Another superb shirt made by Rachel and modelled here by Luke. Again the fabric is a quilting weight cotton which is great for casual shirts. There is a light knit interfacing in the collar, cuffs and front placket.
Rachel made this fabulous vinyl records print shirt for Luke, perfectly matching everything, of course. Shirtmaking is an art Rachel has mastered to a tee. The fabric is a quilting weight cotton which is on the heavy side for a shirt but great for casual (and fun!) projects. There is a light knit interfacing in the collar, cuffs and front placket.
Here is a close up of Rachel’s matching: (in her previous life she was a chameleon)
Beige extra-light sheer nylon knitted iron-on interfacing (stretch). Perfect for stabilising extra light fabrics including lightweight jersey and semi sheer chiffon/georgette.
White lightweight nylon knitted iron-on interfacing
Black medium weight polyamide knitted iron-on interfacing. A brilliant soft knitted interfacing for speed tailoring and general use when a soft stabilised finish is required. Use on both woven and jersey/knitted fabrics, EG medium/heavy linen, light/medium wool, medium weight cotton twill/broadcloth and jumper knits. We recommend using a pressing cloth with all fusible interfacings.
White medium weight polyamide knitted iron-on interfacing. A brilliant soft knitted interfacing for speed tailoring and general use when a soft stabilised finish is required. Use on both woven and jersey/knitted fabrics, EG medium/heavy linen, light/medium wool, medium weight cotton twill/broadcloth and jumper knits. We recommend using a pressing cloth with all fusible interfacings.
Bess made this shirt a couple of years ago for her much worse half using a Burda magazine pattern – it was a surprise for the Linen wedding anniversary and it took him a few months to actually wear it because the bib bit (according to Rob) “is a girl’s blouse” (🙄). Anyone else have this trouble with their spouses?! Bess swore she would never make anything for him ever again but then he started wearing it (it takes these boys a while to come round to the idea that we are right) and now it’s his favourite -along with another shirt in the same pattern.
Sorona mixed with linen is a lovely combo as it softens the linen and reduces the creasing -which is a good thing because Rob is scared of Bess’s gravity fed iron and Bess isn’t about to do his ironing 😉 . The colour has held true after many, many washes and unlike pure linen it doesn’t wear at the cuffs so quickly.
Sorona fibre is a new fibre made from Corn, it is a supple and stretchy filament that is mainly being marketed at performance wear.
The buttons (barely seen) are upside down abalone shell buttons, the interfacing (not seen!) is the H0023 lightweight knit which stabilises the linen enough for a button hole and collar but allows it to stay soft and floppy.
White extra-light and very soft nylon knitted iron-on interfacing (stretch) for use on sheer or lightweight woven fabrics and light/medium weight jersey and knits.
Can also be used to block and stabilise loosely woven fabrics like cardigan jacket tweeds.
Narrow strips can be cut and used as lightweight stay tapes on jersey and stretchy gartments – necklines, zip insertion, etc. Cut on the bias if you need to bend around sharp curves.
Black extra-light and very soft nylon knitted iron-on interfacing (stretch) for use on sheer or lightweight woven fabrics and light/medium weight jersey and knits.
Can also be used to block and stabilise loosely woven fabrics like cardigan jacket tweeds.
Narrow strips can be cut and used as lightweight stay tapes on jersey and stretchy gartments – necklines, zip insertion, etc. Cut on the bias if you need to bend around sharp curves.
Miaow wearing the proofed linen raincoat made for her by Jane using #32 Ottobre pattern from the winter 6/12 catalogue. It is lined in pixel daisy print quilting weight organic cotton (which adds a reasonable amount of weight). It has been top stitched with pink thread (two standard threads through the same eye of the needle), Also used: light blue buttons, a pink open end zip, and lightweight knit iron on interfacing was used in the collars and facings.
Pauline made this sweet bunny print shirt with printed quilting weight cotton. It is a Butterick pattern (6324) that has minimal/confusing instructions (it is clearly the instructions at fault and not the readers!), so Pauline came a bit unstuck working out how to do the concealed buttonhole band, but she got there in the end 🙂
The collar and cuffs are interfaced with lightweight knit iron-on interfacing
Bess made this skirt on a bit of a whim – the wool challis had been in her stash for some time (if you have ever worn wool challis you will understand why she stashes it). The petals mysteriously turned up in her handbag the morning after a somewhat riotous wedding and have been hoarded ever since. And so the skirt was born, with no idea if A) the wool was washable and B) the petals would leak colour if it was washed.
The skirt was made in an evening, the a-line pattern is an ancient Burda start pattern (3198) that has long since discontinued although Burda 8237 is pretty similar (if you get rid of the waistband), or if you lengthen 6682 (both super easy alterations). The skirt is lined in Venezia and lightweight knit interfacing was used on the facing. Bess did the thing she always tells her customers not to do- she cut the lining the same size as the skirt and it ended up pulling and being too small. The wool challis has quite a lot of give in it, the lining doesn’t so you should always cut the lining a fraction bigger to allow for the ease, so the lining had to be chopped out and raised to allow the room. It’s a little short but if she doesn’t tell anyone they will never know 😉
Finally she attached the petals by first arranging them by eye with pins and then sewing a single line of stitching down the middle of each petal.
Black lightweight nylon knitted iron-on interfacing
Cathy wearing her fabulous short sleeved blouse made with lovely soft cotton and square buttons.
Fabrics and Notions:
Aeroplane print lightweight viscose,
Lightweight knitted interfacing,
Buttons.
Elaine wearing her floral printed viscose skirt and top
Fabrics and Notions:
Floral Printed Viscose
Lightweight knitted interfacing
Elastic
Abi wearing her fitted bodice with gathered skirt dress made in white silk and sheer black spotty tulle, made by Angie.
Fabrics and Notions:
White silk habotai
Black spotty nylon tulle
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted interfacing
Pattern Vogue V8443 (bodice) and V2962 (skirt).
It can be a bit of a fiddle, but amalgamating two patterns into one can solve the problem of never finding exactly what you are after. It’s a good idea to make a toile first to check there are no nasty surprises (you should ALWAYS do this, but it is especially important when you are tinkering).
Tulles and nets do not fray or unravel so you can leave the hem with the cut edge, so cut it straight! Alternatively, especially if you would like to add volume to the skirt, you can bind the hem with bias binding (this is often seen on the yards and yards of underskirts that go under meringue wedding dresses)
Abi sporting her ace retro print poly jersey 3/4 sleeve top
Fabrics and Notions:
Black and White swirly printed poly jersey
Lightweight knitted interfacing
Pattern: Vogue V8371
Pam wearing her lovely French blue polka dot dress with piped seams and contrast collar and pocket flaps.
Fabrics and Notions:
Blue polka dot cotton
White cotton poplin
White piping
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Simplicity 1882
Jessie wearing her red viscose and elastane polka dot t-shirt made by Bess, and Bess wearing her wool and silk tweed pinafore dress with Birdy pockets and circle jersey inserts.
(They were trying to move faster than the camera flash- clearly not fast enough)
Fabrics and Notions:
Jessie wears:
Red polka dot printed viscose elastane jersey
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Stay tape
Reinforced iron-on stay tape
Bess wears:
Wool and silk tweed pinafore dress
Red polka dot viscose and elastane jersey (pockets and inserts)
Medium weight knitted iron-on interfacing
That T-shirt again, in slight slower motion:
Maddison modelling reversible black and white polka dot dress (red on reverse) that Bess designed for her final degree collection.
Fabrics and Notions:
Red viscose elastane jersey
Black and white polka dot print viscose elastane jersey
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Stay tape
Pattern: Bess’s own
Bess made this reversible jersey dress as a dummy run for her final collection. The plain side in a linen viscose jersey, and the spotty side is viscose elastane. The pattern was designed on the stand.
Fabrics and Notions:
Linen Viscose jersey
Viscose elastane polka dot print jersey
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Stay tape
Jacoba wearing Pucci inspired print silk crepe de chine dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Printed silk crepe de chine
Stay tape
Lightweight iron-0n knitted interfacing
Invisible zip
Jacoba wearing black and white polka dot printed cotton dress with collar detail and purchased belt.
Fabrics and Notions:
Polka dot print cotton
Lightweight iron on knitted interfacing
Invisible zip
Jacoba wearing super-slinky and versatile red viscose brocade panelled skirt.
Fabrics and Notions:
Red viscose brocade
Invisible zip
Red Venezia lining
Lightweight iron-on knitted interfacing
Naomi in her fabulous Amy Butler tunic using two printed cottons
Fabrics and Notions
Amy Butler printed cotton
Kaffe Fassett spot printed cotton
Cover buttons
Bias binding
Light-weight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Amy Butler tunic.
KitCat with her Tina Givens cupcake ensemble in pink and yellow bubble cotton
Fabrics and Notions:
Pink and yellow spotty bubble cotton
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Button
Elastic
Pattern: Tina Givens Cupcakes
Bubble cotton, like the rest of the seersucker cotton family, is a great choice of fabric for children as there is minimal ironing required whilst still retaining the natural fibre content.
Clair wearing Martha Negley printed cotton shift dress
Fabrics and Notions:
Martha Negley printed cotton
Venezia lining
Fine piping cord and bias binding
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Invisible zip
Pattern: Burda 3477
Red embroidered cotton ra-ra dress made by Clair
Fabrics and Notions
Red Cotton Embroidery Anglaise
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Burda 5085
Jane and Clair in matching ‘corporate colours’ dress and skirt using Kaffe Fassett printed Cotton
Fabrics and Notions: (Jane)
Kaffe Fassett printed cotton
Piping and self made bias binding
Cotton lawn (lining)
Invisible zip
Pattern: Simplicity 3881
Fabrics and Notions: (Clair)
Kaffe Fassett printed cotton
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Vintage Vogue
Lulu wearing her lovely silk and linen shift wedding dress, holding her daughter, Kitcat, in her printed cotton seersucker ruffled dress and matching headband. Gemma to her right wears an embroidered cotton bridesmaid dress.
Fabrics and Notions (Lulu):
Turquoise silk and linen
Silk habotai lining
Silk organza feather trim
Invisible zip
Iron-on lightweight interfacing
Fabrics and Notions (Gemma):
Embroidered lightweight cotton
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Lightweight iron-on interfacing
Fabrics and Notions (KitCat)
Printed cotton seersucker
Cotton lawn (lining and collar))
Button
Extra-Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
The silk organza trim gave Lulu’s dress just the touch of something special she wanted for her wedding dress without making it too impractical or unsuitable to wear at subsequent posh do’s. A shift is the most flattering of dress, and easy to make fit really well.
Bess’s amazing quartz-crystal covered white linen cap-sleeve a-line dress. (made by Jane)
Fabrics and Notions:
White heavy washed linen.
4kg quartz crystal bead chips
Stretch silk satin (bodice lining)
Covered boning
Fine white Riviera cotton lawn (skirt lining)
Red satin bias and fine piping cord
Invisible zip
Lightweight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Custom made
The beading on this very special dress took three months by Jane (and her small army of helpers), the whole dress weighed so much Bess had to give in to Jane’s request that she be allowed to bone it (Bess doesn’t like being contained), as without boning the weight was pulling down and giving her a flat chest. The boning and the waist stays, although on a stretch satin foundation, were enough to support the dress.
White medium to light nylon knitted iron on interfacing
