I was extremely taken with the Maud when Kate posted about it originally, and immediately vowed to make one once I read her directions on this traditional garment.

Additionally, I was struck by both Kate and Rachael’s posts about Harris Tweed, and decided my Maud should be made with this stuff. I went in search of Harris Tweed on ebay and found some rather unloved 1980s pieces which were professed to have ‘a few moth holes’ and which had seen very little interest from other bidders. I put in a bid and won the unloved, moth-holed patches, and spent some time analysing them for the best fit for making a Maud. Unfortunately none of the pieces were large enough for me to be fully true to the characteristically clear and fluent directions given on Needled, so I was forced to compromise a bit and go for a smaller design. The reduced dimensions mean that if I ever own my own sheep, it is unlikely that I will be able to tuck them into it. Mark is rather mystified by my explanation for making my Maudette, but he nevertheless obligingly took some photos of me as I posed in it this afternoon.

I am very pleased with the fabric; I purchased it a while back on a day trip with Ruth and Emmylou and it reminds me of all the buttons that the Mudlarks found in the river Thames.

In other thrifty clothes news, I have found a new blog which is very interesting; Cargo Cult Craft is one woman’s attempt to spend a year making and buying her clothes according to wartime ration coupons. I have also been enjoying Thread & Thrift – especially this post – and this quilted dress.

Some of my own thrifty wardrobe improvements lately include:

The addition of a vital and topical vintage button badge (99p on ebay, plus £1.45 P&P)

The dyeing of a woollen sweater I was not enjoying the colour of (free dye from black walnut tree!)
I love the new chocolatey colour and cannot get enough of wearing this sweater now it is such a good colour.

And the ripping-out and reordering of the neckline on my much-loved Hourglass sweater. There was a dropped stitch and I had bound it off rather too tightly, so this time around I ripped it out, reknit it slightly and added an i-cord border in 100% shetland wool, which I had left over in my stash from the lining of Mark’s feasel and bear hat. The result is infinitely wearable and makes a good layer combined with the brown sweater.

I am pleased with the combined result of these thrifty wardrobe improvements!