Corset Month!! This was one of the biggest Sewing Pattern and Kit releases I had managed to date, it took me months of prep and sampling to be happy with. The Corset Kit has a re-usable graded Pattern for a Victorian inspired Over Bust Corset, with an Instruction Booklet which covers every aspect of making up the Corset including tracing …
Handy Hand Stitched Closures Guide
I’ve just happened upon this brilliant Hand Stitched Closures Guide from Burda and thought I’d share as this weeks Sewing Bee mentioned Snap/Popper Fastenings amongst others. Many of these should be sewn on using the same stitch used for making the Button Loop. With a little practice they look very neat, don’t they? I am sorely tempted to make up a …
A-Line Skirt hack: Make a Pleated Skirt!
Hello lovelies! Having been very inspired by The Great British Sewing Bee a couple weeks ago, here is my A-Line Skirt Hack based on my super duper popular Patternless A-Line Skirt Tutorial to make an Inverted Box Pleated Skirt as they did. The original Tutorial is amazingly simple, and I highly recommend it if you are learning to sew or want …
Notions: Lapped Zip
Lapped Zips were a hot topic on this weeks episode of The Great British Sewing Bee. I know them mainly as a Vintage technique, and my Vintage Sewing Books are stuffed full of ways to work them! The following Tutorial is taken from McCall’s Complete Book of Dressmaking (which is delightful!). The important thing to remember when inserting Lapped Zips …
Notions: Basic Patch Pockets
Recently I seem to have been teaching students how to do various forms of Patch Pockets so I thought I’d add this little Tutorial and follow it up with some variants upon the theme including a Pleated Patch Pocket. Patch Pockets are super duper easy but care us needed when Top Stitching the Pocket to the Main Fabric. The more …
Notions: Troubleshooting Tips
I have just stumbled across this amazing Sewing Machine Troubleshooting Poster on Pinterest, so today’s Notions will concentrate on some of the many tiny issues you can have when Machine Sewing whether you are a new Sewer or experienced. Once you know how to deal with the little issues, you will find it becomes a part of the way you …
Simple Sewing: How to make a Patchwork Cushion
I have been promising to write this article for a while now, and finally had time to photograph the process on New Years Eve- you will find I do things on odd days sometimes, the delights of being Self Employed!- anyhoo, Fella was at work and I spent all day designing, stitching and photographing Tutorials! What bliss indeed. Making a …
Best Tips, Notions and Tutorials of 2013
Roll up!, Roll up! The first Laura After Midnight retrospective is upon us! 2013 has been quite the whirlwind! Here are my favourite Blog posts from each month… so without further ado, and not a whiff of preamble take my hand and follow me down the yellow stitched road! January Book Review: The Handmade Marketplace by Cari Chapin As …
Errol’s finished quilt!
So, I guess I mentioned my Brother had a baby Boy last month, and I know I have shared pictures of the Patchwork Quilt I was making up for Errol but I finally finished it a couple weeks ago and thought I would share the end result! It’s turned out a little Blue-er than I had anticipated. I wanted …
Make Christmas Stockings
For a last minute gift idea, these cannot be beaten! If you are stuck what to get someone, a hand made stocking stuffed with a few choccies is absolutely the answer, and will be brought out each year to decorate their tree for ever more. Because they use such a small amount of fabric these are a wonderful quick, cost …