Invisible zippers, also known as Concealed zippers, are just that: so concealed once they are sewn into a garment that they appear to be invisible. Unlike other zippers, there is no outside stitching around the zipper, no obvious lapped fabric or fly. Nothing but a slim zipper pull gives it away. This makes invisible zippers […] Read more…
How to Sew Cloth Napkins with a Mitered Corner
I made a set of cloth linen napkins in 2012. We used them every day and washed them every week. The linen became softer, the color mellowed evenly and so I never thought I would have to make cloth napkins again. Until Atlas joined our family. Atlas is our new Rottweiler pup. He’s a wonderful […] Read more…
How to Mark Your Fabric for Sewing
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…
How to Cut a Sewing Pattern and Fabric
A sewing friend recently joked that sewing was actually only 50% sewing and 50% cutting, pressing, and fussing. She’s pretty accurate. But let’s not let that stop us from sewing. We’ll just accept it as part of the process. This post and video are all about the process of laying out your pattern pieces and […] Read more…
How to Read a Sewing Pattern
When trying to teach myself how to knit I found decoding the pattern was, and still is, the highest hurdle. If you want to sew but the sewing pattern is confusing, daunting, or just leaves you in doubt about even trying tp sew, let me clear things up for you, please. This is your How […] Read more…
How to Hem Dress Pants
Hemming men’s trousers was my first side hustle. It’s a pretty common task and one you can do with professional results even if you don’t have much sewing experience. You just need to follow a couple of easy tips. Note: you will need someone to do the initial pinning if you’re hemming your own trousers. […] Read more…
The Stay Stitch, the Under Stitch & the Basting Stitch Explained
The stay stitch, the understitch, and the basting stitch are techniques you will come across frequently when sewing garments. This short video will explain what, why, and how of all three. Or read on. Stay Stitch The stay stitch is a straight stitch of normal length sewn on a single layer of fabric ⅛” from […] Read more…
How to Sew a Beautiful Dart
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…
What Worked & What Didin’t; Five Ways to Invisibly Patch Knits
Little holes appear in my knit tops too frequently and I want to be able to patch the holes without the mend being obvious. I know how to patch woven garments so the repair is almost invisible but I didn’t know what would work on knit fabrics. So I did some research, bought three different […] Read more…
How to Take in a Lined Dress That’s Too Loose
Note that while this post is about taking in a lined, sleeveless dress along the side seams there are some basic tips for altering any garment included, mostly in the first two sections. Do I Keep It? What to Look for Before Removing the Tags I bought this dress because I liked the style and […] Read more…