Fashion, Sewing Patterns, Inspiration, Community, and Learning. Machine Embroidery Designs, Projects and Tutorials. Sewing On Leather: Stitching and Seams. Now that I've confessed to fusing all kinds of fusibles to my leather with an iron, it's time to talk about how I'm sewing things together.
There's been a bit of chatter in the blogosphere recently about how useful (or not) tutorials are when written by novices or those who don't know good technique. Basic Hems. Hems. Sew Better with Staystitching Fundamentals. Be careful not to stretch or straighten a curve while staystitching.
Mary Ray Staystitching should be done directionally with the fabric's grain, which is generally from the top to the bottom of a neck or armhole edge. Start at the shoulder and sew to center front, flip the piece over and repeat. V-necklines should be staystitched because of their angular lines and reinforced because they need to be clipped at the V. This can be done in one operation, pivoting at the point. Photo: Mary Ray Although one of my favorite parts of sewing is creating interesting surface design, I'm well aware that it's the underpinning steps in the process that make a garment truly successful and wearable. One of those essential steps is staystitching-a row of stitches on a single fabric layer that prevents a curved or angled edge, because they are cut across the bias, from stretching during the construction process. Sew directionally, with the grain, to prevent distortion. Two Understitching Techniques. In "Understitch by Hand" from the SewStylish Fall 2014 issue, couture expert Susan Khalje shares fundamental hand-understitching techniques to help improve your sewing.
In this Web extra, Susan shares two more understitching methods, one by machine and one by hand. Machine UnderstitchingQuick to learn and simple to do, understitching by machine instantly gives your garments a professional appearance. A needle for your thoughts: Become the Boss of Overlocking. Hi there!
Overlocks/sergers can be scary and intimidating at first glance. Okay, they are still scary the second time you look at them but they are actually your best friend when you buck up and tame that beast of a machine. And to do that I have a little tutorial to share with you on how to improve your serger skills and build confidence so that you don't feel overwhelmed and scared next time you have to use one for your projects.
Free Sewing Projects. Description: Easy pajama tutorial.
By using your old pajamas as a pattern, they can be sewn in any size. Craft Link: PJ Pants Tutorial Read More: Sewing or Home Description: Cut down an old dress shirt to make this great new skirt. Craft Link: DIY Dress Shirt Skirt Description: Lots of photos illustrating the instructions for making this bag. Craft Link: DIY Yellow Clutch. DIY CraftyGirl! 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) Serger Basics. Sewing first vs. serging first There is some argument about this in the DiY community, and really, I think it depends mostly on what you're sewing, and personal preference.
When in doubt, experiment, and find what works best for you. Sew first, then serge: I think this would be a good place to start if you're a serger noob. Fabric Cutting Techniques & Tricks. I had a run in with a piece of rayon spandex jersey this past week.
I ended up cutting it with an underlay to keep it from moving around. It reminded me that an underlay is useful for other things besides chiffon, georgette, and charmeuse. Refashioned Clothing. Easy DIY Lace Sleeve Tank Top Fashion. Years ago I used to make little lingerie/pajama sets of tanks and underwear with ruffles – you can see some of them here, along with a DIY for the ruffle boy shorts & bikinis… but I always used ribbed wife-beater style tank tops rather than spaghetti strap tanks.
Tutorials/ Refashions. 32 Brilliant DIY Anthropologie Knockoffs. Directory of Free Sewing Patterns, Tutorials and Projects. All Free Sewing - Free Sewing Patterns, Sewing Projects, Tips, Video, How-To Sew and More. 65 Free Clothes Patterns. Posted on | October 9, 2008 | 7 Comments I originally became interested in patternless sewing, many years ago, because I had a hard time finding patterns in my size.
Nowadays, patterns in large sizes abound. Nonetheless, I still love my pattern free sewing. These patterns generally of three types. One type requires you to take your measurements and draw up the pattern yourself. Skirts are very easy to make without a pattern. I came across a few patterns that didn’t fit into any other category, so I gave them their own. We normally assume underwear is too complicated or to time consuming to sew ourselves. Aprons can usually be whipped up in less than an hour. Shirts and dresses are much more complicated to make than skirts. Coats can easily be the most expensive piece of clothing in your wardrobe. 62 Free Hat Patterns. Posted on | October 9, 2008 | 8 Comments The links on this page are for sewn hats only. There are fabulous patterns available for knitted and crocheted hats, but I don’t do those crafts so I didn’t list them.
If you do knit and crochet, take a look here. Fleece hats are all the rage now, so naturally there are a lot of free patterns on the web. For more fleece hats, also look under hats for kids. Free Shirt, Vests & Tops Patterns. Free Skirt Patterns. Free Dress Patterns. Free Pattern Fitting Series. Pattern Fitting Series I am presenting a pattern fitting series entitled "My Approach to Successful Pattern Fitting".
Tutorial lists. Sewing Tutorials. How To Ruche. Crafty Clothes. Free Sewing Book: Beginning Sewing Lessons. Sewing: Hems & Seams. Women's Clothes Patterns & Tutorials. Girl's & Women's Clothes: Free Projects. 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. Make a card board template for a half circle. Make sure that you do this very neatly. Fold the fabric in half, secure it with pins. Step 2. Seven Essential Sewing Skills. Tasia from Sewaholic and Sewaholic Patterns wows us with her incredible style and sewing skills. Her blog is one of our favorite daily reads! Have you seen all of the gorgeous versions of her Lonsdale Dress out there on Flickr, Pinterest and your favorite blogs, all sewn up this past summer? Sewing Tips for Sewing Darts. Bag Your Jacket Lining. Lining a jacket makes it last longer and become easier to slip on and off.
Best yet, using the bagging method is as quick or quicker than finishing an unlined jacket. Photo: Sloan Howard. Sewing Tips & Techniques. Sewing Tutorials & Patterns - Small Projects.