Edition 16 – June 2021
Modern sewing starts here..
FOCUS ON FABRICS
Dressed for summer Dresses for new or the more seasoned sewer!
Feast your eyes on the latest fabrics Art Gallery Fabrics reveal collections for the rest of the year
KATARINA ROCCELLA
Talks about her illustrations and fabric design
LEARN TO LOVE LINEN
Patterns, fabric and advice for working with this fabric
Opal Pants and Shorts Pattern by Megan Nielsen
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Editor’s Letter Hello With lockdown lifted, we are all hoping to be able to enjoy the warmer months that are on the way. In this edition, we take a look at linen more closely and find out why so many sewers love it while others shy away from it! We investigate the different types of linen available, and suggest three patterns that you will want to make in linen for your summer wardrobe. Quilting was originally more of a necessity to use up fabric scraps but modern quilting continues to blossom. Are you a newbie to quilting? Start your quilting journey with these eight essential tools – we show you what you’ll need to get started! Love fabric? Take a look at the latest fabric collections as well as a reveal of Art Gallery Fabrics’ collection for the balance of 2021. We also chat with the lovely Katarina Roccella about how she goes about creating her surface designs for fabric.
Happy stitching! Hantex team
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THE DENIM EDIT
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THE DENIM EDIT Thinking about sewing with denim or making your own jeans? The Denim Edit has been put together to inspire you and showcase all the fabrics and patterns that you may ever need. To view this section over on the Hantex website – click here
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DOUBLE GAUZE PAINTED PRINTS Escape to the exotic island of Borneo through Katarina Roccella’s painted prints of beautiful wildlife and lush jungle vegetation in her collection, Boscage. This range of fabric makes a bold statement with rich tropical forest colours and deep navy blues and also contains two lovely knit fabrics including Feral Essence Tan shown here which also comes in a rayon version too. To view the Boscage fabric collection from Art Gallery Fabrics – click here
Double Gauze is one of our most popular fabrics and is easy to sew, as well as cool and practical for your summer makes. Modelo has introduced three new collections – Nikaho (with a dainty floral pattern), Sakata (with crinkle-effect) and Sibu (tiedye). To view more from the three new double gauze collections from Modelo – click here
Double Gauze from Nikaho
Focus on FABRICS
Feast your eyes on the latest fabrics
Double Gauze from Sakata
Double Gauze from Sibu
GOING GREEN Monaluna’s Modern Love collection has gone green! Amour Vert features many of the most popular prints from Modern Love, reimagined in a new colour palette, with a few brand new prints and some old favourites included as well. Featuring lots of woodland goodness, it’s perfect for summer dresses, skirts and tops! To find more designs from Amour Vert by Monaluna – click here
DRAWN TOGETHER Masha Volnova is the designer and artist behind Pip&Lo, a print and pattern design studio based in Boston in the US. Masha loves using bold colour combinations, quirky motifs, and engaging subject matter. Her design starts with quick hand drawn sketches, which is then digitised and arranged into patterns. The Mystical Gardens rayon fabric collection brings together the unity of nature and the ethereal life with deep rich colours with beautiful celestial, flora and fauna designs. To see more from this rich Cloud9 Fabric collection – click here
AGF REVEAL OF NEW COLLECTIONS FOR THE REST OF 2021 Art Gallery Fabrics has been working hard on its fabric collection for the last half of the year. Here’s a sneak peek at its latest, prettiest fabrics that push the creative boundaries! With new colour palettes, well-chosen prints and designs, they are bound to capture any fabric-loving heart!
EVE DESIGNED BY BARI J In honour of the strength and endurance of the female spirit, Eve – the mother of us all – represents the beautiful qualities of being a woman through prints of fierce cheetahs, graceful herons, and gentle butterflies.
BOOKISH FROM SHARON HOLLAND This collection brings together the delightful moments of drinking a hot cup of tea, reading a good book, and curling up in a cosy quilt. It tells a tale of classic romance and modern whimsy in dusty-coloured book covers of rose, burgundy, teal, peach and gold.
VERT FUSION FROM AGF STUDIO Experience tranquillity with this calming collection of low volume prints that are enriched with organic elements such as soft sand and aloe tones. All aim to soothe the soul through nature’s natural powers.
ONWARD & UPWARD BY JESSICA SWIFT Embracing the powerful experience of self-discovery and the beautiful nature of life as Jessica Swift illustrates her onward and upward journey through loss and grief and the rise through it all with bold colours, folkloric designs, and magical creatures.
COZY & MAGICAL BY MAUREEN CRACKNELL This festive cheer collection celebrates those cherished traditions like decorating the tree with twinkling ornaments, wrapping presents, cosy sweaters and family time. These whimsical prints have everything you need to make holiday sewing magical.
SPOOKY ‘N SWEETER Especially designed to celebrate Halloween, this collection is full of nostalgia continuing to the magical story of the adventures on All Hallows’ Eve, where a little witch named ‘Peppermint’ and her new best friend ‘Mocha’ discover playful skeletons and dancing pumpkins to join their Halloween party. This fabric is perfect for making trick or treat bags, napkins and tablecloths for the celebrations.
FLANNELS This is the softest, cosiest flannel and made with AGF’s new 100% cotton double-brushed flannel. Super soft on both sides, it’s ideal for keeping you warm in the colder months and would make the perfect pyjamas, dressing gowns and quilts for cosy nights in! This collection is OEKO-TEX certified, so you can start sewing without compromising the planet. For more details on prints, and upcoming free patterns, check out the Art Gallery Fabrics Catalog Season 2 – 2021 – click here For more details on new fabric collections from Art Gallery Fabrics – click here
S D N E L B N E N I L & S N LINE These types of fabric are perfect for keeping you cool all summer long and now come in lots of lovely colours!
100% RAMIE The new Sligo washed Ramie range is perfect for making wearables this summer. It comes in 14 beautiful colourways including neutrals and brights.
75% VISCOSE AND 25% LINEN BLEND This Bray range is excellent quality and the viscose and linen mix means it’s less likely to wrinkle and is softer on the skin. It has a great drape and weight and will work wonderfully for dresses, trousers, shorts, and tops. It’s suitable for any season as it’s cool to wear in the summer, and is the perfect layering fabric for the autumn/winter.
PRINTS AND LINEN Plant Peeps was the first fabric collection by Meenal Patel for Cloud9 Fabrics! Meenal is an artist, illustrator and children’s book author based in California. Strong women, family, and textures in nature, little joys from everyday life and her Indian-American heritage inspire her. This mysterious and dreamy collection is full of petals, plants and peeping eyes. Look a little closer for the wondrous, magical details found intertwined in nature! This fabric is on a cotton/linen canvas base that can be used for garments like trousers, skirts, dungarees as well as bags and home decor! It definitely makes a statement here where Forest Flourish has been made into the Schoolhouse Tunic by Sew Liberated.
Use linen as a backdrop fabric to a beautiful garment and just add your own trimmings to make it your own such as ric-rac, beads and embroidery. To take a closer look at the full range of linen and linen blend fabrics available from Modelo and Cloud9 - click here
LINEN Julie Bonnar from The Pattern Pages discusses all you need to know about linen
Garments made in linen look elegant and are very comfortable to wear but if you haven’t sewn with it before you might be a little wary of working with it. It’s one of the oldest fabrics and is actually quite easy to sew as it doesn’t slip around or stretch when cutting out but unfortunately it is prone to shrinking and fraying so it’s important to get it right!
WHAT IS LINEN? Linen is a crisp fabric that’s made from flax plant fibres. It’s very strong and absorbent and dries much faster than cotton, and is cool to wear in the summer months. It comes in four weights – gauze, handkerchief, medium and heavyweight so another problem for sewists is choosing the right fabric weight for their sewing project. Gauze This is a thin, translucent fabric with an open weave and perfect for making billowy shirts, tops and skirts. Handkerchief This linen is light, crisp and quite transparent and frays badly! They can also be damaged when pressed. Mediumweight These are great for making summer suits, tops, dresses, loose-fitting skirts, shorts, trousers and jumpsuits and soft furnishings such as curtains and bedding. Heavyweight These are better used for upholstery projects and are perfect for cushions and other soft furnishing projects. Linen blends Linen blends such as Ramie are less expensive than linen, as it’s blended with other fibres, and tends not to suffer from wrinkling and fraying as much as linen does and is much softer. Linen can be blended with rayon, cotton and polyester.
THE BENEFITS OF LINEN • • • • •
Linen is much stronger than cotton and has natural heat and moisturewicking properties. It is perfect for clothing and bedding. It’s also a naturally anti-bacterial fabric. Linen is easy to dye different colours, and hence is available in lots of colours. It’s best suited for loose shirts, trousers, jackets and dresses. Linen can be pressed on the right side of the fabric and gets softer and more comfortable with each wash.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF LINEN • • •
Linen has little elasticity so it does wrinkle It shrinks and isn’t good at draping. It’s more expensive than cotton.
TIPS FOR SEWING WITH LINEN AND LINEN BLENDS Pre-shrink Always wash your fabric on a warm temperature by itself before using as linens absorb twice its weight in water and it shrinks. TIP: Try dry pressing your linen fabric on a high heat before pre-shrinking. This can help avoid it wrinkling. Ease There is very little ease in linen fabric so make sure you pick the right size pattern based on your measurements. Layout Use the without nap layout and double thickness. It can be difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong side of the fabric so place a pin in the right side on each your pattern pieces. Don’t use coloured chalks or markers on linen. Interfacing Lightweight linens may need interfacing, as they’re very sheer. TIP: The other alternative is to cut a second pattern piece and use as an interfacing on areas such as the front of a blouse or top. Thread Use a cotton thread. Needles Choose a universal needle between 70/10 for lighter weight linens and 80/12 for the other weights. Seam finishes Always do a test seam first. Because linen frays, on light and medium weight linens choose a flat fell seam. Unlined jackets would benefit from a Hong Kong seam so they don’t show! To flatten seams you can topstitch. Pressing Use a high heat setting on your iron and a spray starch on areas such as collars. If you don’t like the wrinkly look choose linen blend fabrics as they tend to be less prone to wrinkles. Kalle Shirt from Closet Case Files
TAKING CARE OF YOUR LINEN GARMENT Heavier weight linen garments may loose their crispness so it’s recommended that these are dry-cleaned only. Lightweight linens like handkerchief linens will wash well. More sheer linens would benefit from a hand-wash with a milder detergent. Always check the instructions on the fabric bolt.
To find linen and linen blend fabrics available from Modelo and Cloud9 – click here
Summer dressing Brazilian-born sewing blogger, Rachel Pinheiro shares how to make a yellow dress work for you
Trend: yellow Let’s just pretend April showers aren’t happening in May and hot weather is just around the corner in June! I know the 2021 version of yellow is a soft modelled on the pastel trend but yellow for my skin tone has to be a vitamin-rich, vibrant shade. I styled with pink statement earrings and chunky heel sandals. This dress shape would also look super cute with a quilted double strapped flat sandal. Letting my curls natural as the pools are finally opened, and I’m back on my daily swim schedule.
Pattern & Fabric choices Could this flowy dress be the perfect spring-summer piece for you? The Hope dress by Style Arc is described as an easy slip, high-waisted dress. The deep raglan armhole really sets this dress apart from similar loose fit styles. It has a button closure but the neckline is wide enough to ignore it. The yellow fabric certainly wins in spreading a jolt of positivity. I confess the pattern is way out of my comfort zone in terms of shape. I had to add a waist tie, as I don’t normally wear loose clothes. As you may imagine as a tall gal, it’s rare for me not to alter the fit, and its just part of sewing for me. For this pattern, I had to lengthen the bodice to sit naturally where the design was intended. The fabric I chose is described as lightweight slub rayon and it’s truly delicious to sew. This is the type of fabric that let your body breath and I’m certain it will feel fresh on the skin during a hot day. Its only downside is that it creases like linen!
Here is how to add length choices Determine where length will be added and draw a horizontal line. This line needs to be at right angles from the grainline. The line doesn’t have to be drawn in a particular place. You just need to ensure it’s the same place both front and back of the pattern, and won’t interfere with the design.
For this pattern just after the raglan sleeves - draw two vertical lines on the paper to match the pattern pieces to. Cut along the split lines, and add paper to extend the pattern. I added 5cm length and glued back the rest of the pattern you removed. True the sides and now you added length to the bodice.
Editor’s notes PATTERN - Rachel has chosen the Hope Dress from Style Arc. One thing worth mentioning is Style Arc pattern instructions are brief so some sewing experience is assumed. To view this pattern and others from Style Arc – click here FABRIC - Rachel has chosen to make her trend-led yellow dress in Modelo’s Praia lightweight Slub Rayon Fabric (Code: MODR132232-5011). This fabric is drapey, cool and garments hang beautifully when they’re made from it. There’s a slight linen textured effect, which adds a dimension to garments. It’s the ideal fabric for summer tops and dresses. To view this fabric range and other rayon fabrics from Modelo – click here
In love with linen
CASUAL TROUSER AND SHORTS
The Opal Pants and Shorts pattern includes tapered leg paperbag or standard elastic waistband wide legged trouser pattern with inseam or patch pockets, back pockets, belt loops, an optional belt. You can also make a pair of shorts with patch pockets and paper bag waist or knee length shorts that are perfect for returning to the office this summer. The pattern comes in sizes 0-20 and is ideal for beginners. To find more sewing patterns from Megan Nielsen Patterns – click here
Discover 3 must-have patterns that you will want to sew in linen
LINEN BLAZER
The Heather Blazer from Friday Pattern Co is an unstructured, modern blazer. This comfortable and stylish jacket has a slightly oversized fit and can be worn in all seasons. It is the perfect editorial layering piece. This pattern is designed for the beginner sewist. If you have always wanted to dip your toe into making outerwear but have felt intimidated, this is a great place to start! Designed for woven fabrics and fully lined. To see the complete range of Friday Pattern Co sewing patterns – click here
SHIRTDRESS
The Kalle has a loose body skimming silhouette and lots of interchangeable features and is perfect for easy dressing. Make it cropped with a wide faced hem, tunic length shirt inspired by classic men’s oxfords, or as a stylish shirtdress with a high-low hem. All versions feature a subtly curved yoke, kimono sleeves with arm cuffs, and a dramatically shaped hem. The pattern comes in sizes 0-20. To take a look at this pattern and more from Closet Core Patterns – click here
Check out the free-to-use resource listing of the very best Indie patterns and filter by fabric, garment, brand or skill level by visiting www.hantex.co.uk
New pattern releases for you to make! LIESL + CO
This semi-fitted dress (and top) pattern is easy and quick to sew. The strategically placed seams and the additional cup sizes allow you to get a nice fit. The flattering V-neck at the front and back reveals just a little skin without exposing too much, and the pull-on styling means you don’t have to sew buttons or worry about zip placement. Sew it as a flattering dress or a more stylish tank top. To check out more sewing patterns available from Liesl + Co – click here
CASHMERETTE
Finally, a blazer that fits curves! Experience the joy of a classic lined blazer designed specifically for a full bust. The Auburn Blazer features sleek princess seams, a sophisticated notched collar, and a single button closure. Complete the look with angled welt pockets and two-piece vented sleeves, or go for a cropped length and a clean sleeve finish. Whether sewn in a woven, stretch woven, or stable knit, the Auburn is sure to add polish to your wardrobe and style. The pattern comes in sizes 12-32 and cup sizes C-H To find more patterns from Cashmerette – click here
THREAD THEORY
Start your next adventure with a true classic for your casual activewear wardrobe. The Carmanah zippered sweater has all the details to elevate it from pure utilitarian comfort to stylish and practical. The large shoulder yoke on front and back is the perfect canvas for a contrast texture or colour. Add a partial or full zipper and a collar or lined three-piece hood for a wide range of mix-and-match options. And finish with roomy kangaroo pockets. For more sewing patterns from Thread Theory – click here
Check out the free-to-use resource listing of the very best Indie patterns and filter by fabric, garment, brand or skill level by visiting www.hantex.co.uk
NEW
to quilting
Start your quilting journey with these eight essential tools Do you fancy having a go at quilting but are finding it a bit overwhelming knowing which tools you need now, and which ones can wait until you’re a little bit more experienced? Here is our list on where to begin?
1. ROTARY CUTTER Quilting requires accurate cutting. The easiest and fastest way to achieve perfect cuts is by using a rotary cutter. This tool looks very much like a pizza cutter and has extremely sharp blades. Rotary cutters come in a variety of sizes but the best option to go for to start is a medium-sized rotary cutter, which is around 45mm. This one from Olfa features a dual-action safety lock that locks the blade open for comfort and closed for safety.
3. QUILTER’S RULER These rulers are transparent and grip when you’re using a rotary cutter with it. The Color Girl Classic Curves Ruler allows you to cut ten curve sizes (4in- 8½in) in all the classic and modern patchwork shapes. A ruler like this will save time in cutting both the concave and convex curve pieces so you can get to sewing faster. It also comes with a beginner friendly pattern included with ruler.
2. SELF-HEALING CUTTING MAT This is an essential item, it will protect your cutting surface and is well suited for cutting fabrics precisely. This Omnigrid one is double-sided and printed with helper lines and measurement units – the front side with a centimetre scale, and the rear with inches. This self-healing synthetic mat is so soft that your rotary cutter’s blade doesn’t get damaged.
4. IRON & IRONING BOARD The iron you currently use at home is perfectly adequate as long as it gets hot and has a steam function. Your ironing board should be sturdy to be able to take the quilt as you continue to add to it.
7. WALKING FOOT
5. CURVED QUILT BASTING SAFETY PINS
This can be a useful foot to help you sew binding to a quilt as you are working with several layers of materials. A walking foot can keep these layers from shifting out of place. Don’t confuse this with a quilting foot, which allows you to feed the fabric in from any direction!
For most quilting projects, you will need a lot of safety pins to baste your quilt. Even a baby quilt can use more than 50 pins! The Prym curved safety pins are perfect for pinning through most types of batting.
8. SEAM RIPPER This is an absolute must have as there is no such thing as perfect sewing every time! This will help you unpick your stitching quickly.
For the full list of quilting sewing notions – click here
6. QUILTING CLIPS These ones from Klipit are a fantastic alternative to pins and ideal for holding binding in place while you sew. Using these instead of pins will prevent you from getting pin sticks too. They come in two sizes small and large.
PAINTING A PICTURE Katarina Roccella talks to us about how she turns her illustrations and paintings into designs for fabric
How would you describe your illustration style and what has influenced it? I spent many years in art school - from high school until university - learning and studying different kinds of art subjects and developing my style. So I would say that years of doodling, practising and creating artwork definitely influenced my style that I like to call ‘perfectly imperfect’! G ar m en t
vision and mood of the collection in the best possible way. It’s very rare for me to get illustrator’s block, as I have the autonomy to create what I love the most! We know you also love to sew. Does this help you design a fabric collection as you have ideas on what the fabric will suit? Yes, I do! I think it can contribute a lot in creating the harmonious and balance to the collection, with options for quilters but also for garment and other type of sewers.
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designs side by side and to see how the prints work together. However, the best thing about creating patterns for fabric is seeing projects other people create with my fabrics!
Fa b ri
c What is the creative process behind creating surface designs for fabric and what’s the best thing about it? It all starts with gathering inspiration. Then I start doodling, drawing, painting and scanning. This is the most creative part of creating surface designs and the part I cherish the most. Once I have my motifs, elements and textures, I begin with composition and colour arrangement in Photoshop. In Adobe Bridge, it’s easy to place
Where do you find inspiration for your designs and how do you decide what colours to use? Do you ever get illustrator’s block? I like to challenge myself with different themes and colour palettes, and I try not to be repetitive in what I design. I am always devoted to my aesthetic and style. After choosing the theme, my goal is to find the harmonious mix between the main prints and the coordinates/blenders, and the colour palette that would be most appropriate for the theme and designs. These combined express my
Do you have any advice for sewers on choosing the right pattern scale for a garment? It may depend on what type of garment you’re making. For example, if sewing for babies and toddlers – smaller scale prints would generally work better, while for adults and also accessory items, I prefer largescale patterns.
What is your favourite fabric collection that you’ve created (so far) for Art Gallery Fabrics and why? We counted 19 collections to choose from! That’s true! Actually my jubilee, 20th fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics will be out this autumn and I’m especially excited to see it launch! It would be very hard to nominate just one collection, as they’re all so dear to me for different reasons and emotions related to them. Probably with each new arrival, I think to myself-this must be my favourite so far, until the release of next one!
wildlife and lush jungle vegetation; I’ve painted in rich tropical forest colours, and balanced with earthy hues. My newest quilt pattern for this collection is called Travaya. It’s one of those quilt designs that may look complicated to create, but is actually created with simple, nine-patch blocks. I really enjoyed making it so much and loved seeing brilliant Travaya quilt versions by my pattern testers!
We’re excited to see Boscage, your latest collection for AGF! Tell us about it? Yes, Boscage is already available, and I can’t wait to see the look book launching this June. This collection was inspired by the exotic island of Borneo. It’s beautiful
To find out more about Katarina Roccella’s work visit www.likeflowersandbutterflies.com To view her fabric collections for Art Gallery Fabrics – click here
TRENDSETTER
Dresses are certainly a summer make-sew. Here are three designed for everyone whether you’re new or a more seasoned sewer! 1. BEGINNERS TO SEWING
Boho Dress from Art Gallery Fabrics – click here
What makes this dress pattern so special? It’s presented on a DVD format in which Pat Bravo shows you how to make the dress step-by-step in real time! It comes with a complete glossary of the basic sewing terminology explained in the video and audio supported with full-colour pictures. Real-size printed patterns are included in the DVD case so the sewers can simply pop in the DVD and start sewing right away.
Asha Dress from Style Arc – click here
2. INTERMEDIATE SEWERS
This sophisticated midi dress will effortlessly elevate your wardrobe this summer. It’s a regular fit with a slightly blouson bodice and flowy skirt, which falls from the shirred waistline. The curved hem gives the dress a totally contemporary feel. Style Arc sewing patterns are suited to a more confident maker as the instructions are not illustrated at every step. The pattern comes in sizes 4-16 and 18-30.
3. ADVANCED SEWISTS
This classic convertible-collar dress has a yoke and optional pockets. The dress (view B) features a curved hem and cuffed short sleeves and contains separate pieces for A/B, C, and D cup sizes to help you get the perfect fit.
Camp Dress from Liesl + Co – click here
Check out the free-to-use resource listing of the very best Indie patterns and filter by fabric, garment, brand or skill level by visiting www.hantex.co.uk
Two new quilt kits from Rachels of Greenfield Bright, whimsical birds gather on wires to enjoy their peaceful landscape. The meadow beneath is filled with grass and wildflowers. A graceful quilted cable surrounds the scene. This sweet Birds on a Wire miniature quilt kit includes all woolfelt for appliqué, all fabrics (100% cotton) for background borders, back and binding plus batting, embroidery floss, precise patterns and complete, illustrated instructions. The Barn Star Quilt is the perfect way to celebrate the long-standing tradition of barn quilts. What was once an outdoor only artwork feature can now be proudly displayed in your home. This kit contains all the fabric needed to complete quilt and as well as backing and batting and pattern with detailed instruction. The quilt measures 22in x 22in (56cm x 56cm) when completed.
WHAT’S
NEW
We keep you posted with the latest launches
Extended sizing for a bestseller! Cashmerette is celebrating five fabulous years of the Concord T-shirt, which is its bestselling pattern by expanding the size range to 0-32! You can now get this curve-friendly T-shirt sewing pattern in sizes 0-16 and 12-32.
Distributed Exclusively in the UK by Hantex Ltd
The Fiore Skirt by Closet Core Patterns. Beautifully made and photographed by Loopy Mabel, using Springfield Denim fabric by Modelo Fabrics.
Chambrays & Denims
By Modelo Fabrics
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