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

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How to sew a button – if you only learn one skill, then make it this one! It might save the day if you have a fashion emergency.

Single thread: This is used for most hand stitches, especially those that you want to be invisible. Cut the thread to the length you need then thread it through the eye and knot the end if you want to start off that way.There's an ethical angle to sewing your own clothes too, especially if you also source your fabric carefully. Most of our clothes are made by anonymous, low-paid seamstresses working in factories on the other side of the world. Each garment maker sewing a seam here or a button there on huge assembly lines for the throwaway fashion industry. With very few exceptions, we all wear clothes and have drawers and wardrobes full of them. Very few of us know the person who made our clothes, or even which country they were made in. In this post we look at a few of the basics of dressmaking for beginners. great book but it needs to tell you that you have to add seam allowance, only mentioned a few times, needs to be CLEARLY stated from the start The key to this book lies in discarding conventional high street sizing and taking measurements of YOUR body. Helen explains how to take comprehensive measurements of your own figure and some extra useful measurements too, with a handy chart you can copy and use. I love that Helen has included measurements of real women so you can see her method in action.

How to sew gathers – if you're a fan of the Great British Sewing Bee then you'll have seen lots of gathers on the show! Gathers can be used to create skirt waistlines, ruffled sleeves and much more. If you want to make your own clothes, this is a really handy skill to learn. We have collected a range of sewing techniques which were featured on the show too. There are many sewing machines available second-hand (although you may need to get them serviced). If you're after a bargain there are plenty of affordable entry-level machines in supermarkets and department stores. For example, you can get the Singer Fashion Mate which is a perfect beginner sewing machine for dressmaking from less than 150. Very informative and nicely presented in an easy and well illustrated way. Perfect for people like myself who wish to learn to dress make. Before you cut into any expensive fabric, sew-up a voile (a test garment) in an inexpensive fabric to test that you are cutting the correct pattern size. It will be worth the time and effort as you can then sew with confidence when you get started on your chosen fabric. Having made sorry, having attempted to make own clothes, this book makes it so much easier, and a pleasure at lastaccount differences in body size across bust, waist and hips. Trace off your pattern pieces, then create a sample (toile) in calico which you can then adapt to create the dress of your dreams, in your own choice of fabulous fabric. Interesting and informative book, though not a complete beginner there is still plenty of information that will make a difference to my sewing.