In the 1st post in this series, I talked about hierophany, the idea of markers in the landscape holding significance for both individuals and the local community, and what that might mean for us as creative people. In the second post, I wrote a little bit about using things found in the landscape as part of our creativity, in particular making dye from nettles. The dyed fabric is still folded up and awaiting another stint in the dyebath! In ... Read the Post...
Sewing With Knits: Choosing a Pattern
If you've missed the previous posts in the Sewing With Knits series, you can find them here. Once you've started to think about the fabric you'd like to use, the next step is finding a pattern. Stretch knits are great for tops and comfy dresses. You can make skirts from them as well. If you are choosing a pattern, often it will say on the packet what kind of fabric to use. But if you are drafting your own, adapting or reusing a pattern ... Read the Post...
A Wrist Pincushion Tutorial Revisited
With the Great British Sewing Bee back on the television, I thought I'd revisit the wrist pincushion tutorial I wrote back in 2016. I still have the original pincushion, and I often use it when I'm sewing. We are who we are, and I still lose my pins if I don't have them actually attached to me! At the time, I had some wrist pincushion kits for sale on Etsy, but in different fabric. Unfortunately, once they had sold out I couldn't get any ... Read the Post...
Thoughts on Throwing Things Away
Lots of us have an uneasy relationship with throwing things away. We all know that we need to try to generate less waste. Fast fashion is an environmental nightmare, supermarkets still sell pasta in plastic bags that can't be recycled, we have electronics we no longer use and what on earth do we do with CDs and videotapes? In the Little House on the Prairie books, Caroline Ingalls throws nothing away. Nothing is wasted. Every last scrap of ... Read the Post...
