Jane B made this fresh and lovely spring green cotton jersey top with lace inset on the shoulder.
She used Butterick 6418 view D – made longer – but bound the neckline as it would not have worked simply turning a hem over. Very pleased with it! 👏
Wendy visited the shop all the way from Welsh Wales to check us out ‘in the flesh’ (we don’t think she was disappointed). We couldn’t resist getting a photo as she was wearing this fab tunic Katherine Tilton for Vogue patterns. We love the combination of the two prints which just look spectacular together. Thumbs up Wendy! 👍
Pearl made this grey stripe velour hooded sweatshirt at the Steiner School, great care was taken lining up the pocket so the stripes stayed straight, which can’t have been easy in this fabric but she did exceptionally well 🙂 👏 👍
Jane busy sampling wearing her digital print viscose jersey mock wrap t-shirt made by Bess. The Pattern is Kay Unger for Vogue V1519 which has a cap sleeve, Bess used the sleeve off another top (that just so conveniently fitted) so as to have a longer one.
As it was quite a complicated design and tricky to see the sizing so Bess made a toile first in cheaper jersey. The wrap part is lined in viscose jersey and Bess used turquoise stretch piping on the neck to keep the tension and shape. There were lots of pleats and tucks that were carefully marked, and whilst Bess truly did intend to follow the instructions she forgot after a while, but it came out okay. Hoorah!
From the South of France we have the wonderfully gifted teacher, Brigitte, in her new skirt made out of pink and grey check wool tweed and Chantal in her black and white spotty heavy cotton and acrylic knit top. Bernie (not pictured) lets them look at her Cloth Club fabrics and they all add their orders to hers.
Here is Lesley’s latest shirt to be added to the collection. The wool challis drapes so well, it was a good choice for a warm winter shirt. She added detail on the pocket with a couple of Thermofax Screen prints and the buttons were sewn on with orange thread just to add a bit of warmth to the look of the garment.
Miaow told Jane that she didn’t want her to make her school jumper because she was too slow, she wanted Bess to make it…. which was a cunning plan of a 7 year old to get granny proving otherwise. The jumper was made the very same day as the request, and in the post for her to parade around the school and stand corrected. Made with supersoft Modal, Cotton and Elastane jersey (lightweight sweatshirting) with stay tape on the shoulders.
Pattern: converted from jacket on McCall’s 7044 which is out of print but there are others similar.
Julia (apologising for the quality of the photos) wearing her navy wool jersey cover up using Burda 6850. She was really pleased with both the weight and drape of the fabric. This is a really nice simple Autumn cover-up!
Bernie in the South of France wearing her blue and cream dragon print cotton culottes made using a pattern taken from the Burda magazine no 195, March 2016. She made adjustments (intentionally) and took out the pleat in the front simply by seaming it down. The culottes were finished by then but felt they were far too wide so rather than disturb the good fit over the hips and waist she just took out the fullness by stitching the pleat down as a seam and then cutting away the surplus, an overall difference of several inches. Bernie did have to undo the waistband for a few inches on each side to do the job properly. Then (unintentionally as when using the overlocker to finish these extra seams she got the back caught up in it thus making a hole!) made a similar seam down the centre back of each leg of the culottes, no more than an inch or so of width, and is very pleased with the result. (HOORAH!)
As for to the top, it is made from some lightweight organic cotton jersey and the pattern is an amalgam of several for a far too complicated reason to explain! Let’s just say it is a t-shirt!
Vanessa came to the shop with this Fraser sweatshirt (from Sewaholic), made with a reversible cotton sweatshirting so the stripe contrast shows on cuffs and neck binding. It is super warm and comfy (not to mention stylish).
Bess wearing her hoody tunic in ivory sweatshirting on top of the South Devon Cliffs on a brisk April walk. Bess used Vogue 8951 pattern and added grey stripey cuffing.
Rachel surrounded by toiles and all things dressmaking at the sewing retreat weekend in Bromsgrove, wearing her bird digital print stretch cotton drill skirt and purple fleece with roll neck.
Jessie wearing black and multicolour alphabet print viscose and elastane jersey T-Shirt made by Bess for her Christmas Present (has been worn to death since!). The pattern was taken from a favourite Jaeger Breton T-Shirt so it was designed for heavier interlock type jersey but works very well in this slinky viscose jersey. The square neck is interfaced with extra-light iron on interfacing H0019 and the back neck and shoulder seam has a stabilising tape sewn in so they do not stretch out of shape.
Bess made this uber-simple top using loopback sweatshirting from an old favourite Vogue t-shirt pattern. She bound the neck in self fabric and hemmed with a simple zigzag stitch.
Rachel (with her whippet who knows she’s not really allowed in the shop) wearing black leather look ponte jeans (beautifully made) but not fitting brilliantly*… prototype #2 coming soon, and slinky dink leopard print poly jersey mock wrap t-shirt.
She does love a bit of Kitsch, does our Rach, and this is definitely in the kitsch camp!
The Jeans are butterick 5682 (not designed for jersey hence the fitting issues) and the top is Burda 6848.
*Actually we think they fit pretty well but Rachel likes perfection.
Rachel with her kitsch cats print cotton and elastane jersey mock wrap t-shirt made using Burda 6848 pattern (with minor alterations to enable a good fit) and black leather look ponte jersey skirt.
Kitcat wearing her black jersey skirt and cropped T-shirt which she made HERSELF. Jane helped (with hyper alertness) as Kitcat was burning along at break-neck speed with the overlocker.
There is probably a really important life-lesson learned here but we are not quite sure which it is, or for whom.
Meanwhile, Kitcat has a fabulous outfit to pretend she is 18 in, and Granny still has all her fingers.
The fabrics are both viscose jersey, one heavier and slightly textured for the skirt and a lightweight polkadot print for the top.
Pauline saw this green PVC and had to make a top for her friend, Davinia in it. 🙂
So she did!
There was a certain amount of swearing involved –she now knows what a teflon foot is and when you want to use it –but anyway she did it so Hoorah!
Lulu wearing her cloqué brocade bodice made by Jane. It is lined in cotton poplin as we needed something a bit beefier than normal lining to protect her sensitive skin from the lurex. The neck and armholes are bound with jersey bias. Because the zip needs to be open end and colours are limited the zip was put in the side seam so as not to draw attention to the dubious colour match.
Anne Marie made this anatomical printed viscose lawn top to keep cool for her holidays. She used Simplicity pattern #1107. Because the fabric is very light she lined it in a fine cotton lawn.
Elaine wearing her printed viscose cowl neck top (Butterick 4132). She put a brooch on the cowl to weigh it down nicely but for the next one she will put a curtain penny weight in the facing. These tops drape beautifully in a fluid fabric like viscose and to add to the drape the fabric is cut on the cross.
Elwen wearing her lion print cotton jersey T-Shirt using the Burda 6820 pattern. I’m pretty certain this print is more effective at cheering oneself up than any prescribed drugs, she was definitely very pleased with herself the day she came into work wearing that.
Worn with a panelled mini skirt made using remnants of cotton needlecord. The pattern is Burda 6928 and is a great user upper of remnants!
Rachel wearing her fabulous digitally printed graffiti cotton and elastane jersey wrap t-shirt. Rachel had made up this t-shirt before in a Liberty pure cotton jersey but there’s a lot of elastane in this jersey (6% -double what you usually get), which makes it super stretchy and caused a few alterations to be made, she got there in the end! Jersey used to be Rachel’s nemesis but she’s learning how to kick it into shape.
Jerseys, just like wovens are not all made from the same mould, the weight, the fibres, the density of knit and percentage of elastane all effect the way it behaves, so even when you think you’ve got the perfect pattern along comes a new fabric that needs alterations. Such is the joy of dressmaking!
Anyway, it’s fab, and you learn much more from our trials than the easy projects (just keep telling yourself that).
Rachel terribly pleased with herself after making this t-shirt in Liberty pure cotton jersey.
She used Burda 6848 mock wrap t-shirt pattern with minor alterations to enable a good fit. Other than a bit of seam tape in the shoulders and ballpoint machine needles no special equipment or extras were required.
Anastasia made these fabulous tunics, here’s what she had to say about them:
I would like to thank you for your great service and share with you the pictures of tunics that I have made for my mum in the beginning of the summer. The fabrics are lovely – brown printed viscose Jersey from John Kaldor (sold out) and chartreuse green bamboo Jersey ( 2910 ). It was a pleasure to work with them and the result is so nice 😉 I am very happy that I found your online store with such amazing range of beautiful fabrics!
You can find other suitable jerseys HERE
Bess wearing a white linen jersey raglan sleeved t-shirt with ‘modesty’ panel, and black viscose pique wide leg trousers.
Bess has a bit of a linen jersey obsession, this is the fourth (at least) she made of these tops in as many weeks. This was lined in a bandeau panel with a very stable white cotton jersey, the same jersey was used to bind the neck.
The trousers were made from a stash of Viscose, a slightly piqué weave cloth that drapes beautifully but has a lot of ‘substance’. There’s a fly and button closure and then ribbons that tie to the side.
Both patterns are fairly unrecognisable from their origins, but the trousers were Burda 8087 and the top is Burda 6990
You can find other linen jerseys HERE, the viscose trousering is kind of unique, we will buy more if we ever see it, but you will get a similar drape with Worsted Wool suitings
Car print raglan sleeve T-shirt made by Bess for Lulu.
Fabric: 4983 Cotton jersey with 8% Elastane
Adjusted from Burda pattern 6990
Because the fabric is soooooo wide Bess managed to not only get this top but also a knee length a-line skirt for Lulu, and a little tiny skirt for her daughter, Mia-moo, all out of 1.4mts.
Altogether now, Awwwwwwwwwww!
Manju wearing her beautifully made wool challis short sleeve pin-tucked animal print shirt. She has a blog, you can read all about it HERE.
Bess wearing her pussycat sweatshirt made using red brushed back cotton sweatshirting and appliqued glow in the dark cotton eyes with remnants of jersey for the whiskers and nose.
Bess might have a bit of a pussycat (particularly with glowey eyes) obsession at the moment. (Inspired by a sleeveless top bought from Uniqlo earlier in the year designed by Lulu Guiness).
Get your glow in the dark fabric HERE
Carole from our Cloth Club wearing her flock print jersey top using Butterick B5826 and basic trouser pattern she uses again and again, Butterick B3826 using a navy washable trousering #4343
Pink and Red double-sided wool and cotton jumper with heart elbow patches. Made by Bess.
This jersey is 50:50 wool and cotton with one side (red) being wool and the other side (pink) being cotton which means you can not only choose what colour to show but also what fibre to have against your skin. It’s fab.
Long cardigan made with Italian Designer chevron cotton viscose and silk knit, made by Bess.
This was supposed to be a uber-simple cardigan with no darts or back seam or anything, but as is the way with Italian Designer knits it was cut way too big so ended up needing a centre back seam and princess seams.
It looks nicer with those seams. That’s her story and she’s sticking to it.
Find Italian Designer knits Here
Cobalt Blue lightweight sweatshirting 3/4 sleeve cardigan with neon rickrack, made by Bess.
Nicola made this fab button back blouse (pattern from the sewing bee book-it’s Tilly’s Mathilde Blouse) using light blue polka dot viscose #4118 (the perfect fabric choice for making up that top), the piping and buttons were made with a remnant of cerise fabric.
You can find other floppy viscose fabrics HERE
Bess on top of the world wearing linen jersey camisole and red and white spotty linen skirt. The camisole pattern was made by drawing round an existing vest. The front and the back are the same which makes it super easy to construct (no markings!), Soft elastic binding was used for the straps, Bess made a few of these for her holiday and got the making time down to 20 minutes. The skirt was made a few years ago (fabric long since sold out 🙁 ), due to the linen being so fine Bess lined it with white ‘Riviera’ lawn. Double belt loops were attached to hold a decorative saddle stitch grosgrain belt. She’s had a lot of use out of this skirt.
You can find lots of Linens HERE
Bess wearing her much-loved cotton lawn trellis print shirt. Lawn is a brilliant weave to wear in the heat as it is so fine, yet still nice to sew with. The pattern was copied from a worn-out White Stuff shirt (now out of production), The bust darts are really tucks coming down from the shoulders. The armholes are faced with a wide tapered bias armhole binding that folds back to give the armhole some substance (anything to balance out Bess’s hips, she says, is a good thing 😉 )
Bess used no interfacing in the construction of this shirt – looking at the one she copied it didn’t seem they had used any, she worried about the buttonholes cocking up not working and the collar-band not lying properly but it was fine, if the fabric was less stable than lawn she would use light interfacing.
Fabric and Notions:
Blue trellis print cotton lawn
10mm red buttons
Pattern: drafted from manufactured shirt.
Also seen, cloud print red and white jersey skirt
Cathy wearing her fabulous short sleeved blouse made with lovely soft cotton and square buttons.
Fabrics and Notions:
Aeroplane print lightweight viscose,
Lightweight knitted interfacing,
Buttons.
Alyson wearing her fabulous Mathilde blouse from Tilly’s blog using the supersoft blue and white aeroplane printed cotton.
You can read all about the construction on Aly’s blog HERE
Zoe wearing her Italian Designer woven chevron hoody taught by Jane Norris at the Steiner School.
Fabrics and Notions:
Italian Designer chevron woven wool mix
Open end zip
Green bias binding.
Bess wearing her cloud printed cotton elastane jersey mini skirt, with cobalt blue double jersey raglan sleeve top. Both the top and the skirt took less than half an hour to make (each) – more time was spent waiting for the iron to heat up, or choosing which side to do the top (the reverse of that fabric is a lovely teal colour.
Bess loves things that take less than half an hour to make 🙂
Fabrics and Notions:
Cotton Elastane cloud printed jersey #2846.
Cobalt Blue/Teal double sided jersey #3193. See more jersey here
Elastic
Patterns:
Skirt: DKNY for Vogue (adapted from long skirt, pattern now discontinued)
Top: Marcy Tilton for Vogue. #8636 (collar, cuffs and hem adapted from pattern)
Stephanie sporting her spotty printed cotton and poly crinkle jersey top.
Fabrics and Notions:
Red and white polka dot printed cotton and poly crinkle jersey
Elastic (for neckline)
Sheila (from classes) wearing her white polka-dot jersey cross-over top with piping detailing and ribbon flowers.
Fabrics and Notions:
Designer white viscose elastane jersey with black polka-dot print
Piping cord
Satin Ribbons and buttons (for flowers)
Pattern: Vogue 8649
White spot cotton lawn top with printed red varuna wool skirt made by Lucinda. (The twins were made by her sister)
Fabrics and Notions:
Top:
White semi-sheer spot cotton lawn
Skirt:
Red printed varuna wool
Red venezia lining
Invisible zip
Red fold-over petersham binding
Bess posing in her turquoise Italian Designer knit mini skirt and top.
Fabrics and Notions:
Italian Designer chevron knit
Elastic
Stay tape
Italian Designer knits are super-stretchy and have a tendency to ‘grow’, as a guide, you are likely to be making up in a couple of sizes smaller than you usually are.
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:
Pam wearing her John Kaldor printed lawn blouse with satin ribbon trim and dyed shell buttons.
Fabrics and Notions:
John Kaldor cotton lawn
Dyed shell buttons
Narrow satin ribbon
Cotton lawn iron-on interfacing
Elastic
Megan wears chartreuse cotton drill A-line skirt with a spiral zip inserted, worn with a grey wool mesh hoody top with ears, designed by Bess
Fabrics and Notions:
Skirt:
Charteuse cotton drill
White continuouse zipping
Viscose acetate spot print lining (Inside zip)
Black venezia lining
Invisible zip
Bias binding
Black fold-over grosgrain binding
Top:
Wool stretch mesh
Stretch semi-sheer turquoise lycra binding
Patterns: Bess’s own
Modelled below by Bronte showing what happens when you undo the zip
Clair wearing heavy jersey sailor top and pleated wool and silk skirt.
Fabrics and notions:
Heavy wool jersey
White ribbon
Stay tape
Black silk/wool worsted (permanently pleated)
Medium weight knitted interfacing
Venezia lining
Gingham ribbon
Invisible zip
Becky modelling Lucinda’s quilted cotton hooded jacket with laser cut leaf embellishments, and worsted wool shaped yoke with jersey draped skirt (made using the Julian Roberts sub-cutting method)
Fabrics and Notions:
Skirt:
Marble print viscose and elastane jersey
Chocolate brown English worsted wool
Red viscose and elastane jersey
Invisible zip
Jacket:
Dyed calico
Laser cut leaves from ultrasuade, jersey and calico
Blue viscose (lining)
Wadding
Cotton bias binding
T-shirt:
Viscose elastane jersey
Naomi in her fabulous Amy Butler tunic using two printed cottons
Fabrics and Notions
Amy Butler printed cotton
Kaffe Fassett spot printed cotton
Cover buttons
Bias binding
Light-weight knitted iron-on interfacing
Pattern: Amy Butler tunic.
Lulu wearing green and pink spot print cotton skirt and pink LG cotton waffle wrap top. (Made by Jane)
Fabrics and Notions:
Pink and green printed spot cotton
Pink waffle cardigan jacket type Cotton
Viscose interfacing
Invisible zip
Tutu: model’s own
