07/01/23
Happy New Year! I've been buoyed up by the response to my shop and it's given me the push I needed to give more of my time to designing and making my own designs. So here I come 2023! I'll be looking for other places to show and sell my clothes throughout the year. I'd really love to move to a space where I could have a work room and show room/shop in the same place. So I'll be searching. Keep an eye on the shop, I'll be updating regularly I hope.
18/12/22
The Pop-Up was great! I met so many lovely people and received fantastic feedback on my collection of coats. I was bowled over by the response to them and practically sold all of them - which I was not expecting. The remaining coats are back up on my shop page and I hope to be adding new colours in the new year.
Otherwise now it's the final week before Christmas and I have a few vital deadlines to get finished whilst dealing with a horrible cold - oh well! Final push! It's been a full on year but the week in the shop has really inspired me to make the most of what I love so I'm planning on making a lot more of 'my things' in the near future. Thanks all! xxx
24/11/22
I've just taken everything down from my online shop because it will all be coming to the Pop-Up!
21/11/22
The Pop-Up is two weeks away. I've been splitting my time between deadlines for clients and creating my stock of lovely things for the shop, which I've learnt, is a tricky balance. So it's been a couple of months of long days but everything is looking great and I'm excited! Waiting for a good day with the weather and then a very talented friend of mine is going to give the coats and hats a photoshoot :)
I've been making many pairs of curtains and I've been so inundated with those and other requests that I'm looking pretty booked up well into the new year which is fantastic news for me and my business but unfortunately I cannot take on any urgent tasks for a while.
In other news I shall be performing in the Totnes Pantomime in January 2023 and creating some vibrant costumes for the cast also! There's nothing like a busy winter...
01/09/22
It's official! I shall be running the Pop-Up @ Studio 9 in December!!! I'm very excited about it to say the least. Dates are from Monday 5th December to, and including, Saturday 10th December. I aim to have lots of lovely colourful cosy things to fill the shop (& your lives) with! xx
01/08/22
Lots of things have been going on in my studio recently. Cracking through the dressmaking commissions - this week I start on the asymmetrical jacket -it's going to be very special. I've recently made a lovely evening jacket for a client who had been given some beautiful Liberty fine wool fabric around 15/20 years ago. We chatted through idea's and decided on a great design together. I haven't yet found the time to put up the pictures on the website but they are on my Instagram page, so head there to check them out: https://www.instagram.com/s.mac.d/?hl=en-gb
You can also see the cushions I've been making, and a few dresses too!
And I've been getting prepared for ...... winter! With so many gloriously colourful blankets ready to re-purpose I've been cutting out, having fun mixing and matching colours and generally getting prepared for a lot of making. The summer heat has slowed me down somewhat but I'm so excited to get them ready for when the chill sets in.
But let's enjoy summer first!
I'm still aiming to add to the shop when I can, or when I get time between making beautiful things for people.
So lots going on here. Summer wishes!
22/05/22
The shop is up and running! There isn't a huge amount on there at the moment but I'm aiming to add to that as I make and create. Next on my list for creation is more of The Sub dresses in the gorgeous mustard coloured deadstock viscose that I stocked up on last summer. These dresses can be pre-ordered so get in touch if you really want one.
I'm not able to take on any more alterations this summer - I'll re-evaluate in the autumn, but for now I have to close the door on them and concentrate on getting all the work I have booked in completed.
08/05/22
I've been working on some lovely dress making commissions since I last updated here. A mother-of-the-bride outfit made with gorgeous embroidered silks (photo's to come), a woollen shirt dress is underway, a jumpsuit, and I'm re-working a lady's entire wardrobe! ---- We're going through things so she has a reduced amount of garments, but what she will have will suit her down the the ground and be perfect to mix and match together.
I've also just taken on the furnishings for a friends house - that they've been building - and now they get to think about all the soft things that will make the house cosy and inviting. I'm also working on a whole caravan refurb!
With all this going on I'm not available to undertake many alterations - I have been able to fit a few things in and I will always try if it's an emergency but dress-making and furnishings are really taking up all of my time now. Although I love to mend and keep items going, making things from scratch is my real passion... and actually, making my own designs is the thing I want to do the most and I currently don't have any time for it. I do have plans to create some more snuggly coats for the winter --- and summer time is the time to do that! I'm also hoping to make some more summer dresses and add them to my new shop ---- so you can see I'm going to be flat out behind the sewing machine for the next little while....literally!
16/02/2022
Currently, I'm creating an online shop for my finished garments on this website - it may take a little time to get it right. I hope to add some things for the home too, like cushions and other soft things. It's all a learning curve stepping into the world of ECommerce so wish me luck!
04/02/2022
Time flies when you've got stacks to do before Christmas and then get Covid and then get straight back into work again and then perform in a pantomime whilst being costume mistress and scenery maker! I don't know what I was doing to myself! I'm currently paying for it with a dreadful cold.
The pop-up was a success with a coat and several jolly hats sold! I'm now looking at my stack of blankets wishing there was more time to play with the design and make some more! But I have some curtains and blinds to make for some lovely people and a few new dressmaking commissions too which is very exciting.
I'm also dreaming up some more summer wear, shirts & dresses hopefully made from some beautiful hemp fabrics that I've been looking to source from the small villages in India where the people who make the fabric actually get paid well and keep traditions and villages alive. Watch this space anyway.
So a merry happy new year to all, here's hoping this year will be better than last, it already is despite the cold!
Sophie x
I'm going to create a new page for exhibiting my costume creations...
09/12/2021
I'm excited to let you know that my coats, and hats, will be featuring in a Studio Nine pop-up again next week! Apart from that big excitement I've just been cracking on with all the sewing to be done and completed before Christmas and figuring out what order to start things in the new year! I'm incredibly thankful to be so busy and so in demand, when I first started this business I didn't know how it would work out - I needn't have worried - 8 years on and it's a success. I've got amazing customers, I'm always making something different and varied and putting my skills to the test. It's been a challenging year and it's nearly drawing to a close. Here's to the brand new year 2022 and a very jolly festive season first! Best wishes!
27/10/2021
Wow! I can't believe it's nearly the end of October. I'm now fully booked with work right up until Christmas! Whilst still hoping to 'make some time' for creating more coats and hats, and a cute little Jacket I've got in the pipeline too. We'll see, right now there is only just enough time to squeeze in everything I have in the order book. If you'd like help with anything I have already started booking jobs in for January so do still get in touch. Right, back to the sewing machine!
17/08/2021
Summertime!
So, it's the middle of summer -- or maybe heading towards the end and I'm gathering all the woollens together to make some new jackets, coats & hats for the chillier times, although I'd rather not think about that yet! I've been picking up lots of reds - to keep us all bright and cheery!
My summer has been full of dresses, beaches and furnishings! I'm still not doing many alterations - with bigger deadlines looming I've got less time to spend on them. If I can help I will but I may not be able to. I can now have people back in the studio which is great.
More things to come in the next few weeks - do get in touch if you think I might be able to help you with some sewing, or if you'd like to try any of my coats/dresses on.
All the best, Sophie
02/06/2021
Back in the studio!
So the pop-up was a success! It was great to be a shop girl for a week and I sold just over half of the things I'd taken which just feels fantastic! My dresses flew out the door and I even sold some of the woolly coats. It was great to meet and talk to people about what I do and have a window onto the high street. Now I'm back in the studio and catching up with jobs and fast approaching deadlines....and I'm itching to make more summer dresses!
I'm going to be creating an online shop soon, either on here or linked to my Instagram account so I can keep adding to the stock I now have and keep building on the success of last week.
AND the sun is shining and warm at last, which makes life so much easier.
Keep well out there, Sophie
23/05/2021
Pop - Up Week
Finally. We have set up the shop this morning, and it's looking great, Studio Nine in Totnes is an incredible little shop in a lovely building, as so many of the old shops in Totnes are. So Kaely and I are all set for opening tomorrow and look forward to welcoming you in, we've got a limit of 4 in the shop at a time btw.
I didn't get quite as much made as I intended but there are summery dresses - 'The Sub' and 'The Keeper' and also some very bright woollen blanket coats. I've also whipped up some bags and woolly buttons that could just add a little woolly colour to one of your own projects!
I'm so pleased that one of my 'youth dreams' is finally coming to reality - I must have been around 12yrs old when I wrote in a scrappy diary "Life Aim - Design and make clothes for people to wear" And I have done just that. I got such a buzz from selling some of my coats last Christmas (even though we got locked down two weeks before we were due to have our pop-up originally). Job satisfaction is high with being a seamstress.
So come along and have a browse this week, we're just down the hill from St.Mary's Church on the high street.
Very best wishes to you
Sophie
20/04/2021
Work in Progress!
I've been busy working towards my pop-up shop - it's happening on the 24th -29th May at Studio Nine in Totnes, it's on the high street near the East Gate. I'm making a few more blanket coats in bright summery colours - perfect for sitting outdoors and round camp fires....all year round! I'm also making some very easy wearing summer dresses, one style inspired by Kimono's and one style is an updated version of a slip-on dress I made myself years ago...and it's the staple of my summer wardrobe, so I hope everyone loves it as much as I do!
I'll be using only fabrics that are produced in environmentally friendly ways, including Tencel and Hemp, or deadstock materials (left overs from the fashion industry that would normally be thrown away).
There may be a few other pieces too, I'm going to try and show as much as I can! Which could include cushions, beach bags and a funky wind-break or two...
I am sharing the pop up with the very talented Kaely Russell https://www.kaelyrussell.com/
So until then I'll be in the studio! As I've said below I'm no longer taking on alterations as producing these clothes and making my dreams come true is taking up all of my sewing time....
Keep well and happy and make sure you enjoy the sunshine when it's out, Sophie
09/01/2021
LOCKDOWN 3.
I'm still working away in my studio on another collection to come at the end of May - more details nearer the time but it will be in the fantastic Pop-Up Shop that Studio 9 in Totnes hosts. So I'm busy getting inspired and trying out some new things which I'm really excited about.
I've picked up some more blankets too in some very vibrant colours!
As I've said previously I'm no longer really taking on alterations - in these times, and particularly during these lockdowns we keep having, it's just not possible for me to see people for fittings.
Keep healthy in this new year of ours!
10/11/2020
Just updated the collection page with the coats!
05/11/2020
So here we are LOCKDOWN 2.
I'll be sewing steadily in my workshop up until Christmas - the worklist is long but do still get in touch with enquiries and if I can help I will.
I've been taking some time recently to make some warm & cosy winter woollen coats - they really are very snug! And they are my designs and all made by me. They have a quilted lining with inner pockets - for books, pens, phones, purses, snacks.... - and the outer layer is made of woollen blankets that I've re-purposed! I've been taking some photo's to show them off, they're such fun creations that it's difficult to take serious pictures of them.
Take a look at The Collection page (very soon!) to see them. I was due to be showing them at the wonderful Pop-Up shop at StudioNine in Totnes starting from next Monday the 9th and running for a week. Unfortunately that can't happen now and, under the latest rules, I can't have anyone into my studio to come and try them on. If you'd like one, however, please do send me a message and we'll find a solution, even if that's just reserving one until December when (all fingers and toes crossed) I can have visitors again.
In the meantime, until we can see people again, I'll be sewing, and trying to stay healthy and happy in these trying times.
All the best to everyone
Sophie
06/07/2020
A little update from me, about the situation we find ourselves in and how I'm changing how I work at this time:
So, unfortunately I'm having to leave off doing alterations and tailoring - being unable to visit people in their homes, or have them visit me in my studio has meant that I'm unable to continue with this avenue of my work. I live with people who are vulnerable so can't take any risks, which means no more pinning for a while.
I've long wanted to switch my focus up and begin to concentrate on my passion - which is making clothes and furnishings from scratch. I've been working on a collection of men's and women's shirts and some cosy coat designs too and hope to share them on here very soon.
I'm still undertaking furnishing works - so if it's cushions, curtains, blinds - you name it, I can collect fabric from door steps and deliver when everything is completed.
And as for bespoke dressmaking - that has to be put on hold too unfortunately. I truly love making clothes for people for special occasions (and every day occasions) but fitting garments is such an essential part of the process so until things improve I have to put this on hold.
Happy New Year! I've been buoyed up by the response to my shop and it's given me the push I needed to give more of my time to designing and making my own designs. So here I come 2023! I'll be looking for other places to show and sell my clothes throughout the year. I'd really love to move to a space where I could have a work room and show room/shop in the same place. So I'll be searching. Keep an eye on the shop, I'll be updating regularly I hope.
18/12/22
The Pop-Up was great! I met so many lovely people and received fantastic feedback on my collection of coats. I was bowled over by the response to them and practically sold all of them - which I was not expecting. The remaining coats are back up on my shop page and I hope to be adding new colours in the new year.
Otherwise now it's the final week before Christmas and I have a few vital deadlines to get finished whilst dealing with a horrible cold - oh well! Final push! It's been a full on year but the week in the shop has really inspired me to make the most of what I love so I'm planning on making a lot more of 'my things' in the near future. Thanks all! xxx
24/11/22
I've just taken everything down from my online shop because it will all be coming to the Pop-Up!
21/11/22
The Pop-Up is two weeks away. I've been splitting my time between deadlines for clients and creating my stock of lovely things for the shop, which I've learnt, is a tricky balance. So it's been a couple of months of long days but everything is looking great and I'm excited! Waiting for a good day with the weather and then a very talented friend of mine is going to give the coats and hats a photoshoot :)
I've been making many pairs of curtains and I've been so inundated with those and other requests that I'm looking pretty booked up well into the new year which is fantastic news for me and my business but unfortunately I cannot take on any urgent tasks for a while.
In other news I shall be performing in the Totnes Pantomime in January 2023 and creating some vibrant costumes for the cast also! There's nothing like a busy winter...
01/09/22
It's official! I shall be running the Pop-Up @ Studio 9 in December!!! I'm very excited about it to say the least. Dates are from Monday 5th December to, and including, Saturday 10th December. I aim to have lots of lovely colourful cosy things to fill the shop (& your lives) with! xx
01/08/22
Lots of things have been going on in my studio recently. Cracking through the dressmaking commissions - this week I start on the asymmetrical jacket -it's going to be very special. I've recently made a lovely evening jacket for a client who had been given some beautiful Liberty fine wool fabric around 15/20 years ago. We chatted through idea's and decided on a great design together. I haven't yet found the time to put up the pictures on the website but they are on my Instagram page, so head there to check them out: https://www.instagram.com/s.mac.d/?hl=en-gb
You can also see the cushions I've been making, and a few dresses too!
And I've been getting prepared for ...... winter! With so many gloriously colourful blankets ready to re-purpose I've been cutting out, having fun mixing and matching colours and generally getting prepared for a lot of making. The summer heat has slowed me down somewhat but I'm so excited to get them ready for when the chill sets in.
But let's enjoy summer first!
I'm still aiming to add to the shop when I can, or when I get time between making beautiful things for people.
So lots going on here. Summer wishes!
22/05/22
The shop is up and running! There isn't a huge amount on there at the moment but I'm aiming to add to that as I make and create. Next on my list for creation is more of The Sub dresses in the gorgeous mustard coloured deadstock viscose that I stocked up on last summer. These dresses can be pre-ordered so get in touch if you really want one.
I'm not able to take on any more alterations this summer - I'll re-evaluate in the autumn, but for now I have to close the door on them and concentrate on getting all the work I have booked in completed.
08/05/22
I've been working on some lovely dress making commissions since I last updated here. A mother-of-the-bride outfit made with gorgeous embroidered silks (photo's to come), a woollen shirt dress is underway, a jumpsuit, and I'm re-working a lady's entire wardrobe! ---- We're going through things so she has a reduced amount of garments, but what she will have will suit her down the the ground and be perfect to mix and match together.
I've also just taken on the furnishings for a friends house - that they've been building - and now they get to think about all the soft things that will make the house cosy and inviting. I'm also working on a whole caravan refurb!
With all this going on I'm not available to undertake many alterations - I have been able to fit a few things in and I will always try if it's an emergency but dress-making and furnishings are really taking up all of my time now. Although I love to mend and keep items going, making things from scratch is my real passion... and actually, making my own designs is the thing I want to do the most and I currently don't have any time for it. I do have plans to create some more snuggly coats for the winter --- and summer time is the time to do that! I'm also hoping to make some more summer dresses and add them to my new shop ---- so you can see I'm going to be flat out behind the sewing machine for the next little while....literally!
16/02/2022
Currently, I'm creating an online shop for my finished garments on this website - it may take a little time to get it right. I hope to add some things for the home too, like cushions and other soft things. It's all a learning curve stepping into the world of ECommerce so wish me luck!
04/02/2022
Time flies when you've got stacks to do before Christmas and then get Covid and then get straight back into work again and then perform in a pantomime whilst being costume mistress and scenery maker! I don't know what I was doing to myself! I'm currently paying for it with a dreadful cold.
The pop-up was a success with a coat and several jolly hats sold! I'm now looking at my stack of blankets wishing there was more time to play with the design and make some more! But I have some curtains and blinds to make for some lovely people and a few new dressmaking commissions too which is very exciting.
I'm also dreaming up some more summer wear, shirts & dresses hopefully made from some beautiful hemp fabrics that I've been looking to source from the small villages in India where the people who make the fabric actually get paid well and keep traditions and villages alive. Watch this space anyway.
So a merry happy new year to all, here's hoping this year will be better than last, it already is despite the cold!
Sophie x
I'm going to create a new page for exhibiting my costume creations...
09/12/2021
I'm excited to let you know that my coats, and hats, will be featuring in a Studio Nine pop-up again next week! Apart from that big excitement I've just been cracking on with all the sewing to be done and completed before Christmas and figuring out what order to start things in the new year! I'm incredibly thankful to be so busy and so in demand, when I first started this business I didn't know how it would work out - I needn't have worried - 8 years on and it's a success. I've got amazing customers, I'm always making something different and varied and putting my skills to the test. It's been a challenging year and it's nearly drawing to a close. Here's to the brand new year 2022 and a very jolly festive season first! Best wishes!
27/10/2021
Wow! I can't believe it's nearly the end of October. I'm now fully booked with work right up until Christmas! Whilst still hoping to 'make some time' for creating more coats and hats, and a cute little Jacket I've got in the pipeline too. We'll see, right now there is only just enough time to squeeze in everything I have in the order book. If you'd like help with anything I have already started booking jobs in for January so do still get in touch. Right, back to the sewing machine!
17/08/2021
Summertime!
So, it's the middle of summer -- or maybe heading towards the end and I'm gathering all the woollens together to make some new jackets, coats & hats for the chillier times, although I'd rather not think about that yet! I've been picking up lots of reds - to keep us all bright and cheery!
My summer has been full of dresses, beaches and furnishings! I'm still not doing many alterations - with bigger deadlines looming I've got less time to spend on them. If I can help I will but I may not be able to. I can now have people back in the studio which is great.
More things to come in the next few weeks - do get in touch if you think I might be able to help you with some sewing, or if you'd like to try any of my coats/dresses on.
All the best, Sophie
02/06/2021
Back in the studio!
So the pop-up was a success! It was great to be a shop girl for a week and I sold just over half of the things I'd taken which just feels fantastic! My dresses flew out the door and I even sold some of the woolly coats. It was great to meet and talk to people about what I do and have a window onto the high street. Now I'm back in the studio and catching up with jobs and fast approaching deadlines....and I'm itching to make more summer dresses!
I'm going to be creating an online shop soon, either on here or linked to my Instagram account so I can keep adding to the stock I now have and keep building on the success of last week.
AND the sun is shining and warm at last, which makes life so much easier.
Keep well out there, Sophie
23/05/2021
Pop - Up Week
Finally. We have set up the shop this morning, and it's looking great, Studio Nine in Totnes is an incredible little shop in a lovely building, as so many of the old shops in Totnes are. So Kaely and I are all set for opening tomorrow and look forward to welcoming you in, we've got a limit of 4 in the shop at a time btw.
I didn't get quite as much made as I intended but there are summery dresses - 'The Sub' and 'The Keeper' and also some very bright woollen blanket coats. I've also whipped up some bags and woolly buttons that could just add a little woolly colour to one of your own projects!
I'm so pleased that one of my 'youth dreams' is finally coming to reality - I must have been around 12yrs old when I wrote in a scrappy diary "Life Aim - Design and make clothes for people to wear" And I have done just that. I got such a buzz from selling some of my coats last Christmas (even though we got locked down two weeks before we were due to have our pop-up originally). Job satisfaction is high with being a seamstress.
So come along and have a browse this week, we're just down the hill from St.Mary's Church on the high street.
Very best wishes to you
Sophie
20/04/2021
Work in Progress!
I've been busy working towards my pop-up shop - it's happening on the 24th -29th May at Studio Nine in Totnes, it's on the high street near the East Gate. I'm making a few more blanket coats in bright summery colours - perfect for sitting outdoors and round camp fires....all year round! I'm also making some very easy wearing summer dresses, one style inspired by Kimono's and one style is an updated version of a slip-on dress I made myself years ago...and it's the staple of my summer wardrobe, so I hope everyone loves it as much as I do!
I'll be using only fabrics that are produced in environmentally friendly ways, including Tencel and Hemp, or deadstock materials (left overs from the fashion industry that would normally be thrown away).
There may be a few other pieces too, I'm going to try and show as much as I can! Which could include cushions, beach bags and a funky wind-break or two...
I am sharing the pop up with the very talented Kaely Russell https://www.kaelyrussell.com/
So until then I'll be in the studio! As I've said below I'm no longer taking on alterations as producing these clothes and making my dreams come true is taking up all of my sewing time....
Keep well and happy and make sure you enjoy the sunshine when it's out, Sophie
09/01/2021
LOCKDOWN 3.
I'm still working away in my studio on another collection to come at the end of May - more details nearer the time but it will be in the fantastic Pop-Up Shop that Studio 9 in Totnes hosts. So I'm busy getting inspired and trying out some new things which I'm really excited about.
I've picked up some more blankets too in some very vibrant colours!
As I've said previously I'm no longer really taking on alterations - in these times, and particularly during these lockdowns we keep having, it's just not possible for me to see people for fittings.
Keep healthy in this new year of ours!
10/11/2020
Just updated the collection page with the coats!
05/11/2020
So here we are LOCKDOWN 2.
I'll be sewing steadily in my workshop up until Christmas - the worklist is long but do still get in touch with enquiries and if I can help I will.
I've been taking some time recently to make some warm & cosy winter woollen coats - they really are very snug! And they are my designs and all made by me. They have a quilted lining with inner pockets - for books, pens, phones, purses, snacks.... - and the outer layer is made of woollen blankets that I've re-purposed! I've been taking some photo's to show them off, they're such fun creations that it's difficult to take serious pictures of them.
Take a look at The Collection page (very soon!) to see them. I was due to be showing them at the wonderful Pop-Up shop at StudioNine in Totnes starting from next Monday the 9th and running for a week. Unfortunately that can't happen now and, under the latest rules, I can't have anyone into my studio to come and try them on. If you'd like one, however, please do send me a message and we'll find a solution, even if that's just reserving one until December when (all fingers and toes crossed) I can have visitors again.
In the meantime, until we can see people again, I'll be sewing, and trying to stay healthy and happy in these trying times.
All the best to everyone
Sophie
06/07/2020
A little update from me, about the situation we find ourselves in and how I'm changing how I work at this time:
So, unfortunately I'm having to leave off doing alterations and tailoring - being unable to visit people in their homes, or have them visit me in my studio has meant that I'm unable to continue with this avenue of my work. I live with people who are vulnerable so can't take any risks, which means no more pinning for a while.
I've long wanted to switch my focus up and begin to concentrate on my passion - which is making clothes and furnishings from scratch. I've been working on a collection of men's and women's shirts and some cosy coat designs too and hope to share them on here very soon.
I'm still undertaking furnishing works - so if it's cushions, curtains, blinds - you name it, I can collect fabric from door steps and deliver when everything is completed.
And as for bespoke dressmaking - that has to be put on hold too unfortunately. I truly love making clothes for people for special occasions (and every day occasions) but fitting garments is such an essential part of the process so until things improve I have to put this on hold.