When we heard that Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette Patterns was writing a new book, we couldn’t wait to see it! We have carried Cashmerette in the shop for years, and are consistently impressed by their line of patterns for plus-size and curvy sewists. Jenny’s new book, Sewing the Curve, is a real gem that captures all that we love about Cashmerette! It’s written with the beginner sewist in mind, with clear instructions, a body-positive approach, beautiful photos, and six new garment patterns that will be a delight to sewists of all skill levels.
Here at Stonemountain & Daughter, we love to encourage new and aspiring sewists to give garments a try! With that in mind, we are excited to share a peek at patterns from Sewing the Curve paired with perfect fabric matches from our collection—we’re focusing on cotton wovens, since cotton is our favorite fiber to recommend to beginner sewists.
Winter is the perfect time to get into the quilted jacket trend, and the Fairfax Jacket pattern is a wonderful place to start! While the pattern includes instructions for quilting your own lightweight fabric (pictured here in Lady McElroy cotton lawn), choosing a pre-quilted fabric like our quilted Nani Iro is the quickest route to sewing your own jacket! Made up of a cotton double-gauze layer backed with polyester batting and a muslin lining, quilted Nani Iro is a lovely choice for a cozy Fairfax!
The Elmley Dress is a fantastic introduction to next-step sewing skills like making darts and installing an invisible zipper, but you’ll want to be sure to choose a fabric that will set you up for success. We love the idea of this dress made up in a lightweight, stable cotton shirting for springtime—whether you choose a solid twill or a unique designer deadstock sateen, the result is going to be absolutely stunning!
Are quilting cottons a good choice for garment sewing? Our answer is a resounding “yes!” Quilting cottons are stable, crisp, high-quality cottons—a great match for a pattern like the Montvale Dress, a swooshy swing dress we’ll happily wear into spring and summertime. We’re always on the lookout for what we like to call garment-ready quilting cottons—larger-scale prints and patterns in colors we love wearing.
Fableism’s collection of yarn-dyed cottons is a great match for the Montvale Tunic pattern—a comfortable garment with simple design lines to showcase a small, woven pattern perfectly. We love that Fableism’s color palettes and designs coordinate across their seasonal collections, making it a snap to create a cohesive capsule wardrobe!
Hey, we know cotton wovens are not the only beginner-friendly fabrics out there! With that in mind, we’ve set up a Beginner Friendly Fabrics category so you can focus on fabrics that will help start your garment-sewing journey with minimal frustration and maximum delight. Wondering if a fabric is right for your project? Drop us a line at [email protected]; we’re always happy to help!