London-based label DIYcouture has launched a collection of couture clothing with a difference. Rather than all the ready-to-wear yawn-a-rama you can buy from any old designer label, DIYcouture gives you the patterns and know how to make your own garment.
The team call their patterns "ghosts that come into being as each person begins to build them himself with his own interpretations" in a bid to combat the trend of fast, run-of-the-mill fashion that has been relentlessly stomping off the catwalk and into the shops.
The patterns come in book form and run from hoodies to Grecian dresses. There's a handy hints page on finding your fabric to go along with your pattern purchase to make things super easy.
For a quick insight into crafting your own couture the site also features a handy 'How to' section showing you stitching, joining and pleating.
Be your very own designer label, dahhhhhling! You'll look fabulous.
Back in days gone by they were a classy bunch. Graceful, debonair and chic; the dress of the 40s and 50s took a fair amount of putting together but was worth it for the finished look. Inspired by her grandmother's photos and vintage fashion photographs of the period, My Vintage Dresser was created.
Katie dreamed up the vintage pattern shop when her job became a bit unstable and has gone onto create a place where you can find a treasure trove of vintage fabulousness.
You can dig up retro goodness to your heart's content with a classic selection of sewing and knitting patterns. From 1960s pleated skirts from Vogue to P&B Wools patterns for fine tailored jackets, every pattern will have you itching to get your retro on.
Katie also teams them up with the opportunity to attend workshops covering everything from vintage hairstyling and makeup to where to source vintage and how to put it all together.
You'll be crafting yourself vintagey before you can say "Make do and mend".
Meoooooow! Mrrrow! Meoooow! Moaw? Cats get bored. They get insistent. They end up patting at your hair and 'settling down' on your keyboard while you're trying to do very important tweeting. The only solution is to whip them up something to entertain them while you're too busy to scratch behind their ears. Which is where we turn to Fantastic Toys.
Fantastic Toys is crammed full of felt, paper and fluff lovelies for you to make yourself. Their Cat Toy Critters, with a free downloadable template, are made from felt and thread, and can be filled with catnip to drive your kitty wild with cat distraction, while you get on with your life a little less cat-harassed.
They also have an Etsy shop with some fantastic things including an Alice in Wonderland paper playset inspired by the children's classic.
Handmade treats for kitty, no more accidental tweet that say "ppppppppp;;;;;;;;;;;;;iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkk" for you.
Accessories are everything when you're a crafty creature. Once the craft bug bites you need places to store things, bags to tote things, markers to make things and purses to shove all your bits and bobs in. A solution is needed and flapping to the rescue are the good folks at The Bothered Owl.
Alex and Sarah, the handmade heroes who make up The Bothered Owl, are two Aussie ex-pats crafting their creations over here in London. They check two of the coolest boxes in craft in that their makings heavily involve the wonder that is Lego and they manage to rustle up some of the finest fabrics I've ever seen.
Their Etsy and Folksy shops wave their cute and quirky Lego stitchmarkers and jewellery in your face, wink cheekily at you with brooches and purses adorned with dancing skeletons and wise owls, and tempt you in with more needle rolls, totes and project bags than you can stuff your stuff into.
All sewn items feature fabrics you'd walk over the sharpest bits of Lego barefoot just to get your hands on.
What also sets them apart from the handmaking hoardes is their willingness to listen to your ideas on what you might be missing for your crafty collection. Read their blog, comment on their stuff, tweet them on Twitter.
Definitely crafters to keep your owl eyes on.
Knickers are the new jeggings. Ok that isn't true. But flying in the face of the horror that is sometimes high-street fashion you could hand-make your own undercrackers for a bit of vintage style on your booty.
For stylish and inspiring sewing with a retro twist Colette Patterns are fabulous. Their mission is "to help you create clothing that feels both beautiful and personal" and they certainly do that with a simple chic style that will easily transfer to the pile of fabrics you have in your stash.
The site also features a number of very useful how tos, including how to make a handrolled hem, how to adjust for a smaller bust and how to make a silk scarf.
Their Mini Bloomers pattern is free and will possibly have to fighting the urge to flash your undies at every opportunity.
As recent craft trends show saving the planet doesn't mean you need to grow the kind of beard that it looks like birds may be tempted to nest in and start eating nothing but lentils. For a start you could use dryer balls to keep your consumption of electricity down. You could even go one further and make your own, from recycled materials. Greenorama.
Night Owl's Menagerie's free tutorial takes you through making sewn dryer balls from recycled materials. The dryer balls help to separate the clothes while they tumble about in the machine, which means they dry faster so you need the dryer for less time.
They recommend you use natural fabrics: recycled felted wool sweaters or cheap wool yarn, with cotton alternatives if you're allergic.
The how to is free, and includes a 'motherly guilt' trip for those who may choose greener wallets over greener homes and sell the end product. I love free craft with a sense of humour, especially when it's doing good at the same time.
People are much more eco-friendly these days and Valentine's Day is no excuse to fall off the green wagon. Flying blooms in from the deepest Amazonian jungle just doesn't cut it anymore as your intended recoils in horror at the carbon footprint of the perfumed posy. It makes perfect sense to go green with your pinks.
The Pompom Emporium features two how to tutorials on some fabulous fabric flowers.
The first bunch are Anjie's Ribbon Roses, made from 'lucky dip' ribbon from her local haberdashery's bargain bin. Graduated coloured ribbon gives them a perfect in-bloom effect.
The second bunch of Zip It! flowers are a bit more steampunk. They're made from zips with the teeth side out giving them a bit of a sweet but sinister air.
A minimal amount of sewing up creates both, there's no rifling through cupboards to find a vase to put them in before they start wilting and you'll be recycling for romance.
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