It is this rickety, old dress form which I spotted in my local Oxfam and bought for £10 that has completely revived my interest in sewing.  I had always wanted a dress form and there it was. I love vintage clothes and inspired by Tilly and the Buttons - I have decided it is time I started to make my own.  I am competent at sewing, always in a rush and not good at details but I am hoping to develop those skills and become a proper seamstress. 

I love, love, love vintage patterns - my very sensible teenage daughter Kitty told me off for buying too many and not making enough clothes - she is right of course, but they are so hard to resist, the glamour and the promise they offer - that perfect jacket, skirt etc that I'm just about to make....

This is a top I made from an old skirt a friend gave me - she always brings her Oxfam bags for a rummage before taking them to the charity shop.

I'm working on another renovation - taking an old skirt from my stylish friend Lucy (see her gorgeous knitwear at http://www.lucymillerlondon.com/).  I have decided that her black lace M & S skirt is going to be miraculously transformed into a 'Breakfast at Tiffanys'/Audrey Hepburn style little black dress - not sure how but a girl can dream.