Please click the thumbnail above or the link below:

style-no1-illustrations.pdf

Level: Easy

This is a great beginner’s kit for springtime. You will learn to:

Sew up basic panels.

‘bag out’ collar pieces.

Bias bind unfinished openings such as necklines and armholes.

Cover your own buttons.

Of course you can email me your favorite colour choices if they aren’t shown here, I’m sure I can find you some cloth to suit your tastes.

Style no.2 ‘Flippadip’

Please click the thumbnail above or the link below:

style-no2-illustrations.pdf

Level: Easy (ish)

This kit is a little bit tricky since it is in a stretch cloth. More fitted than ‘Farrow’, you’ll sew more panels and darts too. You’ll also need to pin sleeves into armholes and make cuffs (but it still has no zip!). Is it worth the effort? Well YES of course! This dress looks great during both the spring and autumn months. Once you’ve mastered these making techniques, I’m confident you can tackle most of life’s sewing problems. It’s a classic and would also suit printed jersey very well. It’s one of those vintage shapes that will never fade-since it’s not a ‘fashion’ thing-it’s a ‘flippadip, that’s gorgeous’ thing. Far better, no?

You will learn to:

Sew up basic panels in stretch cloth.

‘bag out’ collar and cuff pieces.

Bias bind unfinished openings such as necklines and armholes.

Cover your own buttons.

Pin and sew sleeves.

Consider wearing berets.

Style no.3 ‘Sparrow’

Please click the thumbnail above or the link below:

style-no3-illustrations.pdf

This is the simplest of the kits. You will learn to:

Sew up basic panels.

Bias bind unfinished openings such as necklines and armholes.

Place and pin patch pockets, and try top stitching.

This is a perfect starting point, it’s an ideal weekend dress. It’s very English countryside, picnic attire. If this dress was a Fairport Convention album… it would be Unhalfbricking. Very nice.

Check through kit, get to know each piece of cut cloth. (see DIAGRAM 1)

whats-in-the-kit.pdf

Set your iron to WOOL setting.
Press each pattern piece to get rid of packaging creases.

THINGS YOU NEED TO NOW:

Smiley face sticker means that IT IS the RIGHT SIDE of the cloth. Not RIGHT as in LEFT, but RIGHT as in RIGHT SIDE-right? Thought so. Good. Onwards…

NOW YOU’RE READY:

Thread your machine with your desired ‘Satin collar’ colour. Machine stitch length should be about 2.5.

1. Peel away the paper backing from the Bondaweb and place the ‘bondaweb piece’ (b) onto the centre front area of the dress front (a) then place the ‘satin button stand piece’ (c) on top of the bondaweb. The bondaweb acts as an adhesive between the satin and the wool. Press the satin so that it is glued to the dress front-this helps keep it steady when you sew it in place. Carefully stitch the satin onto the dress, keeping your stitch about 2mm from the edge of the satin. (see DIAGRAM 2)

diagram-2.pdf

2. Pin the pairs of ‘satin collar pieces’ (d) together, making sure that you have the RIGHT SIDES together. Stitch around the curved edge only, the stitch should be 1cm from the edge. Next, carefully cut the spare seam allowance back to 5mm, this helps when turning it inside out to make the finished collar. Turn the collar inside out and carefully press edge so that it lies flat in an even curve. You can top stitch this if you like, 2mm from the edge will match your stitch on the button stand. (see DIAGRAM 3)

diagram-3.pdf

Thread your machine with your desired ‘Main dress colour’ thread. Machine stitch length should be about 2.5.

3. Lay the ‘back dress pieces’ (e) on a large flat surface, and position the ‘front piece’ (a) so that the shoulder seams meet along the seam allowance, there’s a notch to show this point. Pin the RIGHT SIDES together and sew them with a 1.5cm seam allowance. REMOVE PINS AND PRESS SEAMS FLAT. (see DIAGRAM 4)

diagram-4.pdf

4. (see DIAGRAM 5) Carefully place the collars onto the neckline and pin them in place, so that the neck edges are equal and the collars meet at the CF (centre front). Stitch them into place, 1cm from the edge, remove pins and press.

5. Take the ‘satin bias binding strip’ (f) and pin one end to the RIGHT SIDE of the back neckline, gently sew in onto the neckline so that the stitch line is 1cm from the edge (see diagram 5), make sure when you reach the other end of the neckline that you have folded the bias binding closed.

diagram-5.pdf

6. Carefully cut the spare seam allowance back to 5mm. (see DIAGRAM 6)

diagram-6.pdf

7. Then fold the bias strip over the raw edge and pin it closed. You can then hand sew it neatly to finish the neckline. (see DIAGRAM 7) . HANDY HINT… When hand sewing the binding closed, try to catch the back of the machine stitch visible on the WRONG SIDE of the opening, it’s the back of the machine stitch you used to sew the bias strip onto the RIGHT SIDE!

diagram-7.pdf

8. Now, starting at the OPENING NOTCH pin the RIGHT SIDES of the CB (centre back) seams together. Sew them all the way to the hem, REMOVE PINS AND PRESS SEAMS FLAT.

9. (see DIAGRAM 8.) Take one of the ‘bias binding strips’ (f), pin it onto the RIGHT SIDE of the BACK NECK OPENING and gently sew in place like earlier, taking care to go around the direction change at bottom of opening.Then fold the end of the bias strip over to hide the raw edge and pin it closed. You can then hand sew it neatly to finish the neckline as before. PRESS THE BIAS EDGE TO NEATEN.

diagram-8.pdf

10. Starting at the underarm seam, pin the S/S (side seams) together and sew all the way to the hem. REMOVE PINS AND PRESS SEAMS FLAT.

11. Starting at the underarm seam, use the bias binding strips to finish the armholes. SAME TECHNIQUE AS BEFORE. Make sure you fold in the bias strip ends when you get back around to the armhole seam where you started. Fold over the bias and hand stitch them closed as before. PRESS THE BIAS EDGE TO NEATEN.

12. Finally, fold the hem edge over 4cm and press flat. Pin this fold in place before you hand stitch the hem closed and regular intervals of 2cm (see DIAGRAM 9), taking care to only catch the BACK WEAVE of the dress panels.

diagram-9.pdf

13. PRESS THE HEM LIGHTLY. Finally sew a hook & eye onto th ereverse of the bias binding between the two back collars… Spare fabric and covered buttons are included, however the dress looks great with or without buttons. You’ve now finished your dress.

Don’t go in expecting to buy any less than 5m of cloth, this is the minimum. AND PLEASE USE YOUR NOSE, cloth I bought today stinks of mothballs. It’s in its 2nd wash now, hardly ideal. If it still smells after this, I’m going back for a refund in the morning. Waste of time and money, not happy. I also feel very ill after steaming the wool to shrink it-powerful congested headache and sick feeling. I read this too late:

“We all seem to have an aunt whose entire house smells like moth balls, and we have all walked in to public restrooms where the smell of paradichlorobenzene is nearly overpowering. Are these fumes healthy? The answer is “probably not.” If you read the chemical descriptions in the links, you will find that neither of these chemicals is particularly good for people to breathe on a regular basis. Airing out clothes is a way to limit exposure”

“The main effects from inhalation include eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, nausea and vomiting”

STEP 1: Remove clothes from the closet and take them out of boxes, plastic bags or storage containers.
STEP 2: Hang clothes outside on a nice day to let them air out.
STEP 3: If clothes are washable, place 1 to 1 1/2 cup white vinegar in the load at the beginning of the wash cycle.
STEP 4: Dry clothes outside, not in a clothes dryer.
STEP 5: Use a biological odor-eliminating product. Follow instructions carefully.
STEP 6: Be sure that all family members – especially grandma, who has used mothballs for a good portion of her life – understand the danger that mothballs pose.

Overall Tips & Warnings

Natural moth repellents include lavender, cedar and mint.
Clothes may need to hang outside for a few days until the odor dissipates. Bring them in at night unless you live in a dry climate.
Mothballs are considered a pesticide and should be disposed of at a licensed hazardous waste facility.
Avoid inhaling the fumes of mothballs”

CAUTION!!!

But… The 2 other shops along Brick lane are great for linings and stretch fabric, just so you know!

This is by far the nicest haberdashery experience in South London. They surprise with all sorts of unexpected craft items, knit, interfacing, machines, some good cloth too.

Other Tooting fabric shops such as Nasar, Silkhance, the market and others on that strip make for a worthwhile stroll from Tooting Bec to Tooting Broadway. There is also another fabric shop towards Balham tube in that high road too. Fans of Indian/Pakistani cuisine should check out Kastoori and Mirch for unrivalled eating. Forget the west end for haberdashing about London. South is where it’s at.

No! Didn’t take long to make. I have cut it so that it has no fastening, NO ZIPS! It has a cute pocket detail made from 2 very easy-to-sew circular patches, simple to just pin onto the dress in the pre-marked position (or position of your own choice of course). The tricky section is the bias binding on the neckline… but, worry not, if you choose this or any other design I will send you a very clear set of ‘instructions’ that are easy to follow, and before you know it you’ll be bias binding like a pro! I promise you this is actually very simple, my photo shows some rough sewing of mine, yours will obviously be better (since you didn’t rush yours like I did).

Above is the neckline, and below is the pocket detail. Showing how the cloths I have displayed in an earlier post can be used in simple and effective ways.

The armscyes (armholes that is), are finished using a simple one seam facing. Note that the neckline couldn’t be finished with a facing as well as the armscyes, as this would cause too much bulk under the front of the dress-not nice. All seams come overlocked so that they will never fray, all you need is access to a sewing machine, iron and ironing board and some threads, pins, scissors and a couple of hours and you’ll be the very proud owner of your very own, handmade dress. And it’s FREE at the moment. So, if you want to be the first to give this a try? Email me at:

gadzooks.kits@yahoo.co.uk

And I’ll answer any queries and send you your desired cloth, cut and ready to sew.

Piece of cake

x

THE IDEA IS THAT I CUT OUT THE CLOTH, AND SEND IT FREE OF CHARGE TO YOU IN THE POST. INCLUDED WILL BE SOME CLEARLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTIONS, AND I AM AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY EMAIL QUERIES SHOULD YOU GET STUCK.

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE FUN???

This is what you need to do:

1. Select a GADZOOKS! kit from the options shown in the ‘choose your kit’ catagory. (NOT YET SHOWN HERE, PLEASE WAIT)

2. Then I need you to tell me what size you are (size 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 etc). You can do this by emailing me direct and therefore keeping your details private. Email: gadzooks.kits@yahoo.co.uk

4. Email me your postal address and then wait… whilst I prepare your unique sewing kit.

5. Recieve kit and just sew it up following the instructions, enjoy making, take and send a photo and wear until it needs repairing again and again.

A FEW CONDITIONS…

Since I am doing this for free, it would be very rewarding for me if you would post/email me a pic of the dress onto this site (wearing it is optional!) so that others can see your work, also so that you can start a community and help eachother out. After 10-20 free dress kits, I’m going to need to start charging money (boo!) or else I won’t be able to eat. SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SEWING EXPERIENCE-WHAT PROBLEMS DID YOU ENCOUNTER? HOW CAN I IMPROVE THE KITS?

I await your email, my scissors are eager to get going. Snippety snip!

In this current climate of high street clothing becoming ridiculously cheap, it is clear that our money saving shopping habits are no longer guilt free – someone somewhere is getting paid peanuts for making your beautiful new dress. We all hope that the big companies we like to buy from operate/manufacture responsibly, but it’s difficult to be certain of this in the heat of the buying moment. So, surely it is a better idea (and more fun) to go about learning to make your own clothes – it isn’t that hard I promise you. You certainly don’t need to go to college to be able to make your own clothes. I can help answer questions or provide learning materials to get you going, advise on sewing machines and equipment, fabrics and patterns etc.

So, this blog is all about sewing, it has a mainly London bias to begin with. It will hopefully be informative and inspirational, it may make you aware of many enjoyable haberdashery/fabric/vintage treks I enjoy. It may also save you money by tempting you out of Soho, the knowledge contained within is common knowledge to many costume/fashion professionals/funseekers working/playing in London, but to some it may be new and invaluable. Here is a blog you can all contribute to, it may become a database of sorts too. But I don’t want to stop at London, add hints and secret locations to your local hotspots wherever you are in the world.