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.

Thursday 23 April 2020

Vogue 8825 in Lady McElroy "Bolton" stretch jersey knit.



A Minerva Crafts Blogger Network post 

How to sew Stretch fabrics.


Lady McElroy Fabrics are very high quality and are superb to work with. This one, named Bolton, is a 96% viscose 4% spandex Jersey Fabric. It is fluid and drapes well and the print is just stunning. 
To complement the fabric I chose Vogue V8825. There are two choices of outfits to sew in this pattern, a dress and a tunic and trousers.
I had intended to make the tunic but when I looked at the fabric I realised that I had just about enough to make the dress if I was inventive with cutting out........



..... Please do read the rest of the post, the link to this and other Lady McElroy fabrics is on the post, together with a pattern review and tutorial.

Lady McElroy is one of my favourite fabric brands and I hope you will love them too
The post is here. The lady McElroy Bolton dress


 There are lots of other photos on the post too. 



Stretch fabrics - used for sportswear in the program - are featured in the GBSB 2019

I would love your comments

Angela





Do watch my YouTube video all about other dresses on my blog 

Elegant Poppy Dress


My Beautiful Poppies dress 

Sometimes magic happens with sewing and by sheer chance the perfect fabric and fabric combination happens. This is what happened to me when I received this fabric to try and this pattern literally jumped out at me when I went into my sewing room to see what I could make.

I absolutely adore this dress. It is the most elegant one I have seen in a long time and I am looking forward to wearing it very much, It is perfect for any occasion, I only wish I had a wedding to attend as it would look stunning.





 The style could not be simpler. A boat neckline, princess seams and a gathered skirt with a belt which ties in a bow at the front.

The fabric is  a cotton poplin  which has a beautiful poppy print on a black background. Cotton poplin poppy print fabric



But don't stop reading yet - please read the full post on this link  Elegant poppies dress


Thank you to Minerva fabrics for this beautiful poppy print






The Sewing Workshop Liberty Shirt

A MCBN post

The Sewing Workshop liberty shirt


If there are two things I love they are Art Gallery Fabrics and The Sewing Workshop patterns.
Lucky for me this post uses both.

The fabric is Endless Paradise Chambray  from the Denim Studio collection by Art Gallery Fabrics.  This has to be my favourite fabric brand.  I love their innovative designs and the quality of the fabric is superb.
This pattern is suitable for beginners who have a bit of sewing knowledge. The instructions are superb.







I am sure that you too will want to make this fabulous shirt so do follow this link to read the rest of the post and find out how to order fabric and pattern.

I know you will love this shirt too
Angela 






Monday 6 April 2020

Sewing for total beginners - a Simple jacket, top and pants

This is a Jaycotts.co.uk blog post.


Kwik Sew 4250 Jacket, top and pants. A blog post for total beginners or those returning to sewing after a break.



This is the three piece loungewear outfit and isn't it fabulous!






I thought long and hard over this blog post.
The first thing I considered was how much detailed instructions to give, and how much opportunity should I allow for you to follow the actual pattern instructions. It is vital that we are able to read a pattern but I appreciate that they don't always make sense. I hope that I achieved a balance which is right for you.

The pattern I used is this one Kwik Sew pattern K4250
I love Kwik Sew patterns - view the range here Kwik Sew Patterns at Jaycotts
They are good for all levels, have a good design range and are printed on better quality tissue paper than most.



This is the range of fabrics which I used to make each garment featured in the pattern. These fabrics are a very good quality quilting weight cotton from - believe it or not - Jaycotts! They are only available in store at the moment. You cannot buy them online.
You will however easily find good quality pure cotton in most fabric shops. Do choose a medium weight or quilting weight cotton as it will make sewing your garments so much easier.
Mix and match colours however you like, sewing is all about making something which you enjoy wearing.
By the way these particular fabrics are quite narrow, Dress fabrics tend to be wider.

If I could make another suggestion as to fabric comfortable for lounge wear, I would choose a Cotton Lawn it is easy to work with and comes in at all sorts of prices .do take a look.

Fashion is very personal. I showed the pattern we will be using to some friends and asked them where they would wear it, some said lounge wear, some said beach, some said everyday wear, all depending on the fabric chosen.
I have worn my garments in different ways and matched them with other garments and I wanted to leave it to you to decide where and when you are going to wear your lovely new garments without influencing you.


 We are going to start by making the jacket. The pants and top will follow in another blog post. I didn't want to put you off by doing too much all in one go!
In the next post I will show you how I styled all of my garments and there will be photographs.
These are the fabrics I chose to use for  the jacket. We are always told never to mix prints but never be afraid to bend the rules , these two prints actually sit very well together.





Thursday 12 March 2020

Sewing for Beginners - Fabric, Cutting out, and Patterns

This is a Jaycotts Post


All about Sewing Patterns, Fabrics and Cutting out.

It is daunting knowing where to start isn't it, so I am going to talk about the basics of cutting out and why you need to follow the guidelines on your sewing pattern.  I am making two garments, one in velvet the other in suiting and at the end of the post you should be well on your way to cutting out with confidence.



You can start with any garment but I have chosen a pair of straight leg trousers which are actually simple to make and always look good on.
All the links to patterns and haberdashery are given in the post making it easy for you to place you order with Jaycotts
When choosing a pattern consider what styles you already own and like and look for patterns which are similar. After a while you will want to make garments which are new to you, so it is a good idea to go and try clothes on and  to take a photograph if at all possible, then you can look for patterns in a similar style.




Thursday 13 February 2020

Sewing for Beginners. The Lady in Red - a fab dress or top in Ponte Roma .

This a post for Jaycotts.co.uk


The Lady in Red (Ponte Roma)






Sewing with Moderately stretch knits for beginners .


There are many different fabrics which stretch, some more difficult to sew than others. Some just stretch along the width, others will stretch every way, and it is these we want to avoid .
This fabric is called Ponte Roma and it is a delight to sew. Some knit fabrics can be extremely challenging even for experienced sewers - the edges curl up, it stretches out of shape as you sew it and you need special equipment such as a walking foot and a LOT of patience!

Ponte Roma can be purchased from Minerva.com Ponte Roma there are lots of choices both in colour and price so do take a look
Ponte Roma is a double knit fabric, so it looks the same on both sides. It doesn't have much stretch and this factor alone makes it easy to sew, even for a beginner.
It is easy to care for and it can be tumble dried.
A word of warning though. Although it doesn't shrink very much, a strong colour like this red bleeds,  and if you do not wash it before sewing you will end up with dye stains on just about everything - the ironing board cover, your underwear and even your sewing machine.  Don't say I didn't warn you!






Tuesday 4 February 2020

The perfect wrap front Knit top

A MCBN post


The perfect close fitting wrap top in a beautiful printed Ponte Roma Knit fabric.



It will thankfully soon that time of year when we want to wear a top with sleeves in place of a heavy pullover.
A long sleeved top with an interesting draped wrap front is the perfect transition garment.
The rest of the post can be found on this link  The perfect wrap front top  you will find details of the fabric and pattern used on the post




Thank you to Minerva for this lovely fabric. Do make this top, you won't regret it .

Sewangelicthreads

Monday 3 February 2020

The Tremont Jacket by The Sewing Workshop

This is a MCBN post

The Tremont Jacket by The Sewing Workshop




I love The Sewing Workshop Patterns. They have just enough difficulty about them to make you think, but are not impossibly hard even for beginners. They are edgy and just that bit different. I have made several of their patterns and wear each garment lots of times, I use  the patterns more than once too.

For this design I chose a Boiled Wool Fabric in cerise pink. This fabric is easy to cut and easy to sew and the best news is that as it doesn't fray you do not even have to worry about finishing the seams.






To find out how I made this gorgeous jacket and to view and order fabric and pattern please go to this link. The Tremont Jacket


Thank you for reading my posts. Please go to the bottom of my page and have my latest blogs sent straight to your inbox 

#sewangelicthreads


Sunday 26 January 2020

The BROTHER 3034D Overlocker

 This post is all about my Overlocker - and  rolled hems

The Brother 3034D from Jaycotts






 My overlocker is the  Brother 3034D  from Jaycotts.co.uk.  To look at it on the web site click - Brother 3034D overlocker   There are plenty of other choices and Jaycotts will  be happy to talk about and  demonstrate other models to you if you visit them or telephone them
An overlocker is used to finish most seams very neatly, it can be used as a hem, it can be used instead of a regular sewing machine to stitch stretch fabrics together. It can be in a matching thread or a contrast.


Tuesday 21 January 2020

Embroidery machines do so much more than you can imagine

 In The Hoop Embroidery 

From Sweet Pea Machine Embroideryc

I have talked about machine embroidery before but as I use my machine such a lot, I wanted to share some of my latest projects with you. 

There are more ideas on Machine Embdoidery ideas so do take a look to see what else an embroidery machine can do. 



The designs are far removed from the traditional embroidery designs in that they are dimensional and the entire piece is completed In The Hoop - Backing,  wadding,and zips included!


If you  visit their website from the link above you will be able to view the catalogue of designs available to purchase. They are not at all expensive. They also have a gorgeous range of fabrics and their own range of thread which I am coveting. 



The designs are mostly applique with added Embroidery which are built up gradually starting with wadding and ending with the backing.