Self Assembly Required

DIY dressmaking + crafts with Emily

About

Hello there!

I’m Emily – it’s nice to meet you! Welcome my blog Self Assembly Required!

It’s all about making stuff (clothes in particular) if you hadn’t guessed already!

I’ve been sewing for the last 10+ years. I learnt all the basics of the craft from my mum as a teenager – lucky me! – and I’ve been going at it ever since! My skills have slowly improved year on year and I love to share my experiences, highs and lows as I continue on my sewing journey. I’d like to think of myself as a full time sewing blogger and part time dentist (that’s the day job and the money…)!

I’m hoping you’ll be inspired by what I’m doing to go out and try something new (or get back into an old hobby). I want everyone to feel like they can sew (because you can!) and to be able to create something individual and beautiful.

There’s a world full of gorgeous fabrics, trims and notions out there. Sometimes, you just need a little nudge to go out and find it!

19 Comments

  1. Beautiful blog and amazing seeing skills! I am self taught and real wanting to learn more! I can’t wait to check out more of your blog posts! I’ll be following!

  2. Love your blog and your makes! I’m trying to get back into sewing after an extreme hiatus. I found you from the Tilly & the Buttons post by the way!

  3. Thanks for checking out my post Emily – this is a great blog!! I can see already I can learn a lot from you and I love your style. I just got the Kielo dress from Named (pdf) based on your post as it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for recently. Have a lovely weekend! πŸ™‚

  4. Hello Emily! Thank you for the like on my Waver Jacket post, which lead me to your blog! I’m also a dentist with a passion for sewing haha! (Well, nearly a dentist as I’m in my final year of study) I just followed your blog and look forward to more inspirational posts! πŸ™‚ Thanks

    1. Hello! Glad to have you on board! It’s so good to see another dentist out there sewing and crafting etc. Looking forward to seeing what else you’re making!

      Good luck in your final year of studying as well! πŸ˜€

  5. Totally love your style and attitude πŸ™‚ I run a UK based fabric store and would love the opportunity to work with you on a future project – we supply the fabric you supply the inspiration and a blog post I can share πŸ™‚ Contact me if you think it might be of interest – absolutely no catch

  6. Hi Emily,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Self Assembly Required has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Dressmaking Blogs on the web.

    http://blog.feedspot.com/dressmaking_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Dressmaking Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.

    Best,
    Anuj

  7. Dear Emily,
    I love your blog and always enjoy reading! You manage to fit in so much dressmaking alongside a full-time busy and demanding job! If you are open to blog requests I would love to hear about how you fit everything in and any time saving tips you have for your dress making, and also how you manage to pick such great fabric choices for patterns! I think those are my biggest hurdles at the moment in my sewing. I often find that the fabrics I pick don’t quite go with the pattern, so things look a bit costumey or not really what I was expecting from them!
    Thanks,
    Catherine

  8. Hi Emily, I am a London fire fighter and want to change my work shirt buttons to poppers. Is there a way of doing this without loosing the normal button. I can forward a picture of the shirt button if this helps. Thank you.

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