Meet Jenny Rushmore, our new guest blogger! She’ll be popping by to chat about her passion for getting the perfect fit, no matter your size or shape.

This week, Jenny tells us about the sketchbooks she designed to help curvy sewists get the most from their stitching.

“One of the main reasons I learned to sew was to be able to make clothes I loved that fit perfectly.  I was tired of always being sized out of the clothes I wanted to wear, and having to compromise on fashion. However, when I started to sew I realised there were also products missing for curvy women!

“Since I started sewing, I’ve been sketching ideas for garments. I often draw before I start a project, to capture inspiration, or to brainstorm what to do with a new piece of fabric. Then I make notes on my drawings after sewing, to remind myself of alterations and what I want to do differently next time.

“I grew increasingly frustrated with the fashion sketchbooks available. Although there are many of them with faint body outlines, called croquis, to use as a template for your drawing, all the figures are incredibly, and unrealistically thin. Frankly, they don’t look entirely human, and they certainly don’t look like me!

“On a practical level, these sketchbooks proved of limited use, because you can’t really see any details of what you are going to sew when the waist of a croquis is only half an inch wide. Not to mention the fact that your drawing will bear very little resemblance to the actual proportions of the garment, or what it will look like on a curvy body.

“I decided to do something about it, and after several months of development and testing, the Cashmerette Curvy Sketchbooks were born! They feature 100 plus size croquis so that you can see what a garment will actually look like on you, no scaling-up required. And because I know that my 5’ 6”, size 18/20 croquis doesn’t look exactly like every curvy woman, I’m also offering customised versions so that women can have a sketchbook that looks exactly like them.”

Jenny also blogs at Cashmerette and the Curvy Sewing Collective, which she co-founded.
Shop it!
Buy it from www.cashmerette.com. For a personalised one, email jenny@cashmerette.com for more details.