I actually sewed this Butterick dress up way before Christmas, but my love for it hasn't waned one bit. I wore it to the Sew Essential Christmas party, my friend's dad's 70th birthday party (rock and roll!) and will be wearing it tonight for a night out with the girls. Read on to find out why I love it so much and some super interesting construction methods too. Continue reading →
Most modern sewing machines come with the option for sewing a one step buttonhole. This means the machine will create the right sized buttonhole for your button in, you guessed it, one step. In this tutorial we'll show you step by step how to sew it. Continue reading →
This week I'm super excited to bring you a round up of all my sewing in 2019 in one fun (I hope!) fashion show. You can see 24 garments in four minutes with a bit of chat at the end on what I learned, how I progressed and how I plan to take my sewing forward. Continue reading →
I know we all love pockets, but sometimes on tight fitting jeans, jeggings or skirts I want the design feature, but not the bulk of a real pocket bag. If you look on your ready to wear garments they will often feature a false pocket for this very reason. Here's how to create your own and bust some scraps at the same time. Continue reading →
Hello again, I hope you all had a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year? I have quite a backlog of sewing projects to share with you and thought I'd get started with this Jalie knit shift dress. Comfortable and easy to wear it was versatile enough to fit the bill for Christmas day with all the family and a Pearl Jam tribute gig, what a winner! Continue reading →
Unpicking overlocker and coverstitch stitches isn't fun, but it's a lot easier and quicker if you know how. Having said that, no matter how many times I do it I always have to remind myself how to do it so I thought I'd write it down and share it with you lovely folk. Maybe that way it will stick?! Continue reading →
Although some sewers find them a daunting prospect, knit and jersey fabrics are great to sew with, even if you don't have an overlocker. They are comfortable to wear, more forgiving on fit and they don't fray plus there are so many knit and jersey fabrics and sewing patterns to choose from these days too. Here are our top tips for getting professional results every time. Continue reading →
Everyone needs a little sparkle in their wardrobe and a simple sequin top is a great way to try sewing with sequins. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and love the end result too, which has already been worn on a night out with the girls and inspired some terrible Mom dancing. Continue reading →
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. Continue reading →
This week I'm sharing the new sewing patterns we've added to the site in the last month. We have a new issue from Butterick and also a new pattern from Sew Liberated. I was really impressed with the Butterick new season release and have a top pattern, a coat pattern, a jumpsuit pattern and a dress pattern to share with you plus the new Estuary skirt pattern from Sew Liberated. As always I'll share fabrics you could pair them with and everything I share is available on our site and the links are below. Continue reading →
Nothing excites me as much as the ever increasing number of people who want to start sewing and dressmaking. Thanks to a thriving online sewing community, craft and sewing focused TV programmes and a wider understanding of how these activities can benefit your mental health and general wellbeing more and more people are getting the bug. Ok, you're sold, but just how do you start sewing? Continue reading →
There was a time in my life when the Hudson pants would never have been on my to sew list. The most comfortable thing I had in my wardrobe was a pair of skinny jeans. These days I'm still a lover of dressing up, but when I get home after a long day I neeeeeeed comfort. The Hudsons well and truly tick this box and (I think) they look great too - yay! Read on to find out all about this perfect cosy loungewear pattern and why I love it so much. Continue reading →
