Modern Sewing Starts Here Issue 6 by Hantex Ltd

Edition 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2019

Modern sewing

starts here...

New season.... new things to sew

Layering Making this style work for your home-sewn autumn wardrobe

The latest fabric collections from Art Gallery Fabrics

Hamburger Liebeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Park Lane capsule fabric collection full of coordinating stunning substrates

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The Wilder Gown ... a loose, flowy, tiered dress that can be sewn up in a range of different styles! With raglan sleeves and tie-up neck, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect for drapey woven fabrics and super-easy to sew.

Choose from 100â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of patterns by the best indie designers and then find a stockist

Editor’s Letter Hello

As the children settle back at school, September is all about fresh beginnings. For stitchers this is no exception, so read on as we help you start new sewing projects for the last few months of the year. If you like making your own clothes, then this edition is packed full of things to sew for your autumn wardrobe and make it work for you. Rachel Pinheiro has been sewing with Modelo’s new melange rib knit fabric to make a gorgeous Nikko maxi dress from True Bias. While we look at the best sewing patterns to layer up for transcending the seasons! We hate to mention the ‘C’ word, but Christmas will be upon us before you know it so Sarah Ashford shares some super suggestions for working with the new fabric collection, Tinsel from Cloud9. We’re so excited to share the new WIN W fabric collection releases from Art Gallery Fabrics that will be in the shops IN WIN We’ve th very soon! With environmental issues at the forefront, we chat with Jennifer ree sets ! of the fa pattern bric and used by Moore from Monaluna about her beautiful organic fabrics. Ra in chel Pin her featu heir re on pa away. F ge 14 to o or a cha give n c e to w the sets up – clic in one of k here Closing date is 31st Oc tober 2 019

Happy stitching!

Hantex

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COOL CAPSULE ASSORTMENT Park Lane by Hamburger Liebe brings you a concept fabric range featuring seven different substrates that all co-ordinate and are ready to go! The range includes exciting fabrics such as four softshells, four sweatshirts, four viscose jerseys, two rayons, four French Terry and six cotton fabrics. They all come in rich, autumnal colours that are perfect for jackets and snuggly tops, as well as much lighter garments. Susanne Firmenich, the designer behind Hamburger Liebe, is a surface pattern designer with a huge following in Germany that’s now spreading to the UK.

To watch our video on the fabric collection – click here To the Hamburger Liebe’s Park Lane collection – click here

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Pick of the

PATTERNS New sewing pattern releases that you’ll want to make SLACKS ARE BACK!

Slacks are defined as trousers for casual wear, and while we don’t hear this term much these days – we think it’s time to embrace it again! The Free Range Slacks pattern is as easy to wear as its name because of the comfortable elastic high waist. Although the pattern is designed for linen, with two options to choose from, you’ll want to make them in lots of fabrics and wear them all-year long These slacks come in sizes 00-20. To find out more about this sewing pattern from Sew House Seven – click here

ETHEREAL BEAUTY

The new Wilder Gown from Friday Pattern Company is a lovely loose, flowing tiered dress that can be sewn up in lots of different ways! Make it as a top or dress, long or short sleeved, and with one or two skirt tiers. The design is fairly modular so it’s simple to customise to your own personal style, and is also easy to make. It’s designed for drapey woven fabrics – make in rayon or silk to give it a more elegant dressy look, while sewing in a sturdy fabric like a linen will give you a structured everyday dress. The pattern comes is sizes XS-4X. To find out more about the Wilder Gown sewing pattern – click here

WONDERFUL WRAP

True Bias has created another stunning pattern. The Calvin wrap dress and top features exposed bias binding that extends into long ties to close. It also features rings and sliders that create adjustable shoulder straps for perfectly fitting straps. Make in either a short top that sits approximately 2in below your natural waist or a straight dress that hits mid calf. Sew in light to medium weight woven fabrics that press well such as linen, chambray, rayon challis, silk crepe de chine, and cotton. This pattern has been designed for intermediate sewers and comes in sizes 0-18. To take a closer look at this True Bias sewing pattern – click here Check out the free-to-use resource listing of the very best Indie patterns and filter by fabric, garment, brand or skill level by visiting www.hantex.co.uk

CODE

Four knit dress patterns that are perfect for transcending the season

The Ebony

The Ebony Tee is a versatile wardrobe staple and is an elegant basic featuring a fluidly draped silhouette. Make a swingy knit dress or modern cropped top, with a choice of scoop or jewel neckline, and long or 3/4 sleeves. Choose knits with at least 30% crosswise stretch such as rayon, cotton, silk, merino and linen jerseys. To view more options from Closet Case – click here

The Turner

Elegance meets comfort with this dress from Cashmerette. This beginner-friendly knit dress with a lined bodice curve friendly V-neck, softly flared skirt, and three sleeve lengths will become an everyday staple. Whether you make it in cosy merino jersey or lightweight rayon jersey, this dress will carry you through the seasons with style! This pattern is available in a wide range of sizes 16-32 as well as three bust cup sizes – C/D, E/F and G/H. To find out more about the Turner Dress pattern – click here

The Bristol

This bell-shape, knee-length dress has a front and back yoke and long sleeves with cuffs. The front wraps to back and stitched to the inverted V-shape back panel. This pattern is ideal for two and four-way stretch knits The pattern makes a pretty neat top too! To find more patterns from The Sewing Workshop – click here

The River

This easy to sew pattern features a reversible raglan dress (or top) that can be made in both woven or knit fabrics. The pattern features loose fit, optional pockets, waist tie, and can be made with the V-neck or the round neck at the front. Another great option for autumn and available in sizes XS – XL. To view this pattern from Megan Nielsen – click here

A DESIRE FOR sustainable fabrics

Jennifer Moore runs Monaluna – a small independent organic fabric company in Walnut Creek in Canada. We talk to her about her fabrics For anyone that’s not familiar with Monaluna fabrics – tell us about your company and how it all started? Monaluna is an organic fabric company that specialises in high-quality cotton fabrics printed with whimsical, modern designs. I started the company in 2010 at a time when there were far fewer options for organic cotton in the market. I had been licensing my artwork for fabric for about a year, but the more I learned about the environmental and health impacts of conventional

cotton fabric production, the more committed I became to offering more sustainable fabric options. When I was unable to ensure that my licensed artwork would be printed on organic fabric, I decided to try to do it myself. I started with one collection that I had planned to sell over the course of a year, but it sold out in three months. I realised there was a real demand in the market, so I rushed to design the next collection, and a company was born! I had a newborn baby at the time too, so it was an exciting time!

What do you see as the main benefits of using organic cotton? Although there are benefits to the end user, including the absence of residual toxins on the fabrics and an overall stronger and more absorbent fabric – the main benefits are more holistic. Organic cotton farming doesn’t rely on toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and the overall carbon footprint and water usage is much smaller, so it’s

better for the environment and community, as well as the workers who are producing the crop. The production of the fabric is more eco-friendly too, using only low-impact dyes and no formaldehyde, chlorine bleach or other harsh chemicals in the processing. Our fabrics are all GOTScertified, which means that the fabrics meet the highest environmental, as well as social standards.

Do you design all the fabric for Monaluna and what inspires your designs? I do! I always find plenty of inspiration – the hard part is choosing what themes and designs will make the best fabrics. I often find inspiration close to home such as in my garden, which is full of flowers and fruit trees, birds, butterflies and the occasional chicken, but also from my living room – one collection that I designed was influenced by my Chemex coffee pot, and the recent Saturday collection is loosely based on my cats sleeping and playing in my studio. A couple of the more recent collections, Magical Creatures and the new Festival collection are inspired by some of the stories I read to my daughter.

Who do your fabrics appeal to? I think our fabrics have a pretty wide appeal, because while there are lots of playful and juvenile prints – we also do more sophisticated and adult ranges. The fact that it’s organic definitely speaks to a certain audience, but while most of our customers value that, they ultimately buy the fabrics because they love the prints. Our standard poplin base cloth is lovely for apparel, but also perfect for quilting, accessories and some décor projects, so it’s very versatile. We also carry cotton lawns, canvas, double gauze and knits, so there’s a little something for most sewists.

Festival is one of your latest ranges, and is proving very popular – why do you think this is? Festival is a really playful collection, with rich colours and a happy vibe. Animal prints are always very popular, and I think tropical

plants and flowers are having a moment right now. It’s one of my favourites because of all the colour and texture – I like how the Tassels print feels so saturated and warm, and I like the way it and the other geometric, The Keys, integrate with the other larger scale prints.

How many fabric collections do you create every year? We usually ceate about four collections a year, but we’ve done as many as nine!

Do you have any exciting news to share with us? We’re working on some exciting new products right now, including some kits, as well as digital formats for our sewing patterns. There are a lot of irons in the fire!

To view all of the fabric ranges from Monaluna, and also find a stockist near you – click here

Festive

FUN

When is it cool to wear a Christmas outfit? You decide! Wearing Christmas designs is all part of the festive season fun. Start planning your office party or Christmas Day outfit now! These cute new designs from Modelo come in brushed French Terry and cotton jersey, and both are perfect for seasonal snuginess! Choose designs such as the red nose reindeer, quirky angels, Christmas sheep, reindeers and trees, and reindeers with a Scandinavian feel and who could resist the sweet pugs in Christmas jumpers and antlers! To view all the designs and pre-order – click here

MERRY & BRIGHT

Since Art Gallery Fabrics prints are versatile and can often be grouped together to create a certain mood or theme for sewing projects, AGF has decided to start curating new groups that are truly a collective! This is the first collective fabric collection of cottons for a really wintery and cosy feel and includes curated whimsy prints from Amy Sinibaldi, Pat Bravo, Maureen Cracknell, Katarina Roccella, and Bonnie Christine and turned them into this holiday-inspired collection. Take a look at this collection from Art Gallery Fabrics – click here

TINSEL

Tinsel is the new collection from Cloud 9, and pairs beautiful bright Christmassy colours with traditional festive styling. This fabric collection is a beautiful medium-weight organic cotton that’s idea for all your Christmas projects. To find out more about this fun range – click here

Add a touch of

TINSEL

Sarah Ashford, obsessive quilter and fabric lover shares her ideas for making for the festive season Steaming hot chocolate, stockings, gingerbread men, sprigs of holly, and of course Santa, are far from most people’s minds until the festive season arrives. But for us quilters and sewers, we need to plan ahead, and get thinking about our Christmas makes, weeks or even months in advance, especially if we want to avoid a last minute panic!

heads, and the bejewelled seasonal ornaments really appear to glow against the dark background in the Shiny and Bright print. I also love the contrasting cool blue Wonderland print with its flurry of delicate snowflakes – it really does conjure up a feeling of crisp, cold winters. I love English Paper Piecing and hexagons, they are the traditional shape, so I’ve fussy cut some of my favourite prints (I just had to include the smiling Santas!) and I made some rosettes that would work beautifully incorporated into lots of small projects.

Ideas for makes These rosettes would look great appliquéd to a set of festive stockings, perhaps made in a solid colour, or even felt to make the prints really pop. Or how about making a set of tablemats and a table runner to add There’s nothing I love more than a non-traditional Christmas collection, and Tinsel by Clarice Gifford for Cloud Nine fabrics is just that. With pinks, electric blues and oranges, this adorable collection has a lovely retro vibe and with so many gorgeous motifs, there’s lots of opportunity for fussy cutting and really making those Christmas characters shine! Just look at the sweet smiling Santas, balancing piles of beautifully wrapped presents on their

that extra special touch for a handmade Christmas? Another personal favourite yuletide make is tea towels appliquéd with hexie motifs. Not only are these a lovely festive feature in your kitchen, they also make lovely gifts. Why not make some oven gloves as well! You could even go all the way and make a special Christmas

apron to complete the set! Whatever you make, be sure to take time to enjoy the process and embrace this collection in all its pink and blue retro glory! Have some fun with your stitching and be organised in plenty of time for the festive season.

Editor’s notes The fabric Sarah used was from the Tinsel fabric collection designed by Clairice Gifford for Cloud9. Made from 100% organic quilters weight cotton. The range features seven lovely Christmassy designs. To view the full collection – click here

Focus on

FABRICS Feast your eyes on the latest fabrics for your autumn sewing Art Gallery Fabrics has just revealed its autumn/winter fabric collection so whether you’re looking for a traditional print or something more contemporary, there’s something for all stitchers. The ranges are always on-trend and the fabric works equally well for clothing, soft furnishings, as well as quilting and other sewing projects. In addition to its pima cotton, AGF now has a beautiful range of knitted jersey, rayon, canvas and denims. Here is the latest fabric collection offerings designed by AGF’s talented designers:

KATARINA ROCCELLA

ALEXANDRA BORDALLO

Dew + Moss Dew + Moss is perfect for brightening up a child’s room with its meadow theme designs in shades of orange and green. With mushroom houses, snails, fireflies and jars of bugs, meadow plants and physiognomies – it’s a really colourful and happy collection. To see all the fabrics within this collection – click here

AGF IN HOUSE STUDIO

Meriwether Meaning happy weather in middle English, Meriwether celebrates enchanting flora and fauna that comes out when the sun is shining. Inspired by folkloric and stitching motifs, you’ll discover colourful blooms, curious rabbits, and dancing June bugs in this whimsical collection. To view this cheerful collection – click here

Floralish Inspired by a summer’s day that’s filled with delectable fruits and stunning flora, Katarina has created Floralish so that the fresh and sweet tones of the blossoms fuse with her watercolour designs and textures. To see more of the bright designs from this range – click here

PAT BRAVO

Nunica Memories of an inspiring motherdaughter relationship, stories from a kitchen in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a mutual love of flowers create Nuncia. Named after Pat’s mother in a tribute to her life and the amazing lessons she left for her two daughters. To take a closer look at this beautiful fabric collection – click here

ALEXANDRA BORDALLO Maara Let this collection take you on a tour to Africa. While touring the African Savanna in Kenya, Alexandra captured the wildlife on her own camera and decided to translate these photos into prints. She has brought to life a collection that shares a glimpse of everyday life on the enchanting grassland, there’s so many lovely designs it will be difficult to choose! To take a closer look at this beautiful fabric collection – click here

AGF IN HOUSE STUDIO

Knits Spotted Spotted fabrics remain a popular choice to mix and match. This new knit spot collection allows you to choose from small and large dots that are ideal for colour blocking and great for projects that require a little stretch such as T-shirts, tank tops, dresses and leggings. This range has a four-way stretch so is incredibly comfortable and also super soft. You can successfully sew them with your sewing machine so an overlocker is not needed, and if you’re a beginner the fabric is also very forgiving. To see more from this spotty range – click here

MAUREEN CRACKNELL

Enchanted Voyage Set sail on a whimsical journey with this beautiful ocean-inspired collection. Illuminated with seainspired illustrations, you’ll want to listen to the waves, count the stars and greet majestic whales on this nautical adventure. To see more of Enchanted Voyage – click here

AGF STUDIO

Selva Earth inspires us with its playful creatures and extensive foliage. From lush jungles in Central America to the fierce fauna in the African Savannah, the Selva collection is nourished by the bright colours, creatures, and plants found in the planet’s on-land iconic ecosystems. To find out more about this beautiful fabric – click here

JESSICA SWIFT

Kushukuru After the passing of her husband, Jessica received an overwhelming amount of love that inspired her to create fabrics that celebrated life, compassion, family and community. In Swahili, kushukuru means gratitude, which became the heart of this collection. To view more from this collection – click here

The illustrations are from the popular Lark Tee and Alder shirtdress sewing patterns from Grainline and Free Range Slacks from Sew House Seven are to showcase the fabrics and are not to scale

Other new fabric colletion releases to look out for this season:

RIB KNIT

Modelo Modelo’s melange rib sweater knit is perfect for garments which need stretch such as tops and dresses. It comes in 10 great muted tones, which are ideal for your autumn/winter wardrobe. To discover more colours for your sweaters – click here

ED EMBERLEY FAVORITES

This is a selection of favourite designs from Ed Emberley, and contains repetitive animal prints and scribbles that are great for fun soft furnishing and other sewing projects. To find more designs fom this collection – click here

TINSEL

Cloud9 is already for the festive season with this quilter’s weight cotton created by Clarice Gifford, and has come up with this gorgeous collection of Christmas fabrics called Tinsel. Think snowflakes, gingerbread men, baubles, and of course pressies! To find out more about this festive line – click here

PLANT PEEPS This linen cotton base fabric collection designed by Meena Patel puts the fun back into fabric design with her cute faces on plants. To find more Plant Peeps designs – click here

SECRET STITCHING Julie Bonnar from The Pattern Pages explains about three stitches that can improve the overall look of your garments STAY STITCHING What is it?

But once you’ve got to grips with this stitch, you can use it to style up your garment with contrasting topstitching. Use it for pockets and reinforcing seams on denim.

Stay stitch is a straight stitch sewn around curves where a curve cuts across a stretchiest part of the fabric such as necklines, sleeve heads and facings a single fabric piece. It prevents the fabric from becoming distorted and stabilises it before sewing together. I’d recommend using the directional stitching method as it helps maintain the original shape of the pieces anad is always done from upper edge towards the centre (see diagram below).

How to topstitch

UNDER STITCHING What is it?

How to stay stich • Set your stitch length to 1.5 • Sew ⅛in from the sewing line, so if your seam allowance is ⅛in then stitch ½in away from the raw edge. • Stay stitch as soon as you can after cutting your fabric out to prevent any curves stretching before you start sewing. • For necklines, stitch from the one shoulder and stitch to the centre front and then sew from the other shoulder to the centre front.

This is a stitching line close to the edge of a facing to stop it from rolling toward the outside of the garment, and being seen. It comes in handy when sewing around a neckline and keeps the facing firmly on the inside of your garment and attached to the seam allowance as shown here on my Odgen Camisole from Closet Case Patterns.

TIP: Sometimes it’s not possible to under stitch hard to reach areas, so just stitch as close as you can.

How to under stitch • Start by pressing the seam allowance towards the facing or lining. You may want to clip or notch any curves so they lay flat. • Stitch between ⅛ in to ¼in from the seam line (easier to do with an edge stitch foot). • Press the facing towards the inside of the garment so that the facing now lays flat with a crisp edge, preventing it from rolling out of place.

TOPSTITCHING What is it? Actually this stitch is not hidden but equally as important for the look of your garment. If you haven’t topstitched before avoid using a contrasting thread colour and opt for a subtle colour until you’ve mastered this technique.

• Match the thread weight to the weight of your fabric • Always use all-purpose thread in the bobbin. • Adjust your tension setting when working with topstitching thread - low tension can cause a loose stitching on the wrong side of your fabric, while a high tension can cause the bobbin thread to be visible from the right side of the fabric. • Use the appropriate needle like a Microtex needle for an extra sharp tip that will create precise stitches. • On heavy weight fabrics, choose a speciality needle has a longer eye to accommodate thicker thread and use a slightly longer stitch length of 3.5–4 stitch length. On medium-weight fabrics select a stitch length of 3.

Editor’s notes Topstitching shown on the Fiona sundress from Closet Case Patterns. To take a look at this pattern – click here To view the Prym Microtex needles – click here

Drawstring bag & keyring

This purse is perfect for make-up but would work equally as well as an evening bag! Designed by Jacqui Smith “If you read the last edition, you’ll recall my slouchy bag project that I made from Modelo faux leather. It got such a good response that I decided to use up the leftover fabric to make this matching purse and keyring.”

Sewing with faux leather

The Modelo faux leather used comes in a wide range of colours including metallic and pearl finishes. It has a woven fabric backing that sews really well with a normal machine foot. To see all the rich zingy colours available – click here If you missed the Slouch Bag project last time, don’t worry just – click here

Requirements: Leftover fabric from Slouchy Bag project pattern OR 1 fat quarter of cotton fabric 10in x 12in scrap of faux leather 1 Prym key ring finding 1m narrow ribbon or cord Matching thread and contrasting thread for topstitching Tacky glue

2. With right sides out, fold the faux leather down so that the raw seam edges are hidden and topstitch in place. 3. Place main pieces right sides together lining up the faux leather at the sides. Stitch both side seams and bottom seam.

For the drawstring pouch: Cut 4 x 8½in x 8in pieces from the main cotton fabric Cut 2 x 8½in x 4½in and 2 x 1in x ½in pieces from the faux leather

4. Using a small quilter’s ruler, mark a 1in square in both of the bottom corners. Cut along both lines to remove the square.

To sew the pouch: Seam allowance throughout is ¼in.

1. Take two pieces of the main fabric and and draw a line 4in up across on the right side of the longer side. This is a guideline for placing the faux leather. On both pieces, place the faux leather right sides together with the main fabric along this line and stitch together.

9. Turn the bag right sides out through the hole in the lining seam and topstitch the top of the bag. Stitch a second row of topstitching approx ½in down to form a channel for the drawstring (this will depend on the ribbon’s width you choose). 10. Using an unpicker, carefully unpick a few stitches in the side seams between the two rows of topstitching. Cut the cord/ ribbon into two equal lengths and using a safety pin pass it through one seam hole to the other side and back around the bag top. Take the second ribbon/cord and do the same from the opposite side.

Mark a line down the centre of the faux leather 8in piece on the wrong side. Put small dots of the glue along the faux leather edge on the wrong side and fold the edges to the line so that they meet in the middle. I found it useful to use some quilters clips to hold this while it dried. With worng sides together, fold the cotton strip in half lengthwise and sew. Press with the seam allowance underneath so that it’s hidden (no need to turn it as the seam will be hidden when it’s attached). Using the glue and clips, stick the fabric strip over the centre of the leather strip to hide both the seam and join. Use just enough glue to hold everything in place temporarily.

11. Cut the ribbon to your preferred length and match the ends together. Using a suitable glue, place it on the wrong side of the small faux leather squares and fold over each end of the ribbon/cord to neaten. 5. Fold the corners so that the bottom seam match the side seam to make a triangle shape. Make sure that the side seam is open before stitching. Stitch across the cut edge to make a flat base for the bag and repeat for the other side. 6. To sew the lining pieces together, pin the lining fabric right sides together and sew the side and bottom seams, leaving a gap in the bottom seam to turn the bag. 7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to make the flat base for the lining. 8. With lining right sides out and the main bag inside out, place the lining inside the main bag piece matching top and side seams, right sides together. Sew around the top.

12. Finally handstitch the gap in the bottom lining seam to close.

Topstitch along the edges of the cotton strip.

Tips for sewing You may find it easier to sew the faux leather with a teflon foot or walking foot (although the Modelo is easy to sew with so I didn’t need either) and increase your stitch length a little to around 2.4 to avoid stressing the faux leather at the seams.

For the keyring: Cut a strip of printed cotton - 2in x 8in Cut a strip of faux leather - 3in x 8in

Fold in half with raw edges matching. Using pliers, fold the keyring finding around the end of the strip encasing the raw ends. Put a fabric scrap over the finding to avoid damaging it with the pliers. You have now finished your matching accessories!

Athleisure reworked Brazilian-born sewing blogger, Rachel Pinheiro, shares her take on athleisure wear for the autumn

Working with knit fabrics I like to talk fashion trends instead of just bringing you a product review but I couldn’t help to gush a little about this rib knit. This fabric is pure softness, and is warm but not bulky. It also sews really well, keeps it shape, and the colours selections are lovely. Sewing with this sort of fabric can seem a bit daunting so here are my tips on working with it: Two- or four-way stretch Two-way knits will stretch crosswise from selvedge to selvdge while fourway stretches crosswise and lengthwise. Use a stretch gauge Knit patterns including the Nikko dress will have a gauge to make sure the finished measurement will fit correctly. Fold the knit fabric crosswise and cut a 10cm sample. I personally avoid using the edge as I’m not sure if it has been stretched or distorted out of shape. If you’ve never sewn with knits always follow the designer recommendation on the percentage of stretch.

As the weather starts to change and nights become longer, the colour palette of my wardrobe moves from bright and light to earthy deep tones. Autumn is my favourite season and isn’t a season I had experienced growing up. In Brazil, we have two defined seasons – rainy or not! The blue skies and the slight chill inspires me to make clothes that are cosy, easy to layer but that are still streamlined and elegant. Athleisure is one of the biggest recurrent trends over the last couple of years. It means wearing casual sports-like clothing outside a sporting occasion When looking for inspiration, my aim was to find something easy to wear yet also easy to care for, and quick to make with lots of styling possibilities. The Nikko dress from True Bias and Modelo’s sweater rib knit in brick red fitted the bill perfectly.

Seam allowance Most knits designs have 1cm seam instead of the 2.5cm traditionally seen in woven. Don’t assume this. I personally like to have my seams cut to 0.6cm, which I trim with an overlocker after using the correct stretch stitch but you don’t need to as knits don’t unravel. I actually stitched this dress on my sewing machine. Cut notches outward Select the correct notions and use a ballpoint needle, polyester or knit thread. Please don’t confuse with elastic used for shirring. The knit thread is wooly nylon.

Choose the right stretch stitch Check your sewing manual to find all the different stretch stitches your machine can do, and swatch test them with the sewing gauge. You may need to adjust your sewing machine tension and the length of the stitches.

Don’t skip on the stabilisers Place elastic on the shoulder seam, and use knit hem tape for sharper edges. Pressing Unlike woven fabrics, stretch knit should only be pressed with a cool iron when finished. That is only after you have tested a sample.

Editor’s notes Rachel has used Modelo’s new range of mélange rib sweater knit. Made from 85% polyester, 10% viscose and 5% Lycra, this fabric is perfect for garments that need stretch. The range includes 10 rich muted tones that are great for autumn/winter but will work equally well all-year round. To view the full selection of colourways – click here To view the dress pattern featured (The Nikko from True Bias) - click here

Trendsetter Love layers

If you’re not ready to let go of your summer wardrobe, the layered look is a perfect way to keep wearing summery garments for a bit longer, and also coping with weather that’s warm one minute and chilly the next!

Second skin

Start with a thin layer. The Julia swing camisole with rounded V-neck and racer back is the ideal layer to wear next to your skin. Choose a knit with stretch in the length and width and a nice fluid drape, and why not try going for a bold design. To view this pattern from Jalie – click here To view the large selections of knits available – click here

A must-have mac

The Ulysses mixes relaxed fit trench styling with a modern look and features draped elements such as a shawl collar and curved back rain-guard overlay, shoulder epaulettes, angled patch pockets with an upper flap, centre-back vent, and a gently angled hemline at the front. The coat is unlined, making this cool styling coat for in-between seasons. To view this pattern from Victory Patterns – click here

Staple shirt

A classic shirt makes another great layer that’s both practical and easy to wear. The Kalle Shirt from Closet Case Patterns has a loose, body-skimming silhouette and interchangeable features including a standard or band collar, breast pocket, inverted or box pleat, and button, popover or hidden placket. To view the Kalle Shirt (and shirtdress) pattern – click here

Sassy sweatshirts

The humble cardi

Whip up a cardigan for a versatile layering piece. This Aurelia Cardigan from Sew Liberated is as comfortable as it is stylish, and is perfect for making with a soft knit and a cotton voile underskirt and ruffle. Pair it with a long-sleeve tee or throw it over a camisole when the evenings get chilly. To see more about the Aurelia Cardigan – click here

A loose fit sweater can look stylish made in a modern sweat fabric. The Jarrah will turn a plain sweatshirt into something special. Make with a crew or funnel neckline, split sleeve hem and waist ties, cuffs or curved hemline. Or if you want to make a quick sweatshirt then opt for Albstoffe’s Wanderlust collection of jerseys and co-ordinating ribbed cuffs, trims and sweatshirt cords. To find out more about this pattern from Megan Nielsen – click here To view the Wanderlust collection of jersey and accessories – click here

Modern Sewing Starts Here Issue 6

Articles inside

Athleisure reworked

A Desire For Sustainable Fabrics