If you use a lot of commercial sewing patterns then like me you probably get frustrated that every time you move around your work, the pattern paper takes off and floats away from where you are tying to pin it down. Well, no more! I have been meaning to make some of these useful little weights for ages, they are really handy when you are working out the initials layout of a pattern but aren’t ready to pin yet. They are super easy to make and with the addition of dried lavender, are deliciously scented too. Here’s a step by step tutorial of how to make pattern weight, this is a great little project for kids and a great way to use those pretty little scraps that you can’t bear to throw away. I started by making a nice cup of tea, a had a sneaky cookie (which by the... read more
I was out shopping and spotted this beautiful wool/cashmere mix in Ditto. I knew it wasn’t a good idea for me to make a garment (such a fine, loose weave wool is fairly disastrous when you have pets), so I bought a square and decided to make a shawl. It is such simple thing to do, and allows you wear a piece of fabric you love without making a long term commitment. You could still turn it into something else later. First step was to straighten the grain. Pull one thread from the selvedge of the fabric near the cut edge, I used tweezers to ensure only grabbing one thread… When you pull the thread out it will leave a slight ‘shadow’ giving you a perfectly true line to cut along. Select a very narrow zig zag stitch… Once the edge is cut true, zig zag stitch along parallel to... read more
This is a fairly common alteration but a little time consuming and quite fiddly. Having said that if you have a beautiful jacket but the sleeves are too long it’s really useful to be able to do this job at home, follow this tutorial to achieve a professional finish and save money having it altered by a tailor. You may be feeling a bit daunted but don’t worry, I’ve even taught relative beginners to tackle this alteration in my classes. Note: All of the pictures for this tutorial are featuring a left hand sleeve, First things first, establish the new desired hem line. Try the jacket on and pin it up to the level you’d like it… For a classic man’s jacket this is just about skimming the top of the hand, leaving space for a bit of shirt cuff to show at the wrist, like so… Take the jacket off and transfer the hemline... read more
As we charge ahead into autumn, I’ve been looking back at the glorious summer we had. It’s been all go in the studio, and it’s about time I shared with you some of the amazing work that my students have produced. We’ve had an array of beautiful dresses (some of which have travelled to far-flung places)…. A fabulous collection of shirts… Summery gorgeousness… And some lovely things for little people… And then of course there was Jade’s Prom dress, wow! If you’ve been inspired and think you’d like to learn to make your own clothes then get in touch… Book here to join on one of our courses. See you next week, happy sewing!
