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: Wednesday 6th December

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: Saturday 9th December

 EUROPE: Friday 15th December

UK STANDARD DELIVERY: Wednesday 20th December

UK EXPRESS DELIVERY: Thursday 21st December 1PM

Thursday 21st is the last date that I'll be sending out orders, any orders placed after 1pm on Thursday 21st will be sent out on Thursday 4th January 2018.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your custom and for supporting my small business throughout 2017.

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Best wishes,

Karen xx

I'm excited to have recently added a selection of sewing patterns from the FW17 Earth Science Collection by Named Clothing.

This Collection is a tribute to nature and science, taking inspiration from the natural sciences, especially geology and in particular minerals, which are represented by the use of geometric shapes and the organic layered lines of the individual pieces.

As I've come to expect from sisters Saara and Laura, the founders and designers behind Named, the pieces in this collection are all exquisitely designed with the idea of creating fashion forward handmade pieces. A variety of intriguing cuts and structures have been used, which are not only visually appealing but also technically fascinating and modern.

Every single design has been so well considered, I particularly like the attention to detail and the love that has clearly gone into every single design.

Take the Gemma Maxi Dress and Sweater, above, for example, with it's geometric panelling on the front which really adds to the overall look of both the dress and the sweater, where some of the panel pieces have been called out in a contrasting fabric.

The bomber jacket has been on-trend for the last two years and I love that Named have taken this style and turned it into a striking dress.... the Beryl Bomber Dress which features a v-nck with a wide rib knit collar in a nod to the bomber, a zip through fastening at the front together with elasticated cuffs and waist.

The Stella Dress is a feminine floaty style with a pussy bow tie and a vent at the neckline, which you can see above. It also features both an elasticated waist and cuffs..... transluscent fabric is used for the shell of the dress, which is lined.

By contrast the Stella Blouse has a triangular collar, as pictured below. I really like that Named haven't simply used the same collar for both the dress and blouse for this 2 in 1 style. The narrow cuffs have pleats which fasten with snaps and the blouse itself also fastens with snaps at the front.

The Stella Blouse, is paired below with the Gaia Quilted Coat which is a loose fitting lined style with contrast panels at the sides and back. These aren't visible in the lifestyle shot below, so do take a look at the product page where you can see additional photos.

The Collection, although made up of very different individual pieces, really does work as a cohesive range. I hope you'll be as impressed as me and be inspired to add at least one or two to your sewing list.... the dilemma is which ones to choose.... whatever you decide on..... happy sewing!

Photos: Named Clothing

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As soon as I saw this very distinctive Brush Paint fabric by Kokka Fabrics, I knew that I had to have it for our online store.

The contrast border and painterly brush strokes in subtle tones are what drew me to this fabric. I could see such a lot of potential in this design simply by cutting the fabric on the "cross-grain' and turning the contrast selvedge edge into the border hem of a garment.

As the Black and Gray colourway has proved to be as popular with our customers as it is with me, I've just added another two colourways, Blue and Light Beige and Dark Green and Light Beige, as shown above.

For my first project with this fabric I chose to make The Scout Tee by Grainline Studio. For me, the fabric is so striking that a simple silhouette is all that's needed in order to allow the design to take centre stage.

I'm so pleased with the end result, it looks even better than I'd anticipated, so much so that I'm now busy planning what to make with one of the new colourways...

Other styles that I think would work equally well by cutting on the "cross-grain" include The Willow Tank, The Trapeze Dress, The Raglan Dress & Top and The Strand Coat. I think a skirt could also look very striking in this fabric, the Colette Zinnia Skirt for example would look stunning.

That said, you can, of course, use this fabric effective by cutting along the grain-line. A centre seam, for example, could be put to really good use to create an interesting design detail.

If the style you have in mind doesn't have a centre seam it's really easy to add one in. Instead of cutting your pattern on the fold, simply cut 2 separate pieces, but remember to add on the seam allowance through the central seam.

Alternatively, you can position the contrast selvedge border to one side of your garment which would look equally striking. In the image above, I've laid a length of the fabric vertically over the top that I made to try and give an idea of how this might look.

As you can see there are lots of interesting possibilities with these fabrics... when I started writing this piece I had in mind to make a Willow Tank with the border selvedge positioned at the bottom, like my Scout Tee. However, having spent some time exploring the various possibilities for this statement fabric, I now think that I'll make something with the selvedge border detail to one side of the garment. I'd love to see what you make with yours, please do send in a photo via the contact page.... happy sewing!

We've been desperate to get our hands on the new 2017 Collection by nani IRO for weeks now! Numerous inquires and emails later, and we've at least managed to get hold of these three to tide you all over until the main delivery arrives next month.

Firstly, there's Saaaa Saaa in Shimanto, pictured below, which is an update of one of Naomi Ito's original designs. We particularly like the hand drawn and sketched quality of this new print, in tones of purplish blue on a soft cream, it really is a beautifully fresh design!

The second fabric is a new colourway of the over-sized statement floral design Komoreb, Sea Sing, a rich vibrant print in rich tones of teal, with flowers in whote with pops of purple which together make a great summer colour combination.

Last, but by no means least, we've the new colourway of Ori-Some, Kujakuao in vibrant teals on soft aqua.

As we mentioned before we'll be adding other new fabrics from the 2017 Collection in the coming weeks and months, in the meantime you can keep up to date by following us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.