I have recently been enjoying a period of sewing and mending (jeans, sofa, childrens’ shorts). While I am very amateur and only took up sewing after my girls were born I do enjoy it. I really like being creative and the immense feeling of satsifaction after completing something. That’s not to say that there aren’t lots of half-made projects nestled amongst my sewing box. For the past eight years I have had the most amazing fabric stuffed at the bottom of a pile that was once used as a cover for my brother’s cot in the mid 1970s:

This pattern is enough to give any small child nightmares!

The other day I came across the Me Made May pledge, a campaign to encourage all types of amateur sewers, knitters and makers to wear their own creations. The idea is to wear an item that has been made by you for every day in May. This is the fourth year that Me Made May has taken place and even a quick trawl through the images people have posted leave me in awe. Oh to be able to whip up a fifties style dress or to refashion something from a pair of curtains… Although I have a long way to go before I could even wear one item I’ve made, let alone 31 (!) it has kind of inspired me to start sewing for myself.

Another sewing project I have wanted to embark on a for quite a while is the Dress a Girl Around the World project. Originally started in the US this international charity encourages people to create a very simple ‘pillowcase’ dress that can then be sent to girls living in poverty around the world (there’s also a pattern for a simple pair of shorts for boys). The aim is for every girl to have one pretty dress that they can wear with dignity and pride.

These are just a couple of projects to inspire me to get out the sewing machine over the next few months…