Sewing Tips, Tutorials, Projects and Events

May was a busy month as always, but I managed to find time to focus on wearing my handmade wardrobe more - yay! I took part in Me Made May an initiative organised by a lovely blogger called Zoe to help sewists improve their relationship with their handmade wardrobe. I pledged to wear as much handmade as I could in the month of May - find out how I got on in our latest vlog.

I've been meaning to sew a wrap dress forever and I finally got around to it. Whilst looking for inspiration I stumbled across a lovely ready to wear dress and instantly knew Simplicity 8608 was just the ticket.

This double cuff tutorial is a great way to change the sleeve design of a garment. I always think a rolled up cuff looks modern and casual. A kind of 'I just threw this on, but my look is totally put together' vibe. Learn how to do it in just a few easy steps.

Summer prom and special occasion season is nearly upon us. If you are tasked with making your own or someone else's dream gown here is some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing! If your summer prom days are long behind you fear not these patterns and fabrics are also ideal for weddings, cruises and summer balls or any other special occasion. Seven stunning dress patterns and gorgeous fabrics perfect for the Belle of the ball.

It seems like Spring might just actually be here and I need something to wear! I have been so used to fumbling around in the dark to grab ANOTHER jumper each morning that I hadn't actually thought about what I might wear if the sun finally made an appearance. Well apparently there is a distinct shortage on the short sleeved top front. In other words the perfect excuse to make another item on my #makenine list - the Pendrell blouse by Sewaholic. I made it in our gorgeously pretty and drapey new viscose fabric and I love it!

Hi and welcome to the Sew Essential vlog. Today I wanted to share some of the fantastic new products we've recently added to the website. There are so many fun and inventive products to make your life easier and help you to get great results with your sewing projects. These are just a few of my favourites - I would be here all day if I tried to talk about all of them! As always the links to our website where you can find the products are below.

Buttonholes are a crucial part of many sewing projects, but can be a scary prospect. Adding buttonholes is often one of the final steps in a project making it even more nerve wracking. Get them wrong and it could spoil all of your hard work - gulp! In this article we share our top tips and techniques to keep you cool as a cucumber when completing this vital step. You never know, you might even grow to like them!

I am a big fan of blouses yet I have never owned a pussy bow blouse. Scandalous I know! Bored of the limited selection of blouses in my wardrobe I decided to whip up the Sew Over It pussy bow blouse. I heard it was a super easy make and we had some deliciously drapey viscose in stock, which was the perfect partner.

Love it or hate it, finishing seams is a crucial step in producing a well made garment. Using an overlocker or overcasting stitch on your machine are the most common techniques, but there are plenty of other fun alternatives to try. In this article we share a few of the most common seam finishing techniques that might just crank up the excitement levels when it comes to this step in your dressmaking!