Sewing Resources
Regardless which social media platform you prefer, or perhaps you are more analog and prefer a book, there are fantastic sewing resources out there.
The challenge is to find the right knowledge for where you are at the moment.
This post focuses on the sewing suppliers I like to buy from.
These days I’m shopping more locally and prefer small suppliers who specialise in dead-stock fabric. I wouldn’t recommend this approach if you are just starting to sew because the fabrics tend to be more exotic and expensive. Instead for your first few garments stick with buying fabric that is more readily available and search out pictures (via instagram or the suppliers website) of people wearing finished garments to get an idea of how the fabric will look and read up on their tips for working with the fabric.
My sewing journey didn’t start with making clothes but with making things for the home like a pillowcase or a cushion. Then I progressed to making bags and purses as gifts. If you want to jump straight into sewing clothes I recommend starting with something from Helen’s Closet, Grainline Studios or Closet Core Patterns as all of their patterns come with great step-by-step tutorials on their blogs.
Keep in mind everyone’s sewing journey will look different.
For deeper details of some of the garment I have made use the journal search or category Pattern Review.
For an overview of my most favourite favourite makes see Handmade Wardrobe Creative Note.
For sewing books see this journal post [Coming soon].
For the crafter visiting Maastricht see this post [Coming soon}.
The sewing community on instagram is fun and I really enjoy the interaction with like-minded crafters. Following hashtags is how I discover new things and stay updated. #memadewardrobe and … are a couple of favourites.
YouTube
Made to Sew - I discovered these while learning to make buttonholes. Aneka Truman has a whole library of useful videos.
Grainline Studios - The field bag, Hemlock and Archer button up shirt are my favourite.
Fabric
UK
Alice Caroline - Most of my Liberty fabric comes from their sale section.
Selvage and Bolts - Will be forever grateful for the deadstock Brunello Cucinell fabric that I bought from Dibs.
Minerva - Pre Brexit I would shop here for main stream fabric and suppliers.
Europe
Metermeter - I like their Fabric club and their service is great, a good place to start your fabric journey, based in Denmark
The Fabric Sales - Entirely sourced from designers's dead-stock materials, based in Belgium
Denim Lab - Denim and cotton twill, based in The Netherlands
Textielstad - Where I order interfacing, threads, mainstream patterns, based in The Netherlands
Stoff Kollektiv - I have not ordered anything yet… but I’m stalking, based in Germany
Fabrics at Play - another one I’m stalking thanks to fabric.swagger, based in Portugal
New Zealand/AUstralia
The Fabric Store - Their merino and linen fabrics are a dream to sew with, and a good place to start your fabric journey
Tessuti - Beautiful fabrics and their free Mandy Boat Tee sewing pattern is famous in the sewing community.
The Strawberry Thief - When visiting home I try to order some of their besopke Liberty, Robyn has a great eye for colour
Patterns
Peppermint Magazine - free sewing patterns that are popular. I personally haven’t made any of the patterns but I enjoy reading their articles.
The Assembly Line - Great pattens with a slight edginess to them.
Grainline Studios - Well drafted patterns and brilliant tutorials that have improved my sewing.
Closet Core Patterns - Not completely my style pattern wise but I highly recommend their learn to sew, sew your dream jeans and learn to sew a blazer courses. Heather Lou is a great teacher and I’ve learned a lot of helpful sewing tricks from the courses.
For printing patterns I use Time to Sew, based in The Netherlands.
supplies
All of the zippered goods in the shop have zips from Zipit, based in the USA.