Archive for sewing

October – Monthly Round Up…

October is one of my favourite months.  I love it when the days start to feel chillier and the sun glows that beautiful orange through the trees. It’s been a busy month for me both at Poppy & Primrose and at home.  Here’s here’s what I’ve been up to this month…  

Loving – Autumn walks, our dog walks and our walks to school and back have been so pretty in the sunshine.

Hating – Getting up in the dark, it feels like the middle of the night at 6am!!

Wearing – Cosy jumpers and winter boots, loving oversized knits at the moment.

Sewing – A bit of a variety of orders this months but it’s mainly been pumpkins and blankets.

Dressmaking – Cosy jersey dresses perfect for wearing with tights and boots – hello Coco!

Drinking – Hot chocolate, I’ve never been much of a fan but this year I’m loving it with plenty of marshmallows

Eating – Casserole, it’s slow cooker season, I’ve dusted mine off and it’s in action!

Buying – Sewing patterns and fabric, we’re supposed to be saving but I can’t seem to help myself with all of the lovely Autumn designs there are out there.  A corduroy Tilly & The Buttons Cleo dungaree dress is next on my list!

Watching – Snatch season 2 and This is Us, at opposite ends of the scale but I love them both!

Reading – Jayne Eyre one of my old faves, I read it at college and loved it!

Thinking – About Christmas and all of the things I want to sew, it keeps me awake at night!!

Realising – If you want something done you have to do it!  Sounds silly but it’s true!

Looking forward to November and some serious Christmas planning!  What have been your favourite things about this month?? 

Sally x

My dressmaking story…

As well as making beautiful handmade things for my lovely customer’s homes as part of my business, in my spare time I also love to sew clothes for myself and my children.

I have always wanted to make my own clothes. When I was a child of around ten I learned to knit and I would spend lots of my time knitting soft toys and gifts and then eventually, as I got older and more experienced, progressing to jumpers and cardigans which I could wear myself. 

As I got older I became more interested in sewing, my Mum, Nan and Grandma all knew how to sew so I had lots of sources of knowledge and help on my journey.  I remember making a couple of cotton shift tops and a wrap skirt on my Mum’s sewing machine and I was so proud of them. Growing up through my teenage years my interest in craft took a back seat to more ‘exciting’ things but the love of handmade never left me.

I love clothes, I always have, and I’ve always dreamt of having my own handmade wardrobe.  I’m a petite girl and have struggled a lot to get the right fit in clothes on the high street.  Maxi dresses for short girls anyone…..!! 

A few years ago dressmaking and home sewing began to get fashionable again thanks, I believe, to programmes like The Great British Sewing Bee and brands such as Sew Over It and the amazing Lisa Comfort  and I’m so grateful for it.  I’m also grateful for blogs, social media and You Tube, all of which allow me to follow other home sewers, like myself, on their own handmade journeys.  Seeing what other people have made for themselves and learning that not everything that you make will be perfect every time and actually that’s ok, has given me so much inspiration and confidence to keep learning and keep making for myself.

I am absolutely loving my dressmaking hobby and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, making things for my children and seeing them wearing and enjoying them is an amazing feeling and I love the fact that I can make things for myself now, in fabrics that I love, that fit me better than clothes on the high street probably would.  I still have a lot to learn but I’m enjoying the journey.

I have decided to share some of my makes here with you because this blog is about things I love and for me at the moment dressmaking is definitely very high up there.  If you’re not interested in dressmaking I promise I’ll be writing about other things too!

As always, thank you so much for being here!

Sally x