Brother Sewing UK

I was incredibly excited about the Mayfair Dress  when it was released by Nina Lee  over a year ago and I snapped up a paper copy soon after release. For years I had this favourite style of French Connection dress that saw me through many summers; flattering, comfortable and seemingly suited for any occasion.   I owned versions in various prints, colours and lengths but may favourite by far was a maxi length version. The previous summer I'd been wearing it with too many holes to repair, hoping that the little purple, black and dusky pink print disguised them. It had been on its last legs for a while and sadly French Connection stopped making them a while before. I couldn't bear to throw it out so I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted the Mayfair and realised it was almost an exact match – I could make my own replacement! Why, you may ask, has it taken me so long to make one? I had a really hard time finding fabric that was going to live up to my expectations...

Hello! I’m so excited to join the Brother blogging team and thought I’d start with an introductory post. My name’s Joy and I live in Cambridgeshire with my boyfriend and cat. I design and sell sewing-themed gifts and accessories through my online business, Pink Coat Club , and work part-time in a fabric shop. I spend most of my spare time sewing, but I also love country walks, visiting National Trust properties and afternoon tea. I guess you could say I’m old before my time!  I got my first sewing machine – a Brother XL2620 - for Christmas in 2010 as my mum was fed up of me sending her my clothes to fix. She’s a fantastic seamstress so I assumed that sewing would come naturally to me and I’d be making my own swishy 50s style dresses in no time! As you can imagine, that didn’t happen and I mostly used it for alterations and fancy-dress costumes for a few years. It was only in 2016, when I discovered Tilly and the Buttons’ patterns and the online sewing community t...

I love sewing outerwear. I'm not sure if it is the challenge of a big sew and complex techniques or the thought that this garment will be the one I can get endless wear out of, but I just love it. I have loved every minute of sewing the Hampton Jean Jacket already know it is going to be one of the most worn items in my handmade wardrobe. The pattern is from Alina Sewing & Design Co   and it was my first time using a pattern from them. I cannot emphasise enough how impressed I was with both the instructions and pattern itself. Considering what a lengthy project this is, the instructions are packed with detail and advice without seeming overwhelming and the illustrations are all clear and helpful. There wasn't a single moment when I found myself scratching my head over the next step and the end result is beautiful. The pattern is well thought-out and packed with the detail needed to produce a truly classic denim jacket. I love that all four front pockets ...

Hello sewists! I am thrilled to be back on the Brother blog. This time I am bringing you my latest make – and a very special one at that. As summertime started to peek it’s sunshiney face round the end of Spring, it got me to thinking about all those exciting summery things to come. Including the return of wedding season!  An invitation to a wedding is such a wonderful opportunity to start planning a fancy frock. I just love a wedding – the excitement of getting ready, seeing the happy couple tie the knot, ohh and the flowers, the food, the drink... so many things about weddings that have me all excited! So, when a very beautiful wedding invitation from my friends landed on my doormat earlier this year, I wasted no time in dreaming up this little beauty. The pattern I chose for this make is a Deer & Doe Magnolia Dress (maxi version), and the fabric I used was one I had been eyeing up for some time – a bamboo silk in this stunning ‘saffron’ yellow colour...

One of the things I really enjoy is making bags of all shapes and sizes – from make-up bags to clutches to shoulder bags to handbags, I love them all. Up to now I have contented myself with using commercial patterns or buying 'in the hoop' designs – which I didn’t always like as I found them fiddly and wasteful. I had long admired ready-embroidered fabric in the shops, but it can be expensive. I was confident that with this fabulous machine I could reproduce something similar – or even better – and it would be exactly what I wanted. I began by embroidering a piece of fabric in the usual way – adding the design and free-motion quilting around it before taking it out of the hoop, cutting out the shape I needed and assembling on the sewing side. Here’s an example of a piece of piece of embroidered fabric cut from a larger piece I created using one of the in-built quilt fills. It worked but, again, a tiny bit wasteful if you are just cutting a shape from it. So I thou...

Let's start by saying I love the Innov-is 1800QC! I have had it now for a few months and it just keeps on giving. I’ve made all sorts of very varied things – from many craft projects for the two books I am writing, to garments for the shows I attend, to samples for display at trade shows. It has coped beautifully with everything I have thrown at it! But back to the beginning. Out of the box It might be aimed at quilters (hence the QC and the range of fab quilting accessories) but as a dressmaker and general sewist, I love all the extras too! The machine comes with a whole host of attachments and feet including a large extension table – perfect when sewing big projects such as quilts or coats (as I did) – and a flat bed attachment that holds the tray of feet well thanks to its nicely wide design. The handy lift-out tray has numbered positions for the utility feet, making it easy to identify them and use the recommended foot for the stitch selected. There are also spare bobbins o...

The project I have to share with you today has been on quite the adventure with me over the last couple of months! The  Desmond Roll Top Backpack from Taylor Tailor and I have definitely tested my workmanship and the pattern to the full, using it almost every day when travelling around Southern Africa and the Philippines. The picture below is at Victoria Falls and further down is another of the pack in use at Blyde River Canyon in South Africa. It has also been with me on boat trips and hikes including to the top of the second highest waterfall in the world! Even now I am home, it is in daily use travelling around London for work, proving itself as a great backpack for all purposes. I chose a lovely warm red waxed cotton from Cloth House on Berwick Street and I bought all the hardware and webbing straps in a kit from Guthrie & Ghani . I'd spotted these kits at the Knitting & Stitching Show in October but had been too indecisive about it to buy on the day - luckil...