DIY Dont

II cant sew. I can thread a needle, at a push I can sew a button back on, but I don't own a sewing machine, nor have i used one since senior school, I love it when other people are crafty and can whip themselves up a pair of curtains and even better a new frock, but I'm not one of them.

Back when i was 17 I didn't let that fact deter me from attempting to recreate a top i had seen on Jennifer Aniston, it was a mere whisp of a thing, a “hankercheif” top i believe was its correct name, it was strapless and simultaneously exposed your stomach and your hip bones, Jennifer wore her black version to the SAG awards in 1999 (’99 was a Vintage year for Anistons style) I saw it and immediately knew i wanted my own for my friends upcoming 18th Birthday party, so i set to work, buying myself what can only be described as a scrap of fabric from a wholesalers in Liverpool, i chose orange shot silk, it seemed very glamorous to me and i thought it would work a treat with my low waisted trousers and sun-bed tan. Cutting out the shape of the front wasn't too difficult, just like folding a napkin, i even gave it a little hand stitched hem. I hit a rocky point when I realised I had no idea how it would fasten, adding a button or a zip was way beyond my skill set, I quickly decided it would knot at the back. I set to work with my nail scissors and approx 20 minutes later it was ready, my very own handkerchief top ala Jennifer Aniston, it was a mess in real life I'm sure, but on the pictures it just looks like I'm wearing a taffeta napkin as a top.

Why am i telling you this story now? Last year I spotted a patchwork coat by SEA NY, its way out of my budget so i set out looking for vintage alternatives and came across a brand that up-cycles patchwork quilts and blankets into coats, and it got me thinking if i should get my sewing kit out again, whip myself up a coat from an old bed spread, it cant be that difficult, can it?