Calico Laine

Autumn is possibly the most beautiful season of the year, with those distinctive autumn hues of golden brown decorating the world around us and leaves crunching beneath our feet. Long before those bright mornings take a frosty turn and the chilly autumn gusts start to blow through the trees, you will find your thoughts turning to your autumn wardrobe. Keeping...

At this time of the year, BBC One and ITV are usually in battle for viewers with their big budget programmes, Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor respectively. As much as I enjoy a good singing competition, this year I have been hooked on Strictly. As well as watching the celebrities trying their hand at a Jive or American Smooth...

Haberdashery covers such a large and wide choice of different items. At Calico Laine we have amassed a great selection of haberdashery that will keep any dressmaker or sewer going. In my entry today I am going to cover some of my personal favourites from our extensive range of haberdashery. Bias Binding: This really is a must have item to...

One of the most anticipated films of the year, The Hunger Games Catching Fire, is being released this week and with the L.A premiere being held last Monday, all eyes were on leading lady Jennifer Lawrence. At the Oscars, where she won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, she wore a stunning pale pink textured Fabric Dior ball gown and...

Any dressmaker has that one item in their sewing kit that they can't work without - whether it's a stitch ripper or a needle threader, there's always one tool that makes a dressmaker's work that much easier. In today's blog, we'll be talking about some items that we think are essential to anyone's sewing projects. Needles - Obviously a big...

Zips are a very popular item here at Calico Laine and we often get asked what is the best type of replacement zip to use. If you are replacing a zip in a jacket, coat or cardigan then you will will need to use an open end zip. In my entry today I am going to talk about the range...

Sometimes when choosing fabric for our next dressmaking project, we are spoilt for choice and it can be difficult to select the right material when presented with a number of different options. In today's blog post, we'll be talking about some of the different types of Jersey Fabrics we have available here at Calico Laine, and hopefully help you in...

Sometimes, that item of clothing you've just finished making (or even one that you've bought!) needs a little something extra to give it that final sparkly touch; or maybe you have a bag that you think could use a little sprucing up before Christmas time this year. Here at Calico Laine, we offer many different types of diamante items that...

Looking for a quick and easy project to make? Shift dresses are popular in today's fashion; they are easy to wear and a variety of looks can be created using them. Whether you wear them on their own, over a shirt and leggings or under a jacket, shift dresses can be worn in nearly any situation, from casual to formal...

On your big day you want everything to be perfect and having the dress of your dreams goes some way to achieving this! Over the years at Calico Laine we have helped many brides to be with fabrics for their dresses and their bridesmaids dresses. In my entry today I'm going to talk through some of the most popular fabrics...