Today we are featuring the wonderful and talented Alex Howard from Alex's Adventures in Fabric. Her blog is a brilliant account of her beautiful makes. You can also follow Alex on Instagram - @adventuresinfabric
Tell us a bit about yourself Alex...
My family are all very interested in crafts and
making. My Grandma was a seamstress, and
I think she inspired the rest of us! My
Mum and sister are both keen dressmakers as well, and my Aunt is a
crochet-whizz. I have a husband and two
small children, and I’m hoping that I will be able to start teaching them to
sew soon! My ‘day job’ is in Human Resources
and I find that sewing is an excellent stress-buster, plus I love the excuse to
make smarter clothes for work as well as the causual stuff I usually gravitate
towards.
What inspired you to start sewing?
I was originally taught to sew by my Mum and my
Grandma. After losing interest as a
teenager, I started sewing again about 4 and a half years ago, after receiving
a sewing machine for Christmas. I was
inspired to take it up again as I’ve always had an interest in clothes and
making things, plus I was increasingly aware of the impact of ‘disposable fashion’.
It quickly became an obsession, and now I have three machines (an overlocker
and a coverstitch machine as well as a regular machine) which have taken up
residence in my dining room!
Where did the blog name come from?
I am a fabric addict, and choosing the right fabric is central to all my
projects. I also like experimenting with
different fabrics and challenging myself by using different fabrics and
techniques. I also used to love the 80s
film ‘Adventures in Babysitting’ so stole the idea for the name from there!
How long you have been sewing and what are
your goals for the future?
I used to sew a bit as a child and
teenager but I started in earnest about 4 and a half years ago. My current plans are to keep challenging
myself with different projects and documenting this in my blog. I’m also investigating courses to gain some
formal qualifications as I am thinking about how I could start a career in
sewing longer-term.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by so much- I love seeing
pictures other sewers have shared on social media, and I also have a flick
through fashion magazines every now and again.
If I get chance, then I do like to look at ready to wear clothes in
shops as inspiration too. TV programmes
such as The Crown, Suits, The Get Down and Mad Men have all given me plenty of
ideas. For work and ‘going-out’ clothes,
I love vintage-inspired styles, but I absolutely love casual urban-style
outfits the rest of the time. Comfort
plays a big part in my weekend wardrobe and I absolutely love sewing with knits
for this reason.
What is your favourite thing about
sewing?
I love the process of sewing, as I feel
like I am learning something new all the time.
I’m so absorbed in what I am doing when I sew, it’s a little escape from
the stresses of everyday life. Also all
the clothes of course!
One of my favourite things to sew is matching outfits for me and my kids. There is always a bit of fabric leftover from any project, and they are small enough for me to make them something to match whatever I have made myself. I love the fact that I hardly waste any fabric, although they will probably be mortified when they get older and see all the photos!
What is your least favourite thing
about sewing or your biggest challenge?
I honestly can’t think of a least
favourite, I love sewing so much. One of
the things I love is taking on new challenges and learning new techniques
through trial and (a lot) of error.
There are times when the seam ripper is my best friend! At the moment, I’m getting to grips with my
Coverstitch machine - I’m a long way from being an expert on that, so I’d say
that’s my current challenge.
Who do you look up to in the sewing
community?
There are a number of people who I
really admire. I love how Tilly Walnes
has really demystified sewing patterns through her fantastic instructions in
both her book (Love at First Stitch) and Tilly and the Buttons sewing patterns
(I also love her style as well). LisaComfort has a fantastic personal style and I love the fit and vintage-style of
her patterns. Jade Earley is such a
fantastic role-model for young people starting out in sewing and I really
admired her recent campaign to bring skills-based learning back to schools.
What are your favourite Girl Charlee fabrics?
3 Camoflage print (Grainline studios scout t-shirt, Men’s t-shirt from Great British Sewing Bee Fashion with Fabric book for Gareth)
5 Pineapples (Shannon dress) (Ed: Currently out of stock, sorry!)
