Fabric Design Primer Part 3: My Design Process
Tutorial: 1940s Make Do and Mend Brooch
As wartime shortages affected the supply of metals and other traditional materials for jewellery, designers turned to other materials including plastic, wood and textiles. Women made their own ‘make do and mend’ brooches using plastic thread and buttons. These colourful brooches are becoming increasingly sought-after and pricey, so I decided to make my own.
Fabric Design Primer Part 2: Perfecting Your Patterns
There are lots of tutorials out there on “how to create a fabric design”, but they tend to focus on the technical aspects of creating a tiling image, and don’t usually provide much detail on the actual design process, or pointers on what makes a design work well. I don’t claim to be an expert, but in this blog series I’m sharing what I’ve learned from years of studying, reproducing and creating fabric designs.
Fabric Design Primer Part 1: Basic Principles
I’ve been getting lots of questions lately about how to get started in designing fabrics, so I thought I’d share some pointers for anyone looking to get into it. I don’t claim to be an artist, or an expert, but in this blog series I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from years of studying, reproducing and creating fabric designs.
Tutorial: Heart-Shaped Pillbox Hat - with printable templates!
Vintage Sweater Refashion
1940s Hat Refashion
As soon as I watched the 1942 British Pathe video demonstrating how to turn a men’s trilby into a smart topper I wanted to make my own version. I started with a fedora I found in a charity shop, and followed the basic steps from the video, with a few minor amendments.
Tutorial: How to Make a Heart-Shaped Beret
DIY Umbrella and Gloves Brooch
Quick Fitted Sweater Refashion
This simple refashion is perfect for turning a slightly shapeless knit into a retro pinup sweater - and it literally only involves three seams! My original is a wool-blend cardigan from Primark - the design was cute, but the sweater was shapeless (basically just a straight rectangle) and too long for my preference (since I generally wear skirts I like sweaters to hit the waist), plus the buttons gaped at the bust. I’d hung onto it because I like the design and colours, but it just never got worn. Prime candidate for a restyling project!
