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 …
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: Clipping Corners
Inside corners, as seen in yesterdays Scallop Hem Tutorial, are important to clip. It can be a little scary to clip right up to the stitching- and many a time I have snipped straight through!- but it is essential if you would like the corner to turn out beautifully. Snipping, or clipping, the inside corner relaxes the fabric so it …
Notions: Interfacing Guide (from Amy Butler!)
Having just stumbled across this, I thought I would resume my occasional series of sharing Notions’ from other Blogs and this was just too good to not share!I am currently teaching a Men’s Shirt Course (click here to read more on that), so Interfacing is a hot topic for me at the moment! Below I have included the most common …
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 …
An (almost completely) Hand Made Christmas
This Christmas I decided to make as many of my gifts as I could! I have to say I am really rather pleased with myself however; I only remembered to take pictures of a couple… boo! Making Christmas presents requires quite a lot of planning, organization and lists… lots of lists! I started with many plans which slowly got whittled …
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 …