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22 PATTERNS TO SEW
ISSUE 13
WARDROBE updates WITH CROSS STITCH
ISSUE THIRTEEN
PLUS HOW TO SERVICE YOUR SEWING MACHINE
+ DRAFT YOUR OWN PJ PATTERN
M ak e a b a g in an evening!
Backpack & desk accessories for stylish makers HOW TO: Seed stitch Make a sewing case Hem a pair of jeans Sew a ladybird costume
Pinboard
INSPIRATION
ACCESSORIES
WEBSITES
EVENTS
STUFF
Photo: Joanna Kiely
IDEAS
IN THE PINK
We’re so inspired by London-based label, Birdsong. All of its clothes are created by the best female makers, with a ‘no sweatshops, no Photoshop’ philosophy. The latest collection unites Brick Lane women’s project Heba with excess fabrics from the Traid charity. With Great British Bake Off star Ruby Tandoh as their ambassador and fans including Lauren Laverne, this really is a brand to sing about. www.birdsong.london Subscribe at www.simplysewingmag.com
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VINTAGE INSPIRATION Keeping up with ▼
JUST DARLING
We’ve fallen for Darling Clementine, new to lifestyle store Smug in London’s creative Islington. The Norwegian brand’s first collection, Pantomime, is just for kids and takes its inspiration from the Bauhaus period. Totes £10. www.ifeelsmug.com
NAUTICAL AND NICE California-based Birch Fabrics have united with author and illustrator Emily Winfield Martin for a new collection of organic fabrics, Saltwater. Emily is known for her quirky illustrations and we love her designs for Birch, including mermaids, ships, stars and creatures of the deep. Ahoy there! Available in quilt-weight poplin, knit, double gauze and canvas. Approx £11 per metre. Quirky characters feature in Emily’s www.birchfabrics.com charming collection. 10 WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM
our vintage fashion blog series on www. simplysewingmag. com? This month we’re time-travelling to the 1970s, so grab your flares and come with us! To celebrate, Thames & Hudson is offering two Simply Sewing readers the chance to win a copy of their new book about the history of 20th-Century haute couture, High Fashion by Emmanuelle Dirix. Go to www. simplysewingmag. com for how to enter.
tips & tricks
PEP TALK
A
dd some pep to your outfit with a peplum. Take an oversize shirt and measure and cut a straight line where your natural waist is. Turn the bodice inside out and sew under the arms and down the sides to make it fit. Now gather the bottom piece – use the largest stitch on your sewing machine and pull one thread to gather. Pin to the bodice right sides together and stitch. This tip is from www.yellowsuitcasestudios.com
Emily’s illustrations are inspired by children’s stories.
workspace makes
DESK TIDY
Our stationery stash is almost as extensive as our fabric hoard, so this tidy is essential for keeping our desks (and minds!) organised. Fill up the sections with clips, pens, washi tape...anything that helps you to get creative. There’s even a spot for your phone, too.
FABRIC BINDER COVER
Ring binders aren’t the most exciting of office accessories – until we work our stitching magic on them, that is! This fabric cover features two handy inside pockets for notebooks, pens and other bits and bobs, and a clasp closure to keep it all safely tucked away. WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM 21
Psssttr:uctured,
Floaty or sleeveless, r o d e r e y la e lted - ther loose or be ptions! See o s s e l d n e a re piration. s n i r o f 7 3 p age
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COVER STAR
the staple shift dress
We all need one of these in our wardrobe! Stitch your own with Sew Crafty’s simple shift dress pattern for sizes 6-28.
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Photo: Angus Thomas
A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
For most of us, the idea of working with a loved one is both enticing and a little alarming. We meet four couples thriving of each other’s creativity.
W
hen you find the person who understands your exuberance, your eccentricities and your ingenuity, you know you’ve got a keeper. Yet how often does that meeting of minds translate into the potential for a successful business? We chat to four couples who understand what it takes to work well with the person they love and live with. LIKE-MINDED LOVERS You may recognise Matt Chapple from the Great British Sewing Bee 2014. Since winning the competition, Matt and his wife Gemma established Sew What’s New (www.sewwhatsnew.co.uk). “We met while both working at the same company,” says Gemma. “Our first date was the day after my 21st birthday. The rest, as they say, is history!” From early on in their 44 WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM
relationship, the couple were keen to run a business together, but needed to narrow their choices down to a single strong concept. “We’ve never been short of ideas, from converting an old church into a cinema to running a ski chalet,” Matt recalls. “While I was progressing through the Sewing Bee, we realised we had a great opportunity ahead. It’s been a great ride so far and we feel like it’s just the beginning.” Elis and Dermot O’Grady are the team behind Crafty Kooka, creating sewing patterns and characterful toys (and selling the sewing supplies needed to make them) at www.craftykooka.etsy.com. “I’m from Brazil and a friend living in Dublin gave me Dermot’s email so I could practise my English,” says Elis. “After a few emails, Skype chats and romantic letters he bought a ticket to fly over and meet me!” Before long the pair were married and
living in Manchester, working in corporate jobs. After Elis was made redundant in 2010, they decided that it was time for a change. “We moved to a tiny village in the Irish countryside, and wanted to combine our skills for a better work-life balance.” The answer proved to be creating their own range of sewing patterns, making use of Elis’ craft skills and Dermot’s 3D design qualification! Similarly, bringing together existing skills has worked for Abigail and Ryan Bell. They met on Etsy Business Forums in 2008, and today create nature-inspired homewares under the company name abigail*ryan (www.abigailryan.com). Early on the main challenge was living in different cities – Abigail in Glasgow and Ryan in Belfast. “We travelled back and forth for a year, staying with each other for a few weeks at a time,” says Abigail. “We
a good read both had home studios, so would work with each other while we were there.” They discovered they loved working together. “It led us to start abigail*ryan. We wanted to create something that was the both of us, so designed some patterns, which turned into products, which turned into the brand we have today.” It helped that they were both already running independent businesses. “It wasn’t like we were leaving secure jobs and had to ‘take the plunge’, it was a natural extension of what we were already doing.” Cass Belanger and Matthew Macindoe founded The Stitchery (www.thestitchery studio.com) after falling in love while living on different continents, Cass in Canada and Matthew in Scotland. “The first time we met properly was in Weeze airport in Dusseldorf,” says Cass. “We’re the only couple we know who kissed before they said a word to each other in person.” Their creative sewing business began about nine months into their marriage when Cass taught a dressmaking class from their living room. “This proved to be very popular, and soon we were running multiple classes on different topics throughout the week,” Cass says. “Matthew was very involved from the start
– creating flyers, social media campaigns and even the dressmaking pattern for our first in-house garment. It became apparent that we had the ideal combination of skills to make this business work.” MIXING IT UP Once you’ve recognised your potential for a great working relationship, it’s time to identify the skills each of you bring to the new company. Ryan came to sewing after dabbling in knitting. “Completely on a whim, I bought a sewing machine, and found my feet quickly. I started designing my own handbag patterns, and sourcing more and more luxurious fabrics – tweed from the Scottish borders, lambskin leather from Italy, and so on. Soon I was doing the craft fair circuit, and that brought me to Etsy, where I met Abigail and our story began.” Abigail has a strong preference for hand sewing. “I do all the final finishing of work by hand and also love doing embroidery – a throwback to the cross stitch classes I used to do in primary school. I was obsessed!” she says. “I now mainly freehand embroider my own designs and in recent years have worked on things like the ring pillow for our wedding, and presents for friends and family. I get roped
Bottom left: Dermot and Elis run Crafty Kooka from their bright, colourful studio in Ireland. Below: Crafty Kooka’s online shop stocks all you need to stitch up their charming soft toy designs, including pdf patterns and fabrics.
Photos: www.craftykooka.com
“I DO ALL THE FINAL FINISHING OF WORK BY HAND AND ALSO LOVE DOING EMBROIDERY – A THROWBACK TO THE CROSS STITCH CLASSES I USED TO DO IN PRIMARY SCHOOL.”
into hemming trousers and darning jumpers occasionally, too!” Sewing became part of Elis’ life when she and Dermot moved to Ireland. “I attended a weekend workshop for beginner sewists and loved it,” she enthuses. “I didn’t even know how to thread the machine at first, so it was an intense weekend. Friends and family started to ask for things to be made and the sewing business soon followed.” Dermot says the creative design aspect of the business is still his favourite. “That’s when I feel I’m in the zone – my degree was in ceramics so I never envisaged that I would be making soft toys for living, but
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Sw alog wth
By Hand London In the fnal part of the Charlie Dress sew along, By Hand London show you how to draft the skirt, insert an invisible zip and fnish the dress so it’s ready to show of!
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NEW SERIES 2 PARTS Draft a circle skirt Insert an invisible zip Construct the dress
Psst:ished makes
r fn u o y ngmag i g w e Ta s y we simpl with # arliedress h ! and #c wait to see can’t
Psssetw: along
Join our your and share nic using fnished tu ngmag. i w e s y l p m i #s
machine needles know-how MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SEWING KIT!
KNOW YOUR PRESSING EQUIPMENT For a professional fnish, pressing is as important as the sewing itself. Follow our guide to pressing methods and equipment for a quality fnish.
q
uality pressing is the secret to a professional-looking, perfectly finished garment, and pressing as you sew is the key. There are differences between ironing and pressing – and when you’re sewing, it’s pressing that you need! Ironing is the process of sliding the iron back and forth across your fabric, whereas pressing is placing your iron on the fabric and pressing down with some force, often applying steam at the same time. WHY TO PRESS Pressing is a step that can be easily missed when you’re sewing as it slows the process down, but it is essential. With some projects you may spend almost as much time pressing as sewing. You should always press as you sew, then each stage of the stitching process will be neat and flat before you move onto the next. HOW TO PRESS It’s best to set up your iron and ironing 60 WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM
board near your sewing area ready to use so you can stitch and press conveniently. Set your iron to a temperature suitable for your fabric – if you’re unsure, start at a low temperature then work up and always test a scrap of fabric first to make sure you don’t melt, mark or scorch your project. Most pressing is done on the wrong side of the fabric so you don’t mark the right side, but when you do press on the right side it’s best to use a pressing cloth. These are made from muslin or silk organza and protect the fabric as well as being see-through so you can see what you’re doing. You can buy them or just make your own from thin fabric. Always take care not to press over pins as this can melt the plastic heads or leave impressions in the fabric that can be difficult to remove. PRESSING NAPPED FABRICS Napped fabrics have a ‘pile’, such as velvet, which will be flattened and may be marked if pressed in the usual way. Whenever you can, steam these fabrics by holding your
iron over your fabric for a few seconds rather than pressing. However, if you really need to press the fabric, then pad your ironing board with a soft towel to help prevent crushing the fabric pile. USING WATER OR STEAM Some fabrics need to be pressed with a dry iron whereas other fabrics press better with water or steam. Use your iron’s steam setting or steam fabric with a dampened cloth placed on top, then press. Certain fabrics, like cotton, are best pressed when they are slightly damp. PRESSING EQUIPMENT There are many pressing tools available to help give your finished garment a crisp, neat finish. A good-quality iron (preferably steam) and ironing board are obviously the basic and most important pieces of equipment you’ll need, but when you want to press seam allowances, corners and curves then other speciality pieces of pressing equipment come into their own.
digital love
Sew Jo Carter’s plushie pair of romantic robots in super-soft feece. Batteries not included (or needed!).
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Photos: www.wildthingsdresses.com
a good read
Kirsty’s cute animal characters spark kids’ imagination.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Meet designer Kirsty Hartley and discover how children’s illustrations and plenty of playtime keep her work fresh and fun.
o
ne of the most satisfying things about sewing is having the chance to unfurl your creativity and set it to work. For Kirsty Hartley, imagination is both the means and the goal, especially when it comes to her vibrant children’s clothing range, Wild Things. “Wild Things is about putting imagination back into the magic of childhood,” she explains. “The brand is about dressing children for play, and not as mini adults. My clothes are inspired by simple imagery, colour and a sense of the extraordinary. They’re durable, can be worn every day and use great-quality fabrics.” Kirsty has a broader goal in mind, too. “I’m passionate about helping to revive the 80 WWW.SIMPLYSEWINGMAG.COM
huge skill base the UK has to offer,” she says. Our admiration for Kirsty’s work prompted us to invite her to lead our recent four-in-one dress pattern sew along in Simply Sewing magazine. Running in issues 8 to 11, (grab yourself a back issue at craft.buysubscriptions.com) it proves that Kirsty is equally adept at designing irresistible dresses for grown-ups, too. MODERN NOSTALGIA Kirsty was initially attracted to sewing through her love of creating wearable versions of the garments she invisioned in her head. “Since a young age I’ve always been a prolific maker, and fascinated by working with fabrics. With my first sewing
machine and a mum who had always sewn to guide me, my passion was firmly rooted as a teenager. I loved making an outfit for the big night out ahead.” Kirsty studied Fashion and Textiles at degree level, and pursued a career firstly with her own womenswear label, then as a designer working with large retailers through overseas manufacturers, “which gave me a great opportunity to travel.” She eventually began to freelance as a fashion and print designer while lecturing at the Manchester School of Design. Throughout this time, Kirsty continued to draw immense enjoyment from the act of sewing itself. “I enjoyed anything from tailoring through to making
a good read overseas-produced goods made with little involvement in the hands-on creative process. I wanted to see a return to making clothes and other things by hand.” Supporting homegrown talents is important to Kirsty, who has her designs produced at a skilled artisan workshop in Scotland, “supporting a growing UK specialist industry.” Furthermore, she says, everything is sourced from local suppliers. Happily, Kirsty’s ideals and ethics reflected the cravings of her customer base right from the start. “I soon realised that a high number of customers buying products for their children were searching for more than just a mass produced item,” she says. “I also loved how Etsy was championing this new wave of artisan makers, allowing them to carve out a niche livelihood doing what they loved.”
simple slouchy bags from leather.” The area of expertise we know Kirsty best for, however, is her clothing range for children, evocatively named Wild Things. In the Simply Sewing office, that name prompts much reminiscing about the classic picturebook Where the Wild Things Are, which inevitably leads to a nostalgic chat about favourite children’s stories. It seems our impulses aren’t too far removed from Kirsty’s initial prompts for the label: “I’m inspired by simple imagery, especially children’s illustrations from the 1960s and 1970s.” The opportunity to launch Wild Things came after Kirsty’s third child, Lila, arrived. “I started to revive my love for making while on maternity leave, and realised that I had a yearning to create handmade pieces with heart and soul.” Kirsty decided to set up an Etsy shop “on an overnight whim. It seemed for so long that the market was saturated with
“I STARTED TO REVIVE MY LOVE FOR MAKING WHILE ON MATERNIT Y LEAVE, AND REALISED THAT I HAD A YEARNING TO CREATE HANDMADE PIECES WITH HEART AND SOUL.”
PATTERN AND COLOUR When it comes to actually sewing herself,
Kirsty incorporates 1960s silhouettes into her designs.
All photos: www.wildthingsdresses.com
Above: Kirsty’s collection includes capes and costumes as well as clothes for everyday. Right: Many Wild Things dresses are made in limited edition fabrics designed by Kirsty.
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We wsh w e had otfts like this when we were children!
A walk in the sun and rain inspired this sweet dress.
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