I've been thinking about the sometimes overwhelming gift giving season coming up and wanted to do a blog post about some alternatives to the mountains of plastic that line the shelves and catalogues. I'm a huge fan of books as gifts and some of the most beautiful stories are set in the winter season, these are perfect books as stocking fillers or just to have by the nature table to tie in with the seasons change. 1. Tomten and the Fox   - Astrid Lindgren 2. The Story of the Snow Children - Sibylle von Olfers 3. The Tomtes Christmas Porridge - Sven Nordqvist 4. Winter Story (Brambly Hedge) - Jill Barklem 5. The Tale of Jack Frost - David Melling  6. The Longest Night - Ted Lewin 7. The Yule Tomte and the Little Rabbits : A Christmas Story for Advent - Ulf Stark 8. The Winter Solstice - Ellen Jackson  Not a story book as such just a few tales about the Solstice from around the world and some information explaining how it happens. ...

With my last big festival of the year approaching next week I thought I'd let people know my Top 10 Tips for doing Festivals with children. Tip 1 - Ear defenders are a must even if you aren't right down at the front their ears need protecting, we personally use the Edz Kidz  ones. Tip 2 - When you are setting up your sleeping space insulate ground under you more than the covers you have on top. Use blankets or foil space blankets, even newspapers do the job.  Practice safe co sleeping as the easiest way for everyone to keep warm! Hats/socks and lots of layers are the best way to go. My boys take their duvets as well as sleeping bags. Tip 3 - These plastic trugs are perfect for storing wet weather gear and welly boots when you get back to the tent. The tent stays clean and everyone knows where their boots are when it's time to go again. Tip 4 - Take lots of snacks and fruit, also refillable water bottles are a lot more environmentally friendly and cheaper long te...

We are going to be at Beautiful Days Festival again in 2017. So excited, it is one of my favourite festivals rain or shine although obviously prefer the latter! Hopefully we will be in the same location as last year just over the bridge to the left on the track towards the village shop. Good location for us last year. I am planning to take my machines and a fabric selection again so I can make to order for you on site, and do a price list for repairs as I ended up doing a few last year. If you wanted to order something to collect send me an email and let me know! I will be there with the woolly goddesses from Felt Fusion (amazing hand dyed wool) and Knittastic (gorgeous wool knitted up into garments) Some pictures of our stall from last year 2017 line up Really looking forward to some of these!

I've offered reversible cotton pinafores for ever and always meant to do a jersey version but there are just so many patterns out there that I never got round to it until now! The pattern has been lurking for a while but I couldn't decide which fabric to launch it with, then this fabric arrived yesterday and I knew it had to be the one.  This pattern is only lined at the top of the bodice, I steered away from doing a reversible version because of the bulk on the seams and this will be cooler on warmer summer days Each shoulder fastens with a snap. The top of the bodice is top stitched for a clean line and it holds the lining in place. This adorable toadstool fairy house fabric reminds me of the Gnomeville cotton that was so popular a few years ago. The toadstools are the houses and little fairies flutter outside. Available in sizes 2 to 6 years. Click here .

This time round I'm testing LLFAB's custom cotton Lycra print. My youngest was beside himself as he LOVES the film this print is inspired by. Print quality is good, fabric feels nice in the hand, only a cm lost after the initial pre' wash, subsequent washes haven't shown any noticeable shrinkage. pre wash pre wash post wash underneath, pre wash piece pinned on top post wash underneath, pre wash pinned on top post wash With custom prints such as these I prefer the fabric to do the talking with a simple pattern, plus I have boys so complex patterns with frills and flounce don't really appeal! They picked a t-shirt (with explicit instructions to make it a bit too big so it would 'last forever', and a pair of boxers. First up is the t-shirt, he chose which fabric for the arms and the back as we had a large panel for the front. T-shirt pattern is one of my own. Next up were the boxers, I used the Made By Jacks Mum...

There's a clever website where you input your instagram name and it will show you your most popular instagram posts. My instagram at lizdsd is a mix of personal and work pictures as is shown in my #2016bestnine

Pantone the colour institute have released their colour trend predictions for Spring 2017, colours are generally muted and earthy with a couple of pops of bright colour. The overall colour for 2017 is Greenery They look at the fashion houses and runway shows, entertainment and general trends to identify what they think will be the colours featuring in our fashion and lifestyle choices for the year ahead.  Pantone’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman puts it this way: “Greenery symbolises the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.” No black but I guess black is always 'in' if you are an old goth like me ;)

Finishing can mark out a garment as being top notch rather than a hurried thrown together item. Properly finishing can affect the way a piece of clothing sits on the body, how well it wears and how professional it looks. I see many makers nowadays using shortcuts, time is money and I understand that top stitching and pressing are easily bypassed in the rush to get something finished. At Dark Star Designs we press and top stitch, constructing the garments to last as long as possible. If you are thinking of sewing something for yourself or your child it is always worth the extra investment of time to do the following during construction. Neck ribbing is top stitched down on Dark Star Design's t-shirts Pressing seams during construction is really important especially if working with a non stretch woven fabric. When doing this make sure you are pressing rather than ironing. Top Stitching on all fabrics can help a seam lie flat and help garments that are reversible stay toge...

The dreaded last posting dates if buying gifts with a Christmas deadline. Information taken from Royal Mail website. Special Delivery will have a higher postage charge and anything after the 20th December will be signed for, any parcels with a value over £50 will also be sent signed for whatever date it gets sent. Local people can pick up until the 24th December if pre arranged. INTERNATIONAL Saturday 10 December Greece, Australia, New Zealand Wednesday 14 December Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland Thursday 15 December Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA Friday 16 December Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland Saturday 17 December Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg UK INLAND Tuesday 20 December 2nd Class and Royal Mail Signed For® Wednesday 21 December 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For® Thursday 22 December Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®

Supplies needed.  Fabric, preferably upholstery/decor weight or if using quilting cotton sandwich 2 layers together, you could also use interfacing in between. 1. Cut your fabric 28cm * 36cm 2. Fold in the long edges , turn them over twice approx 1cm (just under is better than just over) each time  press the folds, pin if needed and using a straight stitch sew along the edge. 3. Fold in the short edges the same way, press, pin and stitch. 4. Fold in the short ends, one end 5cm and the other 7cm. Press and pin. 5. Pin the 5cm folded end approx every 4cm, these will mark out your 6 pockets for the block crayons. Pin the 7cm approx every 3cm, these will mark out your 8 pockets for the pencils/pencil crayons. 6. Stitch from the fold to the seam, doing a few stitches back and forth at the end, this will help secure the stitches.  7. If adding a tie use ribbon (seal ends with a lighter for a few seconds), pin at a mid po...

We are lucky enough to have the lovely Pru modelling the dress and her mum Kirsty behind the camera. Beautiful photographs in the Autumnal sunshine, there could even be a few fairies in the dappled sunlight if you look close enough.... Fabric: Moon Gazing Hare Pattern: Hi Low Dress Model : Pru Photographer: Kirsty Hopley over at Schoolhouse Photography Custom items in this fabric can be ordered from the  Dark Star Designs  page, message me and talk to me about what you would like.

Sneaking in an extra unplanned blogpost as I've just tested a lovely hat pattern for MBJM , when this pattern releases there will be 25% off all patterns (code below) so now is the time to buy if you've been thinking about trying one. AJ Aviator Hat Good fit, clear instructions and comes in all sizes from baby to adult. Here are the pictures of my test hat, I'm yet to decide if this is something I will be offering from Dark Star Designs but if you would be interested in having one made for you let me know. This one has cotton for the outer (picked by the model) and a soft faux fur for the lining. Outers could be cord or fleece for example, inners could also be fleece. Ears covered, protected from cold and wind Back comes down but doesn't interfere with neckline of jumpers or coats  Supersoft fluff for the lining, fleece would also work Discount code for MBJM patterns is AMYJ25

This is not a forever list as new pattern designers are always coming through, so it's definitely worth checking out the Facebook sewing groups for reviews on new patterns from the testers. You can click on all the brand names and go straight to their website. In no particular order..... Brindle and Twig My current favourite from here has to be the T-shirt dress Elliedactyl My favourite from here are the Zane Joggers Fishsticks Designs Been around for a long time, some good basics. Love Notions Trendy Tunic is a tunic with a bit of a twist and pockets which are always a winner MBJM A UK based pattern maker for a change, lots of good staple patterns including harems and the hot chocolate hoody Peekaboo Patterns Classic Oxford button up shirt Purperita Love the harem dungarees with the moon pocket Twig and Tale Ahh what's not to love, the Wild Thing Coat and the wee pixie hats are a firm favourite here Tiedyediva Another one that has been ...