It is finally here and doesn’t it feel like we have waited for ages? That's right, Wimbledon is on, Glasto has happened and we’d guess you have already had an ice cream and maybe even a warm pint, as it is officially the SUMMER.
As Brits we have to be slightly cautious about preparing for the summer because too much and you might jinx it into not happening. But it has started, so really now is the time for a few quick additions to your summer wardrobe and here's our handy guide to allow you to sew the looks of summer 2022 .
SUMMER LOOK 1: TOP-TO-TOE COLOUR
This may sound mildly terrifying but this summer it is all about bright colour and we mean from top to bottom. And hey, why not when we have spent way too much time hiding at home? The sun is out and it is time for us to shine. The advantage of this trend is you have an opportunity to create clothing that really fits, because we have all stood in a changing room in a dress or jumpsuit that looks great on one half but not the other. So, co-ords mean you can have a great fit on both parts, but doing it all in one fabric creates a whole outfit.
Now on to the perfect fabric for wearing head to toe in a bright summery colour, we have a great selection of brightly coloured linen at the moment. And especially in green as we were told it was going to be the colour of the summer. Linen is the perfect fabric for summer as it keeps you cool, it always looks smart and it can be used for both tops and bottoms. We thought that this free pattern from Peppermint Magazine would look great in any of our linens, and did we mention it was free? The advantage being that you can wear the two pieces together or separately, creating an instant capsule wardrobe. Surely, this has reduced the stress over going head to toe in one colour?
Dressmaking Linen Fabric in Peppermint Green
We would also like to add that the humble co-ord is not just for women either, it is very much a trend for men as well. This Vintage Simplicity Pattern has proven so popular, it is pretty much only available on Etsy and Ebay now. But it is the perfect pattern for men this summer, and even between, it can be made from any cotton poplin opening up all the different prints we have to offer. Making it a great festival outfit option for the boys too.
Simplicity 1950's Vintage Men's Shirt and Swim Shorts Sewing Pattern, 8659
SUMMER LOOK 2: MAXI VS MINI
This Summer you either belong to one camp or the other when it comes to skirts: you are either going long or you are going short. We aren’t taking sides and you will be pleased to know we have some great summer fabrics for both camps. The Fibre Mood Summer Dress is a great maxi dress which can be worn up or down and would look great in any of our new drape fabrics, as it needs the flowy nature to really work. These digital prints are super shapes and would make a great summer dress you can wear for years to come; the advantage of a dress is you can pop a top over it to create more of a skirt outfit or wear it alone.
Fibre Mood Summer Dress Pattern and our Digital Print Drape Fabrics
But if you are more of mini kinda girl, well, it is worth checking out the Tilly and the Buttons Stevie Tunic Pattern, a very cute little summer t-shirt dress which can be made from woven fabrics such as cotton, linen (again) maybe even a cotton lawn. Now we have barely mentioned it, but we have some super cute cotton lawns at the moment, perfect for the summer. And more recently we even added some lilac prints, which is very Tilly and the Buttons.
Tilly and the Buttons Stevie Tunic Dress Pattern
And even if a mini dress isn’t your vibe these can make just a lovely little top for pairing with jeans or denim shorts if that is how you prefer to spend your summer.
SUMMER LOOK 3: BOLD STRIPES
It won’t be a surprise to anyone that we love a stripe; we have said it for years - stripes work as great binding on quilts, they make smart blinds and you cannot live without at least one Breton style t-shirt. But this summer, this trend is taking on a new realm, and bold stripes can be seen on everything rather than just the humble t-shirt. This is great news given we have just added this pretty summer stripe to our New In Collection…
Digital Print Viscose Watercolour Stripes
But that isn’t the only stripe we are proud of right now; is it even summer if you aren’t wearing seersucker at least once a week? And again, we have some great colours in our latest seersucker delivery. Perfect for making fresh summer dresses as they are 100% cotton, or why not play around with the direction for a matching two piece co-ord? Mind you, if your eyesight can cope with the cutting out….
SUMMER LOOK 4: GINGHAM
Maybe stripes aren’t quite your thing, but we are still wanting to add a pretty pattern into your Summer Wardrobe. Well really the only thing you need is a Gingham, as it is quintessentially summery and also very, very trendy this summer. Both our ginghams and our chambrays are especially good for summer dressmaking projects as they are all 100% cotton, have a medium weight and even better are on the wider side so you won’t need as much fabric.
If you were inspired by Episode Three of the Sewing Bee it works very well for the shirring style of dress they made in the pattern challenge. But shirring didn’t look that easy did it, so we have found this Fibre Mood Mindy Dress which has the same shape without the tricky shirring.
We thought this would work beautifully in any of our ginghams and would be a summer classic for you for years to come, and even better it could also be a slight nod to the mini skirt trend too, depending on which style you go for.
Oh, and if you fancy being bold with your summer dressmaking we have a range of mini print ginghams in many of the same colours as our larger gingham prints on the same cloth. So they can be mixed and matched if you wanted to make something really special…
Gingham Dressmaking Fabric at Fabrics Galore
SUMMER LOOK 5: ANIMAL PRINTS
Again, you can't have have failed to notice that we are big fans of an animal print at Fabrics Galore and we try to have as many possible at any one time. Animal prints are a great Summer 2022 fashion trend and as we are thinking more and more about making clothes that will be worn year on year, animal print is a great shout because it is never really not in fashion.
With our Animal Print collection packed with everything from cotton poplins to soft jerseys, you can really wear animal print in whichever way you fancy it. However we are especially taken with our newer animal print jerseys that would make a great t-shirt for a more casual summer look, ideal for pairing with a simple pair of shorts or jeans if the weather is playing up. The additional dashes of neon make the print seem that bit more modern, we thought.
Cotton Jersey Petrol Neon Jungle Leopard
Sew The Summer Looks with Fabrics Galore
We hope you'll agree that we picked the most accessible of the 2022 summer looks to sew, as we know our sewing community favours longevity for their makes over short-term trends. But we can definitely still look the part with our easy summer pattern and fabric recommendations. Don't forget to share your makes with us on social. If you need advice on fabric selection you can speak to our knowledgeable team at FG on 020 7738 9589 .
