Regardless of whether you've been naughty or nice this year, we've got lots of tempting ideas for your gift list, from tools to calendars!

It's always worth revisiting the basic techniques that we give little thought to, just to check there's nothing we've missed...

Plagued by unfinished costumes? Sick of all-nighters? Big ideas that never quite come off? Here's how to make sure it works next time.

In our reader survey last August, a very harried mother of a toddler asked "Help! How do I sew with a toddler trying to re-thread my machine, rummage through my sewing box and take all the books off the bookshelf?!?" 

If you've never tried to sew while having a child around, you can have no idea how frustrating/challenging it can be for the adult and very dangerous for the child. Many new parents feel like they will never be able to sew again once they have children because of the hot iron and powered sewing machine that are like magnets to children.  Many members wrote in to share what has worked for them, and I'll share some tips of my own.

For the Victorians, methods of folding and draping the fabric of a bustle truly developed into an art form. There were many different styles with assorted fanciful names like "The Waterfall", which burst in and out of fashion.

I'm going to show you how I created my ladybird gown's "Butterfly" bustle drape. It is very simple and needs no pattern at all, being created from just a rectangle of fabric.

Other dressmakers and designers have experimented with this style too, and it can still be seen in some museum pieces. It is made to be worn over the bustle cage and a plain skirt.

The bustle was allegedly invented in the mid-1860's when a society hostess's crinoline collapsed and her maid re-pinned the excess fabric to the back of the gown.

This story, while entertaining, is almost certainly apocryphal, and the design probably came about much more naturally as the train on a crinoline took on larger, more sweeping proportions.

Let me show you how to create a small boned cage, based very loosely on Hunnisett's 18^th century pocket hoop pattern in Period Costume for Stage & Screen: Patterns for Women's Dress 1500-1800. This is not a totally historically accurate reproduction but it creates an exceptionally easy-to-wear support that gives a lovely period silhouette.

This month we continue our  two part series of advice from our pool of experts on Health and Safety in the Sewing Room. Gina Barrett, Alexis Black and Marion McNealy share what has helped them to avoid and manage any potential ill effects.

This might be the most important series of articles you ever read in YWU. Any hobby or occupation that you indulge in regularly for a large proportion of your lifetime can have implications for your health, so it's important to consider how you work. Let us point out some pitfalls and preventative tips to help you sew for longer!

This might be the most important article you ever read in YWU.

Any hobby or occupation that you indulge in regularly for a large proportion of your lifetime can have implications for your health.

Forewarned is forearmed, however, so this month we start a  series of advice from our pool of experts on Health and Safety in the Sewing Room.

Suzi Clarke, Cathy Hay and Laurie Tavan dish out some great pointers to help you avoid and manage any potential ill effects.

Vicky Clarke has a mission: to bring back historical fashion that flattered curvy women so well in the past, and make it practical and wearable for our 21st century lifestyles.

The skirt we'll be making in this article is a hybrid of original 1910s design, 1970s revival and design simply intended to flatter the body as it is.

We'll start by drafting a custom skirt block, which we'll then slash and spread to get the pattern we want. There are also instructions for an optional applique panel to accentuate the waist: another nod to the original Edwardian style.

To ensure your 1860's day dress is always smooth and perfect, you really need the extra layer that a petticoat provides. Nothing can ruin the line of a beautiful gown faster than the tell-tale lines of a hoop skirt showing on the outside! But where do you find the time for all this underwear?

Ginger Breo shows you the fastest way to rustle up a great 1860s petticoat. It's easy, it's lightning fast - you can have a new petticoat in just a few hours - and it'll work equally well for all petticoats that are worn over a hoop skirt of some kind. Ladies and gentlemen, start your sewing machines!