Sew Essential Blog

Last year I met a lovely lady called Anne. Anne is a Technical Tutor on the Textiles: Innovation and Design degree course at Loughborough University and has been sewing for work and pleasure for most of her life. When she invited me to view the textiles exhibition in the University Arts Degree Show 2017 I couldn't resist. A morning ogling fabric created by the bright young things set to become the designers of the future? Yes please.

Right now embroidery is brightening up accessories and clothing everywhere you turn. Shoes, handbags, tops, dresses, jeans - I've even seen it on plant pots! Not only is it incredibly pretty, it is easy to master enough hand embroidery stitches to create your very own designs. It is also a calming and therapeutic pastime, which is always a plus point in my book. Here we share 7 easy hand embroidery stitches to get you started and demonstrate how you can start to put them together to create a feminine floral design. Warning this craft is seriously addictive!

As usual this flared skirt sewing project started with some serious fabric love. When we sourced our new cotton lawn range I could not wait to get them home. The designs are truly beautiful and the quality is second to none. I fell head over heels with this floral cotton lawn immediately. The digital print was bang on trend as was the grey backdrop. Continue reading →

Using the right interfacing, tapes and waistband stiffeners will give your dressmaking projects a truly professional finish. However, the vast range of products available today can be overwhelming. It is easy to find yourself sticking to the products you know when there could be a more suitable one for the task at hand. Our range of these products is by no means exhaustive, but caters for the most common dressmaking and tailoring requirements well. We've created a handy comparison table of our interfacing range for quick reference and explore how our interfacing, waistband stiffeners and tapes can help you to get great results every time.

Hand sewn button loops and rouleau loops are such a pretty way to fasten a garment, particularly when a feminine finish is required or when working with delicate fabrics. They are ideal for the pretty summer garments we are all working on right now and are relatively easy to master so I wanted to share the love! Here is a little step by step guide on how to create them.

As promised here is the next instalment of our fabulous spring/summer fabric range. This week the John Kaldor range will have you weak at the knees!

This week I'm thrilled to bring you my contribution to the McCalls Cocktail Hour blogger tour. If you haven't already heard the McCalls pattern company have selected 20 gorgeous Vogue cocktail dress patterns for the initiative (see the list at the bottom of this post). Over the next seven months a contribution from the sale of each and every one of the designated patterns will be donated to the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises funds to fight the five women's only cancers.

To promote the initiative 26 bloggers have been selected to take part in a tour and make their favourite pattern. There is also a yummy cocktail recipe and you can share your makes and join in the fun using the hashtag #sipandsew. So grab a cuppa cocktail and have a read about my most exquisite and challenging make to date!

Our hotly awaited, glorious selection of new spring summer fabrics are now up on the site. We've had one day of balmy temperatures and it had me in a tizz! There's nothing worse than warmer weather finally arriving and then feeling like you have nothing to wear.

My spring summer handmade wardrobe is currently on hold whilst I'm beavering away on my McCalls cocktail hour dress, but that hasn't stopped my mind racing with ideas of things I would like to make. So here's some of the key catwalk trends for the current season with suggestions for the patterns and fabrics you could use to make them. Come on sunshine, we're ready for you!

Feast your eyes on our fabulous range of new dressmaking fabrics perfect for the new season. Get an idea of the drape, get inspiration for what to make and get ready to drool - they are beauties!

Ruffles are one of the key trends this season adding a hint of feminine detail to any garment. Here are our top tips for sewing them, using a gathering foot, attaching them to a garment and some of our favourite ruffle riddled sewing patterns. Whether you want to customise an existing garment or create something new ruffles will up the prettiness stakes and bring it bang up to date.