Loose ends
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What’s on my sewing-themed bookshelf, part II: Novels and non-fiction
I don’t know about you, but the cold winter weather and the upcoming Christmas festivities just make me want to curl up on the sofa with a nice cup of tea, snuggle under a blanket and sink my teeth into a good book. In this day and age, the choices are endless, so there’s something for everyone, even for us sewists. There are several novels that include sewing in one form or another on my bookshelf, as well as several non-fiction books about the history of fashion, dressmaking, taking care of your clothes, and the fashion industry in general. Perhaps one of these might catch your fancy. The Dress, Kate…
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What’s on my sewing-themed bookshelf, part I: Pattern books
I don’t know about you, but when I’m not sewing, I’m thinking about it, looking for inspiration, or browsing sewing books. And I have a lot to choose from! So I’ve decided to show you what’s on my bookshelves in a three-part series. Today we’ll have a look at pattern books, next time on more technical books about pattern cutting, fitting and sewing techniques reference books, and in the final part I’ll share some tips on sewing-themed novels. Maybe one of these will catch your eye. 1. Tilly Walnes: Love at First Stitch (2017) I feel Tilly’s debut is a classic in the sewing community by now. She published it…
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5 things I learned knitting my way through the pandemic: tips for newbie knitters
As some of you may know, in the spring of last year, when all this pandemic business started, I picked up knitting. At the time, amidst lockdowns and uncertaintly of what the world was plunged into, I was still super busy with work, my PhD, and an intensive course in web development that I had just started. Between all of that I did not really have much time or energy to sew. But I needed to do something creative with my hands, so I decided to give knitting a go and have not really stopped since. My first project was Andrea Mowry’s Find Your Fade shawl (you can read more…
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ME-MADE MAY 2021: Rediscovering your me-made wardrobe
There are so many challenges going on in the sewing world, but one that stands out and that nearly everyone knows is Me-Made May set up by Zoe of SoZoeWhatDoYouKnow in 2010. Since then May has become a month of discovering new sewing accounts on Instagram, getting inspired by fabulous makes of the whole community. While it may seem that sharing your outfits for the duration of the month is the main idea, it’s not the case though – the goal is for you to set your own challenge (make a pledge) that will help you get to know your handmade wardrobe, discover what you wear the most, which items…
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Of koalas and honeycombs: Andrea Mowry’s Wool & Honey sweater
As you could have read in one of my previous posts, at the start of this whole Covid-19 business, I got into knitting. After the success of my ginormous Find Your Fade shawl I decided it was time to try my first sweater. Well, I say first… I knit a couple in my teens, however, always under my grandma’s supervision and with lots of help. This time, it was all up to me, as grandma was 150 kms away. While it tends to be a newbie knitter’s first choice, I decided a plain sweater from chunky wool wouldn’t really be my thing. For ages I’ve been drooling over Andrea Mowry‘s…
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Lockdown knitting: Find Your Fade shawl by Andrea Mowry
My grandma is a big knitter. Everytime I wanted a sweater, she would knit me one, she even sometimes knits for my friends. She tried to teach me when I was a teenager. I managed a couple of scarves and a sweater for myself, but I would run to her or mum for help everytime anything other than straight knitting was involved. Then I got into sewing and forgot about knitting altogether. This spring, however, amidst lockdown, when I was paradoxically extremely busy with work, uni, and another course I was doing, I didn’t really feel like sewing most of the time, but still wanted to do something with my…
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Something About Me: The Seamstress Tag
I am about four years late to this party, but I think The Seamstress Tag, which was set up by the lovely Hollie Dolly sometime in 2016 is a great way to introduce myself and tell you about my sewing journey. So here goes: Who are you? I am Magda, an avid fabric collector and lover of feminine dresses. I also think bows are essential to almost any outfit. I am also a big lover of tea. Black. Earl Grey is my favourite. I am from České Budějovice, a town in the south of the Czech Republic, but I have lived in Prague since 2011. I have also lived in…
