Some past favourite one-off pieces
...that found homes before they reached the website
This shirt was made from a patchwork of recycled embroidered cotton and linen tablecloths. It has a large patch pocket, a hanging loop and slightly mismatched found yellow buttons.
'Sweet lilies close their leaves at night' - Edwardian embroidery on the reclaimed linen tablecloth that I incorporated into this light and breezy shirt, which found a new home at the Water Lane Spring Fair 2024
I'd been collecting vintage linen tea towels for some time before I had just the right ones to patchwork together to make this shirt. Imagery includes wildflowers, British trees, cocktails and strawberries
Another shirt made from recycled linen tea towels. This one features fresh cream recipes and signs of the zodiac, strawberries, old English pub signs, nautical flags and has a map of Cornwall on the back. It sold at Goodwood Revival 2023
The quality of this French linen bedsheet was incredible - so heavy. Can't imagine what the thread count must have been! Also the embroidery was so dense and thick, it was tricky to cut and sew through. But I did! I particularly like the two large pockets with a little bit of ladder work on each. It sold at Goodwood Revival 2023.
Detail of shirt made from a vintage linen tablecloth with unfinished hand embroidery - you can still see the transfers in places. I think this makes it extra special, and the vintage ricrac on the collar took this shirt to the next level! It's another one that I said goodbye to at Goodwood Revival in September 2023.
I found this vintage flour sack in an antique centre in the North of England and stashed it away while I mulled over what fabrics to mix it with. It also needed a bit of (visible) mending. I made sure I used all the text from the original sack, stuck to a washed out, pastel colour palette and I think it worked. Sold at Goodwood Revival 2023.
Springtime in a shirt! A patchwork of pastel coloured tablecloths and a tray cloth featuring maypole dancer embroidery. This one sold at Water Lane on the May Day bank holiday weekend, which was rather appropriate.
Shirt with 3D shoulder cat made for an art exhibition in March 2024. Made from calico and corduroy offcuts and trimmings from my overlocker to stuff the head and tail.
Made from a set of vintage linen napkins, this shirt was quite tricky to construct as the beautiful appliqué detail was all around the edges, meaning there was no seam allowance (iykyk) but I figured out a way to make it work and loved the finished result. Snapped up early doors at Water Lane Spring Fair.
Detail of an off-white, short-sleeved shirt I assembled from three buttery soft linen tablecloths, including one with a scallop edge that I topstitched to form the edge of the yoke. As always, every component was reclaimed, even the thread – in this case I sewed on the shell buttons with vintage Sylko in 'Silver Sand'.
I made this patchwork hand-quilted top from various cotton and linen offcuts in shades of blue. This is the back view
Back view of a cream-coloured front-fastening top made from
a vintage linen tablecloth
This bodywarmer/gilet was made out of a blue reclaimed quilt. I love the big pockets and those amazing autumn leaves!
This linen top with a 1930s appliqué yoke was one I ended up keeping for myself!
I found a set of pastel-coloured linen napkins and made this boxy top out of them, with a few extra bits added in. It has random binding and coral-coloured poppers
A cream-coloured jacket that was once a quilt. I carefully selected which parts of the pattern to use where. As usual it has nice big pockets
This jacket started life as a Laura Ashley quilt. The pink check you see here was the back of the quilt and the other side is pink patchwork, meaning the jacket is reversible
I made this top out of a beautiful linen checked tablecloth with floral embroidery on each corner
The 1930s appliqué tablecloth that I cut this top from needed the pattern pieces laying out very carefully to make the most of the design. It ended up in Australia
I based this bodywarmer/waistcoat on one of those knitted landscape jumpers from the 70s. It's hand appliquéd, hand quilted and hand bound and, as always, made from 100% recycled fabrics. It appeared in my local paper
The Ramsgate Recorder
I made a few pieces out of one quilt. This jacket has asymmetric button fastenings (reclaimed of course) and patterned binding made out of vintage fabric
Another keeper: This shirt was once a skirt that I bought in a vintage clothes shop back in the early 2000s. I wore the skirt a lot at the time and when I rediscovered it recently, I decided I'd wear it more as a shirt, so I reworked it, combining it with some reclaimed plain black fabric from my stash for the sleeves
I'm especially fond of this one as it's one of the first tablecloth tops I made
I made this in 2021 for an art exhibition and called it Life Jacket. It's hand quilted and features places I've lived, holidayed in etc cut from souvenir tea towels and tablecloths
