(no title)

Can You Compost Clothing?

Photo by Sippakorn Yamkasikorn on Pexels.com

Something that is little talked about, and often it seems isn’t thought of during the design and manufacturing processes is the end of life of the garment. What will happen to it when it’s no longer being worn? I suppose this is because we assume it will end up in landfill – but what if we could compost our clothes and turn them back into the soil to regenerate the next lot of fibre being grown?

This is exactly what Cotton Australia is trialing now in a small town in Queensland called Goondiwindi. They are taking old cotton sheets and coveralls from state emergency services, shredding them and “feeding” the soil before the next crop is grown.

They have also previously run an experiment using small 2cm squares of cotton in the local soil and used lab tests to see how it impacts the soil and if it breaks down and they found most of cotton fabric broke down within 24 weeks! And not only that – it improved the bacteria and fungus in the soil too. It’s such an awesome way to manage waste from the fashion industry – imagine all the cutting floor waste from making t-shirts being returned to the farms who grew the cotton, and it improving the next growing season! Only time will tell if this is a suitable solution.

This is great to hear it’s doable on a large scale, but can we also compost clothes at home and what do we need to know and take note of before we do? Here’s a guide you can keep at hand for when it’s time to recycle those clothes and they are too worn out for op shops or maybe even the rag bag!

Ensure your garment or textile (like sheets or curtains) is 100% natural fibre ie: cotton, silk, linen, hemp, wool.
Remove any extra items such as elastic, zippers, buttons, studs, synthetic care or brand labels, or beading or sequins
Shred the textile to start the process and help it biodegrade a little quicker. Add it to the compost heap with some other wetter materials such as grass clippings.
Make sure no more than 25% of your compost heap is clothing – this helps to keep the nitrogen and carbon levels balanced.
Make sure to turn your compost heap, and if you find something that isn’t decomposing (say a button you missed, or maybe a patch of fabric that’s different from the rest) then pull it out, it will most likely be a synthetic and non-compostable – but don’t worry you haven’t ruined your compost!
If you have a worm farm you can put 100% natural fibre textile into it, but it is not food for the worms, rather bedding or use it as a worm blanket.

As easy as that! I’ve included a handy printable guide below that you can keep in your laundry or garage to remind you when it comes time to compost those clothes that are beyond repair.

Let me know if you’re going to give it a go – but remember that if your clothes still have life consider swapping, donating, repairing or revamping before you compost! The most sustainable clothing you can get is something you already own!

clothing composting guide – raspberries & soda Download

Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Guide

This year, once again, I’ve put together a creative and eco-friendly gift wrapping guide with 4 new ideas and some bonus gift tag, ribbon and decoration inspiration!
If you would like to check out last year’s list I’ve linked it at the bottom of this one. But without further ado – here’s your 2021 gift wrapping guide!

Magazine pages
This follows on from the newspaper idea in our first holiday wrapping guide, but gives more space for colour and creativity – you can use photos and images from whatever magazines you regularly read (or if you’re like me and a collector of the free food magazines at woolies and coles you can use the pages from that of the recipes you won’t use!)

Image from Jane Means Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com.au/janemeans/_saved/

Botanical Wrap
I used to make this as a child, we would pick flowers and leaves and lay it on wax paper in a pretty pattern, and then lay another sheet of wax paper on top and iron it together (on warm). It really makes for a beautiful and special way to wrap gifts.

Image from Gave That
http://www.gavethat.com/2012/08/diy-pressed-flower-wrapping-paper.html

Kraft Paper With Customised Designs

This is such a fun activity for little ones, or for big ones who want to be a bit creative. You can pick up a roll of Kraft paper from Office Works (or similar stationary store) and use stencils and paints or cut out potatoes into stars or whatever shape you like to create some fun and unique wrapping paper – plus it’s a Christmas activity for the whole family!
You can really get creative with this, using marker pens you could make word searches, sudokus, spot the difference or I-spy type games on the wrapping paper for people to play later when they are all feeling relaxed after that big delicious Christmas lunch!

Image from DIY in PDX
http://diyinpdx.com/2017/12/07/stamped-wrapping-paper/

Simple Gift Boxes – Reimagined
You can pick up some lovely shaped plain cardboard boxes at $2 stores and paint, stencil, collage or decorate them however you please (festive or to the recipient’s taste) and after the joy of gift giving they can be reused for storage later! (Or be used again to wrap another gift!)
Or you could even make your own little gift boxes and bags using pretty papers.

Image from Design Improvised
https://designimprovised.com/2018/11/how-to-make-stenciled-christmas-gift-boxes.html

Bonus decoration or gift tag ideas
Tie a small bauble to each gift alongside the name tags
Punch or cut shapes out of dried leaves and use them as gift tags instead of paper
Tie greenery or pine cones onto the gift – this looks especially lovely if you are using Kraft paper, children’s paintings or the botanical gift wrap

Image from Made It
https://designimprovised.com/2018/11/how-to-make-stenciled-christmas-gift-boxes.html

And that’s a “wrap” for this years eco-friendly gift wrapping guide – if you want some more ideas be sure to check out our guide from last year and if you use one of our ideas – tag us on social media (Facebook or Instagram) @raspberriesandsoda – we would love to see your creative gift wrapping skills come to life!

What does my design process look like?

With a new collection on the way, I thought I would share a brief run through of my design process. There are 5 main elements; inspiration, fabrics, design, pattern and then samples/ production.

I’ll start with inspiration and fabrics together, as I often interchange these 2 as the way I start out a process. I’ll either start with a mood board, choosing images and colours to a theme, or I’ll choose a couple of fabrics and design from them – building a theme around them. My newest collection was built the second way – I had a few fabrics chosen out and then I created a mood board and theme from them to flesh out the ideas and designs.

Design and pattern come next. Sometimes I design and then create the pattern, and other times I sketch out the pattern, working out like a game of Tetris how the pieces might fit together to reduce waste. And sometimes it’s a combination, I have an idea I sketch and then develop the details of it based off a pattern. It’s quite a different approach to the traditional way of pattern making, which is the way I was trained in – but I’ve always enjoyed thinking out of the box.

The next step is to create samples from the patterns, in the fabric I’ve selected. It’s rare I’ll do a test garment in a different fabric, I cut straight into the selected fabric and make it up. This way I’m working with the right weight of fabric, seeing pattern placement as well as maximising the width of the fabric by strategically placing the pattern pieces. If it doesn’t quite work out, then I go back a step, or check my fabric choices and see where it’s not quite working as planned.

Once I confirm I’m happy with the design, the fabric choice and the pattern then I move to grading the pattern into all the sizes I’m going to produce it in, cut them out and then start sewing! I do my grading, cutting, and sewing in batches, so that I can get all the pieces ready together.

And that pretty much sums up my process! If you’d like to be the first to know when the new collection drops be sure to jump onto our VIP mail list right away – because it’s happening real soon and I’d hate for you to miss out!

*please note we are currently only shipping Australia wide, to New Zealand and the United Kingdom – other countries coming soon*

Frightening Fashion Faux Pas

This week was Halloween and I couldn’t help but think there is nothing more scary than a wardrobe malfunction or fashion faux pas! Heres my top 5 fashion mistakes to avoid (written with a little seriousness, and a lot of humour).

1. Socks With Sandals
Now I know this might be trending somewhere in the world but please no! It genuinely looks like you got dressed in the dark with your eyes closed – and is especially unpleasant if you are wearing thongs (read – flip-flops for my non-Australian readers) that weird webbed-toe separation thing going on just looks uncomfortable!

2. Low Rise Pants with Underwear Peeking Out
Oh dear – I remember this one almost being a trend in my teenage years – thankfully those crazy low waisted jeans are gone and hopefully so is the g-string popping up out the back.

3. Nip Slips & Side Boob
Save yourself ahead of time here and invest in some double sided invisible tape to keep those low necklines and armholes secure. We don’t mind seeing a little skin, but that’s maybe a touch too much.

4. Shoes you can’t walk in
I know those beautiful stilettos are incredible, but if you cannot walk in them, put them back on the shelf and go for something a little more comfortable. Same goes for any shoes!

5. Ill-Fitting Garments
This is especially related to suits, but applies to anything. If its too tight either get your seamstress/tailor to let it out or donate it (please don’t buy things too tight) and if its too big then go to your tailor to get it taken in! A well-fitting garment makes an immense difference – not just to the appearance, but also your comfort and I can guarantee you’ll wear it more if it fits well too!

Let me know what you think are the worst or most frightening fashion mistakes you’ve seen!

What we mean when we say “Slow Fashion”

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, or you’ve been listening in on the sustainable fashion movement, then you likely would have heard the term “slow fashion”. What does it mean for fashion to be slow and why does it matter – let us take a closer look.

Slow fashion is the antidote to fast fashion – its not based on promoting consumption, on never ending trend cycles, or having to wear something new all the time! Slow fashion is intentional. It is designed to outlast a trend or season and be something that is made with quality and integrity that can be worn many times over without losing its fit or feeling like its “last season”. The average piece of fast fashion clothing is worn only 7 times before being discarded, and the way to come up against a statistic like that is to produce pieces that are better quality and are not based on a fleeting trend that will last a few weeks before being pushed to the side for something else new.

Often times slow fashion is interconnected with small batch production. The pieces are made in limited runs to reduce over-production waste and over-consumption waste. It is produced in a thoughtful manner, so the fibre content is considered, the wash and wear life of the garment as well as the ability for it to transcend seasons and become a wardrobe staple that you love to turn to.

Slow fashion considers people – the people who contribute to the production of the garment, the fibre growers, the spinners and weavers, the sewists and machinists; and of course the people who buy and wear it – how will they care for it, how often can they wear it, is it a piece with multiple ways to wear it and what will the garment’s end of life look like. It also considers the planet and the impact that production on the environment.

The aim of slow fashion is to reduce consumption and avoid over-production. It asks us to invest in less pieces that are higher quality – meaning better fabric quality, better production and longer lasting through wash and wear. It asks us to increase our wear per piece count, so instead of 7 average wears, we do 15, 20 or many many more! You can still partake in trends and be a fashionista, even wearing and living a slow fashion lifestyle – you can see more on that on my previous post here where I discuss ways to wear the latest trends in a eco-conscious way.

Not every Slow Fashion brand covers absolutely every aspect, most of us works in progress, changing and developing with our values and the industry, creating return and care systems as our facilities and resources allow us – but we care enough to start making a difference now, in ways that we can. We can all get on board and make a difference by shopping with consideration – do I really need this? or can I shop my wardrobe instead? Or could I get this second hand? Do I have a piece the same that just needs a small repair?

If you would like to read more or get involved you can check out the Slow Fashion Movement – a group of people who are advocating for change in the fashion industry and helping others by leading the way.
(full disclaimer – I am a Global Ambassador for the Slow Fashion Movement but am in no way compensated for giving them a shoutout)

So to summarise – Slow fashion is about lowering consumption, buying well made, quality pieces and being considerate and thoughtful both for business in production, and for fashionistas in purchasing.

Let me know if you have any questions! I’m always happy to chat.

Spring Summer Trends for the Eco-Conscious Fashionista

New season = New trends and eco-fashionistas everywhere want to know how to integrate these looks into their existing wardrobes without dipping their toes into the fast-fashion trend cycles and getting caught out with pieces that will fade as fast as the spring blooms!

With this new season you will be excited to know that there is literally something for everyone, no matter your style! And also plenty of ways to incorporate the looks with thrifted, up-cycled (thrift-flipped) or existing pieces you may own. It’s the perfect season for eco-fashionistas to shine and thrive!

The key trend pieces you will be seeing are shoulder-padded jackets (think 80’s power dressing), denim shorts (mid thigh or knee length so no need for shorty shorts!), head scarves, cropped cardigans, cowboy-esque accessories and corsets (not for under your garments, but as stand alone pieces or to be worn over other pieces). We are also seeing the rise of the mini skirt coming back through slowly, with hope for better days ahead. I think these trend pieces are perfect for the savvy and eco-conscious fashion lover as many can be purchased from thrift stores, or be up cycled from current pieces (or may even be things you already own!) We are also seeing the rise of the mini skirt coming back through slowly, with hope for better days ahead.

Get creative – think raiding your mum’s closet, thrift store shopping, wearing what you have in new ways or altering what you already own that you maybe need to repair. That cardigan you have that maybe has a hole in the bottom of it, shorten it to get a cute cropped version. Your older pants with torn hems can be shortened into mid thigh shorts. 90’s tube tops and stretchy camisoles or crops can be repurposed as “over-corsets”. Even if you have a dress that’s torn, you can cut it up and turn it into a couple of head scarves OR add a panel in a contrasting fabric (more about that next!).

Colour wise there is pastels, bolds, psychedelic acid tones or monochromes – so whether your style is ultra feminine, or you want to be loud and proud or if you prefer a neutral palette – you’re covered! There’s no need to wear a colour you hate this season! Tropical prints, paisley and stand alone florals make appearances in the prints, with vintage turning modern being a real key concept for the season! Perfect for thrifters and thrift-flippers alike! Grab Grandma’s old sheets (with her permission of course!) and cut it up into some 70’s style flares, or a cute shirred little crop top with matching head scarf. See if your old dress up box has any amazing vintage accessories like beaded bags or cowboy boots or oversized chunky jewellery.

Bold contrasts such as pattern clashing, stripes with florals, leopard prints with tropicals and combinations of bright colours means you can mix and match to your hearts desire. Tie a scarf onto your handbag, iron on some monstera leaf motifs to your jeans pockets, dye that beige blazer acid yellow, sew some funky leopard print trim onto the cuffs and collar of a business shirt or cut up two contrasting tops and combine them into one panelled one- so many fun ways to incorporate these trends whether you can sew or not. If there ever was a time to enjoy being creative with your clothes and try out something new in the style department – these are the days!

Wide leg and flared silhouettes are “in” when it comes to pants, but if you’re like me and look like a goose wearing these, then crop them a little shorter. Those oversized shirts from last season can be cinched in with belts, corsets and tube tops – this is another great way to combine different pieces that you maybe already have in your closet in new and fun ways. While the silhouettes still seem to be semi-androgynous, we are getting more of the feminine shapes coming through with the more fitted bodices, tie tops and corset styles filtering in.

There is a dash of 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s throughout this Spring/Summer season – so pick the parts you love the most and ignore the rest! Celebrate you, your body and the things you love. Remember to have fun and that your personal style trumps trends every time!

What is Greenwashing and how to avoid falling victim to it

If you’ve been on the sustainable fashion scene for any amount of time you would have heard of the term greenwashing – but what is it, how does it impact you and how can you avoid falling victim to it.

Greenwashing is unsubstantiated claims by businesses, brands or individuals that their products or services are eco friendly. It’s misleading and giving the false impression that they are more environmentally friendly than they are; and is intentionally deceptive.

Examples of greenwashing include claiming an item is eco-friendly solely because of the fabrics used when it was produced on mass and using unethical manufacturing processes, making environmental claims without proof or making vague claims without providing details of how they are sustainable, and of course out-right fibs either as to what they use, how they produce or what certifications they hold.

These kinds of deception are becoming more and more common as people seek to make more environmentally friendly and conscious decisions and want to support brands who pay their workers fair wages and have ethical manufacturing practices.

If you are trying to make more eco-conscious choices then ensuring the brands you are supporting are honestly and genuinely doing what they say is important! Here’s how to avoid being caught out and supporting a company who is greenwashing and not a genuinely sustainable fashion label.

Do Your Research

Read their sustainability and about pages to see what they claim and how they back it up. Ie: “we use sustainable fabric” – what fabrics are they using and how are they sustainable? Is it the sourcing, the fibre content, the production or a combination

Look for their certifications

Bigger brands may have certifications or impact reports available for you to see, check they are legitimate and not certifications or “labels” they have created internally. Smaller brands may not have them as they can be expensive but will more likely have photos and personal accounts of their behind the scenes and the way they work (ie factories they work with or their staff)

Sustainability in more than one area

Look at a brands environmental practices overall. Are they claiming sustainability in their fabrics and yet do not use recyclable or compostable packaging? Is only a small selection of what they produce made ethically while the rest is produced in a different manner (ie a “conscious collection” or “made kind collection”)

Don’t be afraid to speak up

If you want clarity or more information on a brands product or processes then email them or phone them and ask! If they haven’t got anything to hide they should be able to openly answer your questions (but don’t expect them to give away “trade secrets” or supplier lists)

The key to having trustworthy sustainability is transparency and open discussion around how they are sustainable, where they are doing great and where they know they need to improve and their plans and actions on how they are going to improve.

Lastly an incredible resource for checking out sustainable brands is the Good On You Directory where brands are rated on their impact on planet, people and animals – it’s definitely a fantastic resource for shopping ethically and with the environment at the forefront of your mind.

Let me know if you have more questions around green washing or have other ways of sniffing out the truth – I’d love to hear!

Which Coat-hangers Should I Choose?

There are so many different options out there for coat hangers it can be confusing to know which is the right one for the garments you have. There are wooden hangers, wire hangers, plastic hangers, velvet hangers, padded ones, notched ones, open ended ones, and clip ones – but which ones are best for what? There is so many choices where do you even start? Well I’ve made it simple for you by breaking down the best types of hangers for different items – so next time you need new hangers you know which ones to buy!

Wooden Hangers
Designed to last, wooden hangers are great for jackets, coats, suits and heavier items as they are durable and strong. They won’t sag or snap under the weight of your garments. Make sure you get ones with a good varnish and smooth finish. If you intend to hang suits on them also ensure they have a cross bar.
Bonus tip: Notched ones are handy for hanging heavier dresses.

Velvet Hangers
These hangers are made to be non-slip so they are perfect for dresses or even tops with wider necklines. The velvet texture of the hanger protects delicate clothing and prevents snagging. I recommend choosing velvet hangers with notches, they are great for those strappy summer dresses and tops that always seem to slip right off any other hanger.
Bonus tip: Make sure your clothes are dry before hanging them on velvet hangers.

Padded Hangers
Ideal for t-shirts and stretch fabrics, these hangers are also great for delicate items like silk tops and dresses. The soft padded nature of the hanger stops the garment from stretching and distorting (I think most of us have had a shirt with a weird point on the shoulder from using a wire hanger) and also prevents snagging.
Bonus tip: You can always add buttons onto the end instead of having a notch – its really handy for slips and under dresses.

Clip Hangers
These are the best hangers for all types of skirts, and strapless or off-the shoulder style dresses. Choosing clip hangers with a silicone or rubberised clip will prevent damage to the fabric of the garment and also stop those annoying indentations. Hanging skirts or dresses with a clip hanger prevents creasing and means your garment is ready to wear when you want with less need for ironing!
Bonus tip: Choose hangers with sliding clips so if you have a narrower item or wider item you can choose with width of your hanger.

Open-ended Hanger
You may have only seen these hangers in fancy department stores, but they are the best option for hanging trousers and jeans. Hanging your trousers, rather than folding, means less creasing and you can easily see which pair of pants you have available to you without rummaging through a drawer. The open-ended feature means you can grab those trousers without having to take the coat hanger off the rack! They are generally made to be quite sturdy so can handle the weight of your jeans or work overalls without sagging or breaking.
Bonus tip: You can also get opened-ended hangers that have tiers, so if you have lots of work pants or jeans you can hang all the same ones together AND save space!

Accessories Hangers
You can also get coat hangers for scarves, ties and belts. Most styles are interchangeable between these 3 types of accessories, but some scarf hangers (the ones made up of circles for instance) are not very suitable for ties or belts. Hanging these accessories can make getting ready in the morning easier by being able to view and access everything you need for you outfit. They can also be really handy if you have a wardrobe that doesn’t have shelving or drawers. I also find having my belts or scarves hanging up makes me more likely to wear them.

Choosing specialised hangers not only means they will be more durable, it also means your clothes are getting the support and protection they deserve. Your clothes will last longer when they are stored well, and they’ll thank you for taking care of them. The fun part of choosing new hangers is getting to re-design the aesthetic of your wardrobe so instead of a hodge podge of wire and plastic hangers, you can create a collection of hangers that not only serves their function well but looks good too. You can make your wardrobe a curation of wearable art that you enjoy, rather than just a storage room for clothes.

Bonus tip: Don’t overwhelm yourself by throwing out all your hangers at once, start by phasing out one section at a time, just buy hangers for your jackets and coats, and then move to your skirts or trousers. Make it an easy and smooth transition so you and your back pocket don’t freak out!

How To Pack Clothes For A Stress Free Holiday

It’s school holidays here right now, and my nephews have already started talking about their Christmas holiday plans. We all want our holidays to be enjoyable and stress free, and that includes the preparation!

If you’re a mum like me, then when you go on holidays packing for the whole family tends to fall onto your to-do list. So to make our task easier I’ve compiled a handy list of packing tips to make the whole process one of ease and ensure that when you get to your destination your clothes are as stress free as the rest of your holiday!

This might seem obvious, but work out how many days you are going away for, check if you will have access to a washing machine or not and take note if you have any special events while you’re away.
Noting all of these, plan your outfits ahead of time so you know which pieces you will wear together and don’t end up with an oddball outfit at the end of the holiday.
My next tip is along the same lines as the first. Pick items you can easily mix and match, this way you are less likely to end up with pieces that don’t work together. This means getting ready every day you are away is stress free and simple.
You can also do the same with your accessories and shoes. I like to minimise my shoe choices to 3 – a walking shoe, a dressy shoe and either a beach shoe or everyday shoe depending on where we are going. I also keep accessories to a minimum as it means less items to keep track of when its time to pack to come home.
When packing your clothes, roll them instead of folding them. it takes up less space, and items like t-shirts, jeans and jumpers won’t need ironing anyway so you don’t need to worry about them becoming wrinkled. Which brings us to the next point.
No iron? No problem! If your clothes do arrive at your destination with wrinkles in them and you don’t have access to an iron then hang them up in the bathroom when you have a shower. The steam from the shower will help the wrinkles drop out.
Ensure you hang up any items as soon as you get to the destination, especially those that are for special events or garments that are prone to wrinkles. This stops them getting wrinkled and ensures they are ready to go when its time to wear them, and you won’t be scrounging around in a suitcase looking for that one garment and end up having to wear something else because you just can’t find it!
Pack a garment wash bag even if you won’t be washing your clothes while away. They are super handy for putting worn socks, underwear, lingerie and hosiery into to keep it separate from the clean ones – extra handy if you have children! I also pack a bag for wet items, especially if going to the beach or some where with a pool.
If you are packing for more than one person, pack for one person at a time. This way you can ensure you’v got everything you need for everyone and don’t leave anything vital behind! And when packing for young children, always pack extra outfits so as not to be caught out when they inevitably mess on that one good outfit you planned for dinner out.
Give yourself enough time to pack. Don’t leave it til the last minute or the night before. Planning ahead means you won’t find yourself without that essential item, or wishing you hadn’t worn that top or pants yesterday. It will be less stressful if you take your time and have a plan.
What’s that saying? “Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” … Totally applicable here. If you want to still look amazing while on holidays it takes a little forethought and forward planning.

I hope this list has been helpful and will be a handy guide for when you next go on holidays.

Let me know if you have any other great packing tips in the comments! I’d love to hear.

Unpopular Opinion: Tailoring ≠ Alterations

I recently read a blog post on ways to make your clothing look more lux on a budget.
While the tips were good, what really irked me was the person who wrote it is a real industry insider – and when she was talking about altering your clothes for a good fit she referred to it as tailoring and then claimed that “tailoring is a really easy skill to pick up” and I would have to disagree!

We often interchange the terms tailoring and alterations – but they actually mean different things.
Here’s a super quick history on the word origins –

“to alter” comes from the Latin “alter” meaning “other”

“to tailor” comes from the Latin “taliare” meaning “to cut”

A tailor designs, cuts and creates custom clothing (generally referring to menswear and suiting), and they may also offer alterations to existing garments. But tailoring is not having your clothes altered.
Alterations is having existing garments altered to fit you.
Tailoring is having something custom made to fit you.

As someone who has 10 years experience in creating custom garments and alterations (but I refer to myself as a dressmaker & alterations specialist), I can tell you altering a garment correctly and neatly isn’t always easy for someone inexperienced. I’ve seen countless garments that people have taken to cheap alteration places (or DIYed) where they have done the wrong thing, damaged the fabric or just had no clue how to actually complete the job; which they’ve then brought to me to fix up.

It’s the same as saying anyone can paint – well true – anyone can paint, but can they paint well?
Sure I painted the walls in my house and it looks okay – but is my job as good as that of a professional painter? – no, I can promise you it’s not. I don’t have the same tools they do, the experience they do, nor the training and knowledge.

Now, I’m not saying don’t give it a go yourself, because I’m all for people learning how to sew, care for their garments and give them as long a wardrobe life and as many wears as possible. But please be aware that doing it at home from a YouTube tutorial and having it altered professionally can look like two very different things.
You might just run in that side seam on your jeans with a straight stitch to take in the waist and leg and wonder why a professional seamstress charges so much, but they won’t alter your jeans that way.
They will take in the back seam, the inside leg (and not necessarily the same amount on both the front and back) and possibly even adjust the rise on the crotch so that the depth is still comfortable; and they will do it in a way that you don’t lose details of the garment and so that it looks like your garment was a perfect fit when you bought it. You can hardly see the work of a good seamstress, because it is professional and blends with the original construction work.

When I do alteration work, I don’t just refer to my knowledge of sewing, or garment construction. I refer to my knowledge of pattern making and grading – how and where patterns change between sizes, and how a garment that may be pulling in one area is actually influenced by somewhere else. What you see as the problem may not actually be what is going on. I have to consider different body shapes, the way the fabric is cut, the type of fabric and of course the garment details (like pockets). And that is all before I consider the most effective way to complete the alteration, finding the best way to make the changes, opening the right seams and closing them back up so you’d never know – like a delicate kind of surgery.

So please don’t say (or ask if) my work is easy or simple. I make it look easy, because I have the knowledge and experience, not just of myself, but of those who have mentored me. And most importantly, it looks easy because I love it – I receive so much joy in altering and creating your clothes so you can look good and feel good every day!

If you have questions about the services I offer, or would love to get in touch to chat more you can drop me an email through the contact form, or pop into my messages on social media – I promise I’ll answer as soon as possible!