Happiness Through Sewing
We all have that one garment in our closet—the shirt that fits perfectly or the pants that are no longer made. Why not learn to clone them? From May 31 – June 6, I’m teaching a week-long intensive, The Art of Patternmaking, at the John C. Campbell Folk School. We start with a simple T-shirt […] Read more…
Many of us know the names of stitches, and we know some stitches, but we don’t always know the name of the stitch we use or how to get started on the stitch we need. This is one of five posts covering 10 commonly used and much-needed hand stitches for garment sewing and mending, with […] Read more…
Everybody loves a pocket, so why is it that a lot of clothes don’t have them? And tiny, useless pockets don’t count as pockets. Luckily, pockets are easy to construct and add to your store-bought clothes, and they’re easy to draft for your me-mades. There are so many types of pockets that there are entire […] Read more…
There are a few patterns we will sew more than once. There are patterns we will never sew again, and there are patterns we might sew again, if we could make them a little different. Maybe we would add pockets, leave the sleeves off, or change the neckline. Welcome to pattern hacking. It’s easier than […] Read more…
It’s easy to change the neckline of a top with no collar. Really. It’s just a matter of tracing off the pattern pieces that contain the neckline and drawing in the new neckline shape you want. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The neckline is an external style line, meaning […] Read more…
The neck opening of a shirt can be finished with a collar stand, a collar, a facing, a lining, or a bias binding. While the collars and collar stands are for style, the facings, linings, and bias strips are for function. Linings are usually sewn to a facing, but not always, and function to line […] Read more…
I’ve been sewing for 40 + years, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Years of mistakes, successes, and detours taught me not only techniques but also how to approach projects, how to spot and deal with problems, and what my preferences are when it comes to construction, patterns, styles, and fabric choice. I […] Read more…
Sewing is a creative process, yet recently it has felt boring and chore-like. It has become a bit stale, and I realized these feelings in me when I actually considered ditching garment sewing for quilting. Quilting! For someone who still can’t quite grasp why you’d cut up perfectly good fabric just to sew it back […] Read more…
It would be nice, or at least a lot simpler, if the way to hem pants was the same for every type of pant. Of course it isn’t, and the technique isn’t even the same for the same pants if the amount you’re hemming is less or more than 4″. So let me answer a […] Read more…
This post is all about how to move the shoulder seam forward because when a shoulder seam is too far back, even just a little, it’s uncomfortable and creates draglines that nobody wants. Moving the seam line forward to match your shoulder is going to give you a better and more comfortable fit. This video […] Read more…