Articles

It's so great when someone has a hobby like sewing and you can give them a Christmas gift they truly want to receive - right? Only problem is you need to know what to buy. For anyone out there who is scratching their head (or who wants to help someone scratching their head with a few subtle hints and a gentle nudge!) read on for our favourite Christmas sewing gifts.

You've decided you'd like to start sewing (yippee!) but what sewing tools do you need? Like any new hobby you want to have the necessary equipment to make it easy and enjoyable, but you don't want to spend a fortune in case it doesn't work out (trust us, it will!) Here's our no nonsense guide to getting that balance juuuuust right.

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.

One of our favourite blogs/vlogs of the year is always trend spotting for the new season then scouring our site for the patterns and fabrics you can use to make them - your way. As always the focus is on wearable rather than eccentric and we've tried to think how the pieces we've chosen can work together too. Grab a cuppa and get ready for some sewing inspo.

Where on earth has the time gone? The final of the Great British Sewing Bee 2019 already?! I couldn't wait to see how Leah, Riccardo and Juliet got on in the evening wear challenges. I had my own ideas who would produce the most beautiful evening attire and be crowned Britain's best home sewer, but you just never know...

We are less than a week away from the hotly awaited Great British Sewing Bee series 5 airing. I haven't sensed this much anticipation or excitement since surrounded by a bunch of under sevens on Christmas Eve. With a new host (Joe Lycett) and ten new contestants we are in for a real treat. Let's find out a little bit about the chosen ones and the first set of challenges they'll face...

A New Year is a great excuse to reflect and plan, especially when it comes to sewing. Ok I realise I am a little late to the party here, but surely  it's never too late to take stock and look back on how you got on with your sewing goals for the year? Find out how I got on against my plans and what I've learned from reviewing them. I love doing this every year and find it uncovers some surprising facts.

Christmas is such a lovely time for many of us. Cherished time spent with family and friends, exchanging gifts and making memories. For me, remembering those who are less fortunate is also an incredibly important part of Christmas. Each year I make personal donations to children's charities in the hope I can make a child's Christmas that little bit better. This year I wanted to do more.

Velvet has had a serious comeback in recent years and is the perfect fabric for your autumn winter wardrobe. It is soft and warm against the skin making it perfect for everyday wear, but also packs some serious punch in the glamour stakes - hello knock out evening dress!

In this article we'll give you our top tips for sewing with velvet, share our sexy new velvet fabrics and give you some serious inspo and and ideas for projects using this delicious fabric.

If you've ever wondered about an embroidery machine - how do you use one? How expensive are they? What would I make? Which is the best embroidery machine for me? Then this video is for you. Together with Caroline from Husqvarna Viking we give you a quick overview to show you how much fun you could be having with an embroidery machine. We also cover all of these points in detail in the written article below.