Hi there! I’m writing this from Corfu, Greece, where I’m currently having a fantastic holiday in the sun ☀️ I made this dress over the past few weeks whilst picturing myself twirling around with a drink in one hand and a big smile on my face! 🍹💃🏻

This fabric is the most gorgeous double gauze and an entirely new fabric for me! It has a wonderful squishy texture to it and is a light-medium weight which makes it perfect for summer garments including all kinds of tops, dresses, skirts… I might even make a bucket hat in it!
As there are two layers to this fabric I found that there was no need to line it as you could not see through it. I found that it worked best on my machine through the use of a walking foot and a universal size 70 needle. It glided through my machine and was a pleasure to sew with.
Also, I’m obsessed with this colour and now realise that I definitely need more burgundy in my wardrobe! I might just have to get some more of this fabric as I’d love to make the Ogden Cami by True Bias in it. I’m definitely a double gauze convert now… I can’t believe I haven’t used it before!


This is the Mabel top/dress by Tilly and the Buttons. I have made the top before so I knew where I needed to fit the pattern. Notably, this was around my bust where I normally always have to do a small bust adjustment!

I also made a few alterations to the original pattern:
1 - I cut two inches off the bottom of the bodice to raise the cinched shirring part to just below the bust. This gave the dress a kind of romantic, milkmaid vibe.
2 - Instead of five rows of shirring I did 11! Yes, this did take a long time but it was so worth it!
3 - The pattern uses a gathered square skirt but I drafted a 1/2 circle skirt to fit the bodice.
4 - Instead of shirring around the arms I drafted a cuff piece and gathered the sleeve to fit this.
5 - I added pockets of course!


A major fail in making this dress is that I placed the pockets wayyyyyy too low. They currently sit at about knee height! I didn’t have time to fix this before going away but I’m going to unpick these and sew them in again once I’m back. Luckily, as they are inset you can’t notice unless you look closely! 👀

Overall, I’m incredibly proud of this dress and I know that it will get a lot of wear each Summer!

#MinervaMakes #MinervaMakers #MinervaBrandAmbassador #MabelShownSeated #SummerSewing #DoubleGauze

Here’s my latest make! It’s a super lightweight summer shirt for my fiancé, James 🩵

The plan was to make James a shirt that he could wear to a wedding we’re attending in Lanzarote in a month’s time. It’s going to be HOT so it was absolutely essential for the shirt to be lightweight 🥵 I was originally going to choose a plain pale blue linen fabric but James insisted that he had to have this arty print!

The print is the Minerva Exclusive Babelone Art and the base cloth is a EcoVero viscose with a really lovely textured, linen look. It’s a very bold print which really does make for a perfect man’s shirt. I also have a little bit left that I’m planning on making some summer shorts (for myself!) in so we can have a matching couple’s outfit 😍

This EcoVero viscose fabric is a fabric that I’ve never worked with before! It was absolutely lovely to work with and I won’t be shying away from this fabric again. In fact, I’ll definitely be ordering more in the future. It honestly just glided through the machine without any issues whatsoever. I used a new universal needle in size 70 so there is no need for a special needle. I love how the fabric is also much more sustainable than generic viscose 💞

The pattern is the Tony Shirt by Emporia Patterns. It’s a great pattern that is easy to follow and perfect for beginners. In fact, James has just started learning to sew and it is the first pattern he’s making. He’s currently working his way through a toile just for practice. The fit is great although I did shorten both the sleeves and body as they appeared to be quite long on James.

I am very annoyed at myself for making a slight run in the fabric BUT it’s on the inside of the collar and James hasn’t even noticed so I guess it can’t be that bad!

I finished the shirt on Saturday and a few hours later James was wearing it for a night out. Here’s a few photos of us both in our handmade outfits. I made the dress a year ago and you can find more details if you scroll down on my profile.

Next up… something for myself to wear to the wedding perhaps?... Watch this space! 😉

#MinervaMakes #MinervaMakers #MinervaBrandAmbassador #SummerSewing #SewingInspiration #SewingForMen #BoysSewToo #Menswear #EmporiaTony #EmporiaPatterns #TonyShirt

I very much consider myself an amateur seamstress, having only ever made a couple of skirts and a pair of dungarees, all with uneven seams and shoddy dressmaking practises all round. This time I decided I would do things differently and challenged myself to make a coat, just to see if I could. I bought an actual pattern, made measurements, and even used tailor's tacks and sewed scrap pieces to check tension before starting on any actual stitching (this might all seem like basic sewing skills but I usually throw all these things to the wind because I'm impatient!). It definitely paid off and I'm so chuffed with the final result - I just keep staring at it and thinking 'I MADE that coat!'.

Once I got into the swing of things, the actual construction was pretty straightforward (it took beginner me a day or so in total) with the help of Google and YouTube - cutting out pieces was really the longest step. I didn't bother pre-shrinking my fabrics (I know, I know!) because I don't plan on putting this in the washing machine. I used a 80% Wool 20% Polyester grey wool blend for the coating and a lovely blue/grey-coloured polyester for the lining (both from Pound Fabrics UK). Then when I had sewed the outer layer and was about to start on the lining, I realised that my polyester and wool coating together were still a bit thin so I put the whole project on hold to buy some flannel to add another layer (accidentally ordered 1.05 instead of 1.5m but somehow it worked out ok!). Thankfully I didn't have to unpick anything, I just cut the lining pieces again out of flannel and added those to the polyester and went on my merry way. It definitely needed the flannel layer, I don't think I'd be able to get much wear out of the coat otherwise! I lined the pockets with the flannel as well which makes them lovely and snuggly!

Normally I wear a UK size 10 and I'm lucky if I hit 5ft 4", so I made the coat in View B and size XS as I didn't want to be completely swamped. I'm really happy with the slightly oversized look of it but if I make this again I might add an inch or two more in terms of length because somehow I lost that along the way. I also managed to make the sleeves a smidge shorter than I like, so I'd add more length there too and make the pockets a bit bigger because, well, more room for stuff! The most confusing part of this was bagging out the lining - the fold that was supposed to disappear still looks a bit strange if you look carefully along the bottom hem but I don't mind! I'm also not super in love with the feel of the fabric where the fusible interfacing was added (it feels...papery?) - maybe I'll try woven next time.
The last thing I wanted to do was add a detachable hood because I'm sick of smart coats not always having these! I followed a youtube tutorial to sew this (https://youtu.be/j0rCWtX_LAM) and used two layers of wool coating and polyester because I'd run out of flannel by this point. The hood is a little longer than the neckline so I had to add the buttons further up the collar than I wanted but again, I don't mind for a first attempt! I had to hand-sew the buttonholes because my machine doesn't have that function, so that took most of another day. Finally, I added a little loop for hanging the coat up - if I'd thought ahead I would have sewed this into the neck seam but alas, you can't have it all! I'm still waiting for an order of wooden buttons arriving to add to the back tab and the front just to finish it off completely.

All in all, super pleased with my first attempt at making something properly, and very proud of my little Janome Sew Mini 140M for coping with the layers! I have realised that I despise working with polyester (so. much. fraying.) but I have also discovered a new love - wonder clips instead of pins for sewing. Life-changing.

I'd love to make this again, maybe hacking the pattern to make a more angular instead of rounded collar, and possibly with welt pockets. And in some rust-coloured wool, if I ever find that for a decent price...

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Some more pictures of the Simplicity 8797 coat - the lining before it was attached to the coat, the hanging loop, flannel pockets, and collar buttons for attaching the detachable hood!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2ssTk7-H0

🌹 How to Sew Lingerie for Beginners | Part 10 | How to Sew a Corset 🌹

🎥 Have you ever wanted to sew your own custom-made underwear and lingerie? Maybe you struggle to find underwear and bras you feel comfortable in or suit your personal style. Join @Three Stories High from Minerva for our beginner-friendly guide to sewing your own lingerie. We'll walk you through the best fabrics and fastenings to choose, show you how to achieve a perfect fit, and share full sewalongs to some of the best lingerie sewing patterns. 🎥

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Get ready to sew with elegance and confidence as we dive into the art of sewing lingerie. Let's create pieces that make you feel beautiful inside and out! 🌹✨

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