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.

Vegan fashion feature: Alexandra K’s handbags and accessories

I previously shared an edit of my favourite vegan shoes (here) and handbags. In the edit for handbags (here), one of the designers I featured was Alexandra K.

I felt like this was a great opportunity to tell you a bit more about why I like the brand so much and to share my experience shopping with them.

Vegan fashion directory part 2: where to buy vegan-friendly handbags

As much as finding a pair of shoes, boots or heels is a personal choice (you can read all about my post on brands that offer vegan shoes here), as women, we like to carry stylish bags that define our personal style. So where do you go for that perfect arm candy, for work or for going out?

Hopefully this blog post will have you sorted and as with my post on vegan shoes, there will be something here to suit everyone.

Switching to a vegan lifestyle: a year after Veganuary 2017

Hello and Happy New Year everyone! Time really flew by quickly, whether you were having fun or not (between Christmas and Hogmanay, I was bedridden with a bad case of the flu and I’m still recovering), but I know this is set to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to see what vegan offerings will be on the table!

So a year on after Veganuary 2017, what does this mean for me?

Vegan fashion directory part 1: my favourite vegan friendly shoe brands

As vegans, there is an element of personal choice (and what your budget allows) when it comes to throwing out any non-vegan items from your wardrobe. My personal view on this topic is this:

1.  Not everyone is able to completely overhaul their wardrobe and ensure every item is vegan-friendly, and
2.  By doing this, you could potentially be creating more waste and adding to the consumer behaviour

My own view is to continue using what you have, even if they’re not vegan, if you’re comfortable doing so until it becomes time to replace them with vegan-friendly alternatives. A lot of people might think that vegan shoes tend to be pricey and that they’re unfashionable to wear, but with growing demand and an ever-increasing vegan population, more and more fully-vegan companies are appearing to fill the gaps or non-vegan companies are recognising the need to offer vegan alternatives to keep loyal customers happy.

The end result? A range of footwear to suit active athletes, smart/formal or work occasions, fashion-conscious and practical comfort vegans.

What do apples have to do with sustainable luxury vegan fashion?

One pervading thought that still lingers in people’s minds about the lifestyle is that vegan fashion is a little behind when ‘luxury’ materials like leather, suede and exotic animal skins aren’t used. This is something innovative individuals who are environmentally conscious and animal lovers are quickly picking up on and filling the gap for. I will talk more about some of my favourite brands later, but walking through Harrods recently, I noticed how apart from Stella McCartney, there were no other designer brands that were vegan friendly and without paying through the nose for luxury fashion. happy genie is looking to bridge that gap in the market.