Lynne made this fabulous grey marl bamboo jersey mixed with an aqua and grey stripe viscose jersey dress using Vogue 8975
You can find more drapey lightweight jerseys like this HERE
She loves it so much she made another.
Red ribbon embroidered jersey shift dress made by Jane for Jessie.
The embroidery stabilises the jersey so it is not that stretchy, and although the base jersey is quite fine the embroidery adds a lot of bulk so it is only necessary to face the neck rather than fully line the dress. This dress was sewn on an overlocker (for speed) but would be fine sewn on a sewing machine too. Just remember to use ballpoint needles when sewing jersey.
Find embroidered jerseys HERE
The pattern was Jessie’s block.
Becky wearing the fabulous cream pure wool crepe wedding dress made by her mum, Anna Ash. Wool crepe is the perfect fabric for this style of dress -it has enough body to hold those pleats yet soft enough to drape beautifully.
Mia-moo wearing the unicycle printed quilting weight cotton dress made by Jane (Granny). This dress has sweet darts on the hem that pull it in.
Fabric: Quilting weight cotton by Tina Givens #5101
Pattern: Burda 9544
Caroline from Munkispanner showing us her shift dress made from bird eye check worsted wool made for Riverside. Love the welt pockets!
Caroline from Munkispanner showing us her shift dress made from burgundy worsted wool mix made for Qatar Airlines. Love the welt pockets!
Denim dresses (Butterick B5876) made using medium weight denim with appliqued glow in the dark eyes (LOVE LOVE LOVE this glow in the dark fabric). Made by Bess for her 4 and 6 year old nieces.
Used bondaweb to fix the appliques (then machined round with a small stitch). The skirt is lined and faced with a poly spotty satin.
The pattern was supposed to have patch pockets (view C) but Bess put them in the dropped waist seam instead. (didn’t want packets distracting from the pussycat).
Sooooooooo CUTE.
Miaow (age 4; not staying still for the camera) wearing her reversible wrap dress made using Liberty Lantana (80% Wool 20% Cotton) animals in the forest print with a spotty cotton lawn on reverse. Made by Bess.
Bernie from our Cloth Club wearing palest pink Solstiss lace bolero and linen dress at her Goddaughter’s wedding.
The Bolero is lined on the body but not the sleeves using silk and cotton voile and the linen dress is lined in Venezia.
Martine being fitted in her bow printed Thai Silk dress.
Stretch denim laser cut dress with seam detailing made by Martine at her French sewing class.
Cobalt blue stretch crepe dress with wiggly eyes made by Bess.
Confession: Dress was made the day before going to a swanky wedding (when realisation struck that there was NOTHING to wear), it was much too big but rather than taking it in Bess just sewed a couple of wiggly eye buttons on the back and graunched it in with petersham ribbon. Job done!
Not quite sure what Pall Mall really thought about wiggly eye embellishments but….
Have a look at stretch crepe HERE
Raspberry pink embroidered linen shift dress made by Pamela. You can’t really beat a shift dress, eh? Timeless.
Embroidering linen might not make it crease less, but it will look like it is not so creased.
Find more embroidered linen here
Ann wearing her floral print Liberty Tana lawn wedding dress.
“It was a dream of a fabric to work with and the venezia lining was also lovely to work with. The dress washes well and irons up looking lovely.”
That’s what we like to hear!
Superb quality cotton lawn slash neck flared dress made by Jacoba.
Amazing Liberty blossom printed Tana Lawn cotton dress made using the Vintage Vogue Pattern V2960 (the dress has been altered from the pattern), made by Jane for Lulu.
If you can’t face the fiddle of making the belt yourself (we couldn’t) send the fabric off to Harlequin—they will do it for you along with covering buttons and various other fiddly jobs. It’s worth it as it looks so professional.
The dress petticoat is made up in a plain cotton lawn which has been bound with the Liberty lawn using a 19mm Bias Maker.
Bess wearing a Laurent Garigue fine red wool panelled dress with giant rickrack sewn around the neck, worn over red and white polka dot printed jersey raglan sleeved t-shirt.
The red wool comes with an organza trim down one selvedge, which Bess dutifully ignored (she did think she *might* use it on the hem, but Bess doesn’t feel comfortable in anything resembling a frill), it is possibly criminal to ignore what is essentially the wow factor of the fabric, but she has saved it and may well use it on something else in the future. The wool is fine and gorgeous – a kind of Varuna/Challis, and will be suitable to wear throughout the year.
The giant rickrack needed to be hand sewn so it would lay correctly; a slightly tedious operation (Bess likes to sew QUICKLY), but well worth it.
The dress is lined in a cotton and silk voile, so it is ever so light, but surprisingly warm.
There’s no zip-it just chucks over the head.
Fabrics and Notions:
Dress:
Red Laurent Garigue wool with silk organza pleated trim #3513,
Giant turquoise rickrack,
Fuchsia Pink Silk and Cotton voile lining. (Pattern: Bess’s own).
T-shirt:
Red polka dot viscose and elastane jersey, Pattern: Marcy Tilton for Vogue #8636 (lengthened sleeves and altered collar)
Inspired by scruffybadgertime’s sew-along Denise decided to join in and make up this fab spotty navy and white jersey dress. It doesn’t have a lot of stretch (as jerseys go) but I think this was an ideal choice for the pattern. You can read all about it on her blog
Fabrics and Notions:
Navy and White heavy Jersey (nearly as heavy as a Ponte Roma Jersey, but not quite)
Iron on interfacing (neck)
Bias Binding (armholes)
Zip
Pattern: New Look 6000
Kitcat and Miaow at Chatsworth house wearing their matching red velour and pink spotty soft net dresses, with yeti fur waistcoats. Made by Jane.
Fabrics and Notions:
Dresses:
Red stretch velour.
Pink and Orange spotty print soft dress net.
Pink, orange and red dress net.
Cotton voile (lining).
Spotty Bias Binding.
Red Satin Ribbon (Sash).
Waistcoats:
Off-white Yeti fur
Cream brushed cotton (lining)
Pompoms made with wool.
Waistcoats made due to a nostalgic memory of Bess wearing hers as a little girl (also made by Jane)
Digitally printed viscose and elastane jersey short sleeved dress made by Tracy.
Fabrics and Notions:
2mts digital print viscose elastane jersey #3407
Pattern: Taken from the book ‘Drape Drape’ by Hisako Sato.
Pam wearing her printed Ponte Roma Jersey dress with cowl neck.
Fabrics and Notions:
Designer Printed Ponte Roma
Pattern: Butterick 5778
Bess wearing her panelled pop-art print stretch cotton sateen lined dress, complete with the fimo wedding couple wire framed ‘hat’.
Despite Bess going to the bother of putting in an invisible zip, she just throws it over her head. (she doesn’t put zips in that pattern anymore) AND, much to her disdain (and wasted effort), the dress was originally going to have a panel of the fab glow in the dark cotton straight down the middle, but she scrapped that idea after it was making it hang funny. (and possibly there is enough going on with that dress with out a girt big glowey stripe down her 😉
Fabrics and Notions:
Pop-art print stretch cotton sateen
White Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Pattern: Bess’s own
Yellow and multi printed viscose shift dress made by Angie (fabric given to her for her birthday), and black silk dupion bolero with frill made by Angie for Francesca.
Fabrics and Notions:
Dress:
Multi printed yellow and multi viscose.
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Piping
Pattern: Burda 8133
Bolero:
Black silk dupion
Black Venezia lining
Pattern: Butterick 3345
Beige with pink and orange flowers printed silk and cotton dress made by Angie for her friend.
Fabrics and Notions:
Printed silk and cotton mix
Piping
Cream lining
Lightweight iron on interfacing
Pattern: Burda 8133 (with piping on neckline and bodice added)
Pam wearing her funky green printed viscose dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Retro printed viscose #2694
Invisible zip
Pattern: Adapted from a favourite Toast dress
Bella wearing turquoise crewel embroidered cotton with purple voile petticoat.
Fabrics and Notions:
Turquoise crewel embroidered cotton
Purple cotton voile
Invisible zip
Pattern: Burda 9799
Lulu wearing cotton gathered dress with spotty petticoat and pockets made by Malin.
Fabrics and Notions:
Lightweight red cotton
Spotty cotton
Invisible zip
Pattern: Burda 9799
Lucinda with a remake of her bias cut dress (seen first here) using Boden flower printed cotton and worn with a lined red sand-washed silk poplin bolero.
Fabrics and Notions:
Dress:
Boden printed cotton
Cotton lawn lining (#1011)
Invisible zip
Bolero:
Red sand-washed silk poplin
Venezia lining
Medium knitted interfacing
Dress pattern: 7798
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
Elwen (our Saturday girl) wearing her designer printed poplin cotton princess line dress with three box pleats coming from the waist.
She says don’t look at the hem
(The hem is fine)
Fabrics and Notions:
Designer printed cotton poplin #2823
22″ Concealed zip
Mustard poly cotton bias binding
Pattern: Very Easy Vogue (discontinued)
Lucinda (reluctantly having her photograph taken) wearing Amy Butler wiggly stripe cotton dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Amy Butler printed cotton
Invisible zip
Stay tape
Pattern: Burda 7798
Lulu wearing vintage Vogue dress made with swimmers printed cotton and pink linen bolero, all made by Jane.
Fabrics and Notions:
Dress:
Swimmers print cotton
Riviera cotton lawn lining
Cover buttons
Covered belt
Bias binding
Pattern: Vintage Vogue V2960
Bolero:
Pink Heavy Linen
Swimmers print cotton
Button
Piping
Lulu wearing Italian Designer knit dress, and Miaow wearing her heirloom embroidered linen dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Lulu:
Italian Designer knit cotton and mixed fibres
Stay tape
Bias binding
Miaow:
Off-white linen
Riviera cotton lawn
Zip
Button
Lace inserts
Ribbons
Abstract floral print viscose elastane jersey twist front dress made by Pam.
Fabrics and Notions:
Viscose elastane jersey
Stay tape
Lycra stretch binding
Acylic polyamide and elastane funky flower printed jersey dress made by Lucinda for her twin carrying sister.
Fabrics and Notions:
Acylic polyamide and elastane printed jersey
Stay tape
Elastic (neckline and armholes)
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:
Dress made for Bess’s graduation made out of charcoal silk and wool lightweight English tweed with charcoal jersey back and red spotty jersey circle inserts and pockets.
Pam from the Cloth Club wearing her big flower Free Spirit printed cotton sundress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Free Spirit printed cotton
Invisible zip
Satin ribbon trim
Pam from the Cloth Club wearing her funky floral printed cotton lawn dress with waist detailing.
Fabrics and Notions:
Printed cotton lawn
Cotton lawn lining
Ribbon trim
Invisible zip
Reinforced stay tape
Cotton lawn iron-on interfacing
Pam from the Cloth Club wearing her printed stretch cotton sateen dress with velvet trim.
Fabrics and Notions:
Stretch cotton sateen
Velvet piping
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Medium weight knitted iron-on interfacing
Kyra modelling the wool tweed zippy dress remake designed by Bess
Fabrics and Notions:
Laurent Garigue double sided wool tweed in charcoal and ivory
Big spot poly satin
Red continuous zipping with extra pullers
Black fold-over grosgrain binding
Self made wide bias binding
Iron-on reinforced stay tape
Iron-on stay tape
Pattern: Bess’s own
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
Clair braving the British summer in her red bubble spot cotton panelled dress.
Lulu wearing Italian Designer chevron knit dress
Fabrics and Notions:
Cotton and mixed fibres Italian Designer chevron knit
Lycra binding
Bias binding
Stay tape
The selvedge on these knits are often usable as an edging, they may need a bit of tidying up as there is often threads that come loose, but look good when the time is spent.
Bess wearing her posh white grosgrain and sequinned zippy dress, with red cotton sateen inserts.
Bess has a bit of an obsession with zips
Fabrics and Notions:
White cotton and acetate grosgrain
Black sequinned jersey
Red cotton and poly stretch sateen
Red continuous zipping
Red piping
Red bias binding (cut from sateen)
Iron-on reinforced stabilising tape
Iron on stabilising tape
Black fold-over grosgrain binding (hem)
Kitcat wearing smocked linen dress with cross over back.
Fabrics and Notions:
Spotty printed linen.
Smocking
Buttons
Lawn iron-on interfacing
Malin wearing her camel pinafore dress made with stretch cotton and viscose trousering.
Fabrics and Notions:
Camel Cotton/Viscose/Elastane trousering
Invisible zip
Venezia lining
Iron on medium weight knitted interfacing
Pattern: Vogue 8555
Bess in her prototype tweed dress she made for her final collection with six zips opening up the panels (the zips have extra pullers so can be undone in a multitude of ways for different silhouettes).
Fabrics and Notions:
Laurent Garigue double sided wool tweed in charcoal and ivory
Big spot poly satin
Black continuous zipping with extra pullers
Red grosgrain ribbon
Black fold-over grosgrain binding
Self made wide bias binding
Iron-on reinforced stay tape
Iron-on stay tape
Pattern: Bess’s own (but is a pretty basic panelled shift)
Bess wearing her sequinned tulle and organic cotton jersey dress (made in one hour!)
Fabrics and Notions
Silver/Black penny sequinned tulle #1926
Black organic cotton jersey #2916
Stay tape
Bess made sleeves and lined her sequin dress in cotton jersey because she is fairly intolerant when it comes to suffering for fashion (and sequins are hot and scratchy).
This dress would have taken much less than an hour had she not taken the time to cut away the sequins along the seams (which makes sewing easier, reduces the risk of a sequin jabbing her in the thigh, and the seams lie nice and flat. It was unnecessary to sew any back on.
Due to the tulle backing the sequins are sewn on to no hemming was required (result!).
Jacoba wearing her posh shot silk dupion dress.
Fabrics and Notions:
Silk dupion
Silk organza (interlining)
Fluffy iron-on interlining (bodice)
Boning
Venezia lining
Pattern: Bellville Sassoon for Vogue, 2481
Sue with her daughter in her shot red silk dupion posh frock (made in classes).
Fabrics and Notions:
Red shot silk dupion
Venezia lining
Invisible zip
Lightweight iron-on interfacing
Piping
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 red bubble spot panelled dress.
Kitcat’s combined spotty/gingham dress
Fabrics and Notions:
Red and White cotton gingham
Blue and red spotty printed cotton
Rickrack trim
