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.
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.
Gillian made this brilliant and bright chartreuse yellow boiled wool jacket using the Tessuti patterns Lyon Jacket Pattern, she’s done a fabulous job, will you just look at those covered poppers!
Suzanne used this designer buttery soft navy check worsted wool for her Maker’s Atelier wide leg trousers, the fit was honed by her tutor Claire Tyler (who does amazing retreats), they are lined in cupro bremsilk and the pockets have been omitted as Suzanne doesn’t like the bulk of the big pockets across the tummy. Suzanne now has the fitted pattern and has made many of these trousers since, it’s worth taking the time to hone a pattern like this as the classic style will not date and the simple lines can easily be adjusted into other styles. Worsted wool is the perfect fabric for a style like this.
maker’s atelier wide leg trousers made up in navy check worsted wool from Paul Smith
Lis put this amazing double sided coating to its best by making this Viki Sews Ingrid coat.
See her full post in Instagram (and do follow her-she’s an inspiration) She said, “A rare sunny day this winter was the perfect opportunity to wear my latest and favourite make for a long time. I have been sewing, mainly for others but couldn’t resist using this wonderful double faced wool fabric to take my first foray into the @vikisews.patterns range. This is their Ingrid jacket and I love everything about it. The jacket is beautifully drafted with excellent instructions and throughout the tailoring techniques are first class. The only draw back I would say is that these are sold as single size patterns so there is no opportunity to size up or grade the pattern if you do not fit their measurements. The pattern is for a lined jacket but this fabric doesn’t need lining and it was easy enough to bind the facings and the hem in order to make it tidy inside. I might still add hip pockets which are not on the pattern but will wait to see if I miss them”
Fabric has sold out but you can find other fabulous reversible coatings HERE
Lis standing on the sea shore wearing her buttoned up light grey reversible coating Ingrid coatcollar detail on the reversible coating Ingrid coat made by Lis Taylorback view of the reversible coating VikiSews Ingrid Coat made by Lis
Annie made up this fabulous wool mix brown bouclé bobble jersey using New Look 6636 pattern, being made in a heavy jersey it is both warm, comfortable and super stylish – ticking ALL the boxes of a No1 make. The jersey knit is a mix of wool, cotton and viscose, it doesn’t have a great deal of stretch to it so works very well for this style of untailored blazer, it also means the button holes and pockets go on without stretching out (they are interfaced), and the whole thing just oozes effortless style.
Brown Bouclé Wool Jersey Blazer JacketBrown Bouclé Wool Jersey Blazer Jacket – back view
Michelle couldn’t stop herself from buying this unusual boiled wool from LG that has a fabulous laminated layer in the design, it lends itself perfectly to this kind of unstructured coatigan especially as the edges do not fray and can be left unfinished. Michelle makes these to sell -if you would rather someone else does the hard work for you!
The pattern is Michelle’s own but there are plenty of similar options out there. There is no lining and very little tailoring so it truly is a super quick make.
Claire made this fabulous Marfy patterns skirt using our worsted wool suiting 11907 and she said it was a joy to work with (music to our ears!). This unusual asymmetrical skirt has a nifty pocket hidden in the pleat seam. Yayy! We love pockets! Marfy patterns are Italian and aimed at experienced sewists – your pattern arrives with no seam allowances, in one size only and with no instructions, for those of us who love a puzzle this will be a fun project, if that’s not your thing then avoid!
Claire sent us an email telling us what she planned to do and asked if this fabric would be suitable (the answer was an enthusiastic YES!), we love our customers to contact us and discuss options for a project first – it’s always a pleasure -never a chore, it’s what we are here for.
The fabric is a lovely hand washable worsted wool, linen and polyester blend, it’s the perfect medium weight for such a skirt with enough stability to mean it doesn’t need to be lined.
Grey, Taupe and Black 7.5cm check 53% Polyester 31% Linen 16% Wool lightweight Worsted Suitingmarfy patterns pleated wool skirt
Wendy had never made a jacket before – with the expert help of Make@140 in Plymouth she worked this beautiful shocking pink kid mohair and wool blend worsted suiting into the Jasika Blazer by Closet Core Patterns. We love it so much!
A blazer needs various interfacings to make it lie correctly, this pattern is great for detailing what you need and where, it utilises a speed tailoring method (using iron-on interfacings) which makes it super accessible for adventurous novices and creates impressive results.
Wendy was super pleased with the help we gave her to choose the right fabrics and notions for this project, We are always here to help you get the right materials for your project, when you are out of your depth with a pattern just talk to us and we will always help.
pink and orange geo pattern viscose satin liningjasika blazer in shocking pink worsted wool and mohair
Absolutely brilliant trench coat made by Vineta using our wool and cotton mix Gaberdine 11778 (also available in camel 11777). This fabric was originally labelled as dry clean but Vineta test washed it and proved it was washable (with minimal shrinkage) so …💃🕺👏 The pattern is the Grasser Trench Coat No 155 – I’ve not come across these patterns before but am impressed with the amount of detail you get in the info, and Vineta said whilst there were some iffy translations the instructions were very, very thorough. She slimmed it down a bit but it would be fine if you like a more gathered look, she did no other adjustments. The sleeves went in a dream – only a tiny amount of sleeve cap ease so no puckers or collapsing sleeve heads. Yes! 🥳 These patterns come with four different height options so whether you are Amazonian tall or elfin proportions there will be a pattern for you.
trench coat in wool and cotton washable gaberdine 11778trench coat (back view) in wool and cotton washable gaberdine 11778trench coat cuff detail in wool and cotton washable gaberdine 11778
Gary is self taught and uses the garments in his wardrobe to learn from along with a wealth of old sheets and charity shop discards to practice on. This wool tweed jacket was made for his daughter and Gary needs to be congratulated on a fantastic job. Lined in paisley jacket and coat lining. Will you just look at those beautiful welted pockets?!
grey check wool tweed jacket pocket detailgrey check wool tweed jacket- back view. Beautifully matched with the shaping accentuated by the checksgrey check wool tweed jacket- opened to show paisley lining and internal pocketsgrey check wool tweed jacket- side view
Maria made this fabulous classic navy blue duffle coat to fit her tall frame using coating weight wool tweed and it is perfect for the chilly Scottish weather, love the comment about it reaching her hands – I’ve been making clothes so long I’d forgotten that’s a thing. How do tall people ever put up with ready to wear clothes? Much better idea to make it. 👍 She posted on instagram:
Finally it’s finished!! And just in time for the snow ❄️ I got the fabric for this coat as a Christmas present almost 2 years ago and progress has been sloooow. Lots of new techniques, first time sewing with wool, first time bagging out a lining and I wanted to really take time and get it as good as I could. It’s not perfect but I just love wearing this coat! I’ve wanted a good duffle coat for ages but I struggle with finding one to fit with my height- it’s so nice to have sleeves that actually reach my hands finally! The coat pattern is the #cascadedufflecoat from @grainlinestudio
Pure wool British made tweed is an absolute joy to work with but nevertheless the skills involved to create this fabulous man’s jacket and waistcoat is exemplary, Gary launched into this project with no training nor teacher (other than his ‘Sewing for Men’ Simplicity how-to book from the 70’s – gifted from a neighbour (it cost 40p!)) and my oh my he did a good job. The pattern is self drafted / robbed from existing/ cobbled together as all great sewists can do. The jacket and waistcoat are both lined in a lovely deep burgundy satin lining. It’s all just soooo good.
And he made a baker boy hat too!
yorkshire herringbone tweed jacket, waistcoat and baker boy hat
Lois used Burda 6845 with no alterations (though she conseeds it’s a little long we think it’s nice like that) and used our black wool melton. I’m in awe of her pockets – they are seriously neat. This is a proper lovely coat. Well done Lois.
Jacoba said, “I am rather pleased with this coat! Seems my hand op hasn’t held me up at all as this was my post op recuperative project. It is Vogue 9157 – view B but without the pockets and belt and with the extra buttons as in A and C. Even the bound buttonholes worked perfectly. I decided against the hooks at the neck for the moment but may change my mind. I invariably wear a scarf anyway. The Red waffle wool is stunning and lovely to work with.
red waffle texture wool coatcats helping with the sewing
Lindy used this vivid sapphire blue wool and cashmere mix coating to make up the Tessuti patterns Oslo coat – the fabric is gorgeously soft to the touch and is semi-felted which made it a great choice for this unstructured style. Lindy lined it in silk. ❤️
Jane made this super child’s coat using aubergine boiled wool and heavy needlecord for the collar (so there’s no complaints of itchy!). The pattern is Vogue V9043. The coat is lined with viscose twill coat lining and finished with shank buttons.
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.
Super duper tartan trousers made by Elaine in fantastic designer worsted wool with a tartan weave. Just the job, or as we say here in Devon, proper job!
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)
The very lovely and clever Daphne made this super jacket out of designer leopard tufted wool mix – this is a pretty heavy coating weight so there are skillz here to manipulate and tailor it into this jacket. Fabtastic
Sally here wearing the navy textured wool coat she had made up for her by Wendy – a local dressmaker -we know it’s cheating but Wendy is excellent and Sally has no patience for sewing! It is lined in a lovely silk pique (sorry- no pic) and trimmed with matt navy suit buttons and cotton grosgrain ribbon.
Lizzy made up this fabulous wool puzzle check tweed as a circular skirt added to cotton ribbing for the waistband and finished with a bone black and white button and rick rack braid. No pattern – just popped together and hey presto! We have a skirt! Clever girl.
This fishtail skirt made by Celia is Burda 6834 made up in a fabulous wool and mohair worsted suiting. It is lined in cotton lawn and finished with an invisible zip. What a beautiful, original and fabulous quality skirt.
Celia made this beautifully tailored wool tartan pencil skirt using Burda 6370. It has pockets! Worsted wool is such a fabulous fabric to work in. This skirt will have a long life and will go with everything.
Bess made the pattern from her block for these trousers, but it is very similar to the Marcy Tilton for Vogue V8499 trousers. She added extra width below the hip and then darted them back in at the bottom. The fabric is a wool, linen and silk blend worsted suiting that is a delight to sew with (even when matching checks!) and is not at all itchy to wear so was made unlined. -With the thought it *might* be itchy Bess used a contrast cotton cartoon print on the inside of the waistband.
The Jacket is a leopard print TPU clear plastic that Bess sewed with bias binding so as not to be unstuck by the fabric not feeding properly through the machine (you can stop this happening also by using a teflon foot, or sewing with strips of tissue which are then torn off). The pattern is the Kelly Anorak by Closet Case Patterns (simplified a little). Bess made it for a festival (it looks brilliant at night with lights inside), but actually it’s fab to wear on the many rainy days we suffer in Devon. She didn’t bond the seams or do any special waterproofing, but finds it hold up exceptionally well- even to a downpour on a Welsh mountain!
The jacket zips up with a clear chunky tooth separating zipper
Tina made this fabulous Como Cardi by Style Arc Patterns using the chunky but stable wool-mix jumper knit, she loved it so much she made two others (different colours) straight away (madness!)
Margaret came visiting in her black cocoon coat with over-sized collar she made in divine designer jacket weight wool. So cosy and warm… and FUNKY. We love
Jill is a brilliant dressmaker who doesn’t usually get to sew for herself so it is extra special when she comes in wearing something me-made. Made up in classic navy wool Melton coating with frog fastening and spotty viscose lining. Beautiful.
Bess made this black and white tweed up into a coat using a tried and tested Claire Shaeffer Vogue pattern 7467 (now discontinued) which is a jacket pattern so there were a fair few alterations to do. The tweed is very soft and lightweight (it feels like cashmere) so Bess blocked it onto silk crepeline organza to stabilise it. The lining is a mix of a floral print viscose crepe (used at the upper back and pockets), and then a cupro and silk blend heavy habotai for the rest. She had great fun choosing the buttons and loves the little sparkly one on the inside, and hand sewed the gimp braid all the way round on each and every loop (that’s dedication, that is).
This coat was made on a weekend retreat, the side effect of intensive sewing like that is the brain does have a habit of disengaging from time to time, hence how the button holes on one of the sleeve vents are going sideways (DOH!). After an initial ohmygodwhatamigoingtodo moment Bess decided to just go with them and now rather likes their asymmetry.
It is a glorious coat to wear, light yet warm and often gets comments. Bess admits now that it was worth the hard work!
This is the very talented Asaka who made up this beautiful cream wool coating and contrast wool tweed into an a-line skirt, the pattern is from www.couleure.jp and we have booked Asaka to help us translate those mind bending but cleverly cut Japanese patterns!
This is the beautiful and talented Anna who made her wonderful self drafted jacket using a heavy worsted twill weave suiting . Cavalry twill is a superb fabric to use as jackets, the tight dense weave is good at repelling wind and rain, and the weight is perfect to allow for precise tailoring.
Sarah from the blog Wanderstitch made this glorious coat out of the red leopard print patterned wool and alpaca coating and we suggest you head over to her blog for an entertaining and extremely informative read. In Brief this is the ‘Le 809’ from DP Studio which is a coat with an incorporated gillet, she used our animal textured wool and alpaca coating for the project and we hope you agree she got some stunning results.
Catharine sent us this pic of her black and white stripe pure wool double jersey from LG dress that she made. We love the way the stripes go vertical on the kimono sleeves. It’s so fab
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.”
Bess was covetting those Gucci wide leg trousers spotted on the interweb for AGES and then eventually gave in and made herself some. Never mind the fact the Gucci ones would never have fitted these have saved her a small fortune (which she can spend on more fabric). The pattern is Burda 6613, the wool is a stretch worsted (97% Wool 3% Elastane) and the trim is H0511.
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.
Clair teaching in Sunny Spain wearing this beautiful Black British pure worsted wool pinafore dress, the pattern is self-drafted and the pleats were a dream to press. She says it’s too good for work but she’s always worn lovely clothes to work (she used to work for us and we can verify she always wore lovely clothes then).
Lis made this amazing trench coat using worsted wool suiting. She lined it with floral print cotton lawn wine red lining fabric for the sleeves to make to easy to slip on and off. It sewed up beautifully and Lis loves wearing it. 😊
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 😂)
Catharine made this delightful coat for her daughter, she said she doesn’t normally send in photos but has had so many compliments about this coat she decided she really ought to share.
The fabric is a lovely foxglove felted wool from LG. Lined with her favourite Frozen fabric (not from us) and sleeves lined with venezia. The pattern is burda 9501.
Sarah out on the river with her amazing technicolour stripe tweed coat. Belted, and lined in vivid turquoise lining (you will just have to take our word for it there). 😍
Here we have Melody with her dusky purple coat made up beautifully and lined in psychedelic digital print poly satin. The pattern is the Clare Coat from Closet Case patterns. Melody said the printed pattern is not the best but their site has a brilliant tutorial for making it. It comes as a zipped version and a version with large press studs but she changed it to have self cover ones done with the lining.
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).
Emma sent us this pic of her brilliant jacket and trousers combo using an ex designer tweedy wool flannel check for the jacket with leather accents, and worsted wool for the trousers. She cuts the patterns herself (our customers are clever aren’t they?)
Lauren made this amazing kimono sleeved coat for her final year degree show using pink felted wool coating. It’s tied together through oversized eyelets, has an extended hem at the back and an embellished shawl collar. Soooo beautiful!
Emma from Sweden is wearing her classic wool tweed1970’s ulster made from the wonderful navy wool tweed she bought in the Autumn. She also made her dog a matching coat! 🙂 She loves the fabric!
The pattern is Very Easy Vogue 8699 from the 1970’s, (see picture). She made the coat a bit longer and wider than the pattern instructed. It’s a simple and straight-forward construction, but a bit unusual as no interfacing at all is used. The most special feature, in our opinion, is the contrast lining that shows on lapels, pockets, belt and sleeve bands. She used a light-weight worsted wool fabric for the lining. There is topstitching around the front and along the raglan sleeve seams.
The lovely Wendy with her plummy pink shawl collar jacket-weight wool Melton coat. It is super soft and lightweight, the lightness is continued with wool wadding in the collar and front facing. It is lined in jacquard coat lining, and there are tailored shoulder pads to add shape and help with the structure. There were a few telephone calls during the making of this coat over advice for what to use and where, it was worth all the deliberation, we think this coat is going to get a lot of wear over the coming years 🙂
The pattern is Katherine Tilton for Butterick B5960
Wendy’s comments:
The wool wading worked very well. The collar and front facing are both interfaced with it. Quite an interesting construction with the collar, front and front facing in one piece (for each side) with a dart to form the collar. I tried various things in the hem, including the wool wading, but it seemed to need more weight so I used a 3” strip of the hair canvas in the end which worked well. I have quite narrow, sloping shoulders so I had to give the shoulders/top of sleeves more structure with shoulder pads and sleeve heads which looked a lot better on me. I also hand sewed the lining hem to the coat with a jump pleat rather than leaving it loose as the pattern suggested.
This bottle green wool crepe coat with wine red cape was made by Catherine Davis as a remake of an original stage coat worn by Roy Wood (from Wizard & Electric Light Orchestra). Time was limited and decisions over the colours had to be done on the telephone which is not something we recommend but Catherine was very pleased.
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.
Bess on top of the South Devon Cliffs wearing her fabulous pink tweed jacket that was made by Jane a couple of Birthday’s ago and still going strong.
The lining is chartreuse satin lining on the sleeves and multicolour chevron printed cotton (quilting weight) for the body. The collar and facings are red jumbo corduroy because Bess didn’t want the tweed against her skin.
The design is an old burda fur jacket pattern -somewhat altered! Fur coat patterns are dead easy because they tend to have very boxy simple cuts.
Pink denim jacket with odd buttons
This is basically a remake of a pink denim jacket Bess made earlier – but suitable for the winter. Even the buttons are the same.
Bess made this skirt on a bit of a whim – the wool challis had been in her stash for some time (if you have ever worn wool challis you will understand why she stashes it). The petals mysteriously turned up in her handbag the morning after a somewhat riotous wedding and have been hoarded ever since. And so the skirt was born, with no idea if A) the wool was washable and B) the petals would leak colour if it was washed.
The skirt was made in an evening, the a-line pattern is an ancient Burda start pattern (3198) that has long since discontinued although Burda 8237 is pretty similar (if you get rid of the waistband), or if you lengthen 6682 (both super easy alterations). The skirt is lined in Venezia and lightweight knit interfacing was used on the facing. Bess did the thing she always tells her customers not to do- she cut the lining the same size as the skirt and it ended up pulling and being too small. The wool challis has quite a lot of give in it, the lining doesn’t so you should always cut the lining a fraction bigger to allow for the ease, so the lining had to be chopped out and raised to allow the room. It’s a little short but if she doesn’t tell anyone they will never know 😉
Finally she attached the petals by first arranging them by eye with pins and then sewing a single line of stitching down the middle of each petal.
This photo was taken after it had been washed and worn a few times so Bess got away with her washing machine roulette this time. Which is lucky because she LOVES this skirt!
Sewing the artificial petals on with the trusty Bernina sewing machine (and a lot of pins)
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.
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!
Mrs Stutt at the shop showing off her superb designer textured wool jacket made up in a simple boxy cardigan jacket style. Lined in Venezia and trimmed with leather binding.
SAMPLES
To use our fast and efficient swatch service please read the guidelines HERE
Allow 10% shrinkage for all your washable natural fibres (including viscose). Wash before making up in the same manner as you would with subsequent washes (including drying methods).
Jerseys and fabrics liable to mis-shape should be dried flat, or in a cool tumble dryer.
Most fabrics should be pressed before cutting.
If in doubt about care instructions please CONTACT US
By signing up to our mailing list you agree to us keeping your name, email address and certain essential data so we can contact you and improve our customer service. We promise to keep your details safe and secure and will not sell your data to anyone. For full details please see our privacy policy
Manage Cookie Consent
Annoying but legally required cookies. click the accept or deny button and you will get your screen back
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
