Dressmaking & Sewing Patterns

Every series of The Great British Sewing Bee sends thousands of people to a sewing machine for the first time. This collection is the dressmaking shelf: paper patterns from Simplicity and McCall's, plus the cutting and marking tools that make a pattern easier to follow.

Starting dressmaking

• Choose a pattern graded "easy" with few pieces: an apron, an elasticated skirt, pyjama trousers or a simple top.
• Cut accurately: pattern weights and a rotary cutter keep paper and fabric flat; pinking shears stop raw edges fraying when you have no overlocker.
• Mark and unpick: tailor's chalk and a tracing wheel transfer darts and notches; a seam ripper is the tool you will use most in the first month.

Read our beginner's sewing kit checklist for the full list, and choosing fabric for sewing projects before you buy cloth.