Antwerp Museum of Fashion - MOMU

I was so pleasantly pleased with Belgium. Quaint, quirky and just made for me. Right down to the moreish waffles!!

On a stifling day last week, I wandered in to the cool calm of the Antwerp Museum of Fashion (MOMU) to check out their latest exhibition. They have a huge archive: obviously, because it is the birthplace for the talent of Dries van Noten, Martin Margiela and so many more. However, unlike the V & A, they don't display archive material. It's a good idea in some ways as it means they can concentrate on perfect little areas.

The exhibition at the moment is Paper Dresses, which didn't exactly fill me with confidence but when I came to wander round (joy of joys I was almost completely alone!!! Belgium is EMPTY. Go now!!!) I was captured by the ingenuity of some of the designs and the retro appeal of others.

As I said, Antwerp is the fashy capital of Belgium and there are plenty of opportunities to off-load trolleys of cash in the local emporia but I was happy with schlepping around the simple paper designs.

What a terrific idea

Anees is a determined kind of person. She knits. Fine. But then, she can crochet too. That's good. I know because I taught her how. Now she wants to improve her basic sewing skills. She's sewn simple cushions on her mum's sewing machine and that's given her the taste for more challenging projects. Hmm...how about a dress. Oooo, I don't know, that does look hard. Patterns just don't tell the whole story. How do you get from here to there? What do those squiggles on the pattern pieces actually mean? That's where Sewing Bee steps in.

The pattern

Anees arrived with a pattern, a piece of fabric and a few doubts as to how she was going to get to grips with all this. By late afternoon, the dress looked great with a facing to fit and a hem to turn which she could do at home. Her boyfriend might have to help there!!!

Mind the tacks!

I'm really looking forward to the finished article. She's promised to send me pics and you can bet that I'll post them when they come!!

Are my seams straight?

For sewing classes for up to 4 people and one-to-one tuition please contact me - bee_at_home@hotmail.com.

Jessie Chorley and Columbia Road Market

I'm a bit of a magpie and a bit of a fantasist. I'm a bit of lots of things and I love people who are a bit the same!!! A few years ago a friend gave me a lovely brooch for Christmas from Buddug Humphreys and I started my search for more by her.My first port of call was Broadway Market where I knew she had a stall. One cold November Saturday I walked down through the market stalls and stumbled upon Buddug and her stall which she shares with her friend and colleague Jessie Chorley. Jessie is the a seamstress like Buddug and I was really charmed by her handmade gifts made from rescued items such as old spectacles cases which opened to reveal perfect little sewing-kits of vintage finds. Everything is nostalgic but with a twist.
The time of year for my next visit was entirely different. A hot Sunday in June, moseying down Columbia Road flower market. If you're not a resident of London but find you're in town with a Sunday to spare then go there. Immediately. It's fabulous. We had a lovely morning and we watched the stall-holders selling the mountains of gorgeous flowers and wandered in and out of the beautiful little shops that line the street behind the stalls.
Suddenly I spy a doorway (146 Columbia Road, E2) leading into some rickety stairs up to an open-windowed first-floor straight out of a Dickens novel. The rooms were filled with a cornucopia of Jessie's and Buddug's work and quite a few fans like me.

I could have spent hours in there but sadly I had to high-tail it home so I'm planning my next trip!!!

At the same time I'm going to check out Beyond Fabrics which looks like a 'destination store' as far as I'm concerned and Franklin Alvarez (I'm not entirely sure if that's still there) who use vintage finds to make gifts and artworks.

Dash for colour

Finding the right fabric is half the fun of making. Going into a well-stocked store is just so pleasurable but not always practical. The internet experience hasn't got the same buzz but does open up the possibilities ten-fold. Morecloth is just what it says on the tin and has collated all the colours of the rainbow for you to make your own choice without all the hassle of looking. The 'color strips' are for fabrics sold on Etsy and really do take some of the sweat out of scrolling through scads of cloth! These are just a selection I chose today.

Kristin and Beth of SewMamaSew have brought together a pretty comprehensive of all things sewing and their shop has some very nice fabrics to choose from too. They do a great job of pointing you off in many interestig directions and I dip in there quite alot. The quilt below is from their Flikr Pool.

Jess Brown Design

Deep in the throbbing heart of Spitalfields, London is a wonderful shop, a veritable Cabinet of Curiosities. Caravan is a home-loving bird's dream with an eclectic mix of finds that only a stylist could have accumulated for our delight.

'rag dolls: hand made & one of a kind. All made of cotton muslin and tea dyed. Each doll is crafted using found, recycled, and antique fabrics and wools.'

This week I spotted these beautifully made 'fairies' of Jess Brown from California which I thought I'd share with you. On her eponymous blog, she even shows us her studio, and as you know from earlier posts, I love peeping into peoples' work spaces.

"I am an American happily living in Norway with my Norwegian husband and two young children. Staying at home with my children allows me to share in everything they do and gives me some time to enjoy all the crafts I love. Whenever I can I am busily knitting, sewing, crocheting, embroidering, beading, or making cards."

What a lovely way to introduce yourself and your work. I discovered Ravenhill quite by chance. So much by chance that I can't even remember but ever after I recalled the lovely colours of her fabrics and the attention to detail. It all came flooding back when I was oo-ing and ah-ing over a friends Babushka cakes which showed the same delicacy of touch but could disappear in a 'pop' in your mouth. Then I thought of Ravenhill's more permanent ladies.

The dolls are actually Matryoshka dolls and each comes with her own Fru (Mrs) name. They are made in colours clear and luscious with wonderful touches of embroidery. I'm so impressed by the work and attention which shows some real loving care. True collectors items.

There are many ways of seeing and participating in her work through Etsy and her shop, Ravenhill, her blog, and just delight in her photos on Flikr.

Another name for the list

I'm so excited with my new projects to do with sewing lessons. The schools may ignore it but there are lots of people who want to gain the skill. I'm glad I did all those years ago. It's never ceased to inspire me.

Anyway, while working out a class plan I came across an Etsy seller who has some very helpful pdf patterns. As you may know from my crochet blog, chaincreative, I am a passionate fan of Etsy. It's the only gathering of talent I've found of it's kind. There's is something for everyone. It's not 'curated' as such so there's a wide sweep of talent but talent there is, and heaps of it.

Keyka Lou has a lovely collection of projects in the sweetest prints which are so 'now'. She writes in profile of her love for sewing which rang alot of bells for Sewing Bee. Read in profile of her mother's influence. That's the only way I learnt and now my daughter has become even more talented. It just keeps giving!

Anyway, I'm going to hope that Keyka would answer a few questions for us.

Keyka also curates a lovely blog so there's even more chance to get to know her. An additional bonus is the occasional series of 'how to' posts.

She's a find!