Housecoat*

*More commonly known as a dressing gown depending on where you live, what your mum calls it or how old you are.

I spent my first 29 years calling it a dressing gown and switched to housecoat like a disloyal friend, after living with a Scotsman. Now, much to the annoyance of my sister, housecoat flows out of my mouth like I’ve been saying it forever. The only other words I can think of where this happened is for products, like Oil of Ulay which became Oil of Olay, but how often does one need to say Oil of Olay? Nike started being pronounced Nikey rhyming with spikey in the UK, less than 5 years ago. And I don’t even know how Opal Fruits became Starbursts. But it was Marathon that I resisted for as long as possible, and before long I had switched to Snickers without even realising it.

FREE TICKETS for The Great British Sewing Bee Live

Have you heard about The Great British Sewing Bee Live?

It’s a brand new live event that brings together everyone with a passion for dressmaking tailoring, fashion and textiles. The event features judges and contestants from the TV series, a Super Theatre, workshops and demonstrations, drop-in clinics, fashion shows, garment galleries and over 200 dressmaking and sewing suppliers. It’s going to be THE dressmaking event of the year.

Date for your diary

The Great British Sewing Bee Live takes place from 21st -24th September 2017 at ExCel London.

Features include:

• Madeit Patterns at stand H47, which of course is the most exciting part
• The Great British Sewing Bee Live Super Theatre featuring Patrick Grant and Esme Young
• Over 250 workshops and demonstrations by GBSB contestants and other top stitch tutors
• Dressmaking drop-in clinics
• A make-at- home fashion catwalk (featuring some Madeit patterns, amongst others)
• Garment and vintage galleries
• Over 200 dressmaking and sewing suppliers
• And I reckon, you’ll spot a sewing blogger or 2 that you’ll recognise. EVERYONE will be there.

Come and meet the faces behind Madeit Patterns

An event like this is a first for Madeit Patterns and we are super excited. If you purchase any of our patterns at the show, not only will you receive an exclusive show discount but also a teeny tiny little treat, to add that professional touch to your handmade clothes.

Anna and I would love to meet you and talk sewing all day long. Find us at stand H47, but don’t be surprised if we’ve lost our voices by the last day of the show from constant chat, laughter and the general good time we’ll be having.

If you’ve already made one of our patterns, please wear it, we would LOVE to see how you or your child rock it. And we’ll have a little treat for you too 😉

Knock your socks off

But that’s not all, as well as our patterns, we will also be selling a small selection of snazzy socks (and tights), for kids to wear with their Spin Dress, Groove Dress, any dress in fact. Fancy socks are a ‘smart trick’ that make your outfits look amazing.

We only have a limited amount of socks, so come and see us early: Stand H47, near the Super Theatre.

So what about those free tickets?

Good news, we are giving away 10 pairs* of free tickets for The Great British Sewing Bee Live event for the Thursday and Friday. 

To be in with the chance of winning a pair of tickets all you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment below telling me your favourite length of sock. I love over the knee high socks, what about you?

Please only enter the giveaway if you are able to attend the event on Thursday 21st or Friday 22nd September. Giveaway closes 31st July 2017, midnight GMT. Winners will be picked at random and contacted by email at the beginning of August. GOOD LUCK!

But if you don’t win the free tickets, don’t worry, you can still receive a £1.50 discount by using code ‘NAT‘.

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*5 pairs of tickets will be given away here and 5 pairs on Instagram, feel free to try your chances on both platforms.

Oh, you sew! Can you hem my trousers?

Heard that one before?

When I tell people I sew, most people immediately think of all the clothes they have that need mending. And how easy it would be for me to hem their trousers, sew on a missing button, repair a hole. Let it be clear, I love sewing. I hate mending. And I reckon most people that sew would tell you the same thing.

But I’m guilty of such faux pas myself, in the past I’m sure I’ve said to a teacher “Oh! how nice it must be to have the summer off.”

To a physio, “I’ve a really annoying pain in my shoulder, when I move my arm like this, what should I do?” 

To a DJ “Play something that everyone will get up and dance to”.

To a traffic warden… actually I don’t talk to traffic wardens.

My 2017 Fashion Resolution

If you had looked in my wardrobe last year and looked again this year, you would notice a big difference. It’s half full, or half empty (depending on how optimistic you are). “Why?” I hear you say, “Did the fashion police confiscate your harem pants?”

I made a swimsuit

When I first started my Little Sewing Challenge, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d end up making swimwear. I had a list of things that I was definitely not going to make: underwear, socks, plain t-shirts, a winter coat, school uniform and swimwear.