Seven Years of Blogging!

Today my blog turns seven! Seven years since I tentatively published my first post featuring a lovely, but stiff-as-a-board Colette Sencha blouse.

A lot has happened during the past seven years. I've discovered a passion and love for sewing I never knew existed, made some lifelong friends, spent thousands of hours at the sewing machine and bought more than a few metres of fabric. This time last year I even had a book published! Blogs in general and sewing blogs in particular have also seen quite a change during that time. Sewing bloggers are publishing fewer posts and some have even stopped blogging altogether. There are several good reasons for this, but I still find it sad when a sewing blog ceases to be.

Instagram has definitely played its part and I'm as guilty as the next person. It's all too easy to 'like' something on Instagram rather than go through the rigmarole of leaving a comment on a blog. And let's face it, posting a single photo of a finished garment takes far less time than slaving over a hot computer to write a full pattern review. The thing is, I like reading the full reviews and the sewing details. I want to know how a fabric behaved and what fitting adjustments were needed. I love reading about sewing. As attractive as the quick fix will always be, I'd still rather read the longer, less glamorous version on a sewing blog.

The other area of sewing social media that seems to have suddenly sprung to life is sewing vlogs.  I can see that vlogs serve a slightly different purpose to sewing blogs, but try as I might, I just can't warm to them. Unlike Instagram, there's actually quite a time investment required to actually sit and watch them (the few I've viewed all seem to last around 15 minutes). I'd much rather spend that time reading blogs! Admittedly I'm always years behind when it comes to any form of new social media, but I'm absolutely certain I'll never start vlogging myself. I'd have to contend with the twin horrors of seeing myself on camera and listening to my own voice. No thanks!  

I'll still continue to write my blog, even if fewer people are reading them, simply because having a blog is hugely important to me. Admittedly I've been a bit quiet lately (a combination of summer holidays and back-to-school madness), but I do really enjoy the process of writing posts and reviewing the garments I make. Call me a Luddite, but that's the way I like it!

A massive thank you to everybody who has offered such unwavering support and friendship over the past seven years. I really do appreciate it. xx

I'll be back soon with something rarely seen on this blog (ha!) - a new red dress!

Sadly this is a pretend front cover!

Handmade Jane is five!

Well I never! My blog is five years old this week! Time certainly flies when you're having fun.

I thought I'd brighten your day by posting a photo of me when I was five years old...

Ha! Pretty scary eh?! If only they were casting for Village of the Damned that day, I could have bagged myself a starring role…. 

Sorry, I digress…  I have fond memories of writing my very first post, which featured a lovely, but stiff-as-a-board Colette Sencha top. I may not have got much wear out of it (the higher than average neckline always made me feel like I was being slowly strangled), but it taught me a lot about sewing, fitting and, above all, fabric choice!

Having a blog isn't just about making things and taking photos. It's also about interacting with the sewing community and for me, that's been by far the best thing that's happened since I started writing it. I've learnt lots about sewing during my first five years and I still have a long way to go. More importantly, I've met some of the kindest, most talented and generous people ever. And the funniest… I've been on some meet-ups where I haven't stopped laughing the entire time!  In short, sewing and writing a blog have made me very happy and kept me sane - you can't ask for more really!

So to everybody who has followed my blog and supported my sewing endeavours for the past five years - THANK YOU! It means an awful lot to me.  xx

Blogger meet up with Cindy from Cation Designs

Back in June, I was partnered with Cindy from Cation Designs as part of Kerry's Summer Sewing Swap. We became blog friends via e-mail and I became an instant fan of the beautiful, often vintage-inspired dresses she makes. She's already made an awesome dress from the pattern I included in her swap package.

Imagine my delight when she contacted me to see if we could meet up during her UK holiday this week. Wahay, I couldn't wait! So this morning, I met Cindy and her charming husband Eric at Portobello Road market, where we spent the next few hours rummaging around vintage clothes stalls, my favourite buttons and trims stall and the countless other little treasure troves and shops that the market is famous for.

I managed to pick up two cards of lovely vintage buttons from the button man, along with a one-off present for my mum which I'll have to keep quiet about in case she's reading….

Cindy bagged two lots of gold trim for a forthcoming make and was pondering a giant cat-print scarf as I left her. The picture above shows us in the Cloth Shop soaking up the fabric gorgeousness.

I knew we'd get on well as we'd clicked immediately during our e-mail exchanges and I wasn't wrong, she's just lovely! We managed to effortlessly chat non-stop the entire time. It's really quite surreal - a few weeks ago, Cindy was a total stranger on the other side of the world, yet there we were today, enjoying a fabulous morning of vintage shopping and tea drinking. That's the beauty of sewing bloggers, it's satisfaction guaranteed every time!

Thank you so much Cindy (and Eric!) for a great morning and thanks again to Kerry for putting us in touch - we'd never have met without your swap! x

Here's to Sewing Bloggers...

I'm ridiculously late to the party as usual, and you've probably already read about the Oh Sew Brixton! meet up on Tilly's, Karen's and Joanne's blogs.  But if you haven't, then you'll want to know that last week, almost exploding with excitement, I met up with the above three lovely ladies, along with Alana from Lazy Stitching for a FAB night of sewing, eating, drinking and chat at Oh Sew Brixton.  Alas, my photography skills were severely hampered by my need to stuff my face with cake, and the only one that was even vaguely showable was this one of Tilly hard at work embroidering her racoon!  

I've had the pleasure of meeting Tilly, Karen and Alana before, so it was like meeting up with old friends. I hadn't met Joanne before though and she's as delightful and funny as she comes across on her blog. I can't wait for the next meet-up. I really did have the best time and wish it could have gone on for a few hours more.  The evening was to celebrate International Women's Day and raise money for Oxfam so we all set to making 'things' from scraps of fabric. I made a phone holder with this lovely rose print I found....

...then I made another one in wool, for winter use, just in case my phone gets a bit chilly you understand....

Thanks so much to Tilly for organising it and to Fiona from Oh Sew Brixton! for hosting such a wonderful evening.  

In other news, I've been on the receiving end of the most incredible generosity from sewing bloggers recently. Without having to extract even one pence from my purse, I'm now the proud owner of this amazing haul of vintage lovelies:

First of all, Zoe sent me two patterns after the Brighton de-stash meet-up.  

She'd bagged them herself, then decided they were more my style than hers so passed them on to me!!!  How thoughtful and lovely is that?  They are most definitely my style and I love them both, thank you Zoe, you're an angel.

Then Steph sent me this beautiful 1940's blouse pattern as a thank you for letting her copy my kimono wrap pattern.  

So thoughtful and very much appreciated, thank you Steph, I love it.  View 3 reminds me of my Roobeedoo Top, but my lazy streak is nudging me towards view 2, mostly because it's made from two scarves. Can't WAIT to make that one!

Then I won three 1940's and 1950's patterns from Andrea at Invisible Flower in one of her super generous vintage pattern giveaways.  I entered for a few batches but this was the one I really wanted to win, how lucky am I?! Thank you Andrea, I've already picked out the fabric for the PJ's.  Strangely, the blonde girl with plaits looks just like I did when I was a teenager….

And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one lifetime, never mind one month, I won another giveaway!!!!  Yes, this vintage red polka dot Minnie Mouse skirt is now mine. 

If ever something had my name written all over it, then this skirt is it! I won it from Charlotte over at Sew Far Sew Good and it's perfect. Thank you! 

I'm so, so lucky to have such incredible friends.  Here's to sewing bloggers! x

The Great Bombshell Meet Up

Yesterday I had the best and most glamorous day I've had for a long time... myself and five other sewing bloggers met at the BFI bar in London to celebrate the completion of Karen from Did you Make That? and Suzy from SuzySewing's bombshell dresses.

Left to right: Suzy, Karen, Jane, Roisin, Amy and Alana

And oh, how beautiful they were…

Suzy's was made with a camouflage fabric which totally rocked, whilst Karen chose a blue and white rose print stretch fabric (swoon).  The amount of painstaking attention to detail and hand sewing that had gone into the creation of these perfectly fitting dresses was truly phenomenal.  Don't they both look gorgeous?

I've always loved meeting up with fellow sewists and this latest shindig didn't disappoint.  I've met Karen several times now and will never tire of it: meeting her is always a pleasure. Strangely, I felt like I already knew Suzy and Roisin from Dolly Clackett, as I've been following their blogs for a while and love what they both make. I think it's because you get such a sense of somebody's voice when you enter their blog world.  I also got to meet two new (to me) sewing bloggers: Amy from Diana and Me and Alana from The Lazy Stitcher, both a delight and both looking fab in their handmade creations.

Karen, busy taking pics, me, nervously holding onto my cocktail in case I'm separated from it!

We talked and drank cocktails and talked and ate chips and talked and talked and talked.  We exchanged sewing stories, sewing tips, pattern advice, discussed films and books, partners, families, our respective countries and pets (there was even a story of a certain goat being dug up....!).  Everybody had made such an effort and it was an absolute privilege to spend half a day with five such talented and beautiful women.  Thank you Karen, Roisin, Amy, Alana and Suzy for making my day - I had a wonderful time. xxxxx

Amy and Roisin clicking their ruby slipper-shod heels to get home

Hoorah, an award

Excitement, excitement, excitement.  I’ve been given not one, but TWO Stylish Blogger awards from two stylish bloggers:  Kerry from Kestrel Finds and Makes and Lauren from Tea and Crumpets.  Kerry is a fellow fan of Colette patterns and has made some lovely interpretations of these gorgeous patterns.  Lauren is a 1940’s aficionado with a very stylish retro look.  

Thank you so much to both of you, I’m extremely flattered. The recipient of the award must list seven facts about themselves that readers may not know and nominate seven other stylish bloggers to receive the award.   So brace yourselves….

1. Up until the age of eight, I lived with my grandparents.  Heavily influenced by my Nan’s TV watching schedule, I have an excellent working knowledge of 1970’s light entertainment and American detective shows. As a result, my favourite game to play with my cousin when I was little was Ironsides, using my doll’s pram as a wheelchair.  My girlhood heart throbs?  Why Michael Douglas from The Streets of San Francisco and Tim Brooke-Taylor from The Goodies of course!

2. I adore reading and would do it all day, every day, if I was allowed. I can’t imagine a life without books - to me, it’s as essential as breathing.  My favourite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving which I LOVE LOVE LOVE,  I’ll read anything (apart from science fantasy) and twitch if I haven’t got a book on the go. 

3. I love the colour red (though you wouldn’t immediately guess that from the amount of navy and grey clothes I’ve made!)  I even got married in a long, red dress and red shoes.

4. I'm utterly sentimental about everything - even more so since I've had children - and cry at the drop of a hat.  I bawled my head off all the way through my wedding service (and we only had a simple ceremony in a registry office) and had to be virtually carried out of the cinema after seeing The English Patient and then again after Brokeback Mountain.  A complete and utter wuss.

5. I can juggle. Whilst sharing a house with a hippy type during my first summer at university I was bored one day, so he taught me to juggle.  It’s gained me massive brownie points with my own children and anybody else’s children I happen to be babysitting. Just whip out two oranges and an apple and do a few minutes’ juggling - I guarantee they’ll hero-worship you for ever after.

6. I sleep like a log. I slept through the 1987 hurricane, even when the room next to mine had its window blasted through.

7.  I have a tattoo of Tintin on my right shoulder, which I had done when I was 18. My then boyfriend and I were big Tintin fans and it seemed like a cool thing to do at the time….

I’d like to pass this award on to seven stylish bloggers (in no particular order).  All seven write very different blogs and I very much enjoy reading them all:

Kate at M is for make

Karen at Did You Make That?

Suzy at Suzysewing

Marie at A Sewing Odyssey

Carly at carly makes stuff

Portia at Miss P

Karen at Blueberry Park

Have a lovely weekend. x

New friends, new sewing space...

Two exciting new things to share with you today.  My new sewing space!!!!!!! and my meet up with new sewing friends.  Friends first, I met up on Saturday with a bunch of fellow bloggers at the Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion exhibition at the Barbican.  This was kindly organised by Karen from didyoumakethat? Along with Karen, I met Nancy who doesn’t yet have a blog (but may do soon now we’ve all been nagging her) and Danielle who is an illustrator with a background in fashion design who blogs at Final Fashion.  Sadly Kate from M is for make couldn’t join us because of engineering works on the line (bloody trains).  But I had such a great time meeting the others it’s made me determined to make the effort to reschedule with her.

I’ve never met any other bloggers (sewing or otherwise) in real life so I was completely over excited.  In everyday life, I try to temper my sewing talk when I’m with my friends so I don’t bore them to death.  On Saturday though it was no holds barred so I was in my element.  It was SO lovely to meet them all and the exhibition itself was amazing.  If you get the chance do go and see it, (it runs until 6^th Feb).  There were no cameras allowed so I’ll just skim over my personal highlights:

Beautiful single lengths of knit fabric draped around the body to create garments

Honeycomb skirts made from organza (polyester, not silk!)

Issey Miyake’s Pleats series

... all completely gorgeous to look at

Now for my other big news, my sewing space is officially up and running.  Hip hip hoorah. 

Until now I’ve been working on the kitchen table, which is fine, but I’ve had nowhere to put my stuff and it’s slightly annoying having to put the sewing machine away every day.  We’re lucky enough to have a converted loft room, which we’ve never done much with.  It’s a great guest room/computer area but it’s so huge up there there’s still space to make a sewing nook for me – which is exactly what I’ve done.  Or to be fair what my husband has done since he’s done all the donkey work.  There’s still room for guests and all the overflow books from downstairs (which I colour coded when I was bored one afternoon, aren’t they lovely?!)  

Spot my dummy modelling the crepe dress in the corner

There’s also still room for all Jon’s ‘man’ things:  his LP’s and turntable which he refuses to throw out and his James Bond villain chair.

We repainted the room grey (predictable, me?) and super hubby made me some bespoke shelves for all my sewing bits and pieces.

My patterns and smaller sewing books with the beloved tailor’s ham and seam roll acting as bookends.

A small but growing collection of buttons 

Smaller pieces of quilting fabric.  

I don’t quilt but I make a lot of things for craft fairs from quilting cotton and they’re so pretty to look at.

My other fabric has to be stashed under the bed to create the illusion of perfection, but at least it’s all in the same room and I’ve categorised it all now (dressmaking fabrics, heavy fabrics, linings, dots and ginghams etc).  I still have to use the kitchen table for cutting out, as there isn’t a big enough surface in my new gaff (well maybe the floor if I’m feeling lazy) but I can live with that.

It’s so lovely and light up here, I just potter away listening to the radio and it’s like I’m in another world.  I absolutely love it.  I do need a pinboard for fabric swatches, sewalong schedules(!) etc but that can wait until another day… x