Lizzy made this exquisite silk georgette dress for a gala dinner in Trentham Gardens, the pattern is from the Butda magazines – November 2019 design 133, the fabric is a sheer silk georgette 12340 on our website, lined in silk dupion for the bodice, and our premium breathable Venezia lining for the skirt. The skirts are a full circle which made the hems 8.2m, and there’s three of them so needless to say the hemming took a while!
The sash is double sided velvet ribbon
Lucy did that dressmaker superpower thing of combining two patterns to make something greater than the sum of its parts. The top of this fabulous worsted wool pinafore is Vogue V7975 pattern with Simplicity 2247 for the skirt. The top was also modified so the middle of the front part of the top consist of two pieces which overlap. It’s like “double breasted”. It’s fully lined. She spent some time to make it right. For the skirt Lucy needed to make adjustments to match up the seams of the panels to the top. Â
This worsted wool is super fine and has a wonderful drape, making a pinafore dress is perfect as it means it spends far less time at the cleaners.
Teresa made this fabulous flared jersey dress with a digitally printed lightweight viscose jersey and we adore it. Such a lovely cut and drape. Tencel Jersey and Modal Jersey would work in a similar way for this dress.
Suzanne made this fabulous spotty viscose up in the Sew La di da Stevie Dress pattern for her daughter in law (for Christmas – Shhhh!) – What a fabulous MIL she is! This fine Viscose lawn is perfect for dresses with frills and ruffles and those bell sleeves look perfect ❤️
Jacoba made this fabulous sparkly zigzag printed jersey dress for the orchestra and no one could believe she made it. This is a poly jersey with fabulous drape so putting it on the bias for the skirt makes it super-christmassy drapey. We love.
The Pattern is Vogue 1907 version B
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. Â 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.
Chrissie made this beautiful Vogue 8903 shirt dress using our gingko leaf print pima cotton lawn. This lawn is super silky weave similar to a Liberty tana lawn and the prints are of an excellent quality. The only modification Chrissie made was adding in-seam pockets (who doesn’t want pockets?). It’s a super dress that is belted in for extra shape.
Anne made this fabulous statement abstract print designer linen dress using Vogue 9112 pattern – the collar and loose cut is just PERFECT for a fun summery dress for all occasions. WE love. We want. Prints like this don’t come along often but we buy them whenever we can.
Do not adjust your screen! Shockingly bright neon moss crepe made up beautifully as a ruffle dress by Malin who initially planned it to be a skirt lining – but all best laid plans and all that – It turned into this. Made over the duration of two evenings as a last minute party dress. It’s fabulous. Malin had lots of lovely comments. And she definitely stood out!
This dress looks a million dollars and so well executed Katie is rightly proud of her make (and we are so proud of her).
She used a tried and tested pattern ….vogue 8903 and added a cuff. She said she “had to hand sew the collar stand down as it was too much of a challenge getting all those layers through my domestic machine. Really pleased with this and will wear it to death!”
The fabric is a super soft and washable suedette with a bit of stretch in it ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Debbie chose lockdown to make up a silk satin back crepe dress to die for. The pattern is an ancient Vogue pattern and she used the superweight satin back crepe to greatest effect by switching the right side on a panel. She said it wasn’t easy to work with and found an AO cutting mat and lots of wonder clips helped, and she did it! Sew beautiful!
Daiga has a thing for emerald green and made this beautifully fitted Indian Linen dress using Simplicity 8888 and hacked beyond recognition 🙂
Q) What’s more useful than a non-iron super drapey and flattering floaty dress?
A) A non-iron super drapey top and skirt that looks like a dress!
The beauty is the versatility with wardrobe options a plenty. This ‘dress’ is made in a lovely heavy polyester georgette (georgette is a very light fabric so heavy is a relative term here). All self drafted because Emma is a clever chick.
Kathryn wowed us with this super self drafted coat and dress combo made from lightweight Italian Linen. Soooo brilliant. We love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
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!
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 😍😍😍
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 .Â
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.Â
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?!)
Who doesn’t need a dress made up in the colour of a summer sky? This dress is BOUND to put you in a good mood, it is the Kay Unger for Vogue V1353 shown on the packet in a cotton sateen but works beautifully in a heavy washed linen. Made by Janet who is a brilliant dressmaker and we love everything she puts her hands to. She has lined it with Venezia.
This is Marion wearing the fabulous bold green and red overlaid spot print stretch cotton sateen wrap dress made for her by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead), the flash of red inside the wrap lining is just fabulous.
This is Marion wearing the dress made for her by Dawn Hooper of Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead), the fabric is a lovely poppy print stretch cotton sateen which is a super weight for the summer months, and lined in Venezia
Carole wearing this super cool and breezy navy and white viscose lawn printed dress using McCall’s pattern 7189
Alice’s further adventures in bananas here with a cotton poplin dress (McCall’s McCalls 6696 view A).  She made quite a few alterations to the pattern –
Changed the back bodice to get rid of the gathers at the yoke and added darts at the waist. Â
The front bodice was a bit too big in an 8 which is the smallest pattern size so pinched out the excess on the toile and re-drew the pattern which resulted in making the neckline smaller so the collar and collar  band also had to be resized.
Trimmed about half an inch off the collar long edge to make it neater.
It sounds worse than it was in practice!
She decided to gather and line the skirt rather than pleat it and omitted the side seam pockets. This is the second dress she’s made for Lizby in this pattern which makes the adjustments worth the effort!
The fabric was a dream to work with and Lizby is delighted with the finished results.Â
Julie in Dubai wearing her fabulous Nani iRo japanese printed linen wrap dress which was a somewhat troublesome make due to accidentally overlocking a hole in the front panel and having to recut.. but she got there in the end!
Marion on a cruise in Nova Scotia wearing the most fabulous lemon print on stretch cotton sateen. The dress was made by Dawn at Hardy and Hooper (Maidenhead), Dawn has been making Marion’s dresses a while and they are always stunning.
Here we have Tom and Zoe celebrating their special day with Zoe wearing the most spectacular dress made by Diane. The main dress is silk taffeta with pleated chiffon added to the skirt and a beaded tulle jacket. We love the way the dress floats in the wind. The jacket and headpiece is Simplicity 8364 and the dress is from Diane & Zoe’s imaginations. Simply Stunning.
The lovely Bernie from French France made this amazing silk mix brocade up in a fitted skirt suit for a family wedding, both the patterns are tried and tested, they originally came out of the Burda sewing magazines- the dress from March 2001 and the jacket from sometime in 2012. Isn’t she fabulous? Here we have proof that style never goes out of fashion 🙂
The hat was made for her using a scrap of the brocade in a local hat shop in Pézenas. Perfection 🙂
The amazing Janet made this Peter Pan collar coat for one of her clients in a viscose crepe that has been heavily embellished with metallic thread – so whilst the fabric base has drape the embroidery has stiffened it all up and Janet has shown some serious skills by getting it all to seam together beautifully. Finished off beautifully with covered buttons with gold rims.
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 with a pattern for the first time, but having been altered it is now PERFECTÂ 😊
It’s got pockets!
It is lined in Venezia faced with extra light interfacing and there is a concealed zip up the back. The pattern is Vogue 1412 (long since discontinued but possibly available second hand).
Rudi the Siamese cat has to be in the photo too. Even if he didn’t get his ‘best side’.
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 to not do them <s>because she couldn’t understand the instructions</s> because she decided they were overkill.
The dress is lined in white cotton lawn with a splash of red in the piping around the neck. Bess’s favourite bit is the POCKETS 😊
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 ❤️❤️❤️!
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 ❤Â 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).
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?
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 came across an article in The Guardian titled 10 best fabric shops in the uk[]. I looked at your website and found exactly the fabric I wanted. It came on the Monday and now I have a dress to wear for a wedding! Thank you for you friendly and professional service. I will definitely look at your shop for other fabric. Â
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 clearly remembered to add seam allowances 😂)
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 the perfectly matched seams. This kind of attention to detail really pays off. 👍
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).
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 was lovely to work with and drapes well (the pattern is Burda 8997).
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!). The pattern is made up from two other patterns – Vogue 2913 (one of Penneys from the eighties) and Vogue 8076. She used used a full toile to fit it and amend. Rosie was very specific about what she wanted as teenagers do best!
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.
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. Â I suspect every girl needs one of these dresses, right?
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 and not stick out.
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 a long time ago and made a few minor changes to the shape at the back, a toile was fitted first.
It is lined in Venezia but there is no interfacing as the fabric was weighty enough to hold its shape. as a bonus she says it was really easy to cut and sew.
Well, Frances, we think you made an exceptional Mother of the Bride Outfit for your sister right there! Well Done! 👏
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 for us to alter!
*when I say we dressmake to get exactly what we want I mean within reason. We cannot alter patterns to remove a middle-age spread, or dropped shoulders, or [enter personal body hang-up here]. But we can dressmake to disguise these things.
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 to her curves. Beware: Once you take the time to do this you will never be able to buy shop bought again.
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!
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 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 not-so-good designers to make ‘funeral clothes’ -clothes that look great on the front but are plain and boring on the back (you don’t need the back to look pretty if you are lying in a coffin). When we look at ourselves we rarely see our behinds (hoorah for that I say!) but other people do so it’s good to make it look pretty.
Jane made this “Channel” inspired dress using a LG tufted bouclĂ© 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 was done (because the quilting tends to draw the pieces smaller), then a few more lines of quilting were added near the seams once it was sewn. Jane trimmed the neckline and pockets with velvet gimp braid.
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?Â
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 is yellow viscose jersey that was a bit thin for the job so was interlined with a cotton jersey, and then appliqued with a piece of sequinned fabric. There is elastic in the waist and sleeves to draw it in and red plastic snap fasteners on the back bodice.
The skirt was made without a pattern (gather the tulle until it is 7″ bigger than the waist), the bodice was pinched off a bridesmaid dress -long since discontinued and certainly not intended for floppy jersey. The worst bit was sewing the heart on straight…. or getting the bulk of the tulle onto the bodice (it had to be ripped apart and regathered with pleats as just gathering was too bulky with all the layers). Despite the moments of GAAAHHHHH! WHAT AM I DOING! it was a great fun make.
