Hi Everyone,
I hope the year’s started well for you. We’re still on school holidays here, but the carefree days are ending soon.
You may have noticed I’m using a new newsletter platform. I’ve had a few issues with changing over the “sign up to my newsletter”, so if you missed the January newsletter, my apologies; it’s here. You can read all the newsletter back issues, including the latest ones, on my website here.
I’ve spent some time thinking about what I'm going to do this year - just some general plans. I plan to…
Continue to blog weekly and write a monthly newsletter. In particular, add to the tutorials section of the blog. I also plan to continue writing Learn-to-Sew posts for The Pattern Pages magazine’s website.
Produce some new zero waste patterns - maybe 6 this year? I'm already well underway with culottes which are turning out very well so far.
Talk about, educate and promote zero waste pattern cutting. But I’ll have to be smart with my time, because…
I’ve just started writing a new book. More on this soon!
Revisit my sewing bucket list. I seem to look at this list about every two years, and it’s due for another look .
And also…
Spend one or two days a month on house renovations.
Zero waste doll pattern
I released this pattern back in December and I’ve extended the 25% off until the 2nd of February. It’s in my shop here, and you can read the blog post about it here.
The doll pattern comes with a wardrobe of 10 zero/low waste clothes patterns and several hair options. It can be made any gender.
This pattern has certainly been the most fun zero waste pattern I’ve done - sewing doll’s clothes took me right back to my sewing roots!
Some lovely dolls have popped up on Instagram. Sue Stoney made one with wonderful long plaits. Fi of @isewcan made a doll for her niece with matching dresses for doll and girl and the dresses were both reversible! Later she made a cool “get well soon” doll that looked like the recipient.
Zero waste talk
On February the 8th 7pm-8pm (Canadian EST zone) I’m giving a talk to Stratford Garment Guild in Ontario Canada and the session is open to anyone who’d like to come, at no cost. The zoom link will be on their website and Instagram on the day of the meeting; there’s a limited number of places. Maybe I’ll see you there!
If you live in Australia, the talk is on February 9th at 10.30am Australian Central time.
Can you help?
Do you live in or near South Australia’s Clare Valley? The Mill Street Gallery in Clare is preparing for an exhibition in March of former-mayor Allan Aughey’s outfits, and are looking to borrow things to display men’s clothes on such as male dressmaking models, hanging torsos like these, or male shop display models. If you can help, contact the Arts Collective Clare Valley.
By the way, long-time blog readers may remember I interviewed Allan back in 2017. We had a great time chatting - we could have spent all day talking about clothes but he had mayor stuff to do.
Some things you might enjoy
Enter zero waste quilting. Patty Murphy shares her zero waste quilting experiments and ideas.
...and the Quilt Alliance are looking for people in the quilt world who are working with/thinking about sustainability.
A short film of street tailors in India. (7.30 mins)
Meet sewing machine repairer Stephen Potts.
Beautiful! Embroidered vegetables by Tokyo artist Konekono Kitsune. (Instagram)
A video tutorial on how to extend short pocket bags on jeans so you can fit your whole hand in them! 13mins. (Thanks Erin Lewis Fitzgerald for this link.)
The story of a wedding dress from 1938 found in a skip in Perth, Australia. How did it end up there?
Do you like a pattern puzzle? Notes on Studio Faro’s famous pattern puzzles are now available as pdfs.
A new piece of fashion legislation proposed in New York could have a big impact on fashion sustainability.
French fashion designer Thierry Mugler has died, aged 73.
Handmade goods made from old bicycle parts….and custom products made from firehoses.
On the blog lately
The blog is back! (But only just.) Read this week’s post on my holiday macrame project.
From the blog archives
The story of the puce floral dress (from pre-zero waste days). I’d planned to wear this dress to the Mary Quant exhibition but it was too chilly.
In Part 1, I tried a pattern from the Built by Wendy Dresses book and ran up a toile.
In Part 2, I found some floral fabric, made a firm decision on a style and cut out the dress.
In Part 3, I finally finished it!
A year later, I went back and changed the collar, and now it’s just right.
Cheers!