make-do-and-mend

I was flattered this morning to be asked to talk to the Tideswell Business Start-Up group this morning about how I set up Peak Princess.

I also met Fiona Pocock (01629 813 197 / 07821 297 444) who's just started a new business from her home near Bakewell (home of the delicious pudding) doing alterations and repairs. It's a real skill. Despite most of my friends not being able to sew on a button or turn up a hem, they imagine repairs are easy-peasy. The truth is that starting afresh with a blank canvas of a roll of cloth is child's play compared to the dark-art of restoring a much-loved, often expensive, quality garment to its former glory.

Another dark-art is 'search engine optimisation' - aka getting ranked on page 1 of Google. For down-to-earth advice, I'd thoroughly recommend talking to Kathleen Rigg (07768-961971) from Gain Time IT. I followed her no-nonsense 10 step tips and Peak Princess shot up the rankings!

And last-but-not-least, for making you believe you can actually make a go of it, everyone should make their first call their local Business Link. Thanks to Sue Scholes who held my hand through the first year of business.

charity fashion show

I'd decided not to do any fairs or shows this year because I'm so busy making-to-order for my lovely customers, but I've made an exception for the Helen's Trust Fashion Show on March 25th at 6pm.

Helen's Trust is a wonderful local charity which helps people with incurable illnesses or cancer to stay in their own homes. And Thornbridge Hall is an stunning venue. As a privately owned stately home it's a rare chance to see the amazing restoration by owners Emma and Jim Harrison.

They're be food, fizz and fashion and great shopping - all in a good cause.

Call Mandy Brown on 07901 710767 for tickets (£40 per head)

new liberty print smock frock

Fresh from my sewing room - my new Liberty print smock frock with gathered ribbon & bead pockets - 3 samples (£10 off) available on my website now. Your choice of more than 30 Liberty prints. First come first served.

(This is the polka dot sample the little girl in the village who models for me tried on on Sunday.)

twirly whirly

These are the 3 little sisters in my village who model and product test for me dancing in my new Liberty print twirl skirt. Two half price preview samples available on my website now - first come first served.

Domestic Godd-esque

Possibly one of my happiest happy customers! Blogger Domestic Godd-esque sent me this gorgeous photo of her adorable daughter (aka The Pocket Dictator) wearing one of my Liberty 'Freya Bean' blouses (Millie print) that she won in Dulwich Mum's Wordless Wednesday comp.

PD's kindly asked to road-test one of my new Jessica Mae denim Liberty skirts - out soon!

dulwich mum

Top London Mummy blogger, Dulwich Mum, has just sent me this gorgeous photo of her little girl wearing my 'Freya Bean' blouse in Liberty's Wiltshire print. (£24.99-£29.99 + p&p)

She's kindly written a great review: "This simple, perfectly stitched garment is quite beautiful. The detail and obvious care and attention that has gone into its production make it potential heirloom quality. This is most definitely an item to keep forever...It is easy to put on, not an awkward fastening in sight, perfect for determined, independent little people. It is a simple design, easy to wear, easy to care for (still like new after several washes) and very well made...The pretty patterned fabric means that the odd stray bean (organic – clearly!) or jam will not be obvious. My daughter adores it and says she feels “trendy like mummy”bless!""

Her blog is a must-read with laugh-out-loud postings and great competitions. Get the inside track on the life of a Chablis-swilling city Mum. As she says, "It's all going on in Dulwich".

And I'd have to agree given that my beautiful god-daughter, Tilly, is also a Dulwich girl!

my sewing cups

Sewing and drinking tea is a hazardous activity - the obvious risk is spilling tea on a dress. My sister, Emma, bought me this beautiful bone china cup and saucer from Liberty for Christmas & I dropped my pin cushion in it!

So I'm now keeping that for downstairs best and have gone back to the slightly less attractive but eminently more practical insulated mug that our friends Tim and Angela gave me. My tea stays hot for ages and the lid means no spills.

(In case you're wondering about the choice of gift, Tim is a solicitor at Trowers & Hamlins' Cairo office. And his talented wife Angela is the creative force behind the best pyjamas in the world - Angelily)

spring clean

...better late than never.

Six inches of snow outside so more of a winter clean but it's delightful not to be tripping over tissue paper, cellophane bags, patterns & rolls of cloth...not to mention stepping on pins. I've pulled out the sofa bed so friends can come and stay again, created a rack for all my patterns, dusted off Great Aunt Tomasina's bull-nosed rocking chair and rolled or rehung all my gorgeous Liberty prints.

But best of all I've sold nearly all my stock which means lots of space. Following the Sunday Times Style feature (Dec 13th) I've been inundated with requests for dresses so from the New Year I'll be making dresses to order and have a waiting list til the end of January.

as featured in Sunday Times Style

Check out today's issue of Sunday Times Style - Peak Princess' Liberty print romper (in Wiltshire print) and denim dress (in Liberty's paisley Mark print)

"achingly cool" and "ultra-girly"

liberty cufflinks

How gorgeous are these? Liberty cufflinks made by my friend Sue at SCS Liberty Cufflinks. Snap them up quickly - she's offering them in a Christmas sale at just £19.99 a pair with free postage. I've already bought these Mirabelle and Wiltshire prints for hubbie and father-in-law. (Don't tell Santa!)

spring/summer liberty pick of the pops

How on earth to choose between a dozen equally gorgeous Liberty prints? I'd love to know your top three choices - all the swatches and blouses can be viewed on my website - then email me to let me know what you think.

thanks! Lissa

we make london

The countdown to Christmas begins...

...and what better way to kick of present buying than at We Make London's Christmas fair at Chelsea Town Hall on Saturday 5th December?

Read more about Peak Princess in We Make London's Designer feature.

Free p&p for all Peak Princess orders of handmade Liberty print children's clothes taken on the day.

Liberty purses & notebooks

Lovely lovely purses and notebooks!

Now in stock at Peak Princess - courtesy of my lovely lovely sister-in-law at Jellycat/Catseye.

£4.99 for the Liberty print zip purses and £5.99 for the hardback notebooks.

Your choice of two gorgeous prints - paisley ('Mark') or berries ('Wiltshire').

Perfect stocking fillers or treat yourself.

And of course you can buy my handmade dresses & blouses in matching prints.

cabbages and frocks

Packing the van (I love our Mitsuibishi Delica - not pretty but practical) to head down to London for the Cabbages & Frocks Christmas Fair on Wednesday. Hubbie's come up with an ingenious way to hang my dresses using dowelling rods, climbing ropes and carabiners. I knew that adventure sports background would come in useful one day!

Do come along - the more the merrier.

PS I'll be selling frocks, not cabbages.

Peak Prince competition winner

I'm over the moon that more than 800 people entered Daisy Green magazine's competition to win one of my Peak Prince handmade outfits for little boys, sewn in lovely Liberty prints. Congratulations to Helen from Chipping Campden.

I've been busy making a romper in Grayson Perry's Philippa bicycles print (£29.99) & dungarees in Liberty's cars print (£29.99) for a customer who's just had a little boy. And then I moved on to 'Freya Bean' blouses (£24.99-£34.99) in the gorgeous, bright & warm 'Wiltshire' print - perfect for Christmas.

chaos kitten

This is Loki, my Nowegian Forest kitten, looking like butter wouldn't melt - but earlier this morning I found a pattern for my 'Samuel L' shirt in shreds on my sewing room floor!

At least he seems to have stopped doing his impersonation of an Andrex puppy/cheerleader - running in, stealing ribbons & dragging them down the stairs.

Perhaps we shouldn't have named him after the Norse God of Mischief. (We weighed him on Friday and he's already 5kg - nearly as big as Mr Enos Knibbs, our original Streatham street cat).

sample sale starts today

My sample sale of handmade Liberty print clothes babies, little girls and little boys starts today!
Liberty prints from £9.99 and other fabrics from just £2.99 (plus p&p)

And Angels and Urchins winter edition's features my Liberty print 'Phoebe' baby dress in their pick of the "loveliest dresses this winter."

I love the new website MumsRock - for mothers with attitude, to shop, share and rant. And I'm delighted they are featuring Peak Princess in their Shopping Bible. "Our newest favourite fashion crush (for kids) is Peak Princess who take the prettiest Liberty patterns and cunningly make them into cute-as-a-button dresses and tops for girls."

flowers for laura

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Hassop Hall Seasonal Fayre last week to raise money for the Derbyshire branch of Macmillan Cancer. It was a wonderful event in a stunning location. It really felt like coming full circle as the last time I was there I was a baby and my mother was making a dress for the then owner, Lady Stephenson!

I met a lovely lady there called Sarah who runs a very special florists in Sheffield. Flowers for Laura is named after Sarah's baby girl who died very suddenly aged 19 weeks from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. For every flower order they make a 10% donation to PACT, to help children with cancer receiving treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. So by ordering flowers from flowersforlaura.com, you will be helping to support these children and their families. They deliver all over the city and surrounding areas.

Their arrangements are truly scrumptious at more than reasonable prices, like gorgeous this bridal bouquet and bridesmaid's rose flower wand they designed for the Sheffield based eco couture designers, Hope & Glory.

win a Peak Prince outfit for your little boy

So many people entered Daisy Green's competition to win a Peak Princess dress that I'm offering another prize - this time your choice from my new range for little boys - called of course 'Peak Prince'. It'll be launched at the end of October. Click here to enter and click here to take advantage of my preview prices on Liberty print culottes, dungarees, shirts and rompers.

Daisy Green is all about sustainable living without preaching. The magazine's staff describe themselves as a cross between The Good Life and Sex in the City! What more could you want? It's all online and well worth signing up to their newsletter.