We used to sew a lot when we were kids, it was one of our school subjects in 'home ec'.
If I remember correctly it was the other half of the year opposite cooking.

​Our mother was a great sewer & our eldest sister really excelled at garment making.
Me, well I enjoyed sewing & was technically very proficient but really couldn't have given a rat's-razoo about what I was wearing so only did what I had to do to pass the assessments.
Yep, I'm one of those kids who submitted the same garment 2 years in a row to 2 different teachers.
It was nice. It was a green wrap-around skirt with a buttonhole in the waist band for the tie & top stitching . . . got A+ for it both times actually.

Anyway, for most of my adult life I have only intermittently sewn & even then not garments.
Probably as a result of being bombarded on social media by loads of beautiful creations people are making for themselves I decide I want to sew again only THIS time I want to sew garments that I know will fit me.
As much as I really want to support indie pattern designers the reality is I can't afford to buy patterns & I know I have the capabilities to learn how to draft pattens myself, for myself.

Enter Cal Patch & creativebug.
​I have been enrolled with creativebug for 2 years & have renewed for a 3rd year.
​Honestly, the classes I've been taking in the last 6 month since I renewed are worth the subscription alone.
​
Of course I've researched it to the nth degree (that's just me) & watched the classes about a gazillion times, as I did with learning the Alabama Chanin way I gathered all my supplies together & dedicated a weekend to learning how to draft a master pattern for a dress, based on MY measurements (now I actually know what being 'short-waisted' means), cut out & sewed a muslin then went on to modify the base pattern, cut out & sew a hoodie.

And I know for a fact, when I first tried the muslin on & later the hoodie, the words I uttered were
'#@*! me this really works'
​. . . then I think I probably danced around wearing them for a ridiculously long time.

Same rules apply as with everything else we learn:
you have nothing to loose
use the resources you have available, they ARE good enough
watch, listen, learn (repeat)
be patient
take your time
& whatever else measure, measure & measure again before you cut that fabric !

I don't want to give you a step by step 'how to'.
I just want to show you how incredibly beautiful muka is.

"ch-ch-ch-ch changes >> turn & face the strange ch-ch-ch-ch changes"

Well it's happened & it was inevitable.
​Instagram was never gonna stay in this magical form that we all know & love (& use for free I might add)
It's a business & it's owned by Facebook          
& that's 'it' in a nutshell.

It's a business. 
A business that wants to make money & that is absolutely OK. 
They can (and will) do whatever they want so that's it team … the honeymoon is over !
Let's just see what the changes are & either accept them & work with them or leave them. 
Seems obvious to me really. 
The only thing we have control over is our choice to use the platform or not. 

So I'm embracing the change, I love change. 
I'm taking the opportunity to set up an email newsletter list which will enable me to stay in touch with those of you who are interested in what we're up to, what's happening in the world we live in & what we're making. 

And you know what ? 
I am really looking forward to sharing with you. 
I love our world. 
I love the thought of being able to connect you to our world through the stories I tell, the photos I share & the things I make.
It's all pretty simple stuff but I think you'll love it too & I hope it makes you smile or peaks your interest or perhaps in a particularly nostalgic way, maybe even makes you cry. 

Let's do this together, let's take our relationship to another level . . . . on another platform ! 
Cross my heart, I'll be committed to you & look after you but rest assured there will be change, that's part of life. 

"Time may change me 
But I can't trace time"

​sign up below & I'll hop over for a chat with you at the end of each month 
talk soon
​Sal xx