Dressmaker Leeds

Lockdown be like: 12 weeks of outside jobs done in 3 weeks (nothing left on ‘to do’ list). Tackled parts of the garden I’ve never dared venture into in the 19 years we’ve been here. Currently sat on bench drinking Stella Tortoise with son#1 (we’ll be scrapping later), whilst son#2 is making some kind of firing device with a pressurised canister, a valve and a foot pump. What could possibly go wrong? Anyway amongst all this I decided that the necklines on all my tee shirts made me look like a turtle so I increased the openings by 1.5cm and bound the edges with coloured bias binding. Get me back to doing real paid jobs now!😩😩 #keepbusy #stay sane #alterations #modifications #dressmakersofinstagram #dressmakerleeds

Cmon pandemic: do one. The Beer Shed is swept & cleaned and looking spiffing for a summer of social closeness. #shed #stayhome #boredwithfamilynow #needmyfriends

Lockdown in leopard print. Thought I’d step out of my fashion comfort zone (currently consisting of leggings/fleece/garden shoes) and make something for myself which I’d normally give a wide berth. Fabric by the lovely folk at Leeds based @bm_fabrics (one of the dwindling purveyors of fine fabrics). Looks surprisingly ok on, especially with my crazier-by-the-day hair. And I haven’t owned any garment with gold buttons on since the 80s... #shirtdress #simplicitypatterns #bm_fabrics #leopardprint #dressmakersofinstagram #dressmakerleeds #keepbusy

The boy is making us cocktails of a Friday eve. Think he’s missing his @thealchemistuk shifts. Quite happy for him experiment on me in the meantime...providing a public service don’t you know. And it gets rid of those dodgy holiday spirits we all think is a marvellous idea at the time, which we all leave festering in the cupboard under the stairs. #fridaynightcocktails #alchemist

Isolation project...a couple of upholstered bench seats, belonging on the boat of a good friend. Said boat resides at our mutual happy place @runswick_bay. Vinyl left over from a couple of previous jobs (salon chairs/physio bed), hence the jolly stripe design which makes use of the uneven scraps. Hopefully we’ll get a bottom-friendly complimentary spin round the bay when all this hullabaloo is done with. #makedo #reusereducerecycle #boatupholstery #runswickbay #seamstress #dressmakersofinstagram

Now is a perfect time to do all those little jobs for myself which I normally get paid to do for others. 34” leg (really who has 34” legs? Not I, for certain) jeans shortened; retaining the original hem. This method avoids that crappy home shortened look and is particularly effective on distressed jeans such as these #alterations #7forallmankind #mendingmatters #stayhome #staysafe #staybusy #staysane #dressmakersofinstagram #dressmakerleeds

Another Top foodie tip: not so happy, sorry looking peppers which, quite frankly, in their current state, you wouldn’t really want to put in your mouth. Slice/lay out on a tray and freeze overnight. Then remove from tray, bag up and pop back in freezer. Hey presto: ready chopped peppers for stir fries etc with minimal fannying about beforehand. With the current weather/downtime combo, time is far better spent drinking gin in the sunshine with fellow isolatees...#sustainableliving #nowastedfood #stayhome #staysafe #staysane #dressmakerleeds

‘Going slowly mad’ day 2. Because there’s a war on, i decided to do an enormous 6 hour slow cooker batch of tomato sauce, basically wanging in every mangey bit of veg I can find along with tinned/not so fresh toms and blitzing the whole thing to buggery with a splash of milk and honey (yes really-it works!) Because we have 3x carnivores/1xveggie all under the same (ever decreasing) roof, I just know I’m totally going to run out of exciting/nourishing/pleasing-to-all meals. Quite frankly it seems all we’re doing at the mo is lurching from mealtime to mealtime so I need all the help I can get. And the cupboard hinges will need reinforcing. And fast. #batchcooking #stircrazyalready #hungrykids #stayhome #staysafe #staysane

In the absence of paid sewing jobs I’ve resorted to Picking/washing/drying bay leaves: suddenly Mr f’s greenhouse has become quite interesting. I’ll be in bother when he sees how much kitchen roll I’ve used. #keepbusy #dressmakerleeds #stayhome #staybusy #staysane

Proper distancing day one: got kids to sort out their t-shirt drawers to work out what doesn’t fit/just isn’t cool anymore. Items sorted into 3 piles of: 1. charity worthy, 2.ebay-able, 3. Chopper-uppers for cleaning rags. There’s gonna be a lot of cleaning going on so hurrah for pile no.3 #keepgoing #keepbusy #makedo #resourceful #keepsane

Every cloud: feel an outside job list coming on...

Ooh goody, a job. It might only be for my teenage son Who’s blasted through the backside of his jeans. But it’s a job all the same...#keepbusy #mendingmatters #makedoandmend #selfemployed #dressmakerleeds

Still peddling from home as normal and still available for ‘socially distant’ work, meaning I can still take in mending, curtains, blinds, cushions etc. “This too shall pass...” #stillsewing #mendingmatters #softfurnishings #curtains #blinds #cushions #interiordesign #dressmakerleeds

Yikes - another one😬. Think I’ll leave it until tomorrow... #alteration #mcqueen #dressmakerleeds #justbloodydoit

Oh bugger. #sewingmachinedowntime #sewingtoofast

‘Suit of rags’ made from the contents of a bin liner full of white fabric offcuts purchased by the kilo. #slowfashion #costume #sustainablefashion #reducelandfill #creativepatterncutting #dressmakerleeds

Proper vintage, in fact almost antique. A spot of research on the label of this garment dates it between 1938-64. So this silk velvet beauty required an awful lot of love and time to bring it back to life. For starters I removed the smelly old quilted lining and heavy astrakhan cuffs. The back was a little narrow as were the sleeve heads (a common problem I find on vintage clothing). Fortunately I had some remnants of matching silk velvet fabric so I was able to extend the ba...ck by inserting a central strip. For the sleeve heads I extended the width and recut the sleeves using a modern jacket pattern. The lining was replaced with more silk, in red, because I’m a shameless hussy like that. I changed the velvet covered button to a vintage one I found recently at a craft fair. Not sure when/where/if I’ll wear it but it was a complete joy to work on. I feel that an item of this kind of quality and heritage deserves conserving as well as possible. The poor thing was bought as a job lot at auction so it makes me wonder who it’s previous owner was...🤔 #garmentrestoration #truevintageclothing #vintageclothing #silkvelvet #alterations #historicalclothing #midcenturyclothing #dressmakerleeds #busmansholiday
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A meeting of minds between client and her dressmaker: a lovely regular of mine, who has a very clear idea of what she likes/what suits her, asked me to make this little 2 piece for a wedding she’s attending. After playing around with fabrics/ideas, together we created this dress and bolero jacket for her. The purple prada satin backed crepe is from Minerva crafts online and is a gorgeous deep aubergine in colour (a world away from her favoured black/cream colour combo). I happened to have a complimentary silk chiffon for the gathered trim and halter straps. Lined in heavy duchesse satin. #dressmaking #patternmaking #pradacrepe #minervacrafts #weddingoutfit #silk #dressmakerleeds