Emery Class at Badger & Earl

For the past two Saturdays I've been helping two lovely ladies - Julia and Michaela - to sew the Emery Dress as part of a dressmaking class. The class was held at Badger & Earl in Chiswick (the finest sewing cafe in west London!) and it was an absolute pleasure from beginning to end. The whole class was 10 hours in total, spread over two weeks, so we spent the first week cutting out the pattern and fabric and constructing the basic shell of the dress. We were then able to dedicate the second week to trickier areas such as inserting zips, setting in sleeves and adding the bodice lining. 

Both students had some prior experience of dressmaking and just needed extra guidance with specific techniques, which made things a lot easier. As did the awesomeness of the pattern, in particular the well drafted sleeves and excellent instructions. The pockets were fab too, the method for attaching them was one I'd never used before and I'm now a convert!  Neither dress was hemmed as one had to be  shortened and the other needed trying on with proper shoes before deciding on the final length. But still, I think cutting the dresses out from scratch and sewing them up in just two sessions was pretty amazing. 

That zip is well and truly invisible!

It was such a delight to help Julia and Michaela create such beautiful dresses - needless to say I felt VERY proud!

Proud!

Badger & Earl is a lovely place to learn a new skill, classes are small and friendly and the tea and cake is exemplary! They've just signed up two new sewing tutors (Margaret and Krystel) and are busy putting together ideas for additional dressmaking and fitting classes. This will hopefully include a trouser fitting class, which I think will be a popular one. If you have any suggestions for future classes, do let me know in the comments and I'll happily pass them on. 

Thanks to Julia for kindly forwarding the above photos for me to use - guess who forgot her camera?! x

Badger and Earl Sewathon

This was me exactly a week ago - sewing, sewing, sewing all day long with Rachel from House of Pinheiro, Alex from Sewrendipity and Elisalex from By Hand London. Ah I love my life! We were the guests of Badger and Earl - my fave West London sewing and craft cafe - and were taking part in their first ever Sewathon! Each of us was asked to choose fabric and a pattern from the shop then given the challenge of sewing it up in a day. Challenge accepted!

Ready for the off - must remember not to stand next to Rachel in future!

What a fab day we had! We were given as much tea and cake as we wanted, then left to sew dresses and indulge in sewing talk all day, bliss! It was also a really nice change to be sewing somewhere new and to be with doing it with other stitchers. I sometimes forget that the actual art of sewing is a very solitary activity! 

I'm not very good at sewing against the clock (which is why you'll never see me on the Sewing Bee) so I chose a pattern I knew well - the Mortmain dress by Gather. I've made it twice before (here and here) and have also taught it as a class at Badger and Earl, so I knew exactly what I was doing! I just finished it by the end of the day. If I'd been on my own it would have only taken me a couple of hours, but I was in a room with some world famous chatterboxes so I didn't stand a chance!

Sewing the hem...

Almost there, just the armholes to finish

And here's the dress once I got it home and gave it a press. The neckline is finished with a facing but I finished the armholes with contrast navy bias binding (that was Rachel's idea!)

I also pleated the skirt from the right side for a softer look.

Yes, it's totally inappropriate for winter but I think it will be a perfect dress for the warmer months. I like how it looks like a separate top and skirt as well as a dress! As my flesh is currently a fetching shade of winter blue, I thought I'd spare you a shot of me wearing it. But here we are with our finished dresses, all looking mighty pleased with ourselves. 

Rachel made a Deer and Doe Bruyere Shirt, lengthened into a dress with some beautiful printed canvas. Alex made a very cool Tilly and the Buttons Bettine dress with some blue linen. She used the scraps from my polka dot skirt for her pockets and sleeve cuffs! Elisalex had to leave early, so sadly wasn't there for the final dress parade. They'll be blogging about their own particular Sewathon makes soon though, so keep an eye out.

Thank you so much to Charlotte and Sophie of Badger and Earl for hosting. And to my sewing partners in crime Rachel, Alex and Elisalex for making it such a fun day. Let's hope it's the first of many more Sewathons to come! x 

Mortmain fest

For the past two Sundays I've been teaching a Mortmain dress class at Badger and Earl. The Mortmain pattern is a simple shape (fitted bodice, waistband and skirt), with a few interesting techniques to get your teeth into (box pleats on the skirt and an exposed zip). This was the first adult class I've taught and I have to say, it was an absolute pleasure. 

The four women who took the course (Joanne, Nicky, Jo and Julia) were all very enthusiastic about the pattern and it was great to chat about sewing with such a lovely bunch. Week one was taken up with sizing, cutting out the pattern and fabric and sewing up the bodice and skirt. Week two involved all the fiddly bits - waistbands, facings and inserting the exposed zip. 

Time ran away with us, but by the end of the day on Sunday, they'd just about managed to finish their dresses (bar hemming and a couple of rogue exposed zip seams). The best thing for me was seeing what a great fit they all achieved. I can't take any credit for this alas, as it was purely down to the fab pattern - it seemed to fit all four of them straight out of the packet! It's very well drafted and the instructions are clear and straight forward - it made my job a lot easier!

Joanne's exposed zip which worked perfectly with her fabric choice

The four fabrics they chose all had a bit of a vintage vibe going on, which worked well with the retro style of the pattern. Behold their beautiful Mortmains - they're all so pretty! 

And here I am trying to muscle in and steal some of their well earned glory! 

Thank you Joanne, Nicky, Jo and Julia for making it such a wonderful experience. Details of future Badger and Earl courses can be found here. x

Come sew with me!

I'm delighted (and a tiny bit scared!) to announce that I'll be teaching a Mortmain dressmaking class at Badger & Earl in Chiswick. Yayyyyy! The class will run on two consecutive Sundays in March (15th and 22nd), where I'll guide you through each step of sewing up the sleeveless version of this lovely, vintage-inspired dress. Further class details and booking information can be found here. 

I recently taught a one day PJ bottoms class at Badger & Earl for 12 year old girls, which was so much fun. Now I get to do it again, with one of my favourite patterns! I've made the Mortmain dress twice now, once for myself (my lemon dress) and once as a sample for the class. For those who were interested in the fabric I used for the sample, it's Poppin Poppies in clover, which is part of the Avant Garden range by Momo. The Village Haberdashery still have it in stock here.  

Lemon dress

Sample dress 

The Mortmain dress is a classic shape with a fitted, darted bodice, separate waistband and box pleated skirt. It also features an exposed zip to the back. Some of the techniques involved are a little involved, so I'd say the class is suitable for an ambitious beginner. If you already have a couple of simple dressmaking projects under your belt and are looking to expand your skills, then this could be the perfect class for you. 

Here I am proudly showing off the dress at Badger and Earl!  Wish me luck! x

My legs aren't really that short - it's the camera angle!

Sewing by the rules

For the past week I've been making another Mortmain dress by Gather Kits. This time round though, it's not for me - it's a sample for Badger and Earl, to publicise a future Mortmain dressmaking class. My brief was to sew it up exactly as instructed in the pattern, but once I was making it, I realised it differed quite a lot from the first version I made, back in the summer.

The Mortmain dress

I'd always thought I was quite an obedient type when it came to following pattern instructions, but in reality, that's not the case. Here's what I did differently the first time round, when left to my own devices:

1) Box pleats sewn the reverse to what was instructed in the pattern i.e. pleating from the right side of the fabric rather than the wrong side. To be fair, this is suggested in the pattern as an alternative so I wasn't being a complete rebel!

This is how I made the pleats originally….

….and this is the sample showing what they should look like. It's actually quite a subtle difference

2) Invisible zip used instead of the exposed metal zip which is a feature of the pattern. I'm still on the fence about exposed zips, especially in such a feminine dress. Personally, I think they work better on more robust looking garments. Still, I learnt a new skill whilst making the sample (how to insert an exposed zip), which I'm pleased about, and I think the zip does look good, I'm just not sure if it's for me!

3) Armholes finished with bias binding instead of the self fabric facings in the pattern. I realise that armhole facings need to have a bit of width to them to sit nicely, but I still prefer the neater, trimmer finish when using bias binding. The compromise is that bias binding doesn't give you the seamless finish you get with facings (unless, of course, you catchstitch it down by hand, which has never worked successfully for me).

Admittedly, you do get a lovely clean finish on the armholes with a facing

I also added interfacing to the waistband pieces and underlined the entire dress, but that was more down to fabric choice than me being a maverick! They're not big changes by any means, but I'm surprised there were so many of them - in my head, I thought I'd sewn up the dress more or less exactly as the pattern dictated (minus the zip). I didn't think I was such a madam with my sewing!  

When I first started sewing I slavishly followed sewing patterns exactly as written, terrified of deviating in case it all went horribly wrong. Over time, I've learnt that if a design detail doesn't rock your boat or you know of an easier/neater/faster way of getting the same result, then it's a no brainer to make a few changes to the pattern. Plus, I'm all for putting your own stamp on things! The obvious exception to this is pattern testing, where the whole point of the exercise is that you follow directions exactly to check they make sense.

I suppose the more confident you become with your own changes, the more you're inclined to start pattern hacking left, right and centre. Using the bodice from one pattern, the skirt from another and even the sleeves from a third can produce wonderful results! 

I'd be interested to know where you stand on this. Do you obediently sew by the rules and never deviate? Or do you slash, hack and mix up your patterns to your heart's content?!  x 

Introducing Badger and Earl

As somebody who loves sewing, I'm very lucky to live in West London. The Goldhawk Road is only a short bus ride away (or car journey if I'm feeling incredibly lazy), so I can overindulge on fabric to my heart's content and am always covered for any sewing emergencies. The one thing West London has always lacked though is a contemporary fabric shop or sewing cafe. Places like Ray Stitch, The Village Haberdashery and Sew Over It are not situated in my manor so require planning on a military scale to sort out childcare and organise a visit. Wouldn't it be great to have something similar within spitting distance?

Well my wish has been granted as Badger & Earl sewing and craft cafe opened its doors in Chiswick last month. It's a coffee shop, haberdashery and workshop, all rolled in to one and what's more, it's in Chiswick!!! Just down the road!!! Hoorah!!! In their own words: "Badger & Earl is a new, more social way to sew and craft. Whether you are a seasoned enthusiast or a complete beginner, we are the place to come and enjoy needlecraft, great coffee and beautiful fabrics in lovely, friendly surroundings."

Owner Charlotte Pendred opened just in time for half term in October and had a busy week of children's classes making pom poms, button pictures, felt brooches and hair clips. She's slowly building the classes and workshops list for both children and adults. The current class list includes several Learn to Sew classes aimed at beginners (make a cushion cover, Christmas stocking or Christmas table runner) and an introductory dressmaking class run by Zoe, teaching you how to make a pair of kid's PJ bottoms! There are plans to introduce more dressmaking classes and workshops very soon - so watch this space!

I popped over to visit Badger & Earl shortly after it opened. It's a lovely, bright space - sewing workshops/classes are taught at the back of the shop where the machines are set up, and more informal sewing/knitting groups can congregate on cosy sofas at the front. There's also a further room at the back with a high table for cutting out. 

In the shop section, there's a good range of pretty quilting cottons, a small, but growing range of dressmaking fabrics and a well stocked haberdashery section. I don't know anything about knitting, but the yarn section looked good too. 

Whilst I was there, one of the knitting and embroidery tutors had just finished making this: a badger with a cup of Earl Grey tea! Badger & Earl, Geddit?!!

I bought a few haberdashery essentials, downed a delicious coffee and even left with two vintage patterns that Charlotte kindly let me borrow! None of my friends who live locally are interested in sewing, so I'll be mounting my own private campaign to get them over there to discover it for themselves. If that doesn't work, I'm hoping I can meet a few new, local sewing buddies through Badger & Earl. I really hope Charlotte's venture is a success and look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength.  If you're in the area, don't forget to pay a visit, they're open seven days a week (10-4 on Mondays, 9-6 Tuesday to Saturday and 11-5 on Sundays). 

Happy Monday! x