- Behind the scenes - Hello - it’s Alice here 👋 Don’t worry - we’ve not started practicing voodoo in the ClothSpot workroom! This is a mini-mannequin which collects our spare pins as they turn up during the day - since whatever we do, they end up littering the ClothSpot workroom and the pincushions are always at the wrong end of the room, etc. etc…. It seemed a shame not to put a frock on our tiny mannequin - so out came Marigold’s Dress. Marigold is long gone - but her frock (made for Christmas 1967) featured in my first ever game of I-Spy. Picture the scene: January 1968 and the snow is building up drifts outside our village school high up on the Lincolnshire Wolds. School’s closing early but the bus is delayed, so we’re herded into the school hall where we have a game of I-Spy. It’s my turn to set the question and off I go: “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ‘M’. And you’re not going to get it so I’ll tell you now, it’s Marigold’s new dress”. Game over. But here’s Marigold's dress, in all her glory. #clothspot #pincushions #pins #mannequins #dolls #dollsdress #ispy #snowday

-Latest Arrivals- Draping delights with a nod towards spring🌱🌸🌱 ‘Leaf Fall’ is our latest draping viscose twill. Featuring a delicate abstract leaf print in warm buff & grey with pink highlights. ⠀⠀ 'Stellatundra' is a medium-weight sueded scuba. It's a fabric with structure & body & is already on the ClothSpot cutting table waiting to become a coat. ⠀⠀ 'Dörfli' is a lightly-textured blend of viscose/linen with fresh white blossoms on a clear pale blue background. It spoke to us of Alpine snow, melting to reveal spring flowers. Perfect for spring dresses and tops. ⠀⠀ ‘Sakura' is draping viscose jersey in the darkest navy blue, scattered with cream & coral cherry blossoms. The print has a Celia Birtwell vibe, pretty and a little bit retro. ⠀⠀ 🔎 Find these fabrics under ‘Latest Arrivals’, in our profile web link 🔎 • • • #clothspot #fashionfabrics #fabricaddict #fabricsonline #onlinefabricshop #viscosetwill #fauxsuede #deadstockfabrics #designerfabric #designerfabrics #coatingfabric #sewcialist #sewingwithjersey #sewingwithknits #handmadewardrobe #fabricappreciation #isewmyownclothes #memadeeveryday

-Make Nine 2020 - Hi, Kerry here 🙌with my finished #m7445 trousers. This pattern worked well for me especially as a way to get trousers into my me-made wardrobe: these are my only pair I don’t even have any jeans! To achieve the right fit it is a constant game of try on, adjust baste/tack, try on repeat, until happy. I have a basting stitch setting on my #bernina1030 which was invaluable. Construction is straightforward, it’s fitting that takes time. I opted for the faced waistband which ended up hitting me quite low so I used a fractionally shorter seam allowance. I added a concealed zip in the side seam - tips on that coming up on Tuesday! I reduced the leg length at the hem by just under 1”/2.5cm, I’m 5’5”/164cm height. Some tips and fitting info for this pattern a few posts back in our grid. It’s a pattern that will need fitting at the side seams each time as it will vary according to the fabric used. Using a fabric with a tiny bit of stretch would be recommendation- our ‘Creek’ denim would work, as would our ‘Capsule Suitings’, ‘Semester’ navy cotton sateen and ‘Lakeshore’ stretch cotton drill. I added some extra finishes on the inside: Hongkong finish on the waistband facing, binding on the trimmed crotch seam, binding on the zipper end- all in Liberty lawn scraps. ✂️On the pockets, I used a thinner non stretch denim scrap for the facing. This pattern is now out of print, found mine on eBay. It’s a great base for a wide legged trouser. There will be more and I’d like to try out a rounded pocket, adding a waistband and & other variations. These have already been in constant wear since finished🙌 l’m onto my next #makenine item now❤️ • • • #clothspot #m7445 #makenine #makenine2020⠀ #makeninechallenge⠀ #palmerpletsch⠀⠀ #clothspotsewingtip #tissuefitting #fitforrealpeople #simplicitymccalls #memadeeveryday #memadewardrobe #handmadewardrobe

-Fabric close up- Getting up close with our draping ‘Marsh’ taupe brown )with a hint of grey) triple crepe to appreciate the colour & texture! Swipe to see Alice’s @stylearc #leahloungepants in this fabric🙌 ⠀⠀ 🔎Find under our 'Latest Arrivals', web link in bio🔎 ⠀⠀ #clothspot #fashionfabrics #fabricaddict #fabricsonline #triplecrepe #fabricappreciation #stylearc #stylearcpatterns

-Fabric Pattern Match- Shirts & shirt dresses are wardrobe essentials that work for all seasons. We’ve paired our new viscose twills, ‘Osier’ & ‘Sedge’ with the fabulous #olyashirt by @papertheory. ⠀⠀ So much to love with this pattern, unusual style lines especially around the sleeve construction & pocket details. Alice is busy stitching up the dress version, to be revealed soon. ⠀⠀ Find 🔎 ‘Osier’ & ‘Sedge’ in our ‘Latest Arrivals’. Web link in profile🔎 • • • #clothspot #papertheory #olyashirt #olyashirtdress #papertheorypatterns #viscosetwill #sewover50 #sewcialists #sewingpatterns #sewingproject #memadeeveryday #handmadewardrobe #fabricpatternmatch #sewinginspiration

-Clothspot Sewing Tip- We’re sharing our top ten tips for working with viscose this week. We have a plethora of woven viscose prints including this one, ‘Leaf Fall’, available Friday. Viscose is such a cool & drapey fibre & fabric to wear but it does need careful handling. ⠀⠀ 1️⃣ Prewash your fabric to avoid viscose. It’s a fibre that needs a gentle heat 30 degrees and machine cycle. ⠀⠀ 2️⃣Take your time! Cutting viscose cannot be rushed, it will only end in 😢😤. ⠀⠀ 3️⃣Lay the fabric out flat- if it’s over hanging a table, support the excess on a share so it doesn’t drag or slip off. Better still, work in small sections. ⠀⠀ 4️⃣Choose sharp, fine pins📍 to avoid snagging. Entomology pins are ideal! Using lots of pins when prepping for sewing can make stitching easier with viscose. (Pic 1). ⠀⠀ 5️⃣ Pair & pin the slevedges together. (Pic 2). ⠀⠀ 6️⃣Serrated sewing scissors✂️ are wonderful to use with slippery fabrics Including some viscose fabrics. The serrated blade grips the fabric as it’s cutting. Rotary cutting is a good option for cutting too. ⠀⠀ 7️⃣Leave the pattern pieces pinned to the fabric until you need them. ⠀⠀ 8️⃣Block fuse interfacing. It’s more accurate than cutting fabric & interfacing separately. ⠀⠀ 9️⃣Use a new machine needle, a sharp or microtex size 70 works well. ⠀⠀ 🔟Spray starch can help with fiddly construction like collars & cuffs. (Pic 3). ⠀⠀ Remember you can bookmark our top tips and keep them in a collection🗝 ⠀⠀ Any tips you’d like to add? Share away in the comments! . . . #clothspotsewingtip #clothspot #clothspotsewingtip #sewingtip #sewingtips #sewingwithviscose #sewingnotions #dressmakingtools #sewingtipsandtechniques #sewingtipsandtricks