Introducing... On the Mend

Hi and welcome to On the Mend! Excuse the awkward, self-conscious first blog post - hopefully all shyness will be overcome quickly.

I have always loved hunting for second hand and vintage bargains but often found things that were so-close but not-quite right. This summer I bit the bullet and bought a sewing machine for fifty quid on Gumtree and set about using YouTube and blog tutorials to teach myself how to sew. Slowly but surely I figured it out... but quickly accumulated a ton of charity shop finds with potential for greatness that simply could not fit in my ever-expanding wardrobe.

So in comes On the Mend: uniting my love of thrifting and DIYing, I'll track down vintage treasures that are a little rough around the edges and (if you'll allow the mixed metaphor) polish them til they shine. Some are mine to keep, but many could be yours to own (for a small price). More info on that to come.

But first: one of my first DIY triumphs. I found this vintage cotton dress in a charity shop for £8. Even though magenta is not normally my thing, I fell for the gorgeous painterly print, though the fit was a bit frumpy. 

A little nipping and tucking (i.e. shortening the hem and sleeves, taking in the waist), and I had a lovely little floral dress. Just in time for... autumn. In Scotland. Meaning that sadly, this dress has had few outings at this point, but I have a feeling it will see lots of action next summer. Nonetheless, I did take it for a spin last month on a day trip to Aberdour Castle.

I need to work on my modelling skills, clearly. (And do something about my hair) But you get the idea.


Stay tuned for more thrilling, thrifted alterations and transformations!