31.3.14

Beth Sprouts Handmade; blast from the past







I just found these photos in an old album, and they are truelly Beth Sprouts. From 2007/08 and were mostly going out on the tiles wear. I do believe all the fabrics are vintage, found in good ol' charity shops. 

Oh to be 21 again.











30.3.14

Beth Sprouts Purchases; Who likes long shorts

So I would love to think our minds are changing in relation to cheap cheap unethical or questionably ethical clothing, but alas alack, I don't. The same with anything like organic or locally sourced etc., a cohort of people choose to think about it and try their best to change but it is a definite minority. It is hard.

The funny thing is that it is so difficult to find things on the high street that make you look a little different now, it changes so fast and everyone catches on to things so quickly, especially with social media. To try and stay 'ahead' you would need to buy a LOT and then of course, it needs to be cheap.

My new little 'ethos' now I am a bit older and have experimented with style already is to;
1. Save up for very nice well made items (that are either wow out there, or very subtle )
2. Make the on-trend, or what I feel is on trend, pieces myself
3. Keep things for longer and thus HAVE to make sure that they are useful and will survive the cut throat world of the wardrobe
4. Still dip into vintage and charity shops
5. Buy from companies that have a bit more about them

So this year I wanted a pair of  board shorts, hip and cool, we will all be in them by 2016...or maybe 2015.
I picked up a leaflet on a market stall in Bristol for Continent Clothing, they work directly with the tailors so that they take a good income from the garments and the prices are still really really inexpensive - how could you choose Primani over that!
 Shorts-purple-hands-front
 Purple hands shorts £20, made by Allagi - thats the name of the guy who physically made them.

OR if you have the big bucks

  Ostwald Helgason 2013 £338

So yep, I chose the purple hands!

19.3.14

Beth Sprouts Home; Hook and Loop


Hello! Back after a bit, a big bit, of a break.

We have just bought our first home, and boy was it dirty, so all of my free time has been spent cleaning nicotine from anywhere and everywhere.

I then went to India...and found SO MUCH fabric. It is much more common to finish the edging of lengths of fabric on one of the selvage sides, because most clothing in India is tailored to fit you so the fabric is pre-finished for hemlines. OR curtains...ahh very suitable for new home.

So I set out to make a few 'nets' for our windows...trouble is, they are UPVC...now how in the world do you put in the holes to hang the nets...

You don't!

Here is my top tip - hook and loop fasteners!

More commonly known as VELCRO, but remember this is just a brand name. But I can say VELCRO because I used that!

So
Step One;

Choose jazzy fabric that will let the light through

Step Two;

Clean UPVC with white spirits or something like that, and apply sticky back HOOK SIDE in correct position on the furthest edge of the frame. The reason you put the hook side here is so if you want to wash your nets they do not get destroyed by the hooks in the washing machine, and they are a pain to sew.

Step Three; 

There should be a photo but it just wasn't working - bascially hem your fabric and sew in the LOOP SIDE  of the velcro to the curtain right in the corner.

Step Four; 

Stick 'em together!

Jobs a guddun'!