Five Tips for Sewing Clothing with Quilting Cotton

The pretty prints beckon... the cute colours call to you... sometimes their allure is just too strong to resist. Yes, we're talking quilting cottons.

Quilting cottons - or just "medium weight cottons" - are often used for home and accessory sewing. They come in an array of beautiful designs and quirky prints, and - crucially - tend to feel stiff and hold their shape, rather than hanging softly. This stiffness puts many stitchers off using quilting cotton for sewing clothing, but if you embrace this kind of fabric for a perfectly paired project, the result can be gorgeous! 

So when is it okay to use quilting cotton for sewing apparel? Of course part of this comes down to personal preference, but the guidelines I tend to follow are these:

1. Determine how much drape or body your project needs

Quilting cottons tend to have quite a lot of body to them, so won't cling or flow over your curves. I learnt the hard way in my early days of sewing that quilting cottons make super crisp blouses that stand away from your body - which works well for some designs, but not so well for others.

How to Add In-Seam Pockets to a Garment

Hands up if you love clothes with pockets? Show me a DIY dressmaker who doesn’t!

What if the pattern you’re making doesn’t include pockets? No problemo – as well as topstitching patch pockets to the outside of a skirt, it’s easy to add in-seam (hidden) pockets to dresses, trousers, skirts and more. Today I’m going to show you how to add pockets to the side seams - give this a whirl on the Jaimie pyjamas, Alexa jumpsuit, Dominique skirt and more!

Oh and you can download our pocket pattern piece for free!

Download the free pocket pattern

Open the pattern in Adobe Reader (you can download it for free) and print the pattern piece actual size / 100% scale on A4 or Letter size paper.

You might want to bookmark our handy video to follow the sewing steps as you go, or the photo guide is below.

Insert these pockets into your homemade garment before you start sewing the pieces together. Decide where you want the pockets to sit – hold up the front fabric piece to your body, imagine putting your hands in the pockets, and mark with pins where the top of the pocket openings will fall on the side seams. Mark the same position on the back fabric piece – let’s say it’s a skirt for the rest of this tutorial, but it could be a dress, the skirt part of a dress, trouser legs…

The sides of this pocket pattern are straight – if you’re making something that has a curved side seam, simply curve the side seam on the pocket pattern to fit your garment.

NEW! - Billie and Jaimie Now in UK 16-34 Size Band

We've been soooo excited to share two new additions to our UK 16-34 (US 12-30 / EUR 44-62) size band, and here they are - it's Billie and Jaimie. 

The Billie sweatshirt and dress will steal your heart with the gorgeous balloon sleeves and cutaway pockets on the dress, while the Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts will make bedtime your favourite event of the day. Jaimie is an ideal project for newbie stitchers and Billie is a great introduction to sewing with knit fabrics. They will get you confident with sewing your own handmade wardrobe! 

Billie and Jaimie make a dreamy (and comfy) loungewear set when worn together, don't you think? So, we are giving you 20% off when you buy both the Billie and Jaimie PDF patterns in the UK 16-34 size range* until Sunday 16th May 2021 midnight BST. There is no discount code required, just add both patterns to your cart, checkout and the price will drop - woohoo! 

Seven Sewing Projects You Can Make in an Afternoon

Find yourself with small pockets of sewing time and want to see a project through from start to finish? Yep, we all know this feeling. A satisfyingly speedy make can leave you feeling motivated and encouraged by being able to complete something in an afternoon.

Is that possible you ask? Well, it absolutely is if you're working with a simple design that has limited pieces. Avoiding fiddly fastenings and designs that require fitting can set you up for success. You can also do yourself a favour and browse the notions and instructions while having your breakfast, soaking in the bath, watching the telly... any snatched pocket of time before the sewing session can help you familiarise yourself with what's going to take place. Plan for no surprises!

I reach for simple projects when I'm in a sewing slump or don't have the headspace for something complicated. It reminds me that I have sewing-super-skills and makes me feel rather proud that I can make my own clothes... sometimes we forget how wonderful that is!

If you're taking part in Me Made May 2021 and you've spotted a few wardrobe gaps you'd like to fill, this list of seven sewing patterns might be just what you're looking for. 

New to Me Made May, or have no idea what I'm talking about? Check out all the deets of the challenge that is run by the very lovely Zoe of 'So, Zo', where makers take a month to wear (and share if you fancy) their handmade garments. You can set yourself an aim; maybe you want to wear your makes more often, show some rarely worn pieces some love, or just take some time to assess the handmade garments in your wardrobe - it's a highlight in our DIY style calendar!

Now onto the projects...

The Jaimie pyjamas make bedtime the event of the day! They are simple to construct, comfortable to wear and a very speedy make!

SIZE RANGE: UK 4-24 (US 0-20 / EUR 32-52) OR UK 16-34 (US 12-30 / EUR 44-62)

PATTERN FORMAT: Sizes UK 4-24 printed or PDF pattern OR sizes UK 16-34 PDF pattern

NUMBER OF PATTERN PIECES: Three, plus a length for cutting your elastic

TECHNIQUE CHECKLIST: 

• Sewing an elasticated waist channel
• Optional - buttonholes for the drawstring. Here's a video for sewing automatic one-step buttonholes or manual four-step buttonholes depending on what your machine does

GOOD TO KNOW: Jaimie comes with a FREE full video sewalong

SHOP THE JAIME SEWING PATTERN

You might also like the Joe pyjamas. Brother to our Jaimie PJs, they are great for anyone who prefers a straighter, menswear fit.