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Green Ovals Jersey Dress with Overlay

green and blue oval spotty print viscose and elastane dress with overlay

Teresa made this dress using our viscose and elastane lightweight jersey and it is beautiful.

She sent us this message: Really pleased with this comfortable, useful dress.  Made with another of your gorgeous fabrics.
The pattern is an old one but maybe there is another similar out there. (Simplicity 8070)
With the patterned fabric it is difficult to see the overlay on the front skirt but in wear it shows with movement. I underlined the body of the dress with one of your tricot knit linings.

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Hand Painted Mercerised Cotton Jersey T-Shirt

BE STRONG ... I whispered to my coffee slogan hand painted T-Shirt

Burda 6602 pattern strikes again! This versatile pattern is sooo good. This latest version is in the finest silkiest cotton jersey (11313) known to (wo)man- and it’s a double jersey so it doesn’t curl when you cut it (Yayy!). Highly Recommended!
Bess fabric painted “BE STRONG I whispered to my coffee” -a quote she saw outside a NYC coffee shop and so whilst she didn’t come home with a sweatshop made “I ❤️ NYC” T-shirt she has (finally!) got her holiday souvenir 💪
Bess altered the neck in this version – if you alter your neck hole and wonder what size the binding should now be it’s fairly safe to go with 2/3 the circumference measurement of the neck. Hems and neck binding were topstitched with the maraflex stretchy thread 👍

Having a good opaque fabric paint in the stash is a great thing to have on hand for impromptu presents – it’s easy to use and will instantly personalise / add meaning to what otherwise could be quite plain or ordinary.

Fun fact: The first time Bess painted the slogan she painted it on the wrong grainline… so the slogan went vertical instead of horizontal, rather than wasting the fabric she also made a vest top:

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Black Chevron Knit Faux Jumpsuit

chevron knit faux jumpsuit

Anne bought this unusual chevron knit for her amazing (accidental) faux jumpsuit, It’s actually a bodysuit and seperate cropped trousers. Anne adapted the bodysuit was adapted from an ancient pattern for a polo-neck sweater and the cropped trousers were copied from a bought pair.  She says “It took quite a while to copy the dimensions, but I really like the wide flare and the angled hem, so I persevered.  It was worth the effort because this is the third pair of trousers I have made from the pattern”.

The waistband was from a scrap of black scuba – very comfortable!  Though she says the outfit looks more flattering with a wide belt.

This is just simply fabulous ❤️

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Parrot Digital Print T-Shirt

parrot digital print cotton t-shirt with pocket

Anne and her husband visited the shop in the summer, he was wearing these brilliantly bright and cheerful trousers and they bought the parrot digital print jersey to go with them – such a fun and cheerful outfit!

I am not sure which pattern Anne used but it looks like the Burda pattern I make up frequently -Burda 6602 (highly recommended). Anne used a small piece of turquoise cotton rib for the neck binding and pocket. We stock this pattern.

burda 6602 t-shirt pattern
burda 6602 t-shirt pattern
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Robot Print Jersey Bomber Jacket

robot print french terry Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber

Bess used up her last precious remnant of her favourite robot print french terry jersey on this Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber jacket for her niece, it is amazing how little main fabric you need for a bomber jacket as the cuffing, pocket contrasts, sleeves and lining are all other remnants. This pattern may just be the ultimate in stash busting!

robot print french terry Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber
robot print french terry Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber
zip detail of Jalie patterns Charlie Bomber
zip detail of Jalie patterns Charlie Bomber
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Printed French Terry Bomber Jacket

printed french terry sweatshirting bomber jacket

Bess used printed french terry sweatshirting jersey and a variety of other sweatshirtings and ribbing to make this Jolie Patterns Charlie Bomber Jacket.. It was a success and Amelie declared she was never going to take it off (YES!)

The pattern has really clear instructions and goes from teeny tiny toddler size all the way up to adults, it’s highly recommended 

Bomber jackets are excellent stash busters as all the pieces are quite small (especially for the kids!) and you can mix and match, bomber jackets are an easy fit so good to make “in secret” without the need to try on.

There was a bit of drama with the making of this one as Bess needed to shorten the zip – usually a simple process of pulling off the teeth at the top and sewing over to stop the puller falling off -except she pulled off the puller before she had it secured and then spent as long trying to get it back on as she did making the entire jacket. 🙄

printed french terry sweatshirting Jalie Patterns Charlie bomber jacket
printed french terry sweatshirting Jalie Patterns Charlie bomber jacket
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Sequinned Jalie Bomber Jacket for Teenager

jalie bomber using sequined tulle, sweatshirting and cotton rib

Kitcat here wearing the sequinned bomber jacket @bessworks made for her (she’s very pleased 😀).

This is the Charlie bomber from Jalie patterns – The pattern has really clear instructions and goes from teeny tiny toddler size all the way up to adults, it’s highly recommended 🥰.
Bomber jackets are also excellent stash busters as all the pieces are quite small (especially for the kids!) and you can mix and match, bomber jackets are an easy fit so good to make “in secret” without the need to try on.
This multicolour sequined version used only 45cm of the sequin fabric- handy because it is £55/m 😭! – it’s a great way of getting a jacket out of a special fabric that you don’t have /want to buy much of.

doing a twirl in multicolour sequined bomber jacket
doing a twirl in multicolour sequined bomber jacket
multicolour sequined jacket -Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber
multicolour sequined jacket -Jalie Patterns Charlie Bomber
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Black 100% Cotton Jersey ‘Sneetch’ T-Shirt

pure cotton star bellied sneetch t-shirt using burda 6602 t-shirt pattern

Bess made a T-Shirt for her ‘star bellied sneetch’ using black 100% cotton piqué low stretch jersey with pale grey Sneetch star (also 100% cotton jersey), -attached with bondaweb and then stitched, black cuffing on the neck, the pattern is Burda 6602 size 44 with no alterations and it is indeed super easy 👏👏👏

Did you know we sell patterns? We do! We stock Burda, Butterick, McCall’s and Vogue, we also can have Simplicity sent direct to you. Our patterns are not on the website but you can browse them online HERE

close up of the star - bondawebbed on and then top-stitched
close up of the star – bondawebbed on and then top-stitched
burda 6602 t-shirt pattern
burda 6602 t-shirt pattern
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Pink Daisy Print Jersey Swing Dress

pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey swing dress (self drafted)

Effee said she bought this pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey fabric ‘by accident’ whilst looking for tailoring supplies, and then I guess this dress was accidentally made into this brilliantly happy swing dress from a self drafted pattern, and a jolly good accident it is too.

This type of 100% cotton jersey does not have too much stretch to it so perfect for this style dress.

pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey swing dress (self drafted) – close up
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Stripey Tee and Tencel Cargos

itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt

Sally made her tried and tested lark tee in super stretchy viscose jersey, and tencel and cotton denim cargo pants using the Itch to Stitch Sequoia Cargo pattern

Bonus points to Sally for an excellent evaluation of these trousers:

Now – what did I think about the Itch-to-Stitch cargoes?  I previously made a dress from them (Oia pattern) for my sister-in-law, which was fabulous.  The pattern was very well designed and the instructions were so good that even this very beginner sewer succeeded.  So I had high hopes for the Sequoia Cargoes.  But in all honesty I am slightly disappointed.  Why?

Sizing.  Based on her chart I’m half way between a 6 and 8 based on hip and a size 10 for waist.  Two toiles later, I wound up cutting the pattern halfway between a 6 and 8 for everything except for the waist which I actually graded DOWN to a size 6.  Very illogical.  The overall fit works fairly well on me – better than any other trouser patterns I have tried.  I generally have to modify the crotch pattern based on a pair of RTW jeans that I like the fit of.

The instructions have some anomalies.  The zip insertion is strange. 

With a 1″ wide zip, the second stitch line would be on the very edge of the zipper tape.  And anyway, why would you want the first stitch line/fold not closer to the teeth?  I emailed Kerris at Itch-to-Stitch to question this instruction.  She didn’t really understand the problem and advsed me to follow her instructions for putting a zip in jeans.  I had already put the zip in my toile using my tried and test jeans zipper insertion method.  It worked fine, but created a problem later with the sizing of the left and right waist band pieces.  So I cut those pattern pieces larger in order to make it all come together right.

The Waistband is ribbing folded around a 1″ elastic.  Following this instruction results in the seam joining the waistband intersecting the zig zag stitch.  So half the zig zag is visible in the waistband.  Again I asked Kerris about this and she pointed out it was a basting stitch and therefore gets removed.  But it is not really feasible to remove this zig zag stitch when it is run through with a seaming stitch.  So I did the zig zag higher up the waist band.  After I inserted the waistband I decided I liked the look of the zig zag running through the middle of the ribbing so I left it in as a design feature.

Finishing the seam allowances:  Given my choice of fabric (very prone to fraying) I struggled.  I don’t have an overlocker – would love one but just don’t have the space to set it up.  So I zig zagged the seam allowances.  Not a great finish.  Be interesting to see how they wash up.

Overall impressions of the look: I didn’t include the side pockets or the leg straps.  I also didn’t put poppers on the back pocket flaps as I felt they were too heavy for the fabric.  I wanted a wider leg but find the legs a bit wider than I would have liked. And I think the back pocket flaps are too large.  I think a heavier fabric would better suit this pattern. Perhaps even something with some stretch.  Will I make another pair?  Probably not.

Thank you Sally!

itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
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Glow in the Dark Fire Breathing Dragons

glow in the dark fire breathing dragons print pj's with black contrasting cuffs, sleeves and yoke

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.

glow in the dark fire breathing dragons print jersey
glow in the dark fire breathing dragon print jersey with perfect topstitching sewn with a Singer 338
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Stripey Lark Tee and Stretch Crosscut Cord Jeans

sally standing on patio wearing stripey cotton lark tee and crosscut stretch corduroy jeans

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.

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Linen Mix Classic T-Shirt

linen mix t-shirt with FBA

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.

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Ponte Roma Long Sleeve Sheath Dress

Ponte Roma long sleeved sheath dress

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?!)

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45 Appliqué Denim Jersey T-Shirt

appliqué t-shirt 45rpm record with sequins, reflective fabric and glow in the dark fabric

How to celebrate turning 45? Applique a single onto your t-shirt, of course! Bess made the t-shirt out of her precious stash of denim jersey (she has been hoarding this since 2008, and this is her 5th t-shirt out of it). She then used bondaweb to applique the sequined fabric, the reflective grey ‘stylus’ and the glow-in-the-dark centre. Not willing to trust the bondaweb on a stretch she then meticulously stitched around by machine.

With all the shiny/reflective/glowing parts to the applique this t-shirt is brilliant at night.

When feeling uncomfortable with an impending birthday the only thing to do is embrace it!

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Indigo Denim Jersey Sirocco Jumpsuit

denim jersey Sirocco jumpsuit

Sarah made this Dear and Doe Sirocco jumpsuit using heavy indigo dyed denim jersey, it needed washing twice before making up due to the excess dye, and she has added a invisible zipper on the side as the fabric is not as stretchy as the pattern requires, but isn’t this amazing?

side view of sirocco jumpsuit by Dear and Doe made up in indigo dyed heavy cotton denim jersey.

You can find sarah on Instagram, but here’s what she says: V2 #ddsirocco Having analysed what went wrong with v1 (fabric too thin and too black, over-lengthened the bodice, over-tapered the legs, short sleeves in winter colour made no sense), I’m glad I had another go. This time I only lengthened the bodice 1.5in, and kept the waistband depth and legs as per pattern, and I extended the sleeves to make it cooler weather appropriate. As this indigo jersey from @stonefabrics is quite sturdy and not as stretchy as the pattern requires, I had to install a side invisible zip. I’m really pleased with the result, even though it is absolutely impossible to wriggle into without getting white deodorant marks on 😂.

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Hand Painted Paint Splatter T-Shirt in Cotton Jersey

hand painted paint splatter t-shirt

Getting 100% Cotton Jersey for t-shirts is harder than it should be, then we get too many metres in one colour so Bess painted a load of this cream with flicks of a paint brush with fabric paint, and then made this T-shirt for her sister Lulu. The pattern is an ancient Vogue Elements hoody pattern V9926 (we still have an out-of-print copy if you would like one)

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Sandwashed Modal Jersey Dress with Long Sleeves

sandwashed modal jersey Merchant and Mills Curlew Dress

This is the wonderful Antonia wearing her Merchant and Mills Curlew dress made up in wonderful sandwashed Modal Jersey, it was so successful she made one up for her mum too!

This silky jersey has a wonderful drape and not too much stretch so is great for the customer who is not sure if jersey is their thing… just watch out as that lesser stretch means you cannot ease sleeves in the way you can cheat with a normal stretchier jersey.

sandwashed modal jersey merchant and mills dress
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Black and White Stripe Double Jersey

black and white stripe pure wool double jersey cardigan

Nicola made this perfect long cardigan using pure wool double jersey from LG. As with all double jerseys the stretch is moderate which makes life a little easier when matching all those stripes (these are matched perfectly)

She made a slightly modified Grainline Studio Driftless cardigan. There’s more written about it on her blog.
“The fabric was a dream to sew, although matching the stripes was tricky! It’s a really cosy cardigan and just the right weight as we move towards winter. I’m so glad I chose this fabric.”

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Printed French Terry Sweatshirt

people print french terry sweatshirting southbank sweater

Silversewer (carol) made this fabulous #southbank sweater 🤗. with this fun people with binoculars printed french terry backed cotton sweatshirting. This was her second make of this patter -time adding the bottom cuff. The collar can be either folded over or left upright. This is such a great pattern😊. Her daughter 💕 loves it !

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Black and White Pinstripe Hoody

Black Pinstripe double wool jersey hoody

Bess made this hoody from an old Burda pattern on the day before going off to a festival and realising she had nothing warm for the evenings. Being somewhat busy she got up a bit early and made it before breakfast – even though it was a pattern she hadn’t used before (needed to be cut out)/there were patch pockets that needed to go on evenly/stripes to match/zip to be inserted. We would like to say it was Bess’s skillz as a dressmaker but most of the credit needs to go to this lovely double wool jersey that behaved soooo nicely.

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Space Rocket Print Cotton Jersey Pyjamas

space print pyjamas made by Miaow (mostly by herself)

Miaow made these space print cotton jersey pyjamas with a little help from Granny (Jane). Hardly any help really, Mia pinned out the pattern onto the fabric, cut them out, overlocked them together and even made ‘Arfur’ the rabbit a matching nightshirt and nightcap. The only thing Jane did was hem them (which she did because they needed to be done TONIGHT and Miaow didn’t have time).

Miaow is 8. When she grows up she wants to be an astronaut.

The pattern is McCall’s M7499 (discontinued but similar things are available).

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Strawberry Print T-Shirts (a pair of strawberry tarts)

a pair of strawberry print t-shirts

When we received the email entitled ‘a pair of strawberry tarts’ we weren’t quite sure what we were opening. 🙀

This is Rachel and Rachel wearing their matching strawberry print cotton and elastane jersey t-shirts along with wolfy the dog (whippet the whippet was locked outside after rolling in fox excrement).

This is possibly our favourite catwalk photo EVER ❤️❤️❤️

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Rainbow Print Viscose T-Shirt

rainbow stripe print viscose jersey t-shirt

Bess couldn’t resist this dichroic glass mirror in Amsterdam for a selfie of her rainbow print viscose T-Shirt (pattern drafted from a fallen apart Great Plains linen T-Shirt). The neck is bound with the same jersey and a stay tape is inserted on the shoulder seam to keep it stable.

Photobomb of Kitcat was unavoidable.