This week I'm pleased to bring you my latest make - a crepe de chine blouse. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the fabric and adapting the pattern to my liking not to mention adding another leopard print garment to my wardrobe. I mean a girl can never have enough leopard print, can she?! Continue reading →
Depending on who you are and how busy your social calendar is, party season is either already upon you or fast approaching. So what are you making? Probably something shiny, glitzy or all of the above. Slippery fabrics like crepe de chine, silk and satin make dreamy party attire, but they can be a nightmare to sew. Not if you follow our top tips for sewing with slippery fabrics. They'll make all your party dress dreams can come true. Continue reading →
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. Continue reading →
Looking for some inspo for sewing projects to brighten up your Autumn Winter wardrobe? Want to make garments you'll wear time and time again? Here I share my favourite Autumn Winter makes, which I'm reaching for week after week. Tried and tested and very much loved. I hope you like them too! Continue reading →
As soon as this delicious mustard (ok saffron, but I keep calling it mustard) John Kaldor peaseblossom fabric landed at Sew Essential HQ I knew I had to make something with it. There is just something about mustard in the Autumn that I find comforting. Weird? Probably. In fact I never really wear yellow at any other time of year, but in the Autumn I'm all about my mustard jumper or my mustard striped T, both of which were worn whilst sewing the mustard coloured dress. Besides the glorious colour I knew the quality of this lightweight crepe would be second to none. I mean you just can't go wrong with John Kaldor. Continue reading →
Bias binding is a quick, easy and neat way to finish raw edges in areas such as necklines, armholes or sleeves. In this article we share five (yes five) ways you can finish a raw edge with a binding depending on your preference. Continue reading →
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. Continue reading →
It was my birthday on Monday and as a rare treat I spent the whole day shopping with Mom excitedly perusing the new autumn winter trends. I walked amongst the rails of my favourite high street stores mentally picking out patterns and fabrics I could use to recreate the looks my way. Sewing is such fun isn't it?! Here's a round up of the key trends I spotted and the patterns and fabrics you can use to bring your handmade wardrobe bang up to date. Continue reading →
Like it or not the seasons will be changing so here's our first instalment of Autumn Winter 2018 fabrics. This is just a snippet of the full range, but it's enough to get the creative juices flowing. Settle down, grab a cuppa and be prepared to swoon. Continue reading →
This August Bank Holiday weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Sewing Weekender for the third year in a row. Organised by the lovely ladies at the Foldline and Charlotte of the 'English Girl at Home' blog it is a real treat. Find out what we did, who was there and why I love this piece of sewing heaven so much. Continue reading →
One trend that could not have passed me by this year is the paperbag waist - on shorts, trousers and skirts everywhere. I love the nod to the 90s (my hey day) and it seemed like a very wearable trend. Whilst pondering all things paperbag I simultaneously spotted the need for more shorts for my winter sun holiday in October. Then I remembered a new Simplicity pattern release I shared on Instagram stories a while back, which would have this trend all wrapped up. Continue reading →
The range of sewing machine presser feet on the market today can be quite bewildering! However, understanding the capabilities can be incredibly eye opening for everyone from beginners to experienced sewists. I've known people who have struggled with a particular sewing task for 40 years then discovered a presser foot that takes all the stress out of that particular technique. Less frown lines, surely that's a good thing? Not only do presser feet solve sewing struggles, but they can also help you to really make a project your own by adding unique and imaginative details like never before. This may create smile lines, but we can live with those, right?! We are passionate about helping people to make these discoveries so wrote this handy ultimate guide to sewing machine feet. As you can imagine this is a rather substantial article so we've also included a handy quick reference table to help you to jump around the article and find the bits you are interested in. Continue reading →
