It's been a long time coming but finally The Great British Sewing Bee is back on our TV screens! As before, the fifth series features 10 amateur sewists, who have been described described by Patrick Grant, as the most talented group yet, and they're all keen to win the title of the best home sewer.
Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young are joined this year by Joe Lycett, who replaces Claudia Winkleman as the host. Each week the contestants have to complete three challenges designed to put their skills to the test with different garments and fabrics.
There's a different theme each week, however the format of the tasks remains the same, and these are: Pattern Challenge, Transformation Challenge and finally Made to Measure.
The theme for Week 1 was Cotton and the tasks for were definitely more challenging than in previous years. The first challenge was the Wiggle Dress comprising of 12 pattern pieces... no mean feat for your first make when you're under the glare of the camera. Next, a denim up-cycling challenge!
The final task was the jumpsuit... on trend for SS19 and very much on my "to make' list! It was really interesting to see how different they all looked. My favourite was Juliet's one shoulder version!
We've several jumpsuit patterns including the Yari by True Bias, which, at the moment is top of my list, shown above left, the Burnside Bibs by Sew House Seven are another option, as is the Helga Wrap Playsuit, above right, by Named Clothing.
The 2019 Collection by Nani Iro launched in Japan mid February and, I'm excited to say, our stock arrives here in the UK in early March!
Designed by the artist Naomi Ito, for Kokka Fabrics, these designs have a beautifully distinctive painterly quality to them. This Collection sees the return of some favourites from previous seasons which have been re-coloured, alongside several new designs. A carefully edited colour palette ensures all the designs sit together cohesively.
One of our favourite designs, Lei Nani, has been re-coloured, and looks really fresh in green as pictured below.
The bold abstract painterly stripe design Grace is another design that has been re-coloured this year as has Wild Flower and the large scale floral design Fuccra.
There are plenty of new designs too including Temps, a subtle colour blocked design overlaid with a delicate botanical design, as shown below.
I think this is her best collection yet... though I think perhaps I say that every season! For further information about the launch date for this fabulous new collection follow us on Instagram or Facebook or sign up for our newsletter.
In the meantime, you can view our current collection by clicking here.
Come and join us at The Knitting and Stitching Show 2019 at Olympia, London, this Spring.
Use the code SPRING11 to get £2.00 OFF advance full priced ticket prices... you can purchase your tickets online by clicking here, or alternatively, you can call 0844 581 1319 and quote the code SPRING11.
The show, which runs from Thursday 28th February to Sunday 3rd March 2019, is the definitive event for anyone with a passion for textile based crafts. If you love dressmaking, knitting or textile based crafts then this is THE show for you!
The show will be showcasing a sneak peak of the ‘Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous’ exhibition that will be on display at the Fashion & Textile Museum in September of this year to celebrate her fifty years in fashion along with the professionally curated textile galleries.
The Knitting & Stitching Show champions creativity with hundreds of workshops, demonstrations and interactive features on offer as well as 200 exhibitors, including us, selling specialist craft supplies.
I'll be there with a thoughtfully selected range of our beautiful designer fabrics including Nani Iro, Kokka, Atelier Brunette and Lady MeElroy to name a few, together with indie sewing patterns including brands such as Merchant and Mills along with the relatively new Swedish brand The Assembly Line, both big favourites of mine. You can find out more about the ethos behind The Assembly Line by clicking here.
You'll find us on Stand F52 in the West Hall, please do come along and say hello....
I know that the festive period is a very busy time for everyone so here's some information and a useful guide to let you know the last dates that you'll need to place your orders by to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas!
ASIA & FAR EAST: Friday 7th December
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: Monday 10th December
EUROPE & USA: Friday 14th December
UK 2ND CLASS DELIVERY: Monday 17th December
UK 1ST CLASS DELIVERY: Wednesday 19th December
UK EXPRESS DELIVERY: Thursday 20th December 12PM
Please note that Thursday 20th is the last date that I'll be sending out orders... any orders placed after 1PM on Thursday 20th will be sent out on Thursday 3rd January 2019.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your custom and for supporting my small business throughout 2018.
Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
I was so inspired by Merchant and Mill's pattern hack of their Top 64 Sewing Pattern, to make a short sleeved dress, that I just had to make one for myself!
This really is a very straightforward, and quick, pattern hack... first of all, you need to work out what length you'd like your finished dress to be. I chose mine to finish just above the knee.
Next, trace off the front and back lower panel pattern pieces, minus the hem edge. I used dot and cross paper to trace on to, but baking or parchment paper will work equally well.
Extend both the centre-front and side seams to the desired length (I added 24cm), remember that the hem is already factored in. For the lower edge of these panels, follow the original line of the top panel pieces which curve up slightly towards the sides.
If you want to make the dress with long sleeves then that's the only modification you need to make; and all the other pattern pieces remain the same.
However, if you'd like to make a short sleeved dress then again, you need decide on the desired finished sleeve length. As before trace off the two sleeve pattern pieces.
For my dress I used the Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Graphite with Lt Beige top-stitching, I've used our 100% Organic Cotton Thread in Beige. Apart from adapting the pattern pieces mentioned above, the instructions for sewing remain the exactly the same.
The other change I made was to swap the neck facings for a binding, this was purely a personal choice, I'm just not a big fan of these facings. I chose to make a feature of the bias binding and used one of the cotton sateen fabrics from the Beau Yin Yang Collection by nani IRO, to give added hanger appeal.
I also added top-stitching around the neck for a contemporary look.
It's a while since I made my original Top 64 and I have to confess I'd forgotten what a fabulous pattern this is to sew up.... now that I've made a short sleeved dress I'm thinking that a long sleeved version would be lovely for Winter... because of the panel interest I personally feel that this style is particularly well suited to plainer fabrics, the Metallic Essex Linens would look fabulous, as would Corduroy, a Flannel fabric would make for a super cosy top, or for a more casual look Denim would work equally well too... next up for me is a long sleeved dress version in denim, you can buy the pattern to make your own version by clicking here.