Resizing A Pattern Just when I thought I was too busy for anything except complaining about being so busy…I came up with a little tutorial sort of thing! After making the good witch of the west costume forced me back into my sewing area, I was motivated to tackle one of those projects that is easy to put off for a long, long time. Sometimes, even more than a year. This project is resizing a vintage coat pattern. Then someone on PR made a fall coat out of corduroy… then I saw this fabulous wide-wale corduroy at a very good price…that also needed a home. Step 1: I went to the nearest Threads resource – mine happens to be in the sanctuary (a.k.a. sewing area, a.k.a mommy zone) – and read this article. All the other steps:Trace the original pattern and all markings (extend the grain lines the length of the piece at this point – I didn’t do this on the sleeves but should have). Draw cutting lines to divide the piece into segments where the adjustments will be made. So that’s it.
Free Pattern Fitting Series Pattern Fitting Series I am presenting a pattern fitting series entitled "My Approach to Successful Pattern Fitting". This series is written and produced solely by myself and all of the content is offered from my experience in the Fashion Industry and tailored to appeal to a DIY Sewist/Sewer. I hope that if you've had a difficult time with fitting yourself in the past that you will find my information helpful. If you'd like to read my opening post about the series I'm currently writing it's here.
Tapering Or Widening Pants Pattern Taper your pants for a custon fit. by Karen Howlandfrom Threads #67, pgs. 24, 26 I need to taper the leg width of a pants pattern that fits well otherwise. Is this more complicated than just trimming down the leg seams? Do I reduce front and back equally? Start by noting the widths you want at hem and knee levels, then measure the distance from hem to knee line. Unfold and cut both pieces horizontally at the knee. Now, repeat the entire process for the lower-back pattern piece, this time adding 1 in. to the knee and hem widths before dividing by 4. Tapering Pants: Steps 1 and 2: The only exception to this procedure is if your figure is so flat in front that you don't need a front waistline dart. Next, we'll reattach the upper patterns to their respective lower parts, starting with the fronts. The top will extend beyond the corrected seamlines on both in- and outseams, and we'll correct each side separately, starting with the outseam. Now for the inseam. Tapering Pants: Steps 3 and 4
Fabric wedges for body bumps below the waist | Sewingplums Many fit alterations can be dealt with just by adding super wide seam allowances to a muslin, and playing with them in a trial garment. Or by adding in or folding out pattern strips. But there are some fitting problems which mean you have to change the shape of the pattern piece to get fabric where it’s needed. These alterations add wedges rather than strips. A wedge is wide at one end and narrow at the other, it adds different amounts of fabric in different places. So it changes the angles of pattern pieces, not just the length. These wedges may be needed to cover extra large bumps front and back, above and below the waist, as well as on the arms. This post is on wedges for skirt and pant fitting. (I should say I’m not a fitting expert. P.S. - adding a wedge at middle CB seam – if you have a larger butt. - adding a wedge at crotch extensions – if you have a deep torso. Since writing this I’ve heard about a fourth wedge : - adding with the wide end of the wedge at side seam. Like this:
Appliqueing With Used Dryer Sheets i'm not a big time holiday or season decorator. what i have up is what i have up all year round, usually. except for a little something here and there.well here's a tutorial to add a little something springish to your home.oh and i'm going to show you how you can use old dryer sheets to make it happen. what you will need.scraps of fabric (i used one of my opened charm packs of kate spain's Verna line for moda. love that line!)a metal hoop. or a wood one will be just fine as well.dryer sheet that's been used already in your dryer. so your dryer sheet right as it comes out of the dryer is probably really wrinkled. with a sharpie i traced my drawn egg onto my ironed dryer sheet. originally i was going to do a small egg and a big one, but i changed my mind so please ignore the big egg in these two pictures. pretend it's not there. like the man behind the curtain. next you are going to take your dryer sheet and place it on top of your fabric (right side facing UP.) sew on your drawn on line.
How To Sew A Circular Bottom Neatly Round bottom is a nice feature not only for bag bottom but also for a cylindrical pouches and bags. Here is how! Step 1. Step 2. Step 3. Step 4. Step 5. Step 6. Step 7. Step 8. Here is what I made earlier! Making your sleeves fit I am blessed with chunky upper arms that almost never fit into a standard pattern sleeve. Even in knit garments, without a little adjustment I feel like Popeye, straining at the bicep seams! Lucky for me then that arm adjustments are some of the simplest to make to a pattern. In this mini tutorial we’ll cover the most common upper arm adjustments required by curvy girls. You will need: Your original sleeve pattern pieceSome tape (Magic Tape is ideal as you can write or draw over it without problem)ScissorsPen and pencil (I’m using a thick Sharpie for my lines so they show up on the photos – but please use something less chunky for your version so the cutting lines are accurate)Tracing paper or pattern tracing tissue (whichever you have to hand) First of all, we need to quickly cover the topic of ease … Ease is simply the difference between your body measurement and the finished garment. First up you need to get up close and personal with your tape measure. Congratulations. Like this:
Fabric Labels Tutorial Many people have asked me how I make my labels so I have decided to make this little tutorial including pictures and any little tips that I have learned along the way. You will find that making your own labels is quite simple and much cheaper than purchasing custom labels. Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy. Materials needed:computer, graphics program (I used photoshop) & inkjet printerregular printer paperiron-on transfer paperutility knife, cutting mat & metal rulerribbon (I used 1/2 inch natural cotton twill tape)iron & ironing boardscissors Step 1: Design your image using your program of choice working with a resolution of 300ppi for a clear image. Step 2: Print your labels. Step 3: Cut out the images preferably into long strips using your utility knife, cutting mat and ruler. Step 4: Iron the transfer onto the ribbon. Step 5: Peel off the backing paper. Step 6: Use them! You could also make laundering instruction labels, and quilt labels using this same method!
Betcha can't make just ONE Vogue 1250 comes in pairs. Like everyone else, I could not quite stop at one. I whipped this up today out of (as you can see) an outrageously large print. I stared at the print for a while before concluding it would not be useful to try to actually plan for any part of it to fall anywhere in particular. Oh serendipity! Of course, I blithely cut out the big piece, without checking to see if I had a sufficiently big bit left for the smaller piece (upper back). It has a CB seam, unlike the DKNY original. At least I was able to more or less match the two halves through the large motif in the centre. The CB seam in the skirt *almost* matches. And I am really happy with how the print falls in the front. Here is one more tidbit of information about this pattern. As you can see in the picture above, the original has this rather low V under the arm. The other small change I made was to increase the depth of the cut-on facing for the cowl. Simple.
A Versatile Blouse - extending the pattern for a dress (Part 3) Part 3 has been a long time coming, I know. My apologies and thanks for your patience (and sticking with me thus far!). This tutorial shows how to extend the blouse pattern for a dress (of your own preferred length). Let's start. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.You might also want to extend the lower dart for a slightly snugger fit about the tummy.This step is entirely optional. 7. of the pattern. 8. 9. Now you have a Versatile Dress pattern :)
Wonderfully Made After posting this project to Pattern Review, I was asked by several people to show how I did the Simplicity 2181 Full Bust Adjustment. So, here we go. In my very non-conventional, fly by the seat of my pants way: This is my Edward Scissorhands version! SO, I took a breath, and detailed just what I did. Red lines approximate where I cut my pattern apart. Blue rectangle represents where the seam for under the bust will be created by folding and sewing together, matching dots and notches. (bright green line represents the re-drafted area represented by the green shading in the previous diagram) Now, if that doesn't make sense, by all means, email me! It's going to be a bright, bright sunshiney day!
Make Your Own Clothing Labels This is part 2 of my 3 part label tutorial for textiles like clothing and bedding. Here are the 3 chapters: part 1 – what to say (or what the FTC wants you to put on your labels) part 2 – how to make them (DIY process of printing & cutting the labels on fabric) [you are here] part 3 – how to attach them (considerations for comfortable labels) This photo tutorial will walk you through how to print your own fabric labels and some lessons I’ve learned along the way. Step 1 – choose your treated fabric for your labels. In order for your printer ink to stain the fibers and last, you must use 100% natural fibers. If you don’t want to treat the fabric yourself, you can buy pretreated fabric sheets for your printer at craft stores or google them. And here is why picking your own fabric is important: you want your clothing labels to be comfortable when the garment is worn, and you don’t want them to unravel. I’ve got 2 fabric options for making your own labels that are comfortable: Done!
Understanding Lining Fabric + Resources This is a follow-up post to this post and again, if you don’t have Easy Guide to Sewing Linings by Connie Long, you need it and you should buy the e-book right now! Today, I wanted to share my online resources plus a few tips on what kinds of fabrics can work as a lining. Sometimes ideas from others make a big difference in how we view the usefulness of a fabric. bemberg rayon lining First let’s talk lining fabrics and what kinds of fabrics work as linings that aren’t labeled “linings.” silk charmeuse solid & printed Let me acquaint you with my favorite luxury lining – silk charmeuse. silk crepe de chine, printed & solid There are other types of silks that work great as linings as well, including crepe de chine and china silk. hammered polyester charmeuse I’ve had a lot of people say that they would love to use “printed linings” more often if they could only find them. from left to right, knit lining and two stretch woven linings What about linings for stretch fabrics?