Pillowcase dress embellishment party!

I’m a bit slow to report on the lovely evening that was had by all last Tuesday so please forgive me if I am cloning posts here!

The Pillowcase Dress Embellishment Party was hosted by the lovely Peggy Pickles at Drink Shop and Do. The mission was exactly what it said on the tin, to make pretty over 100 pillowcase dresses that will very soon be making their way to Malawi and Kenya via a charity called Dress A Girl Around The World.

Its difficult to say which part of the evening was the best really… so many wonderful aspects to it. Firstly, the shop itself was so cool. A place where you can literally drink, shop and do!

Drink Shop and Do, Islington

As you walk in the front door, you are greeted by lots of lovely retro goodies for sale in the shop….

Inside shop

Dansette radiogram

Rugs and cups

Cute things for sale

Then just up a small flight of steps is the cafe which serves high tea and cocktails, nibbles, cakes and beer! The tea is served in mismatched vintage cups and saucers from floral teapots and I counted over 30 different kinds of teas on offer!

There is a weekly programme of crafting events and all sorts of crafty and vintagy courses you can partake in.

Anyway, more importantly and before I sat down to such delights, I was met by the lovely Peggy Pickles who was the wonderful instigator of the evening.

Peggy Pickles and just a few of the dresses!

I handed over my meagre contribution of 2 finished dresses and then set about finding a seat. It was very apparent that I should have reserved a seat as it was rammed full of enthusiastic sewers and and other doers!

Lots of sewers

I was delighted to meet Miss Dibs and Rachel there. Two gorgeous ladies who provided no end of joy and laughter!

Miss Dibs and Rachel

And just look at Rachel’s recent sewing masterpiece… I have never had such a bad case of cape-envy until now! It looked stunning and felt gorgeous – the photo below really doesn’t do it justice. More info about this at House of Pinheiro!

Cape envy!

And I had a lovely chat with The (not so) Lazy Stitcher! A real treat to meet blogging friends for real!

(not so) Lazy Stitching!

The lovely ladies pictured below were apparently ‘non-sewers’. I can’t possibly find big enough inverted commas to emphasize how disbelieving I was. They created these gorgeous dresses claiming either they had never sewn before or at least hadn’t sewn since they were 10 years old . . . yeah right!

The 'non-sewers'... yeah right!

I managed to embellesh three in total. And here is the first one…

pink bows

Well I have to say, the beer went down far too easily and I clean forgot to eat with all the excitement going on. I’d have gladly have stayed for a sleepover… definitely not a place I was willingly leaving!

A trip to the ladies was a bit of a surprise when eventually I did say my goodbyes!

Wrong door!

Took me a while to realise that the ladies was the hidden door on the left . . . just before the big blue one!

Dress a Girl Around the World Campaign: Pillowcase Dress #1

pillowcase dress #1

Dress a girl Around the World is run by Hope 4 Women and is the inspiration and driving force behind a campaign to encourage sewers to make pretty pillowcase dresses to distribute around the world.

Tilly from Tilly and the Buttons is promoting a fabulous meet up for all who want to be part of this lovely mission. It’s at a really cool place called Drink Shop and Do, in Islington, on December 6th . . . you really should check it out if you are a crafty, vintagy, cocktail drinking, scrabble playing socialite! I’m so excited to be going along and I’m so glad I wont be going empty handed. We’ve been asked to bring along trimmings to embellish ones that have already been made but also if we have time, to make some of our own.

The make-up instructions are really simple and they are so quick to make up, really! For more information about the campaign, please click here.

So who else is coming along?!

Karen’s Fabulous Fabric Fandango!

Well I have to say that Saturday was a very special day for me, all thanks to Karen at didyoumakethat. She organised a bloggers shopping trip to the fabric shop strip of Shepherds Bush which by an amazing stroke of luck, is on my doorstep! I didn’t make it to the first shopping part but so glad I joined the lovely ladies afterwards at the Vesbar to witness their amazing piles of fabric, and indulge in the best conversations I’ve had in such a long time.

I’ve only been blogging for 3 months and in that short space of time so many windows of inspirations have been opened for me.

The ladies came from far and wide… from Edinburgh, Bristol, Brixton… and I was lucky enough to chat to a few before they had to make their long journeys home. I love being around passionate people and especially people who are so generous in sharing their tips and experience. I am learning so much and for free! I am so very grateful.

I was recently recommended Karen’s blog by a work colleague but didn’t expect to meet her in person quite so soon! It transpires we work in the same industry too – very small world stuff!

Lauren of teaandcrumpetsvintage was the first person I met. She had bought some gorgeous all-natural fabrics for the reinactment costumes she creates. It was fascinating talking to her and her site is full of lovely vintage inspiration.

I recognised Jane of handmadejane instantly and we exchanged big smiles. We first ‘met’ on Burdastyle and so it was great to finally meet in person. Jane was wearing the coolest gingham blouse which she claimed to be a muslin! I’m so not going to use rubbish curtain linings for my muslins any more!

Steph, aka littlemisstwitchy, didn’t live too far away and so we were the last to leave. She looked fabulous in her spotty (Vogue 8615) dress and to make the world even smaller she works for the same company as me!

Steph looking fabulous

I regret that I didn’t take any photos myself so I hope that Karen doesn’t mind me shamelessly poaching this one of Dibs from dibsandthemachine, and her prize-winning pile of fabric! She was such fun!

Dibs and her prize-winning pile!

And I just found this on Dibs’ site which is proof I was there! Though blissfully unaware of the snogging going on behind me!

That's me in my dotty shawl jacket, blissfully unaware of the hanky panky behind me!

Can’t wait for the next one. Sewing bloggers meet-ups are my favourite and my best!