We've just road tested the Colette By Walden Negroni Shirt Pattern, and even if we say so ourselves we're pretty pleased with the end result!

For our make, we chose the short sleeved version, but the pattern comes with a long sleeved version too, finished with a placket and cuff. We decided to made ours in our Organic Cotton Gingham in Navy.

This is the first Colette sewing pattern that we've used and we have to say that we were really impressed. The instructions for the pattern are in a spiral-bound booklet, making it really easy to use, and it has a pocket at the back to store the pattern pieces once you've used them.

We love that the pattern instructions include lots of ideas for customising your sewing project to make it your own. Plus they also refer you to their website for free downloadable variations, such as the pockets for this shirt.

The instructions are really comprehensive, taking you through each step in the process of making a well crafted shirt. The instructions also include handy tips, such as how to make perfectly formed patch pockets by cutting a template out of cardboard to help with pressing, simply make it the same size as your pocket piece, minus the folds and seam allowances as we've done below.

We customised our shirt by cutting the pockets on the bias, as shown below, and we used the Small Check Gingham, again in Navy, for the underside of the collar and the inner back yoke. Even small details like these can take your make to a new level; and give you the chance to get creative!

This was the first time we'd tackled a garment with an inner back yoke, however our concerns were soon put to rest, as the step by step instructions and illustrations are really clear and before we knew it the need was done!!

The other sewing process that we tried before was "felled seams" these give a long-lasting durable finish and they also give a look very professional to your garment. Again, there are really good instructions for these, seperated out in the sidebar, so that they can easily be referred to, so nothing to fear!

These seams are used for both the sleeve and side seams. Once that's done it's pretty straightforward assuming you've made buttonholes before. It's simply a question of hemming the sleeves and body of the shirt, stitching the buttonholes and attaching the buttons.

We stock quite a few different "crossweave" fabrics here at The Draper's Daughter and really like the two-tone look that using two different coloured threads creates when the fabric is woven.

Fabric is woven from two sets of thread (known as "warp" and "weft") going in different directions. Warp is the set of lengthwise threads, which run up and down the length of the fabric; in the manufacturing process they're held in tension on a frame or a loom. The thread that is then inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft. In the image below shows a close up of our Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Indigo, the warp threads are Navy and the weft are the Light Cream.

Crossweaves then, are fabrics woven with different coloured warp and weft threads which have been yarn dyed before the fabric is made. This gives a softer "chambray" look when compared to an equivalent solid coloured fabric.  

Pictured above are the two Robert Kaufman Essex Linens that we stock in Steel, both made using the same shade of grey. The yarn dyed, crossweave version at the top has been woven with a light cream coloured weft yarn, and looks significantly paler than the solid version of the same colour below which has been woven with the Steel thread for both the warp and weft.

In terms of the crossweaves that we stock, our first collection needs no introduction, pictured above are our Organic Cotton Crossweaves. These fabrics are hand woven in India on small power looms, using 100% Organic Cotton.

Then we have the Yarn Dyed Essex Linens by Robert Kaufman, as pictured above. These are a heavier weight than the Organic Crossweaves and perfect for both dressmaking and soft furnishing projects.

We hope this post has inspired you to use crossweaves in one of your future sewing projects, and we'd love to see what you make, please send us your photos via the contact page.

Even before we launched, it was an aspiration of mine to promote ethically sourced fabrics. Sourcing them though, has proved to be quite tricky, especially as a small independent business. However we have never given up on our desire to find fair trade fabrics.

So, I'm really pleased that we've just added our first ethical fabrics to the website. These Ikat fabrics were produced in a small weaving village in Thailand. The company we are working with ensure that fair wages are paid to the those producing these wonderful fabrics, directly supporting this community.

The fabrics themselves have been spun, dyed and woven entirely by hand, it takes approximately four hours to weave one metre of fabric. Despite the traditional hand-weave methods used to create these fabrics, the designs themselves are fashion-forward and modern.

Initially, we've added two designs to our collection. Choose from the Navy Zig Zag with it's subtle highlights of red, yellow, green and ochre; or the Chambray Broken Stripe with it's mix of traditional pinstripes and broken stripes in white and light blue.

Both designs are a medium-weight with a beautiful drape. The fabrics have been yarn dyed, which means that the yarns were dyed before the fabrics were woven. The yarns used are fairly thick which gives it a slight texture and you can see the woven pattern really clearly.

The weight and design of these fabrics lend themselves to both dressmaking and soft furnishings, perfect we think, for some summer sewing!

Today is the start of Fashion Revolution Week, an initiative born as a result of the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 24th April 2013 when 1,134 were killed, and more than 2,500 were injured.  

This complex housed garment factories on each floor, most of whom produced goods for European high street retailers.

The aim of this week is to use fashion to bring people from around the world together to bring about change for the people who make our clothes. Fashion Revolution are encouraging us, as consumers, to be curious about "Who Made My Clothes" - who grew the cotton, who spun the threads, who dyed the fabric and who sewed them together. #whomademyclothes

So this week, use social media to show your label and ask the brand who made your clothes - #WhoMadeMyClothes? For more information on how you can get involved visit the Fashion Revolution website.

I know from many years spent working in the fashion industry, that this is a complex issue, and one not easily solved by retailers alone, governments need to take a more pro-active role too.

That said, if a garment only costs a few pounds to buy, as a consumer you have to question how retailers are able to sell goods at such a low price. And this doesn't just apply to finished garments, but to all consumer goods, including fabric too.

The Neckerchief is proving to be one of the "Must Have" items for the season. Whether it's plain, polka-dot, floral, paisley or patterned, it really is the perfect accessory!

Our Nani Iro for Kokka double gauze fabrics are perfect, however any lightweight fabric will work equally well. The great thing is, that depending on the size of neckerchief you'd like to make, you'll only need one Fat Quarter, or at the most three quarters of a metre of fabric, so they're a fantastic way of updating an outfit for very little money!

The finished measurements for our neckerchief are 45cm X 45cm; however we have seen others which measure 65cm X 65cm, so it's really a question of the end look that you'd like to achieve.

You will need:

• One Fat Quarter of your chosen fabric, or fabric to enable you to achieve the size you'd like. For ours, we're using Nani Iro for Kokka's Joy Flower
• Cotton Thread, either tonal or a contrast depending on the effect you'd like to create, we've used the 100% Organic Cotton Thread in Black

To make:

Firstly, you'll need to pre-wash your fabric before starting.

Then cut your fabric to make a 48cm square. The best way to cut clean, straight lines is with a rotary cutter and a quilting ruler on a self healing cutting mat. However, if you don't have these tools you can use a pair of good dressmaking scissors. Make a paper template to the desired size, so for ours it would be 48cm X 48cm.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, turn a 7mm hem on all four sides, as shown below. Press.

Turn the hem again and press once more. You'll now have a double hem, as you can see below. 

Once the fabric has cooled, unfold all the edges. Use the fold lines as a guide to trim the corners by carefully cutting a triangle to prevent the corners from being too bulky. You need to be careful not to cut too close to the corner of the handkerchief when the hem is turned as you don't want it to fray.

Re-fold, making sure to tuck in any frayed edges. Pin the corners to secure it for sewing.

Then using a straight stitch, stitch 5mm in from the outer edge of the handkerchief, making sure you back-stitch at the start and finish. At the corners make sure you leave the needle in the down position, lift the presser foot and pivot the handkerchief 90 degrees to ensure a crisp corner, sew all four sides in this way. 

And there you have it! So simple and a great way to update your existing wardrobe. Why not try one for yourself in one of our Nani Iro fabrics or perhaps one of the Merchant and Mills hand block printed fabrics?