Before I'm 30

I just hit 29 last month, so I'm now officially on the countdown to 30. I haven't made a list of goals - or at least, not a long one - because there is just ONE thing I would like to achieve in the next year. That is to become, as they say, "shit hot" at pattern cutting. In reality this probably means 1. Waste a lot of fabric 2. Waste a lot of time 3. Cry a lot. But I am so SO up for it.

I already started dabbling last year, messing around with a swimsuit pattern, and eventually I also mastered a basic t-shirt pattern. But I still don't feel like I really get it... I want to understand how shapes fit the body, and why some clothes look so deliciously well-tailored and expensive.



This is part of a bigger goal of course. I would really very much like to be a professional freelance seamstress.

Last Christmas, I got Winifred Aldrich's Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear, after it was recommended to me by a fashion graduate friend. It is an entirely practical, dry book full of text and diagrams, covering basic blocks and adaptations. It's no good as a source of inspiration, but pretty perfect as a rulebook to get you started, especially for a nerd like me who simply adores following instructions.

And, on my birthday, I added a rather more saucy looking book to my pattern drafting collection: Ann Haggar's Pattern Cutting for Lingerie, Beachwear and Leisurewear. Similarly, it's full of text and diagrams, and the basics overlap a lot. But this one - as the name clearly states - offers a much more detailed look at intimates.


So over the next year, I want to explore these books as thoroughly as I can, and maintain a running commentary on my progress.

I am already underway with a pyjama project, having completed some elasticated shorts and now working on a camisole to pair with them.


On the horizon (and with fabric eagerly waiting) is a boxy jacket inspired by a magazine cutting that I lovingly stuck in my scrapbook last year.