Lisa Reece

A BIG Congratulations to our December Project of the Month Winners who will each receive a £20 voucher to spend at Abakhan. Lots of great entries this month but our Product Buyers have decided the winners are:

Debbie Prince with the lovely Zebra

Lyn Ratcliffe with the beautiful Bolero

Christine Norton-Priestley with the Festive Wreath

Remember January's Project of the Month has now started - no theme - anything goes! We have 3 ways you can send your image to us:

Upload you image on our Facebook page abakhan.fabrics

Tweet your image to us @abakhanfabrics

E-mail us your image to [email protected] (maximum image size 1MB)

Good Luck

Posted in Project of the Month

What fantastic news that we have a Celebrity Special of the Great British Sewing Bee!

Episode 1 consisted of Jenny Eclair presenting and overseeing Hairy Biker Dave Myers, DJ and presenter Edith Bowman, Coronation Street actress Wendi Peters, and Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr Dawn Harper.





Here are a few handy tips and tutorials for you to use based on last night's episode:

Challenge 1 - Make an A Line Skirt



Here is a great tutorial for you to make your own simple A Line Skirt.

Some great tips for Elasticated Waistbands, Attaching Waistbands & Top Stitching.

Fancy some bobble trim like Dr Dawn - find it here.



Challenge 2 - Transform a Hawaiian Shirt



Make your own cute Sundress like Wendi or your very own special Superhero Cape like Edith (loved Hawaiian Boy!).

Learn how to use Bias Binding and buy it here.



Challenge 3 - Made to Measure Dress



We loved this challenge and they all did so well!!

Make your own Flapper Dress like Dr Dawn with amazing Fringing

Watch this video on making a 60's Dress like Dave. Didn't he do well - such an improvement from Challenge 1!! Make a 50's Dress like Edith and Wendi and here are some top tips for inserting Zips and Invisible Zips.



It's all for a great cause!

Remember you can bid for selected items made by the contestants on the Children in Need eBay site and you can also buy limited edition Pudsey Bear ironing board covers that feature on the show , priced £10 and available from the Pudsey Shop. 100% of the profits from the auctions and the ironing board covers will benefit BBC Children in Need.

Posted in News

What a great episode of Celebrity Special of the Great British Sewing Bee!







Episode 2 consisted of Sara Cox presenting and overseeing dance expert Louie Spence, comedian Mark Watson, tv presenter Gaby Roslin, and actress Pam Ferris.



Challenge 1 - Pyjamas





Great tutorial for Pyjama Bottoms.

Tips for sewing Buttonholes. Inserting a Drawstring and make a Rouleau Bias like Pam.

Challenge 2 - Animal Costumes





Make you own Ladybird costume like Louis or a Dinosaur like Gaby.

Challenge 3 - Skirt with a Story





Make a Wrap around Skirt like Mark's Emporer's New Clothes Skirt, or a Flared Skirt like Pam's Peter Pan themed Skirt or why not try a Rara Skirt like Louis.

We just knew Louis would have to have a bit of Lycra!

Remember it's all for a great cause!

Following the broadcasts, selected items made by the contestants will be auctioned on the Children in Need eBay site and you can also buy limited edition Pudsey Bear ironing board covers that feature on the show , priced £10 and available from the Pudsey Shop. 100% of the profits from the auctions and the ironing board covers will benefit BBC Children in Need.

Posted in News

In the final episode we have Anita Rani presenting and overseeing BBC Radio 1 DJ Gemma Cairney, comedian Helen Lederer, TV critic and author Kathryn Flett, and Overtones singer Timmy Matley.



Challenge 1 - Make a Man's T-Shirt



Free t-shirt pattern for Men and a great tutorial for an easy tee for Women

Tips for sewing with Stretch Fabrics and to achieve better Topstitching.

Here is a great beginners guide to using Overlockers.



Challenge 2 - Transform a Prom Dress



Lots of lovely Lace and Sequins in the sewing room!

Here are some great tips for sewing with Snap Fasteners.



Challenge 3 - Inspired from Childhood Memories



Make a Leather Jacket like Timmy, a Red Riding Hood Cape like Kathryn or a Party Dress like Helen.



Remember it's all for a great cause!



Following the broadcasts, selected items made by the contestants will be auctioned on the Children in Need eBay site and you can also buy limited edition Pudsey Bear ironing board covers that feature on the show , priced £10 and available from the Pudsey Shop. 100% of the profits from the auctions and the ironing board covers will benefit BBC Children in Need.

Posted in News

A BIG Congratulations to our October Project of the Month Winners who will each receive a £20 voucher to spend at Abakhan. Lots of great knitted & crocheted entries this month in support of National Knitting Week & Wool Week. The winners are:

Jessica Maddock

Sarah Davies

Sarah Louise Fowler

Remember November's Project of the Month has now started - no theme - anything goes! We have 3 ways you can send your image to us:

Upload you image on our Facebook page abakhan.fabrics

Tweet your image to us @abakhanfabrics

E-mail us your image to [email protected] (maximum image size 1MB)

Good Luck

Posted in Project of the Month

A BIG Congratulations to our November Project of the Month Winners who will each receive a £20 voucher to spend at Abakhan. Lots of great entries this month but our Product Buyers have decided the winners are:

Val Hatton with the cute dungarees

Jean Donovan with the Christmas Throw

Katy Chapelle with the hat and scarf set

Remember December's Project of the Month has now started - no theme - anything goes! We have 3 ways you can send your image to us:

Upload you image on our Facebook page abakhan.fabrics

Tweet your image to us @abakhanfabrics

E-mail us your image to [email protected] (maximum image size 1MB)

Good Luck

Posted in Project of the Month

Posted in Project of the Month

A BIG Congratulations to our April Project of the Month Winners who will each receive a £20 voucher to spend at Abakhan. Our judges had lots of fantastic entries to look through but here are the three winning entrants this month:

Julie Sturgess with the Hobby Horse

Vicki Lancelotte with the Quilted Blanket

Jeanette Simm with her Knitted Tea Cosies

Remember May 'Knitted & Crocheted' Special Project of the Month has now started so get creating and send your image to us. We have 3 ways you can send your image to us:

Upload you image on our Facebook page abakhan.fabrics

Tweet your image to us @abakhanfabrics

E-mail us your image to [email protected] (maximum image size 1MB)

Good Luck!

Posted in Project of the Month

Our refurbished Manchester Store is now open and it's looking great!!! Norma and her team are very happy with the improvements:

New department layouts

New products

More stock

More staff

More tills

Normal opening hours from now on!

Posted in Events

Posted in Projects