I am eagerly awaiting a new series of the Great British Sewing Bee. I love watching the amateur sewers compete to impress Patrick Grant and Esme Young. To celebrate the new series arriving shortly I am delighted to have a copy of The Essential Guide to Pattern Making up for grabs.
The Essential Guide to Pattern Making
The Essential Guide to Pattern Making is an extensive and clear guide for all who wish to become confident in designing and making their own patterns.
This handy book will become any dress-maker’s pattern-designing bible: with accessible break-downs on seams and darts, the order of make for any garment, how to consider your measurements from scratch, and developing your patterns with the inclusion of pockets, pleats, cuffs, and fastenings.
This comprehensive guide features lots of tips, and is ‘bursting at the seams’ with coloured illustrations to help lead you through. Written by designer Andrew Richards, a previous designer for Valentino, and Jo Barnfield: an experienced Pattern Cutter and Technical Illustrator who has worked under the likes of Jasmine Di Milo, and has worked as a university lecturer in Fashion for years – most currently at the University of the West England.
This guide will make pattern-making less scary, boosting the confidence of any designer. Learn to be an intuitive pattern-maker with a depth of understanding in constructing coats, jackets, blazers, dresses, trousers – the works!
Win The Essential Guide to Pattern Making
I am delighted to offer readers of the gingerbread house the chance to win The Essential Guide to Pattern Making. To enter my giveaway you must answer the question via the Rafflecopter widget below and leave a comment to win, there are some bonus entries too. The giveaway is open to those with a UK postal address only and ends on 15th June 2025 at midnight. The winners name will appear on this post. Good luck.






I’d love to be able to make myself some trousers as I can never seem to find any that fit me properly.
I would love to make a skirt that actually fits my body shape
A skirt for my daughter.
I would love to make myself a coat
My next project is making a dress out of silk scarves 🙂
I would love to be able to make a blazer
Now the weather is getting better I would like to make a comfy pair of shorts
Love to make summer tops
I would love to make some wide legged trousers x
I’d love to make a summer top, one that skims my tum and is tunic length.
A jumper for my daughter
I would love to make my own shirts, I’m very big busted, and I can never find any to fit properly
waistcoat
I’d love to make a dress
I would love to make trousers as I’m quite short and can never get them to fit my right
I would love to make some trousers and a dress as being quite tall it can be hard to find things to fit my frame.
I’d love to make a cosy jumper for winter!
I’d love to make my Christmas party dress
Some summer tops
a dress
a jumper
a pair of shorts
I’d love to be able to make myself some pyjama trousers so I can adapt them to give me the access I need as a result of my disability
I would like to make myself an embroidered waistcoat with flowers on it!
a t shirt
shorts
a dress
I’d like to make my husband a suit, or anything that fits him really. Shop sizes seem to get bigger and bigger, but he remains svelte.
I’d love to make my self a summer holiday dress!
trousers
Shorts
Trousers – basic and not so
I would love to make a mid length dress, I am between petite and “normal” height. It would be nice to have something that fits perfectly
I’d like to make my own shirts.
My own trousers would be nice to make myself.
Making my own dresses sounds like fun!
A nice holiday dress would be great to make.