ABOUT ME

I am Angela and I love to sew. I started sewing as a child and by the time I was a teenager I was wearing the very latest fashions to go out in. All me-made. I am passionate about reducing the amount of textiles sent to landfill, and encourage you to repurpose fabrics and clothes I started this blog in order to have a way in which to pass on my gained knowledge, and my professional knowledge to you, Sewing is empowering, you can save money by making items, make money by selling then, You can pass your knowledge on to others. What is there not to love? Interestingly I am a direct descendant of the Flemish weavers who came over to England in the 1300's. I find that fascinating especially as most of my family from as far back as I can trace are somehow involved in the manufacturing of fabric . . I have a degree in tailoring with a special interest in WW2 fashion.

Friday 8 November 2019

Dressing in 1940s style

 War time fashion, tutorials on inserting zips , a SewOverIt 1940's tea dress to sew and much much more!

It is as important today as it was in the 1940's to adopt a "Make do and mend" attitude, and I hope to show you that this will make you  re-think your sewing habits. I know it has done for me.

Enjoy! 


The second world war started in 1939 and didn't end until 1945. During this time rationing of almost everything was in place and continued even after the war had ended until supplies started to become available again.
It was in 1941 that the government introduced rationing which greatly influenced clothing and how it was worn. Strict guidelines governed how many buttons were allowable and how many seams were acceptable and so on.




Don't think for one minute that fashion was dull though, far from it. The designs were high quality and the famous CC41 utility label was also  a sign of  excellent value for money and  you knew it was made to last. The CC41 designs were devised by a panel of top designers including Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell no less.

A combination of paying for your clothes with money and coupons meant that the class divide had no impact on what you wore - everyone was entitled to exactly the same.

These are the exact details of what a utility dress should consist of;-

"Examples of details of restriction orders when making Utility dress: it could have no more than two pockets, five buttons, six seams in the skirt, two inverted or box pleats or four knife pleats, and one hundred and sixty inches (four metres) of stitching. No superfluous decoration was allowed. It should be simple, practical, agreeable-looking, inexpensive and made of good material"





It should also be noted that one quarter of the population, women included ,was now in uniform of some sort and with women being ordered to maintain glamour at all times, these uniforms were also beautifully tailored. The most coveted being the Wren's uniform - worn with red lipstick and curled hair of course.
Coty produced lipstick and face powder which was not rationed, as well as producing such things as foot powder for use by the military.

It should be noted that selling these utility garments were a great source of income to the government.


This booklet was produced in the early 40s as supplies were becoming more and more scarce. The wool and cotton fabric, and dark coloured dyes  were needed by the military for uniforms and for blackout curtains .
 We were not receiving imports of cotton and silk because of the high cost of shipping  goods from abroad - China for one, and by that I mean the cost in lives as well as in monetary terms.

To read the rest of the post you need to click underneath on the message below .... ....

Thursday 7 November 2019

Stitching back in time to the 1940s , dresses and trenchcoats

The middle to late 1940s fashion: Dresses and Trench Coats 



A Jaycotts blog post.





It wasn't until 10:30 AM on 12 February 1947 that a relatively unheard of Christian Dior unveiled his "New Look"
Taking inspiration from flower petals he celebrated femininity with defined narrow waists and full flowing skirts. It was a defiance towards the rationing which had restricted fashion for several years.

 Before this monumental event though , and even when WW2 had ended,  we were still gripped by austerity and it was getting worse. We were encouraged to take two very worn dresses and coats for example and somehow make the best bits of each into one wearable garment. Shoe leather had run out and women's shoes were made with wooden soles which were very much hated. Everything was becoming more and more difficult and it seemed never ending, so the advent of a new fashion house really brought excitement to life.

If you are after a 1940s look then many of today's styles are very similar. Go for a low heel, preferably a chunky heel, a brogue or a wedge sandal and they will be fine.

One item which did prove popular was the Siren Suit, Sir Winston Churchill loved his and had one made from pin-stripe suiting (of course)


But the rest of us loved them too, they were designed to wear over normal clothes, or night clothes when the air raid siren went off. Air raid shelters were dirty, cold and smelly and these garments were very much necessary.

Today we still wear a type of this garment in the form of jumpsuits. Take a look at the pattern range available from Jaycotts Jumpsuit pattern




I have a blog post too An easy Simplicity Jumpsuit so do take a look at the tutorial. Did you see the Sewing Bee 2019 As one of the challenges was to sew a jumpsuit and they all looked fabulous.

Factories were still being run by women - it took a long while before the men came home and women were forced out of work.  Supplies were still not reaching us so even after WW2 had ended we were still very much rationed - we were short of everything. Even those tiny ends of thread which we cut off and throw away were kept and treasured.


Keep on reading..........

Wednesday 6 November 2019

how to make a 1940's style tea dress


Sewing a 1940s dress



This is a post I wrote some time ago, but I think it is worth re visiting.
Vintage fashion is very much "in" at the moment and when I was looking through my sewing room I found this Folkwear pattern for a 1940's dress. I also found some viscose floral print which hangs nicely.



For this dress I researched traditional methods and used them as for as possible. This is not a quick make and is for experienced sewers.





I have wanted to sew a dress in 1940's style for ages, I bought the vintage style fabric  and pattern ages ago but never got around to sewing it.
I am pleased to say that this pattern is now for sale in the UK and you can purchase it from MinervaCrafts. Glamour girl dress pattern
I'm suggesting that you use a heavy woven dress fabric which hangs well, this floral viscose Challis would be perfect Floral print viscose challis



When sewing vintage the first step is to take your measurements and choose the pattern size which  corresponds most closely. Do not just use your usual dress size as patterns do usually vary from these. This is true for any pattern, but more so for vintage as women were much smaller back in the 1940's.
Cut the pattern pieces out and lay them on the fabric on the correct grain, as shown on the pattern piece.
Cut out the material, leaving larger than normal seam allowances in true vintage style. Vintage garments were made to last a lifetime and so extra fabric was always left in the seam allowances to enable the garment to be let out if necessary and to be honest it is good practise to do it now.
The next step is to transfer all pattern markings to the fabric using your prefered method. Keeping with tradition for this garment I am using tailors tacks and thread markings.


Friday 11 October 2019

Bollywood. Indian style Dress.


Bollywood. Exploring different cultures and fashions.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore outfits similar to this on her recent tour of Pakistan.





A Jaycotts post.

One of my life long hobbies is dance. I learned ballroom and Latin and loved them but more recently I decided to explore something I have always wanted to do and that is Belly Dancing. This has led to Bollywood dancing and of course I need to research and make outfits  to dance in, which is immense fun 

I need a Bollywood outfit for an event next month and this led me to exploring Asian fashion.


The Shalwar Kameez is a two part outfit consisting of a tunic top and pants and it is what we are going to make in this post.
Traditionally worn by Punjabi women the Salwar (trousers) and Kameez (tunic) have been westernised somewhat in this pattern, and there are lots of variations on style and fabrics.



Thursday 3 October 2019

Summer Pants and Cheesecloth Tops


I have wanted to make these trousers for a while, I made a wearable toile (or test garment) and I am so glad I did! 

I also wanted to make some Cheesecloth Tops and I hand dyed some of a plain white fabric to make them with . More about that later






This is a fabulous outfit and I absolutely love it, but it was not without its problems!

Problems are just puzzles to be solved in my opinion and I enjoy the creative thinking required to sort them out.



This is the Pietra Trousers by Closet Case Patterns . I have made the Ginger Jeans many times and love them so much that I made five pairs!


Tuesday 10 September 2019

This is how I altered a coat pattern to make a simple raincoat.

This is a jaycotts.co.uk  Blog post


First published 20/06/2016


I have wanted to make myself a cheery raincoat for a very long time but just could not find a pattern. In the end , determined to have my raincoat, I did some rather major alterations to an ordinary coat pattern. The pattern has princess seams which would have spoiled the rather beautiful pattern,  so they needed eliminating,  as did some of the shaping because I wanted a straight style. Do you want to make one too? There are some things you need to bear in mind,  but it's not that difficult I promise.





This is the finished coat.  I used a ripstop fabric in a very colorfully print called Ellies. I purchased it from WhiteTreeFabrics.com but do sadly this was the last piece. However I never like to dictate to you exactly what fabric you should use, we all have very different tastes. What you  need to look out for though is a RIP-STOP fabric or a showerproofed cotton. For the linings I chose a firm shot taffeta. With the raincoat outer being quite firm it called for a stiffer lining than normal. I chose a darker colour than my  main  fabric.



And yes, the rather cute 60s style fabric does have elephant's on it!








This is the pattern, it is Mccalls M7058 and you can buy it from jaycotts.co.uk  by clicking on this link  Mccalls M7058 at Jaycotts.co.uk
It is a lovely pattern with lots of variations to choose from. I wanted the style which has the hood, and as I bought the last of this roll of fabric there was only enough to make the mid-length version. Which was what I wanted anyway!




Wednesday 14 August 2019

Setting up a Dress Form or Mannequin


Setting up a Dress Form



An invaluable tool for any dressmaker or Tailor - male or female - is a mannequin which is as close to your own body measurements as possible.
It makes fitting easier, and it gives you the opportunity to try different techniques such as draping.  The cost, depending on which model you purchase equates to a basic sewing machine, so they are not very expensive.

The dress form I have now is the Lady Valet Traditional Dress Form
But there are others including for men and for fitting trousers
Dress Forms from Jaycotts.co.uk




Friday 9 August 2019

How to Sew Palazzo trousers


What a fantastic holiday outfit this is. Palazzo trousers are so comfortable and flattering you will want to make several pairs. I had fabric left over from mine and made a very simple shell top to wear with them, the outfit is a total winner, perfect for warm days . I made this when I spent a summer living on Corfu




Friday 10 May 2019

Palazzo pants and a darted printed top

A short pattern hack 

This is a continuation of a previous blog post Sew yourself Cropped pants and a matching top

The last post was an embroidered pair of crop trousers with a top featuring the same embroidery. I appreciate that some of you have no desire to embroider by machine or hand so this is another idea - Block Printing. 



 Everything is the same as in the previous post
All of the machines, zip, thread and habberdashery etc are from Jaycotts.co.uk Contact Jaycotts




Saturday 23 February 2019

Easy to sew Jumpsuit and Jacket : Simplicity 8178

This is a Jaycotts post and it is a very simple to sew Jumpsuit for all levels of ability.

 As seen on the GBSB 2019

Labels

seam tape
using a pattern
Beginners

Jumpsuits do not show any sign of going out of fashion, and no wonder as they can be smart or casual or somewhere in between. They can take you anywhere and come into their own on holiday for day or evening. They are so comfortable!


Make it in Satin at MinervaCrafts for your party or special occasion - plain, print, glittery or animal print, one of these is perfect for you - and will cost you a lot less than ready made!

NB to view fabrics in the sale at MinervaCrafts go to MinervaCrafts Fabric Sale  you might just find a bargain! 






The pattern I chose is Simplicity 8178  I chose it because it is suitable even for sewing newbies as it has minimal pieces and does not have any fastenings - so no zipper or buttonholes to worry about.
.
There is a choice between straight and flared legs, I chose the wider flared leg.


I chose a floral crepe fabric for the main garment and plain crepe for the jacket, both widely available.  View Crepe Fabrics
This particular fabric is rather busy! More suited to holiday wear I feel. A chambray or a linen would be good fabric choices, the pattern also suggests sateen which would be lovely and Ponte Roma but if you choose this then make sure it is not too heavy and that it has a good drape.
Wash, dry and press your fabric before cutting out as a lot of fabrics shrink.

If ever you want to use a fabric such as wool for a coat or jacket then don't wash it, when I come to do my next coat blog I will show you how to shrink fabric without washing it.


If you are new to sewing then you may not understand the sizing. Pattern sizes are not the same as your commercial dress size, usually commercial garments are "vanity" sized and as you know the fit varies a lot from store to store.

So the first thing you need to do is to take your measurements and compare them to the measurements on the back of the pattern.
You may find that your top and bottom are different sizes but that doesn't matter as it is easy to cut out the top in one size and the bottom in another and merge the two sizes together at the waist.





Friday 22 February 2019

How to sew very Easy Totes and Shopping bags

Be plastic free at the supermarket








I am often told that many of us are inspired to make our own bags and we go and buy a lovely pattern, but that's as far as we ever get - mostly. The reason seems to be that these patterns require so many different and unfamiliar fabrics,interlinings and other notions which are either hard to obtain or are too expensive, or both.
In this post I am going to show you how to make a very easy Tote bag for your shopping and then I will  adapt the same design by first of all adding a lining, and then by making the bag larger to make a practical beach bag and finally a stylish faux leather large Tote with embroidery. 

Why not use a patterned fabric, do some simple applique, print your logo  or even hand embroidery, it doesn't really matter. 
In fact it's a great way to use up fabric scraps or even discarded clothes. The whole point is that we all need shopping bags and if you know how to make your own you will never be short of a bag again. The best thing is that if you use leftover fabric they are free!


Skills learned

Labels

  • French seam
  • Making a basic tote
  • Adding a lining
  • Sewing with faux leather 
  • Using a commercial bag pattern
  • Adding a zip

Saturday 26 January 2019

Sewing The Mondrian style top from the GBSB 2016 (Sewing an all in one facing )

This is a top made to embrace the 1960's Mondrian style in honour of the iconic Mondrian dress by Yves Saint Laurent.

A Jaycotts.co.uk How do I do that post


Skills shown in this post are

  1. All in one facings
  2. Invisible zip 


SewAngelicThreads


I love the colour block dress from the Great British Sewing Bee book From Stitch to style, but before I invested in the fabrics I wanted to try out the top first in fabric left over from other projects. This top is based on the MONDRIAN dress created by Yves  Saint laurent in 1965. Made to be worn as a cocktail dress the Mondrian was made from heavy silk crepe so that it hung straight in the body.  It quickly became the most iconic dress of the 1960s

This top was made in Art Gallery Fabric , this particular fabric is a very high end cotton print. You can use any cotton fabric  so long as you get a good contrast with the black bands.  All the fabrics need to be the same weight.
If you do fancy indulging yourself and buying some Art Gallery fabric Minerva Fabrics sell it,  Art Gallery fabrics .these are print fabrics but are gorgeous.


There are other linen, cotton ,and linen blends available too Cotton and cotton blend dress fabrics

And if you want to go back to the traditional colours there are lots of plain cotton's too, these are. Cotton Lawn fabric
The quality and price of all of these is excellent


The original Mondrian was made from panels of blue, white and acid yellow interspaced with black. My modern interpretation is in a light coloured print fabric with black bands added to form the iconic design.


The top is amazing don't you think and can be made fairly quickly.
 This tutorial shows you how to do an all in one facing.


You need to follow the link below to read the rest of the post.....

Thursday 17 January 2019

A Black wool lined pencil skirt with a touch of Embroidery


A lined pencil skirt, with a touch of Embroidery


A very similar post to this was featured on the MinervaCraftsBloggerNetwork recently A wool and Mohair mix pencil skirt .but I wanted to share some of the information about making toiles with you too.





The pattern I chose is a skirt pattern from Butterick - B6184. I chose this because it has a high waistline which features heavily this season. This particular pattern is out of stock, but it does not matter because any pencil skirt pattern can be used. Take a look at the choice, Pencil skirt patterns





In this post I am not going to give you a skirt tutorial as such  because after all skirts are simple to make right? - wrong. Well, they are simple but if you are making a pencil skirt the fit just HAS to be right! So that is what this post is about, fit.



Sunday 6 January 2019

What is the difference between a Tailored and non tailored garment, in pictures


What is the difference between tailored and non-tailored garments?

Hello, this is here by request. I know I said that I wasn't going to write a blog for a few weeks as I am busy making a coat, but so many of you have requested to see some of the garments I made at college over 30 years ago, so here I am blogging when I should be sewing.

First of all watch my you tube video as much of the explanation is there and it saves me having to type when I should be sewing!



Direct link to video if it doesn't show is Tailored vs non-tailored



In this video you will clearly see the difference between a Tailored and non-tailored coat or jacket.

Here are close up photos of my ancient garments, fully tailored, totally sewn by hand, and which took six months to a year to make! However you can see how well they have survived despite being in a suitcase for many years.



This is one of my examination garments. I had to make a winter coat without using a pattern of any sort. The fabric is Mohair and cost me £80 which was an absolute fortune then. This coat is extremely heavy!





Sew yourself some Croppped Pants and a matching Top

This is a Jaycotts.co.uk post using Simplicity 8391

This is such an easy outfit to make, with or without embroidery. It is suitable for beginners upwards.

Skills learned

Centred Zip
Pintucks
Pressing
Positioning of embroidery/applique
Button loops
Zipper foot



When I first saw this pattern I wasn't sure if it would suit me or not. Wrong! I decided as soon as I tried it on that I love this outfit.It is perfect for holidays, flattering and easy to sew. I like the 3/4 length wide trousers, they are cool to wear in the sun - I like to cover up mostly and I want garments which are easy to wear and light to pack.
I have paired the outfit with a pair of navy wedges.



The pattern is by Simplicity and is available to purchase from Jaycotts Simplicity 8391  In the envelope are patterns for a top, skirt, pants and shorts, everything you need for your holiday in fact.
The fabric is from Minerva Crafts and is a linen look Cotton, Linen look Cotton fabric This fabric is cool to wear and very easy to sew.
The pattern shows the garments made up in cotton trimmed with eyelet fabric or lace, but I wanted to use embroidery on mine - of course!