I usually try not to think about the price of fabric before I cut into it, but at £40 a metre this is one of the most expensive fabrics I've worked with and the full skirt meant that I needed 3.5 metres of the stuff. You do the maths...oh and then add another £24 for the lining, £30 for the interlining, £18 for threads, £12 for beads and £1.50 for the entire pack of needles I broke doing the embroidery. Don't let anyone try and convince you sewing is a way to save money.

The work on the back took two days. It is done using a technique I love called free machine embroidery. To do this you must use your machine in completely the opposite way it was designed to be used (hence all the broken needles.) If you take the foot off your machine and drop the teeth you allow the needle to hammer away in all directions, essentially drawing totally free form with the thread. I then appliqued the beautiful black and gold vintage hand embroidery onto the design and finished it off with some beading.

A few months ago my sister Hannah asked me to come and live with her. This piece is all about our paths coming together and nesting here in Bristol. She is my cultural compass and my guardian angel.

The Burgundy Wool Coat by Made My Wardrobe