Katie Makes Stuff

12/09/2026

I’m always quiet on here in the summer as I get busy with mermaiding and festivaling and enjoying the sunshine but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been making

Firstly I have plenty of pants all made up just waiting for finishing and I’ll list them before the end of the month

Secondly, we finally have a little girl in the family I can make cute outfits for so I spent a lot of time making dresses and sets for her

Thirdly, I’ve been cutting scales like a scale cuttting machine and I’ve started on the first of 9 new scale skirts with a target to get the finished by Xmas!

While I haven’t managed to make any new costumes during the summer months I did manage to make a seaweed scrap cardigan for 3 Wishes fairy festival and I did manage a few blouses from vintage table cloths

As always one of my main goals is to always use upcycled, repurposed and second hand fabric that might otherwise be heading for the landfill

06/05/2026

What might not be obvious when you see these skirts being worn is quite how large they are. These are ankle length full circle skirts and I cut them from large pieces of fabric, no seams, with a circle cut for the waist.
Full circle skirts are without a doubt the very best for twirling!
This skirt base is made from a photography drop cloth that was kindly donated to me. The scales are hand cut free hand which means I can get as many as possible from each piece of fabric, they are all different sizes and cut on all angles of the fabric to reduce waste
This particular skirt comprises scales cut from:
Old velvet curtains
A damaged black velvet scarf
Gold sequin offcuts from when I shortened someone’s trousers
an orange cotton dress that had a stain
The decorative trim of an old duvet cover
Upholstery offcuts
Leftover scraps from a merry go round costume
Donated satin scraps
Drill cotton left over from another circle skirt I made
Gold lace from a charity shop top
And many many other scraps with a history that to many would have been considered only good enough for throwing away.
Making these skirts takes me hours and hours but I love seeing them come together and it gives me great satisfaction to keep so much fabric out of landfill.

I’ve got one……possibly two more left to make……….

26/04/2026

Four of the six scale skirts I have made in the last 12 months, these are labors of love, gifted to some special people, made in my spare time and when motivation strikes

Each one individual, each one created to reflect the tails of these wonderful mermaids as they take to the land to enjoy two legger events

Each one is created from totally repurposed materials, bed sheet and table cloth bases with scales hand cut from all manner of items, some from my scrap stash, many from charity shops and car boot sales, when the textures and colors are just right I’ll cut up anything: blouses, skirts, dresses, trousers, items that have been discarded by a previous owner and are ready for a new life, there are satins and sequins and velvets and cords, cottons, chiffons and even spandex and always a scale of Cornish Tartan 🖤🤍

These skirts take around 25-30 hours each to cut and sew, not to mention the hours spent trawling for fabric, I always say never again but I think there’s one more I have to make first…..

Thank you to Mischief the Mermaid Porthleven Mermaid Kara-Hope Mermaid and Storm The Siren of The Newquay Merpod for styling and modelling their skirts so beautifully. My fingers might be sore but my heart is happy 💚

04/03/2026

Where are your pants taking you!
These ones are keeping cheeks cosy in Oulu as Tracie and her friends head to the Winter Swimming World Championships

For the unaware, like me, Oulu is in Northern Finland and Google tells me it’s a glorious 4 degrees today

Good luck Tracie 🏊‍♀️❄️

27/02/2026

I’ve got 3 pairs of Cornish tartan pants left
2 medium
1 large
These are in Cornish hunting tartan and can be with you by St Pirans Day 🖤🤍🖤

17/02/2026

09/02/2026

Cornish tartan pants out for a splash yesterday

This is Cornish hunting tartan with colors of green, blue and red in the design

£15 per pair

03/02/2026

I love making pants, and even more so I love wearing them but I really hate taking photos of them and listing them here asking you to buy them. Flat pants make me sad and taking photos doesn’t spark joy, which is why I love when you send me photos of happy pants on your adventures!

Anyway I’ve made some pants and there bee stacking up so I have to take some photos and pop on here and ask you to buy some as otherwise I’ll be buried in a work room of flat unhappy pants just waiting for their adventures

Valentines, galentines, St Pirans day and Easter are all upcoming and pants are the perfect gift for yourself or loved ones 💚

So here goes….

19/01/2026

Happy pants
£15 each or 3 pairs for £40
£3.50 postage

15/01/2026

Sizing

A few people have asked about sizing, I'm not a great fan of high street dress sizing as I'm sure sometimes they just throw a number at a label and see what sticks - and we all have experience of being a certain size in one shop only to be another altogether in the shop next door!
So I thought I would share this photo of actual real life bums in pants
Meet the beautiful and perfect bottoms of (from left)
Kelly - Small happy pants dress size 8,
Fran - Medium Happy Pants dress size 10ish
Me - Large Happy Pants - dress size 14ish
Madeline - Extra Large Happy Pants - dress size 18-20ish

As you can see everyone regardless of size or weight distribution can wear a Happy Pant without a we**ie, nice full comfy coverage! These pants have plenty of stretch and give often described as like wearing a hug! Perfect for post swimming as seen here!

If you are a current Happy Pants wearer I would love for you to share what size you wear and what high street dress size you wear as this may help some new customers to choose which size to go for

Perfect post swim pants
Night swimming with this fabulous range of happy bums

Small🌸
Medium 🍄
Large 💚
Extra large ⚓️