Simon Penson

Every dressmaker has to start somewhere; all you need is a little creativity and some fabric. Are you sick of stepping out of the house only to find that 7 other people are wearing exactly the same outfit as you? Well, we have the solution; make your own! Why spend a fortune on one-of-a-kind pieces when you can make them yourself, specific to your own measurements. If you’re interested in learning how to make your own clothes, but have no idea where to start then try one of our dressmaking workshops.

A Taster in Dressmaking

If you’re a complete beginner looking to see if dressmaking is for you, then this 1-hour taster session is perfect! Take a test drive through dressmaking by constructing an apron, and the best part? All materials are included!

Advanced Dressmaking

Ideal for an advanced sewer looking to shift up a gear, if you are familiar with patterns and can work independently, this is the workshop for you. This workshop is designed to aid you with the more difficult tasks of dressmaking but also allow you to work on your creations independently, away from the class. You will be designing and creating a fitted jacket and we will provide a choice of materials in different colours.

Why not really delve even further into your creative side with a Corsetry workshop?

This 3-day course will guide you through the important steps of corset making with a hands-on approach – using lacing, binding, boning, seams, eyeleting, cutting and fitting over 3 days you will create a corset specific to your own measurements. This course will provide a starter pack, patterns and notes, but you may need to purchase additional items during the course.

Check out our workshops section for classes close to you and don’t forget to tweet any of your new creations at @AbakhanFabrics – we’d love to see them

Believe it or not, summer is here and if/when it actually stops raining it will be the perfect time to venture outdoors and enjoy some messy craft time with your children.

There are so many things you can enjoy from the comfort of your back garden; most of which are very low cost or even free!

Here are five of our top outdoor crafting tips for you and your family to enjoy this summer:

Bird Cake

To make these easy bird feeders, you will need the following:

Bird seed; raisins; peanuts; grated cheese; solid cooking fat; yoghurt pots; string; mixing bowl; scissors.

Carefully make a small hole in the bottom of a yoghurt pot. Thread string through the hole and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so you can tie the pot to a tree or bird table.

Allow the cooking fat to warm to room temperature, cut into small pieces and put into a mixing bowl.

Add all the other remaining ingredients to the bowl and squash them together with your hands – your kids will LOVE this bit! Keep going until it all holds together.

Fill the pots with the mixture and leave to harden in the fridge for an hour or so.

Hang your bird cakes then stand somewhere discreet to watch them enjoy their feast. Ask your children to draw pretty pictures of the birds that visit, using colourful pens.

Chalking

If your kids love making a mess, but don’t like to clear up afterwards, this is the perfect activity for them.

Purchase some brightly coloured chalks and let your children decorate every inch of your garden – from fences, to patios and walls. The results will be so fun and colourful and this will keep your children busy for hours. The rain (or a good sprinkling with a hosepipe) will wash it all away afterwards, leaving a blank canvas for next time.

Art Bomb!

This is crafting at its scientific best! Grab some large sheets of paper and lay them on the ground. Next, place one spoonful of baking soda in the centre of some toilet paper, fold it up and place it in the corner of a sealable sandwich bag. Fill a third of a cup with vinegar and mix with a spoon of paint (the brighter, the better) – pour this mixture into the opposite corner of the sandwich bag and seal quickly (!!) Shake your bag slightly and place it onto your paper, then stand back! Your sandwich bag will inflate and then pop, leaving your masterpiece behind.

Rock Painting

Spend time searching for pretty pebbles in your garden, or collect a few during your next visit to the beach. They need to be roughly hand-sizes and smooth.

Then get out the paints and allow your children to decorate them anyway they wish. From little rainbow handprints, to writing their name in bright colours, let them paint to their hearts content.

Once the paints are dry, paint them with a clear varnish to preserve the moment forever. You could even add a date to the back of the stone, but only if there’s any room left!

Make Play dough

All kids (and a fair few adults) love play dough. The beauty of playing with it outside is that you won’t find yourself picking bits of neon paste from the carpet for several days afterwards!

Play dough is an easy kids crowd-pleaser that can be whipped up with ingredients from your store cupboard. I find the following recipe best:

3 cups of flour

1.5 cups of salt

6 tsp cream of tartar

3 tbsp oil

3 cups of water

Food colouring (optional)

Vanilla or peppermint essence (optional)

Put all ingredients into a large, sturdy saucepan. Stir continuously over a medium heat until dough forms. Remove from the pan and knead until the consistency is play-dough like. Leave to cool before giving it to the kids.

The term ‘Tie Dye’ refers to the process of resist dyeing textiles using bright colours. When you resist dye something you actually prevent the dye from reaching all the cloth, thereby creating a pattern.

Tie Dyeing is accomplished by folding the material into a pattern and then tightly binding with string or rubber bands. Dye is then applied to the material – the ties prevent the dye reaching all parts of it. Applying different colours on to different sections of the wet material creates patterns.

Follow the easy guide below to create a fantastic tie dyed T-shirt.

You will need:

A white T-Shirt (100% cotton ones work best)

Old newspaper

Several different coloured dyes

Rubber Gloves

An assortment of rubber gloves

Warm Water

An old plastic bowl or bucket

Instructions

• Lay your t-shirt out flat, then fold and tie it using the rubber bands, according to the pattern you want to achieve (see below for more details).

• Cover your work area with plenty of newspaper to prevent it from becoming stained.

• Put on your rubber gloves then prepare the dye according to instructions

• Soak your t-shirt in warm water

• Start Dyeing! It’s usually best to start with the lightest colour if using more than one colour. Follow all dyeing instructions when it comes to rinsing – some require you to rinse immediately, others require you to let it rest for 24 hours before rinsing.

How to create patterns

Circles

• Lay t-shirt out flat and then grab the centre – slowly lift it.

• Lift the t-shirt off the surface, gently gathering it together

• Wrap the first rubber band around the gathered shirt, directly below the part you held when you lifted it

• Now add several more bands about 1-2 inches apart (or as close, far apart as your like!)

Marbled

• Lay your t-shirt out flat then grab the edges and crunch into a tight ball

• Wrap a large rubber band around the entire t-shirt bundle to hold it all in place.

• Wrap a second rubber band around the entire t-shirt, the opposite way (to form a cross in the centre)

• Continue wrapping bands around your t-shirt ball until there are no loose ends hanging out.

• Dye as required!

You can rely on Abakhan for your crafty inspiration this summer!

Crochet: the perfect hobby for all you nutty knitters looking for an additional challenge, or for anyone looking for a fun and easy to learn new craft.

Crochet is the art of creating products from yarn, thread or other materials (such as wire) using a crochet hook. Like knitting; it requires you to pull loops through other loops and to make your finished article, but unlike knitting it’s all done using only one needle rather than two.

All you need to get started is a crochet hook, some beautiful yarn, a pattern (once you’ve mastered the basics) some patience and you’re good to go!

Which Hook?

A crochet hook is a needle with a hook at the end, which is used to draw yarn through knotted loops. Hooks are available in a wide variety of materials; from Birchwood to Bamboo, although metal hooks are probably the most widely available and a good place to start for anyone new to the craft.

The next thing to consider is the size of the hook. Generally speaking the smaller the hook, the finer the yarn and the more delicate your finished article will be. A larger hook with some thicker yarn or wool would be a good for beginners.

Your crochet pattern, once you are feeling confident with the basics, will direct you to the hook size required for the project.

Yarn

From wool to silk to wire, the possibilities are endless. Beginners will generally find wool or a sturdy crochet thread in your favourite colour easy to learn with. As before, once you are confident enough with the basics to follow a pattern, the pattern will guide you to the type of yarn suitable for the project.

Have a look at the beautiful yarns available with Abakhan here. They have a lovely soft texture and are very easy to work with.

Getting Started.

A slipknot and chain stitch are excellent first stitches to learn. There are several online tutorials available to show you how to do these. Or, you could sign up for a three week beginners crochet workshop, led by an expert, to join likeminded folks on your crochet journey. What better way to learn?

The next ‘Learn to Crochet' Workshop is in Liverpool in September 2012.

Next Steps.

Already handy with a hook and creating super stitches? The opportunities are now endless. Take a look at this beautifully illustrated book showing you how to create adorable crochet toys.

Or take a look at the details of the next ‘Continue to Crochet’ workshop in Mostyn, North Wales, starting in September 2012.

Get the kids involved with this cute crochet jewellery kit; something to keep the little ones occupied during the long summer holidays?

You can always rely on Abakhan for creative, crafty inspiration - Happy Hooking!

As we keep saying, knitting is the new cool. Everyone is getting stuck in, but what if you’ve never tried knitting before? Or it’s been so long since you picked up a set of needles that you can’t remember anything?

Fear not! Abakhan to the rescue! We offer various knitting workshops that’ll soon have you in the swing of things!

A Refresher in Knitting

This workshop is perfect for people who were taught to knit as a child but haven’t picked up their needles for years. If you know the basics but need a little confidence come and join this workshop and you’ll be a pro knitter again in no time! All yarn is included; all you need to bring with you are 4mm/4.5mm needles and a passion for knitting!

The next knitting refresher workshop is on the 19th June 2012 in Mostyn, North Wales. If you attend this class, let us know how you get on, we’d love to see photos of your work.

Advanced Knitting

Already a dab hand at knitting? Then give this workshop a go. If you’ve mastered the basics and want to take your knitting skills a little further this workshop is ideal. Covering cables, eyelets, bobbles and chart reading as well as requested processes over a four week period.

As before, yarn is included, just bring your needles.

Keep an eye out for the next advanced knitting course.

Elongated and Slip Stitch

A more specialist class, this workshop explores elongated and slipped stitches in depth whilst working on a cushion cover. All materials are included, just bring your 4mm needles.

The next Elongated & Slip Stitch workshop is in Mostyn, North Wales on the 17th June 2012.

Festive Knits

Get a little festive with this workshop dedicated to Magic Knitting and Beaded Knitting and create unique and charming Christmas decorations.

Bring along your 3.25mm needles.

The next Festive Knits Workshop will be held in Liverpool on the 3rd October 2012.

For details on all of the workshops we run, including dates and times, visit the workshop section of the Abakhan website. Happy crafting!

In case you haven’t heard, knitting is the new cool. Fact. With thousands of ‘Knit and Natter’ crafting groups popping up all over the country and ‘Yarn Storming’ become a new craze, the age-old stereotype of knitting grandmothers in rocking chairs is long gone!

Crafting has become incredibly popular in recent years, with people, especially the younger generations, becoming interested in a handmade culture, and, of course, Yarn Storming! If you haven’t heard of Yarn Storming – where have you been?! Yarnstorming is the art of using graffiti knitting or crochet to enhance an object or public place, guerilla knitting, if you will. Just check out this Yarnstormed phone box in London, courtesy of Knit the City.

Need more evidence that knitting is uber cool? Just have a quick chat with the Sisters from the Shoreditch WI, possibly the coolest people you will ever meet! We asked them to give us a little insight into their fantastic knitting group and they very kindly obliged.

The Sisters told us their go-to for knitting and crochet patterns is the online knitting and crochet community, Ravelry. Free to join, this community offers a huge pattern database. We asked the Shoreditch WI to tell us exactly why knitting was so cool and Martha Wass told us it was “the ability to make anything out of a long strand of something” and we couldn’t agree more! Knitting has become an incredibly sociable pastime, with many of the Sisters telling us that their friends introduced them to the craft, Rebecca Baird told us that the same friend who taught her to knit also taught her to crochet, and she has “been hooked ever since.” (Haha)

It soon became apparent that some of the Sisters have completed extremely difficult projects in their knitting quests. We asked Kim Byrne what the most complicated knitting project she has every completed was, her answer? “A 5 piece beach hut draft excluder.” (!!!)

Jen has been a Shoreditch Sister for 4 years and she told us that “the Shoreditch Sisters' Knit'n'Natter group meets monthly and is a great social activity. We all get to chat and admire each other's projects. I also really like that you can make something truly unique that you wouldn't be able to buy elsewhere easily.” Jen is also no stranger to complicated knitting projects; the hardest thing she ever made was a blanket for her niece sporting a tree design that she managed to finish the very day her sister went into labour!! She also told us that she is “addicted to making hideous 70s novelty poodle wine bottle covers to give to friends as a joke.

Now, tell us knitting isn’t cool?!

For all of your knitting supplies, visit the Abakhan website.

The Shoreditch WI Knitting Group hold regular meetings, to find more details, visit their blog, here. To find out more about their latest campaign, Days for Girls, visit their dedicated Facebook page.

It’s official, Spring has sprung! At Abakhan we love to the feel the suns rays on our skin, but that doesn’t mean we start neglecting sewing and all things craft as soon as we get some nice weather. In fact, we see it as an excuse for the perfect project: creating your own picnic blanket. So, let’s get started.

What you will need:

Fabric Wadding Thread Buttons Scissors, Pins, Tape Measure, & Sewing machine/needles

How-to:

• Think about how big you want your picnic blanket to be. (Ours is 130cm x 160cm with a 1cm border.) • Cut 2 pieces of fabric and your wadding to exactly the same size. • Place the 2 pieces of fabric on top of each other. (If the fabric you are using is patterned ensure you place the pattern sides face to face). • Place the wadding on top and pin the 3 pieces of material together. • Sew all of your sides together 1cm from the edge of the material leaving a gap on one side large enough to turn the blanket inside out. This will leave the wadding inside, sandwiched between your 2 pieces of fabric. • Fold the edges of the open side in on itself and iron down as well as ironing all the other sides. • Pin the open edge shut and sew together to seal all 4 sides.

This is your blanket – sewing a border around the outside roughly 1cm from the edge of the material works well for reinforcement as well as aesthetics.

Hopefully, your arms will be laden with picnic goodies, so we think it’s a great idea to make a handle for your new picnic blanket. The first part of your handle acts as a wrap to hold the blanket together when it’s safely rolled up:

• Cut 2 pieces of fabric long enough to wrap all the way around the middle of your blanket when it is rolled. (Ours is 64cm x 20cm.) • Follow the instructions above. • Create two small rectangular templates for button holes at the end of this piece of material. Cut through these templates to feed the buttons through later. • Sew your buttons in place at the other end of the wrapping material, directly below your button holes.

You will then need to create a smaller handle to fix to the top of this fabric:

• To make the handle for your blanket follow exact instructions without the wadding. (Ours measures 4cm x 20cm) • Fold 0.5cm of each end of the material and sew this onto the larger part of the handle.

So, there you have it, roll your blanket up and off you go to enjoy the sunshine!

Sewing can be one of those things that you’re either a whizz at, or something you’ll struggle with. Some people are able to pick up the needle and thread and start clicking away, finishing their creation in no time at all, while people at the other end of the spectrum are still pondering how to get started. Men are particularly difficult to buy anything for, which means sewing them something can be a great idea. Here are a few sewing pattern ideas that can help you create a great gift for the special man in your life.

Whilst women have a reputation as being tricky to buy for, men can actually be just as fussy. By sewing them something special, you can keep them in the loop and make sure that the sizes and colours are right. By doing it this way, you are able to ensure that the trousers reach the floor, (evenly), there is enough material in the body, and that the sleeves are the correct size. If you want to keep the gift a secret of course, you can try the clothes out on a friend or family member who is of a similar size.

Men’s pyjamas are particularly difficult to buy, usually because men resort to sleeping in their underwear or old clothes when they’re in bed. This means that you have no hints to go by in terms of their preferences for comfort and size. The first of our sewing pattern ideas is the ideal solution; giving you all the suggestions and directions you need to make a set of pyjamas and nightshirt for the man in your life. This means that you’re in a position to make something based around their exact measurements – or at least very close – rather than guessing. Also, you can make it according to their favourite colours, and won’t be restricted to what is on the hanger in stores.

Another useful sewing pattern for men is the boys and mens boxer shorts pattern. You can never have enough underwear. You can guarantee that over time you’ll lose underwear in the washing machine – nobody ever knows why – or a family member will claim them as their own. By making them, you’ll give the man in your life that little reason to think about you every time they get dressed in the morning.

For more sewing pattern ideas for men, visit our product page. Alternatively, you can contact your local branch – which you can find by clicking on the stores link – or give us a call on 01745 562133.

One of the hallmarks of most town centres is that there will be at least one street on which the charity shops are based – usually four or five of them in a row. However, one particular shop is setting themselves apart – and is using the magic of haberdashery to do so!

The Birdcage in Skipton has been the focus of an article in the Yorkshire Post, and it’s easy to see why. As well as the usual bric-a-brac you’d expect to see in any charity shop, there are also a variety of sewing machines, knitting wool, a dress-maker’s dummy and many other knitting and sewing accessories.

Behind Closed Doors, the Leeds Charity who are responsible for the birdcage, are keen to point out that the difference between their project and other charity shops is entirely intentional. Louise Tyne, Behind Closed Door’s manager said that:

We don’t want to be just any other charity shop on the high street. It’s about harnessing the creative skills in the local community and giving people an opportunity to express themselves creatively; and also to share their skills and their experiences.’

‘As an organisation we recognise the need to be sustainable and to generate income but we wanted to do it in such a way that the actual enterprise itself had a purpose so it’s not a typical charity shop.’

The aim of the community enterprise is to raise funds for those who have suffered from domestic violence.

Needless to say, we here at Abakhan applaud using such a wonderful hobby for such a great cause. Good on them!

To view our wide range of knitting accessories , click the link here .

If you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth you investing in a dressmaking course (and it isn’t a decision you should take lightly), there are many things that you should consider. Hopefully our run-down on the things you can expect will help you decide whether it’s the right investment for you:

Firstly, you should definitely expect to spend some time working with a sewing machine, so if the idea rather alarms you, either consider yourself warned or don’t attend the course! Sewing machine skills are essential when it comes to creating dresses (doing so by hand would take ages), so don’t be surprised when you walk into a room full of them!

You’ll also be getting involved in designing a range of different types of dresses, so if you’ve only ever created dresses of a specific kind before, be prepared to get a bit out of your comfort zone. Obviously, once you’re used to it you’ll be a far better dressmaker than you started, so it’s well worth the effort.

Also, if you’ve never really done much fabric work before, be prepared to work with quite a wide variety of kit, including fabric scissors, pins, needles, thread and the like. Obviously it’s likely you’ll have carried out some form of needlework before, but just in case you haven’t – be prepared!

To find out more about dressmaking courses, give Abakhan a call.