The make-do-amd-mender: Jazz Domino Holly
WHO? Founder
of Shoreditch Sister Women’s Institute, author of Queen of Crafts ($27.20) and
daughter of punk-rock royalty Joe Strummer
“Creating things to wear has always been a
big thing in my family. My mum was given a sewing machine for her 16th
birthday, on which she used to make cowboy shirts for my dad. When I was
little, I’d use that same sewing machine – a horrible, big, ugly, Seventies
thing – to teach myself how to cut up clothes and remake them.
“These days, I get inspiration from
magazines and street-style blogs. I keep a scrapbook of images of clothes I
plan to recreate. But I never make clothes from scratch – after a year at
London College of Fashion, I realised I couldn’t do pattern-cutting! Instead, I
pick up cheap basics in New Look, Primark and markets, which I then customise.
I head to haberdasheries – usually Kleins in Soho [kleins.co.uk] or MacCulloch
& Wallis, off Oxford Street [macculloch-wallis.co.uk] – to pick up trims,
chains and charms.
“I make a lot of jewellry and accessories.
My friend recently sent me a photo of a girl wearing a crazy Seventies hat
covered in pompoms – so I’m stocking up on pompom trim and planning to recreate
it.
“At the moment, I’m obsessed with
dream-catchers and plan to make my own necklace versions, using leather,
crystals and feathers. Making your own jewellery saves you a fortune on gifts
too: I always make my friends’ birthday presents – it’s really unique and
personal.
“Car-boot sales are great places for
picking up cheap clothes to customise or items to make into jewellery. The ones
in London tend to be expensive, so I head out to Essex or Sussex instead.
“The items you find there are also very
individual compared to the ones you get in London. I recently picked up some
original Chelsea Girl Seventies clothes – I paid just $6.40 for a suede jacket,
skirt and dress.
“Look for items you night not immediately
think to wear – I bought some napkin rings that are great worn as bangles!”
Jazz’s tips for crafty cutbacks:
Know what you need before you go
shopping
“It’s good to go the haberdasher’s with a
list of exactly what you’re after – otherwise, you’ll end up overwhelmed by
everything on sale. Do shop around, as some places can be expensive.”
Think outside the box
“Chinese and Japanese wholesalers are
great for picking up trinkets and charms that you can make into jewellery.”
Build yourself a tool kit
“Keep a box containing a basic sewing kit
and pillers for creating jewellery. Keep all leftover ribbon ends, bits of
chain and odd buttons, as you’ll end up ultilising every last scrap at some
point.”
Don’t pin anything
“If you get bored with something you’ve
made, take it apart and change it, give it to a friend or sell it.”
Don’t limit yourself to making things to wear
“I find it satisfying making things for
my home – you keep them longer and it’s nice to have that personal touch.
Customise cushions, crochet and a blanket or make a quilt from scraps or
material.”
