It isn’t just that I’ve felt reluctant to sew for my fluctuating body shape. I can think of plenty of size-flexible dresses, tops and skirts I’d love to make: loose and floaty styles, a bit of forgiving shirring, adjustable ties and wrap fronts. The ideas are there! But between looking after a lively toddler, keeping up with my part-time Herbal Medicine studies and navigating those wonderfully unpredictable pregnancy energy levels, I just don’t have the time.

I know what you’re about to say. Surely I could sneak in 15 minutes a day while my toddler naps, or after she’s gone to bed? Isn’t that what all the other toddler mums on Instagram are doing?

Sadly for me, no.

Naptimes are for watching lectures (or actually napping myself – much more of the latter these days), and by the end of the day there’s no will left for anything beyond snuggles with my husband on the sofa. And honestly? That’s exactly as it should be.

But it’s ok – I’m not complaining. I’ve made my peace with the reality that this season of my life is simply less about sewing. What I’ve cultivated over the last 20-ish years is a skill that will stay with me for life, and a temporary break from the machine isn’t going to change that.

Having said that, without some sort of creative outlet I would go completely stir crazy. So if, like me, you find yourself in a temporary no-sew season of your own, here are some ideas to keep you feeling inspired and inventive in lieu of sewing machines and fabric stashes.

#MakersGonnaMake

Cooking+

I don’t mean everyday cooking (which I also love and get immense creative pleasure from – most of the time!). By cooking+ I mean getting properly playful in the kitchen and disappearing down new culinary rabbit holes.

For me, that has looked like falling head-first into sourdough and fermenting. Crucially, these are things I can do while my toddler toddles about – and even gets involved with. Measuring flour, stirring starters, tasting kombucha, poking at jars of sauerkraut: it all counts as making.

Cooking+ could also be baking decorative pies, learning to make pasta from scratch, trying a new cuisine, or finally tackling that intimidating recipe you’ve bookmarked for years.

Challenge: Choose one cookbook from your collection each month and cook two recipes from it per week (or however many you can realistically manage). By the end of the month you will almost certainly have learned something new and hopefully added a fresh favourite meal to your repertoire. You can even evaluate whether it’s a book you actually want to keep – I don’t know about you, but I have a huge cookbook collection and many of them never get opened!

Lap Crafts

This is always my first go-to when I’m too time- or energy-poor to sew. I love having a project right there by the sofa that I can pick up in small pockets of the day: something to work on casually while watching TV, supervising colouring sessions, or having tea with a friend.

Right now I’m knitting a hooded scarf for myself and working on an endless baby blanket. Will I finish it before the baby arrives? Probably not (I started it when I was pregnant with my last one!). But there is something wonderfully freeing about a pattern-less project that simply keeps my hands busy and my mind calm.

Challenge: Pick a different lap craft to try each month (or each season – whatever works for you): embroidery, knitting, crochet, visible mending, macramé, English paper piecing, beadwork, or even a bit of simple weaving. By the end of the year you’ll have new skills – and beautiful little makes you squeezed in almost by stealth.

Growing + Sprouting

Even with no garden and zero gardening skills, you can still enjoy the creative (and nutritional!) benefits of greener-fingered friends.

Growing microgreens on a windowsill or sprouting grains and legumes indoors is simple, inexpensive and endlessly satisfying. Watching something transform from seed to food in a matter of days scratches exactly the same itch as starting a new sewing project – only with much less mess.

Winter is the perfect time to begin. Both microgreens and sprouts provide incredible nutrient density at a time of year when our bodies could really do with a boost.

Challenge: Start a mini windowsill herb garden and enjoy tending something living, even in the smallest of spaces.

Tablescaping

Tablescaping is the art of setting a beautiful table – turning an ordinary meal into a tiny creative event.

Play with napkin folding, mismatched crockery, jam jars of flowers, candles you’ve been 'saving', or little handwritten place cards. It’s creativity you can practise daily, with whatever you already own.

Challenge: Once a month, set the table as if you were hosting a favourite friend – even if it’s just fish fingers with the family. Think about bringing in seasonal elements, or even taking astrological inspiration if you're that way inclined (you know I am!!).

Wardrobe Audit

When you can’t sew, you can still design.

A wardrobe audit is a brilliant way to stay creatively connected to your personal style. Spend ten minutes trying new combinations, photographing outfits on your phone, or identifying gaps you’d love to fill in the future. Rearranging, re-styling and re-imagining what you already have is a form of making in its own right.

Challenge: Or more of a recommendation, invest in a colour analysis session - this has honestly been life changing for me (and then I persuaded my husband to do it too, and he’s now also obsessed). Understanding your undertones, contrast and which colours do and don’t work for you make conducting a wardrobe audit, and future sewing/shopping, infinitely more satisfying and productive. You’ll end up with a closet-full of clothes that all work harmoniously with each other, and best of all, make you look your most radiant self!

Future Sewing Plans Journal

If the urge to sew is bubbling away but time is scarce, pour that energy into a "future sewing plans journal". Keep an ongoing notebook of patterns you want to try, colour palettes you love, dream projects and fabric wish lists. Jot down capsule wardrobe ideas, collect inspiration images, and plan ahead for the moment when life opens up a little more. You may even find that without the pressure to actually make any of these garments anytime soon, the limits of your creativity are blown wide open! You’ll be amazed how satisfying it feels simply to nurture ideas until you can bring them to life, plus you’ll have a fun record of your evolving style to look back on!

And that, my friends, is where my creative energy for the day has officially begun to fall away…! Is there anything else you would add to this list? How do you stay inspired and keep creative when you simply don’t have time to sew?

With love,

Elisalex xxx

Here are a few of my favourite quick, satisfying makes - perfect for using up what you already have, enjoying the process, and giving something that feels genuinely heartfelt.

A scrap-busting evening bag

Our Marianne Bag Draft-It-Yourself pattern is ideal for turning treasured fabric scraps into a beautiful, one-off evening bag - a lovely way to give something stylish and sustainable.

Linen napkins with decorative stitch borders

Simple linen napkins elevated with a decorative stitch around the edge make a timeless gift - practical, beautiful, and always appreciated (especially by hosts and food lovers).

Lavender eye pillows

Soft natural fibres, dried lavender, and a little rice or flaxseed come together quickly to create a calming, comforting gift - perfect for tired parents, yogis, or anyone in need of rest.

Oat bath bags

Made with muslin or cotton and filled with oats and Himalayan rock salt (and a dash of essential oil and perhaps a touch of dried herbs), these are wonderfully soothing for winter skin and take just minutes to assemble - no sewing required!

Crochet snowflake ornaments

Delicate, nostalgic, and surprisingly quick, crochet snowflakes make charming tree decorations or gift toppers - especially lovely when made in a cosy evening with a cup of tea.

I hope this list reminds you that it’s not about perfection or pressure - it’s about care, creativity, and a little time spent making something by hand. Wishing you a gentle, joyful festive season and a very happy holidays 💫

To my dearest sewing friends,

It’s been a long time since I sat down to write one of these updates, and I wanted to share what’s been happening behind the seams, and what’s currently on the agenda for By Hand London.

As some of you know, the past few years have been a whirlwind of change for me. I got married, wrote a book, got pregnant (and miscarried), got pregnant again, started a part time naturopathy degree, gave birth to our gorgeous baby girl (💕 Lorelei 💕 pictured above from last summer), waved my most wonderful assistant Jess off back to her family in Australia and then, oh yes, got pregnant again! With my third babe (another little girl!) due to be born towards the end of January 2026, and with everything else that has been going on, I’ve felt the clear nudge to slow down, and prioritise.

Rather than push through and try to keep an unmanageable number of plates spinning, I’m choosing to listen - to honour this season of my life and let the business gently rest for a while. By Hand London will be going into a kind of hibernation mode while I focus on the babies and complete my studies.

What this means for BHL:

• Our PDF patterns, webinars, ebooks and Draft-It-Yourself patterns remain available for instant download — so you can still get sewing whenever inspiration strikes! We still have some signed copies of my book, Made To Measure, in stock and available to order (we can ship worldwide!). I will do post runs 1x per week.
• I’ll be slower to reply to emails, but I’ll check in regularly.
• The blog, newsletter and Instagram will be a little quieter (as they already have been 😬), though I will do my best to pop in from time to time to share inspiring community makes, news of sales and hopefully the odd make of my own - how I miss my sewing machine!

I’m endlessly proud of what we’ve built together over the years - the incredible garments you’ve made, the way our community champions slow fashion, and the sense of creative liberation that connects us all. By Hand London has always been about self-expression, joy and making clothes that feel like you - and that part will never go away.

So, this definitely isn’t goodbye! It’s just a little pause to breathe, reset and (quite literally!) nurture something new.

Thank you for being part of this journey - for every make, every message, and every bit of love you’ve shown over the years. Your support means the world, and it’s what will make it possible to come back refreshed and inspired when the time feels right.

With love and gratitude,

Elisalex x

As we transition into 2024, I'm 7 months pregnant, and have had very little drive to sew for myself since the earlier days of my first trimester. My last two months of pregnancy will be spent over the depths of UK winter, and I plan on spending that time hibernating - batch cooking and freezing bone broth, scheduling blog posts and newsletters in advance of maternity leave, and preparing for our daughter's arrival wearing only the comfiest, stretchiest, cosiest clothes I own. Beyond the birth, I have no idea how I will feel or what I will want to wear, so I'm putting absolutely no pressure on myself to think of what I might want to sew for myself as the year goes on. But that doesn't mean that I've lost my creative thirst! I still crave time alone with my sewing machine, and I know only too well how helpful it is to have a creative outlet during times of change.

Over the next couple of months, the projects I want to focus on are pretty much limited to: things for baby, and things for home.

I have a few knitting & crochet projects already on the go or ready to be cast on - a rainbow baby cardi from Seven Magpies Studio, a couple of baby blankets (Drops Design have an amazing catalogue of free patterns), and the cutest crochet baby dress I've ever seen by Mon Petit Violon.

For the home, I'm currently re-obsessed with the rope basket technique I learned from Tabara N'Diaye's book and I plan to make a nappy changing caddy as well as a trio of hanging baskets for more cute baby stuff storage solutions.

Jessica

I feel like my style changed significantly when I had children, a combination of the practically of (literally) running around after small kids and the change in lifestyle moving to London (lots of walking to get places).

The walking situation hasn’t changed but as my children gain more independence I can see my style shifting once again to become a little less purely practical and a little more dressed up. I have always been a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl for everyday, but now I find myself wanting to add elements that level up that combination so I can feel more “put together”.

My goals for 2024 are to continue building tailoring skills, initially that means blazers and coats however I’d like to be able to transfer those techniques to dresses (think Alexander McQueen).

Which leads me to my next goal which is inner structure of garments. I dabbled in this last year but did not succeed… I’m planning to redo last year’s birthday dress with a proper inner structure so it becomes strapless as intended.

I LOVE shoes, I’ve always loved shoes and have really beautiful collection of fancy shoes most of which I cannot regularly wear because they get ruined walking around London.

For 2024 the goal is to make myself some beautiful ballet flats, low and mid height heels. Pretty but practical enough for walking around. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the frivolous shoes. Even though it’s not really sewing related I will be strassing* a few pairs of shoes in 2024 too…

*To cover something in sparkly crystals.

Mattie

I had a breast reduction in early December 2023, so my 2024 sewing will be all about fitting my new proportions. I was a sewing for a dressmakers' I cup before and will now be a D or an E, so it's a big change and I'm very excited to use my sewing skills to embrace my new body.

1. Alter what I can. I have a closet full of beautiful clothes that don't fit anymore. Alteration has never been my strong suit, but I'm determined to save some of these babies.

2. Learn to fit my body now. One of the joys of sewing is a custom fit, and I'm excited to adapt my skills.

3. Try new silhouettes. I would like to experiment a lot with my style in 2024.

Elle

In 2023 I pushed myself to sew complex garments like my first tailored jacket and sewing with trickier fabrics. Although I found the process rewarding, it didn’t bring me as much joy as I’d have liked. It was pretty stressful at times.

For 2024, I want to focus on COLOUR. Colour brings me joy. I love wearing bright and bold colours but don’t think I’ve quite nailed colour theory and what looks right on me yet.

I want to experience and explore sewing with different colours (but not just make random tat that I won’t wear). I want to make bold pieces that fit into my wardrobe and can be re worn with other things multiple times. I would love to find MY colours and properly find my style.

All images are for inspiration purposes only, found via Pinterest.

• the perfect stash buster, using less than 1m fabric
• the ultimate quick fix, taking less than an hour to sew
• a super chic end result

You don't need any bag-making experience to draft and sew this cute little purse, and you can use almost any fabric you already have in your stash (lightweight fabrics will need extra structure with the addition of a medium weight woven fusible interfacing) - yes, we're talking bags to match your handmade dresses people! 

You will, however, need some extra hardware to complete your bag and give it that designer finish, and this is all outlined and explained in this post.

Hardware you will need:

• A zipper
• 1 pair D- or O-rings
• A larger ring
• A bag strap / chain

*Please note, we have recommended shops and suppliers based in the UK as that is where we are and what we know - and finding suppliers worldwide to suggest is too monumental a task! We have also given suggestions of what keywords to search for, so hopefully you'll have an easier time finding what you need online, wherever you are :)

Zippers

This is what will securely close the topline of your evening bag, and you'll need to factor in the length of your zip when you draft the pattern. For our samples, we have used both metal jeans zippers and invisible zippers, so that choice is really down to what you prefer the look of, and the weight of your fabric - you're not going to have much success sewing an invisible zip into leather or heavier fabrics like denim or tweed! 

TIP: Make sure you measure your zip from end to end of the teeth, not the tape! The final width of your bag's topline (not including seam allowance) needs to be as wide as the zipper's teeth length, not total tape length.

Alternatively: you could also fasten your bag with a magnetic snap closure in the centre of the topline, but this will result in a bag that is less closed/secure than it would be with a zip.

D- & O-rings

These are the smaller loops that get threaded onto your side seam ring tabs as you're sewing your bag. They provide attachment points for your bag strap.

We recommend getting ones that are about 12mm in diameter, as that will perfectly fit the width of the ring tabs we've suggested in the pattern drafting instructions. 15mm will also work fine - some of our samples have 12mm diameter rings and some are 15mm. If you can only find D- or O-rings that are smaller or larger, make sure you tweak the final width of your ring tabs accordingly.

You'll see that some of our samples have plain D- and O-rings, and some have an in-built spring clasp. The rings with the in-built clasp are really useful if your bag strap is just a length of chain - you'll be able to clip and unclip your strap on easily without needing pliers (see below) to open and close the ends of the chain to attach it to the bag. Plus, you'll also have a bag that can have infinitely changeable straps! We're already having great fun switching up the straps for our samples to create different looks for one bag. If you've opted for plain D- / O-rings, you can also get bag straps that have in-built clasps (like our chunky pearl strap) to make attaching and/or changing your strap a breeze.

You can also get plain D-rings that employ the use of a mini screwdriver to open the shaft, so that would enable you to easily attach/change a clasp-less strap as well.

What to search for: "12mm D-rings" or "15mm metal ring". All our D- and O-rings -with and without in-built clasps- came from Amazon, but we've also seen some great options over at MacCulloch & Wallis.

The larger ring

This is what enables you to play with the strap setting on your bag. The larger ring is attached to one of the D- / O-rings OR the bag strap clasp on one side, and when you feed the strap through it, both ends of the bag's topline meet and the bag strap turns into a cute loop that you can dangle off your wrist.

The diameter of this larger ring really depends on the chunkiness of your bag's strap - it needs to be wide enough to feed your strap through while it's attached to one end. For our chunky pearl strap, which is 25mm at its widest pearl, we used a 40mm diameter ring.

What to search for: "Heavy duty metal ring" or something like "40mm gold O-ring". New Craft House have some great options at the moment - we used their 34mm gold chunky ring for one of our samples. You could also use a chunky metal keyring that has a hinge opening.

Your bag strap or chain

The really fun part! Because the bag strap is detachable (if you choose a strap, or D- / O-rings that have in-built clasps), you can have all the fun trying out different styles all on one bag! Or make a few bags and get straps that can be switched around between them! This part is really down you your style and preference, but we've suggested a minimum length of 35cm. Go for metal chain, chunky pearls, wooden beads, leather, canvas or anything else you can think of!

What to search for: Things like "replacement bag chain strap" or "detachable bag strap" or "bead purse handle" - searches like that will bring up bag strap options that will likely already have a clasp built-in. If you're after a length of chain, we'd suggest visiting your local DIY shop so you can see and handle the different size and finishes, and they can cut it to length for you. Our pearl strap and the longer chain straps both came from Amazon, while the finer metal, almost woven mesh strap (shown on the black lace sample, the cream leather sample, and under the pearl strap in the image above) was from New Craft House.

Embellishments!

We couldn't talk about hardware without mentioning optional embellishments! Our super talented Jessica made her Marianne bag out of an old pair of jeans which she embellished with lengths of diamanté in various sizes, and we are all obsessed with the result! Very Britney c. 2001, in the best possible way.

Most of these were sourced from New Craft House, but we'd also suggest scouring your local charity shops or second hand sites like eBay for discarded diamanté belts, chains, earrings etc.

We also made a silk taffeta Marianne with gold beaded fringe dangling from the bottom - this is one of the "level up ideas" you can find in the instruction booklet. We love the designer drama of how this sample turned out, and it's gotten us thinking about future Marianne bags with other types of fringe - feather, leather, diamanté, tassels... how will you level up your Marianne??

Pliers (optional)

If you have opted for plain D- or O-rings (that don't have a mechanism by which to open them) and a length of chain that doesn't have in-built clasps at each end, you will need pliers in order to open the ends of your chain and attach to your rings. This will result in a bag that has a more permanent strap that won't be easily detachable or changeable.

I wrote a book! This has been a decades-long dream of mine, and I'm so proud of the final result. Made To Measure is a sewing book, but not like the ones you might already know. Instead of providing you with sewing patterns for the 16 dressmaking projects in the book, each one is a draft-it-yourself, meaning that you will learn how to draft the pattern from scratch, to your own body measurements. No size charts, no limits, and hopefully less fitting! As well as the projects, the book also includes extensive chapters on essential sewing techniques, fabric types and care, pattern hacking, how to take a pattern from an existing garment, and pattern fitting and alteration (just in case!).

Made To Measure is now available worldwide! You can get exclusively signed copies direct from us, or purchase from your local or preferred book retailer. 

GENERAL

Will the book be available in different languages? I hope so! If this initial post-publication period goes well and there seems to be a demand for additional languages, then that is certainly something my publishers will be looking into. Watch this space!

My local bookstore / haberdashery doesn't have any copies of your book, and I would prefer to buy it from an independent business :( I would be thrilled to have my book in more small, independent businesses! Please express a desire to buy my book from your local independent and give them our contact email (help@byhandlondon.com) should they wish to place a wholesale order from the publisher. We can then put them in touch :)

ORDERING & SHIPPING

Can I order a signed copy of the book from the BHL website if I'm not in the UK? Totally! We can ship anywhere in the world :)

I'd like to order a signed copy for a friend. Can you make out the dedication to someone else? No worries at all - just include the person's name and anything you'd like me to write in the notes box when you get to checkout.

IS THIS BOOK RIGHT FOR ME?

I'm new to sewing, and would consider myself a complete beginner - is this book right for me? In all honesty, I would say not yet. If you have never sewn a garment before, then you will need to get a little more experience and confidence under your belt before attempting the projects in this book. I wouldn't want you to get excited and then feel overwhelmed as you read through for the first time! When you get to a more 'confident beginner' stage, when you've made a few simple garments like skirts and tops and had a go working from a commercial sewing pattern, then you'll be in a much better position to try out the projects in this book!

I've never drafted a pattern before - is this book right for me? Definitely :) The projects in the book vary in difficulty, so you'll be able to start with very simple, beginner friendly self-draft projects (like the Panelled Wrap Skirt, or the Patchwork Gathered Skirt) and work your way up to the more advanced garments as your skills develop and your confidence grows. I'm a huge believer in learning as you go, not worrying about "perfection", and just getting stuck right into a project that will challenge you, and hopefully leave you with new abilities and something you'll be proud to wear!

I'm already very confident drafting my own patterns - is this book right for me? Absolutely! As well the the more beginner friendly projects, there are harder and more advanced projects in there too, such as a pair of high waisted wide leg trousers and a slinky bias cut halter neck gown, complete with centre back godet...! As well as the 16 draft-it-yourself projects, there are sections on pattern alteration, how to take a pattern from an existing garment, sleeve hacks and so much more. I've poured as much of what I've learned over the last 20 years I've been sewing into this book, so I hope that everyone will get something juicy out of it!

I can never find sewing patterns to fit my body - does this book offer size inclusive sewing patterns? What makes this book different is that there are no patterns - each project takes you through how to draft the pattern to your own measurements -no matter your size or shape- and then sew it altogether. When you're starting with your own measurements from the very beginning, you don't have to worry about where you sit on a size chart, the amount of fitting you'll have to do should be much less than with a standard sewing pattern, plus you can also tweak the design to your own taste as you go!

I don't have anyone to help me take measurements or make alterations - will I still be able to draft and fit the projects in the book? Yes! Having a happy helper (who knows how to take accurate measurements and can genuinely assist in fit diagnosis) is a luxury that most of us don't have access to. We've got a video on YouTube that shows you how to take your own body measurements solo - check it out here. However, if you have limited mobility, especially in your arms, some of the measurements will be difficult to take by yourself so you will need to get someone to help you out.

HELP!

If I get stuck on one of the projects in the book, where do I go for help? If you get stuck and need some advice, please send an email to help@byhandlondon.com - please include any photos of what you're working on (if relevant) so we can see where you're at and how best to support you :) Equally, if you have any questions that are not answered here, please send us an email and we will get back to you, and add your question to the FAQs here as well.

It might start with a little run of sewing fails leaving me feeling deflated and uninspired. Or maybe I’ll find myself sewing exclusively for work - samples and toiles and stuff that I don’t get to keep - and suddenly I’ll realise how long it’s been since I had the joy of sewing for myself.

While it can feel like a drag when you lose your drive to sew, I try to think of it as the calm before a new beginning. A time to enjoy the stillness, reflect, look forward, make lists and set intentions, and most importantly, remove all the pressure to perform and create that we (speaking for myself here!) all too often pile upon ourselves.

And I think that this can be applied across the board, whenever we feel like we’ve gotten stuck in a rut.

The following tips are more than just a way to kickstart your sewjo; they’re a way to create the space and clarity for fresh inspiration to come your way.

1.

Tidy and organise your sewing space. Clutter does not equal clarity, and a good spring clean will clear out the dust bunnies in your mind, as well as those under your sewing table! Arrange your threads into a rainbow, sort through your fabric stash, reorganise your patterns… You may even find that you rediscover some forgotten gems!

2.

Have a sketching session while looking over your favourite fashion magazines / Pinterest / Instagram. Our PDF sewing planner has transformed the way I plan out my makes. I use the croquis pages to sketch mini collections, cut them out and arrange them in my bullet journal accompanied by pretty little fabric swatches. I may not end up making everything I sketch, but it’s a great exercise in getting the creative juices flowing!

3.

Go fabric and haberdashery shopping - in person, not online! - and treat yourself to something special. And by special, I don’t necessarily mean expensive here - set aside whatever you can afford and simply make a point of getting yourself a present! That pattern you’ve been wanting forever, a couple of metres of Liberty lawn that you know you’ll treasure, a handful of vintage buttons. The important thing here is to make a big deal of it. You’re taking yourself out, for you. Spend some quality time in your favourite haberdashery, stroking the fabrics, leafing through new pattern releases, flicking through books, chatting to the sales assistants, allowing the inspiration to wash all over you...

4.

Make something that you’ve made and loved before, aka, The Quick Fix. Even if you don’t really need another tie-front tank top (I’m looking at you, Hunter Tank by Jennifer Lauren Vintage), you can sew it with your eyes shut and with one hand tied behind your back and you know that it’s going to fit right and be a welcome addition to your wardrobe. It’s a small but guaranteed win, and that’s always a good thing.

5.

Copy something that someone else made. Bear with me here… I'm not talking about ripping anyone off! We all have a sewing style crush who’s one iteration of that cult pattern we’ve screenshotted more than once without realising, amiright? So, instead of just drooling over it, and feeling bad that you’re not as effortlessly chic as they are (spoiler: you are!), make it for yourself! Same pattern, same/similar fabric. It’s a surefire win, and one that might even help you to discover a whole new angle to your own personal style. Just make sure you fully credit your muse when you post your plagiarised make online - chances are, they’ll be so flattered to have been such an inspiration to someone else, that in turn they will feel more inspired and confident in themself, and voilà, you’ve made the world a better place by spreading some love!

6.

Plan with purpose. Penning a monster list of all the things you want to make can feel productive at first, but in actual fact will probably just wind up overwhelming you, and making you feel bad when you’ve only checked two things off a year later. Instead, look ahead no more than four months and pinpoint two or three events or occasions that you’d like to sew for. Your birthday, a school reunion, that killer NYE party your BFF throws every year. Plan your outfits carefully and thoughtfully and enjoy taking your time over them, as opposed to frantically sewing a new frock the night before, and having to wear it the next day knowing that the hem of your lining is actually being temporarily held in place by duct tape… #beentheredonethat

7.

Build on your skill set by taking a course. Online or offline, both have their pros and cons. Online courses are more economical, you can work at your own pace and are great if you don’t live near a good haberdashery or sewing school. IRL courses are certainly more spenny, but will get you out of the house and into a creative environment where you’ll be forced to sew! And even better, you’ll most likely make some new sewing friends along the way. Which brings me to….

I'm teaching a self-drafting class and a new & improved fitting course at NCH! Click here for details and booking

8.

Start a sewing circle. Having a small network of local buddies who share your love of sewing does wonders. You could agree to meet one Sunday a month, alternating between your homes and setting up your machines around the dining table, as you natter and stitch the day away. You could hold fabric swaps, go on fabric shopping jaunts together and even have a Whatsapp group for that constant flow of sewing banter that your other friends just don’t understand. And when you get into a sewing rut, they’ll be there to help ease you back out. 

***

Moral of the story? Losing your sewjo doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As with most things, a little positive reframing of the situation turns a rut into an opportunity. An opportunity to reassess, level up and add new layers to your sewing practice. A time for renewed inspiration and a refreshed sense of purpose - which can only ever be a good thing!

Hannah is a firm favourite with the sewing community, there are almost 2500 posts on the #bhlhannah hashtag, so we thought we would celebrate all the beautiful Hannahs that have been made and showcase some to give you a little bit of extra inspiration! 

We are going to kick it off by talking about some sleeve options, the pattern contains three sleeve options - short sleeve, bishop sleeve and tulip sleeve - so let’s have a look at them! 

Option 1 - Short Sleeve. @cookinandcraftin

Option 2 - Bishop Sleeve - @emsewhappy using fabric designed by @sewtogrow

Option 3 - Tulip Sleeves @madeby_ramona

If you don't fancy one of the sleeves that we provide in the pattern, you could hack Hannah and add a sleeve of your choice. You could use a sleeve you have from another pattern, or draft one yourself. We particularly love the look of the Hannah with a puff sleeve like below made by @dindinissewing

You can also change up the skirt on Hannah, you could swap the pattern's gathered skirt with a circle skirt for a glamorous look! You can see an example here of a Hannah with a half circle skirt by @putadartinit.

Now, we can't talk sewing inspiration without mentioning fabric choices! We have seen beautiful Hannahs made up in so many different fabric types, we recommend a woven fabric like light to medium weight cottons, linens and viscose, but feel free to experiment! Elisalex made her Hannah out of this gorgeous grey double gauze and it looks so soft and feminine. 

You could even try experimenting with multiple fabric like @jujugalore and @sewingwithsam have here, making one half of the skirt and bodice in one fabric and the other half in a contrasting print! We love how creative you can be with fabric choices, to make truly one-of-a-kind garments. 

Or you could go for a big bold print all in one fabric as @modo.makes has done here! This is a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana designer fabric from Tessuti Fabrics that looks so stunning. 

There is also the option of making Hannah into a top, it is the perfect everyday garment to wear with jeans and trainers or you could glam it up and make it out of a super fancy fabric like sequins which our wonderful Jess has done here (made with matching Holly trousers)!

Finally, Hannah is a great pattern for if you are pregnant or post-partum as it has no rigid fastenings like buttons or zips, jus the ties to make it as loose or tight as you like. Gina from @ginaseams made her Hannah whilst she was pregnant and she didn't size up. However, you may wish to size up or shorten the bodice slightly to allow for more bump room.

You can also see Elisalex's sister Georgia below wearing the Hannah dress in action whilst breast feeding! It really is such a maternity friendly pattern.

We hope that this blog has given you enough sewing inspiration to make some gorgeous Hannahs! As Hannah is our pattern of the month, we are giving you 20% off both the Hannah and Little Hannah patterns with the code LOVEHANNAH, this is valid until 31st May 2023.

Also, please get involved with our Hannah competition running all month, all you need to do is a post a photo of your Hannah (old or new) to Instagram using the hashtag #bhlhannah and you could be in with the chance to win prizes!

Happy Sewing!

Elle for BHL 

x

If you happened to swing by London's iconic annual Stitch Festival last month, you may have noticed the Stitch Fest-exclusive soft launch of our latest Draft-it-Yourself pattern among the sea of fabrics, patterns and crafting delights on offer at the show. We are now fully recovered from what was a very intense week (in the best possible way!) and ready to release our new baby to whole wide world!

Introducing... the BHL Draft-It-Yourself Ruffle Bag! This bag is versatile and functional, with a healthy dose of whimsy and playfulness. Meet your new go-to stash busting, quick fix, TNT project! (And best of all, it's 20% off for launch weekend! No need to remember a code, your discount will automatically apply at checkout. Expires Sunday 23rd April 2023 at midnight BST)

In case you missed them the first time around, we launched our BHL DIYs last fall. Instead of a traditional pattern, these are PDF guides that will teach you how to complete the project from drafting the pattern to the final stitch. They are packed with advice on designing your project, ideas to develop it further, and of course the detailed sewing instructions that you expect from By Hand London. The idea is to empower you not only to create, but to really understand how patterns come together, and develop skills that will enrich your sewing practice in general. 

This newest release is a bit of a new direction for BHL. Instead of a twirly party dress, we have a cute bag that is equal parts pretty and practical. As you are drafting the pattern yourself, you can pick the dimensions to suit your needs and style (of course we've included some suggestions too!). The bag features a gusset so there will be plenty of room, it's fully lined as well, giving nice clean finishes on the inside as well as making it a bit more durable. The ruffle is the icing on the cake, making sure that this is no basic bag! 

This project is the ideal palate cleanser if your sew-jo is waning a bit, or a wonderful beginner's project if you're new to sewing - welcome! It would make a great scrap-buster too, which is something we're always looking for. Of course, the hack potential is endless too, and we've included some ideas for taking the design further in our instructions...

Recommended fabrics: medium-heavy woven fabrics are ideal for a structured bag, but you could also interface lightweight fabrics to make them sturdier. Cotton canvas, oilcloth, soft leather, denim, sateen, jacquard, sturdy cottons and linens are all ideal.

For all you need to know, and details as to which fabrics we used for our gorgeous samples, head to the product page here.

Whether you're wanting a matchy-matchy accessory to go with your latest me-made outfit, toting your stuff around town, or packing yours with a book and some snacks for an afternoon in the park, we think the BHL DIY Ruffle Bag is the perfect sew for Spring. We can't wait to see your versions! If you post on Instagram please use the hashtag #bhlRuffleBag and #BHLDIY so we can find you.

Happy sewing!

Before I begin, I want to extend a deeply heartfelt thank you to everyone who read my post yesterday, everyone who commented or sent me a message of love and support - my husband and I are floored by your kind words. I can’t thank you enough! I only hope that I can provide the same comfort to someone else who needs it in the way that I have received.

This blog post is a more matter-of-fact outline of what our next steps will be. If you haven’t read the last post, this one might feel a bit abrupt without the context. It’s a lot to read though, so in a nutshell, 2022 was a financial nightmare, we got unfairly evicted from our studio last month, I’m recovering from a recent miscarriage, and here we are trying to recoup, find our feet and stay afloat…

My aim here is to address everything that has led to where we are now in a way that is factual and straightforward. As I write I promise to do my best to be sensitive to those that this information might affect negatively, and I would like to emphasise that it pains me as well - BHL is my baby and I have done my best to serve this community and run a sustainable business, and will continue to do so. However, a business that is not sustainable will serve no one, and in order to survive changes need to be made and priorities need to be clear. Projector files for example, are not a priority (sorry Projector Crew! Please don’t hate me! Maybe one day…). Right now, anything that costs us time and money to develop that will be expected to be given away for free is not a priority.

Ok. So what is changing?

Most significantly, and heartbreakingly, I have had to let go of two of our beloved team members, Mattie and Elle. This will be effective at the end of March after Stitch Fest (more about that below), although we are really hoping this is just a temporary measure until we can regain our financial footing. Mattie and Elle are both part-timers, and have other ongoing freelance careers. Thankfully both are open to coming back to BHL as and when our bank balance allows.

We have stopped offering copyshop prints, and everything you order from our shop from now on will be in the form of digital PDF downloads only.

Jess and I will be going back to working from my kitchen table and sewing in our spare rooms at home. Jess works for BHL on a part-time basis, so we will probably go back to spending two half days together at mine, and do the rest from our homes. Moving forward, my hours will also be more in the realm of part-time (as opposed to overtime!) as I work on other projects and pursuits (more about those below) and generally slow down and do whatever I need to stay as far away from Burnout Broadway as possible!

The reality of what happened with our size extension and why it’s not working out the way we hoped. Three years down the line and unfortunately, the sad truth of the matter here is that creating two size bands doubles our costs per pattern, but did not come anywhere near to doubling our sales. It also meant that most patterns ended up taking longer to produce as there were more hurdles to factor in at the pattern development and grading stage for each size band (this is normal as we iron out fit issues and design details in the initial stages, just that when you’re working on two size bands, this workload is doubled), meaning that we would be releasing fewer patterns in the long run. Add to that a large backlog of older patterns that need to be systematically updated with the new size band - this was a major money sink as we were giving everyone who had previously purchased the pattern the update for free (as most in the community agreed should be the done thing), and not enough new sales were coming in to cover the costs of the update. 

So between the doubling of our costs, the extra time needed to develop two size bands per pattern, and the updating of older patterns, this dual size band model of creating sewing patterns is not working out for us, and if we don’t address the situation and dramatically adjust our course, we won’t be around for much longer.

Does that mean no more BHL sewing patterns?? Yes and no. For the time being, we are pausing all of the sewing patterns we have mid-production, and we are not focusing our energy on developing more. For the reasons outlined above, the dual size band model of sewing patterns isn’t working out for us financially, nor does it adequately address the issue of size inclusivity. Instead, we are focusing on Draft-It-Yourself patterns. We tested the waters with our collection of BHLDIY skirts towards the end of last year, and the feedback we’ve had has been soooo encouraging! All I want to do is teach and inspire people to make their own clothes - clothes that are a joy to make and wear and fit like a dream. And working on DIY patterns feels like it could be the solution. These patterns can be made by absolutely anyone of any size and shape. In following our Draft-It-Yourself patterns you will:

• Learn how to make clothes from scratch based on your own measurements
• Level up your drafting and fitting skills
• Gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for your body
• Consider pattern hacking and design tweaks that reflect your own taste from the get-go
• Become more self-sufficient in your sewing, less reliant on working with sewing patterns that come in your size and/or proportion

The first three BHLDIY patterns available are nice and simple, without compromising on the fabulous, stand-out style that you've come to expect from us - the perfect place to start if this concept is new to you. 

@ashleytaylorosorio on Instagram said of the DIY Peplum Skirt pattern, “Kudos to By Hand London for making a beginner friendly pattern, teaching me how to draft it myself using my own measurements and making me feel confident enough to continue making more garments after this!”

As we release more BHLDIY patterns, we will be covering a wide range of garment types and accessories, catering to all levels of sewing experience. As this is not only new ground for us, but also the sewing industry, we are always open to suggestions and feedback so we can constantly improve our offering.

What is the rest of 2023 looking like?

Stitch Festival; March 23rd-26th. Before we had any idea as to how the 2023 cookie would crumble, we committed to exhibiting at Stitch Festival at the end of March. Our stand is part of the Indie Biz Village, an impeccably curated space within Stitch Fest dreamed up and executed to perfection by none other than Nerrisa Pratt of Untld Project and Bargello Edit fame. Believe me when I tell you that Nerrisa is a superhuman angel, the blinding likes of which I have never before witnessed! We will be exhibiting alongside some other amazing indie brands such as I Can Make Shoes and Sister Mintaka.

We will be there selling off the last of our beautiful paper patterns (which you can no longer buy through our online shop, and will be gone forever after Stitch Fest) and offering 1-2-1 30 minute time slots with me! If you have fitting issues, are struggling with any sewing techniques, want help or ideas with a pattern hack, or anything else - let me help :) 

We are also excited and deeply honoured that Stitch Fest has offered to celebrate a decade of BHL and Fabric Godmother with a retrospective exhibition AND a catwalk on the Thursday showcasing our patterns and FG fabrics from over the years. 

If you haven’t yet booked your ticket to Stitch Festival, you can get £2 off the standard advance adult/concession tickets with code BHL23. Tickets need to be booked by March 22nd 11:59pm, and do not apply to the Sunday.

My book - publishing in the UK on October 12th 2023.

I touched on this really briefly in my last post, and I’ve been keeping it secret since last Spring, so it’s with a huge sigh of relief that I can finally reveal that I have written a book and it will be published in the US and Canada on October 10th and in the UK on October 12th!!! 

This book has been marinating in my head for years, and when the lovely team at Quarto Books contacted me, the fit instantly felt right. Working with my editor Michelle and her team has been the best, and they have been so wonderful and supportive throughout all the unforeseen bumps along the way. The book is of course about sewing ;) and is a collection of Draft-It-Yourself projects - perfectly and rather coincidentally in keeping with (or a preordainment of?) how things are shaping up over here! 

I still have a way to go proofreading and refining, but I’m told that pre-orders will be opening soon, so I’ll save all the juicy details for when I can direct you to an actual link with all the info…!

I’m going to uni!

On a personal level, a long term goal of mine is to qualify as a nutritional therapist. I’ve always been interested in holistic health, and this interest has really ramped up and zeroed in on food and nutrition over the last 5ish years. I’m starting a degree (BSc) in Nutritional Therapy at ION in September! It’s part time, and I should be graduating in about 5-6 years. In January, I started their Science Access course - equivalent to an A-Level - which I need to complete by July in order to qualify for the degree course. So that’s basic chemistry, biology, physiology & anatomy and so far I’m loving it! Chemistry is no easier than I remember it at school… At least I have my 14 year old son to ask when I get stuck!

As I said, this degree will be part time, and I don’t see it impacting negatively on my business. In the wake of how busy 2022 was, and everything that’s happened over the last couple of months, my plan moving forward is to slow down, balancing work, study and home life equally. I’m already feeling a lot more inspired and grounded than I have in ages!

Once again, thank you for your time - it's been a lot to read and digest over the last couple of days. Your ongoing love and support means the absolute world to me! Onwards and upwards - in a calm, gentle and manageable fashion ;)

Trigger warning: miscarriage

Dearest friends, followers and loyal customers,

Only two months in, and already 2023 has kicked my butt from here to Uranus and back again. I’ve officially let go of the reins that steer the flow of my life and am instead committed to accepting whatever comes my way with grace and curiosity. At this point, all I can guess is that the moldavite my husband and I bought in December on our honeymoon is clearly working fast… The reins were only ever an illusion anyway ;)

Allow me to set the scene:

2022 was a mixed bag full of life’s extremes - I fell in love in January and got married eight months later; I signed a dream book deal and stretched myself thinner than ever before, managing the workload of writing a book, running a business and planning a wedding (more about the book soon!); our sales suffered the scary fate of the ongoing financial crisis with our turnover plummeting to what it was pre-pandemic -while our significantly higher post-pandemic outgoings increased; I took three blissful weeks off life in December to honeymoon in Japan, at the end of which, in the toilet of a Tokyo 7-11, we found out I was pregnant, something we had been hoping for for most of the year.

In a bid to lower our business costs and reorganise the way we run BHL so that it could continue to be a sustainable and viable business, 2022 also saw us discontinuing paper patterns (the upfront costs and minimums had become wildly unaffordable). We also had no choice but to move out of our beautiful -also unaffordable- studio and into a smaller, humbler and much cheaper space in a local church community building, the very same building where my acupuncturist husband had also moved his practice to in September. 

We moved in on January 3rd of this year and for the first few weeks we were loving our cosy room, the community vibe and the comforting smell of moxa burning from the acupuncturists’ rooms across the corridor. Things felt pretty good - we had made a sensible move to cut unnecessary overheads, we were formulating an exciting and manageable plan for BHL 2023, and I was so excited to have a baby on the way.

Then, on the evening of Sunday 29th Jan, a week after our car was stolen from outside our home (anyone out there with a contactless car key, for the love of God get yourself a Faraday box!), we were informed that due to emergency fire safety assessments needing to be carried out in our building in the wake of a recent and devastating fire at a local church (no one was hurt thankfully, but the church burnt right down), we would not be allowed to come into work the following day. We’ve not been allowed back in since. Communication was incredibly thin, and we were given no indication as to when the assessments/works would be complete or when we’d be let back into the building. In the weeks that followed, we had to pause all physical orders and do our best to crack on working from home. Our efforts to keep up momentum and morale, and stick to a production schedule with regards to ongoing projects and patterns-in-progress, have been somewhat erratic and disjointed to say the least.

During this time, when I was 11 weeks pregnant, I had a miscarriage. In a way, not being able to go into our place of work meant that my husband and I had the time and space to process the loss in a way that we might not have had otherwise. I don’t really feel like going into details here, but I do just want to acknowledge everyone who has been through, and/or is currently experiencing pregnancy loss. I send you all my love and solidarity. While I now feel okay underneath it all, accepting of what has happened and learning and growing from the heartbreaking beauty of the whole experience, it’s an ongoing multi-layered process that has tested me emotionally, physically and spiritually. I want to publicly thank all my friends, family and colleagues who have supported me and my husband through this. Never have I ever felt so loved and held by my community, and that in itself has been such a precious thing.

Last week, fresh from an appointment at the same hospital where we found out two weeks prior that our baby had stopped growing, to check that the entire contents of my womb had been expelled (it hadn’t, just a little more to go :/) we finally met with Father Luke and the parish committee who manage our studio building to get an update as to the assessments and works that have been done over the last four+ weeks. In a nutshell, the building is not fit or safe for commercial use -nor has it been for the last 17 years- and they have no intention of investing the £15k-ish needed to make it so. So, we’ve all been evicted, immediately and permanently, and with no clear understanding as to whether or not they plan to offer us any kind of compensation for the loss of earnings incurred over the last month, or reimbursement for our imminent moving costs.

It’s been a shit storm, to put it elegantly.

But, as I mentioned at the start of this essay, I am committed to facing said shit storm from a place of serene acceptance and curiosity 😂. What is all of this teaching me about where I am and how I want to live my life moving forward? What does a sustainable, viable business look like to me, and not through the lens of capitalism? What changes do I need to make in order to complement the flow of everything that’s shifting out of my control?

On a business level, we’ve had a good hard look at the reality of our situation and the current climate, and I’ve had to (once again) reframe what a ‘successful business’ means to me, and reshuffle everything in order to survive. Growth is no longer the current goal. I have no plans to get tied into an impossible loan and break my back just for the sake of ‘growth’. Honestly, I just want to make products that inspire and educate in a way that doesn’t feel crazy and stressful, and I want to be able to pay myself and the people I work with a reliable and realistic wage. Over the last year, I’ve only been able to pay myself five out of 12 months. Even if we hadn’t been kicked out of our studio, we probably would have had to let it go sooner rather than later. Right now we barely have enough in the bank to pay our wonderful team, let alone think about putting any new products into production. We currently have five new patterns, as well as many back-catalogue size updates in the works - all stalled mid-production because we can’t afford to pay for the next steps needed to get them ready for sale. 

The pandemic years were very kind to us, as they were to so many small hobbyist businesses. The sudden and prolonged increase in sales throughout 2020 and 2021 enabled us to grow, expand and respond to the needs of our community. We moved into a shiny new studio, we grew our little team, and we invested everything we had into developing our extended size range, and relaunching our paper patterns. The sad reality is that in the long term, not only has this growth and expansion not paid off, it has left us strangled financially and unable to carry on in this way*. 

On a personal level, I want to work less. I’ve never been a workaholic, and although I’ve been lucky enough to have a job that I love (most of the time!), I've never found it difficult to prioritise my personal life. Maybe that has contributed to the erratic growth of my business over the last decade! Working weekends, holidays and into the night is unfortunately synonymous with being a business owner, but it’s not a lifestyle that I will ever choose for myself. Being a Projector**, I do my best and deepest work in the first four hours of the day, and when I can keep to a routine of working in the morning and having my afternoons free to focus on all the other equally important areas of my life - looking after my home and my family, self-development and creativity, time spent with people I love - that’s when I feel truly balanced and satisfied. 

While the last six weeks have been incredibly challenging, I can already see a bigger picture forming: one that is begging me to simplify and slow down. One that is calling for me to bring my day to day life in alignment with my core goals and values.

I don’t want to overwhelm you (or me) anymore with a lengthy explanation as to what this all means for BHL moving forward. I will get that all down clearly and concisely in a Part 2 blog post to come very soon. Spoiler: it’s not the end! If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you’ll know that the evolution of BHL has already been one of many ebbs and flows, and this moment in time is just another twist in our tale. I hope you’ll continue to stick around…

All my love,

Elisalex

❤️

*Please don’t get me wrong here - I still honour the need for sewing to be size inclusive, we just haven’t been able to manage our size expansion in a way that works out financially. We do, however, have what we believe to be an exciting solution - and we’ll be explaining all about that, and what didn’t work, in the next post.

**If you’re wondering what on Earth I’m talking about here, I urge you to look into Human Design and find out your own energy type. I’ve found it to be an incredibly useful tool for understanding how I can maximise my own productivity, and how best to direct my limited energy in a way that genuinely supports my overall wellbeing and future “success”.

I decided to pick some fabulous and festive outfits garments from Pinterest and pair them up with one of our patterns so that you could recreate them if you wanted! 

First up, I saw this gorgeous off-white satin jumpsuit that is so glam and perfect for the evening and is the absolutely spit of our Holly Jumpsuit pattern. It features a cowl neckline with thin straps and wide legs, perfect to make using a satin, viscose or rayon. 

The next garment I found was a cute tartan skirt that would be great for Christmas day or to be made smaller for a little one in your life. It is a simple design with a great big bow at the front and you could definitely use our Draft It Yourself Gathered Tuck Skirt pattern for this one. You could make it with or without the tucks and pop the bow at the front or the back. 

Now for something a little more weather appropriate, I spied this winter coat and thought it was so Christmassy and cosy in the pillar box red. It reminded me of a Rumana Coat  which Elisalex made and wore in our Rumana photo shoot! 

Time for another garment that is both comfy and yet totally chic, the ruffle wrap skirt. I made this skirt pattern to take on holiday with me to Seville, and I just love that you can make it as tight or loose as you want; in my case, depending on how many tapas I ate...! This skirt would be that perfect garment for having Christmas lunch at home or for drinks with your pals on Christmas Eve. Use one of our latest Draft It Yourself patterns, the DIY Ruffle Wrap Skirt to help you achieve this look. 

I am totally in love with this next outfit, the trousers have so much drama and the top is effortlessly cool. I never knew I needed a white satin 2 piece until now. The trousers could be made using our Jackie Trousers pattern, you would just need to hack them to make them wide leg. Now I need to head down to my local haberdashery to find myself some white feathers... 

Before I go, I have one last sparkly number to tempt you into some Christmas sewing. This dress could be made using the bodice of our Hannah dress which is a wrap over front with 3 sleeve options to choose from. You could then pop on the skirt from the Kim pattern and voilá... you could be dancing like Myleene Klass! 

Merry Christmas and Happy Festive Sewing!

You may have noticed that things have been a bit quiet over at BHL HQ. We've been busy behind the scenes cooking up lots of new exciting things, and one of them is launching this week! We'd like to introduce you to our newest product - BHL Draft it Yourself PDFs. One of our goals at By Hand London is to enable you to level up your sewing practice. We like to incorporate details into our patterns, we have a whole webinar series on fitting and hacking, a Bodice Fitting eBook, and the BHL DIY series is a natural follow on. 

Instead of a traditional pattern that has been drafted to specific sizes and proportions, BHL Draft It Yourself is a beautifully laid out PDF tutorial on how to - you guessed it - draft a pattern yourself. It walks you step-by-step through taking your measurement, determining ease, changing the design, drafting, and sewing your pattern. There are lots of advantages to learning how to draft yourself. 

We love that these are truly size inclusive. BHL DIY allows you to use your own measurements as a starting point rather than someone else's, so this fits every body and shape without restriction. 

Although it's a bit more work up front, another advantage to drafting yourself is that generally you run into fewer fitting problems down the road. For the same reasons as above, starting with your own measurement instead of someone else's means that you're already a lot closer than with a traditional pattern most of the time. Of course, we still always recommend making a toile before cutting into fancy fabric, and you may still need to tweak things, but we've found in general it's a much smoother process. 

The skills you learn in drafting don't stop at this garment either. You can apply them to lots of projects moving forward, including traditional patterns. Once you learn how clothes come together, how to take a list of body measurements and turn them into a twirling garment, it opens up a new world of alterations and customisation. 

Let's get into some specifics. At the beginning of each BHL DIY there is a page that has more information on the pattern and fabric requirements, as well as ideas on how to tweak the pattern further for more looks. Following is a section on taking the relevant measurements, with tips and a space to write your numbers down. Then there's detailed instructions on drafting, both fully written out and in the form of equations. Again, we've included a page to print out and write your numbers and calculations down. Once you've got your pattern on paper, there's some advice on cutting out your fabric and some sample cutting plans. And of course, we have the detailed, illustrated sewing instructions you expect from By Hand London. 

To launch the DIY's we have three beautiful skirts for you. These are all beginner-friendly projects, simple and easy to knock out in a few hours, even if you've never drafted before.

A beautiful sheath skirt with layered circle peplums, because more is always more. We love that this skirt could go from the office to a night out with ease, the shapes are classic but it still feels extremely modern. 

A sweet gathered skirt with pin-tucks all the way down. The geometry of the tucks adds complexity and a bit of edge to the romantic gathers, and gives you endless options for customisation. 

A show-stopping circle wrap skirt with a gathered ruffle hem, which brings drama and movement to any outfit. You can dress it down with a simple vest top, or dress it up with a fancy crop. Whatever you pair it with, we know it will make you want to strut and twirl. 

If you can't decide between the skirts, we also have a bundle of all three skirts available here! The BHL DIY's and the bundle will be on sale until Tuesday November 8th, so be sure to snap them up. We can't wait to see your makes on Instagram under the hashtag #BHLDIY.

By Hand London likes to sit at the intersection of educational and inspiring, and we think our new Draft It Yourself PDFs fit perfectly into that. They are packed full of information to empower you to not only create your own clothing, but also your own patterns and ultimately your own designs. 

We are so excited to be releasing the Nerrisa Coat this week! The team has not been able to stop wearing the samples we've made up, and we know this pattern has so much potential to be made up lots of different ways. It's a great fit for a more sustainable sewing practice - you can use old quilts that are languishing in storage, or scrap bust and make a colour blocked beauty. You can go wild with your quilting, or keep it simple for a quick project. It's the perfect piece when you're not ready to commit to your winter coats, but need a little warmth, and works equally well in the Spring. 

We've rounded up some ready-to-wear quilt coats to get you inspired. We can't wait to see the Nerrisa's you whip up, be sure to post them on Instagram and tag them with #bhlNerrisa. 

Traditional

Nerrisa was inspired by a traditional quilt coat, and we love this interpretation. The original Nerrisa samples were made from a quilt we purchased on eBay. We know this is a bit of a heated debate in the sewing world - repurposing old quilts for new garments. Our stance is that there are so many unloved quilts in the world, in attics and charity shops, that it's great to give them a new life and usefulness. Of course, we wouldn't recommend doing this with really special quilts, so be respectful and use your discretion. 

 Images clockwise from top left: Bode New York, Honeybea, bottom two both Farewell Frances

Colour Blocked

If your aesthetic is anything but traditional, Nerrisa is still a wonderful blank slate. A graphic colour-block looks modern and punchy, a great way to bring some brightness to darkening Autumn days. It can also make for a wonderfully sustainable project. Sew together some scraps from your stash, then cut the pattern pieces out of this newly created fabric. You can make it matching, or assymetrical to keep it fresh (and avoid the pitfalls of pattern matching). 

Clockwise from top left: KAPITAL, Mara Hoffman,  By Marie, Vacilando Studios

Minimalist 

We love this sleek take on the quilted jacket. Because the pattern has simple lines, it takes well to a neutral colour with minimal embellishments. This makes it infinitely wearable and very fresh, a jacket like this will be a staple for years to come.

Clockwise from top left: Aimé Leon Dore, Kordal Studio, Rennes, Szymon Brzóska

Quilting Motifs

For a minimalist look with a bit of a kick, you can get creative with your quilting lines. I love the more organic look, and it has the bonus of being easier to execute, but I also think the regular motifs of flowers and hearts can look playful and chic in equal measure. 

Clockwise from top left: Rebecca Taylor, Anthropologie, Horror Vacui, Tyler Joe (photographer)

Hand Quilting

This technique embraces slow making (perfect for cosy Autumn evenings), and puts a real stamp of personality on any project. It looks beautiful, creates a wonderful texture to the fabric, and we love the connection with makers of the past. Using a contrasting thread really lets the hand quilting shine. 

Clockwise from top left: Anthropologie, Anchal Project, Anchal Project, Jess Meany

Different Fabrics

Nerrisa is designed for your reliable quilting cottons, but that doesn't need to limit you in your choices. There are lots of wonderful options, a velvet or shearling for an ultra cosy version, something like tencel for a sleek coat, old blankets for charm and warmth. We really love the needle punched fabric that was used below, the texture is incredible and it really is a one of a kind piece!

Clockwise from top left: Free People, Carrement Beau, Kordal Studio, Micah Clasper-Torch

Remember that Nerrisa is 20% off until Wednesday October 12 at midnight BST! 

Here in London, Autumn has officially arrived! The leaves are starting to carpet the ground, the air is crisp, and it's time to store your flowy summer dreses for winter hibernation. Luckily, our pattern of the month Tamzin happens to be a great base to make some transitional pieces (and for our Southern Hemisphere friends, lots of this applies to Spring-time dressing as well!). We've rounded up some Autumnal Tamzin inspo, so you can bring her into the new season with you. 

Tamzin is 20% off this month with the code LOVETAMZIN. Grab the pattern this week and join our virtual Tamzin party on Instagram the last weekend of the month to have a chance to win a pattern!

Thought Clothing

Fabric Choice

One of the best ways to transition a pattern from summer to autumn is to pick a seasonal fabric. Look for deeper colours, darker palettes, heavier weights, and luscious textures. We love how Tamzin can hold her shape in a stiffer fabric like velvet or corduroy. 

Ganni

Esther @ninetostitch

Make it a Top

The Tamzin bodice makes a wonderful base for a top, perfect to layer (and wearing trousers means you keep your legs warm!). Esther of @ninetostitch, who also happens to be the pattern cover girl, made a beautiful top version during testing for this pattern. You can simply shorten the existing skirt for a peplum, like Esther did, or you can leave out the waist ties and lenthen the bodice along the princess seams for a top you can easily tuck into trousers. 

Noria Anis

Change the Skirt

Swapping the full, swishy gathered skirt for a more form fitting one turns this romantic dress into something a bit sleeker for cool weather. This is also really nice in heavier, more autumn appropriate fabrics. This may take a bit of fiddling about to find a good fit, as the waistline of the Tamzin has a lot of positive ease, so make sure to measure the bodice waistline before cutting! Pleating the skirt instead of gathering it is another great way to easily change the feel, and works nicely with a structured fabric. 

Cuffing the Sleeves

Those big billowy sleeves are great for staying cool in the summer, but when temperatures begin to drop they can let in some unwanted drafts! Cuffing or adding elastic in the sleeve makes the silhouette a bit more autumnal and helps you keep your body heat in. 

Styling

Of course, you don't need to give up your beloved summer pieces entirely. Sometimes some different styling can help bring them to the next season with you. We love adding a sweater vest over an otherwise summery dress, the contrast is perfect for when you're still clinging onto the last bit of summer. Adding knee-high boots, a hat, or a leather jacket can also transform a July go-to into an October appropriate choice. 

Remember to nab Tamzin for 20% off with the code LOVETAMZIN, and to enter our virtual Tamzin party on Instagram this weekend. Just post a picture of you in a Tamzing (new or old!) with the hashtag #bhltamzin. You'll automatically be entered in a competition to win a free PDF from our collection! 

So here we are in our Lizz's - one pattern, four very different looks!

Elisalex

I was inspired by a neckline detail I spotted on a Cecilie Bahnsen dress, knowing immediately that our Lizz dress would be the perfect starting point for a fun pattern hacking session...

Essentially, the hack is just a reverse scallop neckline. The concave scallops are cut into the neckline, as opposed to a scallop hem where the curves are convex. I remembered to factor in 1cm seam allowance at the scallops, and lowered the back neckline as well.

I used a lightweight woven fusible interfacing from Vlieseline (gifted) to reinforce the scallops - this is so important as it helps to get a really crisp finish, and makes the sewing process easier too as it stabilises the fabric!

As I was sewing the neckline (main fabric to lining fabric), I left open gaps at the scallop ends, so that I'd be able to thread a rouleau drawstring through at the end to finish the neckline off.

I love the end result! I think that as a result of the fabrics I chose - the pale blue large scale leafy print twill from New Craft House and the contrasting black cupro drawstring - and the cutesy look of the high waistline and mini gathered skirt, the final look is more Miu Miu than Cecilie Bahnsen.... And I'm A-OK with that!

Jess

Heavily inspired by these two images I set about to make my own sheer gathered Lizz. The fabric I chose is Midsommer Cotton Voile from The New Craft House. 

The first thing needed was to adjust the bust dart height and length and make a toile. I moved my bust darts down 1” and shortened them by 1/2” inch. Because I decided to omit the waist darts completely I did not have to make any other dart changes, but usually I would also have lowered the waist dart by 1” to make sure the apex was hitting the correct spot. After making the toile I added and additional 1cm to each side seam for an even loser fit and to allow the dress to go overhead without a zipper!

Next step was to lengthen the bodice by an inch, as the length was pretty good on the bodice toile without the skirt attached. 

To create fullness and gathers in the sleeve I used the sash and spread method.
Slashing the pattern on either side of the centre notch at the sleeve head I added 1.5" on each side and an additional notch on the back sleeve head to create my gathering markings.  I then spread the bottom of the sleeve out even further so the side seams of the sleeve were vertical creating additional fullness at the hem. Cropping the sleeve length to below my elbow and adding 1 1/4” hem allowance to allow for a double turn deep hem. 

Once I was happy with the bodice and sleeves I calculated how many gathers and how much fabric I would require for my skirt.

Measure the finished waistline and multiply by 2. Measure the tier 1 skirt hem and multiply that by 2, voila! I have the lengths needed. To calculate the depth of the depth of each tier I just kind of eyeball it based on how long I want my finished dress to be, making tier 2 one third the depth of tier 1, or thereabouts, depending on how well it fits onto the fabric. This dress has a lovely 1” hem, double turned the same as the sleeves. 

Once I think I know how much fabric I will need for my tiers I like to draw out a “length” of fabric in paper (usually a scale of 1:10 in cm) This way I can actually roughly draw my pattern onto the fabric to figure out how many lengths of fabric I’ll need to cut and if I actually have enough! Sometimes I have had to go back and recalculate my gathers to be 1.75x instead of 2x because there was not enough fabric.

After that it's all cutting and sewing and pretty floaty dress time!

Mattie

For my Lizz I wanted to make a dress that showed off the pattern's floaty summer qualities. Folkloric flamenco were the two words I had in mind, ruffles and drama but in a relaxed, easy to wear way. I loved the simple floral of this beautiful New Craft House Honeysuckle Cotton Jacquard (which really quickly sold out!), and all of the different textures made it feel a bit rustic. To modify the pattern, I lowered the front and back neckline, and narrowed the shoulders so that it could be sleeveless. I used our Kim pattern as a guide, but any sleeveless pattern you like will help! When I'm making adjustments on the fly like this, but don't want to sew a whole toile (since I've already made both patterns before), I cut and sew just the lining first. This way I can check the fit, and if I need to make any changes I haven't cut into my nice fabric!

I then recalculated the ruffle size I needed for the neckline. I measured my new neckline (I did this after sewing up the lining because I found it easier, but you can do it off pattern pieces). The original pattern has 3x gathers on the neckline, but because I was lengthening mine (and fabric constraints!) I decided to make mine 2x gathers. I multiplied my new neckline by 2x, and cut a piece of fabric that wide and 10 inches tall. I didn't adjust the pattern for height at all, I'm 5'1" and I wanted a true maxi, so the extra length on me helped. Aside from that I followed the pattern as normal, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. 

Elle

I made my perfect spring Lizz dress using this gorgeous pale pink viscose with a floral print from Rainbow Fabrics. I decided to keep it quite true to the original pattern and made Variation 1 with the curved neck and ruffle. I did however decide to hack it slightly and use my own sleeve pattern as I wanted to have a puff sleeve (which is my go to style!). I used a tried and tested puff sleeve pattern that I had used for a previous dress and then cut a strip of fabric on the bias to create a narrow cuff for the sleeve as well.

I didn't have enough fabric to cut two pieces of fabric for the third tier so instead I just cut one of the third tier pattern pieces and then cut it in half lengthways so that I had two shallower pieces that I could sew together at the side seams. This resulted in a lovely smaller tier at the bottom which I thought was perfect for me as I am quite short and think the full length third tier may have swamped me slightly.

I also didn't have a 22" zip, so I had to get some advice from the rest of the team at how to overcome this slight obstacle! Elisalex said I should be fine using my 16" zip as long as I had at least 3" of zip below the waistline. So, that meant that I would be starting my zip at just above my bra strap; Mattie then had the great idea to make a feature out of this and create a keyhole just above the zip to the neckline of my dress, and I love it!

Ever since we launched our extended sizing range, we've wondered about the best way to bundle and charge for our PDF patterns.

We currently have two size ranges: UK 2/6-24 (drafted to a dressmaker's B cup*) and UK 16-34/38 (drafted to a dressmaker's D cup*).

Up until now, we have been offering each size range separately for £11.50 each - this reflects what our patterns used to cost before the addition of the new sizes, and indeed reflects the price of our older patterns that still are only available in the smaller size range (awaiting the extended sizing update!). For those who feel like their measurements fall between our size ranges, there is the option to bundle the two size ranges for £16.50.

To begin with, we felt like this was the fairest way to price our patterns - we imagined that most people would only want one size range, and by offering the size ranges individually (as opposed to bundling both size ranges together, but charging a bit more) we could keep our prices lower for the majority.

Some time has passed, and we've been able to keep an eye on how our fellow pattern designer friends have decided to charge for their PDF patterns as they've extended their size ranges. We've also -as ever- been listening to feedback and asking around to see what other people feel is the best way to price patterns now that most pattern companies are offering two size ranges.

Side note before we outline how our prices are changing: it is not possible for us to offer both size ranges at the same price that we used to charge for one sewing pattern (£11.50) - producing two size ranges costs us almost double what it used to cost producing just the one size range; each size range is like it's own pattern in terms of cost to produce, so we have to charge for our patterns accordingly in order to continue as a viable business.

Moving forward, we've decided to follow the lead of many of our peers and bundle both size ranges together so that when you purchase a PDF pattern, you will get all the sizes available for that pattern (up to 24 sizes!). 

For our PDF patterns that span sizes UK 2/6-24 & UK 16-34/38, the cost will be £14.

For our PDF patterns that span sizes UK 6-24, the cost will remain £11.50.

This price change will be put into effect after the Bank Holiday weekend, on Tuesday 3rd May 2022. 

If you only need one size range, you have until Monday 2nd May midnight BST to snap them up at the lower cost of £11.50 before the prices go up.

We realise that some people will prefer the pricing structure as it was before, and it always saddens us to know that we'll never be able to make everyone happy. We feel like it's important to stay on an even keel with our peers, respond to customer feedback and do what feels right in the moment.

We thank you so deeply for your understanding! Please know that we are always doing our best to serve you and run a sustainable business, whilst being as transparent as possible about our process.

All our love,

Elisalex & Team BHL xxx

*Please note - dressmaker's cup sizes have absolutely nothing in common with bra sizes! Dressmaker's cup sizes relate to the ratio between your high bust and full bust measurements, whereas your bra size relates to the ratio between your full bust and under bust measurements. A dressmaker's B cup indicates that the full bust that is 2" larger than the high bust, while a dressmaker's D cup indicates that the full bust that is 4" larger than the high bust.

Since the beginning of BHL time, honesty has been a hugely important aspect of the way we operate our business. Being open and transparent about our highs and lows has been instrumental for us in cultivating a genuine connection with our customers, and painting a realistic picture of what running a small creative business is really like. Among the many triumphs over the last ten years there have also been setbacks, losses and straight up mistakes. I have always made a point of seeing these supposedly less positive moments as learning curves and an opportunity to pivot and re-establish our footing. I'm not really one for comfortable plateaus either, so being kept on my toes, troubleshooting and problem solving is fine by me ;)

This year, we celebrate ten years of By Hand London! We incorporated our business in February 2012, and launched our first patterns -the Elisalex dress and the Charlotte skirt- in December that year. A decade in business has me reflecting and looking ahead in equal measure, and one thing (among many things!) that I am proud of is our flexibility and willingness to respond and adapt. Whether that's to societal evolution, or being realistic when a great business idea turns out to be unsustainable long term.

I find myself in a similar situation right now - still enjoying and flowing with the growth that was brought on in part by Jessica joining the then one-woman team in September 2019, and propelled by the pandemic a few months later, while simultaneously coming to terms with the fact that, in order to maintain this growth sustainably, we need to rethink aspects of our business that are proving to be unsustainable...

Namely, paper patterns.

To those of you who prefer paper patterns over PDF, please don't worry - we're not going to stop making paper patterns, we're just going to dramatically change up the way we produce them. Please keep reading...

To give you an idea of how we (and a lot of other pattern companies) currently produce paper patterns, the packaging is printed here in London, while the pattern tissue is printed in the USA. The company that prints those huge sheets of pattern tissue was pretty much the only printer of its kind in the whole world that supplied most sewing pattern companies, and they just closed down... We've all been transferred to another printer, also in the USA, and from what I know, now literally the only company offering this service in the world! We've looked into options here in the UK, and there is Fabulosew, who are lovely and print patterns on the same sort of tissue, but on smaller A0 sheets, and because they're a much smaller company, we simply haven't been able to settle on a cost price that is competitive with the printer in the US, even when shipping and import duties are factored in. Fabulosew also print copyshop files for anyone wanting to print their PDF patterns, not just for pattern companies, so if you haven't heard of them before, definitely check them out ;)

Logistics aside, which are generally workable if just a little sticky - it can take up to a month from when we submit pattern files ready to print, to when the shipment arrives and clears customs - the thing that really begins to limit us as a small business are the minimum order quantities, and the upfront investment associated with that. With both the tissue printer in the US and our packaging printer in London, we have to print a minimum of 1000 per style, and bearing in mind that each size band of the same pattern counts as its own "style", and we have two size bands per pattern, we have to print 2000 patterns per pattern release.

Without taking any of the initial pattern development costs into account (pattern cutting, fit model, grading, sampling, photoshoot, graphic design, our time etc) just the printing costs alone end up just over £11,000 per pattern...! 😳

I get palpitations just writing those numbers down on this page!

Needless to say, upfront costs in that realm for a small business like ours present a real cashflow problemo! Especially when we have no idea how long it will take to sell 2000 of any given pattern, and means that we face sitting on thousands and thousands of pounds worth of stock for years. The other problem that we're presented with when we're having to order such large quantities, and likely taking years to sell them all, is that if we decide to make any updates or changes to a pattern, we either have to wait until all the paper patterns have sold out, or risk rendering our existing stock obsolete/a sub par representation of the most up-to-date version of the pattern in question.

Long story short, we have decided to stop printing patterns in the way that we have done up until now. No more 2000 unit minimum orders, no more printing in the US (nothing against the US whatsoever, I just would really like to get all our production as local as possible, thereby dramatically reducing our carbon footprint and delivery times), and no more astronomical, nay, downright unaffordable upfront costs!

So what's the plan?

Moving forward, we will be moving all our printing to a UK based printer who can handle the printing of both our pattern sheets AND packaging/instruction booklets. The packaging will change a little according to their specs, and the pattern sheets will be printed on a heavier weight paper than the tissue paper we currently offer (which means it'll last longer too!). Prices will inevitably increase, not only to reflect the more expensive cost of printing everything in the UK, but also to keep up with, and not undercut our peers (we will share more on pricing when the time comes). They will still be super beautiful, and something we hope you will still want to collect and proudly display in your sewing space and keep forever :) 

How does this solve the issue of minimum print runs and extortionate upfront costs??

The new printer we will be working with has no minimum order 🙌 We will be releasing printed patterns in "drops", meaning that with each new pattern release, we will print a limited number of paper patterns in all sizes, and after that drop sells out, that will be it for the time being. All paper patterns will be signed, dated and numbered (eg. 1 of 100). If any one pattern sells out super quick and there is enough demand for another drop, we will honour that and reprint that pattern again at some point in the not too distant future. As well as offering drops of new releases, the smaller print runs mean that we will also be able to release random drops of older patterns and updates so that each month there will be a fresh offering, and thereby the opportunity to collect more of our paper patterns as the months go by, than we would ever have been able to print in the traditional way.

We're so excited to try out this new concept in printing paper patterns, and we hope that this way we will be able to satisfy everyone who still would prefer paper patterns over PDF, without over-ordering and crippling our cashflow, and create some fun and excitement around the "drops" at the same time!

In a nutshell, the pros of printing our patterns in the UK, in smaller quantities will be:

• A significantly more affordable upfront cost as we invest in smaller quantities of patterns per drop, enabling us to release paper versions of every new pattern we create, as well as limited drops of older patterns that have never before been released in paper
• A quicker turnaround time and no shipping/customs delays
• A much reduced carbon footprint with everything printed locally
• More space in our studio as we won't be storing 1000s of patterns
• A heightened, buzzy sense of excitement around pattern release time!
• A viable business that can keep up with all the patterns we want to develop and continue to grow and evolve and do better as time goes by!!

In the meantime, and in order to free up the cash we need to keep financing the development of new patterns, updating of older patterns and getting ready to launch this new way of offering printed patterns (oh yeah and let's give the website a little ten year anniversary makeover while we're at it!), and generally keeping up with our own growth, we need to sell our existing stock! By liquidating our stock, we will also be creating space so that we can start running in-person classes at our studio, but more about that another day... Watch this space!

As of now, all our existing paper patterns are reduced to clear from £17 to £10.50!!! Please note, this sale does not include PDF patterns or copyshop printing.

Available while stocks last, and never to be reprinted or discounted in this way again, so if you feel like snapping up some of our iconic paper patterns at a crazy low price, now really is the time!

We currently have available:

• Lizz dress, sizes UK 2-24 (B cup)
• Lizz dress, sizes UK 16-38 (D cup)
• Sandeep dress, sizes UK 2-24 (B cup)
• Sandeep dress, sizes UK 16-38 (D cup)
• Tamzin dress, sizes UK 6-24 (B cup)
• Tamzin dress, sizes UK 16-34 (D cup)
• Anna dress, sizes UK 6-24 (B cup)
• Anna dress, sizes UK 16-34 (D cup)
• Hannah dress, sizes UK 16-34 (D cup)
• Little Hannah dress, sizes 2T-13 yrs
• Little Flora dress, sizes 2T-13 yrs
• Little Anna dress, sizes 2T-13 yrs

It's taken us a little while of contemplation and much agonising over the cold hard truth of the numbers to get to this conclusion, but we're really excited about our new plan moving forward, and we really hope that you, our wonderful customers, will continue to support us along this new path. All we really want is to be able to offer as many of our patterns to as many people as possible, and run a sustainable business along the way. We hope that this concept will provide the solution, and support us in our growth!

If you've made it all the way to the end of this post, woo hoo and thank you!! 🥳 Any questions or feedback, please drop us a line at help@byhandlondon.com 😘

All our love,

Elisalex, and Team BHL xxx

We're so excited to announce that one of our most loved sewing patterns has had a fresh new makeover and is now available in our fully extended size range UK 2-24 and UK 16-38!!! The new and improved Flora Dress also now comes with bonus shoulder strap variations, so you can have even more fun sewing your Flora ♥️

The great thing about going back through our existing catalogue of patterns in order to update them with our extended sizes, is that we also get to make aesthetic changes, maybe throw in something new, and tweak the fit if need be.

For the Flora Dress update, we have included:

• a fabulous 16 added sizes! The B cup size range is now UK 2-24 (US 00-20) and the new D cup size range is UK 16-38 (US 12-34). You can check out the size charts for each size band below. Please note - dressmaker's cup sizes have absolutely nothing in common with bra sizes! Dressmaker's cup sizes relate to the ratio between your high bust and full bust measurements, whereas your bra size relates to the ratio between your full bust and under bust measurements. A dressmaker's B cup indicates that the full bust that is 2" larger than the high bust, while a dressmaker's D cup indicates that the full bust that is 4" larger than the high bust.
• two new shoulder strap options! When we were designing our kids collection, we gave Little Flora three supercute strap variations, and then instantly felt sad that they weren't available for the OG adult pattern too! So when the time came to start working on the Flora extended sizing update, we knew we had to throw in those extra shoulder straps as well ;)
• we have retired the faux wrap bodice that came with the original Flora pattern. Woven wrap bodices are notoriously tricksy, especially when it's a faux wrap and you can't adjust the fit when you're wearing it, like you can with our Hannah wrap dress. For that reason, we were never 100% satisfied with the faux wrap bodice that came with the original Flora pattern, and were concerned that this would be amplified with the larger busted block of our D cup size range. So we have decided to discontinue that bodice and instead focus on the infinitely more popular tank bodice variation instead!

B cup size chart & finished measurements

D cup size chart & finished measurements

We're so excited that this update will be joining our growing collection of patterns that now come in our fully extended size range! You can choose from two size ranges that have been drafted using different blocks, so hopefully will provide a solid foundation for as many bodies as possible. As ever, we're fully aware that most people of all shapes and sizes will have to make alterations to improve the fit for their unique body, and this is totally normal. Developing our pattern fitting and alteration skills is as essential as learning to sew basic seams! Our fully extended patterns are available in the following sizes:

UK 2-24 (US 00-20) - min hip: 33", max hip 54" (not incl. pattern ease)

UK 16-38 (US 12-34) - min hip: 42", max hip 67 3/4" (not incl. pattern ease)

The new & improved Flora is available now, and you can enjoy 20% off* until Sunday 13th March midnight GMT to celebrate her relaunch (no need to enter a code, the discount will automatically apply at checkout). Please note that if you bought the Flora prior to this update, you will shortly be receiving the update via email (please check your spam before emailing us 🤗). If you have the OG printed version of Flora (🙌), please email us and we will send you the PDF update for free.

This pattern is available as a PDF only, but remember that we do offer copyshop printing if you need it! We can't wait to see your Floras! Remember to tag us @byhandlondon using the hashtag #bhlFlora so we can find you 😘

Shout out to our amazing photoshoot crew! Our beautiful models Tiffany and Marie ♥️ our favourite photographer Elodie Nizon ♥️ hair and makeup artiste Poppy France ♥️ our lovely photographic studio next-door neighbours NKT Studio ♥️

*Discount applies to the individual size bands only; the dual size band bundle is already, and always will be discounted. Discount cannot be applied after the offer expires. No need to enter a code, discount will apply automatically at checkout :)

We are over the moon today because we have just re-released our Sarah shirt pattern and she has had a makeover that we think you're going to love!

The added bonus of going back through our existing catalogue of patterns in order to update them with our extended sizes, is that we also get to make aesthetic changes, maybe throw in something new, and tweak the fit if need be.

For the Sarah shirt update, we have included:

• a fabulous 16 extra sizes! The B cup size range is now UK 2-24 (US 00-20) and the new D cup size range is UK 16-38 (US 12-34). You can check out the size charts for each size band below. Please note - dressmaker's cup sizes have absolutely nothing in common with bra sizes! Dressmaker's cup sizes relate to the ratio between your high bust and full bust measurements, whereas your bra size relates to the ratio between your full bust and under bust measurements. A dressmaker's B cup indicates that the full bust that is 2" larger than the high bust, while a dressmaker's D cup indicates that the full bust that is 4" larger than the high bust.
• two new collar offerings! We ditched the old Peter-Pan collars, as we were never truly happy with how they looked and would sit on the neckline. Instead, we now have a classic collar complete with collar stand (a deeply satisfying sewing experience) and a pretty pussy-bow necktie. The extra great news is that both of these collars will be compatible with another shirt/dress pattern we have in the works... and the two collar options that come with that pattern will also work for Sarah!
• a bonus dress variation! Not long after we released the Sarah Shirt, I hacked the pattern to make myself a maxi shirtdress with a gathered hem tier and it's honestly one of my most worn and complimented dresses. So we had to throw that in for you guys as well ;)
• we've also improved the fit of the armhole and sleeve which was a bit off/too tight in the old version of Sarah. I'm happy to report that, despite not knowing that we had tweaked the fit, one of our testers who had previously made the original Sarah noticed the improvement in her tester version.

Variation 1: The original Sarah swing shirt; long billowy sleeve OR short sleeve; pussy-bow necktie OR classic collar

This is the original Sarah shirt pattern that you already know and love, but with improved fit at the armhole and sleeve, all the new sizes, and mix-and-match options for the sleeve and neckline.

The swing shirt is a mid-century style with plenty of ease. A floaty and feminine blouse that can be styled up or down for maximum wearability.

We're so excited that this update will be joining our collection of patterns that now come in our extended size range! You can choose from two size ranges that have been drafted using different blocks, so hopefully will provide a solid foundation for as many bodies as possible. As ever, we're fully aware that most people of all shapes and sizes will have to make alterations to improve the fit for their unique body, and this is totally normal. Developing our pattern fitting and alteration skills is as essential as learning to sew basic seams! Our fully extended patterns are available in the following sizes:

UK 2-24 (US 00-20) - min hip: 33", max hip 54" (not incl. pattern ease)

UK 16-38 (US 12-34) - min hip: 42", max hip 67 3/4" (not incl. pattern ease)

Variation 2: The Sarah shirtdress with gathered hem tier; long billowy sleeve OR short sleeve; pussy-bow necktie OR classic collar

Quite literally, the ultimate dress! Dramatically chic, yet insanely comfortable. Perfect for layering up in winter, or swanning around in summer. Sleeves and collars are entirely interchangeable, so your variation options and hack potential is vast :)

To bring out the best in Sarah's floaty, drapey, swooshy vibe, we recommend light to medium weight woven fabrics with drape and body. Viscose rayon, floaty silks, lightweight brushed cotton, voile and soft linens are all excellent options.

Huge thanks to Rainbow Fabrics for providing all the fabrics for our photoshoot samples!

B cup UK 2-24 size chart & finished measurements

D cup UK 16-38 size chart & finished measurements

The new & improved Sarah is available now, and you can enjoy 20% off* until Monday 18th Oct midnight BST to celebrate her relaunch. Please note that if you bought the Sarah prior to this update, you should have already received the update automatically (please check your spam before emailing us 🤗).

This pattern is available as a PDF only, but remember that we do offer copyshop printing if you need it! We can't wait to see your Sarah's! Remember to tag us @byhandlondon using the hashtag #bhlSarah so we can find you 😘

Shout out to our amazing photoshoot crew! Our beautiful models Rumana, Mattie and Tabitha ♥️ our favourite photographer Elodie Nizon ♥️ hair and makeup artiste Poppy France ♥️ our lovely photographic studio next-door neighbours NKT Studio ♥️

*Discount applies to the individual size bands only; the dual size band bundle is already, and always will be discounted. Discount cannot be applied after the offer expires. No need to enter a code, discount will apply automatically at checkout :)

I know. That’s probably not something you were expecting me to say. But I have a real problem with ‘modest fashion’.

Don’t get me wrong, as a Muslim woman who wears full coverage clothes, I appreciate the rise of maxi length dresses and long-sleeved clothing. Gone are the days of clumsily layering cardigans over tops, long sleeve T-shirts under dresses and dresses over trousers. Eleven years ago, when I first started observing hijab (something that goes beyond just the head scarf), there really wasn’t that much in the shops that I could wear. I remember going to Oxford Street trying to find a dress for my first graduation: weaving in and out of shop after shop, trying and failing to find anything that suited my needs. It was a frustrating trip but one I was very much used to. But was a completely new experience for the friends I had dragged along with me. They would excitedly reach for a dress thinking they nailed the brief (long sleeves, long length and higher neckline) before turning it around to find it was backless. By the end of the day, we were all fed up and I think I settled for a top and smart trousers. It was actually this frustration and the feeling of having my natural style stifled by the High Street that got me sewing my own clothes (and eventually making my own final graduation dress!)

Photo of my hacked Elisalex dress. These days having a special event doesn’t fill me with dread because I know I can make something for myself.

But these days, not only is the fuller coverage style ‘on trend’, but many brands have also recognised, and tapped into, the lucrative market of ‘modest fashion’. So, if this rise of ‘modest fashion’ has made mine, and so many others, lives easier- what is the problem?

The issue is not with the actual fashion but all to do with the terminology: ‘modest wear’, ‘modest fashion’ and all its variations.

Firstly, what is ‘modest fashion’? Dressing ‘modestly’ means so many different things to so many people. Some have definitions based on religious thinking (beyond just the Abrahamic faiths) and some prefer it stylistically. Then there are those who society has unfairly tried to shame into feeling that they need to dress ‘modestly’ based on their body type, to hide ‘flaws’ that the beauty industry has created.

Flatlay of a wrap jumpsuit- most patterns still need a bit of hacking to make them work for me. This neckline was raised so I didn’t need to layer underneath.

Even within religious groups the definition varies- some faiths subscribe to sleeves, whereas others require full coverage up to the wrists and ankles. So, when someone describes something as ‘modest wear’ what does that even mean? 

Layering up used to be my foe, but I actually love the look of a midi skirt with leggings underneath.

Apart from the fact that it’s actually a poor descriptive term, the crux of the issue for me is the virtue-based description. In my opinion, ‘Modest wear’ implies that other wear is ‘not modest’ and creates a false binary.

It gives the impression that those who wear ‘modest wear’ are inherently modest by virtue of what they wear. And on the other hand, suggests that those who don’t dress ‘modestly’ are immodest? Which, if you’re asking me; all feels a little judgemental.

From a religious perspective it boils down a complex and important part of faith: to be modest in all that we do i.e. the way we live, the way we act, the way we move across this Earth. It takes all that deep and meaningful action and shifts the focus onto the shallow- to the superficial clothes that adorn our bodies. Which again, doesn’t really sit right with me. 

Being a visibly Muslim woman I’m no stranger to the judgement of others and sadly this comes from both outside the Muslim community and from within. One of the problems with being someone who observes Hijab is that you are automatically judged to be a certain type of person. 

From the outside we’re seen as oppressed, submissive and needing to be saved from something that could never be a free choice (ehem). And from within the Muslim community, we’re often placed on a pedestal: as role models of piety. We’re expected to behave a certain way, be in control of our faith, have it all figured out. When in reality, we’re just the same as anyone else- struggling with the same issues as everyone else- but with the added heavy burden of other people’s expectations of who we’re meant to be. Asmaa of @ruqayas.bookshelf beautifully expressed the feelings so many of us have in her viral post. 

Creating my own full coverage swimwear was a turning point in my sewing journey and gave me such a sense of empowerment. Even if I still get lots of strange looks on the beach or even if I’m technically not allowed to wear this in some countries, it makes me so proud to have made it.

So aside from the religious perspective, how can we possibly have this conversation without addressing the obvious gender issue? This is my biggest concern of all about the terminology. 

Sadly ‘modesty’ is too often used to pass judgement on women. I mean, how often do we talk about modest fashion for men? The fact that there is an entire sector of fashion just for women makes me very uncomfortable. We already suffer from policing of our bodies and clothing, but the label of ‘modest wear’ further places the onus on women to dress a certain way. How many times have we heard victim-blaming tropes about women dressing ‘inappropriately’? How many times have you heard the old ‘short skirt’ chestnut? As though the length of a woman’s skirt justifies her being harassed, or that a longer more ‘modest’ length magically protects her. Anyone who has dared to walk down the streets- whether in a maxi or mini skirt, will know how untrue that is. Quite simply, we get harassed whatever we wear.

So, what do we do? To be honest, I’m not sure. The terminology is out there now and has gone mainstream. It’s used to describe runway trends and has birthed an entire new side to the fashion industry. The last 10 years has seen a boom in the ‘modest wear’ businesses. There are now exclusively ‘modest’ designers, ‘modest’ shops, ‘modest bloggers’ and influencers gracing the cover of your favourite mainstream magazines. There are even entire fashion weeks dedicated to ‘modest’ fashion. It’s a multibillion-pound industry that is growing and is not going anywhere. It’s also given a lot of women who do wear full coverage a space that they can enjoy and feel validated in. And from a selfish point of view, it’s made it much easier for me to find clothes to wear on the high street (as well as inspiration for my sewing!)

But maybe there’s still time to rename it? In this day and age, we are really starting to understand the power and meaning of words- all it takes is a little bit of reflection. Personally, I would love if we could strip away the virtue of ‘modesty’ and use simple descriptive terms like ‘full coverage’ instead? They say ‘clothes make the man’ but perhaps in this case we can agree that modesty is a little deeper than that. 

Even as a blogger I have to get creative with the way I share photos. I made these pyjamas with a cropped leg but wanted to share the whole look on my Instagram. Luckily I was able to get away with a bit of imaginative positioning. But I love that it pushes me to think outside of the box.

You can find Rumana on Instagram @thelittlepomegranate and at her website www.thelittlepomegranate.co.uk

***

Thank you Rumana for this brilliantly thought provoking piece, echoing some of the much needed language reform happening in the fashion industry at the moment. I absolutely agree with you that straightforward, descriptive terms are ultimately best, and that it is vitally important that we unpack and analyse the deeper connotations of a lot of existing (often problematic when you get down to it!) terminology in order to understand its impact and collectively come up with something better.

Hi everyone! I’m Kate from Project Patterns. I’m a professional pattern cutter and teacher based in Bristol. 

We may not be having the most glorious summer here in the UK, but that hasn't stopped me trying to sew the sunshine out! First on my summer sewing list was the perfect pair of shorts...

Here’s a little break down of how I turned the Holly trouser pattern into a pair of pleated shorts with pockets and a grown on waistband.

I chose to start with the By Hand London Holly trousers/shorts because they have a reputation for fitting lots of different body shapes and they’re nice and simple with no darts at the front and only one on the back. If you haven’t got the Holly pattern then a simple trouser block will work too!

What you’ll need to make this pattern:

• Holly trouser/shorts pattern, or a basic trouser block
• Pattern paper
• Pattern ruler (set square, pattern master, pattern shaper or similar)
• Paper scissors
• Scotch tape or glue stick
• Pencil and rubber
• Tape measure
• Pattern notcher
• Pattern drill

Step 1: Chose what size to trace and decide if you need any fit amendments before you start your draft

It’s important to get a block that fits you well because that perfect fit will carry through into your new pattern so it’s worth spending some time either toiling it up and fitting it or at least comparing your measurements to it to double check.
I compared my body measurements to the size chart and found that my hips are a size 12 and my waist is a size 10 so I decided to trace off the 12 and take in the waist slightly. 

I traced off my pattern and drew in my stitch lines, then I measured a couple of other points to compare to my body measurements to see if I needed any more fit amendments along with the waist.

(Little tip when working on pattern alterations….always work with your stitch lines!)

Luckily it all looked fairly good measurements-wise so I nipped in the waist and carried on! 

To reduce the waist I increased my dart width by 1cm (0.5cm on each side) and took the rest off the side seams. You can see this amendment in the photo below!

EXTRA MEASUREMENTS FOR FIT COMPARISON:

Step 2: Analyse your design and plan your pattern cutting

Now that I’ve got a block that I’m pretty confident will fit me nicely I can start to plan how to transform it into my shorts. First thing I always do is a bit of design analysis…

Let's have a closer look at what I’ve designed.

 Details that I can see are:

• The shorts sit above the waist but there’s no waistband - so I’ll need to create a grown on waistband 
• 2 knife pleats on each side of the centre front (CF)
• Diagonal pockets on the front
• Fly zip front
• Belt and belt loops
• 1 dart on each side of the centre back (CB)
• Welt pockets on the back 
• Double turned hem with a top stitch

That all seems very manageable, let's start with the waistband!

(You’ll notice that I rub out the cut line on areas that I’m working on, this is just to keep things really clear and so that I only have 1 line to amend until I’m happy with the draft)

Step 3: Drafting the grown on waistband

I want my top edge to be 5cm above my natural waist so all I did was offset my waist by 5cm. 

Then from my side seams, CB, CF and back dart points I drew a vertical line (parallel to my grain) from the waist to my new top edge.

After that I added in 2cm (on the half so 4cm total) to my top edge to allow for my ribcage (4cm is probably too much if you’re going for a fitted top edge but I want it look like the belt is tying it in so I’m adding extra-I would add about 2cm total for a fitted top edge). You can see in the below photo that I reduced my dart width by 1cm and added 0.5cm to each side seam.

Step 4: Drafting the front pleats and belt loops

Next I tackled the front as this is where most of the details are.

I started by marking on the pleats and pocket positions. I started my first pleat 6.5cm from my CF and then spaced the next one 4cm away. Then the pocket I also spaced at 4cm away from the second pleat. 

To keep the waist from gaping open at the pocket I’ve done the section that goes over the waist as a vertical line then I’ve gone diagonal from there to the hip. I plan to stitch the vertical section closed so that only the diagonal part is open for the pocket.

I’ll also stitch the first 5cm of the pleats closed too.

If you want to do the pocket bags now you can, but I’m going to move onto my pleats and come back to the pocket bags afterwards.

Now that I have the positions decided on I can slash and add some volume into my pleats! I want to maximise my pleat width so I’m going to make them edge to edge. 

Since my width between pleats and pockets is 4cm that means I need to add in 8cm for my pleat underlay. For the pleat closest to my pocket I’m going to add in slightly less than 8cm because we’ll have some seam allowance from the seam and we don't want that sitting exactly edge to edge so I'll add in 7.6cm.

Once our pleats are marked in we can create our belt loops and position them on there too. My belt is 5cm wide so I’m going to make my belt loops 1cm longer (6cm long and 1cm wide) so that it can comfortably fit around my belt. I positioned them so that they sit exactly in line with my pleats.

Step 5: Drafting the pocket bags

Now back to those front pockets. We’ve already marked on the pocket opening so all we need to do is trace it off and create our pocket bag and facing. I’m going to do my pocket bag going all the way up into my top edge so let’s start by pinning our pleats closed so that we can trace off the correct waistline. 

Then we can lay over a new piece of paper and trace our pocket bag. 

The type of pocket bag I’m going to do is on the fold that means my top and bottom pocket bag will be in one piece and I’ll need to trace my side seam line AND my pocket opening line.

Purely to keep the inside looking as neat as possible, I’m going to make my pocket bag wide enough to cover the pleats up.

 

Once we’ve traced this off let’s open it up and draw in the other side of our pocket bag. 

The side that has the pocket opening line will be the top pocket bag and the side that has the side seam will be the bottom bag. Mark your pocket opening onto your bottom bag so you have it as a reference and decide where to put your facing. 

This won’t be a seamed facing, it will be topstitched onto your pocket to keep the inside looking as neat as possible.

Then grab a new sheet of paper and trace off your facing. 

Step 6: Drafting the fly

Well done, we’ve done the front leg! Let's start on the front fly.

First thing to remember is that we always have a left and right when we’re working with a fly because we need to offset the left fly slightly to create a small under wrap and avoid the zip poking out.

First thing to do then is to trace our front leg (this one is the left) and create the right front leg.

Let’s start by straightening off our CF rise. You can either choose to lose some measurement on your top edge or gain a bit over your waist. I chose to gain on my waist.

Now we can add on our extension to the left front leg fly. I do this by offsetting the CF line by 0.7cm until about 18cm down from the waist.

Our fly is made up of 3 pieces:

1: Fly Facing (Pink)                       (cut in self+fuse)

2: Fly Extension (Blue)                  (cut in self+fuse)

3: Fly Extension Facing (Green)    (cut in lining) 

My fly extension facing is a copy of my fly extension but I’ve extended the seam by 1.5cm and put it on the fold. This means that when I bag the two out my facing will cover up the seam allowance from the front seam. And when I edge stitch my zip, it’ll secure it all down.

And then that’s the front fly done!

Step 7: Drafting the waistband facings

Next we can do our waistband facings for the front. 

The right facing will go all the way to the CF so we just need to trace off the visible parts of our grown on waistband and then flip it over. You can either trace each section separately and join them up or pin your pleats closed and trace it in one piece.

The left facing will extend past the CF to create a 5cm extension that underwraps the fly. Then it’s going to fold back on itself and seam onto the left front edge.

To create it copy the right facing, add our 0.7cm extension (because this is the left side) and also add on a 5cm extension, plus a 5cm fold. Remember to flip it again as this is for the left side.

Our waistband facings should all be labelled cut 1 self+fuse.

This is the left facing when it’s folded.

FANTASTIC! That’s the front all done! The last finishing touch we need to do is tru all out lines and add that seam allowance back on.

For the hem I’m doing a 2cm double turn so I’ll add 4cm with a fold in the middle. 

 

Step 8: Drafting the back welt pockets

On the back our main detail is a welt pocket. To draft this we need to fold our dart closed.

Do this by placing your dart apex over the corner of your table and lining up one leg of your dart with the table edge. Use the table edge to create a crisp fold and fold your dart leg to meet the other one. Don’t worry that the top section isn’t folded on the line, we just need the lower section for now.

Then we can mark on the position of our welt pocket. I’m going to do mine 8cm down from the natural waist and I'm going to do it at a 90 degree angle to my dart. 

Welt opening dimensions: 12cm x 1cm, with a cut line in the middle.

On your cut line, make a mark/drill hole 1cm in from each edge.

Once you’ve marked on your welt then we can create the pocket bag. 

Start by opening your dart up and squaring a line off of your welt, going up to your natural waist (we’ll stop it here and attach it to the waistband facing) and another one going down about 10cm. Do this on both sides of the welt and join up the lower lines

This would be the start of our pocket. It’s a bit of a strange shape and we definitely don’t want a dart in the middle of it! So let’s trace it off and rotate that dart into the hem. That will give us a better shape and get rid of the dart.

      

Once you’ve created your pocket bag, put the lower edge on the fold and open it out. 

Next we need to create our welt and facings. 

Welt (Pink): “Cut 1 pair self+fuse”, rectangle dimensions: 12cm x 1.5cm 

Back pocket Facing (Blue): “Cut 1 pair self”, goes directly behind the welt so that we don't see the pocket bag. Do this about 5cm deep.

Back pocket BAG Facing (Green): “Cut 1 pair lining”, it’s is part of the welt construction and goes on the outside of the pocket bag to clean up all the raw edges created from the welt. Copy this shape from the pocket bag and end it about 4cm below the waist.

You also need to create a placement fuse that is big enough to fuse over the welt on any pieces that aren’t block fused. This is easiest to create as a rectangle measuring 16.5cm x 4cm. It fuses onto the bag leg, pocket bag, and the pocket bag facing so you will need to label is as “cut 3 pair fusing”. Mark on your pattern where it goes so you don’t forget to fuse!

Step 9: Back waist facing

Now we can do the back waist facing!

As we did with the front, let's trace off the visible parts of our grown on waistband and combine them into one facing. 

Our CB will be on the fold so remember to fold it and use the CB as your grain line.

Label this piece cut 1 self+fuse.

The last piece that we need to create is our belt pattern. 

I’ve done mine on the fold with a CB seam and labelled it as “cut 1 pair self”.

Belt piece dimensions: 70cm x 10cm with a fold line in the middle.

Then all you need to do is add on the seam allowance to your pieces and cut them out! 

For the back dart, pin the upper section of the dart closed and use your tracing wheel to trace the waist line through onto the underlay of your dart.

Once you’ve cut your pieces out, don’t forget to notch everything and mark in your drill holes!

Here’s a little snapshot of all my pieces laid out, except my belt and placement fuse pattern which I somewhere forgot to put in! 

Want to double check you’ve got all your pieces? Here’s a quick list:

1. Left front leg (cut 1 self)
2. Right front leg (cut 1 self)
3. Back leg (cut 1 pair self)
4. Front pocket bag (cut 1 pair lining)
5. Front pocket facing (cut 1 pair self)
6. Front fly facing (cut 1 self+fuse)
7. Front fly extension (cut 1 self+fuse)
8. Front fly extension facing (cut 1 lining)
9. Front left waistband facing (cut 1 self+fuse)
10. Front right waistband facing (cut 1 self+fuse)
11. Back waistband facing (cut 1 self+fuse)
12. Belt Loops (cut 7 self)
13. Pocket welt (cut 1 pair self+fuse)
14. Back pocket bag (cut 1 pair lining)
15. Back pocket facing (cut 1 pair self)
16. Back pocket bag facing (cut 1 pair lining)
17. Back pocket placement fuse (cut 3 pair fuse only)
18. Belt (cut 1 pair self)

   

I am an Inupiaq woman. My mom’s side of the family are all native to the beautiful state of Alaska, which makes us Inuit, or the indigenous people of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. We belong to the Inupiaq tribe from the village of Unalakleet, on the west coast of Alaska. My grandma grew up there, and was the oldest girl of fourteen children, seven of whom she helped raise alongside my Amouk (great-grandma).

Sewing has been a part of my family history for generations. When I say it like that, it sounds like a perfectly-honed craft that we’re all experts at, but the truth of it is that it was first born out of necessity. As a girl, Grandma would pick out dresses from the Sears catalogue that was passed around the village, and Amouk would make them from printed flour sacks on their old treadle sewing machine. Amouk taught Grandma how to sew, of course. With that many children, I imagine Amouk wouldn’t have been able to keep up on her own!

Amouk sewing while my mom watches

Throughout her life, Grandma sewed herself all kinds of clothes: from skirts for work, to dresses she could wear to church. When she had her own eldest daughter, my mom, she taught her how to sew, too. Grandma made my mom’s wedding dress, and even her own dress that she wore to the wedding! Around 1977, my mom purchased her own sewing machine: a Singer Stylist 534. The Stylist was advertised as a zig-zag, free-arm sewing machine with a buttonholer! Forty-four years later, I was able to call that machine my own. My mom's meticulous nature allowed her to gift it to me with the original manual.

My sewing machine that used to be mom’s

When I was young, Mom and Grandma both took turns teaching me to sew. Grandma by hand, my mom by hand and machine. The Stylist was the very machine I sewed my first stitches on that weren’t by hand. To be honest, I was too busy being a rambunctious kid to care much about the patience and time it took to sew anything more than a tear in a dog toy. I remember I had just one stroke of brilliance to sew together a tote bag, which I’m sure was very poorly done, as I didn’t use a pattern, and my favorite stitch, that I liked to use everywhere, was the zig-zag. I wish I could see that bag now, just for a laugh.

In November of 2019, though, I got it in my head that I wanted to try garment sewing for the first time. So I walked on down to the local fabric shop with my friend Jordan, and told the woman behind the counter that I wanted to sew my first piece of clothing. Well, she marched me up and down the rows of fabric and notions, and picked out everything I needed, after we settled on my first ever pattern being the Decades of Style 1950’s PB&J Skirt. I do distinctly remember her asking if I wouldn't rather start with an apron, but I was all confidence and determination, despite having never read a pattern in my whole life. Jordan helped me pick out the buttons. Once I’d gotten home and started reading the instructions, I realized I’d put the cart before the horse, and took to the University of YouTube to teach me all the sewing jargon I had never paid attention to before in my life. Baste, stay stitch, hem stitch, interfacing, facing, selvedge, grade. I stumbled my way through that skirt and made all kinds of mistakes, but I learned a ton. I haven't stopped since.

I’m glad I waited so long to make my first oogilhaq. I was able to practice and learn so many skills that I needed to really do it justice. All throughout my life, Grandma has been making kuspaqs for me and just about every member of my family.

My sisters wearing oogilhaqs made by Grandma

To make one for myself feels like such a rite of passage. An oogilhaq is an Inupiaq summer dress and is characterized by having a hood, long sleeves, a pocket along the center front, and a ruffle at the bottom. Kuspaqs are like the jacket-form of oogilhaq, with a zipper down the center, and no ruffle. They are often made of a light cotton fabric, with decorative trim that can be layered to make a more elaborate effect. While they can be worn alone in summer, they can also be worn over top of a parka in order to protect the fur underneath.

Oogilhaqs can be spotted in photos all the way back to my great-great grandma! And these days, all kinds of creative interpretations and modern styles exist. Creators on Instagram like Danielle Rock of @coastal.rock.design, and Nikki Corbett of @sewyupik, make beautiful handmade pieces for purchase.

This is one of the few indigenous garments that I’ve had a personal relationship with growing up, so I knew it was something I wanted to make myself. Not to mention that skin sewing (or sewing with animal fur/skins) is a specific art that I’ve not yet learned and wearing a fur parka might be a bit much in a Californian climate!

Amouk’s oogilhaq

My great-great grandma and grandpa

For the pattern, I drew one out based on an oogilhaq I have that belonged to Amouk. Once I drew it all out, I cut out the paper pattern and made myself a mock-up.

Drawing out the paper pattern

Cutting out my mock-up

I wanted to take my time, for it to come out just right. Every step made me more and more excited to see myself in it for the first time.

Positioning the pocket

Setting the sleeves

I had some apprehension initially about the length; mine had always been kuspaqs rather than oogilhaqs when I was young. But when I saw this image of all these women (including Amouk!) in their oogilhaqs from the 1930’s, I knew the length would be alright. I also wanted to add a bit of my own flair to mine, so I added a bit of extra volume at the sleeve head to add a little puff, just for fun.

1930s - Unalakleet women standing in front of the post office wearing oogilhaq over their parkas

Sewing on the trim by hand

Sewing on the trim by hand has felt especially meditative. In these times, I always like to think about how somewhere back in time, so many women in my family went through the same motions, sitting just as I did. It feels so unifying to think about us all cutting out our pieces, pulling the thread through the fabric the same way, poking ourselves with our needle every now and then.

Getting to show Grandma when I was done was really special. I’m so glad I got to share that moment with her and talk about the experience and hear her advice and praise. I really cherish that moment, even though it had to be virtual, given our current circumstances. One day, she’ll get to see my creation in person!

I’m so immensely proud of my work on this garment. When I put it on and look at myself in the mirror, I see my Mom, I see my Grandma, I see my Amouk. My oogilhaq is a hug I never want to let go from. The good news is, I think this is the first one of many.

You can find Crysta on Instagram @crystasews

***

Crysta, thank you so much for taking us with you on the making of your first oogilhaq! I found it so moving seeing the old pictures of your Mum, Grandma and Amouk, and I'm sure they're all so proud of the beautiful oogilhaq you made! Such a beautiful dress, made even more beautiful by the generational history and tradition that has been passed down the line of women in your family. Maybe one day you will be teaching your daughter or niece to sew one of her very own too!

Did you catch our latest pattern release?? The Sandeep Dress and Skirt has been a work in progress for the last six years (!!), and we are so excited to finally be releasing her into the world! The twirliest girliest party dress on the block, guaranteed to see you through wedding season and beyond!

Her uniquely floaty yet polished raglan sleeve bodice is deceptively simple to sew, but may leave you scratching your head if you're in need of a full or small bust adjustment (FBA / SBA) due to the angled V-shaped darts that start at centre front (CF) and go up and out the apex.

The good news is that if you've ever done a FBA or SBA on a traditional darted bodice, this one will feel very familiar to you, and actually much easier! Keep reading to learn how to alter the bust on your Sandeep dress...

You will need:

• Your Sandeep Dress & Skirt pattern
• A tape measure
• Some extra pattern paper - we like dot & cross or baking paper
• Pens, a pencil and a ruler
• Tape - masking tape is good as it is easily removable if you make a mistake
• Paper scissors

Before you begin, have you read our posts on how to take accurate body measurements, and how to download, print & assemble a PDF sewing pattern? 

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)

How do I know if an FBA is in order?

• Your full bust is more than 2" bigger than your high bust measurement (see this post on how to take accurate body measurements)
• Your full bust measurement falls into a larger size group than the size you have decided to start with
• Dresses that fit your waist tend to squish down your chest
• You find that your waistlines often ride up (avoid the temptation to lengthen the bodice)

Step 1 

We need to begin by marking out the apex (literally translated "summit" - this is about 3/4" beyond the dart's vanishing point). We also need to mark out the seam line of the armscye, 5/8" or 15mm in from the edge of the armhole (shown in green).

Step 2

To do the FBA, we're going to use the 'slash & spread' alteration method. Sounds a little creepy and murderous, I know, but slashing & spreading is basically just the technique of cutting along key lines through the pattern in order to open it up to allow more space for the bust.

Draw a line through the centre of the dart up to the apex (pink).

Continue this line up and out to the armscye seam line and draw a little circle there. This will be a hinge point.

Step 3 

Cut upwards through the red line from the waistline, through the apex and up to the armscye's seam line, stopping when you get to the circle.

Snip into the seam allowance at the armscye up to the circle but not through it - this creates our hinge point.

Step 4 - The FBA: basic

Take your slashed bodice and place it onto a spare piece of paper. 

We are now going to open up the apex by however much we need to increase the bust by.

For example, if you have decided to cut a size UK8/US4, but your full bust measurement is 34" - and therefore 1" larger than that of a size UK8/US4, you will need to increase the apex by 1/2" to give you the 1" total extra space around the bust.

If you need to increase the bust by more than 1" total, skip to The FBA: adding a bust dart below.

Spread out the bodice, pivoting at the armscye hinge. When you have opened up the apex by your desired amount, tape it all securely down.

Your dart will have become wider. We now just need to redraw the dart's vanishing point and legs: choose a point in the middle of the FBA opening at the same height as the original dart for your new vanishing point. Redraw the dart legs by connecting this new point with the notches at the waist (new dart shown in green). Trim away any excess paper, and you're done!

Step 4 - The FBA: adding a bust dart

The only difference with this slightly extended version of the FBA, is that we're going to create a dart coming from the side seam (like a traditional bust dart) so as to share the volume from the V-dart. This is advisable if you are doing a FBA of more than 1" total, or you feel like in doing the basic FBA above, your V-dart has become too wide.

On your bodice, draw an additional line going from the side seam about a third of the way down from the underarm to the apex.

Slash this line from the side seam to, but not through the apex: we need another little hinge here:

Spread out the bodice keeping the opening through the dart parallel, pivoting at the armscye hinge and the apex hinge. When you have opened up the apex by your desired amount, tape it all securely down.

Your dart will have become wider and you will have opened up a new dart space from the side seam. We now just need to draw a new dart there at the bust and redraw the waist dart's vanishing point and legs:

To draw in the bust dart, measure 1" out from the apex, and then draw a pair of dart legs from that point out to the openings at the side seam. Create a little pointy dart extension at the side seam and trim away the excess paper.

To redraw the waist dart, choose a point in the middle of the FBA opening at the same height as the original dart for your new vanishing point. Redraw the dart legs by connecting this new point with the notches at the waist (new dart shown in green). Trim away any excess paper, and you're done!

***

Small Bust Adjustment (SBA)

How do I know if an SBA is in order?

• Your full bust is less than 2" bigger than your high bust measurement (see this post on how to take accurate body measurements)
• Your full bust measurement falls into a smaller size group than the size you have decided to start with
• Dresses that fit your waist tend to be baggy at the bust
• You find that your waistlines often droop or sit too low at the front (avoid the temptation to shorten the bodice)

Step 1 

We need to begin by marking out the apex (literally translated "summit" - this is about 3/4" beyond the dart's vanishing point). We also need to mark out the seam line of the armscye, 5/8" or 15mm in from the edge of the armhole (shown in green).

Step 2

To do the SBA, we're going to use the 'slash & spread' alteration method. Sounds a little creepy and murderous, I know, but slashing & spreading is basically just the technique of cutting along key lines through the pattern in order to open it up to allow more space for the bust.

Draw a line through the centre of the dart up to the apex (pink).

Continue this line up and out to the armscye seam line and draw a little circle there. This will be a hinge point.

Step 3 

Cut upwards through the red line from the waistline, through the apex and up to the armscye's seam line, stopping when you get to the circle.

Snip into the seam allowance at the armscye up to the circle but not through it - this creates our hinge point.

Step 4 - The SBA

We are now going to reduce the apex by however much we need to decrease the bust by.

For example, if you have decided to cut a size UK22/US26, but your full bust measurement is 50" - and therefore 2" smaller than that of a size UK22/US26, you will need to decrease each apex by 1" to reduce the total bust measurement by 2".

Move the bodice in on itself, measuring across from the apex your SBA amount, pivoting at the armhole and overlapping the paper down the waist dart. When you have reduced the apex by your desired amount, tape it all securely down.

Your dart will have become narrower. We now just need to redraw the dart's vanishing point and legs: choose a point in the middle of the SBA overlap at the same height as the original dart for your new vanishing point. Redraw the dart legs by connecting this new point with the notches at the waist (new dart shown in green). Trim away any excess paper, and you're done!

Tip from the top: Always check your adjustment by making a toile to check the fit. Remember that you can tweak the height and angle of your waist dart ever so slightly directly on the toile as you're wearing it. If you have made the FBA with the added bust dart, check on your toile that this dart is pointing directly to your apex; if it is too high you will need to lower the dart accordingly. Once you're happy with your newly adjusted pattern, copy it out onto some card for extra safe keeping! Although this is a straightforward adjustment to make, no one wants to have to do it twice...

You might be scratching your head here and wondering why you might need to alter the bust on such a floaty, loose fitting pattern - and you'd be absolutely right in thinking that, given the amount of ease the pattern is designed to have, there's little to no need to add or remove any width across the bust for a pattern such as Loren blouse and dress. However, other than the width, another thing that bust size affects is the final length at the centre front (CF) of the garment, and that is what we will be looking at in this tutorial.

Let's say for example that your measurements fit roughly into our size UK 28, but your bust is smaller than the dressmaker's D cup that our larger size range is drafted to. Without that fuller bust proportion, the hem of the Loren blouse/dress will appear to be too long at the front, as there is a shorter distance for the CF line to travel over a smaller bust. You'll possibly also note that the side seams swing towards the back.

Similarly, if your measurements put you closer to a size UK 12, but your bust is significantly larger than the dressmaker's B cup that our smaller size range is drafted to, then the CF will be too short for you: the front hem will be riding up and the side seams will be swinging towards the front.

This is a super simple fit fix that you can apply to the Loren blouse and dress pattern, or indeed any pattern where the CF line is too short or long, but you don't want to add or remove any space to the width across the bust.

Centre front too short

Step 1

On your toile, cut a horizontal line across the bodice front at the bust line.

Allow the bottom half to drop until the side seams are vertical and the front hem is level. Measure the opening at the CF. This is the amount you will be adding to your paper pattern.

Step 2

Now take your bodice front pattern piece, and mark out the seam allowance at the side seam.

Draw a horizontal line across the bust, adding a hinge point where this line meets the side seam allowance.

Cut across this line, stopping at the hinge and then snipping in to the hinge at the seam allowance.

Slip a piece of scrap paper underneath and tape the top section down.

At the CF, measure the opening so it corresponds to how much you added to your toile, and tape the bottom section down, adding a triangular wedge across the bust line.

Straighten off the CF with a ruler, and straighten out the side seam. 

Don't worry about the sliver that you've trimmed off the CF making the width across the bust smaller; this will essentially be added back on when you straighten out the side seam.

Centre front too long

Step 1

On your toile, check your side seams. If they are sitting vertically, all you'll need to do is trim away the unwanted length from the bodice front hem!

If, as well as your front hem dipping too low, your side seams are swinging towards the back, you'll need to do the reverse of the tutorial above:

Pinch and pin a horizontal wedge out of your bodice across the bust line until the side seams are vertical and you're happy with the front hem length. The amount that you have pinched out at the CF is how much you'll be removing from your paper pattern.

Step 2

Now take your bodice front pattern piece, and mark out the seam allowance at the side seam.

Draw a horizontal line across the bust, adding a hinge point where this line meets the side seam allowance.

Cut across this line, stopping at the hinge and then snipping in to the hinge at the seam allowance.

From the slash line, measure up the CF the amount you pinched out of your toile and make a mark.

Overlap the slash line and tape it down when it meets the marking, thereby removing a triangular wedge across the bust line.

Straighten off the CF with a ruler, and straighten out the side seam.

Don't worry about the sliver that you've added to the CF making the width across the bust larger; this will essentially be removed when you straighten out the side seam.

***

And there you have it! A super simple FBA and SBA for looser fit patterns like our Loren blouse and dress, for when you need to adjust the CF length. An excellent technique to have under your belt!

When I was 19, I walked in to a fabric shop for the first time.  I’d dropped out of university and had signed up to a night class at a local college to learn how to make bags, and I was looking for supplies to make my first item. I was like a kid in a sweetie shop and going into that fabric shop became a weekly treat for me.  Touching different fabrics, trying to understand how they moved and if they would be suitable for the ideas in my head.  Looking at zips, buttons, needles and threads imagining what I could do with them all.  Some days completely overwhelmed but always leaving more inspired than I entered.

After a few months, they advertised a job for a part time sales assistant and reluctantly I applied for that role.  Little did I know how much of an impact that application would have on my future.

That was March 2010 and up until February 2020, I was a proud member of the textile industry, spending 4 years at my first fabric shop and a further 6 years at another, working on the shop floor and in roles as a dress fabric & haberdashery buyer and running a fabric retail website.  Over that time, it would be safe to say that what I haven’t learned about fabrics isn’t worth knowing!

Working as a fabric buyer, especially as someone who sews, was very much like being a kid in a sweetie shop.  My day to day was spent playing with different fabrics, surrounded by fabric samples from suppliers across the world and dreaming up the endless possibilities our customers could have with the fabrics I was choosing to stock.  I had access to every fabric you could ever want to work with and many you didn’t know that you needed in your life!  

One thing I was particularly passionate about as a buyer, was finding the best possible version of certain fabric types.  This led to various buying trips locally and abroad, including trips to Paris and Amsterdam, going to ‘Stitches’ in Birmingham every year, the odd trip to London and the absolute dream of visiting Liberty of London’s warehouse to pick fabrics off their shelves to stock on ours.  As well as many visits from my lovely suppliers to our offices over the years to see their new collections as they launched.  I feel very lucky that I had the exposure to this amount of fabric and knowledge from these companies over those years.

As many of you will know, selecting the right fabric for a project can often be a tricky task.  Imagine being the person who has to narrow that down for the thousands of options available from mills and suppliers to those you see stocked in fabric stores across the UK and online.  There’s the danger of allowing personal taste to influence your choices and I had to remind myself a lot to take a step back and think of my customers.  Often this was more difficult with plain fabrics.  Once I’d decided on a quality (the type and composition of fabric), I had to narrow down my core colours and additional seasonal choices.  The easiest way to understand what to choose was to spend time in our stores, speaking to customers about what they like and seeing which fabrics were selling through better than others.  That’s knowledge you can only gain from being there on the shop floor.

Sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing as it means deliberating over options for longer than necessary.  Being the go-between for our suppliers and customers, building that knowledge base on both what was available and what sold well, meant we could curate sell-out collections each season.  With the odd wildcard fabric thrown in to mix things up!  I was always very conscious that it would be no fun seeing the exact same fabrics in every fabric store with maybe just the choice of a different colourway so I was always on the lookout for something different.

On a personal level, it was this time as a fabric buyer which really allowed me to explore fabric choices and consider what I wanted to sew with.  I recently wrote about this on my Instagram as I’ve had a change of focus since I left my role as a fabric buyer.  I was very brand loyal whilst in that job which might have limited some of my fabric choices, even though I loved all the fabrics I was buying for our stores.  However, exposure to every fabric you could think of let me understand the properties of these fabrics and appreciate which kinds of projects each fabric would suit best.  Knowing that you can’t use a woven for a project requiring stretch content or you can’t use a twill weave for a drapey dress or top. Learning which fibres have more suitable applications at different times of the year, such as linen in summer and wool in winter, and again why these fibre types lend themselves better to one garment rather than another.  And being able to communicate this information to customers when they asked these questions or offering a suitable fabric for their garment if they didn’t know where to start.

Alongside buying fabric, I also looked after buying for our haberdashery items.  Having a view on both the fabrics available to us and what we had stocked on our shelves meant I could chose notions and tools which worked best with these.  Ensuring we had suitable threads, zips, buttons, needles, trims and everything else in between meant our customers could leave our stores with everything they needed for their garments or projects.  Although, having said that, I can’t tell you how many times I came home without a matching zip or thread!  Just as well I had easy access to them!

One thing I have really missed through lockdown, is being able to visit a fabric shop, take my time to look at what is available, chat to members of staff about what makes a fabric special and what my plans might be with it.  To spend time debating whether I need 2 metres or 3 if I’m unsure what to make before turning round and finding another fabric to fall in love with.  And if I’m missing this interaction, I can only imagine how those early in their sewing journey are missing these valuable experiences to learn more about fabrics and what can be done with them.

As I’m sure you’ll now be aware, I am particularly passionate about finding or suggesting the right fabric for the right project.  Whether you are starting out on your first make or a seasoned pro at dressmaking, there is nothing more satisfying than finding the perfect match for idea/pattern/final project.  I’ve had the pleasure of advising everyone from kids sitting at a sewing machine for the first time through to experienced designer dressmakers.  And I’d like to share some of that knowledge with you in this blog post.

Picking 4 of my favourite By Hand London patterns and pairing them with some different fabric types, I’ll explain what these fabrics are and why they are a good match for the project.

Linen

Linen is woven fabric made with fibres from the flax plant and is generally thought of as a summer fabric as it breathable and absorbs moisture well, drying quickly.  Being of plant origin, linen is a vegan fabric and favoured by many who avoid animal products.  It’s a very versatile fabric and is available in many weights making it suitable for most garments which require a bit of structure.  I’ve used linen to make dresses, trousers and lightweight jackets.

Linen would work really well made in to an Elisalex dress, holding the pleats well in the skirt and allowing the princess seams on the bodice to sit neatly.  And as linen behaves well, it would be great for a beginner sewist to use so it’s easy to understand why it’s such a popular fabric choice.  Usually available in plains and prints, every different linen would make an Elisalex dress look completely different and unique to the maker.

I would stay away from using linen for a garment that requires a bit more drape, such as the Alix dress.  Linen would cause the wide sleeve, waist gathering and fullness of the skirt in the Alix dress to become a bit too rigid and lose the light, floaty, 70s feel of the dress.  A better choice for this dress would be a lightweight viscose, silk or double gauze.  These fabrics would be much better suited as they allow drape and for the pattern details to sit as designed.

Viscose Crepe 

My choice would be to use a viscose crepe as it’s one of my favourite fabrics.  Viscose is referred to as ‘semi-synthetic’ fabric as it’s made from cellulose wood pulp and spun in to a silk-like fabric so can neither be described as entirely natural or man-made.  Offering lovely drape and slight sheen, viscose is available in many different weaves such as crepe, challis and twill.  Recently, more viscose crepes have been readily available for the home sewist and many which are ‘deadstock’ fabrics from designers and retailers.

Jersey

Sometimes for projects, you need to pay particular attention to whether you need to use a woven or a jersey fabric.  Garments drafted to be made in jersey fabrics are usually designed with ‘negative ease’ meaning the finished garment measurements are smaller than body measurements as the stretch of the fabric is taken in to account. Jersey is a fairly broad term for fabrics which are really tightly woven knit fabrics and most commonly what will be suggested for these kinds of garments.  Taking many different forms and weights, jersey is perfect for more comfortable garments and available in a variety of fibres, including cotton, viscose and polyester and can be made from a combination of fibres, sometimes including a stretch content (elastane, lycra etc) which allows stability and movement in the fabric.

Most commonly used in tops, jersey is an ideal (and recommended) choice for the Poppy top & dress.  I’d recommend a ‘T-shirt’ weight jersey fabric rather than a Ponte Roma or similar, up to about 220gsm in weight (most fabric shops will give you this information).  Garments designed to be made in a jersey fabric, often give a stretch recommendation on the pattern and it’s important to note this for correctly fitting it.  Jersey garments are now a very popular choice for home sewists as they have become easier to work with and with the popularity of loungewear during lockdown.  Most fabric shops will stock both plains and prints in all the different types of jersey meaning every kind of garment can be created, from patterns such as the Poppy top through to hoodies, joggers, hats and items for kids.

There aren’t any ‘set in stone’ rules for what fabrics will work for each project and a lot of the time, suggestions can be adapted to let you try something different.  However the one rule I would always follow is if a pattern requires a fabric with stretch, use a fabric with stretch.  Often these garments are designed and drafted with negative ease, meaning the finished garment measurements are smaller than body measurements.  A woven fabric won’t work on these projects and you’ll likely be left disappointed.  Other than that, I would always actively encourage trying different fabrics for different projects to see how they work as you might just surprise yourself!  Sewing is about creativity and self-expression and there is no greater why to discover things than to just give them a try.

One final note of caution, particularly for beginners.  It’s very easy to get carried away with ALL the pretty fabrics.  I loved nothing more than a pretty print when I first started sewing, making so many dresses in what I would describe as cute fabrics.  However, that wasn’t and still isn’t my aesthetic and those garments I lovingly made weren’t practical and no longer live in my wardrobe.  Match your sewn garments to your wider wardrobe needs and consider if the fabric was made in to a RTW garment, would you have bought it?  If not, I would recommend reconsidering and choosing something which you’ll make, wear and love for a long time.  Making that one small change to my fabric buying approach has ensured that the garments I now make are more practical and sustainable.

As for my favourite fabric, currently that goes to Viscose Twill.  Viscose has always been my favourite fibre regardless of weave, as it’s lightweight and lends itself well to most things I like to make.  My preference currently falls to twill as it’s got a little more body and is more wearable year round.  Not to mention there are some lovely viscose twill prints about at the moment, including those by Atelier Brunette & Mind the Maker.

[Hazel in garments – L-R: I Am Irma dress, Fibre Mood Feliz Dress, Fibre Mood Cosette top, Fibre Mood Feliz Dress]

I hope that you’ve been able to learn something from this quick guide to some of my favourite fabrics or have been inspired to try a project in a different kind of fabric than you usually would.  To see which fabric I’m working with at the moment (in amongst adventures with my wee man), join me on Instagram @hazel_b_obv

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Thank you Hazel! I find it so fascinating to read about your time as a fabric buyer and retailer, and it reminds me of my brief stint working in a fabric shop. I learned so much, drinking up everything I could from the owner - the immensely knowledgable and inspiring Joy of Loving The Fabric - but I only scratched the surface! The understanding of all the fabric types, weaves and appropriate applications that comes with your years of experience is second to none, and I thank you for sharing some of that with us!

Needless to say, we have a whole catalogue of sewing patterns to take you through the summer season - whether you're sweating it out in the city, dancing on the beach or attending a different wedding every weekend - but we also have loads of absolutely FREE sewing projects that you can draft to your own measurements and whip up in an afternoon.

Here's a round up of some of our favourite tutorials we've put together over the years...

The shirred nap dress

When I put this tutorial together last summer, I really wasn't expecting such an incredible response! Hardly a day goes by without seeing your #bhlShirredDress pop up in our Instagram feed, which makes me so happy! It's a super simple dress to make using just a few rectangles of fabric, but you'll get to practice and master the art of shirring along the way! A great project to level up your sewing skills, as well as your wardrobe.

You can find the tutorial saved in our Instagram highlights under "Shirred dress".

The off the shoulder ruffled sundress

A super versatile dress that looks great dressed up or down, but most importantly - so comfortable to wear! The cute thing about this style is that you can wear the neckline off or on the shoulder, belted at the waist or loose, so depending on whether you're avoiding tan lines, hiding your bra straps, cinching your waist or leaving space for lunch, this dress will adapt to you.

Find the tutorial here.

The kaftan-style beach cover up

When it's so hot that all you want is to be naked, this is the next best thing! Essentially it's just a length of fabric folded in half with a hole cut out for the head (!!), but with a few neat little tricks to make sure the end result is polished enough even for the likes of iconic Kaftan wearers such as Elizabeth Taylor!

Find the tutorial here.

The panelled circle skirt

Circle skirts are always a great draft-it-yourself project, but what about the 90% of times that your circle won't fit on your fabric?? Frustrating to say the least, and sometimes downright infuriating! Fret no more, because we have a tutorial that shows you how to cut a circle skirt from multiple panels, meaning that you get the most out of your fabric, no matter how narrow it is, or how long or full you want your circle skirt to be! You can even go nuts (like I did!) and make your panelled circle skirt from contrasting fabrics.

Find the tutorial here.

The men's shirt refashion

A round up of our best free draft-it-yourself sewing projects wouldn't be complete without a refashion, and you can't go wrong with an oversized man's shirt! There are of course many hundreds of shirt refashion tutorials out there, and ours is as good a place as any to start :) 

Find the tutorial here.

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And there you have it! A nice little dose of inspiration to get you shopping your stash and getting excited for summer sewing! No patterns needed, and best of all - everything is made to measure!

What’s in a Name? How The Name of your Sewing Pattern Affects Racialized Groups

On March 16, 2021, a gunman killed eight people in Atlanta, USA. What does this have to do with a sewing blog, you ask? Perhaps you like to think that you keep your sewing and politics separate. I would encourage you to look at your practice carefully. Have you participated in an “oriental” quilt challenge? Do you select a sewing pattern called a “kimono” or one that has a Japanese-sounding name because it seemed somehow cooler? Or do you believe that garments you buy that are made in the UK, Europe, or the USA and made better than those made in China or Taiwan? 

In May 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in response to the killing of George Floyd, I remember feeling helpless and lost about what material changes I could make to help to support the movement, apart from donating and protesting. So shortly after the Atlanta attacks, I posted a list of things we can do in our sewing community to enact change in the face of Anti-Asian racism on my instagram. The response from our community was overall so positive and to be honest, I was shocked at the amount of attention my little post garnered. I think we are seeing material improvement in our community. Seeing some companies step up, make changes, and then publicly defend and explain these decisions shows compassion, learning, and steps toward anti-racism. Other places, however, I have been disappointed to see companies make a change and then allow their Instagram comments to get out of control, which has the effect of making it clear it was done for business reasons. I’d like to address some of the points I made in my original post in more detail, and I hope this will illuminate my reasoning.

In Atlanta, six of the victims were Asian women. It’s been reported that the shooter was a previous client of the spas and that he described having a “sex addiction”. Since all three spas where the attacks took place were Asian spas, I think it’s a reasonable assumption that his “addiction” specifically revolved around an Asian sexual fetish. But how does this relate to our sewing practice? Orientalism is a term used to describe depiction of “the East” from a Eurocentric point of view (Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books). In Western culture, we often use the term exotic to describe aspects of cultures other than our own. By using this term, we are separating the item/garment/design features from the people who created it and treating those cultures as “other”. This allows people to separate racialized people from their humanity and in extreme forms can lead to violent acts.

In the sewing community, we often see the use of Japanese words and terms to describe design elements (“kimono sleeves”) or entire garments (“kimonos”, “haoris”). This is known as cultural appropriation - where a dominant culture leverages aspects of another culture for profit. I know some readers will disagree with me, however, please ask yourself why a robe somehow seems more desirable if it’s called a “kimono” than a “dressing gown”. Those of us who have grown up in Western cultures have this desire for the “exotic” totally engendered into us. Emi Ito has written extensively on the appropriation of Japanese garment types and I encourage you to read her work. She speaks directly to the erasure of her culture through the incorrect usage of terminology.

When I open my copy of the classic patternmaking text Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear by Winifred Aldrich (2015), there are at least seven designs described as a “kimono sleeve”. Some of these are a dropped armscye, some are cut on sleeves, and some are raglan sleeves. Ironically, none of these sleeve types resemble the actual construction of a sleeve in a real Kimono. From this, we can see that the use of this term is very much a part of the larger fashion industry, including fashion education. Many of us who have attended fashion school have accepted these terms as the correct descriptive terms without question and have perpetuated their use. However, times have changed, and we are now more aware of cultural appropriation. Does it really hurt us to change the name of a garment feature to what is actually a more descriptive name, now that we are being asked to do so?

I often hear people say that they are inspired by garments from Asia, perhaps the Cheongsam or the Kimono and that by calling their design a kimono or a cheongsam, or by using a place name or other word that sounds “Asian”, that they are honouring that inspiration. I think that it is misguided. Personally, I think it is absolutely fine to say that you were inspired by beautiful Japanese minimalist design, for example, however I do not believe it is appropriate for white people to use Asian words or terms since you are then leveraging the exoticization of Asian cultures for your profit. If you have designed a beautiful garment, it will speak for itself, regardless of name.

Currently, we are seeing a great deal of popularity in our community of Sashiko (a type of Japanese embroidery), Shibori (Japanese resist dyeing), and Bojagi (Korean hand piecing). They are all beautiful techniques and I can absolutely understand wanting to learn them and I do encourage you to do so, however please learn from a cultural knowledge keeper (i.e. someone from that culture). To illustrate this, I will give a personal example. A few times a year, I travel to the Canadian Arctic for my work. Since I’m interested in sewing, I try and connect with local Inuk women. Many of them have been really generous with their knowledge and have taught me to sew handmade traditional Inuit mitts.

Ulus (Inuit traditional knives) used for cutting the mitts

Tracing the pattern pieces

For my first pair, I had to complete them back home (it’s time consuming) and the last step is to sew on fur trim around the wrist. I sewed the fur on and happily wore the mitts. The next time I was in the north, I showed an Elder the mitts I had made. She was so kind about my first attempt but then pointed out that I had sewn the fur on the wrong way around. The way I had sewn it on would direct snow into my mitts, instead of out of them.

The first mitts I made, complete with error!

Me, proudly showing my first hand stitched Inuit mitts

This may seem like a small detail, however culturally, it’s an important safety consideration. Imagine if I had taught others how to make “Inuit” mitts and perpetuated that error, and then someone who learned from me made another error, etc.? Maybe it’s not that important to the end user, but to the cultural knowledge keepers, this is important. And there absolutely could be other cultural teachings about mitts that I didn’t learn at all due to the language barrier or that it was not shared with me because I am not Inuk. Therefore, I implore you to seek out a cultural knowledge keeper to learn from – the profit should remain in their culture and they should be allowed to share whatever is appropriate for you to learn. 

A different pair of Inuit mitts I hand sewed in Nunavut, made in a different regional style

You may be questioning why it’s so important to us to retain cultural images, teachings, and techniques. Ultimately, it’s because what we experience is racism on one hand (both overt and subtle) and then apparent “flattery” through cultural appropriation. What we experience is white people, as a group, taking the parts they like (for example, traditional crafts), whilst simultaneously complaining of differences in culinary practices, for example. 

We are all learning to be better allies and I think one of the great strengths in our sewing community is its ability to bring us together to understand each other’s lives and lived experiences. One key part of being a good ally is to listen to a marginalized group and to honour their lived experiences, even if you have not witnessed it yourself. I think the continuation of these small changes we can make in our community will assist in lessening the number of microaggressions that marginalized groups face in their daily life.

Leila Kelleher is the patternmaker for Muna and Broad, a plus size sewing pattern company. She lives and works on Turtle Island, otherwise known as Canada.

@leila_sews on Instagram

www.sewingforeverybody.com

***

Leila is doing so much to shed light on a complicated issue through her online platforms, with her business and by agreeing to write this piece for us, and I want to thank her for the education. I hope that everyone reading this will allow themselves the time and openness of mind to listen to marginalised people, and to examine the things that we so often take for granted that may be causing harm to others and perpetuating white supremacy. As Leila says, it is so easy to change a name and start to rewrite the narrative, and when you know that something like the name of a garment feature is causing harm, why wouldn't you want to rectify that?

First things first, you'll want to strip down to your smalls - we don't want bulky jumpers and jeans giving us an inaccurate set of measurements! Do, however, measure yourself wearing the bra that you would normally be wearing. If you're making a special garment that you will wear with a different type of bra or underwear - eg. if you were making a strapless gown that you'd wear with a strapless bra, or something really cinched that you want to wear with a corset - make sure that you're wearing those specific undergarments at the time you take your measurements.

Grab a pen and a flexible measuring tape (and before you ask, no - your DIY metal tape measure will not do! And it'll probably rip you to shreds while you're at it), stand yourself in front of a full length mirror and take the following measurements (either in inches or centimetres, whatever you prefer), being careful not to twist the measuring tape as you hold it around yourself. Oh, and measure from the right end of the tape, ie. 1cm/1"! An easy mindless mistake we've all made...

Full Bust

Your full bust is, surprise surprise, the circumference around your ribcage at the fullest part of your bust. This is usually nipple height, but not always. It always helps to check you've got the right spot by standing side on to the mirror so you can actually see where your bust is at its fullest - and this goes for all the other lateral measurements too!

Hold the tape firmly (but not tightly) around yourself, trying not to let the tape sag down your back. Don't hold your breath as it will puff out your chest, and keep your free arm down by your side. The tape measure should be about bra strap height at the back, and parallel to the floor as much as possible.

High Bust

Most sewing patterns will not give a high bust measurement in their sizing chart (our newer ones that come in both size ranges now do!), but it's an important one to be aware of as it is the relationship between your high bust and your full bust that will usually dictate whether or not you'll need a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) or a Small Bust Adjustment (SBA).

NB: As a general rule, if your full bust is more than 2" larger than your high bust, you'll probably need an FBA, whereas if your full bust is just 1" larger or less than your high bust, you'll probably need an SBA. This, however, will also depend on the design of the garment you're making, and whether or not you're falling between sizes.

Hold the tape around your ribcage, pulling it up to your underarms and above your bust. Again, breathe normally and keep your arms and shoulders relaxed. The tape measure will be slightly higher than your bra strap at the back, and on a gentle upward diagonal as it goes up and over your chest.

Waist

This can be a little confusing because a lot of people don't actually know where their natural waist is. It is not your jeans waist size, and it is not always the smallest part of your torso if you don't happen to have an hourglass shape. Your waist is located halfway between the end of your ribs and the top of your hip bones. This measurement is also somewhat subjective, so make sure you're standing in front of a mirror so you can check that you're measuring around the spot where you would like to see your waistline seam.

Pull the tape around your waist and have a little feel of what's comfortable for you. If you're making a dress or skirt with a cinched in waist, for example, the Flora dress or the Anna dress, this is where it will be the tightest. 

Hips

The hip measurement is not literally taken from around your hip bones, rather, the hip measurement indicates the fullest part around your bottom. It is also known as the seat measurement. Your hip measurement is usually about 8-10" down from your waist, but it could be lower if you have a low bottom, or higher if you have a full lower belly. The thing to remember here is to measure around the part where your bottom half is at its fullest, so that whatever garment you're making will comfortably fit over it.

Taking your measurements sitting down

When we sit down, our hip and sometimes waist measurements increase as our body mass spreads. If you're making anything form fitting that you want to be able to sit down in, or you are a wheelchair user, knowing your seated measurements is essential!

Some other useful measurements to know

When I'm measuring models for a shoot, or making things for others (rare!), I like to take some vertical measurements so that I can get an idea of proportion when I'm choosing their size and deciding if I need to make any other alterations to a pattern.

Body measurements on a pattern like full bust, waist and hip, all assume a set vertical distance between those measurements, so if you are long waisted, short chested or high hipped, your garment may fit you horizontally, but if the vertical measurements are off, the fit will be all wrong.

It really helps when taking vertical measurements to tie a piece of string around your waist (where you took your waist measurement), and even around your hip and full bust (if you can do that without the string falling down or restricting your movement too much!) so that you can be more accurate in your measurement taking.

Waist to hip: As I mentioned earlier, most people's hip measurement is 8-10" down from their waistline. Measure from your waist down to where you took your hip measurement (fullest part of your bottom). If it's between 8-10" you likely won't need to raise or lower the hip line of your pattern. If it is more or less, you will probably need to shift the hip line, ie. where the pattern is at its fullest, up or down in a similar way as you would move an apex up/down (see how to raise/lower the apex on a princess seam in our Bodice Fitting Companion)

Shoulder seam to apex: Making sure that the apex of your pattern (fullest part at the bust; the word apex literally means summit) is in the right spot as your own apex is crucial to a well fitting garment. By measuring down from your shoulder seam to your apex, you can compare this measurement with your paper pattern to see if there are any major differences. Very common alterations that can be picked up at this point would be having to lower (or raise - but that's quite rare) the apex, or shorten the bodice across the chest.

Apex to waist: Another useful one to check if you're long or short waisted and might need to lengthen or shorten your pattern above the waistline.

Bicep

This is a great measurement to know, as you can quickly compare it directly to the width across a sleeve pattern to check how much ease it has and whether or not you want to do a bicep alteration - full or narrow - before you make a first toile. In order for a slim fitting sleeve to be comfortable, you want at least 1 1/2 - 2" ease. Measure around the fullest part of your bicep, and then measure across your sleeve pattern piece in roughly the same spot to compare the measurements.

Shoulder point to shoulder point

If you suspect that you might have narrow or broad shoulders, this is a useful measurement to know. 

Feeling for the little sticky-out bone at the hinge of your shoulder (that's your shoulder point, and where your sleeve seam should be), measure right across from shoulder point to shoulder point. Half that measurement and compare it to your pattern - from centre front out to the edge of the shoulder seam - minus the seam allowance!

Again, you can find narrow and broad shoulder alterations, as well as the most common bodice fitting techniques you need to know in our Bodice Fitting Companion eBook.

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Now that you've made a note of your measurements, you can now cross reference with the sizing chart on the back of most sewing patterns (or indeed RTW sizing charts). Pay extra attention to a pattern's 'finished measurements' section, as this will give you a better idea as to how a garment will measure up when finished. Some will be very form fitting, will little or no 'ease' (the amount of extra space allowed by a garment from the body itself), and therefore the finished measurements will be similar to the sizing chart. Or, in the case of patterns like our Jackie trousers, which has a lot of ease, the finished measurements are considerably bigger than those dictated by our sizing chart.

And that's all there is to it - the first step to handmade frocks that fit as good as they look!

Learning to love the fabric of my home and heart

I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that for some immigrants belonging is an elusive thing you spend years chasing. It doesn't seem to matter how young you were when you joined a new country, the desire to truly belong somewhere, to be attached, to understand and be understood is unbelievably strong. 

I was just three when I toddled onto these ‘Sceptred Isles’ of Great Britain to join my family in London seeking a more affluent life. My mother had arrived in the country some time before me wearing a gorgeous traditional wrapper from Ghana, a long fitted skirt and peplum top made in African wax print or Ankara. She looked gorgeous I'm sure. But when I saw her again was dressed in the 70s attire of her new culture. She nor I can remember exactly but it was likely a pair of navy polyester flares with a matching polo neck top, an outfit I remember well. 

We were Ghanaians living in North London, England and finding out quickly that not everything about the “Mother Land" was as wonderful as my parents thought. My parents were really keen for my two siblings and me to assimilate, so they stopped speaking our own language -Twi- to us and my dad especially instilled in us a Queen's English, as learned by a Ghanaian! What my parents or I didn't fully realise then was that they were severing our ties to our country of birth, distancing us from our non-English speaking relations. They also did not see that assimilation is not the same as acceptance and belonging. We became aliens both to Ghana and England and carved out a new identity over time as British Ghanaians.

Lena wears our Anna Dress

Growing up, I quickly learned to be embarrassed by everything that marked me out as being African, people would call me that and it was never a compliment. Racism and ignorance was alive and kicking back then in the 70s, and morphed in to something a little more polite in the 80s and 90s. African markers definitely included wax print fabric. My mum had been a seamstress back in Ghana and she often made clothes for herself and her girls. Sometimes she would suggest making me something from some Ankara and I would say “no thanks". I'd be content for my mum or dad to wear their cloth for Ghanaian functions, as long as we travelled by car! 

I was quite a shy girl and preferred not to get noticed. But it's hard to be a wallflower when you're wearing Ankara. The prints and the colours just shout to be seen! My mum would often show me some cloth and I would object to the brightness of the colours or the strange print. It was hard for teenage me to see the cloth becoming something I'd want to wear. Like many a teenager, I struggled to accept and like my body and I felt safer and less seen if I swathed myself in black and navy. But inside me was a latent love of colour and pattern that was waiting to bloom. The odd pair of red Levi's, the geometric mod print cardigan, the oxblood Doc Martens were all paving the way to a bolder, more colourful me. 

Lena wears the Nenuphar Jacket by Deer and Doe

I am so thankful that my mum gave me a sewing machine when I was 15 and never stopped offering me African wax print, it was as if she knew I would turn, and I did. When my eldest was 4, we went to Ghana, that was only the second time I'd been back since coming to the UK. It was a wonderful three weeks of meeting family, feasting and visiting the sights. I loved going to the markets and browsing  through the myriads of gorgeous printed fabric, it was the beginning of a beautiful thing. 

My great love now for African wax print is born out of a need to be attached to Ghana, to value it and no longer ashamed of it. I remember the first dress I made for myself from some gorgeous red and yellow fabric was print. I wore it to a wedding and I was the only black guest there. I braced myself for the comments and explanations I’d need to make. The comments came and I found that the interest in the fabric was genuine and I loved talking about it. There was no embarrassment.  On my infrequent visits to Ghana, I always have two very strong and opposing feelings. I feel very much that I am home while at the same time feeling very much like a stranger, in fact I'm often called ‘Abrofo' by Ghanaians, the term used for foreigner. Wearing Ankara fabric helps me feel connected.

Lena wears the Jessica Dress by Mimi G

On my most recent trip to Ghana my mum had a good sort out of her wax print clothes and fabric and my sister and I had a great time choosing what we liked and having them made over for us by my mum's talented dressmaker. It was a beautiful time. Seeing my mum's fabric, old and new and hearing some of the stories behind them was so special. Some of the stories were of the people who  gifted her with the fabric, some of the stories were of the meaning of the design on the cloth. My mum has quite a collection because cloth is often given to people, at weddings, it's part of the traditional ceremony in Some African countries. It's also sometimes just the equivalent of a bottle of wine and a houseplant when you visit someone or want to say thank you.

Lena wears the Claudette palazzo trousers by Dovetailed London

Let me backtrack and tell you a little bit more about this fabric, what is Ankara? Firstly, we are of course not talking about the capital of Turkey! We are talking about colourful, boldly printed cotton fabric, imitating the effect of the process of batik. Perhaps you remember doing batik when you were at school. The process involves making patterns on cloth using melted wax then dying the cloth and finally using heat to remove the wax. The waxing and dying can be repeated to add more colour and design. When the Dutch colonised Indonesia they discovered the wonderful hand printed batik fabric the Indonesians made and their merchants took some samples back to the Netherlands. The Dutch developed ways to mass produce similar fabric, imitating the crackle effect of wax resist fabric. But these new fabrics were not appreciated by the Indonesians or the Europeans. Legend has it that Ghanaian soldiers from the Dutch Gold Coast (today's Ghana) enjoyed the fabric and that's how wax print began to popularise West Africa.   There are many different types of cloth traditionally made in Africa and several countries have incorporated the wax resist method in their designs. What makes Ankara so amazing to me is the vibrancy of the prints, traditionally bold primary colours are used along with green. I love the fact that the wrong side the fabric is just as brilliant as the right side. Another cool thing about Ankara is that the colour doesn't fade, and trust me, I have 50 year old fabric in my collection that looks as  good as new! But be careful, quality matters. The best Ankara will be 100 percent cotton. And although the fabric can feel really stiff when you buy it, due to the fact that it is waxed on the right and wrong side, I have found that the fabric usually softens beautifully with washing. Juliet Uzor says she likes to add a bit of salt with her fabric conditioner when washing waxy Ankara fabric and that helps break down the wax. 

And talking of Juliet, she and I hosted a week of Ankara fabric appreciation last June over on Instagram and it was just the best week! It came in the wake of the George Floyd sadness when so many were feeling low and beleaguered and it was just the celebration we needed to focus on beautiful things that black people were doing and making and it was also such a unifying week. We wanted all people to learn about this fabric, to appreciate it, to support some small black businesses selling the fabric and be comfortable using the fabric themselves. We discussed traditions, special  and sacred fabrics, we discussed appropriation and we really hope we struck the right balance of education and celebration. The response to that week totally overwhelmed us, I loved every minute of it. Well, I have rambled a bit but I guess that's the story of my coming to love Ankara. So, identity and belonging that's where I began. As a Christian, I have learned to be secure in my identity rooted in the Bible's teaching and that where I come from and where I live have been wonderfully planned. Sadly, it took me longer than I liked to shed the discomfort and embarrassment of being African.  What's with my love affair with wax print fabric? Apart from it being absolutely fabulous fabric, strong and forgiving to sew with, vibrant, lush and long lasting, and a piece of artwork with a story, I love the feeling that it connects me with Ghana, my original homeland. I love that when I wear it in a traditional garment it makes me feel bold, feminine and confident where once I felt embarrassed. I love to use it to make fitted, vintage style dresses too as well as more casual tops and trousers. It is never ordinary and I love that.

♥️

You can find Lena on Instagram @thatlenaking and on her blog The Unpick Stitch Papers.

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Thank you so so much Lena for sharing your deeply touching and tender story with us! That cycle of rejecting ones heritage in order to "fit in", only to feel even more alienated, followed by homecoming of sorts - rediscovering your roots and lovingly embracing that which once you felt ashamed of, will be so relatable by so many people all over the world. The fact that you get to celebrate your roots through fabric as joyous and iconic as Ankara makes your journey even sweeter ♥️