My finished Tissura dressmaking project: Liberty of London front zip shirt dress

Summer is the busiest time of year for me at work and this usually starts around spring, so I’m very grateful for everyone’s patience with me posting here. I am happy to report that my one of my dressmaking projects (see previous inspiration post here) is now complete after encountering some difficulties.

Today, I will talk you through some lessons I’ve learned from sewing this project (having been sewing sporadically for 5 years now) and reveal my final design.

New Pipe Dream Patterns sewing project: My Sew Called Sweater

It’s April and with having a week off, I’d quite like to spend this time getting back into my sewing groove! I had started some children’s sewing projects last year (see here, here and here) after the sewing and crafting plenty for our 2015 wedding (you can see the full details of my projects here). Afterwards I believe I burned myself out and with my excitement to try to sew all sorts of things babies and expecting parents would need last year.

One of the first things that piqued my interest in sewing again was when I discovered Pipe Dream Patterns, a fledgling indie pattern company working towards creating comfortable wardrobe staples with fun style lines to help you explore your own creativity with colours and textiles.

Re-creating high fashion: dressmaking project with fabric from Tissura

We get inspiration from all around us for creative projects and sometimes seeing something you like but wanting to change it to suit your own style is the most straight forward way. Years ago when I was avidly catching all the premier designer fashion shows, I was also watching out for the celebrities to see what they wore. Sometimes what’s on the front row is just as good as what is being paraded down the runway!

There was one such Asian celebrity who wore what I thought was an interesting gown. It was made with textured rose pink coloured fabric, was short-sleeved and was the length of a coat, but was in fact a dress with a short zip of around 6 inches which meant the celebrity had to wear shorts underneath. Somehow the length and style of the dress really fascinated me. In Scotland, you wouldn’t catch me wearing the dress with short shorts underneath, but it was one that definitely stayed in my mind!

Dressmaking project on the go: fit and flare lace gown

It’s been a while since I had sewn anything for myself. After sewing 9 projects for our DIY wedding (you can see all the projects we did ourselves for our 2015 wedding here) and after that, it seemed my friends were all due to have their babies at the same time last year. I was so excited about my friends expecting babies that I was consumed with making handmade toys and clothes for them that sewing for myself was put to one side.

Since becoming vegan, I don’t feel the need to sew quite so much anymore. I’m only the one person and since the OH and I don’t go to formal events that require us to be dressed up much. Added to the fact that I’m trying to clear out all the excess clothing I don’t seem to wear much, I try not to sew too much that I’m not going to get a chance to wear.

Seeing a pattern that calls to you, with a shape that you know will suit you and gives you ideas on what to make, really gets those creative juices flowing. Recently seeing one on Instagram did just that.

The Creative Craft Show and Scottish Quilting Show, SEC Glasgow

Fancy getting creative in 2018? Then a trip to The Creative Craft Show and The Scottish Quilting Show is a must.

The co-hosted shows are back at Glasgow’s SEC on March 8 – 11 bringing together over 100 exhibitors showcasing artisan, handcrafted gifts, supplies and inspiration and demonstrations for crafters and quilters.

West Side Sushi: review of Go! Ninja Sushi in Haymarket

As a Chinese person, I love my Asian food. I’d been ordering vegan sushi platters almost every month from Minato Sushi (here) to get my sushi fix while visiting Vietnam House regularly (see my review here) for Vietnamese food in Edinburgh. When I discovered that Go! Ninja Sushi opened up in Haymarket and that half their menu was vegan-friendly, I was over the moon.

Japanese inspired cooking with Yutaka: stir fry udon and vegan cold chicken noodle recipes

Eating out when you feel like Chinese food isn’t really something I do much, if at all. Chinese restaurants and takeaways just don’t offer the kind of dishes or food I’m used to when eating home cooking with my family, or eating out in Hong Kong. It might be talked to death and becomes a cliché (cue the eye rolling), but the food served in each country is tailored to the majority of the population’s tastes. The only real way to get the food I’m used to is to cook it myself at home.

When I was offered two of Yutaka’s new sauces to sample, I was intrigued. I was very happy to learn that they were vegan friendly and couldn’t wait to put my culinary skills to the test. It can’t be that hard to try cooking with sauces you’ve never tried before, right?

Announcing the winner and updates for the Glasgow SEC Crafts for Christmas Show

Thank you to everyone who entered in my giveaway (here) for two (2) tickets to the Crafts for Christmas show at the SEC in Glasgow which will also gain you entry into the Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts show in the next hall.

Update 12/10/2017: As the previous chosen winner had not responded to various e-mails to claim her prize, I had to pick a new winner.

The winner has now been picked at random and the winner is…

Giveaway competition: win tickets to Glasgow SEC Crafts for Christmas Show!

We all dread that time when friends or colleagues start talking about the C-word within the first 6 months of the year, but before we know it, we’re already in September! We start thinking about putting money aside for gifts, what we are going to buy and where we’re going to buy it and how to find that perfect gift! Finding something personal, unique that you can say is handmade can be a bit of a muddle, but luckily for us, the Crafts for Christmas show held between 26th and 29th October at the SEC in Glasgow is your one stop shop to pick up beautiful, finished craft and gifts for friends, family and the home.

To help you along with your gift shopping, I can offer you the chance to win not one, but two tickets to the show!

Discovering a new world of luxurious fabrics from Tissura

Anyone who is experienced with sewing and dressmaking will be able to tell you that the choice of fabric for any project, whether it be a jacket, dress or curtain, is very important. Choosing a lightweight cotton fabric for curtain doesn’t help serve its purpose; using heavyweight fabric for an evening gown makes it impractical. Finding suppliers who offer a great range of beautiful fabric can also be a tricky task. Most sewers are fascinated by haute couture designs, so it’ll come as no surprise that Tissura is the company that can supply you with the same high quality luxurious fabrics, directly from the manufacturers, that premier fashion houses use.