thrift – KDD & Co

A chat with Tom of Holland

I am sure that many of you may be familiar with the work of my good friend and woolly comrade Tom van Deijnen, also known as Tom of Holland. Tom is perhaps best known for his expertise in, and celebration of, darning, which he puts into practice in his classes and workshops, as well as…

sweeks!

By: Kate Davies Designs November 24, 2013November 24, 2013

making, thrift, woolStephen West, Swants, sweeks155 Comments

Well, I did it — I made me some SWANTS – or should I say – SWEEKS (ie, sweater-breeks). I started with a large second-hand jumper (wool, of course), which I found for a few pounds on eBay. (Watch and wait is my motto) The jumper had been worn, but was in reasonable condition, and…

shirt –> handkerchiefs

By: Kate Davies Designs January 26, 2010January 26, 2010

sewing, thrifthandkerchiefs, recycling, sewing, thrift31 Comments

Tom was getting rid of some shirts. This one was very old and worn. But I loved the fabric — a soft, light weight cotton shirting with a very high thread count, a bit like Tana Lawn. I just couldn’t let it go to the charity shop. A while ago, Felix sent me some lovely…

Mrs Sew and Sew interview

Since my sister bought me this book a while ago, I have taken all my darning advice from Mrs Sew and Sew — the fictional character invented by the British Board of Trade to promote practices of mending and making do. When considering war-time rations, we perhaps first think of food and fuel, but clothes…

out with the old

You may remember that a year ago I decided to stop buying clothes for the duration of 2008. My decision to do this was sparked by a couple of things. I had been reading a bit about darning and mending and wanted to think about what repairing and caring for one’s clothes meant. Also, since…

all change

Today I put away my summer clothes, and removed the winter ones from storage. I always find it a bit depressing having to encounter the berloody tights again . . . but it is nice to see warm winter dresses, sweaters, and coats. Anyway, before I pack the summer stuff away, I thought I’d show…

sewing mania

By: Kate Davies Designs May 13, 2008May 13, 2008

fabric, sewing, textiles, thriftdressmaking, Japanese fabric, Mariko Fujinaka, sashiko, sewing, textiles10 Comments

My attempts to refresh my summer wardrobe without buying anything are reaching interesting lengths. I seem to be spending all moments when not working, eating, or snoozing at the sewing machine. If my maniacal dressmaking activities are boring you, look away now (I fear that the thrill of my new clothes is certainly wearing thin…

refashioning

By: Kate Davies Designs May 10, 2008May 10, 2008

refashioning, sewing, textiles, thriftlinen, refashioning, sewing, textiles, wardrobe refashioning11 Comments

This morning I refashioned an old dress from the summer wardrobe (the whole of which has now happily come out of hibernation). I have had it since 1995. I was a student then, and I remember I felt incredibly extravagant buying it. It was the fabric I liked — plain grey linen — and I…

functional poetry

By: Kate Davies Designs March 2, 2008March 7, 2008

design, quilts, review, textiles, the life of things, thriftdesign, hand-made objects, quilting, quilts, review, Russian folk artifacts, textiles, Vladimir Arkhipov7 Comments

I have been making a start thinking about Belle’s quilts. She lived near Blackpool, and the first quilt will be a jolly sea-side-y affair, made up entirely of her stripey tops and T-shirts — of which she had over thirty. In the summer she was always in stripes. I’ve been looking at different methods of…

blanket

By: Kate Davies Designs February 1, 2008

quilts, sewing, textiles, thriftblanket, quilting, thrift7 Comments

Here’s a quick pic of the finished blanket: In the end I tied it — theres no batting to move around inside it and the test quilting I did looked completely pants on top of the pattern of the fabric, which is already quite busy. It looks better lying flat though, it has to be…

£1.50

By: Kate Davies Designs January 30, 2008February 14, 2008

quilts, sewing, textiles, thrift"you make my day" award, blanket, quilting, thrift4 Comments

Don’t get me wrong, I love our flat, but did I mention that it is berloody freezing? There is one source of heat in the living room, and we have the cooker in the kitchen, but everywhere else is baltic. In winter we wander around the place wrapped up like woolly mammoths. I have been…