun to take a sneaky peek at other people's sewing stashes too. Moreover, what better therapy for the fabric stasher themselves than to come clean to the world about all the stuff they've been accumulating? With this in mind, I approached Jen from Pretty Little Pictures to see if she would be up for an interview about her sewing space and stash. Consider this the pilot for a "Stash Amnesty!" feature - if you like the idea of this post, I'll make it a regular thing (or if you think it's rubbish, I'll drop it).

So over to Jen, the inspiring and stylish seamstress with a great eye for colour and a love of vintage lovely things...

What's your sewing area like?

Jen: "I have just recently moved to Sydney, Australia from Dunedin, New Zealand.  We currently reside in a quaint, but rather small one-bed semi. As our current space is so small, my fiance and I have had to be some what imaginative with our space. Half of our lounge is dedicated as a small space for our own individual use.  My fiance works from home so his space is set up as a little office, surrounded by books.  Mine on the other hand is my dedicated sewing space - surrounded by a book shelf of fabric. I use two big plastic storage bins to house all of my patterns, thread, zips, buttons and all number of sewing related bits and pieces.  And while the bookshelf holds the bulk of my fabric, there is a teeny weeny pile building up behind my desk that I opted not to show you, because it's slowly getting out of control.  I need to learn not pile everything up in one corner, because it will eventually fall over..."

How long has your stash been accumulating?

Jen: "My stash has been accumulating for a good 4 years now.  But I did have to get rid of some of the excess before we left New Zealand - a very hard thing to do! I'm one of those people who is sure they will use it for something - even if its a tiny little scrap!  In saying that, I'm not quite sure I got rid of quite as much as I thought I did.  (read above statement: growing pile of fabric behind my sewing area that you cannot see..."

Where do you source your fabric?

Jen: "A lot of my initial stock came from opshops (thrift stores) in New Zealand.  I had a few really great stores that I frequented that always had masses of really great quality fabric.  I haven't had much time to scour Sydney though, so what I have bought while I've been here has been mostly off ebay - they always have some really great vintage fabric every time I look."

Talk us through a few of your favourite items in your stash...

Jen: "My very favourite things from my stash are my vintage patterns.  Even if I had no idea how to  sew, I would still collect them, just to stare at them.  My very first vintage pattern is rather special to me - the cover is tattered and looks well loved and used but all of the pattern pieces are all there:

"I also adore my vintage magazines - all of the ones I own still had their original patterns with them.  I had found three in New Zealand last year and this year I've hit a goldmine and have added several more to my stash (also including their patterns).  I'm not all that good at acurately dating vintage garments and I've found the magazines to be such a useful resource when it comes to not only dating garments, but to studying the styles of a particular period.  I also love the advertisements - they are cheesy and all round fantastic!"

What item has been dwelling unused in your stash for the longest? Why oh why?!

Jen: "Haha, well actually, that would be some of my vintage patterns!!  I have some beautiful ones but they can be just so darn complicated!! Like a good dress should be I guess :)  I haven't attempted them yet because I'm still building up my knowledge on using vintage patterns/sewing techniques and really don't want to get stuck into something that I know will cause me grief (I have been known to get so frustrated with a pattern that I just burst into tears - seriously!!). I will soon be delving into them with relish, but until then, I am content to look and dream of the day..."

What projects are you planning to downsize your stash?
Jen: "Oh so many!!  My first real Sydney summer is fast approaching which means lots of light, airy dresses will be needed.  I've just finished making a 60's wrap blouse (which you can see unfinished on my dress makers form) which I've wanted for such a long time.  I had to tweak the pattern here and there, but I love the design and think that there will be many more made very soon :)  I've also just started on another dress that is actually an autumn dress, but I think I will be able to squeeze a few wears out of it before the heat hits.  It's got some very interesting techniques that I've not tried before so I'm excited to give them a go."

Thank you, Jen! With a stash full of such lovely things, who would want to cut it down?!

Should this become a regular post? Readers - are you as nosey as I am? Stashers - want to be granted amnesty? If you'd like to feature in a future Stash Amnesty post, get in touch!

Horrockses Fashions

Today I spent a lovely afternoon with Karen from Did You Make That?, Melissa from Fehr Trade and Susannah from Cargo Cult Craft at the Horrockses Fashions exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum.

Melissa and Karen looking very natural for the camera

Horrockses was a British ready-to-wear women's fashion label which was big in the 1940s and 1950s. The dresses cost £4 - £7, which is around £80 - £130 in today's money - so the equivalent of buying a dress from Jigsaw, say - but desirable enough for royalty to wear them. The brand was best known for its cotton summer dresses - vibrant, colourful and very wearable - which were ubiquitous in the increasingly popular holiday spots such as the south of France and Italy.

Karen looking suitably chic and colourful

Enough talk, let's look at some dresses...

Mmm... dresses...

Glamorous housecoats

This cute sunsuit looks like something Casey would make...

And Zoe would love this novelty print skirt...

But we all agreed that no one could pull off this pink playsuit!