Handmade Conversations — Vintage Sewing with Blogger Stacey Stitch

I started my blog in May 2013. What I really wanted to do more than anything was make my own clothes. I very much love vintage, but I can’t afford to buy the pieces I love with the huge price tags. So, I thought, why not make my own? As many people will know, sewing is daunting to a complete novice; looking at a pattern when you’ve never seen one before is incredibly off-putting.

I also found that being a dyslexic seamstress means it is quite difficult for me to understand instructions and it’s easy for me to become confused and frustrated at times, so my mission is straightforward: make sewing simple.

I aim to help others in a similar position and show you don’t have to be put off by long paragraphs and lengthy explanations. I don’t pretend to know everything about sewing but I hope that what I write is interesting, helpful or at least entertaining. In my blog you can find items I have made for myself and others, struggles I have found the solutions to, reviews of places I have visited and books I’ve read.

I’ve found the online sewing community very welcoming and it really has given me a boost to know that there is a group of like-minded sewing folk out there willing to help me with anything I might need, helping me to become better at sewing and in turn helping those who may be starting out as I was.

I am really proud of the late 50s wrap dress I made, which was one of the first projects on my blog. I had sewn a little (but not much before) and it really came together, giving me confidence in my own abilities of choosing fabrics for fantastic styling. I love original Swirl wrap dresses but they’re so expensive to buy and they’re snapped up very quickly on sites like Etsy, so it was such an amazing feeling to make a wrap dress that is similar for much cheaper. I always get complimented when I wear it.

 

I’d be lying if I didn’t say Mad Men had a lot to do with the colours and shapes I often look to when I start a project and, in particular, the character of Joan Holloway. She has it all: class, style and elegance while still looking hot! There’s a fantastic Museum, the Gallery of Costume, a few minutes walk from my home and I often go to look at the exhibitions to get a little inspiration. They recently had a Dior New Look exhibition with some stunningly beautiful pieces. It’s great to look in books but seeing pieces close up you can really admire the detail. I love the New Look era of dresses, but I always sway more to the late 50s/60s rather than the earlier pieces.

 

I’m currently working on a 60s pussy bow blouse which has taken me a much longer time than I planned. It’s the first time I’ve done full length sleeves with cuffs and setting them in has been a nightmare. Top that off with the fact I forgot to source matching buttons; it means it’s still on my dressform but I will have it completed soon and uploaded onto CraftFoxes when I’m done!