The Pattern Pages

A happy January to you! We love the start of the New Year and planning projects to sew. With the cost of living at its highest, this issue is all about sewing things to last and keeping warm. If you are a sewing newbie then Lindsey Essery from Ellie & Mac has a downloadable pattern for a lovely pair of PJs and DIBY Club shares its Billie Wearable Blanket to keep you warm and toasty this winter. This issue has a lot to offer! Improve your sewing with tips by adding neat bias binding to armholes and necklines, and get to grips with fabrics for making your own sportswear. At the end of last year, we changed the magazine’s design a little, so hope you like the new look as much…

EVERYONE IS CREATIVE! The January Challenge is an annual campaign connecting the UK through creativity and is completely free to enter. The January Challenge is 31 days of quick, fun and free creative challenges you can dip in and out of. You might do all the challenges, you might do one, it’s totally up to you. It has been proven that creativity is closely linked to our levels of wellbeing and connection to each other, and 85% of people participating said that it positively impacted their wellbeing. It’s not only for people in the UK but wherever you are in the world you can join in! 2023 is its 10th anniversary, and it will be bigger and better than ever. www.64millionartists.com/thejanuarychallenge SHOES OF YOUR DREAMS Ever wanted to try your hand at making your own…

FREE PDF PATTERN An easy way to spice up your wardrobe staples, this pattern has been developed especially for beginners, which means it’s simple to make and easy to love. The instructions will walk you through everything you need to know to get the perfect fit! Anything But Basic Women’s Leggings | DIBY Club Sizes 00-36 | Free | www.doitbetteryourself.club HIT THE MAT This yoga set is especially designed for movement. The loose fitting T-shirt has a lovely knot-detail sleeve, upper back yoke, and semi-open back. Wear it knotted at the back for a tighter fit while exercising or leave loose for cooling down. Pair it with comfy bottoms with a hidden elastic wasitband, in Capri or full length leg with slouchypockets! Knot-Maste Yoga Set | Fehr Trade Sizes XXS-XL | £8.49 | www.fehrtrade.com ON THE…

GETTING STARTED What can be better than a great fitting activewear outfit made by yourself? Even if you don’t have specialised industrial machines, you can make your own activewear. Many people simply avoid sporty stretch fabrics because they’re trying to sew it as they would do with woven fabrics. But there are a few things you should know in order to make this a fun journey instead of a frustrating one. 1. Before starting to sew, make sure you have the appropriate fabric for the outfit you will be making. For loose fitting activewear, the fabric can stretch less than for very fitted ones (25% is the usual) shown here, and it can stretch only widthwise or lengthwise (also called two-way stretch). For fitted pieces like sports bras and leggings, you’ll need four-way stretch…

MEET THE DESIGNER Read our interview with Amy Back on page 46 and find out about DIBY Club. www.doitbetteryourself.club Amy Back from DIBY Club shares here favourite tool for sewing sporty stretch fabrics: Clips instead of pins In the great clips ‘vs.’ pins debate, I firmly come down on both sides. But when I'm laying out a slippery stretch fabric for cutting, I use clips to secure the selvedge and folded edges. It’s keeps your fabric from shifting on the table, while you’re laying out your pieces. This can throw off your grain line and directional stretch. Pattern weights Speaking of a good clean cutting layout, I use pattern weights to secure my pieces. The less I'm moving and shifting the fabric - the less likely I am to mess it up! I use nuts and s-hooks…

NEW TECHNOLOGY This iron has definitely been designed with sewers in mind and features iTouch Technology that says it makes ironing faster, more efficient and fun (if ironing can be fun?). Actually, it is quite smart and senses when your hand is on the handle. And hey presto! It raises the plate up and away from the fabric so you don’t have to worry about scorching your sewing project or burning yourself when you brush past, which I do on a regular basis! This is useful if you have dexterity problems or arthitis in your hands and are pressing all the time, but it does take a while to get used to this motion happening! The iron will stand up in the usual way, but I found you need to make…