Sewing Tips, Tutorials, Projects and Events

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!

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get your hands on those special little sewing treats. Whether you’re looking for a friend or want to give someone some helpful hints we’ve hand picked our favourite Christmas sewing gifts to suit every budget.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.