Amanda made this fabulous cape using British Shetland style Tweed. You can find Amanda on Facebook as Fascin8 Millinery and on Instagram as Amanda587.
Blue and Green Check Tweed Cape
Author: bessworks
Purple and Green Wool Tweed Check Pencil Skirt
Carolyn sent us this picture of the skirt she made from the lovely wool tweed fabric she bought from us. The full cost including thread, zip, lining and material came to under £35. Difficult to beat that on quality and price from any department store! Next project is in the planning stage… Another trip to Totnes shortly.
Lilac Tartan Silk Dupion Flared Skirt
Christina showing off her navy and lilac silk dupion flared skirt made for Burn’s night. Silk dupion is a very papery fabric which holds it’s shape well for skirts like this. Kudos for matching those checks!
Wool flared Coat with Faux Fur Collar
Emma sent in a pic of the winter coat she made – She bought the fabric AGES ago (her words- all of five months – that’s not ages in our book) as she thought it would take a while to make this coat. And it was indeed quite time consuming!
The outer is wool/polyamide melton coating, and the lining is turquoise blue acetate lining. There is some hair canvas in there too 🙂
She used a vintage 1950s pattern.
She thanks the girls at Stone Fabrics for getting the choice of fabrics right – we sent me loads of samples and Bess answered about 1000 questions she had!
She’s now deciding on her next challenge…
Here it is on the back. How cool is that?
Fuchsia Boiled Wool Waterfall Coat
Julie cheering up the drab winter at the shop in her fuchsia pink boiled wool coat. The edges are bound with fold-over binding. This coat is unlined, the boiled wool has plenty of body to it so it holds its shape nicely.
Sequinned Dress for a little Angel
Kitcat singing us all Christmas carols in her sequinned dress made by Jane. It is lined in heavy tricot and the armholes and neck are bound with jersey binding.
You get fabulous movement with this sequinned fabric as each sequin is black on one side and silver on the other, so every move is exaggerated with the movement of the sequin. They are surprisingly easy to sew -just snip them out of the seam allowance so you don’t need to sew through them.
You can find various sequinned fabrics HERE
Patchwork Duvet Cover
Jane hiding behind the patchwork duvet she made for her granddaughter Miaow, using up all the scraps of cotton we have accumulated over the years. We don’t really do patchwork cottons we generally stick to patterns that work better for dressmaking so getting these prints to work together was a challenge, but Jane did a grand job (and there’s another one for the eldest grandchild Kitcat, too.
Because of the bulk of seams Jane backed the patchwork with a light cotton muslin (just to keep the fraying contained), and then the duvet is backed with a brushed cotton sheet.
you can find lots of quilting weight cottons around here: http://www.stonefabrics.co.uk/product-tag/quilting/
Ballet Print Chiffon Dress
Sarah looking pleased as punch in her poly chiffon circular skirt dress made exquisitely by Joan, her Grandma. The pattern is Vogue 9141.
We’re a bit speechless with how well this dress is made, Joan must have the patience of a saint, chiffon is not easy!
Printed Boiled Wool Circular Skirt
Lizzy with her boiled wool circular skirt. Lizzy has a paper pattern phobia and so usually just wings it. Luckily circular skirts are easier to wing than patterns so here we have a completed project and a proud owner 🙂
The boiled wool is quite stretchy so the waist came out bigger than anticipated. She has used cotton rib jersey as a yoke and then tied it in with plaited velvet ribbons to make a tail.
She then embroidered beads onto the ‘Lion’*… as you do.
*Lizzy is completely convinced there is a lion hiding in the print (hence why she beaded him). Lizzy swears she has never taken drugs.
Just Moosey Tutu
Clair made this sooo sweeeet baby satin dress and tutu using viscose satin coat lining (much too good to hide inside a coat) and light pink tulle tutu.
Leather look Ponte Jersey Jeans and Leopard Print T-Shirt
Rachel (with her whippet who knows she’s not really allowed in the shop) wearing black leather look ponte jeans (beautifully made) but not fitting brilliantly*… prototype #2 coming soon, and slinky dink leopard print poly jersey mock wrap t-shirt.
She does love a bit of Kitsch, does our Rach, and this is definitely in the kitsch camp!
The Jeans are butterick 5682 (not designed for jersey hence the fitting issues) and the top is Burda 6848.
*Actually we think they fit pretty well but Rachel likes perfection.
Kitsch Cats T-Shirt
Rachel with her kitsch cats print cotton and elastane jersey mock wrap t-shirt made using Burda 6848 pattern (with minor alterations to enable a good fit) and black leather look ponte jersey skirt.
Wind in the Willow inspired Velvet Outfits.
Kitcat and Miaow (having been told to smile)* wearing cotton velvet fitted jacket, yellow dogtooth fitted jacket, acetate crushed velvet plus-fours and a dogtooth check waistcoat, all made by Jane (the granny) for a trip to Chatsworth House for their Wind in the Willows themed Christmas decorations.
Despite over two years between them their size difference is negligible so these outfits are interchangeable.
They both like wearing them around the office, too.
*I shall save these ‘smiling’ pics for their 18th birthdays. That’ll learn ’em.
Brown Cheetah Spot Faux Fur Jacket
Kitcat all wrapped up in her faux fur Burda 9501 jacket. It is lined with aubergine satin coat lining (oh-so grown up!).
She’s a bit fed up with us cuddling her now, but that jacket is sooo snuggly!
Black Jersey Ensemble for an 8 (going on 18) Year Old
Kitcat wearing her black jersey skirt and cropped T-shirt which she made HERSELF. Jane helped (with hyper alertness) as Kitcat was burning along at break-neck speed with the overlocker.
There is probably a really important life-lesson learned here but we are not quite sure which it is, or for whom.
Meanwhile, Kitcat has a fabulous outfit to pretend she is 18 in, and Granny still has all her fingers.
The fabrics are both viscose jersey, one heavier and slightly textured for the skirt and a lightweight polkadot print for the top.
Feather Trimmed Red Guipure Lace Coat (squawking obligatory)
Bess in her not-very-over-the-top coat at all made using red guipure lace and 6″ feather trim.
The coat was prepared ever so slowly making sure the spots matched and everything would line up properly and then it was izzywhizzied together on the overlocker in about 3 minutes.
Then the feather trim was hand sewn on (Bess’s fingers are still calloused from the needle – that trim has got sticky stuff inside the satin binding (that stop the feathers falling out), it’s not nice to sew!
Then the feather trim was un-picked and sewn on all over again not so tight in an effort to make it hang straight in the middle. It’s almost there, Bess weighed up further hand sewing and the possibility of losing her fingers with her OCD of straight edges and the fingers won.
Then the front edge and neck were bound in fold-over petersham binding which magically saved the jacket from being a bit ‘crafty’ (in the derogatory way) and Bess wore it to her baby step-sister’s wedding.
Also seen: bag made from offcuts of leather and a London bus e-plate. As you do.
Black and White Embroidered Cotton Dress with 3/4 Sleeves
Gill from classes in her black and white 3/4 sleeve dress adjusted from her block, It is lined in cotton lawn and has a concealed zip down the back.
This dress bears very little resemblance to the original McCall’s pattern M2401 but that’s what it is.
Fawn Wool Mix Tweed Fitted Jacket
Anastasia modelling her fabulous fitted jacket made using Burdastyle magazine pattern 112b (from 3/2015). This fabric is jacket weight wool mix with cashmere soft tweed that looks super in such a well fitting little jacket.
Lined in printed polyester satin :
This jacket was made last May and Anastasia has worn it a LOT through Scotland’s not-so hot summer!
Liberty Alice in Wonderland Print Cotton Dress and Shirt
Kitcat and Miaow visiting Granny (Jane) at the shop wearing their matching Liberty tana lawn Alice in Wonderland print dress and shirt. The pattern is Burda 9417 (as seen already for school shirts), they tie in at the back. Jane didn’t use any interfacing for the collars, the sleeves puff with elastic in the hem. They both have mismatched coloured buttons.
Miaow (age 5) is wearing a bee print cotton skirt trimmed with rick-rack and gathered onto yellow elastic which SHE MADE HERSELF! We helped a bit, she drove the sewing machine and overlocker with the pedals up on shoe boxes so she could reach. She sat on our lap and helped guide the fabric and shouted STOP! when she was going to drive off the edge. It’s probably the most fun you can have with a child without custard pies.
Didn’t she do well?!
Navy Corded Lace Shrug
Debbie modelling her shrug made using navy corded lace with scalloped edges. She was very pleased with it as it really updated a dress she had had for a long time. She drafted the pattern using a short sleeved shrug she already had as a pattern. Debbie had to do a bit of juggling with the scallops and hand stitching so that they would go around the curves but was glad with the finished effect. It turned out a little tight across the back and around the armholes but wasn’t a problem when it was worn for a posh event as was still able to dance in it!
Lion Print Romper Suit
Awwww! Jasmine’s nephew wearing the romper she made him using lion print polar fleece. Soooo cute!!!
Navy Stretch Needlecord Asymmetric Skirt
Daiga wearing her lovely navy stretch needlecord skirt made from the 9/2013 Burda Magazine model 103. She said it was both lovely to work with and wear!
Brown Crewel Embroidered Linen Shift Dress
Clair is Sunny Cadiz wearing her crewel embroidered Italian linen shift dress (her tried and tested pattern which Jane helped to fit many moons ago). We can’t emphasise too much how useful a good basic dress pattern is!
Whilst linen is notoriously creasy these heavy embroidered linens really don’t crease badly at all.
Yellow Dogtooth V-Neck bodycon Dress with 3/4 Sleeves
Anne-Marie made this fun dogtooth weave stretch suiting into a 3/4 sleeve bodycon dress and lined with powernet. She used McCall’s pattern 2401.
Christmas Reindeer Print Cotton Jersey Nightie
Kitcat modelling her christmas reindeer printed cotton jersey nightie in the shop. Made by Jane, it has raglan sleeves and jersey binding around the neck. Everything was sewn on the overlocker apart from the hems and the binding. Made using Butterick 5129 (now discontinued but you can sometimes find them)
Christmas Tree Printed Cotton Jersey Nightie
Miaow wearing her Christmas tree printed cotton jersey nightie in the shop. Made by Jane, it has raglan sleeves and jersey binding around the neck. Everything was sewn on the overlocker apart from the hems and the binding. Made using Butterick 5129 (now discontinued but you can sometimes find them)
Neon Green PVC Strappy Top
Pauline saw this green PVC and had to make a top for her friend, Davinia in it. 🙂
So she did!
There was a certain amount of swearing involved –she now knows what a teflon foot is and when you want to use it –but anyway she did it so Hoorah!
Retro Print Cotton Cord A-Line Skirt
Pauline made up this fab retro print cotton corduroy into a simple a-line skirt. Invisible zip insertion and lined in Venezia lining.
Cloud Print Cotton Jersey Jimjams
Sol here again proudly wearing his cloud print cotton and elastane single jersey pyjamas made by mum, Pauline. Finished with 1″ Elastic on the waist and a smile
Squirrel Print Jersey Jimjams
Pauline made these pyjamas for her son, Sol, out of squirrel print cotton and elastane single jersey. They are finished with 1″ elastic on the waist.
Gold Silk Bow Tie
Pauline made this bow tie out of gold twill silk for her son (Magnus) to match his father’s at a wedding.
Altogether now! Awwwwwwwww!
Taupe Brown Boiled Wool Long Skirt
Marlene visiting the shop in her fabulous light weight wool mix boiled wool skirt. She used her standard a-line skirt pattern but had to take it in a bit due to the stretch in the fabric. Then she finished the hem with bias binding after trying (and failing) to hand stitch the hem. It’s unlined and is a superb, versatile and easy skirt.
Pink cardigan jacket type Tweed Shift Dress
Nicola wearing her fabulously fitted pink cardigan jacket type tweed dress. It is interlined in silk organza and lined in Venezia lining so is lovely to wear, and despite being sleeveless is lovely and warm.
Geometric Teardrop Print Cotton Jersey Child’s Dress
Frances made this dress for her grand-daughter to go to the school Oscar awards. It’s an easy pull on dress using McCall’s Pattern 7079 and made with a t-shirt weight cotton and elastane single jersey.
It’s a good idea to stay the shoulder seams with a bit of tape on t-shirts and dresses, you can use a seam tape, iron on a bit of stabilising interfacing or even sew in a bit of the jersey selvedge (if it is stable enough).
Child’s Fur Coat with Bunny Rabbit Print Lining
Jane and Elwen made this sooo sweeet fur coat using Burda 9501 pattern, They lined it in bunny rabbit print quilting cotton and used toning toggle buttons. There is no interfacing -not even on the button holes which Jane insists is fine and they didn’t need it. She can break the rules because she has been sewing for about a thousand years.
Hand Embroidered and Painted Wool Tweed Skirt
Bess used her 5 and 8 year old niece’s fabulous drawings as inspiration for the embellishment on this wool tweed A-Line skirt. First she used white fabric paint and then embroidered using a heavy thread and added beads and sequins. It was all done by hand as the tweed is quite a loose weave and she was concerned machine embroidery would make it too stiff (certainly the kind of embroidery Bess has the patience for!).
It is lined in Venezia lining – turned on the lining with no waistband and bound with an ottoman (heavy) bias binding. Strips of Iron on interfacing tape were used to reinforce the back of the areas where the belt loops go. The concealed zip was moved from the back seam to the side so the back could be cut on the fold also. You rarely get any shaping on the back seam so if you have enough fabric to do this (it invariably takes extra on an a-line skirt) you can without brainache.
Bess is very fickle but this is her absolute favourite skirt at the moment.
Brocade Zipped Bodice
Lulu wearing her cloqué brocade bodice made by Jane. It is lined in cotton poplin as we needed something a bit beefier than normal lining to protect her sensitive skin from the lurex. The neck and armholes are bound with jersey bias. Because the zip needs to be open end and colours are limited the zip was put in the side seam so as not to draw attention to the dubious colour match.
Cream Sequinned Linton Tweed Coat
Bess went to Vegas to see her Sister get married (Johnny Cash came back from the dead to marry her). Of course she needed a new coat but Vegas being Vegas sequins were in order, albeit subtle and rather stylish ones woven into a fabulous Linton Tweed.
The tweed was quilted onto silk organza to give it a bit of stability (machine quilted in vertical lines with silk thread), it was lined in silk crepe de chine, trimmed with a cotton decorative braid, fastened with corset hooks and weighted at the hem with chain.
It has since been the go-to coat for weddings/birthday parties and posh dinners out.
You can find lots of cardigan jacket tweeds HERE
Orange Bouclé Wool Mix Knit Braced Skirt and Jacket
Holly made this tangerine orange cotton wool and viscose mix bouclé heavy knit from LG as part of a Plymouth College of Art Fashion project to make a ‘skirt’ and cape as part of her university project. The not so practical skirt has large pockets – the entire front and back panels, braces to hold it up and metal boning through the top to hold the shape! It was inspired by Cornish China Clay and they held a fashion show at the eden project to help raise money for the people and gardens charity.
It’s nuts. I want one.
Turquoise Chenille Brocade Jacket using Vogue pattern 1277
Sarah made this lovely chenille brocade jacket using vogue pattern # 1277. It is lined and has a single button closure.
Plasticised Linen Vogue 9035 Jacket
Sarah made up Vogue 9035 jacket pattern in this funky plasticised lightweight linen. She has used the reverse of the fabric for the cuffs and the hem panel on the back. Very clever!
Blue Short Linen Wrap Skirt
Clair in Sunny Cadiz (okay, not sunny right now but it usually is!) wearing turquoise blue linen wrap skirt. The brown legs help. Fabulous.
Printed Linen Shift Dress
Christie wearing her classic shift dress in this fabulous soft printed linen print. A well fitted shift dress is hard to beat, eh?
Floral Stretch Cotton Vogue 8998 Dress
Maxine wearing her very first sewing project using a floral printed cotton and poly mix stretch drill with Vogue 8998. This is the perfect fabric for a structured dress such as this. We think this girl will go far!
Brown Hand Painted Linen Dress
Lesley painted this brown linen dress using iridescent Markal Paintsticks and an Amy Butler stencil. I need to get myself some of those!
Aeroplane Printed Viscose Dress
One of Pauline’s very first makes – a fab green aeroplane print viscose lawn made up in this simple, light and airy pattern.
Bunny Rabbits Printed Cotton Bag
Bunny Rabbits and all sorts of animals printed quilting weight cotton big bag with Japanese Cotton contrast handle and rim… and a flash or red on the lining 🙂 Made by Pauline.
Green Irish Shirting Linen Fit and Flare Dress
Elwen wearing her green Irish shirting linen dress to her brother’s graduation ceremony. She used Burda 6758 which she altered only in the bust (to make bigger), took in on the nape of her neck (it was gaping) and shortened it a bit (which was surprising as Elwen is tall). The bodice is lined in green cotton lawn, it was hand hemmed.
Duck Egg Silk Damask Ralph Rucci for Vogue Dress
Suzanne from Cyprus celebrating her son’s wedding (he’s the one holding the flowers) wearing Silk Damask made up in a v-neck flared dress by Ralph Rucci for Vogue (V1381). This pattern is not simple – there are quilted yokes and bands, an attached belt with some tricky rouleau to tie it together —all in a fabric that doesn’t easily yield. It took her a while but it was very much worth it.
We love this photo. Such fun.
White Dobby Cotton School Shirts
Kitcat and Miaow all ready for school wearing their blouses made by Jane and Elwen in dobby weave cotton voile. The pattern is Burda 9417, there was an awful lot of ‘awwwwww! soooo sweeeeeeet!’ coming from the sewing room when they were making these, especially those cute little puff sleeves.
Kitcat has little black and white layered buttons and Miaow has hearts. The shorts are made with green and white gingham cotton and trimmed with daisy trim.
Reversible Cotton Lawn and Linen Skirt
Chandra wearing her beautifully made reversible cotton skirt using a Liberty archive printed lawn on one side and plain blue linen on the other. The pattern is by Sew me Something and is called “Viola”.
Hand Sewn Silk Chiffon Shirt
Ruscha sporting her hand sewn silk chiffon shirt, which we at the Stone Fabrics headquarters are in awe of. She insists that it didn’t take that long to make and is a more enjoyable way to sew (she can sit in the garden and tinker away without noise). However it was made it is amazing. We love the mix of the two colour ways.
Also seen: linen and lycra stripey jersey skirt
Blue Floral Stretch Cotton Sateen Shift with Cap Sleeves
Jane at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition flaunting her floral stretch cotton sateen dress. The pattern comes from her block -which if you look at flat on the table looks absolutely barmy but fits her fabulously so don’t argue- Symmetrical, she is not!
The dress is lined in Venezia and there is a concealed zip up the back.
Matching shoes: model’s own.
Spotty Summer Shirt and Printed Stretch Denim Skirt
Jane’s daughter Jessie wearing her LG polka dot printed cotton short sleeve shirt and her Rococo printed stretch indigo denim skirt. Jane wasn’t sure her 40+ year old daughter would want daisy buttons but she did. The skirt had to be taken in a bit because that denim is quite stretchy.
The pattern for the shirt is taken from an old M&S shirt and the skirt pattern is a long discontinued Burda pattern (3198), the closest available now is McCall’s 3341.
Anatomical Printed Viscose Lawn Top
Anne Marie made this anatomical printed viscose lawn top to keep cool for her holidays. She used Simplicity pattern #1107. Because the fabric is very light she lined it in a fine cotton lawn.
Digitally Printed Balloon Jersey Panelled Dress
Bess wearing her digitally printed cotton jersey dress made using her (much repeated) panelled dress pattern-this normally has waist seams but she omitted them so as not to cut up the balloons too much. As the pattern is normally used on woven fabrics she also pinned out the little bust darts as they were unnecessary in this stretchy fabric.
This jersey is quite a heavy cotton jersey with a high percentage of elastane (6%) so it keeps its shape well and doesn’t need lining. Rather than meddling with facings (which never lie terribly well in such a stretchy jersey) Bess used jersey binding around the neck and arm holes.
All the seams were sewn in a jiffy with the overlocker, the hems and bindings were done on the machine (because it’s quicker to zigzag than drag out the flat locker).
Tractor Print Fleece Jacket
Jenny made her grandson Owen this fab tractor print fleece jacket using the Burda pattern 9425. Being as Owen thinks Tractors are the best thing since sliced bread we think this has made her No1 Granny.
Hand Painted Linen Shirt
Jane’s shirt made up once again in an embroidered and hand painted Linen from Italy. Jane was pleased with how economical this shirt was, getting all of it out of a metre (the facings were cut from the unpainted selvedges) -handy when the fabric is £85.00mt!
Ultramarine Blue Ponte Roma Persey Peplum Dress
Lesley made this ultramarine blue Ponte Roma jersey dress with a peplum. The pattern was Simplicity Project Runway 1650. This pattern wasn’t lined, but she preferred a fully lined dress so did it with a polyester Tricot (knitted) lining.
Lining a dress like this gives it a more professional finish as it meant the armholes and neck could be under-stitched so the stitching is not visible on the right side. She also lined the peplum rather than just hemming it (as per the pattern) to get a better finish. Ponte Roma jersey is not that stretchy so an invisible zip is used at the centre back which she tacked -something she hasn’t done for years but so worth it to set it in evenly on a stretch fabric and to make sure that seams lined up perfectly.
The Ponte fabric was lovely to sew; for anyone not comfortable with sewing jersey or stretch fabrics it is a good place to start.
Reversible Cotton Lawn Shift Dress
Elwen with her Liberty archive printed cotton lawn shift dress that reverses to show lime green organic cotton. It chucks over her head so there’s no need for a zip. The printed side is longer than the green side so with a reasonable hem you see a border of print when worn on the green side (trying to make each fabric the same length is a recipe for disaster). Patch pockets are added to each side.
The pattern is a discontinued Burda pinafore dress.
