The lovely Sian here visiting all the way from Australia* wearing her lovely red cotton voile shirt dress that she made with her purchases from her last visit. The pattern is Burda 6353 (lengthened in the skirt), it’s lined in an equally fine cotton lawn to keep the lightness and coolness. (and it is very […]
Jane made up this old Karl Lagerfield pattern FINALLY after it lurking in the pattern drawer for nearly 20 years. The Linen is the Japanese designer nani IRO for Kokka. Jane had a bit of tweaking to get it right – too small on the bust but massive everywhere else – such as life goes […]
Rachel doesn’t believe that kids prints should be solely for kids. Here she is in her self drafted quilting cotton dress printed in sugar plum fairies.. and frogs… and things. 😊
Jane made this lovely pineapple print yellow seersucker sundress for Mioaw, she chose the fabric herself which has proved a good move as she has lived in it all summer (YAYYYY!). The pattern is Burda 9417.
Martine made this lovely printed needlecord dress up for her 9 year old granddaughter in dressmaking classes in the South of France. We ❤️!
Bess nearly didn’t make this white cotton broderie anglaise dress because she was worried about cursing the summer but in the end decided 2018 sunshine was a dead-cert. Yayyy for proper summers! The pattern came out of the June 2018 Burda magazine, it’s supposed to have wing type things over the armholes but Bess decided […]
This is Braenna wearing her self drafted yellow linen circular skirt dress; made all on her own in the summer holidays. Isn’t she amazing? We ❤️❤️❤️!
Louisa here wearing her lovely denim cleo dungaree dress from Tilly and the Buttons, complete with impressive top-stitching and super fastenings.
Jane wearing her superb self drafted shift dress made up in Japanese nani IRO printed linen. Lined in Venezia and piped with fine satin (self made) piping. Isn’t it fabulous? And we ❤ the shoes too!
Julie made up this super jacquard jersey into a three quarter sleeve dress and is really pleased with it (as are we!). The pattern is self drafted and works brilliantly with this stable jersey that behaves much like a ponte roma jersey does (although this is a lighter/looser weave).
Daiga here again in this super flattering and beautiful bluebell velour stretchy dress. FABULOUS!
Daiga sent us this the details of the Knip Mode dress she was planning to make enquiring if the blue crepe viscose jersey she liked was suitable. I think the answer is a resounding YES, definitely!
Clair teaching in Sunny Spain wearing this beautiful Black British pure worsted wool pinafore dress, the pattern is self-drafted and the pleats were a dream to press. She says it’s too good for work but she’s always worn lovely clothes to work (she used to work for us and we can verify she always wore lovely clothes then).
Moira sent us this pic of her wearing this amazing hot pink and acid yellow rose print stretch cotton sateen shift dress made from the Wendy Ward’s “The Beginner’s Guide to Dressmaking” Book. Isn’t it fabulous?
Karen came to the shop wearing this brilliant blossom print Japanese cotton shift dress, she made it using the Tilly and the Buttons Françoise pattern, it has been lengthened and a with bit of tweaking to the french darts (hardly visible in this fabric) this has become a firm favourite in Karen’s wardrobe. This cotton has […]
The wonderful Julie cheering up a decidedly grey day with this amazing parrot print heavy cotton canvas made up into the Kwik Sew K4097 dress. We love it. We love it!
The lovely Sandra here modelling her navy blue needlecord/babycord cotton shirtwaister with matching classic marble effect buttons. The pattern is McCall’s 4769. She is really please (as she should be) and has had a lot of wear out of it 😊).
Petra sent us this pic of her dress made up using spotty silk twill from LG. You will notice the spots are arranged inline rather than offset which makes them a super finnickity to match but she did it really well. She said: A week ago I googled dress fabric shops in the uk and […]
I know we always say this but is there anything out there better and more versatile than a wool crepe? Here we have Bernie (from French France) at her son’s wedding (in the UK) wearing this lovely shift dress expertly fitted by Bernie’s teacher Brigitte. The pattern was out of the Burda magazine (and they […]
This is Christine’s Granddaughter Georgia, who was nearly 5. She’d just been to stay, and as soon as her parents had dropped her off she wanted to ‘do sewing – a hat and a dress!’ They found a lovely free bucket hat pattern online – from Oliver + s – a PDF, a first for […]
Heather in the sunshine wearing her lovely embroidered denim Cleo dress by Tilly and the Buttons. Sooooo Good!
Marion wearing her mauve and blue geometric print cotton needlecord shift dress with short sleeves and princess seams. made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead)
We have been looking at this stretch cotton sateen multicolour stripe for a while thinking “something FANTASTIC could be made out of this”, and here we have the proof. Marion, with her dress made and designed by the clever stick Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead). We love the chevron detailing on the back, and […]
Marion wearing this great animal print stretch cotton sateen dress with asymmetric zip detailing and shawl collar. Made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead).
Pamela sent us this photo after a season of wearing this self proclaimed favourite dress made up from her stash of heavy linen. Aside from the generally pleasing aesthetics of a colour block dress you get to do some quality stash busting. Win/Win! For the best results use like fabrics (weight/drape) and make sure they […]
Patricia working in the shop wearing her fabulous cut and super comfy long sleeve ponte roma dress. (Pattern cut herself)
The lovely Anne here in full glory doing the Mother of the Bride thing wearing this statement tulip print poly twill taffeta dress and classic wool crepe bolero jacket. Anne had help matching the tulips at a sewing class in Bath (the pattern is Vogue 8997). The wool crepe in the bright pink for the jacket […]
Penney made up this dress for her daughter Rosie using silver satin and overlaid on the bodice with silver guipure lace, originally the plan was to have the lace all over but they opted (quite rightly, we think) to stick to just the bodice, even though Penney had already matched up all the pieces (doh!). […]
White Broderie Anglaise embroidered cotton dress made by Jane for Lulu using Vogue pattern 1942 (discontinued). IT is trimmed with turquoise blue satin bias, soft cotton bias and piping around the neck, and lined in cotton voile.
Aiste made this most fabulous green peacock print cotton and elastane jersey made up with black ribbing on the neck and cuffs (cut on the fly – as is Aiste’s speciality)
Marion in this super fresh blue and multicolour print cotton needlecord short sleeve dress made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead)
Marion wearing her super dress made with brown and yellow geometric floral print cotton babycord, there are clever princess seams that are piped and curve out to the side seams below the waist, which is a very flattering design feature. Made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead)
Sandra visiting the shop on a super sunny day wearing her light and breezy navy polka dot viscose shirtwaister dress. The pattern is McCall’s 6891 and has various length and sleeve options. I suspect every girl needs one of these dresses, right?
Madeleine overjoyed with her butterfly print viscose halterneck dress made by Granny, Alisa. The Pattern is ‘learn to sew’ McCall’s 7589 as Alisa has had time out from sewing and needed to ease herself in gently, she was back for more fabric the following week so I think it worked!
Jacoba in red roses on black and white polka dot print stretch cotton sateen dress. We’ve said this before and we shall say it again, Stretch Cotton Sateen is a girl’s best friend when it comes to shift dresses. You can look smart AND be comfortable! 👍 😀
This is Sophie who has a degree in Costume Design and keeps turning up at the shop with friends and family working out what she will make next. She is quite an inspiration. The pattern was drafted herself and is using a cotton brocade which is heavy enough to hold shape but drapey enough to swing […]
Pauline made this delicious summery watermelon print cotton up into this great a-line dress from McCall’s (M2401). The cotton is pretty lightweight (somewhere between a lawn and a poplin) and could have got away with no lining but Pauline went for the smarter option and lined it in cotton voile.
Frances made up this fabulous silver grey stretch brocade shift dress for her sister who was needing an outfit for her son’s wedding – she didn’t want anyone else to turn up wearing the same dress! She knew what she wanted and was delighted with the result (Obv!) The pattern was copied from a dress that was bought […]
Aiste self-drafted this dress and made it up in ponte jersey with yellow contrast asymmetric sleeves. It’s very cool, and looks different everytime she moves 🙂
Here is Andy (the Mother of the Groom) wearing a fabulous raspberry heavy washed linen dress made for her by Anna Ash of I ❤️ Sewing . The pattern is Vogue V1410 which has a wrap front rather than a front opening. The whole point of dressmaking is making exactly what you want* so of course these details are […]
Lauren made this amazing kimono sleeved coat for her final year degree show using pink felted wool coating. It’s tied together through oversized eyelets, has an extended hem at the back and an embellished shawl collar. Soooo beautiful!
Marion looking fabulous in her peacock blue abstract print short sleeve stretch cotton sateen dress made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead)
Julie at her daughter’s graduation wearing the navy lace shift dress she made with fuchsia pink lining (the Champagne was made in France). This looks like a very simple dress that is easy to make but as with many simple things, the devil is in the detail and Julie has become an expert on fitting dresses beautifully […]
Aiste playing with jersey again here with a jacquard weave heavy wool mix knit. The pattern was taken (and modified) from a purchased top. The fit is fabulous – this is why we love jersey! and the asymmetric cut makes it interesting from all angles.
Kitcat in the shop for the holidays wearing her elasticated waist viscose dress made by Jane using Burda pattern 9367 (age 9). Jersey bias was used for the elastic casing and was set lower so the fabric blouses up. a drawstring was added to the front and the same jersey bias was used to case […]
Pauline looking smart and fabulous in wool challis using the classic sleeved shift dress from McCall’s (2401). The dress is lined in Venezia. Belt, Shoes and Smile Pauline’s own.
Marion wearing her lovely blue and yellow geometric print stretch cotton sateen shift dress made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead).
Fit for a Princess. Spotted in the Torygraph on 15th March 2017. 60’s inspired dress made by Eponine –I hasten to add the red and white checkerboard suiting was bought from LG at source, not from us, but it is the same. Sooooo Coool!
Julie at the Keep on Sewing weekend course wearing her navy blue crepey jersey dress with purple and white geometric print. She says she hasn’t stopped wearing it – it packs well and can be dressed up or down (it even goes with slippers!).
Susie terribly pleased with her spotty modal and elastane lightweight sweatshirting jersey dress -it has a great swing to it and has started Susie on a quest to find lots more jerseys with a similar medium weight like this. Watch this space!
Marion blending in nicely at the nursery with her orange and green floral print stretch cotton sateen dress with fabulous peplum detailing, made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead).
Marion again, this time in a floral and paisley print cotton babycord top and skirt. All of us at Stone Fabrics are loving the scalloped hem and pattern matching. Made and designed by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead). Soooo Clever!
Marion here wearing this super fitted stretch drill dress with lovely cut out detail on the back. She cheats by getting the uber talented Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead) to design and make it up for her (I must say if I had a Dawn I would too). There is a danger with […]
Jane made this “Channel” inspired dress using a LG tufted bouclé mixed fibre tweed for her daughter Lulu. The pattern is a discontinued Mizrahi vogue pattern that has been altered by adding a sleeve. The whole dress was quilted to purple silk habotai lining – Jane cut all the pieces bigger and recut after the quilting […]
Linda was waiting in for a delivery and thought she’d make a dress for Hogmanay… as you do. So here is what she made. It’s a New Look 6000 pattern with the gathered side made here in stretch velour. Isn’t it amazing?
Bess was supposed to be making a princess dress for her niece Eloise but it kind of mutated into a Wonder Woman dress instead. This is what happens when you sew with no real idea of what you are making! The skirt is made up of many layers of tulle with a Venezia lining, the bodice […]
Bess made these two tutus for her nieces Kitcat and Miaow with a loose brief of Nutcracker in mind. There are a gazillion layers of tulle gathered and pleated and sewn onto a silk dupion elasticated waistband and embellished with feathers and sequins. 3 colours of tulle were used to get a greater depth to the […]
Sue looking STUNNING in Greece getting married, wearing the dress she made using fabulous embroidered silk organza. Sue slightly amended the Vogue Original pattern so she could make best use of the scalloped edge, removing part of the lining to allow for 180” of skirt material being gathered into 27” (few sleepless nights there) but all in all, […]
Susie wearing her super cobalt blue polka-dot printed cotton needlecord tunic pattern made from the indie pattern company Wiksten Tova.
Jacoba on the amazing Wahiba Sands in Oman wearing her printed linen and viscose tunic dress – the perfect fabric to cover up yet remain cool in the blistering heat. Look at that blue sky ~looks out of window at drizzle ~ look! And here, just because the sand is amazing, a photo sans Jacoba.
