easily distracted by shiny things…
Posted in culture, inspiration, writing on Mar 26th, 2009
Yesterday I met a duck, and today I learned how to Tweet. The duck in question is not the fancy Mandarin pictured above. It’s Selma, able assistant to Havi Brooks. Miss Alice realised that I was in serious need of some help with “destuckification”, and sent me a link to Havi’s website, The Fluent Self. [...]
Posted in culture, inspiration on Jan 9th, 2009
I was browsing through the BBC iPlayer this afternoon, looking for something to watch in the background whilst doing a spot of hand sewing. I hadn’t realised what a lot I was missing! The title above is a quote from a wonderful 1950s programme about fashion history. The series is called Men, Women and [...]
Posted in corsets, inspiration, sewing, writing on Oct 9th, 2008
So far I have made a grand total of seven and a half corsets. Two for me, four for friends, and one which is still under construction. The first one I made from a commercial sewing pattern, and it was such a ridiculous shape (even for a ridiculously-shaped garment like a corset) that I decided [...]
Posted in culture on Jul 21st, 2008
I think it might be safe to say that my bedside reading mountain is getting a little out of control! As you can see from this picture, I don’t tend to read a lot of fiction these days. This makes the book on the very top of the pile a bit intimidating. I signed up [...]
Posted in culture on Jun 7th, 2008
We finally got around to watching This Is England last night. I’ve been wanting to see the film for a long time, even though I already knew that it would be very difficult for me to watch. I’m not a big fan of racism, violence and extreme right wing politics, and those are the main [...]
Posted in culture on Jun 3rd, 2008
I’ve just been reading an interesting discussion on about why customers are unwilling to pay prices which genuinely cover the cost of a handmade garment, whether it’s a reconstructed t-shirt or a couture wedding dress. I’ve had many customers – individuals and other small businesses – come to me asking for hand-made clothing, only to [...]
Posted in culture on Feb 18th, 2008
This weekend we were idly looking at the magazines in the local shop, when Paul said, “I can’t believe you haven’t picked up this!” “This” turned out to be a magazine by Yours (the best-selling lifestyle magazine for the fifty-plus woman, apparently), called, “50 Years of Everyday Fashion: How the Women of Britain Created Glamour [...]
Posted in culture on Jan 21st, 2008
Many thanks to Phil and Pat, who have kindly left me a comment to let me know that I am on the BBC Four home page! I don’t know how long the link will be there, but in the “Overheard on the Web” section (bottom right), next to a youthful picture of Cliff Richard, is [...]
Posted in culture on Jan 5th, 2008
Last night I watched Pop Britannia on BBC Four, and my brain has been feeling a little bit wobbly ever since. I have found a thing that I’ve been missing for almost fifteen years, and now I need to work out the best way to get it back into my life again. Watching that programme [...]
Posted in culture on Dec 11th, 2007
“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between [...]