What’s the point in spending £3 on a dress when it’s a) going to fall apart after one wear b) going to be worn by everyone else on Saturday night and c) just doesn’t fit!

I think I’m quite lucky in that I can walk into a budget shop, (mostly a charity shop or Primark) pick up a bargainous item of clothing I like, and vision a million other possibilities for it! I’ve acquired the technical skills to alter, shorten, reinforce and if needs be, completely pull apart and start again. Hopefully over time, i will show you all you need to know to do this yourself!

I’ll be honest with you, my tips aren’t gospel. They aren’t straight from the Big Bible of Sewing! (made that up by the way), but it works for me and has made every £3 I’ve ever spent on a dress worth it!

So…. I thought I’d start with the most basic, and without a doubt, the most useful. How to hem a skirt or dress. I think with every dress I have ever brought, the moment I’ve got it home, out have come the scissors and up has come the Hemline! That or the hem just falls straight down (typically Primark), so hope this will be as useful to you as it is for me.

First things first… you need to decide how short you’d like the skirt to be. Once happy with the desired length, mark with chalk or a pin. Take the garment off and mark all the way round. pretty easy huh?
Next, using SHARP scissors, you need to CAREFULLY cut about an inch below the chalk (or pin) line. This extra inch is then folded up twice to meet your desired length. Iron the fold and pin into place!

You need a needle and thread for the next bit, so choose a thread that matches the colour of your garment.
To sew into place you can use one of two stitches…

 

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Catch Stitch (above)

With this stitch you need to work left to right

• Take a small backstitch on layer 1
• Move the needle to the right and on layer 2 take another small backstitch
• Repeat!!

It’s really important that you only ever catch 1 or 2 threads on layer 2- this way it won’t show through on the right side of your garment!

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Vertical Hem Stitch (above)

With this stitch you can work right to left

• The needle catches 2 threads in layer 1
• It then passes behind the folded hem and up through layer 2.
• Then bring the needle up and over to catch 2 threads in layer 1 once more
• And repeat!!

Christmas is coming early guys, and in the form of Angels Vintage Sale.

Due to my excessive excitment about it all, i’m just going to give you the direct facts and hopefully see you there!

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• Vintage and retro fashion items from the 1930s to the present day will be for sale at bargain prices in the Angels Big Vintage Clothing Sale at its Wembley warehouse on Saturday 6th December.
• Angels’ stock has been expanded by the acquisition of the BBC Resources Costumes earlier in 2008, leading to both pressure on space and so a sale is necessary.
• Over 30,000 items of vintage clothing, accessories and jewellery will be available
• It is the first time in Angels’ 160-year history that stock will be sold directly to the public.
• Angels is the world’s longest-established supplier of costumes to the film, theatre, and television industries. Top fashion houses regularly use the Angels costume collection – the largest in Europe with over 5 million pieces – as inspiration for their own collections.
• Stock will be priced not individually but by bag, with entrance gained by buying an empty bag that can be filled at will. A medium-sized bag costs £10 with a ‘supersize’ bag also available for £20. A separately-sized bag will be available for costume jewellery, priced at £20. Customers are welcome to purchase as many bags as they wish.
• Examples of productions whose costumes feature in the Big Vintage Clothing Sale include Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Absolutely Fabulous, Ashes to Ashes, The House Of Eliott, Dad’s Army, Last of the Summer Wine and Dr Who.
• Designer items available at the sale will include pieces by designers including BIBA, Quorum, YSL, Bus Stop, Jaques Azagury, and Jean Muir.

For directions and more info see Angels Website

http://www.angels.uk.com/sale.html

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When it comes to the ultimate in basic and simple pieces, no one does it better than American Apparel.

Classic lines, solid colour, for them its all about ‘clean dressing’, giving you the oppurtunity to accessorise and layer without looking over done.

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And the downside? Being the skint flint i am, somehow i just can’t justify spending £16 on a cotton T.           And so i gladly share with you the 15% discount they are offering on online purchases.

http://www.americanapparel.net/newsletter/signup/

Convinced me