George (aptly named) made these fire breathing dragon print cotton jersey PJ’s for her littlest Godson, so much fun to be had with the glow in the dark flames 😊. All sewn on an ancient Singer 338 which all goes to prove those of us with fancy overlockers and coverstitch machines need to raise our game somewhat 🙄.
Check out that TOP STITCHING!
Beautiful.
Fun.
This is what sewing is all about.
All the love going out to this Katherine Tilton for Butterick (b5891) sleeveless shirt made out of nani IRO for Kokka Japanese printed linen by the fabulous Lesley (@mawlesley on instagram)
She left the choosing of buttons to us which is a nerve-wracking experience for us but you can always return buttons if they are not right. Buttons are such a personal thing. We went with the nautilus shell buttons which are an artwork all to themselves.
Paula is such a regular with us we know her telephone number and address off by heart but it took a Pandemic to eventually get a photo of her! This photo was taken on the week she should have been in Milan then Lake Como, and here is one of the planned outfits for shopping in Milan, guess it will have to wait until next year now 😞
The fabric is an olive green wide chalk stripe linen and viscose mix, it’s a light to medium weight linen with reasonable drape whilst remaining stable enough for those stripes to stay straight.
This is Sally with her Jeans and a T-Shirt classic and all round perfect combo using cheerful rainbow stripe cotton and elastane jersey (using the Grainline Studio Lark Tee pattern) and an unusual and super long lasting blue crosscut stretch corduroy. The cords are half copied / half self drafted to get the perfect fit – we are not going to deny it’s a palaver top get jeans to fit but oh so worth the effort.
This is the fabulous Sally showing off her classic black T-Shirt using the Grainline Studio Lark Tee pattern and supersoft modal and elastane french terry jersey – it’s a medium weight jersey with a lot of drape and 4-way stretch.
This is Catharine (a longstanding Cloth Club Member) who sent us these photos of her “Signature Dress” in cotton voile which, obviously, we love. She said, “Couldn’t help but call this my signature dress! Pattern is vogue 9100 and only change was that I fully lined it (not just bodice) with the riviera cotton lawn as the voile needs something underneath.
Sue used mid weight cotton twill for this fabulous romper suit with contrast accents in a fun sausage dog print cotton lawn. The dress is using the twill for the accents and a geo floral cotton poplin for the main. Such fun, and such a fabulous thing to be able to do for your grandchildren 😊
The pattern is Burda 9712 (there’s also a little jacket, a sun hat and trousers)
Julie looking fantastic in this superfine stripe navy lightweight linen Zadie Jumpsuit. Such a great pattern that works on so many figures – Julie has made adjustments to allow for her hourglass shape (FBA, for example) and says she will do further tweaks next time (we can’t see anything that needs changing but we are our own worst critics)
Caroline made this shirt out of the Dashwood studio printed viscose which has a heavenly drape and handle. The pattern is the Matcha top by Sew Liberated. We Love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Jessie continuing her obsession with orange and pink by this skirt in Pink Panther cotton canvas and contrast orange lacey tape zip. Made by Jane using the ancient and much missed Burda Start A-Line skirt pattern (Burda 3198)
Lock down sewing with a topical message “if you can read this you are too close!” hand embroidered down the leg in glow in the dark thread. The Linen is our perennially popular washed Damiel linen which has a heavy but drapey handle and works brilliantly for this style trouser. The pattern is self drafted from a basic straight leg long trouser pattern – Bess added fabric to the side seams and then darted the legs in at the bottom and on the knee. They are super comfy to wear and work on both hot and cold days (ie any British Summer day).
No Pattern? No Problem! Lesley self drafted her tunic and it fits beautifully! Made with a lightweight floppy floral printed linen, the neckline and arms are bound with bias binding
Kathryn wowed us with this super self drafted coat and dress combo made from lightweight Italian Linen. Soooo brilliant. We love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Angela made this fabulous shirt using a tried and tested (understatement of the week) vintage pattern from 1949 – it is Butterick 6020. Such simple and clean lines work so well with these modern Japanese prints. The fabric is Kokka linen and viscose mix – it’s a medium weight fabric with a fair bit of drape.
Melanie sent us her me-made chambray denim shirt made in the softest washed cotton for this fabulous short sleeve shirt. It’s an instant favourite.
Julie needed a ‘posh frock’ for a winter wedding and wool crepe fitted the bill nicely. Wool crepe will tailor so beautifully and is a joy to work with. It is warm in the cold and cool in the heat so a perfect choice for those occasions when you are half outside in the freezing cold and then indoors with the fires blazing.
The dress is lined in Venezia lining – a breathable anti-static lining that is soft and drapey like the crepe
Joy made this amazing vintage cut dress using a lovely designer wool and silk worsted that is a dream to work with. Soft and fluid but with stability for all those tricky seams. This is perfection.
Super duper tartan trousers made by Elaine in fantastic designer worsted wool with a tartan weave. Just the job, or as we say here in Devon, proper job!
Bess loves how the Ogden Cami (by True Bias) doesn’t slip off her shoulders like most camisoles do – that’s some clever drafting. As a c-cup she just about gets away without doing a dart in it so long as the fabric is super light and drapey (like this viscose lawn is). It is also great how you can make a useful versatile top out of a tiny bit of fabric!
Whilst you should always wash fabric on the lowest temperature possible to preserve the life of it Bess pre-washes her viscose on 40˚C to get rid of any shrinking (something viscose is very good at doing!)
Marion looking superb in this dress made for her by Dawn of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead). The abstract stripey print on this fine wool crepe is perfect for the asymmetric lines of this dress. (Pattern developed by Hardy and Hooper). The dress is lined in Venezia (as all lovely dresses should be)
A red dress to cheer up any day, Jacoba used mid weight 4-way stretch Cotton Jersey to make this fabulous McCall’s M7538 jersey dress, the seaming is genius and it has a heavenly drape.
Teddy the chocolate Burmese cat here modelling his super burnt orange viscose jersey elasticated collar. Made by Jessie in a jiffy with the tiniest of scrap. Teddy thinks he looks fantastic (he’s right)
Who doesn’t get cheered up looking at this brilliant cartoon print? Rachel is not one to shy away from colour and looks ace in this perfectly fitting cotton canvas A-Line skirt. It is lined in Venezia to keep it looking perfect all day long.
Pamela made up this lightweight linen with the silhouette bird print into this fabulous shirt with the lightest of interfacing in the collar and button band
Julie is on a quest for the perfect T-Shirt which she has trouble with due to boobage. Having to do an FBA to every pattern you get is a pain but the reason why we sew for ourselves is to get the fit right, right? If you ever need to do an FBA Julie is the girl to talk to!
This jersey is a linen mix knit which has resulted in a lovely fit. She thinks there is still work to do but we love it.
Jane (who used to come to classes back when we did classes) made this fab fit and flare floral print dress for a family wedding. The fabric is somewhat stretchy which made aspects of this dress tricky but with patience and perseverance she got there (we are always available for advice when needed). It is lined in Venezia which helped a lot in making the dress behave itself. Venezia is so soft and breathable it is perfect for lining summery dresses that would otherwise lose their shape. Even the pale colours are perfectly opaque.
Irene sent us this pic of her fabulous bamboo mix cloqué jacket. This fabric is super stretchy so to construct this jacket shows off Irene’s superb sewing skills. It’s brilliant.
This is the @theassemblylineshop #talpuffshirt using a buttery soft black lightweight black linen. It so soft it almost feels like very fine wool. Susie is really pleased with it. The Assembly Line are so clever with their classic and slightly unusual designs. Susie is not one to usually see herself in a puff sleeve blouse but it’s not too puffy and loves the hidden cuff idea, and the envelope neck reminds her of all the easy to put on baby clothes her five children wore.
Peacocks have inspired print designers for centuries and here we have yet another rendition made up beautifully by Sarah into this fabulous and easy to wear gathered floaty viscose dress. Finished with superfine bias binding and narrow velvet ribbon.
The very lovely and clever Daphne made this super jacket out of designer leopard tufted wool mix – this is a pretty heavy coating weight so there are skillz here to manipulate and tailor it into this jacket. Fabtastic
We love this fabulous peasant shirt made by Alexa using a supersoft washed lightweight white linen and embroidered with navy contrast zigzag stitching. It is the #roscoeblouseanddress pattern by @truebias . As well as the stitching being aesthetically pleasing it helps to keep this very lightweight woven fabric stabilised without using facings (like a heavy duty stay-stitch). Beautiful.
Hannah was quite rightly super pleased with how this #lieslandco shirt turned out in this beautiful light weight fine strip linen/cotton shirting. The attention to detail is fabulous.
My husband Denis in his ‘stone fabrics’ shirt. As mentioned on the phone, spot the deliberate mistake, cuff and placket the wrong way round, must do better next time.
The fabric is pale blue babycord that we sourced from a well known British designer . The pattern is Burda 7045, the collar from view A and used a darker blue trim for the inside of the sleeve placket edge and the collar.
We didn’t spot the deliberate mistake – 10/10 Janet!
Michelle liked the kids bee print T-Shirts she made so much she made another for herself. You can’t beat a good bee print 😍
Lovely Ros wearing her tiger and abstract print ponte jersey dress. She said it made up really well (as we can see) and it is super comfortable and easy to wear. Simplicity at its finest.
Who new at the beginning of 2020 we would madly be making scrubs? We have a lot of customers who had to very quickly put their dressmaking skills to something a little more utilitarian. This is the super dapper Mark, the husband of Cloth Club member Lynn who made him these cotton drill scrubs (pattern taken from For The Love of Scrubs facebook group) to wear at the doctor’s surgery when it was deemed necessary for all the medical staff to wear PPE.
Linda completed this beautiful printed satin skirt just in time for #virtualfrocktails with @sew_scottish. The skirt is the @mccallpatterncompany v8222 and has been work in progress for 2 years! It’s taken so long as she never really had an occasion or time to finish it. The Coronavirus lockdown has allowed her to complete it. (there’s a little bit of good in everything)
Julie is on her endeavours to find the perfect T-Shirt- this time re-drafting it with a slight cowl neck (she was hoping for more drape but this is lovely). The fabric is a fab bubble texture mid-weight jersey with moderate 2-way stretch.
Face masks are a contentious subject but we are at the stage where desperation and doing *something* is hopefully better than nothing. Bess trialed a variety of patterns and found this mask by @trend_patterns to be the favourite. she had planned on the pleated style (simpler) and they work brilliantly in non woven filtering fabric but we currently don’t have access to that. When you make them up in cotton they can be a little heavy, cumbersome, and don’t fit terribly well (not on our testers, anyway)
If there is one thing we can’t abide at Stone Fabrics it’s a bad fit!
So this ‘tailored fit’ mask from trend patterns is the chosen one. We adjusted the lining pieces to simplify it (you need an opening for a filter, we don’t think you need two openings), and have gone with ties rather than elastic as it is more comfortable and more durable on a hot wash. Otherwise, this pattern was more or less as it should be. Stone Fabrics recommend it.
For the tester masks we used quilting / poplin weight cottons, for the lining a lightweight but dense pure cotton jersey, there’s a small bit of bakers wire in the nose (overlocked in when sewing the seam) and a scrap of bias at the chin. Until we can find some melt blown non-woven filtering fabric (like they use in an N95 mask) or even hepa filters I am using kitchen towel as the disposable filters. Again, hopefully it is better than nothing.
Once we were happy with the construction we made a batch for the local care home (they were desperate).
Covid-19 is a new virus and so testing and research in these early days are seriously insubstantial. We do not know how long it lasts on surfaces, or if it can survive extremes of temperatures. There is research changing the rules all the time, a good place to start is here: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-protect-virus-coronavirus/?rel=1
What little advice we have found that seems to be sensible:
This is not a surgical mask but there is some evidence that it can help. It is more important to wash your hands, Only go out when you absolutely have to and if you do go out practise social distancing whilst wearing your mask.
You need to take care when removing the mask so as not to touch or shake it, remove and dispose of the filter safely, and put it in the wash immediately.
Tina (Sewimpatient) made this brilliant @alinadesignco Hampton jean jacket using silver grey stretch denim and we LOVE it so much. Tina has a brilliant eye for detail and her makes are so well executed. Fabulousness.
She says: I managed to get my Hampton Jean Jacket sewn up and just wanted to say thanks so much for the fabric recommendation as it turned out to be the perfect choice. It’s super soft and the fact that it has some stretch didn’t cause any problems. If you need a jean jacket it’s a great pattern to have.
This is Christine here wearing the brilliant Kelly Anorak by Closet Case Patterns made using proofed limestone Linen that will repel the rain in a moderate shower and breathe nicely when it doesn’t rain. Perfect.
The lovely thing about crepe backed satin is you get two fabrics in one – a matt side and a shiny side – both are the ‘right’ side so you can combine the two to great effect. It matches! The crepe satin used in this dress is a heavy satin and acetate blend that has a fabulous weight and drape. Perfect for a posh frock.
Julie usually makes beach bags to sell (they are exceptional), but she had a lot of fun making this up in floral print cotton and poly mix french terry jersey. There is no elastane so the stretchiness is fairly minimal. Julie sewed it all on her trusty sewing machine.
Linda made this fab unlined linen jacket with bound seams so beautifully you could wear it inside out. We love ❤️
Linda says: I have been amusing myself in my ‘social distancing’ by teaching myself Hong-Kong binding. The jacket is made from some gold linen I bought from you last year. The pattern is Harriet by Style Arc.
lobster embroidered denim chambray shirt made by Bess with the matching plain chambray on the sleeve and front plackets (10649), and a scrap of tiger print poplin lining the collar and cuffs. The pattern is adjusted from @burda_style magazine 07/2019 men’s shirt no 128. His nieces call him Lobster Pinchy so now he has a shirt to match his name 😂
Paula has been such a long-standing loyal customer we can recite her telephone number backwards and yet this is the first image she has sent us (She’s shy!). Well it’s never too late to send us photos for the catwalk – no one can say we lack patience! Here we have a super soft oyster beige ultrasuede made into a long jacket – which in true dressmaker fashion she decided it was a bit boring so added fringing ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Karen here with her brilliant subtle tile print Ponte di Roma dress with long sleeves (and a sneak peek into her sewing room!), such a useful, versatile, brilliant, classic dress for any occasion. It’s fab. We love it. The Pattern is the Sew Over It Zoe Dress
Karen made this fabulous embroidered tulle with 3-D flowers into a posh frock to die for. The pattern is Simplicity 1606 made for a strictly come dancing ball.
She says: Thank you for the great fabric Turquoise crepe worked well as a base for the tule. Used the scalloped edge around neck, sleeve and hem
It’s Fabulous Karen!
Clair in Sunny Spain with her black and white pinafore dress. The pattern is self drafted, the fabric is washable stretch suiting, it is lined in Venezia dress lining
Jane made this super luxurious snow leopard faux fur jacket for Bess with fabulous copper ball buttons and lined in red stripe coat lining. The faux fur is very stable so no need for interfacing (and extra bulk), we do recommend using a face mask when cutting out though!
Rachel (who is most definitely a dog person) wearing this fabulous cat print cotton & elastane french terry jersey mock wrap top. The pattern is Burda 6848 and is a tried and very much tested pattern.
The fabulous and lovely Ros here wearing a super psychedelic print poly crepe (unlined) dress using Burda pattern 6363 – it was lengthened at the waist by 2” and she says it is the comfiest loveliest thing to wear 😍😍😍
Sally here wearing the navy textured wool coat she had made up for her by Wendy – a local dressmaker -we know it’s cheating but Wendy is excellent and Sally has no patience for sewing! It is lined in a lovely silk pique (sorry- no pic) and trimmed with matt navy suit buttons and cotton grosgrain ribbon.
The pattern was alterecd from an old Vogue blazer pattern – stolen nfrom Bess https://www.stonefabrics.co.uk/catwalk/green-linen-coat-with-grosgrain-trim/
This is Jenny wearing her extra long sleeved McCalls M7531 dress made in rococco print posh ponte roma jersey. It’s a very simple pattern (Jenny’s words) . She is usually a 10 – 12 and for this pattern was a medium. Surprisingly she didn’t need to shave anything off the the hips which is an alteration she normally does (snake hips!). This probably means us more endowed in the hip department will need to add.
Jenny chose not to have a seam down the back, as with jersey there is absolutely no need, so cut the back on the fabric fold also having straightened the pattern to match the front .
As it was a beginner pattern she ignored some of the directions (e.g double stitch the seams) and made the sleeves extra long goth style.
It came out good ! Very warm dress for a winter occasion. Pretty good on the lumps and bumps also (Ed. Jenny, WHAT lumps and bumps?!)
The fabulous Janet who teaches pattern cutting at Exeter Sewing Machines showing off her skills with this amazing self drafted jumpsuit made using printed Japanese cotton., and to top it off (quite literally), a magnificent matching hat 😊
Bess made these stretch denim shorts for her ridiculously fussy husband (she keeps swearing she will never make for him again, but then the morale boost when he likes it and wears it is too much of a temptation). The denim is not that heavy but to keep them light she lined the waistband, pockets and fly with the pointy finger print cotton poplin.
She used odd buttons on the fly because she was using up old stocks, but loves that feature. and will do it again.
The pattern is taken off an old favourite pair.
The shorts passed the temperamental sewing machine test AND the fussy husband test 😊
Wendy from @glowskincaredevon made this fabulous pinafore / shift dress in the pea-green trouser weight stretch cord (9536 on the website), it is lined in Venezia (which is the best lining in the whole world) and #ithaspockets ! We love ❤️ ❤️. ❤️ Wendy is busy keeping our hands soft with her amazing hand made skin creams – we recommend 👍
Jane made this parrot and glitter print cotton jersey dress up for Miaow using McCall’s 5135. Jane lengthened the top and narrowed down the side seams (because Miaow is a string bean), she also added some gather to the neck.
out takes:
Jane made this fabulous shirtdress for Miaow using tencel denim and the Ottobre spring 13 pattern. It is topstitched with pink silk thread and because life is too short to turn rouleau loops Jane used a denim herringbone tape
Super soft and comfy cropped sweatshirt with balloon sleeves made by Jane for Kitcat (soon to be a teenager)
