What Kimberley Makes

  Tropical Leopard Curtain   Add character to you home with your own home-made curtain. It is the focal point for any room and is a great way to coordinate your décor. This curtain can be adapted to fit your window perfectly. Why not try adding a trim to really personalise your curtain?   This tutorial will show you need to how to make your own and a matching curtain tie. To work out how much fabric you will need for your curtain, start by measuring your window. Mine is a small window so I’m making one curtain using eyelets. My window measures 20” across and 50” deep including the frame. You will ideally need DOUBLE the width of your window in fabric, this will ensure that when your curtain is pulled back, it will form pretty pleats. If you are making 2 curtains, both curtains will need to measure the width of the window. The drop of the curtain will depend on how long you would like it to be! I think a curtain looks best when it drops lower than the window, so I’...

Sustainable  Fashion is a term that is being used a lot, but what does it actually mean and how can you make small changes to contribute?  If you've seen the recent statistics  about the fashion industry and the pollution levels it creates, you'll  be as shocked as I am. But when you start to research into this topic, the advice can be confusing as it is still being heavily explored and there are a lot of complexities.  I'm new to this topic and wanted to share with you what I have found to be useful advice and changes I've been making to start the eco-friendly transition. 'Sustainable fashion is  as a system in which supply, production, and consumption of fashion products have been designed in a way that ensures environmental, social and economic sustainability'  RUEEN AMIRIARA It is important in reducing the amount of water, chemicals, energy consumption when producing clothing and in turn, relieving the excessive overflow of...

Here's a step by step guide to make your own Christmas presents place mat which you can make into a table runner and even coasters to match! The fabric I've used is the new 'A Christmas Tail' collection from Craft Cotton Company that was designed by Debbie Shore. I love this collection because its a story of the mice on Christmas eve and what they get up to before the big day, Debbie wrote the story herself!  This Christmas project is great for beginners and is an easy way to decorate your table around the festive period! Alternatively, you could use bright fabrics instead and use as table decorations for a birthday party. I've made a video tutorial on how to make the table runner. It is the same steps as the place mat but obviously joined together., so take a look at that if you'd like to see how it's made - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnhBuK6ROvs&t=412s  What you'll need for the place mat:  14.5" x 10.5" of - top fabric backing fabri...

Vienna Dress This wrap dress is a flattering, versatile style that can be worn casual or more dressy. I've made mine in jersey for a more summery day time dress. The fabric I've used is gifted from The Craft Cotton Company and is an organic jersey spandex that was designed by Tilly Walnes from Tilly and the Buttons. This jersey collection features lots of pastel rainbow colours and bold geometric prints which will just brighten up your wardrobe!  The Vienna dress pattern is by Fibre Mood and suggests using fabric with a good drape and not too stiff.  I opted for the PDF version because I am impatient! The instructions are all on the website and can be accessed once you set up an account.  I've used an overlocker  (Janome AirThread 2000D)  to finish edges and roll the hems of my dress but this can all be achieved on a sewing machine too. Some tips for working with jersey - if you find that the fabric is curling too much, spray it with some spr...

If you’re just starting to sew or are an experienced sewer, this is a lovely and easy way to coordinate your sewing machine accessories and keep your machine clean when it isn’t in use. This is a tutorial on how to make the machine dust cover, matching sewing machine mat and biscornu pin cushion. I’ve used a 5 piece fat quarter pack of the busy bee print fabric from Craft Cotton Company for a fresh, springtime feel, hope you enjoy this tutorial! Sewing machine dust cover -  What you'll need: - 2 pieces of outer fabric measuring 16x14.5 inches (measure this against your machine, if yours in smaller or bigger then adjust the amount you’ll need. Add about half an inch to both the height and width to allow for seams - 2 pieces of lining fabric measuring the same - 2 x Wadding measuring the same  – I used fusible fleece - 2 x fabric for the lining of the pocket measuring 17x6.5 inches (I’ve measured the strip slightly wider than the width of the out...