Laura

A dressmaking technique that is quite difficult to master is inserting a zip into a garment for an opening. It may be easy to avoid putting a zip in if you are not confident in the technique by using press fasteners, hook and bars and even hook and loop tape however with a little practice you should be able to...

We have a huge selection of Dressmaking Fabrics at Calico Laine, from satin to voile, gingham to corduroy but one of our biggest ranges is our cotton prints which includes many gorgeous prints from the renowned Rose and Hubble. Rose and Hubble manufacture printed cotton fabric, usually in a width of 112cm, which vary in patterns from floral designs to children's prints...

We often get asked in our Liscard and Neston branches if we have starter kits of Haberdashery to get people started when they are either just getting started with dressmaking or trying to encourage their children or grandchildren to sew. We do not stock small sewing kits such as this as we generally find that the items supplied with these...

It is great to create your own clothes through Dressmaking but unfortunately sometimes, if you aren't careful, your garments can look a little 'homemade' rather than having a more professional finish. By taking a little bit of time at the end stages of your sewing project you can accomplish more accuracy which will give your garment a more polished look. The first stage of achieving...

Now that the clocks have gone forward, we are truly into spring and next week is the beginning of most children's spring break from school which includes the easter bank holiday. The majority of school holidays at this time are over two weeks and this can be a long time to keep the children amused, especially if the weather is...

Since the 23rd April 1995, schools and nurseries across the country have been celebrating World Book Day to appreciate authors, books, illustrators and reading. Children and teachers dress up as their favourite storybook character and traditionally take the book that their costume was inspired by into school. World book day takes place today this year so it is a little...

Last Sunday saw one of the biggest British awards ceremonies take place, the Bafta Film Awards. Often dubbed as the British Oscars, stars walked the red carpet in designer outfits with cameras flashing and journalists shouting 'who are you wearing?' before they sat down for the evening's event. Even if you didn't watch the awards themselves, it is always fun...

I'm at that stage in life when everybody around me seems to be having babies or already have children and I have noticed that with a lot of people, their time and money all tends to be spent on the children as they are the most important thing in their life. One of the fun things to spend your money on when you...

If you are a dressmaker or crafter, an essential Haberdashery item that you can't live without is thread. There are a number of thread manufacturers out there but whenever we get asked by a customer which thread is best to use, we often suggest gutermann threads due to their high quality. Gutermann produce a large selection of threads which can...

Bias binding is a really useful Haberdashery item and can be used for finishing off arm holes, necklines, hems or used for casing for elastic amongst other things. Most dressmakers will understand what the word 'bias' means already but for those of you who don't here is a quick run down. Every piece of fabric has two edges to it...