How to make garments a little more interesting

It's close to the end of April, which means Me May May is just around the corner. Are you taking part?

I am and this year along with pledging to wear me-made clothes every day I decided to embrace my creativity and wear what the heck I like - expressing my inner artist.

So how do you do that?

Well for me it goes back to my days as an art student in the 1990's when I would take items I found at the local Flea Market and adapt them. I remember having rainbow dyed dungarees (which were at least 3 sizes too beg, but I didn't care), purple jeans, Dunlop Greenflash trainers, DM's, I pinched a floral shirt from my hubby (then boyfriend) and also wore his leather jacket loads - I loved the smell of Patchouli. I also wore long skirts, baggy crepe de chine trousers, short skirts or shorts with black tights and a range of different t shirt and tops, some of these things I made (badly), some were second hand. One of the items I bought from the flea market was a green army jacket which I embroidered with flowers and wore with everything.

 25 years later and I'm back to embroidering jackets. A couple of years ago I chose this jacket at a clothes swap. I quite liked the style, with its 3/4 sleeve and felt it would be perfect for spring/ summer wear - but it was just too Brown and Boring. So a few weeks ago I began to embroider it with patterns and textures - making it up as I went along.

I haven't done any embroidery for years, so it's not the neatest or most exact work I've ever done and although I know how to do many stitches I'm not actually very good at them, especially the filling stitches - something to work on.

Even though it's not perfect, I'm now looking forward to wearing this and embracing my art student style again.

So it's back to the Long skirts, patterns that don't match, Layers and lots of colour and as much as I can get away with at work - hey I'm an art teacher - I can get away with lots of things. the only thing I'll be shying away from are my high heels. After my recent hip op I cant spend a whole day in heels - a couple of hours is fine, but it's flats all the way for work.
So are you doing Me Made May?

Spring Sewing Swap

What a wonderful thing a sewing swap is. I've never taken part in anything like this before and i'm already looking forward to the next one, it's such a great way to find new sewing friends and i'm so glad that Kerry at Kestrel Finds and Makes set this up.


I was partnered up with Helen from Grosgrain Green, I've loved looking at her blog to help me figure out what I'd include in her parcel - staying within budget was tricky, but I managed it, adding a book that I'd got two copies of. - I hope she has fun using the stuff I sent her.

I received my parcel last week and Helen had given me such beautiful and carefully chosen items. There was a cute little button box and hidden inside was the most exquisite binding I've ever seen. Red gingham bias binding, with a crochet picot edge. I'm looking forward to using it soon. A selection of stunning buttons from the polished button and some beautiful silk thread in my favourite shade of turquoise/green. I've seen this stuff on Etsy before and I can't wait to use it! 
Thank you Helen.