Make It Today Issue 15 Dressmaker

Dressmaker Make it Today!

RELAXED

STYLE no-pattern

tunic to suit any shape

LOVE IT • MAKE IT • DO IT

BUY IT • READ IT

EXCLUSIVE

Wrap Dresses, Skirts & Tops TO STITCH THIS SUMMER

PLUS

10 BEST SEWING MACHINE of the

HACKS

love WE

DESIGNER

GBSB

JERSEY CLASSIC

Cotton

FLORALS

FRENCH SEAMS

explained

Make It Today | Issue 15 | June 2016 | £7.99

10 PATTERNS stylish looks with your

DESIGNER

TAKING YOU FROM WORK TO SUMMER EVENINGS WITH TWO VERSATILE PATTERNS

C

reate flattering wrap dresses and jersey separates with your free McCall’s patterns. These variable designs enable you to select a style that accentuates and highlights areas of your silhouette to create a fit that you are comfortable with, and suits the occasion. If you’re looking for a pretty summer sew, we recommend creating the wrap dress with a sweeping asymmetric hem. Layering up is key during unpredictable seasons, which is why we love jersey separates.

Work these stylish, comfortable pieces into your office wardrobe by opting for two block colours, or use a patterned stretch knit for the area of your figure you’d most like to draw focus to.

What’s Your

SIZE?

If you would like a bigger size, alternative versions are available: M7119 (14-22), M7331 (14-22). Call Butterick at 0344 880 1263, quoting voucher code MIT7119 or MIT7331 to redeem your replacement pattern at half price. (£4.37 for M7119 and £4.37 for M7331). Offer valid until 15th July.

Perfect shape Choose from four variations to create a figure flattering fit

4

Make It Today | Dressmaker

Fabric hunt

Master the art of working with jersey using four classy, comfortable pieces

Your FREE

GIFT McCall’s M7119 wrap dress pattern is ideal for beginners as it is made up of nine pieces, requires simple techniques such as hemming and darts and makes use of basic under and top-stitches.

Created in collaboration with expert American stitcher, Nancy Zieman and McCall’s, this pattern provides an informative introduction to sewing stretch knits. Start with a basic piece like the cardigan and work towards the full collection.

Don’t miss

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5

MAKE UP TODAY Get your fix of Floral

Eve and Tresco while touching up your make-up! Alice Caroline’s stylish cosmetic bag and accessories range is a must for Liberty devotees with its irresistible fusion of distinctive blooms and botanicals. Fill your world with some of the most uplifting prints around! alicecaroline.co.uk

FAFF-TASTIC!

Faff your way to a happier life at Amanda Holt’s craft emporium. At The Faff Rooms, you can try a ‘mother and daughter’ sewing day, browse for haberdashery essentials and enjoy a scone.

This inspirational haven also gives a lifeline to people with learning disabilities – further proof of the power of sewing! thefaffroom.co.uk

make BUY

THE LATEST LOOKS, PATTERNS, FABS AND GIFTS FOR SUNNY STITCHY DAYS

FRESH FROCKS APPEAL

Fit and flare vintage gets a vivid twist with LA-based designer Christine Haynes. Fusing retro lines with a sassy attitude, her patterns showcase wide-lined waistbands, a choice of dirndl or pencil, scalloped hem lines and cute patch pockets. Perfect for cotton lawn, Swiss dot, double gauze, chambray or seersucker, these figure-friendly designs are a vintage dressmaker’s dream. hantex.co.uk for stockists.

6

Make It Today | Dressmaker

CATCH OF THE DAY!

Yummy treats with a fun flourish - tuck in to the Lobster and Fish Supper lines from Thornback & Peel, with seaside-tinged gloves, tea towels and napkins. Choose from crimson crustacean or sailor-blue sole: we just love those tangy lemon accents! thornbackandpeel.co.uk

SILK ROAD TO SUCCESS A sensuous fusion of intense

Oriental mosaics and delicate Indian paisleys give Liberty’s new Silk Road lines a decidedly Eastern flavour. With collections such as Chinese Brocade and Grand Bazaar, you can almost smell the spicy buds and imperial roses bustling across these majestic fabric canvases. From £22.50 per metre, liberty.co.uk

TROUSER PRESS

QUILTING TO GO!

Take your quilting adventures up a notch with the AccuQuilt Go! Machine, £249, a hand-operated roller that uses dies to cut perfect fabric pieces up to six layers at a time. For gorgeous fab inspiration from the likes of Tilda and Debbie Shore, visit the Create and Craft store. From £9.99 a fat quarter, createandcraft.tv

Lisa Comfort’s new online class teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about trousers but were afraid to ask! Finesse your trews-making skills with a loose-fitting pattern and a fitted capri style, then stop, rewind and play it again! £40, sizes 8-20, sewoverit.co.uk

Pin this!

HAT’S OFF Fancy felt chapeau in coral ditsy daisy. £10 plus postage, etsy.com/uk/ shop/CraftyJoDesigns

PIECE OF CAKE Plump pink and yellow Battenberg. £8 plus postage, etsy.com/uk/ shop/BellaandRoo

OUR FAVOURITE PINCUSHIONS ON ETSY

SNAIL’S PACE Cheery jelly-roll mollusc with butterfly. £14, etsy.com/shop/ StudioNatalyK

APPLES AND PEARS Juicy fat fruits in pretty patchwork. Apple £5.50, pear £8, etsy.com/shop/ retromama

CUTE CACTUS Uplifting plant life for your pins. £19, etsy.com/shop/ TheHappyPainting

makeittoday.co.uk

7

Jersey

DRESS MAKE THIS COOL AND CASUAL GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE STAPLE FOR SUMMER

F

lex your jersey sewing skills with this pull-on classic. The simple design can be made with three-quarter or full length sleeves, while the pockets add a handy, cute detail to the dress, and the stretch fabric eliminates the fuss of adding fastenings.

It’s a stylish, adaptable look that can be worked all year round.

Cutting Guide

Front: Cut one on fold Back: Cut one on fold Front facing: Cut one on fold Back facing: Cut one on fold Pocket: Cut four Sleeve: Cut two Use 1.5cm seam allowances

ESSENTIAL KIT Viscose jersey, 2.5m x 1.5m Cotton stay tape, 25cm x 0.6cm Matching thread Ballpoint needle

USE YOUR

FREE PULL-OUT PATTERN

26 Make It Today | Dressmaker

JERSEY DRESS

1

Fold your fabric right sides together. Using the pull-out template, lay out the pattern pieces and measure to the selvedge to make sure the grain is straight. For the sleeves, fold the fabric in half width-ways, with the selvedges together. Cut out and transfer markings to the fabric.

2

To prevent the shoulder seams stretching, stay the edges using cotton tape. Cut the tape in half, then on the wrong side of the back piece, centre the tape between the neck edge and the notch, 1.5cm from the edge.

3

Tack in place, then staystitch the front and back neck edges, 1.3cm from the

DISCOVER MORE MAKES This project is taken from The Great British Sewing Bee: From Stitch to Style (Quadrille Publishing ÂŁ25), quadrille.co.uk

your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free patte

Jersey

separates KEEP IT CASUAL WITH ENDLESS COOL STYLE COMBINATIONS

W

PROJECT DESIGNER

vie millard

· for beginners ·

GET THE LOOK! BRACLET £15 BY BEN DE LISI AT PRINCIPLES, DEBENHAMS (0844 561 6161), SHOES £40, OASIS

hile we’re all about trying something new, there’s something irresistible about a well-made classic top and skirt, and in this versatile pattern from McCall’s you’ll get a chance to mix and match with a jacket and leggings for simple lines that flatter any silhouette. Whether you’re looking for ladylike loungewear or easy evening staples for summer strolls, the M7331 pattern gives you the perfect opportunity to practise working with jersey, as well as honing your elastic work and yoke-making skills for a snugger, figure-friendly fit. Who said chic couldn’t be comfortable? Now’s your chance to be free-style and fabulous: go get ’em, jersey girl!

makeittoday.co.uk 17

your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free pattern · your free patte

FROM DAYTIME TO EVENING, THE PERFECT GOWN FOR YOUR SUMMER TRAVELS

S

ome dresses are destined to be worn time and again, and that goes double for the wrap style in McCall’s pattern. This sublime style, made legendary by designer Diane von Fürstenberg in the seventies, flatters every figure and offers total freedom of movement.

Keep it cute and casual for beach-time beautification or rock a fancy get-together with a free-flowing maxi, and hone your skills with gathered back necklines and sleeve caps, narrow hems, elastic work and tie fastenings. Ideal for all kinds of cool cotton blends and stable knits, McCall’s M7119 is the ultimate summer look: all you have to do is wrap it up!

PROJECT DESIGNER

Jayne cordle

· for beginners · GET THE LOOK! FLORAL DRESS: NECKLACE, OASIS, SHOES £34.99, NEW LOOK (0344 499 6690), CARDIGAN £9.99, H&M (0344 736 9000).

ART DECO DRESS: NECKLACE £20, BETTY JACKSON BLACK AT DEBENHAMS (0844 561 6161), SHOES £55, AUTOGRAPH FROM M&S (0333 014 8555)

Wrap dress

makeittoday.co.uk 13

Cross OVER bag

PROJECT DESIGNER

Corinne Bradd

PERFECT FOR STITCHERS LOOKING TO ADD SOME DESIGN FLAIR

T

his versatile, patternless accessory project makes use of your existing fabric stash and is simple to create. We love the contrast of a rich material such as leather against soft fabric, but you can personalise the design and use of materials to suit you. Have fun by shopping around for fastenings, statement zips and fabrics that best match your look.

ESSENTIAL KIT 2 Fabric: print cotton, 0.5cm, plain, 0.5cm Lightweight fusible interfacing, 0.5m Zips: 25cm, 30cm Leather strap with clasps Attaching rings Matching thread

CROSS OVER BAG

1

From both fabrics, cut pieces 24cm x 30cm and 10cm x 30cm. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of both patterned pieces; these will form the front of the bag.

Place the larger pieces right sides together and sandwich the 25cm zip face down in the centre of one 30cm long edge.

Stitch in place with a 5mm seam allowance and open out the fabrics to reveal the teeth of the zip. Press and top-stitch along the edge, 1cm from the teeth. Zigzag stitch around the other three edges to hold them together.

Sandwich the other edge of the zip between the two smaller pieces of fabric in the same way. Open out the lining fully but fold the patterned fabric back over the seam to create a 2cm flap that hides the zip. Press and top-stitch along the other edge of the zip, 1cm from the teeth. Trim the lining fabric to the same height as the patterned and zigzag around the remaining three sides, allowing the top of the bag front to overlap the bottom panel. The front panel should measure 29cm x 30cm.

3

Cut a 30cm square of patterned fabric and two from the plain. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the patterned piece. Cut plain fabric, 18cm x 30cm, and fold in half to make a 15cm x 18cm rectangle. Sew around the three remaining sides with a 5mm seam allowance, leaving a 5cm gap on one edge.

Clip the corners and turn out through the gap. Fold the raw edges of the gap inside and

24 Make It Today | Dressmaker

GET THE LOOK! TOP ÂŁ22.50, MARKS & SPENCER (0333 014 8555), JEANS ÂŁ19.99 T.K. MAXX (01923 473 561)

Floral

FELT FLOWER FUN FOR LITTLE ONES

eit

today.c

eit

o .u

Find pattern online

k • mak

today.c

56 Make It Today | Dressmaker

o .u

I

f your little princess loves making daisy chains, this felt crown is sure to delight. Construction involves hand-stitching, gluing and wire twisting, making this a fun project for playing with different textures and getting to grips with basic craft skills. Experiment with colour by using multiple shades of the same palette to flourish a natural-looking floral display.

k • mak

CROWN

TUNIC MAX OUT ON CHIC COMFORT WITH THIS CHIC MAKE

S

tatement tops are all the rage this summer, but what you really need is a high-impact number that won’t take ages to make. This pattern-free tunic affords the ultimate in freedom both on the sewing machine and out on the town, and is guaranteed to work with any body shape.

Stitched in a hot favourite fruity shade of lovely linen, the future is most definitely orange!

ESSENTIAL KIT Main fabric: Orange linen, 1.3m x 150cm Matching thread

Refer to diagrams online and use 1.5cm seam allowance, except for neckline, which is 1cm.

Front: Cut a rectangle half the width of fabric x 72cm.

Fold in half length-ways and use the guide to cut the neckline.

Back: Cut a rectangle half the width of fabric x 95cm.

Fold in half length-ways and use the guide to cut the neckline.

Sleeve: Use a double piece of fabric, 50cm long, and follow the diagram to cut out. Mark, pin the layers and cut both together.

Neck band: Cut a bias strip 5cm x 60cm.

22 Make It Today | Dressmaker

Find pattern online

GET THE LOOK! JEANS £22, RED HERRING AT DEBENHAMS (0844 561 6161), NECKLACE £12, MOOD BY JON RICHARD (0161 946 4371), SHOES £39.99, TK MAXX (01923 473 561)

Easy Linen

Dressmaker Make it Today!

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LOVE IT • MAKE IT • DO IT

RELAXED

EXCLUSIVE

Wrap Dresses, Skirts & Tops

E YL ST no-pattern

TO STITCH THIS SUMMER

tunic to suit any shape

PLUS

10 BEST SEWING MACHINE of the

HACKS

ve loGNER WE

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no-pattern tunic to suit any shape

LOVE IT • MAKE IT • DO IT

BUY IT • REA D IT

EXCLUSIVE

Wrap Dresses, Skirts & Tops

TO STITCH THIS SUM MER

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of the 10 BE SEWING MA ST

HACKS

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love DE WE

GBSB

JERSEY

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Cotton FLORALS

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Make It Today

| Issue 15 | June

2016 | £7.99

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