Mid-century modern armchair reupholstery project

I love a good hard rubbish find and I’d have to say this armchair is one of my best finds to date. The other one was a vintage Bernina sewing machine!!

I found this armchair on nature strip in January last year and saw the potential underneath the scratched, watermarked timber frame and saggy, stained corduroy cushions. This was my first upholstery project and I was learning along the way. I’m generally pleased with the final result, but can see my mistakes and things I can improve on next time.

Although I found this in January, I didn’t start working on it until November. In Melbourne we were in lockdown for most of the year so I didn’t get all the supplies until later in the year. The armchair needed new foam and fabric for the cushion covers and the frame needed to be sanded back and stained. Also, I kept track of the costs to update this armchair which I’ve listed at the end of this post for anyone interested.

Loungewear pants | Peppermint Magazine | Pattern review

It has been a fair while between blog posts on here! But I have not stopped sewing and crafting. During the last 4-5 months I was actually spending most of my time knitting my first jumper! I made a post about it on my Instagram. The knitting consumed all my creative time, but when it was done I was so proud of it (and still am) and then I got back on my sewing machine.

Using the free pattern from Peppermint Magazine designed in collaboration with Common Stitch, I made their loungewear pants. I sewed a size C with no modifications other than lengthening the hem a few centimetres.

Monroe Turtleneck | Tessuti Fabrics

It’s Winter here in Melbourne so it’s perfect turtleneck weather!

The Monroe Turtleneck is a free pattern from Tessuti Fabrics. It took me only one day to sew up, so very quick to make!

Cross back apron & Bombazine Mitt | Free pattern review

Coming to you today with not one, but two free patterns!!

Yes, I am one of those people who decided to try making bread during lock down… And after burning my fingers a couple of times and getting my clothes covered in flour, I realised I probably needed some oven mitts and an apron in the kitchen.

I came across two free patterns perfect for my needs!

Norma Blouse | Fibre Mood | Pattern review

The Norma Blouse by Fibre Mood is a button-up v-neck blouse with puffy statement sleeves. I had been seeing the puff sleeve trend online and when this pattern was released for free for a limited time, I thought, why not give the trend a go?

The Stellan Tee by French Navy | Pattern review

I have always wanted to sew more basics for my wardrobe, including a t-shirt. The Stellan Tee, a free pattern by French Navy, has been saved in my pattern collection for a while and I have finally been able to try it out.

Striped wide leg pants – Tilly and the Buttons Marigold hack

I made my first pair of Marigold trousers about 2 years ago. Since then, I have been wanting to try the pattern again and play around with the fit more. With some hacking, I have used the Marigold pattern to make a pair of high-waisted wide leg pants. The original sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons can be found here. I cut a size 3. Read on to see the adjustments I made.

Midnight Slippers | Stitch Upon a Time | Pattern review

I’m a little embarrassed how long a go I made this project and that I’m only writing up the blog post now… I made a pair of indoor slippers for my sister as a Christmas present.

The Midnight Slippers pattern is free if you join the Stitch Upon a Time Facebook group. My sister is a shoe size 8 AUS (UK 6, US 7.5). For this pattern I made her a size 9/10 which would allow her to wear it with socks comfortably.

Ogden Cami peplum hack | men’s shirt refashion

Another Ogden Cami, but this time with a peplum hack! I made this one for Lunar New Year as red is a lucky colour to wear. The fabric for the cami came from a thrifted men’s shirt.

New Look 6262 Dress | Pattern review

I made a dress for my mum to wear for the same wedding I mentioned in my last post. I actually finished this dress in July but wasn’t able to document it until my mum wore it for the first time in December!