Dressmaking: The Easy Guide: Mix and match skirts, sleeves and necklines for over 80 stylish variations

Product Information

Let Dressmaker Helen Rhiannon guide you through every step of the process to help you create a classic, customized dress that’s perfect for your body and your personal style. There are thousands of patterns available to buy from big pattern houses through to small independent designers. Patterns for every garment type that we can adapt to fit perfectly to create a unique style. You just need to learn the basic skills to start sewing your own clothes and we're here to help get you started and share patterns with you..

Start simple! Don't try anything too complicated that will leave you frustrated and confused. Our own Simple Sew pattern brand is aimed at beginner sewing, we won't include anything overly complicated. Helen has been designing and making dresses for a long time and, in this book, she shares her knowledge to allow you to measure yourself and adapt patterns to cut and sew dresses for the perfect fit, whatever your shape, height and size! All the instructions have been thoroughly tested with Helen’s army of ladies who range from small to curvy, so you can be confident that the patterns will work for you! account differences in body size across bust, waist and hips. Trace off your pattern pieces, then create a sample (toile) in calico which you can then adapt to create the dress of your dreams, in your own choice of fabulous fabric.There's an ethical angle to sewing your own clothes too, especially if you also source your fabric carefully. Most of our clothes are made by anonymous, low-paid seamstresses working in factories on the other side of the world. Each garment maker sewing a seam here or a button there on huge assembly lines for the throwaway fashion industry.

We are open up to and including December 23rd. Between Christmas and New Year we are open 10.30am to 5pm and closed on both Saturdays. You won't need all of the supplies listed here, but they might come in handy! Here are a few things to add to your sewing supplies:The language of sewing and dressmaking is demystified at the beginning of the book, as well as the equipment you need to get started. How to insert an invisible zip – give your outfits a professional finish by inserting an invisible zip. Trace off your pattern pieces, then create a sample (toile) in calico which you can then adapt to create the dress of your dreams, in your own choice of fabulous fabric.

Fairly obvious, but to start with you will need a basic sewing machine if you don't already have one. We would advise asking friends and relatives if they have a machine you could borrow before you invest in a machine. Often people have sewing machines lurking in cupboards that they used once to sew a pair of curtains 20 years ago.The 5 patterns can be put together to create 80 different dress styles; adapted to make 4 different skirts or 4 tops; or the pattern for the straight skirt can be joined to any of the bodice patterns to make a straight dress.