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The clothes you would make if only you had the time

When my children were born I was going to make all of their clothes but everything else just took up too much of my time. It was only when school proms came along and my daughters asked me to make their dresses that I remembered the pleasure of dressmaking.

Most of my childhood clothes were handmade by my mother, who learnt from her mother and aunts. My first pair of jeans were made by my mother, and they were worn to rags as a teenager. As I got older we would go to the fabric shop where I would choose from the pattern books and shelves of fabric, looking forward to seeing how it turned out.

It wasn't until I bought myself a handworked Singer as a young adult that I gained the confidence to make things for myself. I spent many evenings, sitting on the floor of my flat, making up all sorts of dresses, tops and even a suit from some fabric my great-aunt bought in the 1930s.

My next machine was a very basic electric that was underused as my mother upgraded her own 1970s Bernina and passed it on to me. This has been my work horse for years and, as it is no longer repairable, I have updated to a modern Janome from DirectSewing Machines a few streets away.

3 spring dresses

I had been thinking of making reversible dresses for a few years and my daughter's craft shop seemed an ideal place to try them out. They have been more popular than I imagined and I hope that you will like them too.

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