It Started With a SHEIN Top… I'd bought a top from SHEIN that I really liked the shape of. From the front it looked quite simple, but the back was what I really loved, open-backed with ties. There was just one problem. I wanted it longer.

These friendships have taught me something I didn’t learn until much later in life: I don’t need to change who I am to belong. I don’t need to be louder, more present, or constantly available. The right people don’t need a polished version of me, they’re quite happy with the slightly chaotic, tea-fuelled, often absent one.

There are so many decisions, and every single one feels life-or-death when you’re a beginner. What thread? What fabric? What colour? On the bias or not on the bias? Is the fabric directional or am I about to sew this block upside down for the third time? And you can only make these decisions after industrial amounts of procrastination and enough cups of tea to qualify as a hydration hazard.