Happiness Through Sewing
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…
Downloadable patterns are pretty common. They’re convenient and easy, if not impulsive, to purchase. Just pay and click. However when you go to use the pattern there are a few steps or tricks to remember. We all know how one little inaccuracy at the beginning of a project can snowball into a big frustrating mess. […] 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…
After the last washing of my favorite knit shirt I noticed a hole in the back armhole seam. Luckily this is a quick and easy fix. How easy? Two steps. How fast? Faster than exchanging the shirt at the store. This isn’t the first time I’ve come across a knit shirt where one part of […] Read more…
When I pull fabric off the shelf, or out of the dryer, it’s pretty wrinkly and needs to be ironed before cutting. Sometimes it’s still wonky after ironing. The grain is slightly twisting one way or the other. Right here I have an easy decision to make. 1. I line up the fabric best I […] Read more…
Why does it matter if the fabric you’re about to cut is lined up or trued or squared? And wait, what does that even mean? Fabric is made of threads and woven fabric (as opposed to knit fabric) is woven from threads. The looms are set up with lengthwise threads (the warp) and thread is […] Read more…
My button fell off, again. Not the same button, but a button from a dearly loved garment. Luckily it fell off in my presence and I was able to catch it. Buttons fall off store bought garments because they are sewn on by machines and machines can’t knot a thread properly. Sorry, robots, that’s just […] Read more…
My husband has always worn flat front pegged pants. Even though currently this style is easier to find in the stores, sometimes ready to wear pants are just shy of being how he likes them. So was the case with a recent pair of suit pants. Banana Republic makes a great, trim fitting, men’s suit. […] Read more…
I have a girlfriend who ordered some pants that were just too long. She asked me if I knew a good alterations place. “Uh, no, but I know me.” Here’s how I go about hemming ready to wear pants, no double stick tape necessary. Have the pants owner put them on. Fold up the extra […] Read more…