Simply Making Style

Some of the simplest projects are the most successful. I’m in the process of making a stripy top in cotton jersey and happened to have enough spare fabric for a scarf. I simply cut out a rectangle, 2 metres x 0.5 metres and overlocked the edges. I’d spotted something very similar in Zara, though I think mine is a better quality fabric. It’s a great lightweight piece for Spring, and will add a bit of style to many of my outfits.

The Future Of Charity Shops?

A friend recently told me about a new kind of charity shop in Reading. “Reworked for Oxfam” sells a mix of revamped customer donations and professionally repaired vintage garments.

The shop is situated in Harris arcade, not far from the station. Despite numerous visits to Reading, I’m ashamed to say I’d never been to the arcade before, lured straight to the delights of the modern Oracle shopping centre. Besides Oxfam, I found several independent shops, well worth a look, including a milliner’s and a tobacconist’s.

The Oxfam shop itself is small, and has a quirky boutique vibe, rather than that of a traditional charity shop. It’s a brilliant place to browse, as you never know what you are going to find. Each item is reworked by volunteers; their range of different skills ensure intriguing results. For example, two different shirts may have been merged to create a mix and match version, or a T.shirt given a ruffle trim on the neck. It sounds wacky, but for the most part the creations are in good taste. Anyone wanting truly original style should unearth many treasures as each item of clothing is totally unique.

The price points are higher than normal charity shops – a special dress will set you back about £60. But this is a high quality item and you can be confident you will not see anyone else in the same outfit.

I didn’t buy anything on my first visit but came away with loads of ideas for looking at my own wardrobe with new eyes, and how I could rework my own charity shop buys. Some of the best ideas were:

-          Denim mixes with a variety of different fabrics – I spotted a denim skirt inset with a floral panel that worked well.

-          Fur coats with their sleeves cut off to make jerkins

-          Tops and skirts sewn together to make cute dresses

-          Necklines embellished with ruffle trims

-          Piped edges to add seam definition

-          Adding beading and appliqué to create interesting textured fabrics

Brit Chick Knits

I coveted this Union Jack cardigan the moment I saw it in “Designer Knitting”magazine (Vogue Knitting in the US) . It featured in a section titled “London Calling”. I loved the quirky, eclectic styling of the whole collection, but the standout piece for me was undoubtedly the cardigan. It had a subtle colourway achieved with tweed wool, and I desperately wanted to make it. Now this constituted a major challenge as my knitting skills are still a work in progress. I learnt to knit as a child, but have only recently returned to the craft. Could I manage such a large, multicoloured project? I decided to give it a go.

Rather than start with the back, I knitted the two fronts and sleeves first, slowly getting to grips with managing multiple colours. But the back was still filling me with dread, requiring 13 colours on the go at once, along a row of 168 stitches. I would have to keep this up for 170 rows. So I calculated if I could complete about 4 rows a day, I could finish it in around 6 weeks. Not exactly quick but with an end in sight, not an eternity.  So give or take a day or so, that’s exactly what happened.

The whole project was a real labour of love, taking me about four months from start to finish. But I’m extremely proud of myself for persevering and seeing it through to the end. In fact I felt I learnt a few valuable lessons that I will be carrying through to future projects:

-          - Do not be put off from making something that appears difficult and beyond your skill level. If you desperately want the finished piece, patience and passion will carry you through.

-          - It’s less daunting if you break a complicated project down into smaller sections, and set yourself targets to complete each part.

-          - Complete the simplest section of the garment first. The “easy win” will give you the momentum to complete the more challenging parts.

Charity Shop Revamp

 

 Charity shops are hit and miss affairs. For me, finding something desirable in the exact size is a rare event. I have often thought I should increase the odds by expanding my search into larger sizes with a view to altering them. So last week my rummaging unearthed a navy lace T.shirt, an attractive item but size 22, swamping my size 10-12 figure. It was time to put my revamping aspirations into practice.

For my first attempt I decided not to be too ambitious by keeping the same shape and simply cutting it down to size. But this wasn’t quite as easy as it looked as I had to reset the sleeves. It took a couple of attempts before I was happy with the result but I’m delighted with the finished top. It’s a versatile piece I can dress down with jeans or style up for smarter occasions. I am now encouraged to undertake more charity shop downsizing. Hopefully the previous owners will never recognise their donations.