DIY Custom Fabric Labels Custom clothing labels using iron-on transfers (©2005, www.grumperina.com. Updated September 13th, 2010. Information and images contained within this tutorial are copyrighted and cannot be used for any unintended purposes without my explicit permission. E-mail me.) Many people have asked how I make these adorable and completely customized labels for my handknits: It's simple, cheap, creative, and allows me to put the recipient's name, fabric content, care instructions, and even a little cartoon on the label! Click here to proceed with the tutorial: You will need: - inkjet printer - iron (no steam!) - satin ribbon, 5/8" - 1/2" wide, or whatever is suitable for your project - anti-fraying liquid (Fray Check , Fray Block, etc.) - iron-on transfers, whichever are suitable for your printer. Let's get started! You will need to design your label using graphic software. Follow the instructions on your iron-on transfers. You can reuse the same iron-on transfer paper over and over again. Ta da! All 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?
How To Sew Darts - Coletterie For beginners, sewing darts tends to seem like a complicated step. I know that I was confused about getting a straight line and ending right at the point. Double pointed darts seemed even more confusing. Straight Dart Straight darts have only one point with dart legs along the edge of the pattern. 1. 2. 3. Curved Dart Curved darts are often used around the bust as they can be very flattering. 1. 2. 3. Double Point Dart Double point darts tend to be found on dresses with simple lines. 1. 2. 3. 4. 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. WHAT IS AN UNDERLAY? WHY DO I NEED TO DO THIS? If you are cutting pairs, like 2 sleeves or 2 fronts, make sure you lay your fabrics face to face so that you don’t end up with 2 left sleeves. ESTABLISH A STRAIGHT GRAIN If it’s a fabric you can tear, like chiffon, that’s the easiest way to establish the straight grain. Use weights to hold the start of the fabric at the line you have drawn at a right angle from the edge, across your paper underlay. LAY OUT YOUR FABRIC ON THE UNDERLAY Once your fabric is laid out on the starting grain, smooth it out absolutely flat ( a c-thru ruler brushed lightly across the surface to eliminate bumps can help); make sure to place weights on the fabric to keep it that way. Do not use pins! Pinning will distort the fabric.
Old Sewing Machine Maintenance According to the old Singer parts lists, that big spokey wheel on the end of your vintage Singer is the balance wheel. According to most folks who use a vintage Singer it’s the handwheel, so it’s the handwheel as far as we’re concerned here, and we’ll be looking at its removal and replacement, with a bit of a detour on the way. But why, pray, would anyone want to take the thing off? Well, you could be taking a machine apart because it’s in a disgusting state and cleaning it will be so much easier if you take off some of its bits. Or maybe you want to change the handwheel for a different one? “The clutch?” Well, the clutch is what lives behind that big chromed knob in the middle of your handwheel, and without the clutch your machine would be nowhere near as user-friendly as it is. That upping-and-downing is the motion, which you stop by unscrewing the stop motion clamp screw when you want to wind a bobbin. As you take the chromed knob off, one of two things will happen.
Fused Interfacing: Tailor's Tricks Block Fusing is a method that many modern tailors and home-sewists use to apply interfacing to fashion fabric yardage before the pattern pieces are cut out. Have you ever struggled keeping the interfacing layer from slipping off-grain as you attempt to fuse it to your fabric yardage? Next time, try this fast, easy, and accurate method that I learned from a Master Tailor, called "SPOT-FUSING"...And it can be done right on your cutting table! First, we need to prepare the surface of the table. Next, lay out your fashion fabric on top of your "padded" table, WRONG side UP...making SURE it is smooth. Now lay your Interfacing FUSIBLE Side DOWN on the (wrong side) of the fashion fabric, making sure it is smooth and on grain. This is where the Spot-Fusing happens :) USING a thin PRESS CLOTH, and your steam iron set to a low-wool setting, start moving your iron over the interfacing with an UP and DOWN motion. Labels: Professional Sewing Supplies, Sewing Notions, Tips / Techniques
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.
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? Tasia inspires, and teaches along the way too; she is a fabulous resource for sewing techniques and more on her blog. Hello, everyone! 1. Helpful Links: 2. 3. Some great posts on pressing: 4. Here’s a great list of seam finishes to get you started! 5. There are plenty of zipper tutorials out there, but here are some great ones: 6. 7. « Hooded Tunic Tutorial Announcing: October Holiday Sew-Alongs + Giveaways »
Gather A Ruffle Without Pulling A Thread I enjoy using center-gathered strips to use as a ruffle embellishment (often called a "Euro-Ruffle"). The ruffled strip on the top pictured above is for my little friend Julianna, age 3, but I have used this same technique with narrow ruffles around necklines or sleeves on adult garments. The ways to use this embellishment are limited only by your imagination. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a center ruffled strip, without having to pull any gathering threads! You can click each photo to enlarge it, then click the << BACK button of your browser to return to this page. First, start with a strip of woven or knit fabric. The top pictured above was embellished with 1-3/4" strips of woven fabric that have been finished like this-- Since the strips will be gathered, you may need to start with more than one strip so that it will be long enough. After stitching them together as shown above, trim off the the excess "triangle", leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Labels: Sewing Tutorials
20 Ways To Improve Your Sewing Improve your sewing by marking things that matter Prioritize pattern size for a better fit Learn the difference between topstitching and edgestitching by Barbara Emodifrom Threads #79, pp. 38-40 Besides all the surprising things that I've inevitably learned from the ingenuity and talent of my students, one of the most interesting aspects of working with lots of sewers is how one begins to see that almost everybody (myself included), no matter how skillful or experienced, has a few blind spots, or areas where they could improve their results. 1. When you choose tops, use your chest measurement (above the bust, as high as possible under your arms, and over your shoulder blades—don't worry if the tape isn't perfectly horizontal at all points) and alter for the bust if there's more than a 2-in. difference between your chest and bust measurements. 3. Do you have scratches on your throat plate running out backward from the needle opening? 4. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
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!