Stock Your Stash (and Actually Sew It): A Black Friday Plan for Dressmakers

Before you buy anything, find out what you already have. We've all got some fabric lurking in our stash that we don't even remember buying.

Pull everything out, yes all of it, lay it out where you can see it, and ask three questions of each piece:

• Do I still love it? If not, it's allowed to go to someone who will.
• Do I know what it's for? If yes, write it on some masking tape and stick the tape onto the piece or write it in your notes.
• Do I know how much I have? Measure it. "About two metres" is how people end up one sleeve short.

This way you won't buy something you've already got, plus you can look out for any patterns & notions in the Black Friday sale to complete a project you've got waiting in your stash.

Now look at what you wear, not what you buy!

Open your wardrobe and notice the gaps. Is there no good trousers for work? A coat you've been meaning to replace? A dress for a wedding next summer? Are you building a capsule wardrobe where everything goes together?

If you have a colour palette, keep it in front of you. If you don't, a quick look at what you reach for most will tell you more than you expect.

Then write a wish list: fabrics, colours and garments. It doesn't need to be tidy. A list on your phone is perfect.

A wish list does something useful in a sale. When you see something you love, you can ask, "Is this on my list, or is it a wild card?" Both answers are fine, but it's good to know which one you're answering!

Don't forget summer. It's winter now, but Black Friday is a good moment to stock up for summer 2027. Think ahead, what will you want to wear next summer? A shirt, a cotton dress, shorts, an outfit for a wedding or a holiday? Buying those fabrics now means you can plan properly, make a toile, and sew without a rush when the weather turns. Add them to your wish list with the pattern and the season next to each one.

Now the fun part!

Is there something you've always wanted to make but talked yourself out of? The wool coat. The silk dress. The linen shirt that will get softer every year. Something out of a special fabric that you know you'll be scared to cut into?

A sale is a good moment to buy the dream fabric. Natural fibres and quality cost more, but they wash well, wear well and tend to be much nicer to sew, they're worth spending on for a final make especially when they're discounted.

Two honest notes, because we'd rather be straight with you:

• Some of these are genuinely hard. A tailored coat or a silk dress is a real challenge, and it's no failure if it takes a while. If it's your first, read through the whole pattern before you buy, and choose a pattern that suits your experience!
• Make a toile first. A toile is a practice version in cheaper fabric, so you can check the fit and the order of construction before you cut the good stuff. Your first attempt at anything is a first draft, and the dream fabric deserves a rehearsal. We'll happily help you choose a practice fabric that behaves like the real thing.

That's the trick to making dream fabric less scary: you've already done a practice run, so you cut with confidence!

Now bring it down to numbers.

• Browse patterns for the things on your wish list! Shop sewing patterns.
• Find your size and your metreage. Look at the fabric requirements on the pattern for your size and view, and check them against the fabric width, because the same garment needs a different amount of fabric on a narrow cloth than on a wide one.
• Think about the details that change the amount you need: directional prints, stripes or checks that need matching, nap, and shrinkage if you'll pre-wash.
• Add a little extra for matching and mistakes.
• Set a budget (more on that below). It's much easier to enjoy a sale when you've decided in advance what you're comfortable spending.

Set your budget before you open the shop. Decide how much you want to spend this Black Friday and write it down, then divide it up between your dream make, your planned projects and a small wild card amount. A number in advance makes it far easier to enjoy a sale without regret. Yes, a fabric shop telling you to spend less isn't the best business advice, but we'd much rather you love everything you buy and actually sew it than end up with fabric you feel guilty about!

And now the bit that stops the whole plan feeling like homework.

Set aside a small amount of money, and a small amount of space, for a fabric you hadn't planned. Maybe a print that stops you in your tracks, or a colour you'd never normally wear. If you fall in love with something, that's allowed.

The only rule is that it's a wild card on purpose, not by accident.

1. Sort and measure your stash
2. Look at your wardrobe gaps and your palette, and write a wish list (summer 2027 included)
3. Choose one dream make, and plan a toile
4. Set a budget, then check patterns, widths and metres
5. Leave room for one wild card