Inexplicable Emporium
Posted in design on May 23rd, 2012
So, Paul and I came back from Waltz on the Wye with an idea… …that seems to be turning into a reality!
easily distracted by shiny things…
Posted in design on May 23rd, 2012
So, Paul and I came back from Waltz on the Wye with an idea… …that seems to be turning into a reality!
Posted in crafty things, sewing, tops on Mar 19th, 2012
This morning I rediscovered the gathering foot for my sewing machine, and combined it with Pretty Jane’s continuous bias tape tutorial. Half a metre of fabric turned into around twelve metres of tape, which I then ran through the gathering foot. This resulted in about four and a half metres of pretty ruffled trim! It’s about [...]
Here’s the final part of the outfit – a somewhat modified version of Simplicity 2172. Actually, it’s not as heavily altered as you might think – I just left off a few pieces that were surplus to requirements. Like the sleeves. The buttons are the original ones from my friend’s military jacket. There are four [...]
Posted in crafty things on Aug 7th, 2011
These are fifteen silk-covered buttons, waiting to take their place on a waistcoat to match the pirate shirt. They have to wait until I’ve made all the buttonholes by hand. This could take some time…
Posted in sewing on Dec 17th, 2010
This is a lovely jacket that belongs to a friend of mine. It came with black buttons, and we’d been chatting about how nice they were, and how difficult it would be to find a replacement if one was lost. A couple of hours later… you’ve guessed it! One missing button. There were no spare [...]
Today, rather than sewing something I actually need, like a dress for work or a winter coat, I decided to make a pirate shirt. As you do. (If you’re me.) The pattern is Simplicity 4923, view C. I made a size Medium. The fabric is just a plain black polycotton, and the cuffs are trimmed [...]
Posted in embroidery, sewing on Mar 22nd, 2010
Slightly larger than actual size (they’re about an inch across), here are three Dorset Buttons that I made at the weekend. I was too tired to make the waistcoat that these will eventually be sewn onto, so I figured that making the buttons was at least a start. I followed a tutorial in a 1935 [...]
This is Folkwear 117, the Croatian Shirt. I bought the pattern intending to make it in the dress length, but I didn’t have anything like enough of this cotton lawn, so I made a rather short shirt instead. I started this project about eight months ago, and then it was put to one side while [...]
I bought this handsome little fellow in Harrogate, at Duttons for Buttons. I haven’t quite thought of the perfect use for a single ceramic button in the shape of a blackbird, but he’s so pretty I’m sure I’ll come up with something.
Posted in inspiration, knitting on Aug 22nd, 2008
I fell in love with this wool back in December. John Lewis were having a clearance sale, and I was tempted into buying a whole jumper’s worth. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Soho, in colourway 16. I wouldn’t normally go for yellows and oranges, but the colours reminded me so much of those little Fruit Salad [...]