Get Into Dressmaking

Buying the best tools you can afford is always a wise choice, and this is particularly true when it comes to scissors. There are lots of different sizes, types and qualities on offer, so firstly you need to decide what you’re going to use them for. Shears are ideal for cutting fabric, and you’ll need ones with an angled handle if you’re cutting out fabric on a flat surface. If you’re going to be working with fine or slippery fabrics, choose a pair with serrated blades, which will grip the fabric and give a better cut. General-purpose and small scissors are more suited for clipping and snipping. Always try them out before you buy, as you’ll need to make sure they feel right and are comfortable, and that you have…

Rotary cutters are invaluable to dressmakers and home sewists for getting accurate results, particularly with tricky-to-handle fabrics – and it’s often faster, too! They come in various sizes – use smaller blades for detail and curves and larger blades for faster cutting. WHEN TO USE A ROTARY CUTTER As well as cutting accurate strips and shapes for patchwork, rotary cutters are great for dressmaking. They make it easy to cut out layers of fabric together, but do experiment with how many you can cut at once without compromising on accuracy. Rotary cutters are also great for cutting slippery fabrics such as rayon, silk, velvet and knits, as you won’t need to lift them from the table to cut – just hold them flat and cut through for neat edges. When…

Finishing raw edges so they don’t fray is a key part of sewing and dressmaking – it’ll give your finished projects longevity and make them look nice and neat on the inside too. If you don’t have an overlocker to do this with, there are two easy ways to finish edges – with a zigzag stitch on a regular sewing machine, or by using pinking shears. These look like regular scissors, but they have triangular-shaped teeth that make zigzag points in the fabric. Pinking shears have long been a favoured seam-finishing method – if you’ve ever bought vintage clothes, you’re likely to have come across pinked seams. BUYING PINKING SHEARS Pinking shears are usually around 21-23cm (8-9in) long. Good-quality shears have ball joints to ensure the blades run smoothly, and…

Browsing the shelves in fabric stores is a favourite pastime for sewists! Touching fabrics in person is a great way to get an idea of what your garment will look and feel like once sewn. It's still easy to make the wrong choices though, so read our tips to avoid the trap of buying up a pretty print only to find it doesn’t behave in the way you'd hoped! There’s such a wide range of fabrics available that it can be impossible to know where to start, but it all begins with the project. Firstly, decide on what you’d like to make, and then use the recommendations given in the pattern instructions to pick a fabric type that suits – the print and colour are up to you, though! With…

LINEN Features: Linen is a natural material made from flax fibres. It's breathable and comfortable to wear and available in a variety of weights. Most linens are plain-weave materials with visible slubs. 01 Uses: Tops, dresses, trousers, jackets, jumpsuits. Pros: Breathable, comfortable, cooling. Cons: Not crease resistant, shrinks when steamed/washed, doesn’t machine wash well, frays easily, difficult to ease, wears away at fold lines so not great for garments with tucks, pleats in key areas. Tips for choosing quality linens: Quality linen will feel smooth yet a little wiry, and be firm when stretched slightly. Look for fine yarns that have been used to weave the linen and check that the yarns are straight (with the warp and weft running perpendicular to each other) and closely woven. Stitching tips: Special…

WASHING FABRIC Not all fabrics wash in the same way, so here’s how to ensure you use the best setting for your chosen material. It’s an age-old sewing debate: to pre-wash, or not to pre-wash? It may not seem like it, but washing your fabric is one of the most important steps in dressmaking. It’s vital for the longevity of your finished garment. Fabric can shrink and its dye can run, so – as much as we might want to skip this step and get stuck into sewing – it’s always best to pre-wash it before you start your project, either by hand or by machine. This depends on the fabric type and how you intend to wash the garment when it is made – wash it on the temperature…