I have been lucky to have featured in some great online blogs and in print, including Vogue, Bespoke Bride, Way Out Wedding, Let’s Bee Together and Mr and Mrs Unique. Here are some of the features. Berry Eco Wedding Inspiration Berry Eco Wedding Inspiration: Concept, Styling and Stationery: Letters from Emily Photography: Katie Rogers Photography Filmography: Joe Morley Venue: The Cherry Barn Dress: Indiebride ... Read more

There aren't many things I missed during lockdown, other than my dear ones, but a leisurely meander around the iconic Liberty London department store would definitely be one of them!It has been an enduring love of mine from a childhood playing with Tana Lawn scraps left over from my Aunt's sewing, to making a beeline to buy fabric there when I started dressmaking on a larger scale. My scrap bag of Liberty prints is immense and currently being worked into a patchwork quilt but I have enough for

On what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 96th birthday, on the 1st of June, I want to recommend some fabulous books about this icon of the Silver screen.I've always been rather obsessed with Ms Monroe's style. Not the glaringly sex bomb persona that I feel she was often reduced to onscreen, but the way she chose to dress herself in her everyday life. I ordered these 2 books to research a recent YouTube video I did about Marilyn's style from my local library but feel both are well worth adding to

Now that Spring is in the air, it's a good moment to whip up some fun and simple accessories to start wearing at the start of the season. I never really know what I'm actually going to want to wear, therefore make, until Spring is in full swing, so these stash busters fulfil my urge to get sewing without making a massive commitment in terms of time or, indeed, fabric.The first thing I wanted to make was a little 1920's inspired bag, a sort of dash and go very mini tote bag if you will.I've been

I have long had a bit of an obsession with vintage Ski Chic and the little pixie bonnet style hoods that were so fashionable, both on and off piste in the 1930's and 40's. So, I decided to design something along those lines for myself to wear when temperatures plummet and all you want is to keep cosy and warm! I happened to be re~ reading a favourite tale, The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter at the time and the idea of a hood/scarf combo formed in my mind. This all happened last Winter and it

One early June morning, my dear friend, Georgina and I took a drive through the lush English countryside to the village of Tenterden in Kent. It's one of my favourite places to spend a few leisurely hours, treasure hunting, cottage lusting, flower gazing and visiting one of my favourite churches, St Mildred's. We were mainly visiting the lovely Hoop Haberdashery to buy wool for our knitting projects but I was fortunate enough that Georgie brought her camera along and took some gorgeous photograp

Whatever your personal style, whatever your age, whatever the season, a beret is just about the most perfect thing you can put on your head. I love my Vintage Tassel Beret and love knitting them {please see my shop! I knitted so many, I'm having to sell them!} but sometimes you want to sew something quick, small and fabulous and so the Marlene beret was born. Inspired by the starlets and fashionista's of the 1930's, the Marlene is a fully lined beret with a traditional stalk and band and is avai

It has been on my mind for quite a while now that I need to change things up a bit! And the halfway point of the year always feels like the right time to do such a thing, so with the 1st of June as my revamp day, I got cracking with the mammoth task of overhauling my business, my sewing school and myself.I'm lucky enough to have a very dear friend who happens to be an incredibly talented photographer and she kindly took a few pictures of me to show this new phase of my life across all my brandin

This extraordinary moment in time, when the whole world has practically stopped spinning on its axis, has given me plenty of time to think and reflect, which I’m sure is the same for many of us.I’ve spent many years working in the fashion and wedding industry and juggling this with teaching and single parenting. There have been lots of things that I’ve wanted to change over the last couple of years but have been either too worried about upsetting the apple cart or too stuck in the cycle. I’ve ha

I love a good basic pattern that you can hack the life out of and make all sorts of versions for all sorts of occasions. It becomes a tried and true friend of sorts. And simply using different fabrics and embellishments can completely change the style and feel of a garment. Because Greta is such a timeless style, you can adapt both the blouse & dress and fill your wardrobe with myriad versions, just by making simple amendments and gorgeous fabric choices!I've picked some favourite vintage dressm

I think there's nothing prettier than an intricate cobweb seen on an Autumn morning bedecked with dew drops, caught like jewels on the delicate strands. How many hours does the spider spend spinning and creating something so beautiful?!I wanted to capture the essence of this notion in some new pieces in my wardrobe and for Septembers Patreon exclusive projects, I took my students through the pattern drafting and sewing process of this 1940's inspired cobweb dress.The bonus project was a decorat

Whatever your personal style, whatever your age, whatever the season, a beret is just about the most perfect thing you can put on your head. I love my Vintage Tassel Beret and love knitting them {please see my shop! I knitted so many, I'm having to sell them!} but sometimes you want to sew something quick, small and fabulous and so the Marlene beret was born. Inspired by the starlets and fashionista's of the 1930's, the Marlene is a fully lined beret with a traditional stalk and band and is avai

As I sort through my wardrobe at the change of seasons, I realise that there are some significant omissions that would be grateful additions in the months to come. As a passionate {obsessive} dressmaker, I tend to focus on the momentary desires, the quick fixes, the sudden impulses and items that are much needed are never considered or brought to life….So I decided to give myself the Make Nine framework as a way of guiding my plans for 2021. There are 3 significant areas in my wardrobe that are

One of my all time favourite films, so well loved, I can't even remember the number of times I've seen it, is Blithe Spirit. Based on the Noel Coward play, the film version came out in 1945, at the end of the war. With a biting script that makes me laugh every time no matter how low my mood and beautiful costumes, this film about mischievous spirits, an inept spiritualist and middle aged marriage is tonic to me.My favourite character is Madame Arcati, the Spiritualist, perfectly played by the gr

Anyone who knows me, knows of my deep love for Liberty print fabrics, which I've been using to make things since I was little. You may also know of my 1940's Tea dress obsession! So imagine my happiness when I saw that Liberty had launched a range of their own patterns and there was a vintage inspired Tea dress of dreams to be made. I immediatley ordered a copy (Get your copy here!) and I knew EXACTLY which Tana Lawn I'd be using! This beautiful sweetpea and cobweb Liberty print is from the 1930

I've recently been dreaming of a trip to Venice, one of my favourite destinations in the whole world and thinking of the capsule wardrobe I'd put together for my dream holiday.Any occasion is the opportunity to get sewing and a holiday capsule wardrobe is so much fun to plan, so I thought I'd share my ideas and how I plan my makes in this journal post. There is also a YouTube video to accompany this article, if you'd like to see more!The first thing I do is consider where I'm going and what acti

I've recently been dreaming of a trip to Venice, one of my favourite destinations in the whole world and thinking of the capsule wardrobe I'd put together for my dream holiday.Any occasion is the opportunity to get sewing and a holiday capsule wardrobe is so much fun to plan, so I thought I'd share my ideas and how I plan my makes in this journal post. There is also a YouTube video to accompany this article, if you'd like to see more!The first thing I do is consider where I'm going and what acti

There aren't many things I missed during lockdown, other than my dear ones, but a leisurely meander around the iconic Liberty London department store would definitely be one of them!It has been an enduring love of mine from a childhood playing with Tana Lawn scraps left over from my Aunt's sewing, to making a beeline to buy fabric there when I started dressmaking on a larger scale. My scrap bag of Liberty prints is immense and currently being worked into a patchwork quilt but I have enough for

At the beginning of August, my beloved and I went on a road trip around the Scottish Highlands and I have to say, I fell deeply in love! Here are some postcards of my road trip and the inspiration it gifted me.....The scenery was breathtaking ~ truly a land of magic, and the textures and depths of the many greens (of forest, moss and mountain) mixed with the pinks and purple tones of the heather, made me want to try to capture the moment in cloth. But I'm not a weaver sadly, so I took up my knit

I have been lucky to have featured in some great online blogs and in print, including Vogue, Bespoke Bride, Way Out Wedding, Let’s Bee Together and Mr and Mrs Unique. Here are some of the features. Berry Eco Wedding Inspiration Berry Eco Wedding Inspiration: Concept, Styling and Stationery: Letters from Emily Photography: Katie Rogers Photography Filmography: Joe Morley Venue: The Cherry Barn Dress: Indiebride ... Read more

Like many a little girl, I attended ballet class and dreamt of being a ballerina but alas, my dance skills were a bit more contemporary free form rather than classical Balanchine...However, the wonderful thing about dressing ourselves is that we can satisfy any sartorial whim we have, delusional or otherwise!A wrap top is a brilliant wardrobe basic and I'd been thinking about ballet wrap cardigans for a while ~ there's something about the ballerina at rehearsal style that is so stylish and roman

This extraordinary moment in time, when the whole world has practically stopped spinning on its axis, has given me plenty of time to think and reflect, which I’m sure is the same for many of us.I’ve spent many years working in the fashion and wedding industry and juggling this with teaching and single parenting. There have been lots of things that I’ve wanted to change over the last couple of years but have been either too worried about upsetting the apple cart or too stuck in the cycle. I’ve ha

This extraordinary moment in time, when the whole world has practically stopped spinning on its axis, has given me plenty of time to think and reflect, which I’m sure is the same for many of us.I’ve spent many years working in the fashion and wedding industry and juggling this with teaching and single parenting. There have been lots of things that I’ve wanted to change over the last couple of years but have been either too worried about upsetting the apple cart or too stuck in the cycle. I’ve ha

For as long as I can remember, I've made little sketchbooks/scrapbooks/journals. I find the process both soothing and inspiring and it's a real joy to pick them up years later and see the person I was then. Sometimes they take a more linear diary format and sometimes they're centred around a theme or several ideas building a story together. I thought i'd share some of the pages from my current sketchbook with you which is sort of like showing you pictures from my brain. The themes are my favouri

I've had a Dirndl obsession FOREVER and an enduring love for this Saint Laurent Rive Gauche blouse from the mid 1970's so for my June project over at Tara's Stitch Coven on Patreon, making a version of this for myself was the perfect choice.I took my patrons/coven members through the pattern cutting process in a very simple to follow step by step tutorial and it has been wonderful to see some lovely versions being made already! A detailed sewing video is on the way plus a bonus for my top tier m