Actress Dame Helen Mirren wants to try her hand at fashion design by making bath robes and frocks out of trash bags.

The Oscar winner is a keen fan of sewing and often makes clothes for her family, and now she wants to put her homely skills to good use after fashioning a robe.

She tells British magazine Notebook, "I do dressmaking. I've got my mother's old sewing machine, which I love. I make horrible things that are awful - although I did make my sister a good skirt, she liked her skirt.

"I made myself a nice dressing gown for (backstage at) the theatre too. Maybe I should have a dressing gown line, there are not enough nice dressing gowns in the world...

"I did want to (make my own dress for red carpet events) but my husband stopped me. He said, 'I am saving you from yourself', but I'm still going to do it one of these days. I am going to make a red carpet dress out of bin bags. It will be beautiful... Bin bags and duct tape."