Slow Fashion October :: Week 1 ::

Happy Sunday evening! I am finally writing my first post for Slow Fashion October. The weekend did not go as planned, when do they do anyway? So it is late, but I really wanted to be involved in this project.

I think having my second son has really changed my view of the world and what my responsibility towards that world was (It is Sunday night and it is going to be heavy conversation). I started with a simple mantra, I did not want children to make clothes for my children. And I was lucky because I could make clothes for my boys - and therefore have some control over this. Except that this is only half the battle, as to make my own clothes or that of my children, I needed to make sure that the supplies I was buying were also ethical. 

I started to read and watch many documentaries about fast fashion and I was as depressed as I was felt positive about it. Depressed by fast fashion and what it meant , and positive about all the brands that wanted to make a difference and were offering fashionable alternatives to fast fashion products. 

And of course, I decided to make more garments myself. I am first a knitter, but a very slow one, second a sewist - but not as proficient as I would like to be/think, I also quilt, crochet and loves embroidery - which makes it quite hard sometimes to prioritise projects. I am basically on a learning curve, and can only get better. Given my 'limits' I have tried harder to find patterns that suit my shape, and choose colours that I will actually wear. As far as the supplies I am using, I have made a massive effort to destash, and all my new stash is from an ethical source - and I try to be transparent about it, like I expect brands to be. 

To ensure that I really make a concious decision about what I buy, I have set myself a budget for supplies (as well as for my wardrobe). It is a very recent decision so I am not sure whether the figure I have imposed on myself is not too high still. 

This month, I am hoping to learn more about tips to ensure a continuous commitment to slow fashion (and a more ethical stash). I would say one of my goals is to make an Autumn outfit, but I may just say I want to have started it. I have an idea, just need to take the jump and cut. 

Read here to get involved in Slow Fashion October

Christmas 2014

I managed to finish the one handmade present on time, i.e. only an hour before presents were given out. I am really happy I decided to only make one present. Because of the size of the box I used, I had to make 9 ornaments in the end. It works as a set - with 3 different patterns. I did not use white thread but a grey-ish one, so that my Mum is able to use the ornaments all year long. I used red felt for the backing (I had some in my stash that was calling to be used). 

All my cross-sttiched inspiration can be found here. 

Mr Random.org also decided that no 12, Lise. I sent you an email. Thank you all for participating. 

Hope you all had a great Christmas!!

Handmade Wrapping Paper | Le Challenge {Ink}

I am very surprised that I have anything to show you for this le challenge. It is a very quick project - which seems to be a theme on this blog at the moment, but still a useful project. My Mum's Christmas present requires a big box - I had a box that was perfect but it did not look Christmas-y, so what to do... Get some Christmas stamps, kraft paper, silver ink - and stamp, stamp, stamp... And then cover the box. Easy, peasy - and pretty special. 

I used:

- some kraft paper (bought at WH Smith)
- Some stamps bought from the English stamp company
- ink (ColorBox Ink Pad)

I did make this an activity with Baby MiH (although his final paper did not make it on the box)- he did enjoy it, for half an hour or so. But then moved on to licking the stamp.. not ideal. However the ink pad I used washes very easily from toddler fingers and surfaces - which is great news! 

I wanted to show you the box full of my Mum's Christmas present, but I did not manage to finish it. And now that she is here for the weekend, I may not be able to progress much with it. I will try to share it later. 

For all the other 'ink' projects, head to le challenge - and if you enter a project (big or small), you get a chance to win a $25 voucher at the Fat Quarter Shop! 

Maternity Wear # 2 - The EcoFabrics Top and a Discount Code | A Finish {Dressmaking}

These pictures were nearly never taken - this is our last shoot before we had to fly out of Brittany (ie a couple of hours before the flight was actually due to take off), but I am so happy we took the time to take the pictures. Of course on the blog, it is about the top and the fabric I chose, but I do love that picture with Baby MiH, showing his addiction to the sand, and me thinking, please please don't eat it.

Going back to this new pregnancy top... I have actually already made a top out this pattern (from a Japanese book, in French but honestly it is all about the pictures) - and in fact I took pictures of it back in Brittany whilst pregnant with Baby MiH - can you see why I was so keen to take pictures out there. 

I knew it was a great fit for pregnancy wear, but this time I wanted to have a much lighter fabric than Essex linen (this year's summer has been much hotter). 

Let's start by the minor modification for pregnancy wear. Although the pattern (cut in my normal size M) fitted me until I was 5/6 months pregnant without any changes the first time round (and I am a little bit smaller this time), I decided to add some fabric at the gathering stage at the front, in a similar way as with the Tova. I added 2 inches to the pattern (4 inches in total). I reckon I probably added another 2 months for pregnancy wear and it can still be worn as an oversized blouse when I am no longer pregnant. 

I also cut a size bigger for the sleeves, because the pattern seems to fit skinny arms only. I cut the sleeves in L, and added another 1 cm when cutting the fabric. 

The fabric, well let me tell you, I am very excited about this. My readers will know that I am trying to find fabrics/craft supplies that are ethical and environmental-friendly - and this is my first find. I had been looking for a while on the net, and then thought of Etsy - and this is where you will end up on the Eco Fabric Store run by Vishruti, which stores organic, naturally dyed fabrics.

And it is quite hard to find fabric prints that I like, and fit with my sustainability aspirations, that I wanted to know about more about Vishruti and her shop, and share it on the blog so that if you buy her fabric, you too will feel part of the Eco Fabric Store story. 

Hi Vishruti, how long have you been interested in environmental friendly processes in the dyeing of fabric?

Since my teens, I have always been interested in Eco, Organic, Recycled, Earth-Friendly ways of living. It is something that was a part of my lifestyle even before I knew it. My businesses too always reflect the same sentiment and values.

Tell me more about the Eco Fabric Store and its values. 

The Eco Fabric Store was born recently on March 21, 2014, and is based in Mumbai in India. However I have another 3 other shops on Etsy , so technically I am an Etsy shop seller since February 2009. You can only find me on Etsy at the moment, but I am planning to build my independant website as well. 

All my fabrics are Eco Friendly and Earth friendly. The yarns are natural and are hundred percent biodegradable. We also offer a variety of fabrics made from Eco and Earth friendly fibers such as Organic Cotton, Bamboo, Hemp, Soyabean Protein, Banana and Ahimsa Silk. 

I used to have my own organic cotton garmenting and manufacturing unit which was certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) . However I closed my unit because of my marriage and moving to another city, but kept very good contacts and friendships with the certified mills I used to work with and all the fabrics that I am selling on Etsy are from those certified mills only. I work with local communities, and all her products are a representation of local communities, paying fair wages and generating local employment. These are stringent tests that they have to pass to gain the certification.

What dyeing process do you use?

The naturally dyeing process is a GOTS Approved Natural Dyeing (also referred as Vegetable dyeing, Herbal Dyeing). We have developed the expertise to dye/print with flowers, roots, fruits, etc.  like turmeric, onion, myraballams, madder, kesu flowers, dhavadi flowers, natural indigo etc. This not only prevents water pollution due to replacement of petrochemical dyes with vegetable dyes/natural dyes,but also imparts medicinal value to cloth as many herbs used for dyeing are having high medicinal value. Also, this is not a newfound process, it was a common practice in ancient India. Historically done by hand and on small scale.

Do you design the pattern? 

Yes, being a designer, I also design fabric patterns. I also take personal or custom orders from clients who like to create a range or produce a custom line for themselves only. I also have a little block printing space where I create fabrics prints using unique OOAK wooden blocks for myself and my family. 

What can we expect to find in your shop? 

Hopefully there will be more designs available each season, and very soon trimmings. However working with nature needs me to work according to its moods ! For instance the rainy season doesn't allow the natural dyes to dry soon. There is also high humidity issues which causes certain pigments to coagulate which is why certain colours cannot be prepared in certain seasons. For updates, you should like her Facebook page. 

And because Vishruti is such a nice person, you can use the discount code: MADEINHOME10 to get 10% off any purchase in her shop.

As for me, I cannot wait to get started on other projects using the other fabrics I bought in her shop. I am also really tempted by her new tribal print, and I have noticed that she has posted an amazing dark red version of it. 

Last minute Father's Day Card | Le Challenge {Crochet}

This month's le challenge theme was charity... and I made a Father's Day card - on behalf of Baby MiH, of course. Right now, you are probably wondering how I went from charity to a handmade card, where is the link? Well, it is all in the structure I used - it is made of a bangle I got from a charity shop.. Ahhhh, I hear you say. 

This is not my idea - it is based on Lova Nova crochet flower ring tutorial and can be adapted to whatever you want to frame.

And all you need is yarn, a crochet hook, a bangle of some description and washi tape if you are going to stick the frame to a background. 

The card and washi tape are from Paperchase; the hook is a 4mm; and the yarn is Rowan Creative Focus Worsted (in Delft).

I chose a colour scheme that I hope Mr MiH will like - although it may be closer to my own taste, but it is something he may not expect so I am sure I will be able to get away with that one.

As for the font, I was inspired by this fake calligraphy post, although it worked much better with my black profipen 0.5 than the white pen. Now I know...  

So here you are, it is Saturday and here is a way to make a very quick, and unusual, card for tomorrow! 

For all other Charity entries, check out Le Challenge here, and get a chance to enter our FQS giveaway.

Cross-stitch Christmas Cover | Making Christmas Tutorial {Upcycling}

Welcome to the Making Christmas blog hop! I hope you have made much more progress with your Making Christmas list! Today I will show you some of my home decorations. I am going for a chocolate brown and tartan theme this year - no I did not make it easy on myself, but it means you become much more creative suddenly!

Which leads me on nicely to today's tutorial - a knitted jumper turned into a cross-stitched fancy Christmas cushion. 

1. Get yourself a cheap (second-hand?) knitted jumper - with quite distinct stitches (so you can easily count the stitches - it is in fact even easier to have a jumper with some interesting stitch for ease of reference - you will see later). 

2. Measure the cushion - and 'trace' (with masking tape) the cushion.

3. Cut out the top cushion cover and (if you want to make it easier and more even - but it is a really time consuming task) make a grid, much like a cross-stitching fabric. 

 4. Start cross-stitching

I used a thread of cotton yarn and 4 threads of Rowan Kidsilk Aura (what I had in my stash)

I drafted my pattern from a  picture I found on Pinterest - it is quite an easy pattern (also not too big so it can fit nicely in the middle of the cushion cover). I also had a Christmas tree pattern in mind but it was too long for this cushion cover. 

5. Get rid of the grid (be careful of not undoing all your beautiful cross-stitching work), and there you have it a handmade cross-stitched cushion cover - made from a jumper.

I also made a second one. It was so much easier with the knitting fabric as I had a reference all the way through (it took a third of the time to make it, even though it is much more cross-stitched). I tried in this one to make the most of the brown against the white, it works pretty well. You can easily draft the pattern from my pictures - let me know if you have problems. 

In case you wonder about the back, to continue to chic winter theme, I got some felt fabric from John Lewis and grosgrain ribbon - all matching. Just a tip for the sewing: sew felt side on top. I used the sew mama sew tutorial as per usual - it works great with ribbon too!

And here we are - styled with Latte (one of my knitted blankets).

So who is up for making one (or two, or more) this Christmas? For an even easier version you could buy a fair isle jumper and just make a cushion cover out of it (no cross stitching unless you want to emboss some of the pattern) - it will look great too! Let me know if you are making one, I would love to see your version!

Apart from that, I have nearly made nothing of my list - but there is still time... and evenings to knit, sew and crochet! So now is your turn, link up your updates on your list!

Soon to be on my needles {knitting}

Patterns were chosen, yarn was sourced from my stash and shops - and I am ready to get knitted christmas and birthday presents. 

Impressive! I am clearly in denial about going back to work on Thursday. I may have to get over my dislike of knitting in public! 

Here is the matching between the yarn and the projects. I will add links to more detailed post when I get to finalise them. 

Birthday present

Shawl for my Grandma

Golf socks for my Mum

Birthday present

Birthday present (for me!)

I have my work cut out! Tomorrow I will share my sewing list! It is all about the handmade this year! What is on your handmade list? 

The Book Clutch | Tutorial announced {Quilting}

The book clutch has been finished, sent and received (more great pictures on Caterina's blog)! I will be sharing with you some of the process next week on the blog. 

I decided to write this tutorial in two parts - how to make the cover and the covering of the box (you could make a plain or even fancier version of the clutch!). So who's up for it? 

Knitting and decreasing | A new baby hat {Knitting}

I will start with my star model (so you don't even have to read to the end of the post to see him)! Here he is, eating his breakfast, and therefore busy enough not to take his hat off. This is not going to be his hat though, I was only making sure this would fit another one year old  - and it clearly does. 

The pattern is from Phildar Catalogue Layette no 84 - in French. If anyone is interested (once you see the final result of course) I can write a translation - and include my modifications. I am knitting it in Rowan Creative Focus worsted yarn (I just love the palette of colours), in 3.5 mm. 

In the pattern I came across a new decrease stitch that I thought might be of interest for the knitters out there. 

The white dot shows the decrease stitch

Et voila. It is a bit fiddly, in fact very fiddly when you are working on DPNs with not many stitches left - but you do go from 3 stitches to 1 and the 'seam' really shows. Any new stitches you have found recently?