According to the annual Good Childhood Report, children in the UK have the lowest levels of life satisfaction across Europe – largely because they are afraid to fail. Where did we go wrong? And could ‘sewing fails’ be the answer? Read on to find out how failure is an integral part of creative endeavour
Continue reading ➞ On failure and creativity: why sewing ‘fails’ are always wins
A recent inundation of sewing notions led to a weekend of gleeful sorting. Through buttons and braids I found myself reminiscing about my gran, the woman who taught me how to knit and inspired me to see heaven in a single polyester button…
Continue reading ➞ Sewing relations: communing through the medium of buttons
In my last post I suggested we share more basics. So today I return with news of my top three sewing patterns for the basic tee. I’ve been on a bit of a quest, truth be told, but after a lot of fiddling and faffing with tried and tested patterns, my favourite turned out to be a t-shirt pattern that’s perfect straight out of the box…
Continue reading ➞ Quest for the perfect tee: my top three t-shirt sewing patterns
Why do we refrain from sharing the more mundane side of making on Instagram? Are some makes too boring for the grid? When we filter our feeds because we feel our makes are not interesting enough, do we inadvertently narrow the playing field? Maybe it’s time to embrace ‘boring’ sewing and share it with the world…
Continue reading ➞ The sewing we don’t share: challenging our own Instagram filter
It’s time to look beyond the seductive facade of the Instagram sewing studio. If you don’t have a designated space, let alone your own room, or you worry you can’t even afford to get started, read on – with a bit of thrift and creativity you can begin your journey towards a dream sewing space today…
Continue reading ➞ Studio debunk: five mantras to save money on your sewing space
A quest to use up every last bit of fabric in my stash over the course of lockdown has changed my sewing style: coveting new fabrics and patterns has been superseded by a heavy itinerary of mopping up. It may not last forever, but for now it’s a creative, sustainable and thoroughly enjoyable shift in pace…
Continue reading ➞ In pursuit of stash zero: sewing sustainably in lockdown
In this, the final instalment of the ‘sewjo in lockdown’ trio, I give my top tips on how to get that sewjo working: how to return to a creative state of being, what to do while you’re waiting for inspiration and, perhaps most importantly, how to take a break from the whole thing and feel good about it…
Continue reading ➞ Five more creativity tips to get that sewjo workin’
What happened to our sewjo? Lockdown has played with our desire to make in unexpected and sometimes unwanted ways. But it doesn’t have to be a sad story – it’s time to be kind to yourself and learn how, with a few gentle nudges, the mechanics of creativity will get you back on track in no time at all…
Continue reading ➞ Sewjo in lockdown – part two: creativity undercover
More time in the house, less time commuting, chasing our tails – it seems like the perfect time to capitalise on craft. So why are so many sewists experiencing an unexpected dip in sewjo? Where did the love go? And how do we keep the flickering flame of creativity alive when we’re just not feeling it?
Continue reading ➞ Sewjo in lockdown – part one: the vanishing act
I’m always bowled over by patterns that are deceptive in their simplicity: the sort of thing you think you could probably draft yourself but in reality there’s a hidden art to the design that would be hard to imitate. The Paper Theory Zadie Jumpsuit is a perfect example – so here are five reasons to show it some love…
