Simply Sewing issue 60

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ISSUE SIXTY

UK'S NUMBER 1 SEWING MAG!

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FRESH IDEAS S WITH WITHFA FABRIC

NEW PATTERN!

Essential sew easy 5 quick projects

TUNIC DRESS IN SIZES 6-24

to sew in a day

ON TREND ✓ Velvet bag ✓ Tie-dye throw ✓ Lace t-shirt

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PENCIL SKIRT PATTERN ISSUE 60 PRINTED IN THE UK • £8.99

20 ways to relax your wardrobe & refresh your home décor

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HOW TO: Make a patchwork quilt Full Bust Adjustment Sew a gathered skirt

IDEAS

INSPIRATION

ACCESSORIES

WEBSITES

EVENTS

STUFF

SASHIKO INSPIRED

Hand-stitched details are one of the prettiest ways to give your projects a truly bespoke, one-of-a-kind look – and the fabrics from Rico’s Jardin Japonais collection are just calling out for customisation! The geometric cotton prints, inspired by Japanese sashiko embroidery, can be easily personalised with stitching for a unique-to-you piece. www.rico-design.de

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Pinboard

SIMPLE SHAPES STUNNING QUILTS Stuart Hillard (£22.85, Pavilion Books) GBSB series 1’s Stuart Hillard shows you how the simplest of shapes can make stunning quilts with this book’s 100 patchwork designs to sew. It includes five skills-building chapters to work your way through: One-Patch Quilts – made using one repeated shape – Strips and Squares, Triangles, Curves, and Foundation Piecing. www.pavilionbooks.com

BACK TO NATURE

Bring the great outdoors to your sewing room with illustrator Louise Cunningham’s quirky Natural Beauty collection for Cloud9 Fabrics, celebrating bunnies, butterflies, beetles, blooms and other natural wonders.

Printed on quilter’s weight cotton, these intricate prints will sew up beautifully into kids’ clothes, patchwork quilts, pouches and more. For stockists visit www.hantex.co.uk

out & about

SKILLS, SHOWS & EVENTS 10-13 OCTOBER 2019 Knitting & Stitching Show. Alexandra Palace.

A four-day extravaganza of all things crafty, with demos, workshops and shopping. www. theknittingandstitchingshow.com

19 OCTOBER 2019-26 JANUARY 2020 Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus.

William Morris Gallery, London. Discover the link between English Arts and Crafts and the Bauhaus in Germany. www.wmgallery.org.uk

PatTErN library

No matter how long you’ve been sewing for, there’s one skill you probably haven’t mastered: folding sewing patterns so they fit neatly back in the envelope. We’ve not managed to do it yet! So these archive envelopes are a life-saver; slightly larger than A4 and with a side gusset and space on the front to add pattern artwork and notes, they’re going to revolutionise our pattern storage. Available in packs of five or ten, www.creative-industry.co.uk

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26 OCTOBER 2019 Black Girls Stitch Up with Kre8ive Shack.

Village Haberdashery, London. A beginner’s embroidery workshop by Shikira AlleyneSamuel that's all about embracing Afro hair. www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk

13 NOVEMBER 2019 Make The Costermonger bag. Merchant & Mills, Rye. Learn how to sew Merchant & Mills' Costermonger backpack, with notions and fabric included. www.merchantandmills.com

MODERN EMBROIDERY Laura Strutt (£12.99, CICO Books) Creating a piece of art with nothing more than fabric, threads and an embroidery hoop feels like magic, doesn’t it? And Laura Strutt’s new book has 35 on-trend designs for you to conjure up, including brooches and patches, a geometric travel card wallet, a table mat and coaster set, a statement necklace and more. Psst! Make embroidered napkins from the book on p31. www.rylandpeters.com

SEW BAGS Hilarie Wakefield Dayton (£18, Stash Books) Learn how to sew professionallooking handbags and discover your inner bag designer with this book for all ages and abilities by sewing teacher and fashion historian Hilarie Wakefield Dayton. It covers the bag-making process from start to finish, with all the essential skills you'll need to get started on making the book’s 13 modern bag patterns. www.ctpub.com

MINI MASTERPIECES Alyce Blyth (£20.99, Lucky Spool Media) Mini quilts are perfect for sewists who want to try something new but don’t have time to take on a large-scale patchwork project (and with a to-sew list as long as ours, that’s music to our ears!). This book by experienced quilting teacher Alyce Blyth includes 12 essential mini blocks to try. Fun to sew, stash-busting and speedy to finish, these mini marvels are ideal for gifting or displaying on your sewing room wall. www.luckyspool.com

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modern home makes

artist's residence

Create a calming, creative space with on-trend finishing touches in painterly watercolour prints.

Designers: LORNA SLESSOR Styling: LISA JONES Photography: ADAM GASSON

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DOOR STOP

We'll take any excuse to fill our home with beautiful fabrics and prints – and that includes everyday essentials like this door stop! Made by creating a simple cube shape that's filled with rice or beans, we'll be gifting one of these not-so-boring basics at every housewarming from now on.

PATCHWORK POUFFE

Give florals a modern twist with this on-trend geometric patchwork pouffe, made from half-square triangles; we've used a crisp white plain for contrast, but pick out a colour from your chosen print if you like things bright.

THE shirt DRESS PSSTo:r fabric and

leaf f ion, and be r e v o Turn spirat r finished n i g n styli share you h us it o sure t mn Dress w ngmag Autu implysewi #s tagged

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COVER STAR

THE autumn DRESS Start your new-season sewing with The Autumn Dress, a tunic style with cuffed sleeves, button tabs and two hem options.

refashion

casual fridays

Make an off-duty staple from a pair of men's slacks with Portia Lawrie's on-trend pinafore dress refashion

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refashion

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MY SEWING WORLD

By Lisa Comfort Sew Over It's Lisa Comfort is swapping black for mood-boosting bold shades for a colourful winter wardrobe.

D

o you make your own clothes? I’ve loved dressmaking since I was a little girl, and in 2011 made it my mission to spread the love of sewing to as many people as I can, setting up my fabric and pattern business, Sew Over It. With our mix of modern and vintage-inspired patterns and online sewing classes, we love sharing the joys of dressmaking and creating your own unique wardrobe.

Fellow sewers know that summer, with holidays, picnics in the park and trips to the beach, provides endless opportunities for making and wearing fun, stylish summery pieces. When September hits, the sun starts to fade and the temperature begins to drop, it can be easy to lose your sewing motivation (or 'sew-jo', as we like to call it!). But there’s no reason that sewing your own fashionable wardrobe in autumn and winter shouldn’t be just as exciting as it is in the summer.

So, I thought I’d share my tips for having fun making and dressing handmade in the cooler seasons – and it includes colour, colour and more colour!

KEEP IT BRIGHT Lots of vibrant shades are a must in the summer, but our wardrobes can all of a sudden turn dark when the weather gets colder. I say piffle to that!

I use colour to lift my spirits and when it’s cold and dark outside – bold and bright dressing keeps me happy.

Rich colours are my go-to in autumn, with delicious reds, ochres and mustards on high rotation.

NO BLACK COATS Black is a classic and it definitely has its place in my wardrobe, but when it comes to coats, bright is better!

When you look at the crowds of people funnelling out of the London underground on a late autumn morning, it’s a dull sea of black and grey. Boring!

The beauty of being able to sew your own clothes is that you can make something completely different from what you can find on the high street, and that’s especially liberating when it comes to outerwear.

I’ve been completely inspired by TV show The Marvellous Mrs Maisel lately, and leading lady Midge’s wardrobe. She wears these gorgeous jewel-toned coats in stunning 1950s silhouettes. Oh my heart! I love shapes

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Try our new onli www.sewove ne sewing classes at ritstitchscho ol.co.uk

"Rich colours are my go-to in autumn – reds, ochres and mustards."

nes are what I' ll to el w je d an l te Pas r in this winter. ea rw te u o g in ak be m

s "My red Cigarette Pant are fun yet still perfect for the office." from the 1960s, too – our 60s-inspired Chloe Coat would be super stylish made in a bold hue, or even a statement print.

Trousers don't have to be black or neutral! Try making our Ultimate Trousers (below) or Cigarette Pants (above) in a colour or print.

Our Meredith Dress made in a gorgeous burnt orange hue – one of my favourite shades for autumn!

BE BRAVE WITH COLOURFUL TROUSERS Just like with winter coats, we’re so used to trousers being black that maybe we forget they can be any other colour. My top tip? Try making them in red!

They’ll cheer up any dull day and are guaranteed to be a conversation starter. Definitely one of those moments to declare “I made them myself!”

My red Cigarette Pants are fun yet still perfect for the office – you can try making them yourself with the online class on our new platform, Stitch School (www. sewoveritstitchschool.co.uk).

LAYER UP There’s no reason you can’t wear lots of your handmade summer pieces in autumn with a little bit of clever layering. When the weather turns cooler, I wear thermal vests and tights under my me-made dresses, with a cardigan over the top to keep my arms warm. I love high-waisted dresses and trousers, so I designed my own range of cropped cardis to pair with them, in pastel brights and autumnal greens, reds and burgundies (available at www.sewoverit.co.uk).

If you get extra chilly, roll-neck jersey tops also make great layering pieces to wear under your dresses, so don't forget to make a few of these for transitioning your summer frocks and blouses into autumn and winter.

Just see it as a fab opportunity to wear more of your handmade clothes – all at the same time!

Keeping me inspired...

I can't wait fo r my visit to Mumbai and Dehli next yea r.

One of my favourite places in the world is India, and I’m so excited to be planning a trip to Mumbai and Dehli for 2020.

(I might be photographing some new patterns whilst I’m there as well!). I love the rich colours of India – bright pinks, burnt oranges and warm reds – and I’m feeling so inspired to add these sumptuous shades to my handmade autumn wardrobe.

This year, black is banished from my sewing room!

Love these cheerful hanging decs – for more home ideas see www.lisacomfort.com

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NO PATTERN NEEDED!

✂

cotton casual

What to do with a metre of cotton fabric, a length of elastic and a free afternoon?

Sew Debbie Maxwell's pocket skirt.

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NO PATTERN NEEDED!

✂

pyjama party

Fill your dreams with rainbows and unicorns with Karoline Dahrling's pyjama set, made by tracing a top and jeans.

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my favourite thing

face value An original print and good memories make this statement shirt a favourite for GBSB's Ben Moore.

"Selecting a favourite sewn creation feels very much like having to pick a favourite child. I am also incredibly fickle and fall in and out of love with garments on a whim, but if I had to pick it would probably have to go to the blindfoldprint shirt I made towards the end of last year.

It is an entirely emotional choice, as this is neither the most complicated, nor the most accomplished thing I have ever sewn. It is, however, the garment I wore to cheer on my Sewing Bee buddies at the final, and then subsequently celebrated in at the wrap party.

As such it is associated with some excellent, if not slightly hazy, memories. It also scores highly having been made in an original Ben Moore Designs print, and one I am particularly pleased with. My love of sewing has always

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been centred around design more so than the act of sewing itself. Although I cannot deny that the calming mindfulness that comes with it is a bonus for someone as uptight as myself!

I’ll avoid going too much into the genesis of this print as some of it is probably considered inappropriate for inclusion in this, or any respectable magazine. Safe to say, it means a lot to me. On an entirely aesthetic level, it’s mustard and has my face on it – what more could you want? I used Simplicity's 8427 and even made it as instructed, which is practically unheard of for me. The reality is that it came down to time, in true Bee style…I may or may not have been attaching buttons on the train journey down to London."

Visit www.benmooredesigns.com

S THE UL PINAFOR TIMATE SIZES E6 DRESS, -20

Liberty bag Dining room makes Upcycled shirt dress Easy-sew lap quilt Monochrome stocking Faux fur boxy coat Polar bear toy Advent calendar and more...

+ ✓ The PINAFORE dress ✓ the sIMPLE sKIRT

Photo: The Nani Iro Sewing Studio by Naomi Ito

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* CONTENTS AND GIFTS MAY VARY ACCORDING TO TERRITORY. PAPER AND FABRIC GIFTS NOT AVAILABLE WITH DIGITAL EDITIONS.

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