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Stretch Denim Jeans – That Fit

black denim stretch jeans self drafted and closet core ginger jeans

Joan bought indigo and a black stretch denims from us in a bid to get some jeans that fit and she did a stellar job.

The pattern she used was a mix up of various elements: an old Vogue pattern for the blue jeans fly, Closet Core Ginger midrise jeans for the start of the black fly, and a lot of the sewing method, plus a pattern drafted off an old pair of her best fitting jeans and tweaked for a better fit. She modified the fly so that it more closely resembled RTW finish in the black pair and that worked better than the blue pair.

She bought the Mara 70 thread and found the best success when using it in the bobbin plus top thread.

jeans fly and jeans pockets details
jeans fly and jeans pockets details
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Bug Print Shirt with Babycord A-Line Skirt

anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt

The lovely Anne made up our teal stretch babycord as a panelled A-line skirt and the bug print cotton poplin as a fun blouse. The sewing is impeccable (of course!) -beautifully turned collar, perfectly straight waistband… she’s a great sewer who kept herself busy during lockdown making a fabulous new wardrobe.

anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt
anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt
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Multicolour Stripe Stretch Cotton Dress

multicolour stripe pattern dress

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. 👍

multicolour stripe pattern dress - back chevron detail multicolour stripe pattern dress

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Floral Stretch Cotton Sateen Wide Leg Trousers

floral stretch cotton sateen wide leg trousers

Aiste is showing off her fabulous wide leg trousers made up in floral print stretch cotton sateen using Burda vintage (re-published) pattern #6966, she used the narrower of the two options.

The fit of these trousers is fantastic -partly due to the elastane content of the fabric but also because, for some reason, Burda trouser patterns are cut better than others (in our humble opinion).

floral stretch cotton sateen wide leg trousers

 

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Purple Stretch Cotton Piqué Panelled Shift Dress

Bess was looking at this purple piqué for well over a year before she decided she was able to wear purple, and is rather loving the extra colour in her wardrobe. The pattern is a long tried and tested pattern she took from a Jaeger dress (seen here in many guises). This time it is unlined and piped in green satin around the neck and has green bias binding inside the hem (just in case anyone should look inside.

Despite the close fit no zip is necessary – she just wiggles in.

 

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Green Denim Kid’s Mini Skirt & Jacket

Jane made this lime green denim mini skirt and jacket for Miaow. The jacket was a pattern downloaded whose author shall remain anonymous due to the derogatory comments that have come out of Jane while making it. It was a battle to find a kid’s denim jacket pattern at all, it would have been quicker (and easier) to have drafted it ourselves after the multitude of alterations that had to be done to this pattern. The skirt was easy though!

Made using stretch cotton denim and trimmed with cotton poplin and coloured jeans buttons. The belt on the skirt is made by Harlequin who cover buckles and buttons with your fabric super quick and efficiently.  Funky!

kid's lime green stretch denim mini skirt with matching belt and floral contrast pockets
lime green denim mini skirt with belt

miaow-green-denim-jacket

 

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Blue Floral Stretch Cotton Sateen Shift with Cap Sleeves

floral stretch cotton sateen shift dress with cap sleeves

Jane at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition flaunting her floral stretch cotton sateen dress. The pattern comes from her block -which if you look at flat on the table looks absolutely barmy but fits her fabulously so don’t argue- Symmetrical, she is not!

The dress is lined in Venezia and there is a concealed zip up the back.

Matching shoes: model’s own.

floral stretch cotton sateen shift dress with cap sleeves
floral stretch cotton sateen shift dress with cap sleeves

 

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Embroidered and Embellished Cotton Piqué Coat

daisies and sequined grass embellished cotton piqué coat

Bess made this turquoise cotton piqué coat for a wedding, wanting something very plain that would go with all her dresses. All the best laid plans and all that – Bess HATED it plain (felt like a doctor’s coat), so cut up some daisy trim and sewed them all over, and couched some yellow vintage strung sequins and green jute string as grass. Bess is not ruling out the possibility that there won’t be more flowers and insects added at a later date.

daisy trim embellished piqué cotton with sequins and jute string
daisy trim embellished piqué cotton with sequins and jute string

The Peter Pan collar is accented with red satin (ready made) piping and the same piping is used between the printed cotton lawn lining and the front facings. The sleeves are lined in red Venezia as they are fairly slim and need to slip.

The pattern is a Vintage burda pattern no. 7041, it makes up beautifully with hardly any alterations.

floral cotton lawn used as lining
floral cotton lawn used as lining

 

Peter Pan collar on turquoise piqué embellished coat
Peter Pan collar on turquoise piqué embellished coat

Finally the buttons were added, these buttons were the originals intended for the plain jacket but Bess was determined to use them, whether they go or not. (I think she gets away with it – just).

Turquoise diamanté and oxidised metal asian inspired button
Turquoise diamanté and oxidised metal asian inspired button

She loves them. Every girl needs a bit of bling.

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Blue Digital Print Cotton Drill Fluted Hem Skirt

cotton drill fluted hem bellville sassoon skirt

Rachel wearing her blue digital print skirt with a fluted lowered hem at the back, this skirt works in both soft drapey fabrics as well as this stiffer cotton drill. The pattern is a Bellville Sassoon for Vogue, now discontinued but you might find it on the world wide interweb, V1296.

Use the heavy cotton or stretch cotton tag to find more fabrics like this

 

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Pop-art Print Panelled Shift Dress

pop art printed stretch cotton sateen dress

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

 

 

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Stretch Cotton Jacket and Elephant Print Viscose Skirt

flippy viscose skirt and marcy tilton jacket

Rachel wearing stretch cotton jacket with embossed squares, eyelet tape and various trims, and elephant printed floppy viscose panelled skirt.

Fabrics and Notions:

Jacket:
Black embossed stretch cotton
Black hatch print Linen (border/collar)
Velvet ribbon
Suedette eyelet tape
Haematite beads
Machine embroidery

Pattern: Marcy Tilton (discontinued)

Skirt:
Elephant print viscose
Medium weight knitted iron-on interfacing
Invisible zip

flippy viscose skirt
flippy viscose skirt

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Spotty Reversible Grosgrain and Wool Coat with Zero Print Skirt

spotty grosgrain coat and printed stretch cotton a-line skirt

Bess wearing reversible coat made years and years ago using grosgrain polkadot and green Laurent Garigue worsted wool.
Also wearing a long a-line skirt using a Donna Karan Vogue pattern.

Fabrics and Notions:
Coat:
Polka dot printed grosgrain viscose and cotton
Laurent Garigue green worsted wool
Cover buttons (wired together so as to be double sided)
Viscose iron-on interfacing

Skirt:
Red zero print stretch cotton drill
Viscose iron-on interfacing
Turquoise satin piping
Invisible zip
Turquoise narrow petersham (belt loops)
Black 25mm cotton petersham (tie)