Spring 2025 Staff Pattern Review

Apr 14, 2025

One of the best things about working at Guthrie & Ghani is getting to share our love of sewing with fellow makers every day—and our seasonal staff pattern reviews are a big part of that!

Each season, our brilliant team picks out patterns and fabrics from the shop to make their own garments. It’s a chance for us to explore the latest arrivals, try out new techniques, and really get to know how the patterns sew up—so we can pass on helpful advice, styling tips, and honest insight when you visit us in store or online.

More than that, it’s a celebration of handmade style and a way to inspire your own me-made wardrobe. Whether you’re looking for your next project or simply love seeing how different patterns come to life in different fabrics, we hope this round-up gives you plenty of ideas and encouragement to get making this spring!

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The Sewing Workbook

This season’s staff pattern review has a bit of a twist—we’ve added an extra layer of creativity and organisation into the mix! As well as choosing a fabric and pattern to bring to life, we asked the team to use their Patterntrace 'My Sewing Workbook' to plan, track, and reflect on their makes from start to finish.

Not only did it help the team stay focused and intentional with their projects, it also means they now have a beautiful record of their makes they can refer back to again and again.

It’s been such a fun and useful way to slow down, sew more mindfully, and build a personal library of sewing wins (and lessons learned!)—something we’re always encouraging our customers to do too. That is what these staff makes are all based on and we hope it inspires you too!

Hannah's Wide Leg Jean Trousers

Hannah went for a wide-leg, ‘70s-inspired denim vibe with her make, choosing the full-length version of the Daphne Trousers by Modern Sewing Co. To really play up the silhouette, she added an extra 2.5" to the length to create a more exaggerated cuff—such a great detail!

She’s especially proud of the fit, which she nailed by making a toile first using an ecru needlecord. The effort really paid off! For a polished finish, Hannah used two reels of light blue topstitching thread, which added a lovely contrast and gave the trousers a super professional look.

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Modern Sewing Co. Daphne Trousers Sewing Pattern PDF

from £14.00

Mid Blue 11.7 Ounce Rigid Cotton Denim Fabric

£13.90 /m

Becca's Fran Shirt

Becca turned the Closet Core Fran Pyjamas into a breezy summer shirt by sewing just the top in our Love Heart Embroidered Cotton Voile, with plain voile for the yoke and pocket. She used buttons from her inherited stash for a sweet, personal touch.

She made a size XXS and added a full bust adjustment, but realised afterwards it wasn’t needed with the relaxed fit. To get the cropped summer look, she shortened the sleeves by 6" and the body by 4.75".

Becca’s proudest detail is the neat side split facing, and next time she’d go even shorter on the sleeves and maybe add a pop of colour. Her top tip for working with embroidered fabrics? Use a walking foot and an overcast foot instead of an overlocker to protect the embroidery and keep seams tidy.

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Closet Core Fran Pyjamas Sewing Pattern

£20.50

Love Heart Embroidered Cotton Voile Fabric

£16.00 /m

Jo's Buttano Shirt

Jo stitched up the Butano Shirt by Friday Pattern Company using the dreamy Petrol Textured Vintage Cotton—she loved how easy this fabric was to work with and how neat the finish turned out. She added some lovely 12mm Atelier Brunette buttons and used medium-weight woven interfacing to give it structure.

Jo made quite a few tweaks to get the look she wanted: she skipped the darts, switched the box pleat for an inverted one, shortened the body by 2", added 1" to the sleeves, made the collar smaller and left off the pocket and loops. A totally personalised make!

She’s especially proud of how tidy it all turned out, thanks to that fabric being so well-behaved. She tried out a new collar method from the instructions but jotted in her sewing notebook to stick with her usual technique next time. Fit-wise, she’d size up the armholes, sleeves and body slightly, and might make the back tie a bit narrower.

Jo’s top tip? “Don’t be afraid to add or take things away to make it your own.”

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Friday Pattern Company Butano Button Up Shirt Sewing Pattern PDF

from £13.00

Vintage Petrol Textured Cotton Fabric

£10.90 /m

Rosie's Dani Trousers

Rosie made the Dani Trousers by True Bias, going for a comfy, everyday vibe with the soft Stormy Blue Stretch Corduroy. She used a 7" zip, Wondertape, two 15mm buttons, elastic for the back waistband and medium-weight interfacing to pull everything together.

She made a few clever tweaks to try to get the fit just right—taking 1¼" out of the back seam, 1" out of the side seams around the thighs, leaving the elastic out of the front waistband and adding some lovely little pleats instead.

Rosie’s biggest takeaway? Trust your gut! She had a feeling she should take more out for a closer fit, but played it safe—next time she’ll go by the finished garment measurements and make those extra tweaks.

Top tip if you're prepping stretch cord? Dry it flat! It helps keep the fabric in shape and avoids any warping before you even get started.

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True Bias Dani Short And Pants Sewing Pattern

£18.50

Stormy Blue 7 Wale Stretch Cotton Corduroy Fabric

£16.90 /m

Dani Trousers & Shorts Tips Video

Hints and Tips Video

£6.50

Jess's Pleated Blouse

Jess usually goes for frills and all the pretty details, so making a more paired-back summer shirt was something a bit different! She gave it a go with the cuff sleeve version of the Pleated Blouse by The Avid Seamstress and picked the Fuchsia Leaves Pima Cotton Lawn—it’s light, breezy, and perfect for sunny days. She used seven 12mm buttons in total, with two on the cuffs.

Jess is super proud of this make—not just because it looks great, but because she took her time with it. She made a toile first using Patterntrace Swedish Tracing Paper, which really helped her figure out the fit. From that, she added 2" to the length and got some extra practice in on the collar and pleats too.

Her top tip for making pleats pop? Try a fabric with a bit less pattern next time so those pleats can really shine but she brought the detail back in with a super sweet pink webbing tie.

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The Avid Seamstress The Pleated Blouse Sewing Pattern

£18.50

Fuchsia Leaves Pima Cotton Lawn Fabric

£13.70 /m

Alison's Worker Trousers

Alison decided to take on the Modern Sewing Co Worker Trousers in a lovely recycled cotton denim washed chambray, with Liberty cotton lawn for the pocket lining—such a gorgeous combo! She made a few thoughtful modifications, like leaving out the belt loops and narrowing the back pockets by 2cm to get the fit just right.

For notions, she kept it simple but effective with a zip, button, interfacing, and finished it off with a cute Rosie Cheeks label for that professional touch. We all know trousers can be a bit of a challenge, but Alison is thrilled she stuck with it—and the result is totally worth it! She’s most proud of the fit, which she nailed by making a toile first. Plus, she’s really happy with the details like the French seam pockets, the bound zip facing, and the deep pockets.

Alison's top tip for a project like this is persistence! Take your time, stick with it and don't be afraid to ask your sewing pals all the questions!

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Modern Sewing Co. Men's Worker Trousers Sewing Pattern PDF

from £14.00

Washed Chambray Recycled Cotton Blend Denim Fabric

£14.50 /m

Liberty Capital Views A Organic Tana Lawn Cotton Fabric

£29.90 /m

Lorna's Hamsa Shirt

Lorna made the Hamsa Shirt from the Fibre Mood Edition 32 magazine, using a gorgeous sky blue subtle stripe cotton double gauze. It’s such a light, beautifully textured fabric—perfect for a summer shirt! The pattern only has one version, and the only adjustment Lorna made was adding 3cm to the sleeves for a bit more length.

She kept it classic with 9 white matte Atelier Brunette buttons and lightweight woven interfacing. What Lorna’s most proud of? Turning through a 1.3m tie using the Prym loop turner, she said it was incredibly satisfying to get such a neat finish.

Lorna also learnt a lot from working with double gauze—especially how much shiftier it is than she expected. Next time, she’ll use a walking foot to make the sewing smoother. Her tip for others? Double gauze isn’t the best choice for a more structured make like a shirt with plackets and patch pockets—so she’ll opt for something more stable next time.

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Last Few!

Fibre Mood Magazine Edition 32

£16.95

Sky Blue Subtle Stripe Cotton Double Gauze Fabric

£14.90 /m

Grey Subtle Stripe Cotton Double Gauze Fabric

£14.90 /m

Last Few!

Prym Loop Turner

£5.40

Gemma's Saguaro Trousers

Gemma made the Saguaro Trousers by Friday Pattern Company in a super comfy mid blue stretch tencel denim. The fabric is so drapey and soft, making these trousers perfect for all-day wear!

She made a couple of adjustments, including taking 1.5" out of the rise and sizing down since she was working with a stretch fabric. The project was pretty notion-light—Gemma only needed thread and 50mm elastic to pull it all together.

What Gemma is most proud of? The fit around the crotch area, which she nailed while learning the ins and outs of a curved crotch fit. It’s always great when a new technique clicks!

Friday Pattern Company Saguaro Set Sewing Pattern

£28.00

Mid Blue 10.4oz Stretch Tencel Denim Fabric

£22.40 /m

Vivvy's Juno Cullottes

Vivvy, a big Merchant & Mills fan, finally made the Juno Culottes in black 11.7oz rigid cotton denim—a project she’d been eyeing for a while. She made a few cool modifications to make them her own, including adding curved back pockets with selvedge edges for a bit of detail, extending the hem by 10cm for a heavier, double-fold style, and taking 2" off the rise. She also used Ruth Collins' top-down centre-out method and took 2" off the width to get the perfect fit.

Vivvy is most proud of her back pockets, she used the selvedge edge for the pocket opening and they turned out just how she wanted, and she the culottes a more modern, casual vibe by adding front and back creases.

What did she learn? A new side pocket method with a facing, which was a fun new skill to pick up!