I’ve been sewing. In fact I’ve been sewing on and off for as long as I can remember. My mum taught me to use an electric sewing machine before I left primary school, much to the horror of my grammar school needlework teacher who wouldn’t let us use those dangerous machines until the 3rd year!
I did A level Textiles, which involved a lot of designing, pattern making, sewing and embroidery. I found this picture of my A Level exhibition.
I don’t know what happened to the suit but I still have the silk jacket (made from silk bought from a silk specialist in Bond Street) and looking rather dated now - but it was 30 years ago! I also still have the boots that accessorized the suit, hand made by a cobbler in Norwich, and beautifully lined with kid leather - genuinely vintage now :-)
This week I finally finished a tailored jacket for work. It’s taken aaaaagggggeeeeesssss, mainly because I haven’t done any tailoring for years but partly because of all the curves in the pattern and the odd sizing (the pattern’s not mine!).
It goes with a skirt I made last year and means that I can now have a ‘sort of suit’ for when I next have to stand up and speak to lots of people at a conference.
I even managed to remember how to do proper bound button holes and spent ages embroidering and beading buttons - why? Because it seemed like a good idea at the time! It didn’t seem such a good idea at 10.30pm when I discovered the beads made it too big to go through the buttonhole and I had to unpick and start again.
I very nearly did textiles/theatre and costume design as a career, I had places at art school but decided to go down the performance route instead. Do I regret that? No. Would I do the same again with hindsight? Probably not. I think I’d do horticulture instead.
15 comments:
Not quite sure how I landed here but hello! Well done on your jacket - it looks fantastic with the skirt - and those boots (swoon)! Off to have a little pootle around x Jane
I love that jacket and its well worth the effort it took. It looks great with the jeans and the skirt. I love a neat little jacket for summer and those buttons really set it off. Gorgeous.
Well done finishing the jacket, those curved seams must have been tricky to get perfect. Just don't splash salad dressing on it!
Now I see the buttons in place I can see *exactly* why you spent so much effort on them. They are perfect.
Those boots are lovely.I love the way your jacket can be worn as a smart jacket with the skirt or casual with the jeans, I'm so envious of your tailoring skills, I don't think it's something I would be able to do. My Mum was a tailoress and so whenever I needed anything made she always did it for me, she made my wedding dress.
Absolutely everything in this post is beautiful, not just pretty, but beautiful. Well done, it is ages since I did any tailoring and doubt that I could do it now.
Do you still wear the boots?
The jacket looks fabulous... and the buttons make all the difference. Gorgeous!
Interesting that as we get older we begin to think we might have made different choices of career, had we thought more about it at the time, been given the choices and so on. I'd have done horticulture, garden design or journalism. But I trained as a secretary/PA and had some fabulous jobs, met some wonderfully interesting people, and had a good life.
Love the jacket, now that is a skill I wouldn't mind having acquired!
Wonderful, except for the unpicking part - we live & learn (hopefully!)I didn't know the words mixed Media & Textiles 30 plus yrs ago so I studied photography. If I hadn't I probably wouldn't be where I am now ;)
Wonderful, I envy people who can sew. I'm ok with my knitting needles but hopeless with a sewing needle. My daughter has taken Textiles as one of her options and is taking a GCSE in it, so perhaps she'll teach me one day.
Lovely and I love the buttons ...x
How wonderful, love the jacket.
Yes, I think I too would have chosen horticulture as a career path .... even I had even known there was such a thing back in the "dark ages" of my teens.
Do you have good fabric shops near you?
K
Lovely with the jeans or the skirt,a very versatile jacket,I can knit anything but hopeless at sewing,I have managed curtains but that is my limit,whereas my mum used to just lie us on the floor draw around us and make beautiful garments for us.
Wow - you are such a clever girl with your hands - certainly a beautifully finished jacket. I used to sew all my own stuff when I was a lot younger but certainly not to that standard.
Well done on the jacket, love the buttons.
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