Rockstars and Royalty Blog — YouTube

This gorgeous vintage velvet dress was one of the pieces in the huge bags of vintage clothing that I acquired via my local 'buy nothing' Facebook page. You can see the video of me opening the bags and discovering the treasures inside here. This dress is made from gorgeous soft black velvet and was in really good condition, so it didn't need a huge amount of work to bring it back to life. The first issue was that the zip was broken, and that the dress was really hard to get on and off as there was only a very...

Hemming fine fabrics such as chiffon and organza can be tricky. They can be slippery and hard to pin, and it's easy to end up with an ugly, uneven hem. This technique, in which you stitch the hem with a single turn, cut away the excess fabric, then stitch again, is the simplest way to get a neat, narrow hem on fine fabrics. 

As a designer, I'm passionate about fashion, creativity, and sewing, but my passion goes beyond the garments I create. I'm also a campaigner for social change, and an advocate for unique self-expression. On my YouTube channel I'm sharing my skills and experience with you in a series of videos. You'll find videos about sewing, upcycling, styling, sustainable fashion, cruelty-free beauty and makeup, and about buying less and buying better. I show you how I shop for vintage, pre-loved and good quality clothing, and combine them with handmade and upcycled clothes and accessories to create my unique style. My love of being unique...