Happiness Through Sewing
Although you could sew most garments entirely by machine there are many times and many construction techniques that you could sew more accurately, with more beautiful results, and maybe, in the long run, sew it even faster, if you turned off your sewing machine and stitched by hand. This is a tale of two hand […] Read more…
Sewing on a button. My dad might say, “There’s a right way and a wrong way” but really, if you got that button reattached, with thread, then you succeeded. You “sewed” it back on. Job done. However, there is some truth to my dad’s way of thinking. There is a way, and it’s not very […] Read more…
There was a time I would wear whatever I made even if fabric puddled up on the garment in some places or it was too tight in others. I made it, I was going to wear it. The same went for ready to wear pieces too. I bought it, I liked it, I was going […] Read more…
Once in awhile, someone will ask me a sewing question and sometimes I get to turn their question into a blog post. Such is the case with Rosemary’s question. Rosemary asked how to shorten a dress that has an overlay which is attached in the left side seam. What to Know Before We Go (aka; The […] Read more…
Adding spandex to denim was a genius idea. There may be no going back to the ol’ fashion itchy scratchy jeans after owning a pair of jeans with stretch. What can you not do in them?The only downside is they don’t always hold up like the 100% cotton twill weave denim. Is it the fiber […] Read more…
There are many, many times when you will need to fold over and press up a certain width of fabric. You may be pressing up a hem, pressing over fabric for a casing or pressing in the raw edges of a patch pocket. Your directions will simply state to fold over X inch(s) and press. (or […] Read more…
There are times when you need to sew quite a ways in from the edge of the fabric. Further in than any seam guide marked on your machine. How do you know where to line your fabric edge at to sew 1.5 or 2 or more inches in? And if you measure over from the needle and […] Read more…
Bias bound edges are popping up on all sort of designs lately; necklines of dresses, hems of sleeves, the tops of pockets. On some designs they add a cute factor, on others they give a nice polished look to the garment. I’m getting over my past prejudices that bias binding made garments look homemade, in […] Read more…
Bias binding is used to bind or cover the raw edge of fabric. Bias binding can be made in self or contrasting fabric as a decorative edge of a neckline, sleeve, collar or other feature. It can replace a full facing as with sheer or bulky fabrics or it can bind and finish seam allowances inside […] Read more…
Gathers are small soft folds made by drawing fabric up on a line of hand or machine stitching. Gathers give a softness and fullness to garments and is a way to release a lot of fabric from a tighter area to a fuller area; for example a full skirt on a fitted waistband or yoke, a […] Read more…