Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

This is the time of the year when we start digging around in the bottom of our wardrobe in search of summer clothes, and end up finding amazing fashion gems! It is therefore the perfect moment to launch the "closet" feature of our little blog. Here we'll share garments that are important and significant, and we'll invite you to do the same. We'll show you clothes that have been in the family for years, clothes we've found, clothes we feel good in, clothes we've made and even clothes we've paid an absolute fortune for!

We'd love you to submit photos and stories of your own. There is only one rule: your chosen garment has to mean something to you!

Catarina, blogger and writer, will kick things off by sharing a picture and a few lines about her trustworthy army jacket. Enjoy!

This army jacket went through a lot before arriving in my closet. I can't account for its time in service, but I can trace its history back to a little second hand shop in Barcelona where it was bought by one of my work colleagues. Some years later, deciding to make a closet clearance, she organized a clothes swapping dinner. The jacket didn't excite the curiosity of the other guests, but when I caught sight of it, hanging alone on the corner of a sofa, I knew it had to be mine!

I love it a) because it is a timeless style, and b) because it is a double-recycled garment.

xx

Cat

Here comes the bride

This week I'll be sharing one of my current projects with you guys - a 20s-inspired wedding dress!

The bride, just like so many others before her, couldn't find an off-the-peg dress quite as perfect as the one she imagined, so she contacted Ears and Whiskers and challenged us to create a unique gown.

Besides preferring the corset-free style and slinky cuts of roaring 20s fashion, the bride also had a special request: a "keyhole" cut-out back!

I set to work immediately, designing a few different styles which matched various fabrics for overlays and underskirts, and short-listing lace samples (I normally use this site for my research, because their vintage laces are just to die for!).

After a bit of testing and consulting with the bride-to-be, we decided on the final look: beaded lace overlaying a bias cut satin gown. Subtle but memorable, just as a truly dashing 20's dress should be!

For us the hard-work is yet to begin. Awaiting are long hours of cutting, pinning, fitting, sewing and hand-finishing all sorts of details, including a full row of beautiful pearl buttons and a scalloped edging to trim the keyhole back.

We'll keep you posted on our progress! :)

Flower Power!

Daffodils are almost gone from the fields but flowers are here to stay, at least til' the end of this fashion season! Shop windows everywhere are blooming with beautiful patterns, while on the catwalks florals have taken on a more tactile dimension, featuring on beautiful embroideries and appliqués.

This flower-power trend is music to E&W’s ears – excuse the pun - in fact one of our blossoming creations just got highlighted in this month’s edition of Cardiff Life! That got me thinking about my never-ending attraction to florals, and about some of my past creations, like that silk dress with yellow flowers, remember? And after a little stroll down memory lane I've concluded that this trend matches our personality and something tells me we'll stick with it for many seasons to come.

So, whenever you feel like spring or summer just get down to Cardiff's city centre, visit our store and try on our blossoming creations!

Sewing bee

Finally, national television has recorded and broadcasted the undeniable proof that sewing doesn't just belong to old ladies with ten cats. Yes, I'm talking about the Great British Sewing Bee. The second episode is on BBC2 tomorrow night, and I couldn't be more excited!

I loved everything about the program. From the location, set in the old textiles district of London, to the contestants, which include old and young, men and women, working mums and truck drivers, it's great! Surrounded by sewing machines, fabrics, lines and needles, the contestants stitch their way through all sorts of challenges, knowing that at the end there can be only one winner [insert the highlander soundtrack here!].

But my favourite thing about the GBSB was the fact that they featured an upcycling challenge in their first programme! Seeing people on national television working on the neckline of an old t-shirt, and transforming something dull into something full of zest and personality, planted a big smile on my face. It really made me proud about all my upcycled creations and inspired me to do even more.

So, now it is my turn to inspire all you sewing bees out there. Grab an old t-shirt, search "t-shirt upcyling" on pinterest and go completely bonkers!

If it goes wrong, well at least you won't have much to loose... just an old t-shirt! :)

Image credits: Pinterest board by Stephanie Quintal

Easter tutorial - (upcycled garland)

This week I managed to work on some Easter decorations in my spare time. Inspired by these beautiful machine-stitched paper garlands, I've decided to put my scraps box to good use and create our first tutorial!

This embroidered paper garland is quite easy to make and the final result is seriously cute. If you're not that much into Easter, or would rather make a garland that will last you past the holiday, you can use flower or heart shapes instead of eggs.

(Click to enlarge.)

Here's the list of materials you'll need:

- scraps of card;

- scraps of ribbon;

- loose book pages or some kind of sketching paper;

- a drawing pin;

- a needle;

- some colourful embroidery thread;

- two meters of yarn;

- a few mini clothes pegs.

1. Draw a number of egg shapes on your card. The number of shapes will determine the length of your garland.

2. Draw the same number of egg shapes on the sketching paper and put them aside to use later.

3. Cut your egg shapes out of the card, place them over a soft surface (I placed mine over some sheets of felt) and use the drawing pin to trace your intended embroidery pattern. You can decorate your shapes with vertical, horizontal or zigzag lines like I did, or you can try more complex stitches.

4. When your Easter eggs are fully decorated, cut your ribbon into 5cm bits, fold them in half and secure them to the back of the egg using a bit of tape.

5. Cut the egg shapes you set aside in step 2, cover them with glue and place them over the back of the eggs. Wait for the glue to dry.

6. Slide the yarn through the each egg's ribbon loop and secure them using a mini clothes peg.

And your garland is ready to hang!

Shades of grey: beautiful bridesmaids

This week I've been working non-stop on these fabulous bridesmaids dresses. I love to design dresses that make bridesmaids feel beautiful rather than making them cry desperately for help!

However, not every bridesmaid in history has had the good luck of wearing an Ears and Whiskers creation, and I bet that a lot of you guys out there are hiding at least one unfortunate bridesmaid outfit at the back of your wardrobes. Here's a tip for all you brave BFF's: why not upcycle those ugly ducklings that have been occupying valuable storage space all this time? Just take a look at this Minneapolis-based upcycling fashion project called CounterCouture. Angie Arner, owner and founder, has created a collaborative movement to transform all those shiny, pleaded, and ruffled disasters into upcycled trendy fashion. Fabulously eco, just as we like it!

Mismatch 'til you drop

It's no surprise that E&W is taking part in yet another amazing Something Kinda Vintage Wedding Fair. We love fairs because they gather such a diverse range of people and objects, and provide great sources of inspiration. An mismatched atmosphere fuels our creativity! And if you're visiting the SKV Wedding Fair this Sunday our tip for you is: Mismatch 'til you drop!

Mix patterns and shapes. Don't be afraid of buying a loose cup of tea or the odd button for your new vintage jacket. Different items just need to have a little something in common, like a subtle colour or theme, to give you a perfectly vintage look without being tediously coordinated.

We've been working our little fingers off to offer you a great variety of newly-crafted randomness, and we can't wait for you to see it!