Happiness Through Sewing
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…
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…
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…
A pattern piece has a lot of information on it as discussed in a previous post/video “How to Read a Pattern”. You need that information when you are sewing all the pieces together, but you want to transfer that information, from pattern to fabric, at the beginning while the fabric is still on the cutting […] Read more…
If you’re sewing clothes for women you’re going to be sewing darts. As simple as they seem to construct there are nuances to getting a good-looking dart – and by that, I mean one that isn’t noticeable. What are darts, exactly? Darts are what bring fullness and fit to the flat 2-dimensional fabric. Darts point […] Read more…
A wise woman once told me, when we dress for bed we dress for ourselves. I never thought of it like that. We’re not dressing for others. There is no dress code written or implied, or even socially enforced. So why not wear something we truly like? I like pajama pants with pockets (as I […] Read more…
You’re excited to sew. You know it’s going to be great when you’re done. People are going to stop you and ask where you got it. You smile and reply “I made it”. You carve out some sewing time and do your best. When you’re done you try it on and…deflate. It doesn’t look so […] 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…