Hi Reader, My husband and I were invited to a 90s-themed party. Now, my husband really hates dressing up. Properly hates it. Fancy dress is just not his thing at all. The idea of “come as something from the 90s” was so vague and broad that it immediately felt overwhelming to him. So I did a bit of research and looked up some 90s icon couples. After a bit of scrolling, I landed on The Matrix. Neo and Trinity. That, surprisingly, did appeal to him. The costumes are mostly black, simple, and...

Hi Reader, I'm back teaching classes after the Christmas holidays, and one theme keeps popping up. Fit. So many people take up dressmaking because they struggle to find ready-to-wear clothes that fit properly. They want clothes to feel like they were made for them. But even after learning to sew, so many still find themselves frustrated when their handmade garments don’t fit and come up too small. This week, almost every class I’ve taught has come back to one simple, crucial step. Taking...

Hi Reader, Yesterday I did my very first Christmas fair with my beginner-friendly sewing kits. It was a big build-up: days of cutting, marking, pressing, packing, printing instructions and planning the stall. I sold a few aprons, a few tote bag kits and some Christmas bits, but nowhere near what I’d quietly hoped for in terms of takings. Talking to the other stallholders, it was clear it wasn’t just me. Footfall was low, there were more stallholders than people browsing, and lots of us went...