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1950s Camel Coat | Vogue 1083
I don’t go clothes shopping very often, you are far more likely to find me at a Benefit makeup counter or in the Peter Jones yarn department! At the start of the Autumn, however, it occurred to me that I needed some staple, comfy, warm winter garments and went out on a couple of trips […]
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Just my cup of tea – Colette Sencha Blouse
A few weeks ago I had a big toile day! By this I mean that I spent a day making up calico toiles of various patterns that I have had for a while. THREE of these were Colette patterns- to those of you that follow this blog that probably won’t come as much of a […]
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Peachy Keen
This is my latest completed knitting project: Nancy from the Finesse collection in Rowan knitting magazine 50 designed by Erika Knight. Finesse is described as a collection ‘inspired by the retro influences of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s…that heralds a return to feminine curves’. I love so many of the designs in this collection […]
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Festive Cranberry Cheesecake
…because you can’t have Christmas without cranberries! This is my festive take on a baked New York style cheesecake. I substituted the normal raisins with some fresh cranberries and made a cranberry pouring sauce to serve with it. I used Lactofree cream cheese and Sainsbury’s sweetmeal digestive as neither contain lactose but normal Philadelphia and […]
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Colette Pastille Dress
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be given the lovely Colette Sewing Handbook as a gift. For those of you familiar with Colette patterns you will know how beautifully presented the little pattern booklets are- well the same is definitely true of their book. It is filled with fabulous sewing tips and comes […]
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Baby, it’s cold outside…
Over the last week or so the temperature here in London has plummeted. It is freeeeeeeeezing; car frozen up in the morning, ‘are you sure the heating is actually on?’, fluffy socks and hot water bottle in bed, freezing. I love the winter but mainly when I’m inside somewhere warm with hot tea or mulled […]
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Hello Autumn
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald Autumn is without a doubt my most favourite season and I get very excited at the prospect of changing leaves, cooler days, Halloween, bonfires and fireworks. As someone who designs and makes her own clothes I am forced to be […]
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A 1960’s ‘Pan Am’ inspired couture jacket
A couple of years ago I did a short course on couture tailoring techniques. I loved how much history and skill there was behind the craft. It was only a one week course and so we were only scratching the surface of the skills involved but nevertheless sitting in the classroom on Curtain Road, an […]
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A far cry from the original
This was a strange sewing project! It was made from a vintage McCalls pattern from 1946. I really loved the shape of this vintage dress on the pattern picture but once I had sewn up a toile and tried it on I suddenly felt the urge to butcher the poor thing to oblivion. I looked […]
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My (non) beaded knitted sweater
I LOVED the shape of this little raglan sleeve vintage knitted sweater from ‘Vintage knits’ by Sarah Dallas. The actual pattern is knitted in a 4 ply wool yarn and is beaded but I wanted to knit something summery and casual so I decided to make it up without the beads in some pretty pale […]
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Bound Buttonhole Tutorial
Bound buttonholes are a lovely way to add a couture finish to your fashion sewing projects. They are commonly found on heavier weight items like coats and jackets but also work beautifully on light-weight garments that have either a facing or a lining. Although they can seem fiddly at first and are a little […]
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Creamy Vanilla Lactose Free Cupcakes!
Before you begin… always bake cakes and whip up icing with room temperature ingredients. Ingredients For the cupcakes 115g butter (for additional info on butter and lactose click here) 115 caster sugar 2 medium eggs 115g self- raising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons Lactofree milk For the buttercream 60g butter 60g Lactofree cream […]
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Lactose Free Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
These little pies take a bit of effort but in my opinion they are totally worth it. The individual size makes serving them so easy and it makes them look extra pretty. A lovely treat for tea or desert with absolutely no lactose– plus you always end up with a little lemon curd left over […]
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McCalls Shirtwaist Dress
I have been wanting to add a shirt dress to my wardrobe for a while now, i actually can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get around to making one. To me they are the ultimate 1950s dress and I love how iconicly vintage they are, conjuring up images of the poster girl fifties […]