Simply Sewing issue 47

E* N I !

H NING MAC I W9 SEW

PLUS QUICK-SEW

£63

HALLOWEEN IDEAS

FRESH IDEAS WITH FABRIC ISSUE FORTY SEVEN 21 THINGS TO MAKE

Heirloom rag doll for playtime

EASY-SEW

DRESSES fo autumn!

STITCH IT! ✓ Ruffle dress

6 WARDROBE UPDATES TO TRY

✓ Overnight bag ✓ Chic kimono

erns t t a p w e 3n inside!

ISSUE 47 PRINTED IN THE UK • £799

Timeless styles for your new-season wardrobe

*T&Cs apply

HOW TO: Sew with jersey Denim updates Bag-making skills Bunting Baby gifts

DREAM MACHINE If you’re ready to ▼

IDEAS

INSPIRATION

take your sewing to the next level, or even ACCESSORIES WEBSITES EVENTS STUFF launch a handmade business, the Elna eXcellence 720 Pro machine offers the perfect combination of performance and durability. Inspired by industrial models, this hard-working machine has a choice of 200 stitches, three LED lights, variable speed control and an automatic thread cutter – all you need to bring is the fabric and ideas! Exclusive to Sewing Quarter – see more at www.

When the weather gets cooler, there’s sewingquarter.com one item we reach for in our wardrobe every day – our trusty denim jacket.

This staple garment is just as pleasing to sew as it is to wear, so we’ve got our topstitching thread and denim fabric at the ready for Merchant & Mills’ Ottoline, a workwear style with a boxy shape, cuff and side-seam splits and an inside pocket, plus the option to omit the vent detail for a simpler make. We can't wait to jazz ours up with pins and patches! £14.50, www.merchantandmills.com

STAPLE STYLE

LUXE LIVING

Soft blankets, chunky knits, cosy nights in and endless mugs of hot chocolate – yes, winter is on its way, and we can’t wait to get sewing for it! Stoff & Stil’s autumn/winter fabric collection is all about plush textures, jewel colours and shimmering metallics, perfect for giving your living space a luxe look for winter lounging – think velvet cushions, elegant linen drapes and modern quilts. Find the fabrics and patterns at www.stoffstil.co.uk Subscribe at www.simplysewingmag.com

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Pinboard Cool for school

Get the kids new-term ready with school-day essentials you'll probably want to keep yourself.

ELEGANT EVERYDAY

Swish your way into autumn with Victory Pattern’s chic Ulysses Trench. We love its classic details and contemporary floaty silhouette, ideal for throwing on over our me-mades on chilly days. It's an unlined jacket, so we’ll be delving into our stash of colourful bindings to finish the seams for a pro look. Visit www.victorypatterns.com

featheR lighT

Whether sewing is the only craft for you or you're a multi-disciplined maker, Daylight Company’s Wafer 3 lightbox is an invaluable creative tool. From tracing patterns to sketching, embroidery to embossing, scrapbook to calligraphy, this large-scale A2 lightbox is ideal for illuminating detailed work. It has a fully dimmable LED, an even spread of light from edge to edge, and is lightweight enough to take along to workshops. £250 from www.daylightcompany.co.uk

ART ATTACK Doodle on bags, bottles, pencil cases – or just about anything – with POSCA's paint pens. From £1.85, www.cultpens.com SNACK HAPPY A cute retro print and eco-friendly fabric? Sorry, kids – we might have to have this one for our work lunches. £20, www.aslice ofgreen.co.uk

out & about

SKILLS, SHOWS & EVENTS 6 & 7 OCTOBER Leather Tote Bag – Weekend Workshop. The Welsh Mill Hub, Frome. Learn traditional leatherworking and make a leather tote. www.facebook.com/loveallthingscreative

UNDER THE SEA Add a sprinkling of Disney magic to the school day with a stationery set starring all their fave characters.

From £1.09 each, www.papier.com

11-14 OCTOBER

DINO DUDE With a set of mini lunch boxes this cool, they'll never notice that they're filled with healthy snacks... £10 for a set of three, www. nhmshop.co.uk

The Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London. A four-day extravaganza of inspiring craft workshops and stalls. www. theknittingandstitchingshow.com

18-20 OCTOBER Craft4Crafters, Bath & West Showground.

A weekend of crafting classes and stash shopping set over two exhibition halls and a balcony area. www.craft4crafters.co.uk

UNTIL 25 NOVEMBER

Tracing large-scale patterns is a doddle with Daylight's Wafer 3 lightbox.

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Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. The first major exhibition dedicated to Scottish pop music, with iconic costumes, memorabilia, instruments and props. www.nms.ac.uk

CUTE CARRY-ALL This sweet smallsize backpack is perfect for a little learner's school essentials. £35, www.sage comme1image. etsy.com

Children's room

Sweet sleep

Create a modern haven for little ones to snooze, dream and play with adorable décorations and toys.

Designer: JESSICA ENTWISTLE Styling: LISA JONES Photography: PHILIP SOWELS

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SHEEP PLUSHIE

1, 2, 3, 4... there are so many sheep hidden in this sweet set of children's room makes, that we doubt you'll have any trouble getting your little cherubs off to the land of nod! And, while we know we shouldn't have favourites, we can't help but be drawn to our friendly sheep plushie (or Shirley as we have decided to call her), which can be easily scaled up or down to stitch a woolly pal in any size you like, from a cute pocket pal to a giant snuggle toy.

QUILTED TOY BAG

So many toys and not enough space to store them... or so we thought, before whipping up this generously proportioned storage bucket! It's finished with chic quilting for added stability and cute, coordinating fabric handles for easy carrying, when your toddler (and their toys) are on the move. We'll be sewing up a version or two of these neat storage bins for our craft rooms, too!

PSST: fabric and

rleaf for , and be e v o n r u T iration ished p s n i g stylin your fn e r a h s sure to s tagged s e r D a g Matild wingma e s y l p m #si

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COVER STAR

the matilda DRESS

Get autumn-ready with The Matilda Dress, a newseason essential in UK sizes 6-20, with a high collar neckline, waist tie, and two length and sleeve options.

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FRESH IDEAS WITH FABRIC

workshop RIBBON FLOWERS

Boost your skills with a different sewing technique in every issue.

NO PATTERN NEEDED!

✂

cut loose

Measure, cut and stitch! Portia Lawrie’s drapey kimono jacket is made from simple rectangles for a speedy, stylish, satisfying sew.

BUILT TO LAST

Patrick Grant’s co-operative, Community Clothing, has a simple mission: to create exceptional quality clothes, produced in the UK’s best factories, which are afordable to all. Two years on, he shares his vision for a more sustainable fashion future.

Written by Sarah Gane.

a good read and firing or, worse still, to factory closures.”

Utilising these factories’ down time in the production cycles means that workers are kept on during what would normally be the quiet periods of the year to produce quality garments at reasonable price points. “Our returns rate is astonishingly low and we get an enormous amount of great feedback from our customers,” he explains. “Most people are amazed that clothes of such quality are on sale at such affordable prices.”

JUST THE BEGINNING What began with Patrick saving a well-loved, Blackburn-based factory from closure, soon led to the launch of the Community Clothing brand.

Supported by a Kickstarter campaign and with a goal of £75k’s worth of pre-orders, this initiative soon gained over £88,000 of support in little over a month – proof there was a large base of people that cared how their clothes were made and were eager to make a difference.

Since then, Grant’s plan of restoring pride and jobs back to the British fashion industry has created over 12,800 hours of skilled UK manufacturing work, making a difference to people’s livelihoods and local communities.

“That’s just a start,” he says reassuringly. “The ambitious target is to create at least 5,000 full-time jobs. And I think we’ll do it.” He continues: “I’m thrilled with our progress to date… I couldn’t imagine it going any better.

We’re making and selling lots of clothes,

we’re creating thousands of hours of skilled work, and the factories and our customers are universally proud of what we’re doing.”

BUY LESS, CHOOSE WELL The selection of clothing styles available is intentionally limited to well-designed, core wardrobe staples for men and women.

Classic items in the women’s range include a Breton top, linen shirt dress, denim smock, jeans and T-shirts. “Volume-wise, our socks are by far our biggest seller – new colours, and stripes, coming soon! Other big sellers are our classic T-shirts – more of those soon too! – Bretons, the women’s workwear pants, and also the men’s raincoat,” he tells us.

By creating classic, non-seasonal designs that are produced during these down times, essentially ‘filling the gaps’, there’s a steadier stream of production for the factories, resulting in continual work for its employees.

As yet, it’s not something that other clothing companies currently do. “It’s very difficult to do if you’re working on the standard model of seasonal collections. We need to get back to more stable, core products, then more retailers could do the same thing.”

The organisation also saves money by having no advertising, limited retail space, no free stuff for celebrities, and no sales at the end of the season. “We want to create a cycle of positive value for works and for customers – making clothes we can all feel proud of,” explains Patrick. “This means we don’t go on

"I’M THRILLED WITH OUR PROGRESS TO DATE.. WE’RE MAKING AND SELLING LOTS OF CLOTHES, WE’RE CREATING THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF SKILLED WORK."

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The Community Clothing collection features classic, well-made styles, from raincoats to jumpers.

Photos: www.communityclothing.co.uk

E

steemed designer and Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant is known for his impeccable style and attention to detail. He’s also a grafter.

This is a man often seen putting in 70 hours or more each week into what he loves, including working as the creative director of Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons and ready-to-wear brand E. Tautz & Sons.

Passionate about sustainable business practices and British textiles, Patrick has also found the time to embark on another fashion venture: an affordable clothing brand that reflects his values and aims to make positive changes to the industry. Launched in 2016, Community Clothing is a manufacturers’ co-operative that makes excellent-quality garments at affordable prices. Everything is produced by skilled workers in factories across the UK, and the prices are genuinely affordable too, starting at just £2.50 for a pair of socks and £22 for a T-shirt.

He’s managed to achieve this by taking a different approach to garment production than the fast-fashion model. According to Patrick, one of the biggest problems that the British clothing manufacturing industry faces is the seasonality of the demand. “For several months of every year, even the very best British factories are nowhere near full,” he explains. “This can lead to seasonal hiring

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ready for anything

*Code valid at www.u-handbag.com until 31st October 2018. One use per customer only.

Carry all you need for busy weekends (and even busier workdays) in Lisa Lam's retro bowling-style bag.

READER OFFER! GET 10% OFF

at U-handbag.com with discount code

SSBA2*

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the alexa DRESS Sew a new weekend staple with the The Alexa Dress in UK sizes 6-20, a super-comfy jersey style with a feminine rufe skirt detail.

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pencil case

crafty critter Colouring in just got cuter with Laura Pritchard’s appliqué fox pencil case.

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rag doll

forever friend Make an heirloom toy they’ll treasure forever with Jo Carter’s classic rag doll design.

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my favourite thing

biker chic Blogger Julia Bobbin discovered the joys of slow sewing in perfecting the fit and finish of her leather biker jacket.

“When I first discovered sewing I fell for it hard. Sewing enables me to develop new skills, learn what I like to wear, and satisfy that DNA-deep urge to create and make.

This leather jacket was a discovery moment for me. I had been obsessing for months with a jacket design in my head, and I had spent hours making muslin after muslin until I got the fit and style I was after. I used the Eddie Biker Vest pattern by Style Arc as my block pattern and then changed the design. The pattern is just a vest, so I added sleeves from Burdastyle's 108B pattern.

I've always been in such a hurry to finish what I’m making and start working on my next garment. This jacket was the first time that I really slowed down and took my time

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and, to my surprise, I found that sewing slowly enhanced my enjoyment of the project, both in the creating and in the wearing.

This was the first creation where I felt immense satisfaction and pride in the finished piece and it reminded me that the joy is in the making, and not just in the wearing.

Learning to focus on perfecting the design and fit, even if it means making three muslins, has actually increased my productivity and enhanced my love of sewing. When I wear this jacket I am reminded of how far I’ve come, what I’ve learnt and how much I love my craft; that brings me immense joy.”

See more of Julia's projects at www.julia bobbin.com, and follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/juliabobbin

S Party dress Tilda bag Tree decorations Self-drafted skirt Gingerbread house Wash bag Festive toys Baby gifts And more...

CR NECKOLISNS-OVER TWO LE E WITH OPTIONNGTH S

2 gifts +for you!

exclusive party dress pattern SEW IN STRETCH FABRICS

PLUS

CHRISTMAS PROJECT BOOK!

ON SALE THURSDAY 4 OCTOBER WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM

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