Lovely Lovely Haberdashery…
We just love the planning stages of sewing - oohing and ahhing over fabrics and haberdashery and plotting the final details of our makes. It’s all part of the fun of dressmaking, and the beauty of making your own clothes is that you can choose JUST the finishing touches that you want.
To help you on your way with planning your Mortmain, we’ve rounded up some places to buy all of the bits and bobs you need to finish your dress.
Zips
The exposed zip on The Mortmain adds a little twist to a classic dress. We think that chunky metal teeth zips look best with this type of fastening, and Jaycotts have a fabulous range in a rainbow of colours so you can match your dress fabric perfectly. And a coloured zip is fun! (BTW, we promise that an exposed zip is easy to put in, even if you’ve never done it before. Our instructions hold your hand the whole way through - you can do it!)
Buttons
The 3/4 length sleeve version of The Mortmain calls for a button fastening on the cuff. Who doesn’t love button shopping! Like sweeties for grown ups. Although we do love sweeties too…
The Button Company is a one-stop shop for any type of button you can think of. The candy stripe buttons are brilliant.
Some vintage buttons are just delicious, and Vintage Button Emporium have some that are almost mini works of art. In fact, we almost shouldn’t suggest this site to you - it’s too hard to choose which ones to go for. They’re all just amazing! These are just some of our favourites.
Or if you’re feeling really crafty, why not make your own? The Guardian has an easy tutorial.
Ribbon
In our pattern, the other way we suggest that you can finish your sleeves is with a ribbon tie, beautifully modelled by Ruth from Nightingale & Dolittle.
If you’re feeling swish, you can go super fancy with some beautiful VV Rouleaux ribbon. If you’re in London, do go to the shop in Marylebone, but don’t expect to come out empty handed. They have some fantastic on-trend ombre ribbon, amongst other delights.
The Village Haberdashery is another source of great striped, dotted and velvet ribbon. We particularly love the chevron twill.
There are so many more places to buy beautiful haberdashery - this blog post might have to become a series! Which are your favourites? And what are you planning on using for your Mortmain?