Online sewing shop recommendations

[coolpotato]

I've just bought a basic John Lewis sewing machine with some christmas vouchers....really to make basic bits and pieces to start with (cushion covers, drawstring gym bags for kids etc) as I'm a pretty much a beginner.

I know of a couple of sewing shops in my town for getting supplies (aside from Hobbycraft which I believe is pricey?), but wondered if there were any good websites that people can recommend for anything from thread to material and so forth.

All right m'duck

OP are you following the Thrifty Stitcher (blog/facebook)? She's full of inspiration.

Also I find a good old fashioned book is a great reference when you have to look up something obscure or that you haven't done before. Magazines and blogs tend to be better for inspiring projects.

Couple of good ones: Alison Smith, the Sewing Book
Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing (vintage but still spot on)

Two things that I've got on my to-make list are some fabric boxes/baskets and some zip pouches like . I mean how can my life be organised without them?

Oh sew crafty for cheap polycottons and cottons - service always amazing, their own website or eBay shop equally as good

I recently ordered from Favourite Fabrics on eBay, and it was dispatched the next day and arrived the next.

I also ordered from Always Knitting and Sewing (whose eBay name is something odd that I can't remember) and they were equally prompt.

My first eBay fabric purchases and I'm pleased so far!

I second FavouriteFabrics recommendation. I ordered some fab fat quarters from them over Christmas and they came in record time (and I live abroad). They have a really good range too.

[Notmenono Are you mashing me duck? ]

I like those zip pouches btw [notes down link]

Croft Mills has a wonderful website. And the person who writes their copy, Caroline, knows about fabric so tells you stuff about it's composition and weight and hand which is one of the most important factors. But you really need to feel & touch fabric. Very competitive prices - some gorgeous fabrics, and if you ring them up, they're lovely.

And if you're going to the trouble of home sewing, don't buy crap fabric like polycottons or fake wool. Stick to cotton, linen, wool, and silk. The advantage of making your own clothes & accessories is that you can buy beautiful quality fabrics. No point otherwise.

I find the trend for sewing in sites such as Tilly & the Buttons all a bit twee & a rip off. Her patterns etc are not that great, and you can learn much more by buying good quality patterns (I use Vogue mostly) with detailed instructions. The Vogue patterns are extremely well-drafted and come with lots of guidance.

Also the Pattern.Review site has a lot of "How to" resources by people who really know how to sew (I never rated Tilly even on the British Sewing Bee).

I agree whole heartedly PlushVelvet. I would add that Burda sewing patterns are very good too. I think they have a better cut for trousers than Vogue, and their monthly magazine often has good coats and jackets too. You need to be confident though, because the instructions are pretty bare.

I do like vogue for dresses, though, and I have sewn some of their jacket and coat patterns. The twee, becky-home-ecky stuff on the internet is not for me.

Clothkits has a good selection. They have kits for clothes and for toys, which are pretty easy to follow....
www.clothkits.co.uk/mobile/

I've used Fabric Godmother, which is great - they stock a lot of designer fabrics. Not the cheapest necessarily but the quality and service are both excellent.

Minerva offer a huge range and also very good service. You can also get samples from both which is useful if you spot a fabric you like the look of but want to check its 'hand'.

I'm trying not to buy more but I'm horribly tempted by the sound of Miss Matatabi on Etsy, who sells the most amazing Japanese fabrics. I've got as far as browsing but up to now have managed to restrain myself from actually ordering anything.

I would add that Burda sewing patterns are very good too. I think they have a better cut for trousers than Vogue, and their monthly magazine often has good coats and jackets too. You need to be confident though, because the instructions are pretty bare

I find that trouser cut varies with different designer in Vogue patterns - currently Donna Karan and Claude Montana patterns (from the 90s) are my go-to trouser shapes.

Do Burda still require that you add your own seam allowance? That's why I wouldn't recommend Burda for a beginner. Vogue patterns are expensive, but they are well-drafted and the fit is quite generous (I'm a 14 in other patterns but 10-12 in Vogue) and the designer patterns particularly have detailed instructions.

Stick to cotton, linen, wool, and silk. PlushVelvet, oracle.

Oh sorry, didn't mean to sound bossy! Just a keen sewist - my point is that, with clothes so cheap, if you're going to invest time (and cash) in making your own, go for quality.

Clothes are comparatively cheap, and they do this (even expensive "quality" high street) by using fabric mixes bulked out with polyester (plastic basically) and skimping on cut, and things like linings.

I am always somewhat appalled at the high prices asked on the high street for mass-produced dresses in synthetics - £200 for a poly-viscose dress from Hobbs which you are likely to see walking towards you at the theatre or in the street? No thanks.

Plush - I think your sentiments are sort of OK if you are experienced but I wouldn't suggest that a beginner (like the OP) 'invests' in quality fabrics (unless she wants to of course).

I have sewn for more than 30 years and do buy lovely fabrics. I have spent the afternoon unpicking a £40 a metre wool skirt I made a few weeks ago because there was something about it (that I can't put my finger on) I didn't quite like.

If I hadn't made the pattern before, I wouldn't use anything like the fabric I did. I draft a lot of my own patterns, use both old school patterns and new generation of pattern makers. There is no right or wrong, whatever you like to use is it.

A bit of synthetic added to something like wool can make it much easier to care for, nothing is that black and white for me.

Yes you still have to add seam allowances to Burda magazine patterns. The envelop patterns have the seam allowances added.

I am not sure if the big 4 pattern makers (McCalls, Butterick, Vogue, Simplicity) are generously sized, or just have a lot of ease. Burda doesn't have so much ease, it is a more "european cut."

I get that the OP is a beginner, but I think natural fabrics are easier to sew anyway. No need to sew with expensive fabrics, cotton broad cloth is cheap and well behaved. Polyesters can be difficult because they don't press well sometimes. Half of getting a good result is in the pressing.

Barchester like Empress I'd advise a beginner to use a simple, pliable cotton to start with. That needn't be expensive. Croft Mills has gorgeous 100% cotton starting a £4 a metre. It has a much better hand for sewing, and will be easy to handle. As Empress says, press, press, press!

About 30 years ago argh, mid-80s, doesn't feel so long ago! I was talked into buying an expensive coating wool that was 20% poly, at a shop which was probably more about prestige than fabric knowledge. It was precisely the shade of sky blue I wanted (and rare to find), but you know, it pilled within a month of wearing. Whereas a pure wool gabardine I managed to buy from a tailor at about the same time is still going strong (except for moth holes, but that's another story). The pattern is a Vogue italian designer, so classic, timeless and I am still complimented on the cut of the coat.

And if I'm making a dress in an expensive fabric, of course I make a toile first, and then if that works out, use it to cut the actual fabric.And if it's expensive fabric, I always interline with muslin or lawn, as well as line. I find that improves the fit & hang of a garment - even with a cotton summer frock, I interline the skirt, which gives it a wonderful body.

The twee, becky-home-ecky stuff on the internet is not for me

Absolutely, Empress ! And I've looked at some of the blogs etc, and we have a similarly twee, come & learn to sew shop in my town - the products are expensive (£4 for an invisible zip????), and often don't teach the basic skills, which can then be developed into quite high level hand couture skills.I've taught myself tailoring with some couture techniques simply by reading, and using expert patterns.

One good tip for a beginner is to use checked gingham cotton (if suitable) to start; really helps to be able to follow the lines!

Yes! that's what we did when I was about 8 in primary school. Really helpful.

Same here Plush have taught my daughter the same way!

A cheap cotton is a bit different to 'investing' so I am pleased to see that advice to the OP, who is looking to sew simple things, so probably doesn't need advice on couture techniques just yet.

You misunderstand my post, Barchester. My point about "investing" was TIME - not cost of fabric. It's the time which is the significant investment in home sewing, hand-making. So if you're going to invest that time then you may as well do it with quality materials. Quality materials can be pure cotton poplin at around £3-4 per metre, or lovely linen at around £7 per metre (Croft Mills & Abakhan, for example) and linen is wonderful to sew.

You don't have to buy £40 per metre wools (although I know places where I can buy beautiful quality wool - ends of rolls from Jaeger, Marc Jacobs, etc etc, a gorgeous silk/wool mix) for half that ... But my hunting ground is in the north, and I'm pretty educated about the quality & composition of fabrics from their feel.

I agree plush, sewing takes time. I am not sewing to compete with Primark. I sew slowly and carefully with the intention of having something of quality. My time is worth waaaaay more than polyester. But I also understand that it is sensible to sew with cheaper fabrics until you feel confident.