Handmade spring clean winners and a new sewing recruit

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to my last post, I was thrilled to see how many readers were interested in my handmade clothes. It's also really satisfying to know that all of my beloved items will be going to good homes, and won't have to end their days in a charity shop just yet.

So, without further ado, here are the winners….

The Sencha blouse goes to Stacey from a state of flux 

The Pendrell blouse goes to Rachel Holt

The Banksia top goes to Amy from Second Fiddle

The Socialite dress goes to Fiona Law 

The Sorbetto top goes to Rosie at Old Magnolia Tree 

Hoorah, please email me your addresses ladies and I'll get them out to you in the next few days.

In other news, I had the pleasure of helping my friend Diane on her road to sewing greatness this morning. She bought a sewing machine a year ago in a fit of enthusiasm, but has been too scared to use it. Spurred on by The Great British Sewing Bee and the desperate need to hem a pair of trousers, she brought her lovely, sparkly new machine round to my pad.  

Look - a straight line of sewing!

Together, we managed to thread the machine and she then practised sewing in straight lines. After a few minutes, she was sewing like the wind, an absolute natural, all she'd needed was somebody to explain the basics. 

I love this pic - sheer joy at the sight of her own stitches!

I know it's only baby steps at the moment, but I was over the moon to be able to help and I really hope this is the start of a whole new sewing chapter for her. She only lives a few doors away so she has a ready-made helper on tap (me) if she gets stuck.  Yay for sewing! x

Handmade spring clean

As spring seems to be making an appearance here in London (sort of), I decided that today was the day to sort out my spring wardrobe, particularly my handmade wardrobe. When it comes to culling clothes, possessions, children's toys, you name it, I'm spectacularly ruthless. Anything that hasn't been worn in the past year is under serious review. Some items just never seemed to work from the outset, for others, it's more a case of my personal taste changing - things that seemed a good idea at the time just don't fit in with the rest of my wardrobe any longer. So there are more than a few casualties strewn by the roadside… 

I've decided to be charitable and give three handmade skirts a second chance - I'll be shortening them and/or fiddling with their waistbands. But if they still don't impress me they'll be flung out too. I'll let you know the outcome of that experiment in a couple of days time i.e. when I can be arsed to alter them.  A few items just look plain tatty and have been shown the door, whereas others are lovely garments made with decent fabric - they're just never going to be worn again. So I've decided to give this last category of garments away - if any sewists out there like the look of the items listed below, I'll happily post them out free of charge to a good home! 

In the interests of being fair - it's just one item per person, so please leave a comment by midnight GMT on Tuesday 30th April if you've got your eye on anything. If more than one person likes a particular item I'll draw names out of a hat, and if an item isn't commented on, it's going to the charity shop on Wednesday. I've given fabric and size details and anything else I can remember. Please also be aware that some items were made right at the start of my sewing life so may not be the prettiest of sights on the inside….

Colette Sencha Blouse

Made from medium-weight Kaffe Fassett quilting cotton. Colette size 8 with the tucks increased for a more fitted look. Self covered buttons down the back. Worn twice.

Anna Maria Horner Socialite Dress

Made from Denyse Schmidt lighter weight quilting cotton. Size medium (pattern sizes here) with no modifications. Looser fit so can be worn with a belt. Worn a lot.

Colette Sorbetto Top

Made from Ikea floral linen. Colette size 8 and probably taken in a bit at the sides. Worn a few times.

Sewaholic Pendrell Blouse

Made with Anna Maria Horner voile (gorgeous fabric). Sewaholic size 10 bust with a small hip adjustment (PDF of pattern sizes here). I never seemed to be able to get this blouse right. It started life sleeveless and I've added sleeves at a later date (these can easily be removed though). 

Those sleeves still aren't doing it for me...

It also has a Peter Pan collar, not very expertly added, again, this can easily be removed. Worn twice.

Megan Nielsen Banksia Top

Made from vintage curtains (!) and vintage buttons. Megan Nielsen size small. The placket has been inserted upside down but you can't really notice! Worn a few times.

Right, on with the spring cleaning… x