When the pandemic began we were probably okay for a time. We were running on surge capacity – what we draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations. The problem with Covid-19 is that it’s not short term. It’s dragging on, yet ever-changing. Our uncertainty is indefinite. So we need to find a different way to cope now that our surge capacity is depleted. If it … Continue reading How to function in indefinite uncertainty
What I’ve learned and what will change, as I finish my challenge. Continue reading 6 things I learned from 12 months of not shopping
I’m approaching the end of the July with mixed feelings. It marks the end of my 12 months of not spending money on clothes, and – perhaps no less of a milestone – my 32nd birthday. That’s right, I’m as old as Prozac, Photoshop, Rain Man, and George Michael’s Faith. It’s also been the year I stopped feeling invincible and instead discovered the importance of … Continue reading Thoughts on approaching a milestone month
I woke up this morning to a message from my cousin Heather, in Scotland. She’s collected her new sewing machine, is just about to start dressmaking and wondered if I had any tips. Super excited, I started writing a response on my phone, when I realised this was more than a quick Instagram reply. So here it is, Heather. 29 things I wish someone had … Continue reading 29 things I wish I’d learned before starting to make my own clothes
An hour-by-hour update of my progress making the Free Range Slacks by Sew House Seven. Sunday, 12th April 2020 12pm I begin by highlighting around my size on the last pattern I got printed before lockdown: the Free Range Slacks by Sew House 7. According to their chart I’m a size 6 in the waist and between a 2 and 4 in the hips, so … Continue reading Free Range Slacks: Part 1
Lockdown. NZ shops shut. No orange thread for my orange fabric. Order it online from the UK. Exorbitant delivery cost. Suck it up. See cool, slouchy long-sleeve top on Instagram. Looks good for Autumn work-from-home wear. Buy pdf pattern, start printing. Ink levels low. Go to order ink, sold out. Print anyway with low ink. Finally, all 22 pages printed. Cut two of the four … Continue reading Pattern review: Wiksten Shift Top
