• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • YouTube
Threadquarters - Ideas for the Modern Dressmaker
Menu
Skip to content
  • Home
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • Contact
    • LET’S COLLABORATE!
    • About Me

Uncategorized

Posted in Uncategorized

Goodbye Sea Salt & Stitches, Hello Threadquarters!

  Hello, and welcome to Threadquarters! Thanks for popping by. You may have clicked over from my old blog, Sea Salt & Stitches. Or my…

Read More

Posted in Style, Uncategorized

5 Minute Mummy Make-Up

Hello, and a very happy 2016 to you! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Years break and we are all looking forward…

Read More

Posted in Style, Uncategorized

How I beat adult acne – my skincare routine

Don’t worry, there will still be many blog posts about sewing etc. but I have plans to add the occasional post which falls more in…

Read More

Hello and welcome to Threadquarters! I'm Suzie, a dressmaking fanatic living in Ballyholme, Northern Ireland. This is where I share my sewing ideas and makes. I hope you can stay a while and have a look around!

Let’s Be Social

  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Twitter
  • BlogLovin

Search The Blog

Popular Posts

A Seren to be proud of // Part of the Like Sew Amazing Blog Squad

Eleonore Jeans // A Sewisfaction Blogger Team Make

A Tropical Kalle Shirt // Part of the Like Sew Amazing Blog Squad

Featured Post

A Tour of my Sewing Room

Instagram

  • Enjoying our first day in Paris, ticking off some big ticket sights, but also just walking and taking it all in. The weather is amazing, and I’m severely overdressed, thank goodness I didn’t wear the thermals I had packed! 
Wearing my newly stitched @stylearc Debra Zebra polo in the softest jersey from @vhaberdashery and my @tessutifabrics Berlin Jacket in boiled wool from @minervacrafts (gifted) - but I’ve had to take it off because it’s so warm! Certainly not complaining 😆👌
**************
#berlinjacket #stylearcpatterns #handmadewardrobe #diystyle #memadeeveryday #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram #fabricaddict #paris #handmadecapsulewardrobe #capsulewardrobe #travelstyle
  • Ok...so I have a confession. Do you remember I started off this year saying that I was going to slow down my sewing, be more mindful and enjoy sewing for the process and not just the end result?
Well, I’ve just whipped up 8 new garments in the last 2 weeks...
And I’m not in the least bit ashamed about it, in fact I’m delighted!
The thing is, on the face of it that sounds rather ridiculous and definitely not slow sewing, but there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. 
I am off to Paris next week and had been thinking about what to wear. My wardrobe has been lacking in layering clothes for quite some time, and I have been slowly buying fabric with the intent purpose of sewing up layering pieces, but I just hadn’t got around to sewing them up. It was the focus of having them to wear in Paris that really gave me the incentive to knuckle down and actually get them made!
And then my husband suggested we would be changing in the evenings for dinner and again I realised that I have very little in my wardrobe that was a suitable so I looked to my stash of ufos and had two tops already cut out that would be perfect. And so they got sewn up too. 
My final make was my leopard print Berlin Jacket. And this one was a little more frivolous than the others, because I certainly don’t NEED to bring this with me. But it was already cut out and I felt it would work so well with my outfits that again I suddenly had the incentive to push on and try and get it sewn up in time.
So on reflection I have learnt something about myself, and my relationship with sewing. I love to plan, I love to buy fabrics and I will often go ahead and cut my projects out. But I seem to wane a little with following through and starting the actual sewing. However, give me a specific target, the right incentive, and I will get the projects done!
And I don’t think this is a bad thing, or something I should change about myself. I didn’t buy any of this fabric in a mad rush to sew something for Paris, I already had them in my stash, and I already had plans for them. I just needed a push to get them finished!
And now I’m excited to have these gorgeous new additions to my wardrobe!
Cont. in comments...
  • I’m currently working on a rather glam Beatrix Top (yes, another one!) to take with me to Paris next week and I picked up these amazing bee shank buttons for the back.
Thought it would be a fun post for today considering what’s starting tonight (do I really need to say?!)! I’m sure we will all be tuning in to watch it (if you’re in the UK). But first, I must push on and try and finish this top...just button placket (I’m going to do a faux one, so no buttonholes) and hems. THEN I maaaaay start my leopard print Berlin Jacket.....
Yes, totally going against my plan to slow my sewing down, but that’s a story and reflection for another post!
*******************
Fabric: Black jacquard from @sewisfaction (gifted)
Pattern: Beatrix Top by @madebyrae 
Buttons: @textilegarden (I would also like to sing the praises for @textilegarden amazing delivery service- I ordered these on Friday afternoon and they arrived Saturday! Didn’t even think that was possible! Thank you)
****************
#beatrixtop #handmadecapsulewardrobe #gbsb #greatbritishsewingbee #sewingbee #beebuttons #buttons #sewing #sewingdetails #fabricaddict #handmadecapsulewardrobe #travelcapsule #capsulewardrobe #handmadestyle #memade #memadeeveryday #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #northernirelandsews
  • Whipped up a Beatrix top (pattern by @madebyrae ) this weekend for my up-coming trip to Paris. The pattern has a button back, but it’s such a lovely fit on me I have pretty much decided that it should be my go-to shell! I omitted the button back for this version and just made a basic shift top, but I was finding it would take me a second to work out the front and back and could really do with some sort of label. I haven’t invested in any labels yet (but I’d love to in the future!) so I made my own with this cute ribbon! This lovely ribbon actually came wrapped around a fabric purchase (unfortunately I can’t remember from whom!), isn’t that lovely?!
Anyway, very happy to be repurposing it as a cute label in my latest make.
****************
Pattern: Beatrix Top @madebyrae 
Fabric: Lady McElroy viscose crepe .... can’t remember where I bought it, sorry!!
****************
#beatrixtop #label #clotheslabel #sewingdetails #sewing #memadeeveryday #memadewardrobe #handmadewardrobe #handmade #handmadestyle #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #northernirelandsews #belfastsews #capsulewardrobe #handmadecapsulewardrobe  #fabric #fabricaddict #sewinglabel #sewingribbon

Follow Me!

Awesome Sewing Resources

Categories

  • Pattern Hack
  • Pattern Review
  • Sewing
  • Style
  • Tips
  • Tutorial
  • Uncategorized
  • Vlog

Instagram

  • Enjoying our first day in Paris, ticking off some big ticket sights, but also just walking and taking it all in. The weather is amazing, and I’m severely overdressed, thank goodness I didn’t wear the thermals I had packed! 
Wearing my newly stitched @stylearc Debra Zebra polo in the softest jersey from @vhaberdashery and my @tessutifabrics Berlin Jacket in boiled wool from @minervacrafts (gifted) - but I’ve had to take it off because it’s so warm! Certainly not complaining 😆👌
**************
#berlinjacket #stylearcpatterns #handmadewardrobe #diystyle #memadeeveryday #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram #fabricaddict #paris #handmadecapsulewardrobe #capsulewardrobe #travelstyle
  • Ok...so I have a confession. Do you remember I started off this year saying that I was going to slow down my sewing, be more mindful and enjoy sewing for the process and not just the end result?
Well, I’ve just whipped up 8 new garments in the last 2 weeks...
And I’m not in the least bit ashamed about it, in fact I’m delighted!
The thing is, on the face of it that sounds rather ridiculous and definitely not slow sewing, but there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. 
I am off to Paris next week and had been thinking about what to wear. My wardrobe has been lacking in layering clothes for quite some time, and I have been slowly buying fabric with the intent purpose of sewing up layering pieces, but I just hadn’t got around to sewing them up. It was the focus of having them to wear in Paris that really gave me the incentive to knuckle down and actually get them made!
And then my husband suggested we would be changing in the evenings for dinner and again I realised that I have very little in my wardrobe that was a suitable so I looked to my stash of ufos and had two tops already cut out that would be perfect. And so they got sewn up too. 
My final make was my leopard print Berlin Jacket. And this one was a little more frivolous than the others, because I certainly don’t NEED to bring this with me. But it was already cut out and I felt it would work so well with my outfits that again I suddenly had the incentive to push on and try and get it sewn up in time.
So on reflection I have learnt something about myself, and my relationship with sewing. I love to plan, I love to buy fabrics and I will often go ahead and cut my projects out. But I seem to wane a little with following through and starting the actual sewing. However, give me a specific target, the right incentive, and I will get the projects done!
And I don’t think this is a bad thing, or something I should change about myself. I didn’t buy any of this fabric in a mad rush to sew something for Paris, I already had them in my stash, and I already had plans for them. I just needed a push to get them finished!
And now I’m excited to have these gorgeous new additions to my wardrobe!
Cont. in comments...
  • I’m currently working on a rather glam Beatrix Top (yes, another one!) to take with me to Paris next week and I picked up these amazing bee shank buttons for the back.
Thought it would be a fun post for today considering what’s starting tonight (do I really need to say?!)! I’m sure we will all be tuning in to watch it (if you’re in the UK). But first, I must push on and try and finish this top...just button placket (I’m going to do a faux one, so no buttonholes) and hems. THEN I maaaaay start my leopard print Berlin Jacket.....
Yes, totally going against my plan to slow my sewing down, but that’s a story and reflection for another post!
*******************
Fabric: Black jacquard from @sewisfaction (gifted)
Pattern: Beatrix Top by @madebyrae 
Buttons: @textilegarden (I would also like to sing the praises for @textilegarden amazing delivery service- I ordered these on Friday afternoon and they arrived Saturday! Didn’t even think that was possible! Thank you)
****************
#beatrixtop #handmadecapsulewardrobe #gbsb #greatbritishsewingbee #sewingbee #beebuttons #buttons #sewing #sewingdetails #fabricaddict #handmadecapsulewardrobe #travelcapsule #capsulewardrobe #handmadestyle #memade #memadeeveryday #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #northernirelandsews
  • Whipped up a Beatrix top (pattern by @madebyrae ) this weekend for my up-coming trip to Paris. The pattern has a button back, but it’s such a lovely fit on me I have pretty much decided that it should be my go-to shell! I omitted the button back for this version and just made a basic shift top, but I was finding it would take me a second to work out the front and back and could really do with some sort of label. I haven’t invested in any labels yet (but I’d love to in the future!) so I made my own with this cute ribbon! This lovely ribbon actually came wrapped around a fabric purchase (unfortunately I can’t remember from whom!), isn’t that lovely?!
Anyway, very happy to be repurposing it as a cute label in my latest make.
****************
Pattern: Beatrix Top @madebyrae 
Fabric: Lady McElroy viscose crepe .... can’t remember where I bought it, sorry!!
****************
#beatrixtop #label #clotheslabel #sewingdetails #sewing #memadeeveryday #memadewardrobe #handmadewardrobe #handmade #handmadestyle #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #northernirelandsews #belfastsews #capsulewardrobe #handmadecapsulewardrobe  #fabric #fabricaddict #sewinglabel #sewingribbon
  • Totally seasonally inappropriate outfit, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my handmade wardrobe and there are a lot of pieces in there that I really love, but rarely wear (and not just because of the season). This Bettine is one of them. I really love the fabric, and the little pink linen details, but I’ve realised that I just don’t feel comfortable with elastic around my waist. When I wear this I’m always readjusting it and fidgeting with the waist. So I just don’t reach for it anymore. Such a shame!
What should I do? Is there anyway I could alter this so I wear it more? Take out the elastic and made a ‘solid’ waistband and put in a zip? Try and salvage it into a top (not sure how that would look) or a skirt (I don’t really wear gathered waisted skirts)? Or maybe I could sell it (I did sew this up very nicely!)....?
Do you have handmade pieces in your wardrobe you’re not so sure of? What have you done with them? I have a fair few other bits that I really need to look at and try and ‘fix’ so that I get more wear from them (I feel a vlog coming on!).
***************
#sewing #handmadewardrobe #sewingbettine #fabricaddict #memadeeveryday #handmadestyle #imakemyclothes #isew #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram #irishlinen
  • With the arrival of Marie Kondo’s new programme on Netflix (Tidying Up with Marie Kondo) my Insta feed has been bombarded with people getting onboard with the Konmari method.
I read her book about two years ago (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying) and while I didn’t follow it to a T, I did take some really useful and valuable tools away from it.
I reorganised my fabric stash and folded each piece so that they could be stacked liked books in my drawers - and I just love it so much! I can see each and every piece of fabric that I own, rather than having a pile and not know what’s hiding at the bottom or at the back. Of course it depends what storage solutions you have for your fabric, but I have this chest of drawers from Ikea (swipe to see more) and folding the fabric like this really has been a game changer for me!
The other advice I have recently followed has been to sort through my stash and only keep the pieces which truly ‘spark joy’. You know that fabric destash I had a couple of weeks ago? That was the result - it was hard, but I challenged myself to really think about each piece and if I ever saw myself sewing it. If the answer was no (for whatever reason, the main one being the colours not being right...a consequence of online shopping), then it was added to the destash pile.
And now my stash is a lot more manageable (let’s be honest, it’s still too big! I have more work to do) and I truly love each and every piece of fabric in there.
************************
How do you store your fabric? Have you tried any of the Konmari methods?
If you would like to see more about my stash and how I fold it there is a video on my YouTube channel- link in profile and search for My Fabric Stash. It’s old, so my stash has changed, but my folding has stayed the same!
***************
#mykonmari #konmari #konmarimethod #fabric #fabricstorage #fabricaddict #sewing #isew #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram #sewingroom #sewingstorage #fabricdestash
  • There’s a new vlog up on my YouTube channel. Link in profile as usual, or search Threadquarters on YouTube.
Just chatting about a few recent makes and asking for advice because I’m off to PARIS later this month!!!
I’ve never been and I’m so excited. Hoping to try and fit in a little bit of fabric shopping so please give me all your tips and suggestions!
******************
#sewingvlog #sewingvlogger #sewing #isew #sewcialists #sewistsofinstagram #memadewardrobe #memadeeveryday #fabricaddict #fabricshopping
  • #AD - Gifted: Fabric* see end of post why I’m mentioning this. 
FINALLY managed to get some photos of my @tessutifabrics Berlin Jacket. Full blog post and more detailed photos will be on the @minervacrafts blog in Feb or March but for now I couldn’t resist sharing this shot of the jacket paired with my new favourite scarf from @accessorize . This is pretty much my new winter uniform at the moment - snuggly and warm, but bright and colourful at the same time!
Fabric is Royal Blue boiled wool from @minervacrafts 
Oh, and this is also a tiny peek at my new sewing room - slow progress, but getting there. Loving these walls though 💙💕
And juuuuuust managing to squeeze this make in in time for the #brightsewing giveaway being run by @pinkcoatclub and @theunfinishedseamstress * You may have spotted lots of Instagrammers and bloggers talking about the new laws regarding declaring if something is a paid for ad or if something has been gifted to you? The law now states that even if something has just been gifted to you, with no payment involved, you must still label it #ad at the beginning of your post.. I haven’t seen any Sewing folk mention this yet, but I’m pretty sure gifted fabric counts! So just keeping myself right and letting you know the score 😊 *****************
#berlinjacket #sewing #isew #bluecoat #brightbluecoat #diyootd #sewistsofinstagram #sewcialists #memade #memadewardrobe #memadeeveryday #ilovethismemade #sewingproject #sewingismytherapy #sewingroom
  • I am loving the super fun hashtag that @theunfinishedseamstress and @pinkcoatclub have created celebrating #brightsewing - brightening our January with gorgeous makes! 
Plus did you see they are running a fab giveaway? Share your bright sewing and tag it with #brightsewing and make sure you tag the two ladies too!
I planned on entering a photo of my bright blue Berlin Jacket for the giveaway, but I haven’t managed to get a photo of me in it yet. So I thought I’d throw this one up - does rainbow snaps on my Seren dress count as #brightsewing ?! I hope so! 
If you haven’t, do check out the hashtag, it will brighten your day!
*******
#sewingseren #sewistsofinstagram #sewing #sewcialists #isew #rainbowbuttons #tillyandthebuttons

Follow Me!

Pinterest

  • Love lots of this! T
  • VivaLuxury - Fashion
  • What London Girls Re
  • Une chemise pyjama S
Follow Me on Pinterest
  • Home
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • Contact

Let’s Be Social!

  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Twitter
  • BlogLovin

Subscribe to the Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Site made with by Angie Makes
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes