I like to sew, but I have no patience.

When I make something to wear, I want to be able to put it on the same afternoon. Given that principle, most of what I make is very simple.

Take the maxidress on the left. I bought the (cheap) black and white pinstriped jersey fabric by holding the roll up against me in the shop to check it was long enough, then wrapping it around crossways to gauge how much I'd need widthways.

Once I got it home, I folded it in half lengthways, held it against me, put pins in to mark the bottom of the armholes (cutting one in the folded side), then hemmed the armholes, sewed up the one side seam, and hemmed the bottom of the dress.

Next was a tricky bit: making a paper pattern for the front neckline from another top, by slipping a piece of newspaper inside the top, then tracing around the neckline, cutting it out and drawing around that on the dress fabric. Then I hemmed the neckline. The final touch was a narrow band of the jersey fabric to tie around as a belt. I didn't even hem this as I judged it wouldn't fray and (so far) it hasn't.

I'm well aware that my workwomanship isn't of a high standard, and that jersey is a forgiving fabric, and my colleague Carol, who took the pic, would agree that the dress looks better in real life (just as well, I hear you cry!)

If you're a fan of simple sewing, you should try this gorgeous bias-cut drawstring skirt pattern. I bought some pretty paisley fabric to make mine as soon as the book landed on my desk.

Prefer to sew something for your home? Try the easiest-ever curtains, which includes a link to the easiest-ever cushion covers too.