The Refashioners 2018

Refashion, a definition: taking an existing garment and turning it into something else - usually another garment.

Copycat, Jacket, Bottoms, Self-drafted, SkirtCharlotte Wensley16 September 2018refashioners, inspiredby, Copycat, rosie assoulin, leandra medine, therefashioners2018, thrifted, jacket Comments

A summer break

Over the course of this wonderful summer I took a break from sewing and from social media.

ThinkingCharlotte Wensley13 September 2018social media, taking a break Comments

Random pocket Catarina

It seems my cousin would disagree, but I don't have a huge stash of fabric.

DressCharlotte Wensley26 June 2018mood fabrics, Seamwork, catarina dress, linen, pattern alteration, dress, summer dress Comments

Sewing with butterflies' wings

This dress is one giant step out of my comfort zone. Huge that step, huge.

Dress, Modified patternCharlotte Wensley4 June 2018the fabric store, chiffon, silk, stoff + stil, mood fabrics, sadie slip dress, tessuti Comments

Learning to draft

Over the past 18 months I've been taking patternmaking courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan.

Dress, Copycat, Self-draftedCharlotte Wensley28 May 2018dress, Self-drafted, FIT, mood fabrics, twill, cotton Comments

Paperbag Trousers

Does anyone else hear that phrase and start singing it to the tune of 'Paperback Writer' in their head?

Bottoms, separates, TrousersCharlotte Wensley10 May 2018trousers, pants, wide leg pants, linen, the fabric store, stripes, paperbag waist, mccalls 7726 Comments

Terra Pantastic!

I love love love LOVE these trousers.

Bottoms, separates, TrousersCharlotte Wensley27 April 2018Terra Pants, Pattern Fantastique, Pants, trousers, fitting, twill, Blackbird Fabrics, pattern love Comments

A Rachel Comey inspired top

Like many fellow stitchers, I'm a big fan of Rachel Comey. Not necessarily the Vogue Patterns edit

Self-drafted, separates, TopCharlotte Wensley14 April 2018Copycat, rachel comey, knit, peplum, Self-drafted, dolman sleeve, ruffles Comments

Adventures in Coat Sewing; Part 6

It seems I’m in the habit of making multiple coats each winter.

Coat, Outerwear, JacketCharlotte Wensley29 March 2018The Fabric Store, Sapporo Coat, papercut patterns, Wool, bouclé, coat sewing Comments

The Coat by The Avid Seamstress

As people of a certain age / televisual persuasion will probably know, there is an episode of Sex and the City

Coat, Outerwear, Jacket, CritiqueCharlotte Wensley5 March 2018the avid seamstress, coat, burgundy, winter, The Makers Atelier, culottes, The Avid Coat Comments

Salmon Pink Baggy Pants. On the Roof!

There's this tension when writing a blog post after you've been MIA for a while;

Bottoms, Trousers, TopCharlotte Wensley25 February 2018trousers, pants, baggy pants, corduroy, vogue patterns, new york elegant fabrics, mood fabrics, bodysuit, Nettie bodysuit, blogging Comments

Slogan tees and handmade jeans and a mid-life crisis

Slogan tees. What do you think of slogan tees? I am well and truly on the fence.

Alteration, Bottoms, Jeans, Modified pattern, Trousers, denimCharlotte Wensley20 October 2017jeans, wide leg pants, New Look 6459, closet case patterns, sallie oh, denim, slogan tees, Britex, Alteration, kamm pants Comments

The Judith Jumpsuit - good for all bottoms!

I had a boyfriend when I was at university who used to find it amusing to call me 'Jumble Bum'. Nice, right?

Bottoms, Sewing Community, Trousers, Alteration, jumpsuitCharlotte Wensley4 October 2017sewing around the world, schnittchen patterns, cupro, Alteration, bottom, judith jumpsuit, jumpsuit, stoff + stil Comments

Another tail-end Ruby

It gets towards the end of August and I start getting very indignant about the world

Dress, Modified patternCharlotte Wensley31 August 2017tessuti, Ruby Dress, ruffles, linen, the fabric store, summer dress, summer, lovesummerhateeverythingelse Comments

My Charlie Caftan

I can tell you that having a sewing pattern named after you is pretty great.

Dress, Sewing Community, CritiqueCharlotte Wensley5 August 2017Charlie Caftan, closet case patterns, Drapers Daughter, Merchant and Mills, Caftan, Caftan Cult, Indigo, Muse, summer dress, summer, dress Comments

A Reeta Dress

The colours of the paving slabs in this photos plus the funny light and hat make me look like I'm somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Thinking, DressCharlotte Wensley18 June 2017stoff + stil, named clothing, dress, shirt dress, cotton, cotton satin, brooklyn, reeta dress, Me Made May, mmmay17 Comments

How good fit nearly broke me and other stories

Oh woe, oh woe. The last few months have been an unutterable fetid quagmire of sewing angst.

I made a hat. And went on a march. And before that I made a skirt.

I haven't really been sure how to write this post. I absolutely want to tell all the lovely people who relate

Bottoms, Skirt, Top, Thinking, Modified patternCharlotte Wensley26 January 2017Skirt, velvet, Inari Dress, named clothing, silk Comments

Happy New Year Helmut!

New year, new me, new resolutions, new positivity ... really? Happy New Year!

Alteration, Jacket, Coat, OuterwearCharlotte Wensley10 January 2017Helmut Lang, coat, The Makers Atelier, Raw edged unlined coat, pattern alteration, wool, wool melton, Elizabeth Suzann, guthrie & ghani Comments

The Big Easy Top

Need a quick sewing fix? Like, the quickest sewing fix? That doesn’t involve pesky stretch fabrics?

Sweater, TopCharlotte Wensley27 November 2016The Makers Atelier, boiled wool, quick sew, Top, sweater, The Big Easy Top Comments