Calico Laine

It's a cold winter's day today up on the Wirral and as I write this it's blowing a gale and raining cats and dogs! With this awful weather in mind it brings me onto the topic of today's blog and that is dressmaking for the cold weather! Below I am going to talk about three of my favourite fabrics to...

For someone making their first attempt at Sewing, using a zip in your dressmaking project can be a little daunting if you're not sure how to install it in your garment. In today's blog, I'll be walking you through a tutorial on how to sew a zip into your dressmaking project. What you'll need: A regular dress zip measuring your...

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and is the ideal time for exploring your creative side. With the party season fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your outfits. Forget about traipsing around the busy high street trying on a variety of uninspiring outfits which will make you blend into the crowd, and...

With Christmas rapidly approaching, the decorations are starting to come down from the attic and the Christmas trees are finally going up in our homes. If you're hoping to make some of your own decorations for your tree this year, you might have already bought some fabrics and other materials to get started. At home I like to decorate my...

Autumn is possibly the most beautiful season of the year, with those distinctive autumn hues of golden brown decorating the world around us and leaves crunching beneath our feet. Long before those bright mornings take a frosty turn and the chilly autumn gusts start to blow through the trees, you will find your thoughts turning to your autumn wardrobe. Keeping...

At this time of the year, BBC One and ITV are usually in battle for viewers with their big budget programmes, Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor respectively. As much as I enjoy a good singing competition, this year I have been hooked on Strictly. As well as watching the celebrities trying their hand at a Jive or American Smooth...

Haberdashery covers such a large and wide choice of different items. At Calico Laine we have amassed a great selection of haberdashery that will keep any dressmaker or sewer going. In my entry today I am going to cover some of my personal favourites from our extensive range of haberdashery. Bias Binding: This really is a must have item to...

One of the most anticipated films of the year, The Hunger Games Catching Fire, is being released this week and with the L.A premiere being held last Monday, all eyes were on leading lady Jennifer Lawrence. At the Oscars, where she won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, she wore a stunning pale pink textured Fabric Dior ball gown and...

Any dressmaker has that one item in their sewing kit that they can't work without - whether it's a stitch ripper or a needle threader, there's always one tool that makes a dressmaker's work that much easier. In today's blog, we'll be talking about some items that we think are essential to anyone's sewing projects. Needles - Obviously a big...

Zips are a very popular item here at Calico Laine and we often get asked what is the best type of replacement zip to use. If you are replacing a zip in a jacket, coat or cardigan then you will will need to use an open end zip. In my entry today I am going to talk about the range...