Let Dressmaker Helen Rhiannon guide you through every step of the process to help you create a classic, customized dress that’s perfect for your body and your personal style. Cross stitch is an embroidery stitch worked on a gridded fabric where two small stitched cross to make and ‘x’.

This title gives an excellent discussion of different types of fabrics, their weights, and their appropriateness for various pieces.

Cut the thread twice the length you need then fold it in half and thread the two ends through the eye of the needle.

A rotary cutter – this tool which looks a bit like a pizza cutter makes it easy to cut out your pattern pieces.

How to insert an invisible zip – give your outfits a professional finish by inserting an invisible zip. There's also an in-depth section of adapting patterns (after all no pattern will fit you perfectly without! The patterns are only for sewing dresses and adapting the techniques to sew tops and skirts but you could use similar techniques for sewing other garments such as trousers, once you understand the adjustments that can be made. It will be worth the time and effort as you can then sew with confidence when you get started on your chosen fabric. You can adjust the length of this stitch, 3mm is a great starting point but 4-5mm is ideal for machine tacking.