Donna Hendrie - An Eye for Detail

I first ‘virtually’ met Donna in March 2019 when she contacted us via Facebook and sent us photos of her wearing her glamourous nightgown she had made from our 1930’s sewing pattern. It actually did amaze us because for all we look at these patterns on a daily basis we really only have the old illustrations to go by and lets face us old illustrations can lie. On this occasion though, they didn’t.

Donna told me her fabric stash was ‘far too much’ and that she ‘has to hide it from her husband’. Who can’t relate to that? I hide my own from myself.

We didn’t speak again until May the same year as Donna had undergone surgery to remove an eye, now you might think that someone so glamourous who loved to sew would be broken by such a life changing moment but not Donna, despite caring for her husband who became ill at the time and being stranded in Spain for 3 weeks she returned home and started looking at sewing patterns, she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from doing what she loved.

By the end of August 2019 Donna began to see again and messaged regularly requesting downloads which we created for her, one of them was this beautiful 1940’s housecoat, she wanted to make it in black satin, we asked Donna if she would pattern test it for us and thankfully she agreed.                                                     

 A few months later Donna sent us photos of her in her burlesque show, she told me that ‘Burlesque had made her come alive; I don’t do too bad for a girl with one eye’. Her strength and resilience amaze us.

On returning from a holiday Donna showed us her black housecoat and we were blown away.

Donna went on to make the same garment in gold as a special gift for her 2^nd mum in Spain who had a beautiful gold and cream bedroom to match. It really is the perfect attire to wear whilst wafting around her balcony.

Donna is an avid seamstress who makes things to sell too, look at her gorgeous aprons! 

And last but not least she has recently made our 1950’s beach dress from our Dress and Bolero pattern which is availble to buy both as a printed pattern or as a pdf Download from our shop. It’s beautiful, and apart from the boning being sent to her coiled and having a battle on ironing it straight it worked a treat.

Thank you Donna for all the support you have shown us this year and we hope we will remain connected throughout and long beyond 2020.

You can find Donna on facebook https://www.facebook.com/donna.hendrieneebaggott