Sewing Tips, Tutorials, Projects and Events

We're drawing to the end of summer here in the UK and an odd time to be sewing a jersey playsuit. However, with a winter sun holiday just around the corner and a need to top up on those poolside garments it was just the ticket. A lovely quick, easy sew, massively comfortable to wear and available in full length trouser versions too.

As a specialist sewing machine dealer for over 15 years we've helped many customers to overcome stitch quality problems. In our experience the vast majority of problems can be easily resolved at home by following these 7 tips.

I've been talking about sewing a shirt dress since time began and the Penny dress by Sew Over It was always on the shortlist. A super simple sew it was a great way to test the water in the shirt dress world and I'm pleased to report I love it!

Having the right tools for the job can make such a difference to any sewing task, especially when it comes to sewing machine feet. Ok it is possible to complete most tasks with a very limited selection of feet, but use the feet designed with the specific task in mind and they can take it from tricky and time consuming to fun and easy. Here I share my top five sewing machine feet, which save me time and my sanity! Continue reading →

The Burda 6344 jersey sundress has been on my radar since it was released last summer. So many of the features immediately jumped out at me - the V neck created by the wrap dress design plus twisted spaghetti straps and it's for jersey fabrics AKA ultimate comfort. Tick, tick, tick! Let me tell you all about the making of this lovely dress.

It's time for some fabric loving folks! This month I've picked out a few of my favourites for summer and, as always, I make suggestions for sewing patterns to pair them with.

I would argue the Ogden cami by True Bias is one of the most well known and well loved sewing patterns on the indie pattern scene. As summer rolls round it seems to gather in popularity each year, popping up left, right and centre on my Instagram feed. Finally I got around to making one and I'm so pleased it lived up to expectations.

We can hardly believe it, but this month we celebrate 15 years of Sew Essential! From a kitchen table start up by our very own Mother Son partnership, Angela and Ed, we have certainly come a long way. As a thank you to our valued customers we're running a prize draw where you can win a whopping £730 worth of sewing goodies, including an M50 QDC Janome sewing machine. Read on to find out how you can be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize.

If you're going to the trouble of making a garment it's worth taking the time to achieve a good fit from your sewing pattern. One of the key areas of focus is the bust and by learning a few simple sewing pattern adjustments it is easier than you might think. In this week's video I show you how to raise or lower a bust dart and explain why you might want to do this.

I honestly think this Seren sundress by Tilly and the Buttons in our cotton lawn fabric is my all time favourite summer dress. Multiple views, a definite retro vibe and a fit that feels elegant yet totally wearable it is a wardrobe winner.