About CCC
When stuck on an island, declare yourself king.
Hi. I’m Susannah. I’m originally from the States, I lived in Canada for a while and I’m now located in south London. By day I work at an editing job; in my free time I sew and blog to keep myself sane. I mostly make clothes from vintage and modern patterns and occasionally refashion thrifted and cast-off items. My current period of interest is the 1940s, specifically British everyday clothing during the war and austerity years. I’m living on a clothing ration until January 2011 — read about Fashion on the Ration here.
Where’d you learn to sew?
The school of hard knocks, mostly. I learned in Home Ec how to operate a sewing machine, which in retrospect was the most useful thing junior high taught me. After I graduated from university with a degree in literary studies and philosophy and realized I didn’t actually know how to do anything, I bought a sewing machine and started sewing again. Since then, I’ve learned what I know from books, a few classes, trial and error (lots of error) and, most of all, from the unbelievable wealth of information, tutorials and support available online. GBTI!*
*God Bless Teh Internets.
What’s with the blog name?
I’ve been tickled by the popular myth of the cargo cult ever since I first read about it. And having moved to a small island where crafters are rare and most craft supplies have to be ordered by mail, I now spend a lot of time waiting for (and worshipping) precious cargo from distant nations: American fabrics, Japanese sewing notions, German cottons, French shinies…
I also suffer from various blocks and believe vaguely that going through the rituals of creativity might somehow attract creativity. Magical thinking: it’s not just for Melanesians.
Where’s your cat?
Usually center stage and demanding attention.
Audrey offers creative input
We also share a home with a fellow named James who may show up in photos occasionally.
