The Beatrice Dress

Wafting around in a long gingham dress is one of my favourite things about summer. I have quite the collection of Phoebe dresses that I wear on rotation. They’re my go-to, everyday, ‘throw on and go’ kind of outfit and I love them! For this collection, I wanted to design something slightly dressier with a few interesting features that would take you from day to night and back again!

I’ve always been a fan of 70s style maxi dresses- think Laura Ashley and Margo from ‘The Good Life’. I wanted to create our version of this by taking some of the key elements that I love but still making it feel very ‘us’. I started looking at 1970s sewing patterns for a bit of inspiration.

Images from Pinterest

The square neckline seemed to be a recurring feature and it’s a style I’ve always loved. I started playing about with this style in fabric to see how it sat on the body as I’ve never made anything with a square neckline before. I used our Clara bodice block as a starting point and took it in slightly so it was less oversized. I then cut in to the neckline and changed the slope of the shoulders.

It took a bit if trial and error to get the right depth of the neckline. As I wanted a square neckline front and back, I was finding that if I took too much away, the dress would slip off my shoulders, so it took a few tries to get it right.

I then started working on the sleeve. I’ve never been a big fan of puff sleeves as I feel the extra volume at the shoulder distorts the line a little bit. I also wanted it to still be practical and I didn’t want to have a sleeve that was so big that it got in the way. I decided to keep the sleeve head flat but add a bit of volume to the main body of the sleeve and finish it off with an elasticated cuff so that it was comfortable to wear.

With the main elements decided, it was time to start making a toile. A toile is a mock up of a design, normally made in calico, to try out a pattern before committing to the final fabric. The toiling process can be quite wasteful so I decided to make a wearable toile in some red gingham I had left over from a previous collection. This way, I still ended up with a wearable garment rather than something that is ultimately going to go to waste. Sometimes you are lucky and the toile is perfect first time and other times it takes lots of attempts to create what you envisage in your head. Thankfully this time it was the former and I was happy with all the proportions and the fit. That meant it was time to start making it in the final fabric, a beautiful large scale gingham in khaki in a linen/cotton mix.

I was so happy with the final result! It’s quite tricky to nod to a trend or take inspiration from an era which doesn’t exactly match your aesthetic but still make it feel like it belongs in the collection. I feel the Beatrice dress takes a few key elements from the 70s dresses that I love so much but still feels like a modern, wearable piece of clothing and fits in with my Love & Squalor wardrobe.

As with all of our pieces, I always try and think about how it fits in to the collection and what other pieces it will be worn with. I wear a lot of longer dresses and I always struggle to find a coat that works well with them. That’s where the Marie coat comes in! It’s the perfect length to pair with our dresses and I’ve worn it with my Beatrice dress on so many occasions already.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes look at our design process. The Beatrice dress is one of our favourites and I’m sure we’ll revisit it in other fabrics and colours in the future.

Rebecca

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Limited Edition Zero Waste Collection

Our first ever Limited Edition Zero Waste Collection

At Love and Squalor, we always strive to have the least amount of wastage in our production. However, over time we have acquired a lot of scrap fabric in ginghams, linen and cotton a plenty! So we decided to create a mini zero waste collection including make-up bags, scrunchies, and patchwork Phoebe dresses.

We have stored all of our scrap fabric in our studio and it was taking over! Pictured is just a fraction of what we had to play with.

To minimise our wastage and to utilise our scraps, we have made scrunchies and make-up bags in the past. We asked on Instagram if you wanted us to bring the make-up bags back, and it was an overriding yes! Our scrunchies and make-up bags would be the perfect stocking filler for a loved one at Christmas time. Is it too early to be mentioning the C-word? The pieces are all made from fabrics from our collections and are handmade in our studio. We’ve already sold out of our navy gingham and blue striped make-up bags, so we would love to hear what other colours you would like to see from us.

However, we wanted to take our zero waste production further this time and create our bestselling Phoebe Dress in a patchwork! Firstly, we decided on a colour palette of blue and white, and then delved into our scrap collection. We decided on two variations of blue stripe, two variations of navy gingham, and white linen.

The fabrics that were used for this limited edition Phoebe dress were offcuts from our black gingham Phoebe dresses, the white linen Dinah dress, our blue striped Enid Dress, our blue striped Carine dress and our navy gingham Matilda Tops and Tamara Trousers.

After deciding on the fabrics we wanted to use, we placed out the patchwork and how we wanted each scrap of fabric to sit. Due to the nature of this launch, each size will be unique and have a slightly different placement of the patchwork. This will also be a limited edition collection of Phoebe dresses so get them quick!!

This is our first ever patchwork collection and we’re so happy with how it has turned out! Let us know if you like this, and if we should do it again in other colours and patterns! This has only scratched the surface of our scrap fabric so we would love to continue this venture into utilising every piece of Love and Squalor and create unique, scrap busting garments for you all.

The Maker's Journal // Issue 2

As we enter week three of isolation, I have found sewing and making things to be a great comfort. Creating something with the things I have at home has not only been a great way to pass the time, it has also given me a sense of achievement when I’ve produced something useful or wearable at the end of it. I’ll be sharing some hints, tips and resources over the next few weeks to inspire your own sewing. Feel free to send any questions my way regarding your own projects. I’d love to see what you’re working on!

Free Patterns

This week, I’ve been looking at free underwear patterns. As someone who sews regularly, I’ve often got lots of scraps which I’d like to put to good use. Sewing underwear is a great way to use up small amounts of fabric. It’s also one project which you can afford to splurge on your fabric choice as you need so little of it!

First up is the Stevie Knickers from Paper Theory, which are a classic jersey knicker. These would be a really quick project and you would need hardly any fabric to make them. It would also be really easy to adapt the pattern to suit you, for example you could raise the waist really easily if you preferred something with a higher waist. These are on my cutting table this week!

Download the pattern here:

https://papertheorypatterns.com/collections/pdf-patterns/products/stevie-knickers

Check out the other Paper Theory patterns as they have some really modern styles. The Zadie jumpsuit is on my list!

Next up is the Hyacinth Bralet from Ohhh Lulu. It’s a simple jersey bralet with plenty of scope to make it your own. It could be made from something like a bamboo or organic cotton knit for an everyday look or you could make it in lace if you wanted something fancier. With only two pattern pieces, the Hyacinth would be a really quick and satisfying make. It’s another one which is on my make list. I’d like a jersey one to wear as loungewear.

Download the pattern for free here:

https://www.ohhhlululingerie.com/tag/free-pattern/

The last free underwear pattern is the Barrett Bralette from Madalynne intimates. Madalynne produces some amazing lingerie patterns and has a YouTube channel with hints and tips to help you along the way. She has quite a few free patterns on her website so is definitely worth checking out. I love the shape of the Barrett as it has a bit more shape and structure than many jersey bralets I’ve seen.

You can download the pattern here:

https://madalynne.com/product/barrett-bralette-sewing-pattern/

If you’re interested in learning to sew your own lingerie, then check out Emerald Erin Sews.

https://www.instagram.com/emeralderinsews/

Erin has a ‘bra a week challenge’ where she sews some form of lingerie every single week and documents the whole process on her instagram page. She also sells underwear patterns and complete kits too!

Seam Finishing

Since starting to run my sewing workshops, the most common question I get asked is how to finish your seams if you don’t have an overlocker. There are loads of ways to make the inside of your handmade garments look just as good as the outside. An overlocker is a great piece of kit but it is by no means essential.

One of the most straight forward way to finish your raw edges is to use pinking shears to give you a zig zag edge which is far less likely to fray. You often see vintage garments with pinked seam allowances and they have been hardy enough to stand the test of time. You can pick up pinking sheers for around £20.

A zig zag stitch around the edges is another great way to finish the edges. It’s not quite as robust as an overlocked edge but it will do the trick. There are sometimes various zig zag stitches on your sewing machine so have a play around and see what works for you.

Another way to finish the seam is to do what is known as a clean finish. It’s where you fold under half of your seam allowance and sew it down before joining your seams.

You then sew your seam as normal with a smaller seam allowance. The result is really neat although it can be quite time consuming and it does add bulk to the seam.

One of my favourite ways to finish my seams, particularly on coats and jackets is with bias binding. This is called a Hong Kong finish and it encloses all the raw edges prior to sewing your garment together. I use a bias binding foot to do this as it makes the process really quick and easy but you can do it without.

You can buy bias binding by the metre or you can make your own using scrap fabric. It’s a great way to make the inside of your garments look really professional. You can also add a pop of colour if you choose a contrasting coloured binding.

French Seams are a fantastic way to make any garment feel really luxurious. They create a really hard wearing finish too and are perfect for delicate fabrics. Firstly, sew your seam with wrong sides of the fabric together and the right sides facing out. Sew your seam with a small seam allowance and then trim away any rough edges or excess and press.

Turn the piece to the wrong side and sew the seam again, this time with a slightly larger seam allowance. This will enclose all the raw edges inside the seam and create a really neat finish on the inside.

Flat Fell Seams are another of my favourites. They start in similar way to a French Seam where you sew the seam with the right sides of your fabric facing out. This time though you sew it with the full size seam allowance, usually 15mm. You then trim just one side down to around 5-6 mm.

You then fold one seam allowance over the other, tucking the raw edges under to create a neat edge. Topstitch close to the folded edge.

This finish is incredibly tough and is often used on jeans or workwear. It adds an industrial touch to a garment and is ideal for fabrics like denim or canvas.

Resources

Rosery Apparel has been a recent discovery for me. Rosery is an Australian brand where each garment is handmade using deadstock or vintage fabric. Rosery’s owner, Janelle, also has a YouTube channel and blog wear she provides sewing and styling videos. She has just launched her very first sewing pattern too so is definitely one to watch!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbPC0wmKa51g4JdIRC9Td2Q

Work In Progress

My longest running project is a quilt which I started about 7 years ago! It’s been a project I have dipped in and out of, using scraps and offcuts from costumes I made during my theatre days, pieces of old items of clothing and remnants that I’ve found and loved. It’s made using a traditional method called English Paper Piecing where every single stitch is done by hand. Each hexagon is first sewn on to paper to create a crisp edge and then it’s sewn in to a flower shape. Once all the hexagons are sewn together then the paper can be removed and the whole piece can be quilted by hand. I’ve got no idea when that day will come but it’s been a lovely thing to add to over the years. I’ve made a fair dent in it recently- it’s the kind of project that seems to lend itself quite well to our current situation. Plus it can be done in front of the telly!

The project is taken from ‘The Liberty Book of Home Sewing’. It’s intended as a cot quilt but I’m scaling mine up to fit a double bed.

I hope sewing is providing a bit of a welcome distraction for a few of you out there! Stay safe and look after one another!

Rebecca

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The Maker's Journal // Issue 1

As we look toward the next few weeks in isolation, I find myself being extremely grateful that I have hobbies and skills that allow me to be productive and keep my hands busy. I know I am fortunate to have a sewing machine and overlocker, a sizeable fabric stash and a tower of sewing books and patterns to hand but there are so many free resources out there as well as easy projects that you can tackle at this time with basic tools. I am going to begin a journal of simple projects and a database of resources that will help you on your way to feeling more confident with your own sewing. Whether you’re a seasoned sewer and are looking for some inspiration or you’re a total novice and need a simple project to take your mind off the news, this is the place to be!

Free Sewing Patterns

There are loads of free sewing patterns out there which can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed at home. The pattern will print on A4 pages and can be pieced together. Make sure your printer isn’t condensing the file to fit the page as this will distort the pattern. To ensure your printer isn’t doing this, there will be a test square on one of the pages. Print this page first and measure it to make sure the pattern is the correct scale before committing to printing the complete pattern.

If you don’t have access to a printer at home (or don’t fancy piecing the pattern together yourself) then most patterns will have an A0 file too. You can send this file to an online service such as Patternsy https://www.patternsy.com/ or Net Printer https://www.netprinter.co.uk/ and they will print and deliver a full scale pattern sheet to your door for as little as £1.50.

Peppermint Magazine

Peppermint Magazine is a great resource for simple, stylish and free sewing patterns. It’s an Australian Magazine which has a free sewing pattern with every issue. You can download the sewing pattern via their website just by subscribing to their mailing list and they have the full back catalogue of 45 patterns available. My favourites are the wrap top and jumpsuit designed by In The Folds but there are loads of lovely styles to choose from. These two have been on my make list for a long time so I might actually get around to it soon! Click in the images above to take you to the patterns.

https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/

Make Your Own Hair Bobbles

This quick and easy project is a great one to tackle with kids. It uses hardly any fabric and only the very basic sewing equipment. If you don’t have much fabric to hand then you could use an old item of clothing or even cut up an old tea towel.

What you’ll need:

• A tiny piece of fabric

• A needle

• Thread

• A hair bobble

• Paper

• Pen or pencil

• Ruler or measuring tape

• Scissors

  How To:

Firstly, create your pattern. You will need an oval approximately 8 x 12 cm and a rectangle 4.5 x 6 cm. Draw this on to paper and cut out.

Fold your fabric in half and pin your oval pattern to a double layer of the fabric. If you don’t have pins then just draw around the paper. Cut around your pattern piece.

Pin/draw around your rectangular pattern piece on a single layer of fabric. Cut around your pattern piece.

Place your two ovals on top of each other with right sides together and the wrong side of the fabric facing out and pin. Fold your rectangle in half long ways, again with the wrong side facing out.

Sew, by hand or with a machine, around the oval about 0.5cm from the edge of the fabric. Leave an opening of about 3cm at the bottom of your oval so you can turn it to the right side. Sew down the long side of the rectangle too leaving the top and bottom open.

Turn the oval to the right side through the opening. Tuck in the raw edges of the opening and press the whole piece so that you have a nice crisp edge.

Turn the rectangle inside out too. This can be a bit tricky so use something blunt, like a paintbrush or end of a pencil to help if needed. Roll the seam to the middle of the back and press in to place.

Sew the opening on the oval closed as close to the edge as possible, again with a sewing machine or by hand.

Pinch your oval in the centre to make your bow shape. Place the rectangle over the top and pin in the middle to hold the shape. You could use a hair clip if you don’t have pins.

Turn your bow over and place your bobble in the crease at the back.

Fold the raw edges of the rectangle under and overlap them to create a neat finish.

Sew in to place to complete! .

There you have it! If you have a go yourself, then please send me a picture! I’d love to see what you make and share it on our instagram! Happy Sewing!

Other Resources

The Fold Line is a great resource for sewers. It is a shop and database of all independent sewing patterns as well as a blog and vlog to inspire you with your next makes. The lovely ladies at The Fold Line are not currently dispatching physical products due to the lock down but they do have lots of PDF patterns available to purchase. They have a handy search bar on their site where you can put in all the details you are looking for from a pattern including size, shape and style and they will show you what the indie sewing world has to offer. It’s so great to have all the patterns in one place.

On their YouTube channel, they have a really popular series called ‘Sew The Trends’ where Kate goes round the big high street shops to see what’s in fashion and then compiles a list of sewing patterns which fit the bill so you can make your own. Watch the latest edition here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZTn05HK25I

Work in Progress:

As I am currently spending far more time at home than normal, I’m finally getting around to all the projects that have been on my to do list for a very long time including the Solina Dress from Named Clothing’s book, ‘Breaking The Pattern’. I bought this Liberty paisley print about 5 years ago for the bargain price of £5 a metre and it has been lying dormant since then! I thought that these two would be a good match and had intended to make this to wear for Christmas day but, needless to say, that never happened! Now’s the time so watch this space! Does anyone else have this book? Anyone made this dress? I’d love to hear from you!

I hope that this inspires a few of you to get sewing or just alleviates a little boredom for today! Please leave me a comment below with what you’re up to, what you’ve been making and if you’ve tried any of these projects. I’ve got a few more tutorials planned as well as free pattern guides and more works in progress from my never ending list so tune in later in the week for more updates.

This will pass and we will have lots of lovely new handmade things to show off on the other side!

Sending lots of love,

Rebecca

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Fashion Revolution Week

With last week being fashion revolution week, we have paused and reflected on our practices and responsibilities as a manufacturer. Fashion Revolution is in it’s 6th year and was established after the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh. On the 24th April 2013, a factory producing throw away fashion for many of the high streets biggest brands collapsed killing 1138 people and injuring more than 2500. Just the day before, fears were voiced about the safety of the building as cracks had started to appear but the garment workers were forced to attend work that day. No one should die for fashion and Fashion Revolution was established to shine a light on the fashion industry and it’s practices. The fashion industry needs more transparency and more brands need to take responsibility for their actions and their impact.

It is something that I am passionate about and one of the driving forces behind me setting up Love & Squalor. I aim to be as conscious of my impact on the environment as possible and hope to create a safe and secure place to work. Love & Squalor has been founded with a strict ethical code and my strive to adhere to that every day.

Production

We design and make all of our Love & Squalor pieces in store. All of our staff are paid above the national living wage and are valued and respected. It is so important to create a calm working environment and I hope we have achieved that at Love & Squalor.

Fabric

In our instagram Q&A our main question was about our fabric choices. There are a number of factors in us choosing which fabrics to use for each collection.

• We always go for natural fibres as they are much kinder on the environment. We tend to use mainly cotton and linen although we have worked with bamboo and wool too.

• We try to choose hard wearing fabric as we believe that by making clothes that are built to last, we are not producing disposable pieces that will only last one season before having to be replaced.

• We have started using more linen than cotton as it is, generally speaking, a more sustainable material.

• We aim to use organic cotton where possible as pesticides used in cotton production have had a catastrophic effect on the environment and human life.

• We use some knitted organic cottons which are produced in Britain

• We have sourced some tweed from Irish mills and we are hoping to visit some other weavers in Ireland this summer to source some other cloth.

We do try as hard as possible to be mindful of where our fabric is coming from but there is always room for improvement. We would love to get to the point where all the cotton we used was organic. We would also like to explore other fibres such as modal, rayon, tencel and cupro as some other natural alternatives.

Other Suppliers

We do stock some other pieces in store at Love & Squalor but we ensure that they share our principles and ethos. All of the pieces we stock are made using natural materials and are made ethically. Many are produced in Britain and we believe that all these pieces are built to last.

Fashion Revolution Week has achieved so much but there is still a long way to go. We hope that by promoting transparency in our industry that people will start to ask ‘Who Made My Clothes?’. If you have any further questions about what we do at Love & Squalor then please ask!

Rebecca

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Introducing the Lorraine Dress

The Lorraine dress is laid back chic at its best! Comfortable, flattering and easy to wear, it has became my go to for any occasion. I designed it back in 2017 and it was inspired by it’s namesake, my mum. She is a stylish lady and wears linen almost exclusively! She wears a lot of simple, loose fitting pieces so I designed this pattern in her honour. She has always been a big source of style inspiration for me and I am finding that I am dressing more and more like her as I am getting older.

This is my mum back in the early nighties, just after I was born. She is younger here than I am now which is a scary thought! It’s one of my favourite pictures of her.

This pattern features a dropped shoulder, 3/4 length turned up sleeves, in-seam pockets, a high-low hem and a button placket at the back neck line. I wear mine a lot in the summer with the sleeves rolled right up, heeled clogs and big earrings for a dressed up look. It also looks great when worn more casually with sandals or plimsolls and a big basket. I’ve seen quite a few people wear it with jeans or trousers underneath or with a big belt, both of which look great too. It’s such a versatile and comfortable piece to wear. All we need now is some spring weather!

The Lorraine Dress in all it’s glory

The Lorraine Dress is currently available in both cream and black linen. The linen is medium weight and is machine washable. It comes in sizes small, medium and large. Our model, Felicity, is a UK 10 and wears a small. It is an oversized fit.

We can’t wait to see you all in your new Lorraine dresses!

Rebecca

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Our First Photoshoot // Behind the Scenes

I had a strong image of how our first ever lookbook should look. I wanted it to be feminine, informal and timeless without looking twee or saccharine. I wanted it to be the right balance of masculine and feminine and for it to represent where our brand is from. I knew how I wanted it to look and knew that I had to find the right people to make that happen.

I knew that I wanted my beautiful sister to model for me and was over the moon when she agreed! Love & Squalor is so personal to me and I wanted the photoshoot to convey this. I wanted to choose people and places that were close to my heart so that the images had a sense of intimacy. I decided to shoot across two locations- in our shop in Glasgow and in the stairwell of my flat. Glasgow is famous for beautiful tiled stairwells (or closes as they’re known here) and mine is a prime example of this. With its rich, buttermilk yellow tiles and stained glass windows I knew it would be the perfect backdrop. I also liked the hardness of the concrete steps and cavernous proportions. I love that it shows where our company is coming from as Glasgow is such a vibrant city and is a constant source of inspiration. Our other location- the shop- was an obvious decision as it is the heart of everything we do. Its dark blue-grey walls are the perfect backdrop to show off our handmade garments.

The next choice to make was the photographer. My sister had worked with Emma McBride, an old school friend, on other shoots before. I’d seen her pictures and loved her style and attention to detail. I was so happy that she was up for coming on board and knew very quickly that I had made the right choice. She got what we were trying to achieve instantly and was a joy to work with. Even on freezing cold mornings in a stone stairwell, we all had so much fun creating the images which you can see throughout the website.

To see more of Emma’s work, have a look here: https://www.instagram.com/ehmaserahmicfoto/?hl=en

We always have fresh flowers in store and I knew that this was something to carry on into our lookbook. They’ve become a part of our image and I love the touch of romanticism they give to our clothing which can be almost utilitarian at times. The wildness of the displays against the hard stone steps sums up what we are all about- hard working, feminine and honest.

I hope you all enjoy these images as they really were a joy to make.

Rebecca

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