Broderie anglaise is increasingly used in ready-to-wear spring/summer creations and I fully approve this choice! Broderie anglaise has become a timeless piece of the summer wardrobe. It’s comfortable, breathable, and very pretty! 

White or now available in many colors (even neon), it’s found in women’s, children’s, and even baby clothes! 

If not long ago broderie anglaise could still give a "granny" vibe... today, it’s trendy! Just look at this year’s summer collections, whether at Sézane or La Redoute; it’s everywhere! So I couldn’t miss the chance to introduce you to this beautiful fabric. Let’s discover it together!

My Festival blouse by Nerida Hansen in dotted Swiss and openwork broderie anglaise

What is broderie anglaise?

Broderie anglaise is, contrary to what its name suggests, more Irish and Scottish. In the 16th century, it was entirely handmade by women to decorate their clothes with floral motifs, lace borders, or geometric patterns. Its purpose was therefore aesthetic. To create their designs, women mostly used white threads. 

From the 19th century onwards, the English became enamored with this embroidery technique, which became a staple of Victorian style! Broderie anglaise became a must-have in England and Anglo-Saxon countries.

At that time, it was found on wedding dresses, women's underwear, christening gowns, and especially children's clothing.  

During the first half of the 20th century, broderie anglaise continued to be used, especially as trim in women's underwear. It was in the 1950s that broderie anglaise experienced a revival, notably thanks to the most famous actress of the time on the Croisette: Brigitte Bardot! In 1959, for her wedding to Jacques Charrier, she wore a dress in gingham and broderie anglaise.

In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood brought broderie anglaise back into the spotlight with her punk style, which borrowed heavily from Victorian fashion! Broderie anglaise made a strong comeback with high-collared blouses brightening up tartan suits.  

Today, broderie anglaise is featured in many collections and praised by a number of designers. It can be found in blouses, shirts, dresses... for women and children. 

But why buy ready-made clothes when you can sew them yourself?

Is broderie anglaise accessible to beginner sewists?

Yes, yes, and three times yes! Broderie anglaise is accessible to beginners and that’s great! Why?

Simply because the vast majority of broderie anglaise produced nowadays is on cotton poplin, the essential fabric for sewing beginners. There are also versions in linen and silk which are rarer but also more expensive. 

With us, you will find 100% cotton broderie anglaise in a wide range of shades with more or less openwork versions. For the occasion, I even made a third Festival blouse by Nerida Hansen from a piece of plumetis fabric (available in store) and a scrap of very open broderie anglaise perfect for making the sleeves! 

So beginner sewists, don’t worry, broderie anglaise is definitely within your reach for a guaranteed "wow" effect! 

But what should you be careful about when buying and sewing this beautiful material?

Advantages and points to watch for broderie anglaise

 The advantages of broderie anglaise are many:

- timeless fabric (you can reuse your sewing project year after year)  
- adapts to all types of clothing  
- flexible  
- non-stretchy 
- easy to cut and sew with a simple sewing machine (no need for a top-of-the-line machine)
- durable (since it’s cotton, washing at 40°C is no problem) 
- breathable because it’s cotton 

Points to watch:
- the embroideries are a bit thicker and can be slightly more difficult to cut.

In this case, a rotary cutter can be an option. Since it’s cotton, it’s necessary to overlock the raw edges of your sewing projects with a zigzag stitch or serger and of course, don’t forget to wash your fabric before sewing!

Tips and tricks for sewing broderie anglaise

To sew broderie anglaise, select a standard/universal sewing machine needle size 80 or 70

- Select the straight stitch for your assembly seams
- Choose fine pins to pin your pieces together
- Overlock the raw edges
- Choose a good quality thread in the same color as your fabric
- If you need to fuse pieces of your sewing project, choose an interfacing in the color closest to your embroidery.

It is also possible to make your facings from cotton voile. That’s what I usually do, especially if the broderie anglaise is very openwork. 

What garments can you use broderie anglaise for?

It is found on a wide variety of clothing but also in home decor, especially on curtains, tablecloths, and cushions. 

There are still some guidelines to follow, especially the fact that broderie anglaise is a woven fabric. You will therefore need to choose a suitable pattern (no patterns designed for stretch fabrics like t-shirts). 

For women’s sewing, I recommend: the camisole top, the front-buttoned blouse, the blouse with a back neckline, the blouse with a stand-up collar, the romantic ruffled blouse that lets you play with scalloped embroidery edges, a lined circle skirt, a dress with thin straps or knot straps for a perfectly romantic look, a butterfly-sleeved dress, a ruffled dress ...

For baby and children’s sewing, go for baptism dresses, bloomers, little summer dresses, and small blouses! 

Recommended models

I thought a small, non-exhaustive list of recommended patterns would help you choose your fabric/patterns combinations.

For simple summer camisoles and tops: Lou by Nine pattern, Rose and Frida by Atelier Bernie, Ségur by Little Cozy world, the Festival blouse by Nerida Hansen, Karima and Myriam by Atelier des premières, Gaïa and Cinderella by Iam Patterns, Ermise and Elise by Coralie Bijasson

For slightly romantic blouses: Violette by Maison Fauve, the Magdala blouse by Iam patterns

For straight/simple dresses: Evora, Ethiopie, and Elise by Coralie Bijasson

For romantic / ruffled dresses: Isadora by Nine pattern, Victoria by Theodora Pattern, Angela by Atelier Bernie, the Louise dress and blouse by Ikatee

For children: the Camélia blouse, the Roma and Louise dresses, the Zanzibar blouse and dress from Ikatee

I hope this article about this beautiful fabric called broderie anglaise pleased you and gave you plenty of ideas for your spring/summer sewing projects!

Let’s hope the sun will be part of the fun this year in our flat country!

In any case, I’m ready! And you?

Get your needles ready!