Happiness Through Sewing
The princess seam is perhaps ubiquitous and therefore not as appreciated as it should be. Or maybe it’s the name that turns us off. This is a great seam for fit and fitting. It runs over the bust in the front, separating the center of the garment from the sides. It allows for a […] Read more…
Drawing curves freehand, as with sewing curves with out a pattern, turn out, more than not, to be lop sided. I don’t know why the human hand cannot draw or sew a perfect curve over and over again and I do not have an answer how to do such a feat but I have a […] Read more…
More than likely you have heard about making a muslin of a garment before making the garment. You may know why or you may be asking yourself, “What?” Basically a designer will make a muslin for every prototype to work out all the details in the design, the fit and the construction of the garment. […] Read more…
As much as I love the old school way of pinning pattern pieces onto the fabric there are times I want to use pattern weights instead. My dilemma is, I just don’t want to buy pattern weights. They seem like a rip off; four, unattractive, little weights for $16. So I used books for the […] Read more…
Up to now we made the handles, made the exterior of the bag, attached the handles, added shape to the bag and made the lining. Now let’s put it all together and be done. This goes fast. With the exterior of the bag inside out, place the lining inside the bag, right sides of both […] Read more…
This is part 4 in a 5 part series. Be sure to visit these earlier post: Part 1: Cutting Out The Bag and Stitching Up the Exterior Part 2: The Handles Part 3: Making It Stand On Its Own The lining. It’s like making a second bag but not having a second bag to use when […] Read more…
Up to this point the tote bag is flat. I do own a few totes that are flat and they’re fine, they just don’t hold much. This tote bag is meant to hold your lunch, your kindle, your small purse, a bottle of water, and of course, your sewing kit (just kidding). In order to […] Read more…
With the outside of the tote bag done, it’s time to make the handles. Be sure to read Part 1 here to see how to construct the tote bag up to this point. Your tote bag is inside out and the handles are sticking out as four separate pieces. The top 3 1/2″ of the […] Read more…
It took me years to admit I love those canvas tote bags from LL Bean. Except I don’t really. I love the shape and the size. I love that they’re well made. I love that is an everyday practical item with a smart design to it. I just didn’t care for the color choices. That’s […] Read more…
When I was in school I had a professor who always said that after you cut your fabric it’s all down hill, meaning the hard part is over. At first, I thought he was kidding but as the years went by I agreed with this bold statement until today that is when I had a […] Read more…