Here at Sew Essential we are proud to be supporting the McCalls Pattern Company Big Vintage Sewalong. We have put together this special blog post to help you find your vintage va va voom and join in the fun! Twenty vintage sewing patterns have been selected for the sewalong and a different sewing blogger will be making their favourite design each week so why not join them? You can share your creation with others taking part via social media using #bvsewalong. There will even be a vintage tea party taking place at the Knitting & Stitching Shows at the Alexandra Palace and Harrogate in the autumn for participants to attend wearing their very own vintage creation. Not only will it be a whole lot of fun taking part in the sewalong it is for a great cause too. Money from the sale of each of the featured 20 patterns listed below will be donated to the Eve Appeal - a charity working to achieve better prevention and detection of women's cancers. Continue reading →
Finally the sun is shining (albeit a bit nippy!) and we are getting more and more excited about the sewing patterns and dressmaking fabrics that will build our spring/summer handmade wardrobe. The Butterick half price pattern starts today and New Look and Kwik Sew half price sewing pattern sales end at midnight on Sunday making it the perfect time for some spring/summer sewing inspiration. We’ve selected some of the key trends for the new season and the patterns and fabrics you can use to get the look below, but remember this is just a sneaky peak of our full range so have a good rummage and see what other gems you can find! Not only do we have hundreds of sewing patterns on offer, with prices starting at just £2.95, we also have some gorgeous new and existing fabrics in stock, plus all the haberdashery and supplies you need to whip up a new wardrobe for the new season in no time! Continue reading →
It has been busy, busy, busy here at Sew Essential HQ and between arranging our bloggers meet up (see previous post if you're interested - all welcome, booking essential) sourcing new products at the Stitches show (watch this space - coming soon!) life in general and the kids my sewing hasn't been churning out as quickly as I would like! I did manage to finish my first garment from a Tilly and the Buttons sewing pattern though - I made an Orla blouse which I love. Garment number three done and dusted! I thoroughly enjoyed making it and am really pleased with the end result. It certainly isn't perfect, but within my realistic expectations of myself as a complete beginner I'm very happy and I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of it (as long as it doesn't fall apart in the wash thanks to my amateur sewing skills!) Continue reading →
We've thoroughly enjoyed our foray into the world of blogging so far! From the Sew Brum meet up to working with some of our favourite sewing bloggers on sponsored projects and giveaways we're having a ball! Not to mention writing about our makes and sharing our top tips...so we thought it was time to host a sewing blogger meet up and combine our two great loves - sewing and cake! We've joined forces with Krafty Kat and Samantha of Crafternoon Tea Hostessto reach out to the blogging community and will be hosting a meet at Sew Essential HQ in South Derbyshire near Ashby de la Zouch on Sunday 10th April. Continue reading →
This week we're pleased to bring you the second post in our 'Essential Patchwork and Quilting Toolkit' series written by our lovely resident patchwork and quilting guru Joan! Joan gives us hints and tips for choosing the right tools for the job - perfect for those new to patchwork and quilting, but also a good opportunity to review all the options for a more experienced hobbyist. Last week Joan covered pins, needles, thread, fabric markers and thimbles and this week it's all about cutting equipment, cutting boards, rulers and templates. Over to you Joan! Continue reading →
Ever fancied having a go at quilting, but not sure what you need to get started? Already a quilter, but sometimes wonder whether you’re using the right tools and equipment? You’re in luck - our resident patchwork and quilting guru Joan is here to help you! Joan has written a series of informative posts where she goes right back to basics and explains the reasons why certain tools are preferable to others, what they are useful for and how you will use them. Even those of you who are experienced quilters and patchwork fans may benefit from a read since it easy to fall into a habit of using certain methods without ever considering an alternative. As with all sewing and crafts using the right tools can take the experience from stressful, difficult and frustrating to easy, fun and enjoyable! You never know we might just share something that could make your life a whole lot easier! Continue reading →
Hello all, we hope you’ve had a good week? Here at Sew Essential we’ve been beavering away adding new products to our website and promoting our new indie sewing pattern range - we hope you like it as much as we do?! We also couldn’t help but notice the news story on Mom’s wearing pyjamas on the school run. How is this relevant to a sewing blog you might ask, but I think any debate around fashion and clothing is relevant and interesting to those of us who like to sew their own clothes. In this article we briefly ponder how our attitudes to dress code have been revolutionised in recent decades and indulge in celebrating the glamour of yesteryear with our six most iconic vintage dress patterns. Continue reading →
Exposed zips have been ‘all the rage’ (as my Mom would say) for some time now. They are a great way to add an interesting little bit of detail to a top or dress and here we’ll show you how to go about it. Always use a good quality branded zip - the last thing you want is to have a faulty zip on your beautifully hand crafted garment you spent hours lovingly creating! Continue reading →
Once you’ve selected your sewing pattern and have cut it to size following our guidance in the ‘How to Achieve the Perfect Fit from your Sewing Pattern’ article it is time to choose, prepare and cut your fabric. Here is a step by step guide, perfect for beginners, on everything you need to know. It is worth considering (and accepting) for most sewing projects you will spend around 80% of your time preparing and 20% of your time sewing. Getting the preparation right is crucial to success - my Mom always said: ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail!’ and as always (annoyingly) she was right! Continue reading →
We’ve been writing the Sew Essential blog for a couple of months now and I hope you’ve enjoyed the mixture of ‘how to’ guides, interviews, reviews and general interest articles. As we’ve always said we want the blog to become a bank of sewing advice and tips that make it a go to resource for sewers everywhere. We also want to share my personal beginner’s sewing journey under the guidance of founder of Sew Essential and resident dressmaking guru Angela. She’s my Yoda I’m her Luke (you really can’t avoid Star Wars anywhere at the moment, even sewing blogs aren’t safe!) and I thought it was high time we shared a make on the blog so here it is! Continue reading →
Here are our top tips for sewing a lined top or bodice to achieve a truly professional finish. We're sure all the tips we share will be useful, but there is a particularly juicy, little known trick of the trade we're sharing with you! This little gem will will allow you to complete the task without any hand stitching. Sounds good right? Then let us enlighten you... Continue reading →
This is the first in a series of unique interviews with a select few super skilled sewists who also happen to be Sew Essential customers. These super sewers have turned their favourite pastime into a successful career and we’re sure you’ll enjoy having a peek into their world, hearing their stories and seeing their makes as much as we did! First up an incredible young lady called Cherilyn Leeson. Full of energy and an insatiable passion for sewing and dressmaking she is currently building and growing her bespoke dressmaking business ‘English Country Vintage’ using her experience and skills gained from a glittering career in the world of costume making. Continue reading →
