Simply Sewing 49

ES Z I N R I GP N I W0 SEW

TRY THIS! STITCHED FESTIVE HOOP

£20

FRESH IDEAS WITH FABRIC

ISSUE FORTY NINE

NEW PATTERN!

Te Eloise swan queen handmade gifts

COAT & DRESS IN SIZES 6-20 + EXCLUSIVE

for girls

Ad sleevoeast! make a c

SADE BLOUSE

BY NAMED

PLUS

Make your own Xmas jumper!

ISSUE 49 PRINTED IN THE UK • £6.99

Sew our exclusive two-in-one dress & coat pattern

NEW SKILLS: Fabric origami Quilting 3D flowers Appliqué Coat-making tips

A It’sFINE FINISH so satisfying ▼

when the inside of our project is as beautifully finished as the outside, so we IDEAS INSPIRATION ACCESSORIES WEBSITES EVENTS STUFF keep our habby stash stocked with pretty bias bindings for professional rawedge finishes – and Atelier Brunette’s are about as pretty as they come! Available in a variety of prints from the main fabric range, they’re just the thing for finishing off necklines, armholes, hems, or even the seams on a special garment – like this issue’s Eloise Set pattern on page 30!

50p per half-metre, available at www. drapersdaughter.com Proudly wear your hobby on your tee, sweatshirt or tote with this collection of craft-themed clothing by SewandSo. Featuring sassy slogans such as ‘Stitch goddess’, ‘Eat sleep stitch repeat’ and The best thing about sewing? Creating one-off garments we ‘I stitch therefore I am’ all printed onto certified organic cotton tees, bags and cosy sweatshirts and hoodies, we want to collect the lot! What better thing to wear while we sew? They’d be a fab gift for anyone who loves stitching (hint, hint). From £35, www.sewandso.com

MAKE A STATEMENT

MAGIC MAKING

The long, dark, magical winter nights are the inspiration behind the two bewitching new patterns from Deer and Doe. Magnolia is our statement winter frock of dreams with a plunging neckline and floaty skirt, while the Opium swing coat has us shopping for luxurious wools and silky linings. Find the patterns at www.deer-and-doe.com

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Pinboard Dark blooms

Step over to the dark side with moody floral fabrics for statement winter makes.

PATTERN PLAYTIME

Oh, how we love a pattern that we can make again and again, and again, and again! Eloise is a deceptively simple number with infinite variations – make it as a swishy frilled maxi, a cocktail frock, add statement bell sleeves, or no sleeves. And, with no zip fastening, you’ll have your chosen combo sewn in no time! PDF £9.50, www.byhandlondon.com

COUtUre kits

Former Liberty of London and Emilio Pucci designer Louise Scott-Smith is taking an inventive approach to getting us all creating special pieces for our wardrobes with her fashion-forward, cut-and-sew A Printed Wardrobe kits.

They feature dresses, tops and skirts pre-printed onto fabric ready for you to sew, in quirky trompe l’oeil prints with trims, braids and even printed stitching; just cut them out and stitch, adjusting for the perfect fit as you go. Simple! Kits £95 from www.aprintedwardrobe.com

BOHO BLOSSOMS Bright-hued blossoms really stand out on this beautiful black cotton lawn. £8 per half metre from www.sewoverit.co.uk GARDEN PARTY Stroll through a herb garden with this charming Rifle Paper Co botantical print, on canvas or quilting cotton. www.cottonand steelfabrics.com

out & about

SKILLS, SHOWS & EVENTS 22-25 NOVEMBER The Knitting & Stitching Show. Harrogate International Centre. Stock up on supplies and learn new skills at this inspiring show. www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com

EXOTIC FLIGHT Paradise birds flit from branch to blooms on this silky polyester satin, perfect for party frocks. £6.49 per half metre, www. sewingquarter.com

25-26 NOVEMBER

BUSY AND BOLD There's a lot going on in this detailed floral – and we love it! Available in knit or cotton, from the Silkroad Fusion range at www.art galleryfabrics.com

Crafted. Castle Ward. Soak up the festive atmosphere at a Christmas craft fair at Castle Ward, an 18th-Century Georgian mansion and stableyard. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

1 DECEMBER Crafty Fox Market. Mercato Metropolitano, London. Get your Christmas shopping sorted with handmade gifts for all the family (and maybe a few for you, too!) at this monthly market. www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk

UNTIL 12 MAY 2019 Remember paper dolls? Now we have our own version with these cut-and-sew kits!

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Anni Albers. Tate Modern, London. Discover textile artist Anni Albers with this major retrospective of her thought-provoking woven artwork. www.tate.org.uk

LITTLE LEAVES This ditsy smallscale print packs a big punch with its autumnal purple, red and green hues.

From the Kimono collection at www. makoweruk.com

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christmas kitchen

home for Christmas

Make a coordinated kitchen set in whimsical winter prints (and then get started on the mince pies!).

Designers: JESSICA ENTWISTLE Styling: LISA JONES Photography: PHILIP SOWELS & DAVE CAUDERY

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SLOGAN BANNER

At this time of year, we don't need much of an excuse to cosy up at home, but it's nice to have a reminder! This fun slogan banner is great for using up precious fabric scraps (not to mention honing your appliqué skills!) and can be adapted to feature any seasonal message you like.

TEA TOWELS

If your New Year's resolution is to start sewing – or to teach someone else – why not begin now with simple tea towels?

They're ideal for practicing pressing and hemming, and are quick to make for last-minute gifts, too. Plus, there's so many options for customising them, from stitching embroidered motifs to adding contrast borders.

PSST: fabric and

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COVER STAR

the eloise set

Update your outerwear collection with The Eloise Set in UK sizes 6-20, a simple unlined design with a button fastening that can be made as a coat or pinafore dress.

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refashion

pleated pretty Elisalex de Castro Peake takes a tee from slouchy to slinky with a pastel pleated skirt update.

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refashion

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UNDER COVER

Get your winter sewing all wrapped up with coat-making tips and tricks from some of our favourite designers.

Written by Sarah Gane.

The Stitch Sisters, aka Rachel and Nikki, encourage sewists of all skill levels to have a go at coat-making: "There are so many patterns, even for beginners, so don’t think it is something you have to work up to."

W

inter is coming and it’s time to bring out the trusty coats and jackets. But how many of us are truly happy with the high street outerwear we put on each year when the weather turns colder?

Perhaps it’s the colour or poor-quality feel of the lining fabric, the not-quite-right length, the buttons that are in the wrong place, the slightly-too-small pockets, or simply a design detail that doesn't feel like 'us'. Despite how much we wear our coats, sometimes they're just not quite right. And it’s no surprise, really – it’s a lot of pressure to bestow on one garment.

Coats are, by their very nature, often seen as investment pieces: we need them to serve many purposes while also fitting like a dream.

A very tall order indeed.

“A good coat is very hard to find,” confirm sewing teachers and bloggers, Rachel Derrick and Nikki Waterlow of The Stitch Sisters (www. thestitchsisters.co.uk). “You could find the style but not the fabric. Or you can find the fabric but not the quality. Or you might find the quality but not the right fit.”

But there is another way. Colder weather brings an opportunity to showcase your sewing skills while creating a quality, longlasting garment that truly reflects your style and personality. “Coat fabrics can be very expensive, but investing in them and making

your own coat can often still be cheaper than buying a good ready-to-wear one,” says Saara Huhta, co-founder and designer at Named patterns (www.namedclothing.com). “Not to mention that you can achieve a much better fit and a design that's unique to you.”

Saara and Laura's Breaking the Pattern book includes the dreamy Halla Coat pattern – swoon!

WORTH THE EFFORT Coats are an everyday staple in autumn and winter, so your investment of materials and time will be well worth it, as writer and sewist Ebony Haight (www.heira.studio and www. instagram.com/ebonyh) tells us. “You can be fairly certain you’ll get regular use out of it. Plus a good coat or jacket can really pull a look together and make your outfit…”

Yet, if the thought of working with thicker fabrics, slippery linings and fiddly fastenings is putting you off, you’re not alone. “It might come as a surprise, but I too was very scared of coat-making for a long time,” admits Named patterns co-founder and designer, Laura Huhta. “Once I taught myself the basic process, though, I fell in love with it.”

“The thing we enjoy most about making our own coats and jackets is that we can create whatever design we want. The perfect colour, the perfect style and the perfect fit,” say Rachel and Nikki. Nevertheless, there’s no denying those lovely, snuggly textiles also

“we can create the design we want. The perfect colour, the perfect style and fit."

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Photo left: By Arto Markkanen, from Breaking the Pattern by Saara Huhta and Laura Huhta; Inset photo: www.namedclothing.com

Photo left: Will and Joan; Photos top right: www.thestitchsisters.co.uk

A GOOD READ

STITCH y r a r b li

o_ N 19 ROUMANIAN STITCH

WRAPPED BACK STITCH

CUT OUT & KEEP

When the weather outside is frightful, stay in and embroider Mollie Johanson’s snowy sampler in wrapped back stitch.

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flight of fancy

Make Laura Pritchard’s swan princess cushion crowned in metallic faux leather and add a little fairytale magic to a child’s room – or your own!

RING-A-POSIES Tiny berry sprigs, dainty fronds and delicate blooms adorn Anna Alicia’s wintery wreath design, created with simple hand and punch-needle embroidery.

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StaR OF WONDER

A little clever folding and weaving is all you need to whip up Anna Alicia's origami star baubles for your tree.

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my favourite thing

heart and home Sentimental fabrics make Elspeth Jackson's simple stripe rag rug cushion project a special keepsake piece.

"Although I’ve made far more complicated rag rug pieces over the years, this simple shirt cushion is still one of my favourite creations.

It’s nothing fancy, but it’s special to me.

One of the things I love most about the rag rug technique is that it's the ultimate ecofriendly craft. You can transform any old clothing or fabric offcuts into something beautiful and unique for the home.

Using fabrics that have a sentimental value – old baby grows, favourite dresses and school uniforms, for example – for a rag rug project imbues memories and feelings into the finished piece of homeware, which makes it truly special.

This particular cushion was made using some of my grandad’s shirts and it always

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makes me smile and think of him, although he’s no longer with us.

As well as the sentimental attachment I have to this cushion, I also really enjoyed making it. The cushion's simple striped design meant that I could completely zone out and craft in the moment.

Rag rugging doesn’t require complicated techniques as it’s quite repetitive and there’s very little you can do wrong, so it’s easy to be mindful and relax."

Find this cushion pattern and learn how to rag rug with Elspeth’s book 'Rag Rugs, Pillows & More' (£12.99, CICO Books) which can be bought at www.raggedlife.com, and make a bouquet of beautiful rag rug hydrangeas with Elspeth's tutorial on page 63 of this issue.

S Easy-sew jumper Button-up skirt Quick scarf cape Metallic clutch bag Patchwork placemats Faux fur homewares Sweater refashion Sequin collar And more...

PLUS: D A BONU OWNLOAD VERSISONDRESS !

2 gifts +for you!

EXCLUSIVE-TO-US paTtErns

SKIRT SET FROM JENNIFER LAUREN HANDMADE

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