Category: Guides

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Treat Yourself, it’s Gifting Season: Part Two

Now as much as we wish you could, we know you can’t get all your crafting and haberdashery gifts from us this year. So we thought we’d compile a list of #TeamSpecky recommendations to share with you too… we love supporting Small Businesses thought this would be a lovely way to give some love to some of our favourites.

We decided on a Shop, a Product or Gadget and a Pattern each to share to stop the list being overwhelming… So without further ado, here are Laura’s:

Laura Recommends:

Fabric Shop? Good Fabric Store : https://goodfabric.co.uk/

Good Fabric stocks fabric, haberdashery and patterns, with a focus on eco-sustainability and a guilt free shopping experience! They’ve got everything from buttons, to printed patterns, to fabric by the metre and remnants too… why not check them out?

Tool or Gadget? Good Quality Tracing Paper! 

Whether you’re a pattern tracer, someone who grades between sizes or a rebel hacker, you can’t go wrong with good quality tracing paper.

Patterns: Adam Sews https://www.adamsews.com/ 

Love a good quilted bag or accessory pattern? Why not give some of Adam Sews patterns a go? They’re clearly rated for their difficulty, feature some FANTASTIC fabrics, and there’s a YouTube sew-a-long video for most of them too!

Check out the patterns from Adam Sews!

And there’s often a good selection of FQs and accessories available in the shop too!

Yvann Recommends:

Fabric Shop: Fleur et Ours https://fleuretours.com/ 

Fleur et Ours stocks gorgeous fabrics for dressmakers, bag makers, crafters and quilters. Often offering specially curated ‘Make it Sew Special’ Bundles with fabric and haberdashery items, it’s well worth a regular look see! 

Product/ Gadget: Prym Love Magnetic Arm Pin Cushion

Keep your pins about your person with this watch-style magnetic pin cushion. You’ll never need to wonder where your pins have gone, and a sweep of the wrist can easily pick up any strays that have got away! Available from MANY retailers – check it out!

Check out Prym’s website to find a retailer here

Pattern: Helen’s Closest Winslow Culottes https://helensclosetpatterns.com/products/winslow-culottes 

The Winslow Culottes are a team favourite, with all three of us having made at least one pair; coming in with a 33-62” hip, and 4 different views from short shorts to full length palazzo trousers, this a massively inclusive pattern. And there are LOADS of tips, tricks and hacks on the Helen’s Closet blog too… the only question really, is which fabric will you make yours in first?

We love ALL the different Winslow views

And an honourable mention to the Pattern Number 4 – The Taco Pouch in this video

Ideal for gifting or just working on your own skills. You could make one or gift someone all the bits they need to make their own. 

Cassie Recommends:

Fabric Shop: 1st For Fabrics  https://www.1stforfabrics.co.uk/ 

This was a new-to-her discovery for Cassie this year and it’s rapidly become her go to fabric shop. They stock a range of fabrics, including some she’s never even heard of, as well as haberdashery items and printed patterns.

And the service is impeccable; they even called once as the ribbing she ordered was a different colour to the fabric and they wanted to make sure she’d got the right colour! Make sure you follow their instagram too, as they often drop info about Sale items there first 🙂 

Product/ Gadget: Embroidery Scissors 

You can grab this Hemline pair from Lakeside Needlecraft

Especially the ones that look like a bird! These are super sharp, ideal for fitting in small spaces, cut through thread and embroidery floss with ease… and honestly, you can NEVER have enough pairs. 

Pattern: Podgekins Doll https://www.podgekins.com/ 

Podgekins is a new company and pattern this year, and with both a whole host of niblings and friends with babies and toddlers, as well as an ever growing stash of fabric scraps, this pattern seems like a perfect choice for Cassie – and perhaps for you? The dolls and their clothes work up quickly and are improver friendly, but with enough skills and fiddly bits to keep more experienced sewists engaged.

Cassis has bought ALL of the add-ons!

The base PDF pattern comes with the doll and one of the clothing options, with additional options available to purchase too. And Paige often posts about possible extra patterns to come, so keep your eyes peeled. 

This isn’t an exhaustive list of our recommendations by any means, but just a little taste of some of the things we love and we think you’ll love too! And if you’re still a little unsure, drop us a DM, a comment below or an email to hello@thespeckyseamstress@gmail.com and we’ll see if we can help find you the perfect gift!

And if you’re looking for Specky specific recommendations, check out part one of this blog: here.

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Can you believe it’s Gifting Season?

It never seems like quite the right time to talk about Christmas and gifting season… but it’s the 22nd of November and it’s actually freezing here in the UK, with visible snow on the ground… so this seems as good of a time as any!

We’re going to break down our gift recommendations over two blogs – this first one is Specky specific, and next weeks will be about our top picks from Small Businesses we love and have the #TeamSpecky seal of approval. 

Don’t know what to buy?

When you’re buying for someone else, and sometimes even for ourselves, getting gifts for Sewists can be really hard. You don’t want to feel like you’re just buying supplies, or just grabbing the first ‘sewing’ related thing you can find, nor do you want to buy something they don’t like or need, as fabric and haberdashery can be a really personal choice… 

With that in mind, our first recommendation will always be the humble Gift Card!

Gift Cards

Check out the Gift Card page!

Now, we know that doesn’t seem all that exciting, and you can’t easily wrap it and pop it in a gift bag, but it’s a gift that means the Sewist in your life can make their OWN choice about what they need and want… and with 365 days from purchase to use it, they can do it in their own time too. 

Our gift cards are available in £5, £10, £15, £20 and £25 denominations, and you can purchase multiples for the same person if you want to gift big! You’re able to choose who the code gets sent to, and when, so why not have it pop up in their inbox on Christmas day? 

Looking for Something a Little More Physical?

What about one of our Bias or Woven Labels subscriptions? 

Everyone loves getting a little treat through the letterbox once a month, and we ADORE these subscription boxes. 

The Bias Tape Appreciation Society

This subscription box contains 2m of a new and exclusive design, once a month, for only £6 (UK price) and you can choose a monthly rolling option, or 3, 6 or 12 month blocks. 

Check out some of our most recent designs:

Cute as a Button!
Ducks
Cream Daisies

The Label Collective

The Label Collective brings you 7 labels each month, with 2 new and exclusive designs – 3 large folded labels and 4 mini labels. These are – in our opinion – the perfect finishing touch to a make. They can make it look more ‘professional’, more whimsical or simply make it clear which is the back and which is the front!!

Currently available on a monthly rolling subscription, starting at £6.50 per month (UK)

Sewing Appreciation Society and Kitty Cats
Wardrobe Staple and Fish
Made with Love and Mistakes and Scissors

Love them both?

Simply add both subscriptions to your basket, and an automatic shared postage discount will be taken off! 

Buying as a gift for someone? Just make sure that the shipping address is for the recipient and we’ll do the rest! And if there are ever any issues, just drop us an email at hello@thespeckyseamstress.com 

Looking for a bit of mystery?

Mystery Bags

If you know you want a physical gift, but aren’t quite sure what, our Mystery Bags are the way forward! Containing £30 worth of stock from across our ranges, but with a £20 price tag, this is both a great introduction to our products for newbies, or a bit of a stash builder for those who love our quirky haberdashery. 


Or you can Pick ‘n’ Mix!

Not sure which labels you love the most, why not choose 6 of our labels and build your own label pack!

Our Pick ‘n’ Mix packs are £7.25 a pack.

Every month we add the latest designs, so there’s always something new to choose from.

And if you’re still not sure, why not email Cassie at: Hello@thespeckyseamstress.com – she’s always happy to help you find the perfect choice. 

Hopefully these give you a good starting point, this gifting season! Check back next week for our recommendations from other Small Businesses 🙂  

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What Is ‘Bias Binding’?

What Is ‘Bias Binding’?

This seems like a great place for us to restart our blog, as Bias is one of our main reasons for existing… Laura was looking for beautiful bias tape to finish her makes and wasn’t happy with what she could find, so she created her own!

We know that when you first start looking into Bias it can be really confusing. It might be described as ‘Bias Tape’, ‘Bias Facing’ or ‘Bias Binding’. Some patterns want it to be seen, whilst others have it hidden on the inside. There are lots of different widths and ‘folds’ of bias too, which can be especially confusing when you’re new to using it. 

So what is it?

At its simplest, ‘Bias’ refers to strips of fabric, cut ‘on the bias’ that are intended to enclose the raw edges of a make. If we take a piece of woven fabric, we can use the selvedge edge to show us the grain line, and at a 90° angle, we have the cross grain. When we cut ‘on the bias’ we’re cutting at a 45° angle from the grain. The 45° angle helps to give the fabric a little stretch, allowing it to be applied to curves without any tucks and puckers! 

You might think, ‘but how can woven fabric stretch?’, but if you go ahead and give your fabric a little tug from one corner to the other and you’ll find it ‘gives’ a bit. It’s not truly stretch, but just enough to allow the strips to ease around curves. And it’s this ‘stretch’ that makes finishing the curved hem or neckline so smooth and crisp!

Once you’ve got your cut strips, how you fold them determines how you use them. The main two types of commercially available bias are ‘Single Fold’ and ‘Double Fold’:

Single Fold Bias Binding:

Single fold bias is mostly used for facings and hems, and in places where it is INSIDE the make – although you absolutely can put it on the outside too!

The raw edges of the strips are both folded inwards to the middle of the strip, depending on the width of your bias, there may or may not be a gap between the two.

Double Fold Bias Binding:

Double fold bias is meant to be seen! It’s often used in bag and quilt making and wraps around the raw edges to completely enclose them. The extra fold means it can be folded over the top of an edge. 

The raw edges of the strips are both folded inwards to the middle of the strip, and then it is folded again along the middle, so one edge will sit either side of the fabric. 

Single Fold and Double Fold Bias Tape, image from: https://www.blueprintsforsewing.com/blog/tutorial-bias-facings-and-bindings

Can I Make My Own?

You absolutely CAN make your own, and you’ll find some patterns even come with a pattern piece for bias so you can make it in the matching fabric. It can be the perfect choice when the binding it going to be on show, and lots of people enjoy the process of making bias themselves.

However, it’s worth noting, you often need A LOT of extra fabric to make it, and it can be quite fiddly, which as a beginner can be really off putting! Which is where we come in…

Our Bias:

At The Specky Seamstress, we currently make Single Fold Bias Binding. We think it’s absolutely perfect for finishing off makes and giving them a professional look. Our bias is unique as we design our fabric *just* for bias, so the patterns are printed to run along the length of the strips; every piece is high quality with a fun, intentionally placed design.

When Laura started The Specky Seamstress, she found herself wondering: Why would anyone spend all that time making a beautiful item, only to finish it with cheap, scratchy binding? Doesn’t your make deserve something special?! 

Our bias is all printed in the UK on 130gsm Cotton Poplin, and manufactured in house.

Want To Give It A Go?

Why not try our Bias Tape Appreciation Society and get 2m of an exclusive new design through the post every month! That’s enough for a neckline and armholes, or maybe the hem of a dress: The Bias Tape Appreciation Society

Just want a bit to try out – what about our remnant packs? Each pack contains 3 individual pieces of bias ranging from 50cm to 100cm/1m in length: Remnant Packs

Not Sure How To Sew With Bias?

Why not check out Laura’s tutorial on Youtube? Bias Binding Tutorial – necklines and hems – YouTube