Corduroy Heaven
The weekend long read.
Tis the season for corduroy! This must be one of the most heavenly fabrics to wear in the colder months as it has that extra thick, soft, lustrous feel to it. Unbelievably this pair of Spring Trousers are only the second garment I've ever made in corduroy.
I chose the Spring Trousers over the Daphne or Worker Trousers as I think there is something quite elegant about a wide leg in a heavy fabric. It's cosy, roomy, warm and also feels like I could dress it up nicely for a smarter look.
This pattern was straight out of the box with absolutely no modifications. Although there are a couple of things to consider when working with corduroy:
1.
If you usually work with a fairly light weight fusing you might like to consider a mid weight one for more support around the waistband and fly area
2.
You can machine wash and pre-shrink corduroy as normal
3.
Be careful when cutting your pieces out as cord has a pile direction. I personally prefer the pile to go down the body but I've heard some people who like it to go up. Whatever you prefer just make sure you're cutting consistently in the same direction
4.
Thread colours for corduroy tend to be matching. There is quite a lot going on with all of the texture so I do recommend choosing a matching thread and save a contrast one for a plainer fabric.
5.
And lastly, you can press and iron as normal with the same amount of pressure. You might just have to give it an extra special final press to get the pile facing the right direction again and looking smooth.
Where to buy (UK):
I bought this olive corduroy from Merchant & Mills and the red further down is from Raystitch (they had more colours in store than online). They're both very good quality fabrics so I would highly recommend!
Berry Red
The other corduroy piece I made recently is a smock in a beautiful bright red cord (bought from Raystitch, they had this colour in store not but online). This is a little teaser for a new pattern that will be launched in the coming weeks, watch this space!
Let me introduce myself
And last but not least, I re-introduced myself on instagram as there have been lots of new subscribers and followers in the past few months. Incase you missed it here it is again...
_
Hello all! I’ve been meaning to re-introduce myself for a little while as there have been some new followers recently. I’m Hetty, designer, pattern cutter, Hackney resident and founder of the Modern Sewing Co..
There are only a handful of things I take very seriously in life and they’re mostly to do with my work - my work process, my work routine, the values that underline what I do and of course the outcome of all the hours I put into it all.
A combination of good design and feeling comfortable in your body and the clothes you wear drives what I do.
To break that down a bit, by ‘good design’ I mean lasting style, thoughtful features and visual balance. And as for feeling good in your body, I think well designed, well made clothes have the power to alter how you mentally and physically feel throughout the day.
Joining these two sentiments is my love of making useful things. For me pattern cutting is the point where creativity meets logic, where you can invent beautiful things with a combination of mathematical analysis and a creative eye. For a design to feel exciting it needs to look beautiful and be supremely useful in equal measures. Finding this balance is the essence of my work and the fine tuning process often boils down to a garment that looks very simple yet functional.
In terms of what you can find at the Modern Sewing Co., I’m continuing to build the range of pdf patterns and you can also learn how to sew with our online tutorials. The emphasis with each garment is to create something that’s as high quality as possible and you’ll see a variety of detailed finishing techniques with elements taken from high end tailoring as well as more casual workerwear. The higher quality the finished garment the longer you’ll wear it and the more sustainable it becomes.
I welcome all feedback, comments and questions so if there’s anything you want to share please comment or send me a message!
Hetty x
