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Earlier this week we received a request we couldn’t ignore. One of our customers, Emma Wilkinson (of Emma Wilkinson Designs), is travelling with a small group to Haiti next month to help out at an orphanage & school called Hope House, that was set up after the earthquake & hurricane in 2010. The group includes three teachers from a […]
Exposed zips and invisible ones can make a whole lot of difference to your dressmaking. A lot of the time, you can get away with a straightforward zip fastening. In reality, changing the fastening is a great way to make a pattern more distinctive. I’ll let you in on a secret: zips give me nightmares. […]
Your fabric is cut, your sewing machine is threaded…Now to actually sew with it! But wait – you MUST do a test of your sewing settings before letting yourself loose onto your lovely fabrics, or whatever it is you are sewing may be ruined at step one. Did you save your off-cuts when you cut out […]
Whether you want to take up sewing as a hobby, or you plan to embark on a new career where sewing will play an important role, there is much to learn and a lot of enjoyment to be taken from this popular craft. So let’s start right at the beginning… Choosing Your Machine Before you […]
A good thread choice can make all the difference. Sometimes it’s only there to hold everything together. But when you’ve got free rein, is it worth making that necessity into a feature? Christmas projects often send me into confusion. I love the fun side, all the over-the-top sparkly stuff. That said, simpler Scandinavian-style designs are just […]
The results are in for 2015. Once again, Spot and Cross Pattern Paper has managed to maintain its number 1 spot as William Gee’s most-loved product! Snap fasteners, a reliable Prym product, managed to secure 2nd spot (its highest position in 3 years), with our calico maintaining its position on the podium for a 4th […]
Seasonal, vintage and supermarket…Tins will never go out of fashion. If you’re reading this, the chances are you’re fashionable, and need to be organised. So where do you keep all your fashion design equipment and tools? Needles, pins, different-sized threads, bobbins, dressmaking scissors, small scissors, rotary cutter, rules and curves, ruler, tape and tape measures, […]
Make your own personalised Christmas stocking, an ideal gift or an heirloom to treasure for years to come! This is an easy festive project suitable for adults and children, and a perfect way to boost your sewing skills. What materials do you need? – 50 x 50cm red felt & 30 x 30cm green felt – Christmas […]
When you want to add a lovely bit of appliqué to your project, do you turn the edges or iron on that fusible web and call it a day? My mantelpiece was looking a little tired last Christmas, so I figured it was time to treat my family to new stockings. After a spare-room-covering rummage […]
There are a vast array of ways to fasten clothes & bags. Fastenings range from simple press studs to hand sewn, bound buttonholes. When I was first teaching myself to sew, I had a sewing machine that did straight stitching and nothing else. It was great. But it meant I avoided buttonholes! I made a lovely […]
India’s rich textile history informs a new wave of designers, Susie Lau meets the colourful designer Manish Arora and the Duchess of Cambridge stands out in a crowd. What do Style Bubble blogger Susie Lau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have in common? They’ve both made three-day flying visits to each other’s countries recently. […]
Hello and welcome to the Vintage Corner! My name is Shabana and I have been sewing since I was a little girl. My mum owned an old Singer and being an accomplished seamstress, made beautiful dresses for my sister and I. She was keen for me to learn to sew and had no problems with letting me have a go […]
We’re so excited to let you know that we’ve teamed up with Leigh Metcalf and Black Dog Publishing, to give you the chance to win a copy of her new book, ‘London Stitch and Knit: A Craft Lover’s Guide to London’s Fabric, Knitting and Haberdashery Shops’. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for our competition […]
Why fashion and business students should get together, news of an imminent big-ticket Liberty collaboration and the brand he’d most like to work with. Tickets were sold out for Liberty MD Ed Burstell’s Q & A at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. A chilly, rainy evening meant some empty seats, but it should have […]
This is the final time I will ever have to do any kind of ‘Back To School’ shenanigans. My oldest is heading to University and my younger teen is in her Final Year A Levels, hoping to go to University herself next year. I no longer have to remember to buy uniform and new school […]
I was lucky enough to visit the Knitting and Stitching show this year. With the beautiful Ally Pally in North London as its setting, Europe’s biggest textiles fair did not disappoint! The last time I visited this show was two years ago – so it’s great to see what the trends are and how they’re […]
If you’re making products in fabrics (be it a dress, a makeup bag, or a simple pouch) – if the product is designed to fit a certain object or serve a certain purpose, it’s important to get into the habit of creating a mock up, more traditionally known as a Toile. Toiles are created from a cheap material […]
The Sewing Bee will be returning in 2016 for its fourth series – how exciting! William Gee have been supplying GBSB with various haberdashery and sewing products since the series started. If you need some inspiration to apply – just look at the textiley success of some of the previous contestants below… – – – – – – […]
With words of warnings from my husband and teens ringing in my ears, I bought a rotary cutter last year. They all cringed and warned me not to – I am clumsy, sometimes don’t concentrate wholly on what I’m doing, and the fear was having to rush me to Casualty needing stitches to stop fingers […]
We’re excited about this year’s London Fashion Week and to see the new collections from designers, but if you’re unsure as to what the event is all about, here is a quick guide to get you up to speed: What it’s all about: From this Friday 18th September until Tuesday 22nd September, London Fashion Week […]
I’m a huge fan of online pin board website, Pinterest. I use it for so many things: pinning interesting quotes, outfit inspiration and most of all, for sewing and for keeping track of the many dressmaking patterns I want to make. And believe me, you can get too Pinterest obsessed! Keeping track of my ‘DIYs and Crafts’ […]
Being an art teacher can have its challenges: four lessons a day, 120 students. In such a practical subject you can feel as though it is tidy-up time as soon as you get your equipment set up. However, the summer term brought with it ‘Project Fortnight’. My favorite time of year. Two weeks with 26 […]
I have owned a sewing machine of various kinds since buying a hand-cranked Singer at the age of 16. Recently, I twisted my husband’s arm (well, bank account really) to buy an all-singing, all-dancing new one. And I LOVE it! This beauty is computerised and I am starting to learn how to use some of […]
My Grandma used to say to me “measure twice, cut once” and of course I would smile at her, nod, and carry on hastily with my cutting out and sewing. Everyone makes mistakes sewing, no matter how long you’ve been at it. Only last week I sewed a bag together, muttering to myself that it seemed […]
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Tree Nation, the platform to reforest the world & fight climate change! Home to over 90 planting projects in 33 countries, Tree Nation is a non-profit organisation that helps people & companies offset their CO2 emissions. Join us by planting trees & offsetting carbon emissions with William Gee today!
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