Simply Sewing issue 37

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FREER TO

GIFTS + DECORATIONS

D REIN

Mak e me!

FRESH IDEAS WITH FABRIC

NEW! COTTON + CHALK

the jenna IN SIZES 6-20

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jumpsuit

ISSUE 37

7 quick ifor dyoureastable

ISSUE THIRTY SEVEN

MAKE IT! ✓ Party clutch

✓ Stripe tee ✓ Plaited wreath

5 NEW OUTFITS TO TRY TODAY!

tern Fre e padt e! insi

Figure-flattering designs for a stylish winter wardrobe HOW TO: Sew pleats

Upcycle jean pockets Patternless wrap

Laid stitch Skirt overlay

TOULOUSE ADVENTURE Our New Year's ▼

IDEAS

INSPIRATION

resolution for 2018 is one we're definitely ACCESSORIES WEBSITES going to keep: to explore the sights and beautiful textiles of Toulouse, France (and do some quilting along the way) on the Quilting in Toulouse Trip with Arena Travel on 1st-6th June. The itinerary includes discovering the blue woad dyeing process, fabric shopping and Toulouse-inspired quilting workshops with Janice Gunner.

Visit www.arena travel.com/toulouse and quote IMM18.

EVENTS

STUFF

LEARN THE ROPES

T be made in two lengths and worn open for a wing-like swish, and the Lion, a cosy sweatshirt with mane-style puff sleeves.

here’s no need to destash if your fabric collection is overflowing – just whip up a new storage basket in an afternoon with this simple and speedy DIY project from DaWanda. The sturdy design is made by weaving rope together with jersey yarn or wool using a bobby pin. Made in a smaller size, it’d be perfect for storing cotton reels and other crafty bits and bobs, too. Find the full tutorial at en.dawanda.com

HOUSE OF MOUSE

One of Disney’s most beloved characters is popping up amongst Cath Kidston’s classic florals in these fun new designs for the Disney x Cath Kidston collection, starring Mickey Mouse and his pals Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck. On our wish list is the Mickey and Minnie Bouquet print, featuring the iconic Spitalfields Rose design as a backdrop for 1920s illustrations of Minnie and Mickey. See the range at www.cathkidston.com Subscribe at www.simplysewingmag.com

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Pinboard Feline fine

Get your paws on these purrfect kitty designs for your home and wardrobe.

SEW SOPHISTICATED

Add a touch of elegance to your me-made wardrobe with the new Asymmetric Gather Dress pattern from The Maker's Atelier. Don't be fooled by its unique asymmetric gathers and beautiful fluid drape – this chic little number is deceptively simple to make. Pick a slinky crepe or satin, or make a cosy version in wool. Sewing kit £30-£40, printed pattern £22.50 from www.themakersatelier.com

WAll cAndy

Keep your crafting desk clutter-free (and give your sewing room an ontrend spruce-up) with this Art Decovibe geometric wall organiser in a luxe metallic gold finish. We’ll be hanging a couple next to our cutting table for keeping all the inspiration, notes, sketches, instructions sheets and pattern pieces we need for our next stitching project together in one handy spot (as well as the latest copy of our favourite sewing magazine, of course!). £26.95, www.audenza.com Trending now! Tick off two trends in one with geometric metallics.

SOFT KITTY, WARM KITTY No need to pick a favourite puss – this cosy wool-silk blend scarf celebrates kitties of all kinds. £45, www.sophieallport.com PURR PEEKABOO Take a cat nap on this reversible cotton cushion featuring a curious cat on both sides. £35, www.donna wilson.com

out & about

SKILLS, SHOWS & EVENTS 10 DECEMBER Learn free machine embroidery. The Makery, Bath. Learn the art of free machine embroidery and stitch your own machineembroidered sampler. www.themakery.co.uk

CRESCENT CUTIE Wear your cat-lady status with pride with this crescent crossbody bag lined in leopard print, £48, www. cathkidston.com

16 DECEMBER

BY A WHISKER Up the cute factor at bath time with this tactile cotton towel with 3D cat ears and stitched whiskers. £34, www.themodern nursery.com

Hollow Drawing & Fabric Manipulation.

The National Centre for Craft & Design, Sleaford. Create art with drawing and embroidery at this one-day workshop. www.nationalcraftanddesign.org.uk

UNTIL 31 DECEMBER Street Fans. The Fan Museum, Greenwich.

Traditional fan-making meets street art with this display by street artists and fan-maker Sylvain Le Guen. www.thefanmuseum.org.uk

UNTIL 28 JANUARY 2018 May Morris: Art & Life. William Morris Gallery, London. An exhibition exploring the life and work of Arts and Crafts artist May Morris, with over 80 pieces. www.wmgallery.org.uk

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CATS' CHORUS Accessorise your me-mades with a necklace of handpainted feline faces laser-cut in acrylic. £25, www.finest imaginary.com

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winter dining

frosty reception

Transform your table into a winter wonderland with a dinner party set sewn up in icy hues.

Designer: JESSICA ENTWISTLE Styling: LISA JONES Photography: JESSE WILD

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LEAF GARLAND

Botanicals have been all over the high street this year, and they're not just for summer! DIY the trend with this leaf garland in mix-and-match prints, and get creative with how you display it – we've draped ours across the dining table for a unique centrepiece.

BOTTLE BAG

Pretty up the table refreshments with a coordinating set of drawstring bottle bags. They're speedy to sew for last-minute gifting if it's not your turn to host – just add appliqué or embroidery to personalise.

PSST:thy fabric

-wor n o o t w s s Thi om Nigh s s o l B d is calle r Brunette, e

by Ateli runette.com lierb www.ate

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COVER STAR

THE JENNA JUMPSUIT Sew an all-year-round, all-occasion look with the easy-wear Jenna Jumpsuit in UK sizes 6-20, with two trouser and sleeve styles, a wrap bodice and tie belt.

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MY SEWING WORLD

by The Fold Line

Kate and Rachel of The Fold Line look forward to a new year of selfsh sewing with trend-led projects.

A

new year brings a wave of new projects. I’m sure many of you have been making Christmas presents for family and friends, so the start of a new year is the perfect time to think about what we want to make for ourselves. Hurrah! Rachel and I have been addressing our makes recently and thinking more carefully about what we sew. With all the new sewing pattern releases, it’s often hard to resist throwing your plans out of the window when the latest dress pattern is launched. We found that planning out your makes in terms of outfits can help to keep your wardrobe looking curated. Before you start making, think 'will this top go with anything I own?’ Looking ahead to 2018, we've picked some of our favourite patterns inspired by next year's trends to get you ready for a new year of making.

TAILORING Tailoring seems to be the biggest takeaway from the 2018 trends. There were loads of jackets with matching trousers, pencil skirts and blouses, and all with a nod to the 1970s. Alongside the structured styles there were oversized cosy knits to pair with them. Two patterns that sum up this trend are the Tyyni Trousers and the Aava Tailored Blazer patterns from Named (www.namedclothing.com). This longline double-breasted jacket is on trend, and paired with the high-waisted tailored trousers you’ll have a modern office look. Taking time to achieve a good fit is essential, but once you’ve got that nailed you are ready to rock 2018.

COATS Investing time in making a coat is something you won’t regret. There were a lot of classic tailored double-breasted coats in deep hazelnut colours and checked fabrics, alongside a more relaxed fit wrap coat in creams and camel colours. If you’re up for a challenge then the V1562 from Vogue Patterns (www.sewdirect.com) is a simple shape with lots of details to get your teeth

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Follow our sewin www.thefold g adventures online a t line.com/cate gory/vlogs

“We've been thinking more carefully about

what we sew."

The Papercut Patterns' Rise & Fall Turtleneck is a classic quick-sew style for everyday wear.

We're taking a planned approach to our 2018 sewing to keep our me-made wardrobes looking curated.

The trouse r modern w suit is back! Make ith these N i amed sepa t rates.

from “The Toaster Sweater Sew House Seven has become a frm favourite." stuck into. For a more relaxed fit the Riga Coat from Orageuse (www.orageuse. com) would work really well. It’s a fairly simple construction and ties with a belt.

snuggly We're living in our winter.

Toaster Sweaters this

JUMPERS We love snuggling up in jumpers, and from the catwalks it seems the bigger the better! Alongside the oversized looks are polo necks in a fine wool, which could be recreated in something like a merino jersey. They look fantastic under dresses or tucked into a skirt.

The Rise & Fall Turtleneck from Papercut Patterns (www.papercutpatterns.com) is a classic tried-and-tested pattern and won’t take you long for you to whip up. If you’re looking for something even cosier, then another fantastic option is the Toaster Sweater from Sew House Seven (www.sewhouse7.com) – it has become a firm favourite among makers with lots of examples online.

FABRIC TRENDS Florals: Set to stay for next year, the key to this trend is a dark background. Think a navy or black base with pops of brightly coloured blooms.

Checks and plaids: With the nostalgic nod to the 1970s, large-scale checks have been seen on coats, dresses and even shoes! Try timeless tailoring, classic shift dresses and midi-length coats.

Stripes: Our favourite type of print. These are going to be large-scale and colourful, and we saw lots of garments that mix and match changing print directions. If you can’t find the fabric, perhaps a bit of colour-blocking (another big trend for next year) would work!

Easy chic or smart tailoring: take your pick from the V1562 (below) or the Riga Coat by Orageuse.

Keeping us inspired...

We love grabbing a cup of tea and reading your reviews.

My favorite thing t lok at fo inspiratio is other sewsts’ makes. Yo can see the same dress pattern made in two different fabrics and they can lok totally different. On Saturday monings I like t get a cup of tea, sit down and read the sewng pattern reviews o Te Fold Line.

It’s my favorite part of the week! Take a lok at the latest reviews and ad yor own at www.thefoldline. com/reviews

The Fold Line community inspires us everyday! Join in at www.thefoldline.com

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party trick

Take a skirt from plain to party-ready with an on-trend embroidered overlay. The New Craft House shows you how.

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confetti crush

Nail the print-clashing trend with Debbie von GrablerCrozier's pleated clutch bag made in two tonal fabrics.

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a good read

ADVENTURES IN DRESSMAKING

C

anadian pattern designer Kristiann Boos caught our eye with her easyto-wear, pleasing-to-make, retroinspired Victory Patterns, but began sewing long before the company came into being. “I was a creative kid and always looking for something around the house that I could get crafty with,” she explains. “I found my mom’s old Singer machine, which she hardly knew how to use.

Together, we mucked our way through the adventure of learning how to thread it.”

Kristiann dedicated herself to mastering that vintage Singer. “I played around with it for a year or so, making ill-fitting clothing and purses,’ she says. “It was a horrible machine and now I’m surprised that I wasn’t put off by it, but I didn’t know any better then and ignorance is bliss.”

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At the age of around 13, Kristiann took her first home economics class at school, and “learnt how to sew properly. A friend and I would get together to make clothing and Halloween costumes and I fell in love with the freedom and creativity it offered me. I’ve been sewing ever since.”

SKILLS FOR LIFE Studying fashion design at Ryerson University in Toronto confirmed Kristiann’s hopes that designing clothes could be a career plan. After graduating, she worked as a stylist and a costume maker. “Then, about ten years ago, I fell upon a sewing studio called The Workroom, which was one of the first of its kind,” she says. “Back then sewing wasn’t as popular as it has now become, so I was really into the idea of

teaching and helping to spread the joy!”

Four years of teaching showed Kristiann that a contemporary pattern line was sorely needed. “At that time, there weren’t many sewing pattern options available,” she says.

“I wanted to create a fashionable line of patterns that were fun to make, had great instructions, inspired creativity and that offered something that women wanted to wear.” Kristiann spent a year creating her business plan, learning how to create digital patterns, building a site and a brand before finally launching Victory Patterns in 2011. "It’s been an amazing adventure and one that I’m still very passionate about.”

Alongside her designing work, Kristiann still carves out time for teaching, as she’s ardent about passing on her sewing skills.

“Oh man, I love so many things about

Photos: www.suechandbeck.com

Toronto-based designer Kristiann Boos is on a mission to inspire, empower and reconnect us with the joys of making through her vintage-inspired patterns.

a good read

“I SEE PEOPLE CREATING MASH-UPS WHERE THEY TAKE ELEMENTS FROM DIFFERENT PATTERNS AND COMBINE THEM TOGETHER TO CREATE A CUSTOM DESIGN.” properly into ready-to-wear clothing and feel confident. I’ve seen women crying happy tears because they have finally achieved a fit that makes them feel beautiful, and that makes this worth it!”

Her own personal style is fluid. “My style shifts somewhere between vintage, modern and cultural,” she says. “I love the easy-going, feminine, retro styles from the 1970s. I have a love for different cultural aesthetics that have been making their way into my designs more recently. I also am becoming fond of minimalism and restraint.”

FLEXIBILITY, EASE AND ACCURACY A new chapter in her story began, literally, when Kristiann opened her inbox one morning to an exciting email. “It was from a publisher asking if I would like to write a book,” she says. “I pitched an idea that I had been thinking about for my own patterns about modular design. I thought releasing a series of interchangeable patterns would work really well as a book concept.”

The idea behind Boundless Style (£16.99, www.sewandso.co.uk) is that the reader has several patterns to use as building blocks to create their own styles. “There are fifteen unique patterns – five bodices, five skirts and five sleeves – that can be mixed and matched together to create many design iterations.”

Creating the book was the opportunity Kristiann hadn’t known she was looking for.

“I learnt so much from the process and really refined my skills in all aspects of making patterns,” she explains. “Boundless Style was

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an epic undertaking, but I’m so proud of that book and it’s been amazing to see what people have been making. I still love looking at the app (victorypatterns.herokuapp.com) where people have been conceptualising their own designs.” You can also see sewists’ creations from the book on Instagram by searching for the hashtag #boundlessstyle.

Kristiann likes to think of the book as “a sort of ‘choose your own adventure’ in dressmaking.” She says: “I see people creating mash-ups where they take elements from different patterns and combine them together to create a custom design. I wanted to make something based on this idea that offered classic and unique designs while allowing people more flexibility, ease and accuracy in creating their own garments.”

Ever the teacher, she was also keen to make the book useful as a learning tool. “I wrote it so that if you are a beginner, you can take these projects on as a challenge but feel confident in knowing that you will be guided through every step of the way.”

DESIGNS FOR LIVING One of our favourite Victory Patterns designs is the ultra-versatile Jackie Dress. “I had many requests for another knit dress following our Lola pattern, which was a big hit,” says Kristiann. “With the Jackie dress I wanted to reign in the complexity of a design, to make something minimal while having it be feminine, flowy and a little flirtatious.”

The Jackie pattern needed to tick a number of boxes for Kristiann: “It had to be comfortable, easy to sew, transition into the seasons, transition from day into night and to give a little nod to vintage,” she says. “There is a full sewalong for the dress on the blog, with plenty of help offered there and lots of tips for sewing with knits for those for whom this is a first-time knit project.”

For Kristiann, the ideal design always starts with

Photo top: www.suechandbeck.com; Photo centre: Celine Kim; Photos bottom: Kevin Sarasom

teaching people how to sew,” she says. “I’m a big believer that knowing how to make something with your hands is very important.

Sewing is just one avenue for this, and these days I find that many people have lost touch with using their hands to create. I’m thrilled to help reconnect people to craft, learning and creation. The moment when someone can hold up a garment and proudly know that they made it is magical.”

She sees home dressmaking as a gateway to increased self-assurance and confidence in clothing. “The thing that really makes my heart sing is that making clothing allows people to create something that helps to build their confidence which allows their beauty to shine,” she says. “This is so important to me, because I know how hard it is for many people, myself included, to fit

Centre: Kristiann’s book, Boundless Style, features 15 modular patterns to mix and match.

Right: Kristiann designed her knit Jackie dress to be “feminine, flowy and a little flirtatious.”

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scrap happy

We've found the purr-fect use for your fabric ofcuts!

Make a cute kitty pencil case with Jennie Jones' how-to.

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run run rudolph

Sew an adorable deer duo to join in with your reindeer games this festive season. By Jo Carter.

BUY THIS KIT!

See this demonstrated live on air on 6th December 2017 *

Live on Freeview 78 * Visit page 15 for special offers and T&Cs

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S Jersey wrap dress Ballerina doll Cork clutch Laundry basket Raindrop cushion Denim skirt Dog doorstop Snuggly cowl And more...

+2 fREE GIFTS

Exclusive to simply sEwIng Make a stylish bow blouse with two sleeve options and a jersey wrap dress in two lengths (UK sizes 6-20).

PLUS

BONUS GYM BAG PATTERN

ON SALE THURS 28 DECEMBER WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM

* CONTENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PAPER AND FABRIC GIFTS NOT AVAILABLE WITH DIGITAL EDITIONS.

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