Brother Sewing UK

Black Lace Watson Bra The garment I've got to share with you today has been a long time coming! Bra sewing has been on every one of my project lists for years now as well as goal-setting challenges like #makenine on Instagram . Sadly, other garments seemed to continually jump ahead in the queue, pushing back any plans to make Lingerie. I think my delay was partly due to the fact that this is a project out of my comfort zone, and when sewing time is limited and I'm tired, it always seems easier to sew something that feels familiar and that I can complete satisfactorily without too much thought. As well as this, I was initially really put off by the thought of gathering all the different supplies I needed for this project. The list seemed mammoth in size, and with numerous elastics, fabric, lining, hooks, eyes, straps and sliders on the list, I never felt like I had quite all the right matching bits and pieces for a bra. However, in the end I decided my first bra wa...

This not-so-scary monster is perfect for kids to cuddle up with during this time of year, and with Halloween just around the corner, it is a very easy, spooky sewing project that your children will love getting involved with! Kids will really enjoy being part of the process, helping to pick out the fabric colours, sit on your knee and help guide the fabric as you sew, and what we find especially is that they love to help stuff their new toy. For younger children, it’s a nice idea to make the monster rattle by popping a rice-filled container into the stomach of the monster. And for babies and small children, you can easily replace the button eyes with felt circles to make it completely safe to play with. For this project we used the Innov-is 20 machine by Brother. Just like the many other Brother machines we’ve tried, tested and loved, the Innov-is 20 is a pleasure to use and we couldn’t recommend it more. For this fang-tastic project you will need: 25cm sq of purple fleec...

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 ...

Another of the many projects I’ve made on my Brother 1800QC in recent months is this colourful coat, made from fabric I had sitting in my stash for many years. I decided I wanted a new winter coat but couldn’t find what I was looking for – a hooded A-line coat with front zip  –  so I raided my stash, unearthed this colourful wool coating with couched yarns, and set to! The pattern is McCall 7848 which is an easy design to construct with princess seams in the bodice, a waist seam and A-line bottom.  Using fabric from my stash meant I didn’t have enough for the sleeves and hood, but this wasn't a problem as I had some fur fabric left over from a fleecy blanket I made for my son. That was another fun project, made using his old Band T-shirts – I cut the motifs from the fronts, stabilised them with strips of interfacing down the edges and then joined them in a jigsaw for the front, with occasional strips of fabric between as sashing to make the different sizes fit. I b...

One of the many new features of the Luminaire XP1 sewing and embroidery machine is the ability to adjust the size and aspect ratio (height versus width) of character and decorative stitches, allowing greater control and creative flexibility than ever before. As with many of the machines in the Brother range, there is also an onboard custom stitch creator, allowing you to create your very own stitch designs if what is provided isn’t quite what you need. On the XP1 there are also now even more character and decorative stitches that can be used 'in the hoop' on the embroidery side of the machine too, allowing even more creative fun. In my experience, one of the most overlooked features of many machines in the Brother range – including the XP1 – is the ability to combine stitches to create your own pattern. On the XP1 (and other machines), you can combine different stitch patterns, mirror them, combine those of different lengths and also create stepped patterns. These can then be...