Creating a vintage look from top to toe with hand-sewn outfits and genuine period accessories is Joanna’s passion
By Joanna Chamberlain
When I was young in the 1960s, sewing and knitting were what most people did out of necessity to save money – even a small town would have a fabric and wool shop. My mum used to make most of my clothes despite the fact she hated sewing. I can remember half-sewn garments often being thrown across the room in temper – although she loved knitting. When I was seven, I wanted a pretty tutu party dress like all my friends and she knitted me one! It wasn’t quite what I had in mind, even at that young age…
I didn’t follow in her footsteps though – as a small child, I had a toy sewing machine and I used to make doll clothes with scraps of fabric. I started ‘proper’ sewing at the age of 13, as in those days needlework was taught at school. It was my favourite lesson, and I remember the first garment we made was a PE Skirt . From then on I was hooked. I always said I wanted to be a fashion designer, and from a young age I used to draw my own designs as I also loved drawing and painting. I was always more creative than academic, but people like me could only dream of such an artistic career in those days!
I left school at 16 and started my first job in a bank – which wasn’t all bad though, as that was where I met my husband. Here we are 41 years on, with two grown-up children and a granddaughter! I was also able to afford to buy my own sewing machine from the sewing machine shop in Penge where I lived. I was over the moon as it did zigzag, a stitch my Mum’s basic model didn’t do. I had that machine until a few years ago when it finally bit the dust, and I was so sad to see it go.
VINTAGE INSPIRATION
When the children were born, the sewing machine went into hibernation and didn’t come out until over 30 years later. A friend of mine introduced me to vintage events, which got me sewing again. I loved the vintage styles and caught the bug for vintage fashion. Even though I was a lot slimmer then than I am now, genuine vintage clothes were so tiny and way out of my budget, so I thought I would have a go at sewing some of my own. After a 30-year-break, I was restarting as a complete beginner and thought I had lost the ability to sew, but happily I hadn’t! I was very rusty and my first outfits were a disaster, as I think I tried to run before I could walk – but I kept going and hoping I would improve.
I discovered that a lot of larger pattern companies have reis
