VJ


Seamsters

The blog explores professional seam finishing techniques for unlined garments, responding to makers who want their handmade dresses to look as beautiful on the inside as they do on the outside. While most bespoke studio garments are lined, there are occasions—such as Grecian, bias-cut designs—where lining would disrupt drape and movement. In these cases, thoughtful seam finishes become essential to durability, comfort, and aesthetics.

When it comes to clothing—especially handmade clothing—fit matters more than trends. One of the most helpful tools for understanding fit is knowing your general body shape. This is particularly important when choosing your style of wedding dress/outfit. Body shapes are typically categorised by the proportions of your shoulders, bust, waist, and hips, and while no two bodies are identical, these categories can act as starting point for pattern choice/dress style choice.

For the modern bride who loves making things her own, the question isn’t just what to wear — it’s whether you should make it yourself. Sewing your wedding dress is equal parts artistry, commitment, and self-knowledge. At VJ Seamsters, we champion thoughtful, skill-led design, and this 10-question quiz is crafted to help you decide if creating your dress will be a joyful creative journey or an unnecessary pressure on your big-day plans. Take a breath, take the quiz, and discov

This guide will provide you with a simple framework from which you can structure measuring yourself, adjust your pattern, make a toile that fits, research fabrics, make notes which jog your memory throughout the make-up process and work out how much your make is going to cost.

The toile is finished - or as finished as you need it to be: you haven't bothered to include fastenings such as zips and/or buttons and buttonholes. You've sewn the major seams: side, shoulder and perhaps set in the sleeves. Wearing the appropriate underwear and shoes, try the toile on.

If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of sewing your own wedding dress, chances are the thought has made your heart skip a beat—half with excitement, half with fear. In our sunny little Sheffield studio, we’ve seen that exact look cross many faces: disbelief, panic, wonder… then a spark of possibility.

In more recent times Zero Waste in the sewing community has become a hot topic. In this blog we discuss how you can get there.

Pattern Hacking is the best way to get the most out of your favourite patterns. It’s more sustainable too: one pattern, many changes.