Busting My Stash. No, Really. I Mean it This Time.

(image source: Time To Sew)

In my recent post about the unsustainability of sewing, I made the argument that it would be difficult to describe sewing as a sustainable activity, and certainly not the most sustainable way to dress ourselves. However, I did go on to list a number of ways in which us sewers/sewists could make sewing more sustainable. Essentially, all of the ideas I came up with lead towards the goal of making clothes that should last you for years because, A) they fit you perfectly and, B) are styles you love to wear that fit with your lifestyle.

But in writing that post, I forgot to discuss something else that thankfully the ever-awesome Sarah from Fabric Tragic brought up in the comments: the over consumption and hoarding of fabric. I'm pretty embarrassed to have forgotten to include that topic in my post as it's something I think about A LOT. Like, A LOT.

Currently on Instagram there's a hashtag/call to arms doing the rounds called #makeyourstash. It was started by @timetosew and @pilar_bear to encourage sewers to use a piece of fabric that has been in their stash for 6 months or more. They are publishing some accompanying blog posts and initiating stash-related discussions on IG, including recently asking 'what's your ideal stash?'. I think it is a fantastic and worthwhile idea, and by the looks of things, they have already encouraged a lot of people to make stuff from what they already own. Trying to encourage other members of the sewing community to use their fabric stash is not a new idea of course (and I'm not suggesting that the creators of this one think that it is); there's been a whole host of stash busting initiatives within the sewing community over the years. I even made my own silly little logo a squillion years ago in an attempt to encourage people to bust their stash. But I'm grateful to Kate and Pilar for taking up this mantle again, and doing so with a fresh and accessible approach. I think these are important things to think about and discuss.

So what's so bad about having a large fabric stash? Personally, I feel the over consumption of fabric is as damaging as the over consumption of any other manufactured thing. The environment is being irreversibly screwed over, in part because those of us in developed countries can't seem to quench our thirst for new stuff. We've got to slow down in all areas of our consumption, including the fabric us sewers/sewists are secretly, or not so secretly, hoarding.

Me? I've got a sizeable stash just like almost everyone else in the sewing community and to me it feels like an uncomfortable amount to own. I'm definitely not sitting here having figured it all out, but I am finally starting to take some steps towards getting my fabric stash under control, and therefore more representative of how I am trying to consume stuff in other areas of my life. So, what am I doing about it?

• First up, I'm being honest. Towards the end of last year I pulled all my fabric out (again), refolded it (again), and counted what's there. At that time I had about 80 pieces of fabric and about 20-30 refashionable secondhand garments, plus I've already purged my stash of anything I don't like or can't see myself using. Gulp. 
• I've arranged my stash so that it's easily accessible and (mostly) all in one place. Shortly after we moved into this flat about 18 months ago, I got a handyman to come round and build me an extra shelf in our airing cupboard for it to live on. I sorted everything into three sections: wovens, knits and refashionable garments (plus a carrier bag full of lining fabrics and pieces destined for toiling). Now everything is more or less eye level and I can see what's in there with ease. I can remember what I already have more easily because I've seen most of it recently. I must admit that my scraps-and-small-pieces tubs are currently in another room, but once my main stash gets whittled down a bit, I want to put those tubs on that shelf too. 
• I'm only buying/acquiring fabric if I am sure what type of garment (and very often which  precise sewing pattern) I want to make with it. A stash busting purist would probably put themselves on a total No New Fabric ban, but I know that that approach would leave me feeling frustrated and uninspired, which is the opposite of how sewing is meant to feel and would negate sewing's benefits to mental health. I did a bit of a personal style-180 a couple of years ago, and without making any additions to my stash, I wouldn't have been able to re-stock my wardrobe with clothes that represent who I am nowadays. 
• Noting down the potential fabric/pattern pairings I've come up with has been essential for getting those garments out of my brain and into reality. Some people use apps like Cora and Evernote or even spreadsheet files to keep track of their stashes. Personally, I have a simple list on my phone which I look at, add to and edit pretty regularly. With a pool of potential projects lined up, it's fun to take a peek and decide which I'm most excited to tackle next, or which garment I'd like to have available to wear the soonest. 
• I like a challenge to give me some momentum, and whilst I DO NOT condone rush sewing or sewing just to use up stash, I have been committed to using up one piece of fabric per week for about 20 weeks now. This idea might horrify some sewers, but I promise that I'm only making things that I really want to wear (or want my children to have) and I'm not skipping on careful project planning and the other steps that will up my chances at creating a successful and long-living garment. 

I'm confident that, even if my current well of sewing time dries up a bit, I'm on track to get my stash to a size and state that I'm much happier with within a year or so. What about you? Are you happy with your stash as it is? Have you tried, or are you currently trying, to implement ways to reduce it? Or does that sound absurd or counter-productive to you? I'd love to hear your fabric stash-related thoughts.

Tame Your Fabric Stash!

(image source: Cora)

For anyone who is interested in taming their fabric stash, help has arrived! I've been a bit out of the loop recently due to moving house and Dolores deciding she no longer needs to nap, so I have no idea how widely reported the new fabric stash app, Cora, has been amongst the sewing community to date. So I'm going to pretend that you haven't heard about it yet. Its developer, Hélène Martin, contacted a number of sewers including myself earlier this year about her new fabric stash app project. She was asking if we had any ideas about what we'd like from such a thing, and also if we'd like to trial her beta version. Well, trialling, feedback and a couple of rounds of updating have now taken place, and now it is on sale for use on iPhones, iPods and iPads for $6.99.

I'll be honest, if I hadn't been offered the opportunity to play about with it for free, I probably wouldn't have bothered. Although I love the idea of getting my stash into some semblance of order so I can get some serious stash busting done, I'm not the most technically minded and pretty time-poor these days, so I might have assumed that it wasn't worth investing the time to working it out. If that scenario had played out then it totally would have been my loss. First up, Cora is SUPER easy to use, barely any investment in time was required to get it up and running even though I'm in no way an avid app collector or user. And secondly, I have genuinely found it to be awesome in a number of ways.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, I should explain a bit more about what Cora actually is. This app allows you to catalogue your lengths of fabric by taking a photo and inputting information about them like width, length, if it's pre-washed, fibre content, main colour and lots more. All the info you add, as well as being potentially useful references, can also be used as filters to help you search through it all. You can add a lot of info (including super detailed stuff like where you bought it and on what date) or barely anything if the visual is the most important thing for you, and I really like that you can add 'Notes' on each piece which I have been using to add a reminder to myself about what I intended to use each piece for. Aside from knowing how much I have of the damn thing, remembering what I had planned for it is my biggest stumbling block when trying to use my stash.

(A tiny chunk of my fabric stash. Don't judge.)

I'm not going to lie, the initial inputting of your fabric is a bit time consuming. But once it's in there you can update it easily, for example, if some of it gets used or you have a new idea for what to do with it. Whilst I was packing up my fabric stash for my recent move I added about one bin bag's-worth of fabric into the app, which took quite a while and only amounted to 24 pieces (see image above), about one tenth of my total stash of fabric, scraps and refashionable garments! However, I'm some happy to have those catalogued, and I regularly go into the app to look at them and mull over what they should become. Even with that small chunk catalogued (along with recently having to pack and unpack it all!), I feel much more in touch with what fabric I own.

I can imagine that many people might find the app useful when shopping for sewing patterns to see if they already have something suitable to make it in. Me? I'm finding that it's making me feel more accountable for the vast amount of fabric I own, even though I've only catalogued a small section of it so far. If I'm serious about busting my stash and deploying the lovely pieces I own to make useful garments for myself and my children, then I have to actually start using the damn stuff. And I really think that this tool will help me actually do that. Currently, the app doesn't have a function for telling you how much you've used up in a given period of time, but just knowing that I have 24 pieces of fabric catalogued is making me think that I need to use at least two pieces of stash fabric per month if I'm ever going to make the smallest dent.

As you may have noticed, I feel pretty strongly about everyone, myself firmly included, using existing materials where possible over buying new stuff every time in every aspect of life. I just don't think our planet can support the level of consumption of goods and materials that most Western people (once again, sadly, myself firmly included) are currently engaged in. And fibre growth then fabric production, processing, dying and transportation is a real damaging industry. Aside from being heaps of fun, I really hope that this app will help many of us who like to sew to increasingly turn to what we already own more often than we currently do.

What about you? Have you tried Cora? Do you have any other successful method for tracking your fabric stash? If so, are you diligent at updating it? How has tracking and/or cataloguing your fabric stash altered your relationship to it?

Guest Post: Jen's Top 5 Sources for Secondhand Fabric

(image source: Make Do and Mendable)

Hopefully you've already 'met' Jen from Make Do and Mend-able, who is preaching to the choir round these parts with her investigations into living ethically and sustainably with an emphasis on handmade. If you haven't then I thoroughly recommend you visit to her lovely blog, and whilst you're over there, check out her fabulous Ted X talk about the year she and her family pledged to buy nothing new. Everything she is doing is so positive and relevant, and her manifesto makes me want to scream 'YES TO ALL THIS!'. If Dolores wasn't in bed asleep right now, I'd probably scream it out loud for real. Anyways...

Jen posted her Top 5 Sources for Secondhand Fabric back in May, and it was so good to read. I'd been brewing a similar blog post for a while in response to the many questions that I've received in the topic both in blog comments and at the classes I teach, but had failed to get as far as clicking the 'publish' button to date. It's something that I think is incredibly important for limiting the impact of our hobby on the environment, and thankfully Jen has allowed me to repost her original post in the hope that it may inspire more sewers to get hunting.... Thanks Jen! 

Sewing your own might seem the 'greener' option, but fabric production is a pretty resource and labour intensive business. Growing cotton uses vast amounts of water and pesticides, and has a heavy environmental impact. An easy way to still sew your own, but lessen your 'sewing footprint' is to source your fabric secondhand. Here's my Top 5 places to find secondhand fabric:

(image source: The Guardian via this post)

1. Charity Shops 

If you get lucky, charity shops will sometimes have donations of 'acutal' fabric from someone who is having a clear out. Failing that, keep your eyes peeled for old duvets and sheets-there are often fabulous retro prints, and you get TONS of fabric for your money. Also check out the clothes rails for skirts and shirts in larger sizes, as the fabric from these can be salvaged to be made into something else.

2. Vintage Shops and fairs 

No excuses are needed for a rummage around a vintage shop, but while you are, be sure to keep a beady eye out for old curtains, and again, sheets and duvets, or even tablecloths. Sometimes there will be stashes of French linens, and tea towels, which are great for home furnishings.

3. Facebook 

Have a look on the Make Do and Mend-able Pre-loved Craft Stuff group. You can post a wanted if you are looking for something in particular eg. stretch fabric, or red cord etc. There are also lots of other groups like Fabric Addicts Destash and the Vintage Fabric Addict Support Group.

4. Instagram 

Some crafters will periodically have a 'de-stash' and list their unwanted fabric on Instagram. Search using #fabricdestash or #fabricforsale. It's a bit hit and miss, but you might unearth a gem! Also follow sewers whose blogs you admire, and you never know when they might choose to destash...!

(image source: Etsy)

5. E-bay, Pre-loved, Etsy 

These are all good places to find fabric, if you are prepared to do a bit of searching. Keep your search terms as specific as you can. If you just search "fabric" you will get thousands of suggestions! If you search for "red stretch knit fabric", or "yellow polka dot cotton" you are more likely to find what you are looking for more quickly.

One word of caution, there are lots of new fabrics for sale on E-bay now, and lots of people have set up E-bay shops to sell new fabric. If you just want to avoid the new fabrics coming up in your search, be sure to check the 'Used' box under Condition, in the search terms on the left hand side.

Thank you so much, Jen! That was great to read. I have a few more points to add on this topic, so I'll revisit it again soon. So, what about you? Is sewing with secondhand fabric something you think about? Have you scored any fab secondhand fabric recently? Do you have any tips on how/where to find it?

Three Knit Garments PLUS Girl Charlee Fabrics Giveaway (Europe Only)

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING. CONGRATULATIONS TO VICTORIA***

You know me, I'm a stash buster at heart, but I can't refuse the offer of free fabric when one occurs. Girl Charlee has recently launched a UK and Europe arm of the long-established US company, both of which sell high quality knit fabrics. They emailed me (and probably lots more UK sewing bloggers, let's be honest!) and offered me my choice of fabric in exchange for a review on my blog, so I chanced my arm and suggested a giveaway for my readers as well. 

My Fabric Selection:

Man, the weight of what to choose hung heavy! Seeing as I don't buy new fabric as a rule, the offer of some free stuff is a chance to really fill any holes in my wardrobe. Like many sewers, my stash is full of fun prints, so I felt this was a chance to pick a quality solid coloured fabric to make some decent basics that will bring me closer to a really cohesive clothing selection. You may have read my recent ramblings on and explorations into organic cotton, so my first port of call was to see what they offered in that vein. Nothing really grabbed me from their currently-small selection, plus it was unclear if theirs are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified (which is what you really want to find out when buying 'organic', IMO). So instead I asked for 2m of this navy Ponte de Roma, and if that was out of stock then some of the red anchor print jersey instead. Never one to shy away from a stereotype, me! Bless them, they sent me both my selections, from which I made three different garments. 

Fabric and Pattern Matching:

I'm going to blog separately about each of these three projects but I'll run through them in brief. First I tackled the printed anchor jersey. The base fabric is quite fine but stable, with very little drape, and I felt a form fitting knit top pattern would be most suitable for these qualities. I used the Bronte top pattern by Jennifer Lauren Vintage and some scraps of red jersey from my stash for the neck bindings. This top is so much fun! I wore it all day yesterday and it received a lot of compliments. Warning: this is an attention seeking fabric!

I always had a cardigan in mind for the Ponte de Roma, as my self-made cardi selection currently consists of only my leopard print Jenna cardi. I took this opportunity to attempt the gathered shoulder version of the Jenna in a solid fabric to make a garment that will hopefully layer well with all my striped jersey tops. The Ponte de Roma is super soft so feels great against the skin. It is very stretchy so I had to adjust the pattern a bit to accommodate for that properly (more on which in the separate blog post to follow). 

Despite making the long sleeved and hip length options of the Jenna (i.e. the most fabric hungry), I was left with enough Ponte to whip up a knit skirt too. I used the knit pencil skirt pattern in the Gertie Sews Vintage Casual book, and I couldn't be happier with the final outcome. The stretchiness of the Ponte is EXACTLY what I want for making a skirt. I can run around in it at playgrounds and playgroups, feel comfy on long train journeys and after eating big dinners, plus it feels lovely if worn with bare legs. 

The Giveaway and How to Enter: 

Girl Charlee are offering one of my blog readers the opportunity to be in the same situation that I was in: to choose 2m of whichever fabric that takes your fancy from their site! All you have to do is browse through their selection and copy the link of whichever you would like to own. Let me know what you've picked and paste that link in a comment at the bottom of this post. PLUS if you aren't sure I can find your email address within two clicks of my mouse, leave your email address in the body of the comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than contacting you if you win this giveaway.

It's not a prerequisite for entering, but I also heartily recommend that you follow Girl Charlee on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to hear about their special offers, new fabrics and so on. They also often share tutorials, guides, patterns, giveaways, etc.

Apologies to readers of this blog who live elsewhere, but this giveaway is for residents of Europe only I'm afraid. When I can, I make my giveaways international (I ended up sending the B*Inspired magazine to New Zealand, BTW), but I'm not making the rules this time, sorry.

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Monday 31st August to enter. Multiple entries will be discounted, as will any entries that do not tell me which item you'd like to win (honestly, you'd be surprised by how many people will no longer be reading this far down the post...). And just to clarify, if you win your choice of fabric, it will be posted to you for free, with absolutely no cost to yourself. On the 1st September I will use a random number generator to select one winner and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to Girl Charlee so they can send out the prize. All clear? Good!

Fabric Godmother Open Day - Come and Say Hi!

Hi peops! If you happen to be in Southern England on 15th August, then there will be few better places to be than the Fabric Godmother's open day. It's a chance to hang out in their lovely space (a classroom in a former school! I'm obsessed with it), whilst checking out their entire range of fabric, sewing patterns and notions. They'll have a bunch of special offers on fabric that are not online (including some beautiful vintage fabrics) and cake and coffee. 

I'll be there for most of the day helping out, and there are other sewing bloggers who will hopefully be showing their beautiful faces on the day as well (confirmed's include Rachel from House of Pinheiro and Wendy Ward from MIY Workshop). I don't get out to as many sewing get-togethers as I would like to these days, so PLEASE drop by and say hi if you are able. It's going to be a frikkin' sewing party!  

Thoughts on Organic Cotton

Right. This is a post I've been wanting to write for about six years. The reason it has taken me so long to actually get something down in black and white is that my thoughts and feelings have fluctuated a bit and I was never sure exactly what I wanted to say. I'm not sure I've nailed it now exactly, but here goes...

Organic cotton sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? We have all (hopefully) read or heard about the damage done to ecosystems and communities by the pesticides that are used in the production of cotton. Now we can buy clothing and fabric that doesn't contribute to that aspect of pollution and damage? Fabulous! Or is it? Let me tell you my concerns.

Water Footprint:

About six years ago I read 'Confessions of an Eco Sinner: Travels to find where my stuff comes from' by Fred Pearce (pictured above). Mind. Blown. I can't recommend this book enough. Fred Pearce is a journalist who in this book investigates what kind of impact the things he owns has on the world. He takes lots of everyday items and investigates their production, and sometimes also their disposal. It's freaking fascinating, eye-opening and, at times, alarming. But knowledge is power and all that. 

Anyways, one of the chapters is about the environmental and social impact his clothing has, and as part of that he looks into both organic and regular cotton production. He found that organic cotton, although obviously superior to regular cotton in its lack of pesticide usage, actually requires more water than regular cotton to grow and process. Cotton production is responsible for serious drought in various parts of the globe, included the truly frightening shrinkage of the Aral sea to just 10% of its former size (pictured below). So perhaps you could argue that the 'benefits' of organic cotton are somewhat outweighed, and maybe swapping all cotton production to the organic model would have even more dire consequences.

(image source: Wikipedia)

That is the perspective on organic cotton that I have carried with me for a number of years, but it was challenged at the end of last year when I attended a talk by Gina Pantastico, the Director of Operations at Cloud9 fabrics, which took place at the Village Haberdashery. She spoke a lot about the growing and processing of the organic cotton used in their fabric ranges. She assured us that the growing methods used by their suppliers in fact uses less water than conventional, non-organic cotton production. I have no cause to think that either she nor Fred Pearce is lying, so I conclude that either some cotton growers, including Cloud9's, have figured out superior methods, or that organic cotton growing in general has improved is the six+ year period since Fred researched and wrote 'Confessions of an Eco Sinner'. 

Carbon Footprint:

What does still require a large amount of water, however, is the processing and dying of the cotton, even when the dyes that are being used have been certified as safe for local ecosystems and the workers that are exposed to them. As she described the rest of the production process, from raw cotton crop to finished rolls of beautiful printed fabric, I couldn't help but think about all the energy that would also be used to power each stage. And then all the oil used to transport the cotton at its various stages of processing and to distribute the final product. I can't see that the amount of fossil fuels burned would be much, if at all, different from non-organic fabric production. 

(image source: Cloud9 Fabrics)

Conclusion:

I sometimes feel that when the word 'organic' is written on a garment or fabric label, it is perceived by some as a magic word that absolves us from any impact that the production, processing and transportation of it has had at all. I know that not everyone has the time or inclination to really look into what is involved in fabric production (myself included, I've only read a book and a few articles over the years), but it's important not to feel like we are wearing a halo because we bought an organic product. The conclusion I personally drew from having read 'Confessions of an Eco-Sinner' has not changed after the Cloud9 talk: we really need to reduce cotton production of all types because there is no method of cotton production that is environmentally sustainable.

We need to work out how slow down cotton consumption altogether, perhaps in part by focusing on using and reusing the vast quantities of textiles that already exist on our planet. Obviously, mass-produced poor-quality 'disposable' fast fashion is a major culprit, but home-sewers are not exempt from making better choices. I'm not suggesting that everyone who sews should stop buying fabric until their stashes are all used up and their local charity shops are empty, but we sewers definitely need to collectively rein it in a bit and be more mindful in our purchasing. This is a topic that I'm going to re-visit in another post very soon (bet you can't wait hahaha!).

So bringing it back to the topic in hand. Organic cotton is undoubtedly a better choice when buying fabric for lessening pesticide-related damage and, are far as Cloud9 are concerned at least, for reducing water usage in cotton production. If we can't source suitable second-hand, already-in-existence fabric for our projects, maybe organic cotton is the next best thing for home sewers? 

Sourcing Organic Cotton:

As I say, I've been thinking about this topic on and off for six years, so why am I'm finally writing about it now? Well, I got offered some free stuff. Within a short space of time, three businesses offered me some free organic cotton to sew with and review on my blog. Now, as committed as I am to sewing with existing textiles where possible, I'm not a crazy person. I'm not going to say no to some lovely fabric that I can make a cute garment for my daughter out of. Plus, more broadly, if I/we do need to source new fabric from time to time, we need to know what's available and what it's like to make garments from.  

The three businesses that have given me fabric recently are Only Organic Fabric Shop (who gave me the maroon jersey used to make the garments in these photos which I'll blog about separately very soon),  myfabrics.co.uk (who gave me some printed jersey for a garment that is currently on the sewing table, which will be blogged about in the next few weeks) and The Village Haberdashery (who gave me some of this Small World by Cloud9 needle cord, which I have great plans for...). 

I've also seen that Offset Warehouse has some excellent organic garment fabrics and Kitschy Coo seem to be the place to go for fun printed and plain organic jersey. Any other sources that you can recommend?

So, what about you? What are your thoughts on organic cotton? What is your thought processes behind making fabric purchases? Do you think the extra expense for organic cotton is worth it? Does anyone exclusively sew with the organic stuff? Jump into the discussion, I'd love to know what you think...

Happy Me-Made-May'15!: Village Haberdashery Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

Happy Me-Made-May'15!!!!! I hope you stepped out of the door this morning in your fabulous handmade garment/s feeling super proud of yourself! Like last year, round these parts I'm going to be celebrating this year's Me-Made-May with weekly giveaways for participants of the challenge to enter. There's a nice range of sewing/garment-creating related gear up for grabs, and this first week's is a real corker.  

North London based shop-of-dreams, The Village Haberdashery, are offering up a £50 voucher for one lucky participant (to be chosen at random) to spend on their online shop. The Village Haberdashery post internationally, so this giveaway is open to ALL Me-Made-Mayers. 

The Village Haberdashery are sponsors of this blog, plus I also teach sewing classes there from time to time. Therefore I am lucky enough to have spent a lot of time in the presence of their seriously impressive inventory. I can tell you that they stock a frightening quantity of the most awesome quilting cottons known to (wo)man, and have a rapidly growing range of gorgeous garment fabrics, both woven and knit. They also stock stunning yarns (check me out not calling it 'wool'!), a great selection of notions and every freaking independent printed sewing pattern ever released (don't quote me on that last bit, but it certainly seems that way when you're standing in front of them all).  

So let me further whet your whistle with what you could spend the fiddy-quid on. Well, as I say there a squillion amazing quilting cotton designs like the two Cotton + Steel options pictured above. The lime green above is called Mochi and is currently available in sky blue here. The blue floral fabric on the right is a lovely border print called Mustang which you can see better here. Both these dresses are made using the fabulous Made by Rae Geranium dress pattern which you can also buy from The Village Haberdashery, AND make with me in a class in London on 6th June. 

Or, if you're more into wearing knit garments, you could use the spends on some luscious organic interlock. I can personally vouch that this stuff is seriously soft and cosy. The pattern used for the garment pictured above is the Christine Haynes Marianne dress pattern (would you be surprised to learn that you can also buy that pattern from VH?!) AND you can make one with me in a class on 20th June. 

Here's one more suggestion on what you could spend the voucher on. Some epically awesome printed organic needle corduroy designed by that multi-talented Made By Rae for Cloud9 Fabrics. Both the fabric collection and this specific print design are called Small World. See all the designs the VH stock in this collection here. I'm a lucky lady as I have 1 metre in my sticky mitts that the VH kindly gave me which I'll hopefully turn into something great that will be blogged about soon.  

So, the giveaway. You are not required to do anything in order to be in the running to win this £50 voucher, but I would very much recommend signing up to their newsletter. Also, I have started following their beautiful feed on Instagram (@vhaberdashery) and suggest you do too if you like be visually teased by beautiful fabric and projects on a regular basis!

Please remember that the giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-may only. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to get the voucher to you. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 8th May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day. 

Happy May lovelies!!!

Happy MMMay'14! Participants Giveaway with Sewbox.co.uk

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING***

Hurrah!!! It's 1st May and therefore the start of the month-long challenge, Me-Made-May'14! Let's celebrate with a giveaway. In fact every week throughout May there will be a MMMay'14 related giveaway taking place either here or over at Jennifer Lauren Vintage's blog. But let's start with this one...

Just like last year, my lovely blog sponsor Susan at Sewbox.co.uk is offering up two awesome prizes to be won by two lucky challenge participants. And what is special about this giveaway is that YOU get to choose what YOU would like to win! Genius! Here are the two options...

Prize Option 1: YOUR CHOICE of sewing pattern from their enormous selection. Sewbox.co.uk have a really wide range of independent sewing pattern companies' products including Colette Patterns, Sewaholic, DIY Couture, By Hand London, Cake patterns, Christina Haynes patterns and MANY MORE. Personally, I'd be tempted by the Mae blouse by Bluegingerdoll (pictured above) or the Sally Dress by Serendipity Studio (pictured below).

Prize Option 2: YOUR CHOICE of 1 metre of fabric from their drool-inducing selection. They have more Liberty prints than you can shake a stick at, so if you are a Liberty-lover, then now's your chance to snaffle a metre of something delicious! (Remember, if you win you can buy extra of your chosen fabric from Sewbox so you have enough to make a more fabric-hungry garment.) Not that anyone's asked me, but I'd go for the John Kaldor Cassandra crepe de chine in Aqua (pictured below).

How to Enter: Apologies to readers of this blog who are not participating this year in Me-Made-May challenge, this giveaway competition is only for MMMay'14 participants.

So, if you are a participant of MMMay'14 and fancy a new sewing pattern or 1 metre of beautiful fabric to indulge your love of making stuff, then visit the Sewbox.co.uk site and decide which item you'd like to be in the running for. Then leave a comment on this blog post saying if you would like to win prize option 1 or 2, PLUS a link to the item you'd like to receive PLUS a way for me to contact you if you are successful (i.e. if I can't find your email address within two clicks of my mouse, leave your email address in the body of the comment). Email addresses will not be used for anything other than contacting you if you win this giveaway.

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Thursday 8th May 2014 to enter. Please choose one prize option only and please only enter the giveaway once. Multiple entries will be discounted, as will any entries that do not tell me which item you'd like to win (honestly, you'd be surprised by how many people will no longer be reading this far down the post...). And just to clarify, if you win your choice of item, there will be no cost to yourself, it will be posted to you for free.

The following day (Friday 9th May) I will use a random number generator to select one winner for a sewing pattern and one winner for 1 metre of fabric and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to Sewbox.co.uk so they can send out the prizes. All clear? Good!

Happy MMMay'14!!!

Offset Warehouse's Big Spring Contest! What's your idea of 'Everyday Awesomeness'?

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO ENTERED**

Oh hi sewing-competition fans! Ethical fabric purveyors, Offset Warehouse, have just launched the Big Spring Contest, and guess what...? I’m one of the blogger judges! Hurrah! Want to win some fabric and a whole bunch more stuff? Of course you do. Read on, friends...

As one of the judges, I’ve been asked to come up with a theme and judge all the entrants for that theme. I get to pick one lucky winner who will get sent the fabric of their choice to make their design in three weeks. If you are selected as the overall winner out of the four 'theme finalists', you will win a whole goodie-bag of prizes!

The theme I've come up with is 'Everyday Awesomeness': garments that you wear day in day out that make you feel great, whatever that means to you. To enter, let me know what you would like to sew for the theme of 'Everyday Awesomeness' using fabric from the Offset Warehouse. You could choose an existing sewing pattern, commercial or self-drafted; you could adapt an existing sewing pattern; or you could design something entirely from scratch. Whatever you come up with, if chosen, you will need to be able to actually make the garment design you have submitted. Make sense?

To submit your idea, please email me your 'Everyday Awesomeness' idea by Sunday 16th March to sozoblog (at) gmail (dot) com. Your entry could be a link to which existing pattern you'd use, a sketch of a new design idea, a photograph: basically whatever you want as long as it adequately conveys to me what you would like to make. Along with your design/pattern choice, you must include details of which Offset Warehouse fabric you’d make it with, plus a sentence or two explaining what's 'everyday-awesome' about your submission. Please include 'Big Spring Contest' in the subject line of your email.

After that date I will choose a finalist who will be sent the fabric/s they need to make their garment. After those garments have been made and judged, an overall winner from the four theme finalists will then be chosen to win the goodies.

To get started, have a browse on Offset Warehouse's site and see what fabric inspires you! Or have a browse of the other themes. Here are all the bloggers participating and the themes you can choose from (click on each image to be magically transported to their blog for details of their themes):

'So what can I win?', I hear you ask! Well quite a-bloody-lot actually!

These bambu Adjust-A-Bowls are the ultimate 'hold everything' bowl and Green Tulip are generously giving one of each - a hemp organic denim one and a cork one. Fold 'em down, or pop 'em up, use them to store your sewing bits and bobs, pop it in the kitchen for fruit, vegetables or bread etc. Hemp has eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of other natural fibers, and is mildew resistant and anti-microbial. Cork is renewable and biodegradable, and cork forests are essential to preventing soil erosion, maintaining water resources and storing CO2.

This gorgeous leather trim buckle basket is handmade in Morocco with palm leaves. It is lightweight, strong and free standing, great for shopping, the beach, picnics, gym, nappy bag and much more! The leather handles are incredibly soft and long enough to go over your shoulder and tuck under your arm. With the added bonus of a leather strap and buckle to keep everything safe - it'll be your new best friend!

DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection, by Rosie Martin (former interviewee here on this little blog). The DIY Couture collection is 10 stylish, easy to make pieces of clothing that can be endlessly reinvented in different fabrics, textures and colours. This is the perfect book to give to someone who always sighs wistfully saying 'I wish I could sew...' whenever you rock up in a new creation! With no complex sewing patterns, even beginners at sewing can make their own beautiful clothes.

Make It Your Own, by Anna Alicia, the designer-maker behind eco-ethical homeware and jewellery label A Alicia, brings you 25 beautifully designed projects to help transform your home into a wonderful living space that truly reflects your personal style. The gorgeous photography throughout shows how the projects can work with your existing décor to transform your space. Anna also gives tips on using eco-ethical and vintage materials, a subject close to her heart. Whatever kind of space you live in, this book is about creating beautiful handmade objects that will make it really feel like your home.

For more details, check out Offset Warehouse’s site here. Now go and get your crayons or have a rummage through your pattern and start planning your everyday awesome garment!

Giveaway with The Polished Button, Plus Discount Code!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED BUT THE DISCOUNT CODE IS STILL VALID UNTIL THE END OF JULY 2013!!!**

I loves me a giveaway round these parts! Here is another celebratory giveaway courtesy of a fabulous new sewing website called The Polished Button. You may be questioning the need for another website selling sewing products, but this one is special. They aim to offer a ‘one stop shop’ where you can find authentic and vintage inspired fabrics, haberdashery and patterns all in one place. So if you are into sewing vintage/retro looks, or simply fancy finding something a bit different from the usual sewing department offerings, The Polished Button is a great place to visit on a regular basis. Personally, I've found the site to be well-designed, easy to navigate and the stock well curated. And the owner is super-sweet and very helpful, plus she's crazy-knowledgable about all things vintage. 

The Prize:

The Polished Button are very generously offering a fabulous prize for one lucky winner consisting of 1 metre of this lovely and unusual black and white star detail gingham fabric (pictured above) plus a set of four matching black vintage buttons (pictured below). 

How to Enter:

This giveaway is open to everyone, at no cost to yourselves. All you have to do is help The Polished Button out with a bit of customer research: simply visit The Polished Button website and find your favourite product. Leave the product link in the comments section of this post, along with way for me to contact you if you are successful (i.e. if I can't find your email address within two clicks of my mouse, leave your email address in the body of the comment). Email addresses will not be used for anything other than contacting you if you win this giveaway.  

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Sunday 26th May to enter. The following day (Monday 27th May) I will use a random number generator to select one winner for the 1 metre of fabric and buttons and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to The Polished Button so they can send out the prize.

Discount Code:

But you don't have to the winner of this giveaway to be quids in today! The Polished Button have also most kindly offered the readers of this blog a 10% discount off all items on their site. Simply use the code SoZo10 when checking out on the site until the end of July 2013.

Happy vintage/retro sewing!

African Wax Fabric Washi Dress

Round these parts the mild-maternity sewing is rapidly turning into mid-maternity sewing as I have now been growing a human inside me for 18 weeks (18 weeks as in 2 weeks away from half way!). 

Pattern, Sizing and Changes: 

One of the patterns I included in the mild-maternity sewing post that I knew I would definitely have a go at was the Washi Dress pattern by Made By Rae (pictured below). 

Source: made-by-rae.com via Zoe on Pinterest

I used a straight-up size M as the bottom area where I'd potentially widen a pattern is already very loose on this style. The only change I made to the pattern was to adjust the seam allowances to 1cm (3/8") or 1.5cms (5/8") before cutting the pattern out, rather than trying to get my head round sewing with the 1/2" or 1/4" seam allowances that had been allocated which I'm not used to. 

The pattern was a joy to sew. The only change I made was to zig zag strips of 1/4" elastic along the back (pictured below) rather than using shirring elastic as the pattern instructions prescribed. I did this for two reasons, 1) I already had a whole load of 1/4" elastic, and 2) I hate using shirring elastic.

Fabric Choice:

My fabric choice is A) awesome, and b) inspired. I used the second half of the batch of African wax fabric my friend Anna bought back from her honeymoon in Ghana. The eagle-eyed of you will recognise that I used the rest of the fabric for my Simplicity 2444 dress. It's such a lovely weight of cotton, stiff enough to make the most of a pattern's clean lines (like the neckline shaping and front pleats on this style), but soft enough not to need ironing every five seconds. Well, that's all for this fabric now, it's been busted right out of my stash. 

Conclusion:

I love this Washi dress! I can see at least one more garment using this pattern as a basis on my sewing-horizons. I've worn it outside once so far, but unfortunately I didn't get a photo of me wearing actually wearing it so you'll have to trust that it looks ace until MMM'13 when I'll probably be rocking it with annoying frequency (weather permitting). 

My Fabric Stash: The Whole Truth

Oh my goodness. I barely know where to start. Ok, no I do know where to start: by explaining what is happening in these pictures. This week Patty and I moved into a lovely bigger flat that has, wait for it..., a small sewing room! If I were the type to 'squee', I would be 'squee-ing' now. But because the new flat is also more expensive, I have sadly had to leave my lovely desk space at Super+Super HQ. Fear not, I'm still firmly up in their business, they can't shake me that easily. 

But what these things have led to, is the regrouping of all my sewing and pattern cutting equipment, including sewing patterns, notions and fabric all in one place for the first time since, umm, 2007 or something. Jeez there's a lot of it. AND I had a big clear out recently. Anyways. Whilst the rest of the room isn't quite sorted yet or ready for photos, my fabric stash has been collated and organised. Fancy a look? Firstly, for some reference, I must explain that this set of shelves is the same height as me. 

Starting from the bottom shelf (pictured above), on the left there we have all the double-knit, most of which is synthetic. The majority of it consists of solid shade pieces: navy, black, red and maroon. There's also some navy/white and black/white striped pieces. On the right there is a pile of garments which are lined up either for refashioning or for the fabric to be harvested. 

Second from the bottom (pictured above) is the jersey shelf! Oh my there's a lot there isn't there?! LOTS of lovely prints (including anchors, birds, floral and leopard), lots of stripes and a few bits of solid shades. There's quite a mixture of qualities too, from weighty pieces with heavy elastane content, to lighter more drapey pieces probably destined for batwing tops.

Next up is the most over-populated shelf (pictured above): wovens. There are a few pieces of trouser-weigth pieces on here, but most of it is lighter top and blouse weight pieces. Very few of them are big enough to get a dress out of, unfortunately, and as you can see there are SO. MANY. PRINTS. This shelf kind of gives me a headache to look at!

Last but not least is the 'top shelf material'! Hahahaha! I'm so funny. The above picture is my vintage fabric stash. This section has been curated pretty carefully, it's all thriller no filler. There are a few curtains plus some nice bits of cotton big enough for blouses, but also lots of smaller pieces that are perhaps destined to be bags or cushion covers. The lace on the right isn't vintage, but I ran out of space on the other shelves. 

'Very nice, Zoe', you may be thinking, 'Looks pretty neat and tidy, if a bit excessive'. But wait, I did promise the whole truth: 

This is what currently lurks round the corner behind the door! The bit of the lovely workroom that never gets on Pinterest! Yep, these bags contain more garments for refashioning, old knitwear for making into mittens, scraps of jersey only big enough for making pants, scraps of pretty woven stuff too small for garment projects, interfacing and Craftaganza supplies. AGH! Tell me everyone has a corner like this? Tell me this is the reality of craft!

It is frustrating that a lot of my fabric (having been sourced second hand) is in smaller pieces, thus limiting it's use. But seriously, I clearly have A LOT of it, in fact I have all the damn fabric I should ever need! Now I can see it all in one place together, I am more committed than ever to my Stash Bustin' pledge. How many years do you think it would take to sew through all this? And what about YOU? How does the size of your stash compare?