Making Life more Beautiful
It is Christmas Day. We were supposed to be in Lancashire eating Christmas Lunch with my Mum. Unfortunately she fell in the night and dislocated her hip. She is spending Christmas Day in Royal Blackburn Hospital, poor thing. She is … Continued
Christmas Eve already! I can’t believe how quickly December has whizzed by. We are up early and on our way to Lancashire this morning. So what could be more appropriate than a Red jacket? The Red Rose of Lancaster dates … Continued
Galina gave me the pattern for her kimono-style jacket. I had a look at photographs of the original Yamamoto suit (her inspiration) to discover more about the construction techniques and ideal fabric choices. Observations main seam (across back and down … Continued
Mary was working for Notting Hill Housing Trust when I started more than 10 years ago. She ran our charity shops, volunteering programme and the fund-raising team. More than anyone she embodies the spirit and values of Notting Hill. She … Continued
Construction notes Collar Once the first fitting was complete I permanently stitched the side seams, unpicked and resewed the side back seams taking the jacket in at the hip area. To add a little ease in the waist rather than … Continued
Combinations The SWAP contest requires that all the garments go together. While there are three “sets” here, which stand alone, the three “wildcards” are garments which work with the three sets. Also I have designed my collection as a “wardrobe” … Continued
One of my friends was going to a job interview. He had to appear before the Board twice, and wrote to ask me “Should I wear a tie?” My default answer was “Yes”. Yes for job interviews, TV appearances, , … Continued
Three years ago I went to see an amazing exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, featuring the works of Yohji Yamamoto, who I had never heard of before. We were lucky enough to see one of the catwalk shows … Continued
I don’t like buying Christmas presents. I find it stressful, and I hate being under pressure to buy. So generally I give my children money and try to make something small, as an expression of my love, as well. Last … Continued
My pattern (Simplicity 100) is quite a small size (32″ bust, 34″ hips). While I anticipated the fit at the shoulder and neckline would be fine, ease, styling and other factors often mean a pattern will make up bigger than … Continued
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