Winter collection 22

We’re welcoming winter with the comeback of our cozy overcoats! I love the crisp autumn mornings, but winter here in the highlands is another kind of cold. During these cold days, I rarely go outside without an overcoat.

These winter coats are bright and cheerful for the days when you feel like a warm hug. Slip on one of these coats and you’ll be snug and smiling, even in the cold.

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I’ve always been a collector, especially when it comes to textiles and fabrics. It’s something that’s been passed down through my family. When I first started sewing I would hit my local Op Shop for some fabric and inspiration. As soon as I see a piece of fabric I love I’ll grab it and either tuck it away for a future project or I’ll already have an idea in my head.

When I saw the bright colours in these beautiful vintage wool blankets, I just knew a winter coat would be the perfect creation. And of course, I could already picture Louie stomping through the paddocks wearing one.

These beloved vintage blankets, which have been handed down for generations, often bring back nostalgic memories. I’ve had many customers stop to share their memories of the blankets they had as a child. My favourite memory is of a customer sending me her late father's blanket to make a coat for her new grandchild.

I'm passionate about up-cycling fabric. Up-cycling is recycling fabric that has already been created, as opposed to creating a new fabric from scratch. By reusing fabrics already out there, we help minimise textile waste and turn something no longer needed into a wearable garment.

You can look forward to a blog post every Wednesday right here. You’ll find ramblings on the importance of slow fashion, style guides, my recent collections and much more. Want to connect? Follow along on Instagram for daily updates! @jemidee

Behind The Scenes - Making a patchwork dress.

Hello! Today I’m taking you behind the scenes in the making of our Patchwork Bloomer Dress. The Patchwork dress is one of my favourite pieces to make. Even though it is the most labour intensive, it scratches all my creative itches! This photo series gives you a closer look at the various elements that make up each dress.

Each dress is made with its own unique patchwork elements, I usually start by selecting the fabric offcuts I want to use. Once I’ve chosen the fabrics, I’ll cut these into nice squared pieces and start deciding where each piece of fabric sits on the dress. I love playing around with colours and patterns during this time.

The pieces are then sewn together until I end up with a big enough square to form the skirting of the dress. I then sew the pockets on each skirt piece and join the front and back together. Pockets are a must! Because, who wants a dress without pockets? No one!

The top of the dress is super fun to play with. By choosing the right colours to feature on the top, I’m able to make those same fabrics really stand out in the skirt. I usually choose my favourite fabrics here.

Next up, I gather the skirt piece to match up with the top length. Now I can sew the top and skirt together and finish up the dress.

As a designer, I get excited about new designs and I love to share that excitement . That's when I knew that it was time to document the making of this dress. The process from concept to creation has become so joyful to me. I hope that you can catch a glimpse of that joy in this short journal post.

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You can look forward to a blog post every Wednesday right here. You’ll find ramblings on the importance of slow fashion, style guides, my recent collections and much more.

Want to connect? Follow along on Instagram @jemidee for daily updates!

Patchwork for the planet

On my path to building a more conscious and sustainable business, I’m always finding new ways I can improve my practice. After my very first run of clothing, I was shocked by the amount of off-cuts I had leftover. At that time I didn’t know what I was going to do with them, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. Over the years I’ve been collecting these pieces, knowing that I’d eventually find something meaningful to put them towards.

This Autumn I released a limited run of patchwork dresses. A labour of love project utilising all these off-cuts from past collections. I spent many hours patching them together and carefully crafting the patchwork bloomer dress. Throughout the dresses, you’ll find fabrics from every collection I’ve ever released - These dresses are like a timeline, each piece with a unique story to tell. I wanted to make something to remind consumers that we can find beauty anywhere if we look hard enough - even in objects we readily discard. I see these dresses as a piece of wearable art, to be loved and lived in for many years. These pieces weren’t just made to add another product to my collection, but to reduce my waste and turn it into a beautiful, wearable garment.

An estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually from the fashion industry. Fast fashion brands are rapidly producing high volumes of clothing, giving consumers the opportunity to purchase new styles instantly with a small price tag. When we are able to purchase clothing at such a small cost, we are less likely to care for and hold onto that piece. Therefore, these pieces end up among the tons of waste in landfill. I believe it is my responsibility as a designer to minimise my waste contribution and look for ways i can better my sustainability practices.

Ways I am reducing my waste.

• Ensuring my fabric choices are of high quality to ensure longevity.

• Utilising my off-cuts.

• Recycling and reusing old clothing.

• Making garments to order.

As I further my research on ways to minimise waste and to better my sustainability practices. I would love to hear back from you, and hear your tips for reducing waste in day to day life.

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You can look forward to a blog post every Wednesday right here. You’ll find ramblings on the importance of slow-fashion, style guides, my recent collections and much more.

Want to connect? Follow along on instagram for daily updates!