Our journey started at 7:48 where we travelled by train and only swapping trains at Doncaster and thankfully no delays so we got into the city centre for 10:10.

Of course the eldest was still hungry even after demolishing 2 cinnamon swirls so thankfully we had 20 mins spare so stopped at Subway where he had Nacho’s… Yes he had them before 9am!

We made to Piccadilly Gardens in time for the 250 bus that would get us to Trafford Centre for 11 where a free shuttle bus was available for those attending the show which was really nice.

The Kendall’s have arrived!

I booked into the organisers office with my Blogger Ambassador lanyard and had a nice chat to Terri from the ICHF team before we entered.

We dropped off our coats off at the cloakroom (£1 per item) which I didn’t mind to pay as it was already warm in the centre and didn’t want excess baggage ?.

Before we attacked the show, we decided to have our lunch first… Yes my boys like to have fun whilst eating!

We made our way back to the entrance and started our way round the show.

There was some great exhibitions and stalls.

Here’s a few purchases that I made whilst I was there:

1.5m of this lush lemon print and 2.5m of black polycotton from Prettiful fabrics. They had a fabulous range on offer, im surprised that I only came away with these!!

I wanted to find the perfect complimentary fabric to match the black polycotton as it destined to The Rowan Shirt by Wendy Ward… The shirt I’ve been promising the hubby since goodness knows when… Oops! But the owners at Fletcher’s Patch were great (family run business) and were patient with me and found lots of fabrics to go with it and finally made my decision on this one by timeless treasures.

I came across these lovely laminated fabrics at Sewing-Sanctuary and chatted to the owners who were lovely. I just couldn’t decide which fabric I wanted to make into the Squiffy Sling so I came away with a make up bag kit and a couple of zips as the kit makes 2! Win win!

I needed some buttons for his shirt and ribbon to go with the make-up bag kit and  came across Haberdashery & more and would you believe it was only £1.37 for 8 buttons and 2m  of polka dot ribbon. Who doesn’t love a bargain?!

As the boys were behaving so well, I said they could attend the workshop at J P Crafts aka The Craft Dookit where they could make a keyring or fridge magnet. John and Lisa who own J P Crafts were fantastic. I was unsure how Rhys would get on with the workshop but John was great and showed them how to make them and after some time lol Ethan chose a emoiji keyring and Rhys went for a penguin fridge magnet.

To be honest this is the first time in a while where both of them enjoyed an activity together! We wasn’t rushed at all and it was great to have a chat and banter with John and Lisa and my boys really enjoyed the workshop where I purchase 2 more kits for them both and kit for myself!

It was great to see my boys actually not on an electronic device (don’t know about anyone else’s kiddies but mine are always glued!) as we was travelling back home we had a pitstop at Costa where they wanted to make a start on one of them already and continued on the train home.

Just to share if anyone in the future is travelling to Eventcity get off at Barton Dock Road Bus stop as it is just across the road instead of waiting for the shuttle bus as it wasn’t there when we came out and saved a 15 min walk through Trafford centre too as we was shattered so it saved time and our legs.

The Creative Craft Show is well worth a visit for all types of makers and it was great to get a chance to dabble with crafts you wouldn’t know about. The next Event is at Glassgow between 5th-8th of March 2020 at SEC Centre.

If you have any questions about it feel free to get in touch.

Sal xx

The post The Creative Craft Show at Manchester appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Did you guys celebrate Halloween at all? Well my youngest Rhys and myself did but not Ethan, think he is going into the ‘tween’ stage hahaha!

Rhys wanted to be a shark… Baby Shark Song has a lot to answer for but thankfully i had the Max and Meena All The Ears PDF pattern.

It Features well over a dozen animal ears/spikes/fins that can be incorporated into the hood, the All Ears Hoodie allows you to create one of a kind hoodies from newborn to teens!! So it covers my boys for ages!!

The pattern gives you the option of using a standard or pixie hood and includes cut lines for adding ears or for sewing up a standard hood as well. Also options for long sleeve, short sleeve, and tank sleeves are included making this a hoodie pattern that can be used year round.

So this pattern is a steal at only $12.95!

I used a Navy Ponte Roma that i bought from B and M Fabrics, many moons ago and for the Teeth used white felt.

I only added the Fin and Teeth to the Hoody as Rhys only decided he wanted to be a shark with only 2 days before his School Halloween disco…. talk about a deadline! 

I managed to get it completed the night before at 10pm!

Thankfully i had a bit more time for mine as i was only getting dressed up for work on actual Halloween rather than Rhys’s Disco on the 24th! So here is Rhys on his way to the Disco!

I had a dress from last year which thankfully was too big now since ive lost weight so i refashioned it using Love Notion’s Laundry Day Tee. Which at time of publishing is currently on sale for $5 or join the Love Notion’s pattern support Facebook Group for a very special discount code that makes the LDT FREE just for the members! Click on the link to join and read the pinned post to get the code !

It comes with three neckline options- scoop, v-neck & cowl as well as five sleeve lengths – tank, short, elbow, 3/4 and long. You also get to choose from a regular tee shirt length,  tunic length & dress. The tunic and dress lengths have a high/low hem option. Win Win!

I cut a size Medium, Elbow Sleeves and Tunic Length. I also added my own Cuffs to the Arms to add a bit more to it.

I used Tubular Black ribbing for the Neckband and Cuffs from Minerva Crafts.

I knocked this up in no time at all as its simple construction and even better when i use over locker to get them professional results on the inside too

So here i am at my work all dressed up spookly with my witch’s hat hahaha! We had a fab day making our slime and party games to play later on the day! For some reason that’s the only photo of myself but it was taken with work’s tablet which doesn’t have a fab quality camera!

What did you guys get up to Halloween?

Sal xx

The post Halloween Projects! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Hi All! Sorry for the gap in Blog Posts! I’ve been busy making but not been writing them up! Lol!

Now with the Weather turning….I’m drawing back to snuggly jerseys and making separates again!

When I saw this Pattern on Instagram, i fell totally head over heels in love with it!! It works great for everyday and work clothes and Ana kindly let me have a copy of the Pattern in exchange of a Review, thank you Ana!

First, you can opt for the sweater with three bow options or the top with the same alternatives. Version A of either of them has a lovely circular opening at the back that closes with a big bow; version B sports four bows at the back closing the bodice; and option C offers a more subtle bow alternative with a nice slit or vent at the shoulder seam.

The top has a slightly longer back and two slits at either side of the hem; but i decided not to add them for some reason, think i was just having a lazy day… I just wanted a quick sew!

I’ve used the ever so snuggly Navy Ponte Roma from GirlCharlee its such a great quality knit and a freebie Swallow Print Ribbon from Cloth Magazine that was released many moons ago but unfortunately had stopped being published.

I made the majority of this Top using my Overlocker and finished the hems using my Sewing Machine using my even feed foot to get a lovely stitch all the way round.

When it came to inserting the Ribbon, i made sure that the ends were finished off nicely to stop frying by double folding the end and then hand stitched it to secure it and also stitched my bow together to stop it from unraveling!

Here is the finished Top!! It’s so cute and girly! I love Bows!!

So here I am in My Mum and Dad’s Back Garden, after finishing a day’s work in and it still looks fabulous! Hence the geeky Glasses!!

This is such a snuggly top but next time I’ll size down as I do like a more fitted top but that’s my preference but I’ve had lots of nice comments at work

I can see myself making the different versions of these to be a staple for my cute winter wear!

A big Thank you to Ana and Mark for supplying the Pattern and Fabric! Such a fantastic combination of a great well made PDF pattern and Superb quality Fabric, It’s had about 4 washes now in the Washing Machine and no sign of fading or bobbling!

Also….

If you didn’t know already, there had been a Sew-a-long going on over at Cocowawacrafts Blog which started on Monday 16th October

Week 1. Getting ready!

16th of October. Meet the Chestnut Sweater and Top. All you need to know about the new CocoWawa pattern, options and versions.

17th of October. Inspiration. A round up of images to help you decide which option to go for.

18th of October. Fitting, sizes and fabric requirements.

19th of October. The basics on how to assemble a PDF pattern.

20th of October. Main tips on cutting and sewing with knit fabrics.

Week 2. Let’s sew!

23rd of October. Stay stitch necklines, stabilize shoulders and finish slit and bow version C.

24th of October. Bow, facing and neckline versions A and B.

25th of October. Sleeves, cuffs and side seams on both options. Bottom slits and hem’s top.

26th of October. Waistband sweater option.

27th of October. Pattern tester’s round up pics for more inspiration!

After this, they will crown the best ‘chestnuts’ out there (there might be one or two cheeky little prizes waiting for you too) and for this you will just have to post your finished garment with the hashtag #ChestnutSewAlong on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter from the 27th of October till the 12th of November. Easy peasy right!

So it’s a win win situation!!

Sal xx

The post Cocowawacrafts Chestnut Top – A Pattern Review! appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Well it’s been of a bit of a strange couple of months, my sewing mojo totally went awol and my hubby hasn’t been very well at all, a week of him being in hospital and just me holding it all together at home, juggling work, kids, back and forth to hospital etc it took it toll on me.

So fingers crossed, everything will get back to normality soon I just hate being in “limbo” feeling.

Anyways! Finally, last week I decided to get my act together as the hubby and I had a very rare opportunity to go out and meet up with friends, eat good fatty food and have a good laugh! it spurred me on to make my Sew Crafty Design Team Project!,,

When I received my Gift card and browsing the lovely Sew Crafty Shop, I came across this beautiful Cherry Print 100% Cotton Fabric it screamed at me for a Dress! It’s a steal at £4.85 per half metre as its fantastic quality and to boot it’s 150cm (60″) wide, get in! So for a new challenge I decided to pick the Hawthorn Dress by Colette Patterns.

What a combo right with the Fabric and the pattern?!

Truth be told…. I’ve never mad a Shirt Dress before but I thought it’s always good to learn new techniques! With Colette Patterns they are great to follow with clear instructions and their Patterns fit me great without the need of taking the skirt up or making a narrow shoulder adjustment!

But to be on the safe side I decided to make a toile of the bodice as this was unknown territory of making a shirt dress and wanted to make sure it fit nicely across the Bust.

For the toile I used some scrap fabric and followed the instructions all the way to finish the bodice without the buttonholes.

As always I pre-washed my fabric on a 30 degree wash and it hardly shrunk and kept it vibrant colour, you can tell it’s a good quality fabric!

According to my measurements, I cut out a straight size 8 no grading out for the hips as it’s a half circle skirt yay!

After Cutting it all out and sewing the Darts it was time to get cracking sewing it all together!

It is pretty straight forward to sew together as always Colette Patterns have beautiful diagrams and easy instructions!

1st time ever, I’ve used the bias binding technique for armholes and my word it’s so neat!! I will have definitely have to remember this when finishing armholes in the future!!

With the help of the pins and my Simflex Expanding Gauge (My Sewing Bestie Becca aka Redwsews gave myself one for my birthday recently!!) to get the button placement right, i’d mentioned on my insta feed that i always struggle with rtw blouses/dresses, I would have ended up with a safety pin in between to stop the boob exposure but not this with Dress!!

Now the boring task on stitching 15 buttons by hand!!! Yes the pattern does state that it requires 13 but with my movement of said buttons for no gapping I just need a few extra

Now at this point…. All I wanna do is hem by skirt and get ready for twirling but no…. the instructions stated to slipstitch the hem!!! What?!!!

I was definitely not in the mood for that especially as i needed the dress all ready for the day after…. So Mr Singer came to rescue with his blind hem foot!!! It just made it a lot easier and quicker

And here is the Hawthron all sewn up!! Isn’t she a Beauty?! Maybe a little bit biased here….

Moi modelling on the Train Station! Yeah my shoes got cut off the only pic so here are my beauty of irregular choice cherry print shoes to match!!

unfortunately I’ve not been able to wear my heels at the mo to get a better overall outfit photo shoot as I’ve got blumming soft tissue damage in my right foot so I’m on high dose of anti-inflammatory from the hospital to bring my swelling down and instructions to rest and ice

But here is my fancy Dr Pepper alcoholic Cocktail and Best Brownie ever when we met with Friends in Hull and ate at the NYC Bar and Grill! Nom!

So here you go folks my Design team Project at last! I’ve got my shopping list in for my new Project coming soon!!

Sal xx

The post Sew Crafty Design Team Project – a Very Cherry Delight of a Dress appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Wow January had came and gone already!

But I have managed to get my January Sewing Plans done! Yes!! This is a fab way to keep you motivated on track with finishing Projects as i am a monkey for UFO’s aka Un-Finished-Objects lol!

In case you don’t know what Sew the Year is about……

Sew the Year is all about taking a moment at the start of every month to be intentional about your fabric and pattern choices you hope to tackle that month.  Not only to create garments that you are going to love to but also ones that will actually be worn.  Instead of starting the year with a huge list of makes you want to accomplish and piles of fabric you want to buy you can break it down each month into manageable projects while considering the rest of your life.

Sew the Year is a chance to get inspired, be intentional and have fun. To join in use #sewtheyear on social media so Kimberley can see what everyone else is planning and please come share in the Facebook group.

Right now onto my plans!

1st up is The Freja Pinafore Dress

Finally getting round to using my Cherry Print Needlecord that I picked up in Sew up North! When I saw the freebie pattern from Simply Sewing Magazine, i knew this was the right shape of Pinafore for me! I would love to sew up the Cleo by Tilly and the Buttons but feel it wouldn’t do me any favours in the ‘hip and bum’ area and make me look hugh! So this pattern is A-line shape which is more flattering in my opinion!

Of course you can’t escape a Valentine make or two! Also my 1st Design Team Project for Sew Crafty – The Moneta Dress by Colette Patterns. You can buy all my project items from the Shop and it just so coincides with the Moneta Party that is going on Instagram! Boom! Love multi-tasking!! So if you don’t know about this awesome Party with plenty of giveaways and prizes the check out the hosts @sewpositivity, @rach_wain and @sewabigail for all the info!

 Finally! The February Sew My Style Project for February which is the Saunio Cardigan by Named Clothing, just need to decide what knit to use for this! I’m thinking of lengthening the Cardi a bit to make it a little bit more snugglier lol

So here is my 3 Projects for February as it is a short month after all

So what are your Guys and Girls plans for February ?

Sal xx

The post Sew the Year February Plans appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Hope your’re all well!!

It has come round to that time to show off your Sweaters for the January Project of #Sewmystyle!

 I’ve used version 2 which is available here to buy as a pdf as it felt much more my style rather than then cropped version of no.1. Love the Side splits!

Version 2 is an easy top/sweater that can be dressed up or down. It is somewhat fitted through the shoulders and sleeves and then swings out a bit at the underarms and hem. It features a semi-hi-neck that takes its inspiration from funnel and boat necks. It also has mitered side vents with a hi-low hem that is 1” shorter in the front than the back. The front hem falls just below the high hip.

Finally had a use of this Thick Sweatshirt/Jersey Knit that I had found in B and M Fabrics on my Sew Up North Adventure back in November 2016.

With this being 60″ wide I used the double fold technique making full use of the width available and I  was able to save Half a metre after cutting Yay!! I cut a large all over but in hind sight i should of shortened the sleeves at this point as I took off 2.5″ off at the end of the sleeves!

Now i got my Overlocker out to aid the quickness of this sew! I only used my Normal machine for the beginning part of the neck facing and the hemming the Jumper to get the Mitred corners.

I love how the Corners came out!! Just sooo precise! The Instructions were fab to follow even though I had a Durr moment at the beginning of making the corners and didn’t realise that it was just either the front or back of each corner at a time with Right Sides together not both the front and back of the jumper together lol!

But here it is hung on ‘Dorris’

Then of course moi;

I totally love the split hem!!

So This lovely Sweater will be taking part in of course January’s Project #Sewmystyle,

The Dressmaking Blogger Networks January Challenge – Keep it Cosy. Oh yes this is definitely cosy!!

and…

Petite Passions #Wardrobebuilder Project – Jumpers and Sweaters

So this was my final garment on my January #SewtheYear! Yay! Already completed January’s makes with time to spare!! I hope I can keep this up!!

So what have you guys been sewing and will you be taking part in these challenges too?

Sal xx

The post Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater Version 2 appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Today I’m showing you guys how to make the Lizzie Dress from the New Contemporary Collection by Simple Sew Patterns which is available to buy here.

Our classic Lizzie Dress is a delight to sew with shapely princess seams on the Front Bodice and satisfying to stitch Box Pleats which look amazing on this garment. You certainly won’t tire of this flatteringly feminine summery dress.

Especially when i have used this lovely Printed Cotton Lawn from Whitetree Fabrics. Its just beautiful with a vintage floral print with cute polka dots!! It’s a delight to sew and it’s just perfect for the Lizzie Dress with its lovely drape and print for a Summer Dress! Why else wouldn’t you buy some of this its a steal at £4.50 a metre and its 147cm wide too Win Win!!

Now upon reading the measurements on the back, I decided to cut a Size 10 for the entire pattern as i am lucky enough that the Size 10 fits me perfectly with no grading between sizes but i did have to shorten the Skirt Pieces by 10cm so ill show you how to do that later on the post dam my shortnest!!Hahahaha!

So it’s always best to double check your measurements before you start cutting into the Pattern but don’t panic if you need to grade between sizes and your thinking where on earth do i start ?! Go and click onto my previous Tutorial here, where I’ll show you how to grade in between sizes with ease!

As always make sure you launder your fabric prior to you starting to cut your pattern pieces out as this allows for shrinkage as it would be a complete shame not to do this before hand and to make an awesome staple Top, to wear it and love it and then to put in the wash where it’ll shrink and the Dress would be too small to wear! Noooo all your hardwork unwearable!

First open up the envelope and make yourself a brew and read the instructions and make a list of materials/equipment you need if you don’t have them already so no last minute dash to the local haberdashery store or waiting days for online orders lol!

A tip before starting your sewing on a fabric you haven’t used before use some scraps to make sure you have the right stitch or you could end up ruining some of your lovely fabric.

Construction List:

Simple Sew The Lizzie Dress Pattern

2.5 m of Printed Cotton Lawn from Whitetree Fabrics which was kindly given to me by my Sponser of Whitetree Fabrics

22″ Concealed Zip which i shorten by 4″ again myself being short an 22″ is too long for my body! hahaha!

0.5m of Medium Weight Iron on Interfacing

Navy Guternmann Thread and Bobbin

Paper Scissors – For cutting Pattern Pieces out as these will blunt and make cutting fabric out quite uneven!

Fabric Scissors/ Rotary Cutter – whatever takes your fancy for cutting your fabric, i use both

Cutting Mat

Pins

Seam Ripper

French Curve – handy for getting those straight lines whilst cutting out with rotary cutter or to grade in between sizes if your measurements are in between sizes.

Pencil for marking out the pattern of course

Sticky Tape

Iron and Ironing Board

And last but not least the Trusty Sewing Machine, Normal Sewing Foot and Overlocking Foot. Now I’m using this foot as i use my Overlocking Stitch to finish my Seams. But if you are using a Small Zig Zag Stitch then your normal sewing Foot will be ah-okay. Missing from the Pic my  but you do need it to install the Zip!

Make sure you have plenty of thread in your bobbin as there isn’t anything worse than getting halfway through sewing a long stretch of your garment and to find you have only sewn half of it, trust me this has happened many times LOL

Now then, you can go ahead and cut straight into the paper pattern to the size you require  and to make sure you add any notches/markings onto the fabric then cut out the pieces 

But i needed to take 4 inches of the length of the skirt so i’ll show you how to do it;

Now on the Skirt Pieces there isn’t a Shorten/Lengthen Line, so i decided to draw a line 38cm from the Top of the Skirt as i felt this was about right to alter the length from then drew a straight line across the width of the Back Skirt and Front Skirt.

Now then all you have to do is fold the pattern up to the cutting line and tap down using some sticky tape.

Then we have to match the pattern again so its all aligned again, i used my french curve and drew a line from the taped bit of the pattern down to the rest of the skirt in a nice line to match the pattern, the chopped off the excess. Remember to do that for both the Back Skirt and Front Skirt and of course to mark any notches they may have escaped from being chopped off  

Now onto the cutting the Pattern Pieces out. Fold the fabric Right Sides Together selvedge to selvedge and places the pattern pieces on the top. Align the straight grain line on the pattern piece to grain of the fabric and pin down the pieces. Also cut out your interfacing pieces too! Remembering to snip any notches on the patterns pieces as you will need these for lining up and sewing later on!

Which then you should have the following pieces:

1 x Front Centre Bodice, 2 x Side Front Bodice, 2 x Back Bodice, 2 x Side Back Bodice, 2 x Back Facing, 2 x Back Facing – Interfacing, 1 x Front Facing, 1 x Front Facing – Interfacing, 2 x Back Skirt and 1 x Front Skirt. Wow that’s a lot of pieces but it is soooo worth the end result!!

Also apply the Interfacing to the Facings.

When ironing Interfacing you have to be careful not to scorch your fabric but also for it to be hot enough to fuse the Interfacing to the Fabric.  So what I tend to do is to use a tea towel over my fabric and Interfacing and gently steam on top.

When applying Interfacing you always apply it to the wrong side of your fabric with the shiney side facing down.

Now onto Sewing it all together! Yay! We will be using a 1.5cm Seam Allowance for the Seams except for the Neckline and Armholes but I’ll remind you when to use 1cm Seam Allowance

With Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the Front and Back Facings at the Shoulders.

Press and Finish the Seams.

Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the Front Side Panel to the Front Bodice, matching the notches.

Repeat for the other side, Press and Finish the Seams.

Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the back Side Panel to the Back Bodice.

Repeat for the other side, Press and Finish the Seams.

Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the Front and Back Bodices together at the Shoulders.

Press and Finish the Seams.

Now onto attaching the Facings to the Bodice

With Right Sides Together, Lay the Facing on top of the Front and Back Bodices like I have here. Pin in Place around the Armholes and the Neckline. When sewing these remember to use a 1cm Seam Allowance, starting at the Centre Back.

Also when you get to the V detail at the Centre Front of the Bodice, pivot your needle at the sharp corners to maintain them lovely corners

Trim the Neckline and Armhole Seam Allowances to 0.5cm and snip into the curves to relive the pressure and to enable the fabric to lie flat. Just don’t chop onto your stitch line but as close as and to snip into the v neckline too.

Turn the Facing through so its lying on the inside of the Bodice. To do this, start by pulling the Left Back Bodice through the Left Shoulder Cavity and then repeat for the Right Side Bodice. Press the Neckline and Armhole Seams.

Now onto a tricky part!

We need to understitch the Neckline! This is optional but it it does give a real neat professional finish to your Dress.  I would recommend setting your machine to a smaller straight stitch to catch the snipped Seam Allowance. Lift the Facing from the inside of the Dress so the Right Side of it is facing you. Then start stitching about 1cm away from the existing Seam Allowance from the Centre Back of the Bodice to the Shoulder then starting again at the Centre Front back to the Shoulder, Repeat for other side too. Take your time with sewing this bit, don’t rush as you only need to sew the Seam Allowance to the Facing and not to the actual Dress itself. It really is worth the effort!

Yay! The Bodice is together! Now to the Skirt.

On the Right Sides of the Front of the Skirt, Fold the Pleats towards the centre notch like I have shown you here. Pin and press in place and the use a Basting Stitch (A Stitch that isn’t secure and its quite a long in length) about 1cm Seam Allowance to secure the Pleats. Repeat for the Back Skirt Pieces also.

With Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the Front Skirt to the Front Bodice, remembering to match up the seams if you can.

Then repeat for the Back Skirt and Back Bodices. Press and Finish the Seams.

Now they are securely in place you now take out the Basting Stitches

Turn the Dress inside out so its Right Sides Together and flipping the the Sides of the Facings at the Side Seams. Pin the Front and Back Bodices together at the Side Seams and all the way down to the Hem and Sew in place. Press and Finish the Seams.

Its soooo close to be completed!! Now onto inserting the Concealed Zip!

I like to uncurl the Zip itself with a warm iron as this helps to get the stitches as close as possible for a great looking concealed Zip.

Now Swap your Sewing Foot to Invisible Zipper Foot and flip the Facing up and then Right Sides Together of the Bodice and Zip itself, pin in place on one side of the Back of the Dress so the the zip matches the raw edge of the Dress and that the Top of the Teeth of the Zip just sit below the Facing seam. so when the facing is folded back over its sits beautifully at the top of the Dress.

I like to hand tack my Zip in Place before Stitching in place.  Try and get as close as you can to the bottom of the Zip as much as your Sewing Foot will allow and remember to Back Stitch to secure too. Repeat for the Other Side.

Now to finish the Back of the Dress, I changed my foot back to the Normal Sewing Foot and with Right Sides Together, Pin and Sew the Centre back Seam starting from the Hem up to the point you stopped sewing the Zip in. Just be careful not to sew the Zip ends just keep them out the way whilst you sew.

Press and Finish the Seams.

Now then!!

For an extra touch of neatness, i decided to make my Bodice Facings lie neatly by flipping up the Bodice Facing and folding over the Seam Allowance of 1.5cm at the edge. Pin in place with the Facing and Seam Allowance and Sew together just like the understitching for the Neckline. Look how good it looks and plus it keeps the Facings in place too.

Just to hem this Beauty of a Dress! Remember to Finish the Raw Edge of the dress before Sewing the Hem in place.

With myself shorten the Skirt before hand, I didn’t have to take any length off and I like to use a 1cm Hem but that just personal preference but feel free to use the 1.5cm Seam Allowance as stated in the Instructions.

Then give it all a Good Ol’ Iron everywhere and Voila you have one Lizzie Dress!!

Here’s me on my way to see Claire at Simple Sew HQ, I’m off on a choo choo!! Hahaha!

Now then! I’m thinking this is overtaking the Ruby Dress as one of my Favourite Dresses of all time OMG!! It really is well designed and its nice not to be sewing Darts to give the Bodice shape it needs too.

So remember peeps Sewing is meant to be enjoyable and to have that satisfaction of making your own clothes is awesome so if you do get stuck please get in touch and i can help before you abandon it?

Sal xx

The post Simple Sew Lizzie Dress Tutorial appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Now this is one of my earlier Tutorials from my previous blog, so I apologise now for the lack of proper lighting shots!

Welcome to my Tutorial for Simple Sew’s Raglan Dress, which of course is a part of the Capsule Wardrobe Collection ?

I’m showing you how to make this Dress in Jersey so it is a quick and easy make with no zip insertions so It’s great if your new to sewing but if you are making this Dress in a cotton fabric you’ll need to apply interfacing to your neck facings and to insert an invisible zip but I’ve show you how to do that in my Nancy Tunic Tutorial .

As always make sure you launder your fabric prior to you starting to cut your pattern pieces out as this allows for shrinkage as it would be a complete shame not to do this before hand and to make an awesome staple Dress, wear it and love it then to put in the wash where it’ll shrink and the dress would be too small to wear!

First open up the envelope and make yourself a brew and read the instructions and make a list of materials/equipment you need if you don’t have them already so no last minute dash to the local haberdashery store or waiting days for online orders lol!

My Construction list:

Simple Sew Raglan Dress Pattern

2.5m of the ever so beautiful Art Gallery Petal & Plume Panache Profundo Knit from WhitreeFabrics. It’s a 95% Premium Cotton and 5% Spandex Knit and its 60″ wide which was perfect weight for this dress and feels really nice too!

Guterman Thread – There’s no other thread like it in my opinion, you do need good quality thread as it does show in your creations.

Paper Scissors – For cutting Pattern Pieces out as these will blunt and make cutting fabric out quite uneven!

Fabric Scissors/ Rotary Cutter

Cutting Mat

Pins

Tailor’s Chalk – For marking on fabric that soon rubs away

French Curve – handy for getting those straight lines whilst tracing or to grade in between sizes if your measurements are in between sizes.

Pencil for marking out the pattern of course

Iron and Ironing Board

And last but not least the Trusty Sewing Machine, Normal sewing foot

Now then, you can go ahead and cut straight into the paper pattern to the size you require  and to make sure you add any nothces/markings onto the paper then cut out the pieces?

According to my measurements i had to grade to 14 for the hips but Size 12 for the Bust and Waist (too much eating and not enough exercise lol!) but that is easy enough to do like I’m going to show you here:

The Waist point of this dress is the middle of the double pointed dart and shown here is where i have marked on the pattern to start grading to the 14.

Now you can see here I’ve drawn a slight curve from the waist and graded it to the 14 mark and then carried on that line to the bottom of the dress  so its not just a huge jump and for it to look like its meant to be 

Remember to do the same for the back piece too

Now after grading if you needed to, you should have the following pattern pieces:

1 x Front Piece, 1 x Back Piece, 1 x Sleeve, 1 x Front Neck Facing and 1 x Back Neck Facing

Now with myself making the Jersey version of this dress i don’t need to add any interfacing to the Neck Facings? and when it comes to cutting out the Back Bodice Piece:

Fold at the Line where it says cut here for Jersey fabrics and with myself following the pattern of my fabric i’d placed the Back Bodice Piece face down so you will still have the right way of the pattern on my fabric to your other pieces and also for ease as I am using Jersey i’d place the pattern on the fold of the fabric rather than having 2 separate back bodice pieces as we don’t need a zip for this version!

Fold the fabric Right Sides Together selvedge to selvedge and places the pattern pieces on the top. Align the straight grain line on the pattern piece to grain of the fabric and pin down the pieces.

Then of course cut away!

Now onto Sewing the Darts!

A handy tip for the darts i put a pin through the paper and fabric then gently pull away the paper to leave the pin in the fabric then match up the lines to the bottom of the dart with tailors chalk for ease of sewing.

Now with Darts, I tend to start from where the Dart ends so its easier to keep that perfect sewn line just to remember don’t back stitch here just tie the ends together as this prevents the dart looking bulky not a good look to have madonna style points LOL! But back stitch at the end of the dart (the widest bit) to secure.

Now repeat for the other side and  press them so that they are facing the centre, now onto the Diamond Darts!

Now these can be a bit fiddler to sew as you start from the middle of the dart then sew all the way to the end and then repeat gain from the middle to the other end. So remember not to back stitch at the middle and at the ends like I’ve shown here and just make a knot?

Now you should have the Front Bodice with 2 bust darts and 2 Diamond Darts and the Back Bodice has 2 Diamond Darts

Now with the Right Side Together attach front side of sleeve to front bodice. Remember the notches? Now its easier enough to match up the single notch with the single notch of the front bodice. Repeat for the other sleeve.Press the seam open. Then finish the seams, I’ve used my pinking shears as I’m using Jesery but if i was using cotton i would use a zig zag stitch to neaten them so they wouldn’t fray.

With Right Side Together attach back bodice sleeve to the back side of the sleeve. Remember to match up he double notches? and repeat for the other side, press the seam open and neaten the seams.

Now to sew together the Neck facing with Right Sides Together like shown below:

Right Sides Together with the Bodice pin neck facing in place and then stitch all the way around from centre back to centre back like shown below.

Snip into seam allowance all the way around, stopping at the stitch line, this will allow facing to lie flat. Turn facing through to inside of dress and press flat.

Right Sides Together stitch all the way from the sleeve hem to the skirt hem to close the side seams of the dress, press the seams and neaten. Repeat for both sides.

Woo-hoo nearly there! Now onto the hemming sleeves, now with myself only being petite the sleeves were far to long for my liking so i had to take 3 inches of mine but if you are of normal statue I’m sure the sleeve length would be okay?

Turn up sleeve hem by 1cm, press and stitch in place, press and neaten.

Turn up skirt hem by 1cm, press, stitch in place and neaten the edges. Now i didn’t have to take any length off this and I’m only short so it’d best be wise to give the bodice pattern pieces a measure to see where it’ll come to for your preferred length.

And voila! Here is your super quick and easy Raglan Dress!

A big Thank you to Whitree Fabrics for supplying me with the ever so gorgeous Art Gallery Jersey it is definitely a premium jersey it has such a lovely drape and weight to it.

So remember peeps Sewing is meant to be enjoyable and to have that satisfaction of making your own clothes is awesome so if you do get stuck please get in touch and i can help before you abandon it?

Sal xx

The post Simple Sew Raglan Dress Tutorial appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

An oldie but a goodie Tutorial from last year! Finally getting round to uploading my previous Tutorials!

Welcome to my Tutorial for Simple Sew’s Tunic Top and Dress. Today, I’ll be showing you how to complete the Dress and to add contrasting cuffs for a bit ‘pop’!

This Pattern is one of three freebies with Sewing Made Simple where you can buy it from your Asda or Tesco Supermarket or here if you can’t find in person.

It’s packed with some of the best dressmaking projects from Love Sewing plus three exclusive Simple Sew patterns.

You’ll find everything you need here to sew up your Autumn/Winter wardrobe with the chic Nancy tunic dress and top pattern with optional Peter Pan collar, the ever-so-stylish Alexa dress pattern (as a paper pattern for the first time) and you’ll be itching to sew up versatile classic culottes.

Its a great mag with lots of ideas to get you started and also showing you techniques too.

As always make sure you launder your fabric prior to you starting to cut your pattern pieces out as this allows for shrinkage as it would be a complete shame not to do this before hand and to make an awesome autumn staple, wear it and love it then to put in the wash where it’ll shrink and the dress would be too small to wear!

First open up the envelope and make yourself a brew and read the instructions and make a list of materials/equipment you need if you don’t have them already so no last minute dash to the local haberdsary store or waiting days for online orders lol.

My choice of brew today withe gold ol’ fashioned Cup of Tea!

My Construction list:

2.5m of Michael Miller Flock in Navy – Which was kindly provided to me by Sew Scrumptious. where it can be purchased here

0.5m of Makeower Basics Collection – Tiny Dots Yellow 100% Premium Cotton – Which was kindly given to me by And Sew Forth, where you can purchase it here

0.50m Medium Weight Interfacing

16″ Concealed Zip (It does state 22″ for the Dress and 16″ for the Top but with myself being petite i don’t need a long zip lol!)

Guterman Thread – There’s no other thread like it in my opinion, you do need good quality thread as it does show in your creations.

Paper Scissors – For cutting Pattern Pieces out as these will blunt and make cutting fabric out quite uneven!

Fabric Scissors

Pins

Tailor’s Chalk – For marking on fabric that soon rubs away

Greaseproof Paper – Tracing the Pattern onto as for some reason i don’t want to chop up my paper patterns just in-case i need to make for a gift. Also a great alternative to expensive Dress Making Paper.

French Curve – handy for getting those straight lines whilst tracing or to grade in between sizes if your measurements are in between sizes.

Pencil for marking out the pattern of course

Dress Making Pins/Weights

Iron and Ironing Board

And last but not least the Trusty Sewing Machine, Normal sewing foot, Invisible Sewing Foot and an optional extra Overcasting Foot if your using the Overlock stitch rather than Zig Zag.

Now then, you can go ahead and cut straight into the paper pattern to the size you require but if your like me and like to keep my paper pattern intact then trace your pattern onto the paper and to make sure you add any nothces/markings onto the paper then cut out like shown below:

According to my measurements i had to grade to 12 for the hips but Size 10 for the Bust and Waist but that is easy enougth to do like I’m going to show you here:

First of all i measured from my collar bone down to my my waist using a tape measure which was 15cm and to include the Seam allowance of 1.5cm, i measured 16.5cm from the top of the front piece of the dress and marked it where my waist would be.

From there, i drew a slight curve from the Size 10 to the size 12 mark and then carried on that line to the bottom of the dress.

Then repeat the same steps for the Back of the dress piece also.

Now after grading if you need to, you should have the following pattern pieces:

1 x Front Bodice, 1 x Back Bodice, 1 x Front Facing, 1 x Back Facing, 1 x Sleeve and 1 x Collar (an extra piece if your joining in with me making a contrast cuff)

Fold the fabric Right Sides Together selvedge to selvedge and places the pattern pieces on the top. Align the straight grain line on the pattern piece to grain of the fabric and either pin down the pieces.

I found to keep the pattern going the right way i had to flip the pattern piece with the markings facing down to the fabric.

So just be careful when cutting out your pieces that if you have definite pattern that only goes one way to make sure it’s the going in the same direction as the other pieces.

 Then of course cut away!

Which then you should have the following pieces:

1 x Front Bodice Piece which was cut on the fold, 2 x Back Bodice Pieces, 1 x Front Facing Cut on the Fold and 1 x Interfacing of the same, 2 x Back Facing and 2 x Interfacing of the same, 2 x Sleeve and 4 x Collar and 2 x Interfacings of the same.

If your joining in with the Cuffs, 4 x Cuff pieces and 2 x Interfacing of the same.

Now to add the Interfacing to the Now to fuse 2 pieces of the Interfacing to the Wrong Side pair of collars that you will use as the bottom pieces so you will have 1 pair of Interfaced Collar pieces, 1 pair of Collar Pieces , the Front Facing, Back Facings and the Cuff Pieces.

With ironing Interfacing you have to be careful of not to scorch your fabric but for it to be hot enough to fuse the Interfacing.  So what i tend to do is to use a tea towel over my fabric and Interfacing and gently steam on top. When applying Intefacing you always apply to the wrong side of your fabric.

And voila no scorchy mess! Do you like my Yorkshire Tea Towel too? I am a Yorkshire lass after all.

Sew a line of gathering stitches along the sleeve head curve (gathering stitch is a stitch where the length of the stitches are quite long and you don’t back tack and either side and leave plenty of tails at either end).

Pull the threads to gather the sleeve so it will fit into the armhole. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Now onto Sewing the Darts!

A handy tip for the darts i put a pin through the paper and fabric then gently pull away the paper to leave the pin in the fabric then match up the lines to the bottom of the dart with tailors chalk for ease of sewing.

Now with Darts i tend to start from where the Dart ends so its easier to keep that perfect sewn line just to rember dont back stitch here just tie the ends together as this prevents the dart looking bulky not a good look to have madonna style points LOL! But back stitch at the end of the dart (the widest bit) to secure.

Now repeat for the other side and  press them so that they are facing the centre and you should have something like this,

With the Right Sides Together join the Front and Back Bodices together at the Shoulder Seams and press the Seams open.

 Woo hoo we are getting there! Now onto the lovely Peter Pan Collar

Sew the bottom and top piece of the left collar Right Sides Together but leave a gap of about 2 inches for you be able to turn the collar through.

Trim the Seam to 0.5cm and snip or make notches around the curved edges and turn the collar to the Right Sides and Press. Now to repeat for the other side of the Collar.

To attach the Collar to the Dress!

With the Wrong Sides of the Collar facing the Right Sides of the Dress. Pin in place making sure the Front Collars meet at the Centre of the Neckline.

Stitch in place around the Neckline using a 1cm Seam Allowance.

Pin the Neck facing in place Right Sides Together with the Collar and pin in place and remember to line up your notches too!

Stitch the facing in place slowly using a 1cm Seam Allowance and to take the pins out as you sew.

Trim the Seams and notch around the curves.

Turn the Facing through to the inside of the Dress and press flat. There is your collar all nice and neat!

Now onto the pesky Sleeves!

With the Right Sides Together, attach the Sleeve to the Armhole, starting from the left and remeber to make up the notches also.

Now you sleeve will look like this and to repeat for the other one.

Also remember to take out your Running Stitch!

Then trim the Seam Allowance and Zig Zag/Overlock to neaten both Armhole Seams.

Now onto joining the Sleeves together

Now Start at either side of the Dress, Join the Sleeve and Side Seam of the Dress Right Sides Together.

Not forgetting to match up you nothces too.

Start from the Sleeve hem contentiously all the way down to the Dress hem and repeat for the other side.

Now onto the Invisible Zip, we are nearly there folks!

Flip the facing up on the Right Side of the Bodice and Pin one side of the zip Right Sides Together to the Back Bodice and then tack to secure as this will make it stay in place easier than pins when sewing.

Remember to change your foot to the invisible zip foot and to stitch as close as possible to the Zip teeth and when sewing try to get as near to the bottom of the zip as you can.

Then repeat onto the other side but remember to check that the zip is aligned at both sides as you don’t want a mismatched length zip lol!

Now to finish the back of the Dress and remember to take out your taking Stitches and not your actual zip stitches

Not to sort out the facing to stop it from sticking up and lay flat on the inside of the Dress.

Fold your Facing over the top of the Zip so that the facing is Right Sides Together with the Back Bodice and the stitch along the side of the Zip through the Facing and the Bodice and snip the top corners.

So it only left a tiny mrk but it really keeps that facing down! Then turn the facing back to the inside of the Dress and press flat.

Turn the Dress back to inside out and that the Right Sides are Together and Sew from the last stitch you made on the Zip all the way down to the Hem.

Not forgetting to neaten your Seam Allowances too.

Then open out the Centre Back Seam and Press and there you are once nicely inserted Zip!

When you turn the Dress back the other way it should look like this!

So if your not following to add Cuffs on you would hem your Sleeves here (I would normally use 2.5cm) and to Hem the Bottom of the Dress where i used 1cm and here is one Cool Tunic! Hurrah! I’m a bit of Seam neaten freak so i would Overlock/Zig Zag Stitch the ends of my sleeves and Dress before I hemmed them.

Now onto my lovely contrasting Cuffs

Now bear with me as this was 1st go at Cuffs but i think i got it pretty darn okay!

Now to cut out 4 x Fabric of your choosing for the Cuffs together with 2 x Interfacing and of course apply the interfacing to 2 pieces of the Cuffs.

When sewing i used 1cm Seam Allowance so i wanted an 2 inch Cuff and added 2cm Seam Allowance for each so my height altogether was 2 3/4″  and the width is the same as the Sleeve Pattern.

Now Make each pair by using 1 x interfaced and 1 x normal fabric with the Right Sides Together, pin and sew along the length of the cuff.

Then trim the Seam Allowance to 0.5cm and Press so it looks like this:

Now with the Right Sides Together, pin the Cuffs on the Short edge and sew along so it makes a tube.

Then Trim the Seam Allowance again to 0.5cm and Press. Finish the edges by Overlock/Zig Zag Stitch and repeat for the other Cuff.

Now we are nearly there!

Now turn your sleeve inside out and insert one of the tubes with it being the right Side out over the sleeve. Pin in place and stitch using 1cm Seam Allowance.

When you turn the Sleeve the right way out it should look like this but don’t panic it’ll come right! Now pin a hem of 0.5cm and stitch.

then fold at the sleeve end and it should like like this! Repeat for the other Sleeve

Then turn up the bottom of the interfaced edge by 0.5cm and hem.

And Ta-Dah!!! You have one completed The Nancy Tunic Dress! So for making the top verison you just cut the fabric where it states on the pattern and follow the same instructions

Now for moi to model the beauty!!

Then of course the back view

A big thank you to Louise at Sew Scrumptious who provided the Lovely Michael Miller fabric for me to make this dress. Also a big thank you to Lynne at And Sew Forth for provided me with the lovely Makeower Polka Dot Fabric to make the Collar and Cuffs and the invisible zip too! So please go and have a nosey at their shops you won’t be disappointed!

Now i hope you have found my tutorial helpful and if you have any questions please get in touch!!

Happy Sewing

Sal x

The post Simple Sew Nancy Tunic and Contrast Cuff Tutorial appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

I’ve finally getting round to blog my creations, sometimes you just concentrate on the Sewing and then forget to add it onto the blog! Dur!

Now I made a pledge to myself to make a start on the Autumn/Winter wardrobe before it get too late, like i normally do in previous years of making stuff when the season is finally over but oh no not this year!

Now this beautiful Ponte Roma Jersey is from B and M Fabrics at Leeds. After both myself and RedWSews both bought it at our last shopping trip in Leeds! It is such a steal at £7 a Metre and it’s 60″wide too and its just beautiful sooo thick and snuggly but quite manageable through the sewing machine! I’ve used just under  2m for this and had a bit spare! Just had to make some adjustments to stitches and use a bigger ball point needle as it is quite thick for a jersey!

I’ve previously made the Ballet Dress by DixieDIY  last year ( The Ballet Dress is a fitted knit dress with three-quarter length sleeves, scoop neck and semi-circle skirt) but wanted a bit more ease in maneuverability whilst wearing so I decided to go for a large for the sizing and you know what I’m glad i did as its just so comfortable to wear but looks so dam beautiful at the same time with minimal effort! Its such a great pattern as all you need is the Jersey/Knit and some elastic for the waist and your done! You can buy the PDF Pattern here from IndieSew.

Here is the end result!! No alterations to the Length of the Skirt or Sleeves for a change!! Even the neckband went in okay without too much hassle!

And of course the obligatory Selfie and Duck Face in my Local Weatherspoon pub! LOL

I’m thinking this will be a staple Dress for my wardrobe this Autumn/Winter especially paired with my knee Boots.

Its a definite winner in my eyes as i’m using this Pattern for my Christmas Dress using this awesome Ggingerbread Man Print Jersey from Fabric Styles

It is such a quick sew as i jut trimmed down my seams and not finished as the fabric doesn’t fray! I need to go back to B and M Fabrics and purchase more lovely Fabrics!

Happy Thursday Y’all!

Sal xx

The post One Snuggly Autumn/Winter Dress – DixieDIY Ballet Dress appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.