Make your own Little Black Dress with Confidence

By Wendy Gardiner

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Make your own little Black Dress with Confidence

By Wendy Gardiner

About

In this tutorial you will learn how to sew your own dress with confidence with the help of expert tips from Wendy. We’ll cover understanding patterns, sizing, fitting tips, cutting out, interfacing, plus darts, lining, zips, buttonholes and finishing hems.

The tutorial is suitable for all abilities and is split up into 10 bitesize sessions, meaning you can navigate and watch specific sections again at ease. 

Suitable for all abilities.

Duration 3.5 hours.

Materials you will need:

You can watch sessions 1 and 2 before deciding on which pattern you want. Once that is chosen, gather together the components needed for each session -pattern, fabric, lining and interfacing, haberdashery. Plus sewing machine, sewing kit, iron, press cloth and good quality dressmaking shears.

Materials can be purchased from suppliers of the Beyond K&S Shopping Hub, available here: www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/shopping-hub

Bookers will receive full joining instructions and a session materials list. Plus, there will also be details of patterns, advance preparation guides and links of where kits can be purchased if these are applicable to your session.  

Requirements for each session are:

You can watch sessions 1 and 2 before deciding on which pattern you want. Once that is chosen, gather together the components needed for each session -pattern, fabric, lining and interfacing, haberdashery. Plus sewing machine, sewing kit, iron, press cloth and good quality dressmaking shears.

Session 1: Understanding Paper Patterns: Choose any pattern for your choice of LBD – suggestions include: McCall 7085, McCall 7719, Butterick 4343, Vogue Pattern 1422.

Session 2: Size Wise: Tape Measure, note pad and pen and pattern envelope for chosen dress

Session 3: Fitting Tips: Ruler, Sellotape, biro, spare paper pattern tissue. Dressmaking pins.

Session 4: Cutting out with Confidence: Chosen pattern, fabric, lining (if applicable), interfacing and notions as listed on the pattern. Good quality dressmaking shears, pins, tape measure, fabric marking pens (chalk pencil or Heat-away pen). Needle and thread (for tailor’s tacks)

Session 5: Interfacing & Stay Stitching: Fusible interfacing as required on pattern, press cloth, steam iron and board. Sewing machine threaded with thread matching fabric. Sewing supplies (scissors, pins etc).

Session 6: Dare to Dart: Pattern pieces cut out and marks for darts transferred (lesson 4), sewing machine with thread matching fabric. Small scissors.

Session 7: Add a Lining: Make sure that you have sewn darts in your main fabric and lining pieces, and sewn shoulder seams only in each.  Sewing machine set up.

Session 8: Inserting an Invisible Stitch: Invisible (concealed) zip foot. Invisible zip to the length required (if pattern calls for a regular zip, buy an invisible zip that’s 2.5cm (1”) longer). Strips of fusible interfacing. Sewing machine set up.

Session 9: Buttonholes: Buttons of choice (up to 2.5cm (1”) in diameter), Fabric sample, and interfacing approx. 15cm (6”) square

Session 10: Hemming Ways: 4 remnants of fabric approx. 21cm long x 10m wide. For the rolled hem, use a lightweight fabric. For the curved hem, cut a curve into one piece. Strip of interfacing 2cm wide x 21cm long (for blind hem). Pack of narrow bias binding. Rolled Hem Foot, Blind Hem Foot.

Access to the session

The On-Demand recordings will be available to view until 11:59 pm GMT on 31st December 2021.

About the Tutor: Wendy Gardiner

Wendy Gardiner

Wendy Gardiner is a writer, teacher and author, has been editor of several leading sewing magazines as well as having written 21 books including The Great British Sewing Bee from Stitch to Style, Fun with Fat Quarters, The Very Useful Guide to Using Your Sewing Machine most recently Take Two Fat Quarters Home and Take Two Fat Quarters Gifts. Wendy has also presented many DVDs on sewing and made several YouTube videos for leading haberdashery and pattern companies. She runs regular residential Creative Sewing Weekends, teaches a weekly class and writes articles for various magazines and her own website. Wendy organises the extensive workshop programmes for the Festival of Quilts and the Knitting & Stitching shows.  She is also the Brand Ambassador for The Design Group UK, distributors of Butterick, McCall, Simplicity, New Look, Burda and Vogue Patterns. Wendy has a strong reputation and indeed fan base because of her enthusiastic and friendly approach to sharing her passion for dressmaking and machine sewing.  .

Tutor contacts

** The Knitting and Stitching Show are not responsible for the kits visitors purchase from the tutors including the price, availability or delivery. Stock may be limited. Please liaise with the tutors for details and please note restrictions may apply.