My busy weekend of frantic sewing!

I have spent the last 4 days glued to my overlocker, sewing like crazy to make sure i have everything made in time for the 2 festivals i am doing this year. In total over the past 4 days i have made 17 dresses, 13 pairs of trousers and 2 waistcoats! But even after all that i still have 4 pairs of trousers to make up and 16 waistcoats, all in a week! And i am currently working at my part time job with designer Eloise Grey for the next 4 days, so i think this week sleep will have to be a luxury!

I leave next Tuesday for Larmer Tree festival, which takes place in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens near Salisbury. I will be working with the lovely Jan who runs a stall called Sari's and Silk's, an eclectic mix of re-vamped Sari's and everything India inspired! (Jan visits India for a month every spring to source her recycled Sari materials, and hopefully next Spring i will be tagging along!)

After Larmer Tree i am heading straight to WOMAD festival, which takes place in Charlton Park near Malmesbury. This is a festival which feels like home to me, as i have been going with my family since i was very young! We run a stall called Textilia Paralia which works like an Ethical Artist's Co-op with work from freelance artist Joe Bilby (also my step dad), and contributions from a friend of mine Sara Thielker, who works as a freelance Illustrator, as well as all my Ethical fashion designs handmade by myself and my Mum, Melanie Butlin, who is a star of a seamstress!

I am looking forward to my 2 weeks of relaxation in sun-drenched fields (hopefully) with amazing music filling my ears and grass between my toes! But no dreaming until the work is complete... 'just keep sewing, just keep sewing'...

Coaching sessions are very inspirational!

Yesterday I had the second of my coaching sessions that are part of my involvement in the Striding Out program that is employing me at the moment. My coach is called Emma and she is so positive, its very refreshing! Basically the idea of coaching is to push my ambitions to the highest point by boosting my confidence in the work place, and making all my everyday tasks count towards my future career goals.

I am currently working as a Design and Marketing Assistant for a lovely ethical fashion designer called Eloise Grey (www.eloisegrey.com) and so my coach Emma is getting me to make the most of my time here, a limited 6 month period, to learn and contribute as much as possible to the business, to make my day to day life exciting and inspiring!

Emma has really got me thinking about my future career plans, and pushed my ideas to the exciting extremes of maybe one day having a leadership role within an influential ethical fashion charity or organisation, promoting the necessity for ethical fashion in the UK, and thus benefitting many small scale producers worldwide! I would love to one day be involved in creating trade and employment opportunities through fashion, hopefully in Africa as i feel i have a strong connection to the colourful continent! Plus it would be a real bonus to absolutely love my everyday work, feel like i was making a difference, and possibly get to travel and meet some truly inspirational people along the way!

Hopefully all that i am learning through my work in the ethical fashion world will be put to good use through my own ventures someday soon!