Welcome to my musings about fashion and home decor DIY. I may stray occasionally into comments about learning disabilities (especially ADHD), which is my other, professional, interest, but I'll try to keep those to a minimum.
I love to design and create unique clothes, and am especially motivated to reuse and recycle unique vintage pieces and fabrics I get from thrift stores. I may as well admit it - I am a thrift store junkie. I hardly ever shop at a mall, but never drive past a thrift store. I have a private "rating system" for Thrift Stores, which I'll comment on later.
My aim is to post ideas on how one can create clothing and decor items by recycling found materials. I've been sewing for 40 odd years, so have a few tips on how to save time and money. I try to avoid overly complex sewing techniques that may discourage you from attempting a project. Basically one just needs to start sewing, learn by trial and error, and not be too hard on oneself if you make a mistake - that's what fabric rippers are for (in South Africa we call them "quick unpicks")! Mine is never far from my hand when I am sewing.. Which is why is makes sense (to me at least) to start sewing with a $1 remnant or a $3 item of clothing rather than pay $15 a meter for fabric and feel awful IF you mess up - it happens! I will also try to post free patterns so you can make them yourself - if you use them, I'd love to see pictures of the end product.
My inspiration is my uber talented late Mum, Joyce,whose design talent and technical skill I can only try to emulate. I get my kicks from sewing for my 21 year old daughter (and sometimes her friends), who keeps me up to date with the latest fashion trends. They may kindly agree to model some creations.
