SewLSC

Silk Georgette Gown  Silk is wonderful to wear but it can be tricky to sew. These are my favorite tricks when sewing with silk (based on experience with silk chiffon, silk charmeuse, silk dupioni, wool/silk blends and silk jersey): (1) Be sure to have a very sharp rotary cutter and/or scissors. When I sew with silk I always sharpen and/or change blades. Silk slips. A lot. So sharp tools make precision cutting easier. (2) Use a presser foot designed for a straight stitch. (3) If that is not adequate, use a presser foot designed for slippery fabric. I use a plastic roller foot. I've tried my walking foot but I find the walking foot cumbersome when working with slippery fabrics. (4) Start with a fresh needle. Sharps needles work best. (5) Use a fine needle. I typically use Schmetz universal size 70/10 (6) If the fabric is really fussy when cutting, you can tame the silk by laying a piece of tissue paper over it. (7) Press with LOTS of steam. Finger pressing with a stea...

Linen Jumpsuit I love linen. It is soft and comfortable. But linen wrinkles. Badly. There are ways to prep the fabric prior to sewing so linen will wrinkle a bit less. A tip I learned from Sandra Betzina was to iron linen fabric with a very hot, dry iron BEFORE washing the fabric. After ironing, put the machine wash the linen in very hot water. Tumble in the dryer on the highest heat setting until the linen is completely dry. The linen will shrink during this prep ... but the shrinkage will create small, soft folds in the fabric rather than the typical stiff creases that give linen that badly wrinkled look. After sewing the fabric, machine or hand wash in cold water. Hang dry on a wide hanger immediately after the wash cycle stops. Or tumble dry on very low heat taking care to remove the fabric from the dryer as soon as the machine stops.  The results: less wrinkled linen. Magic. Happy Sewing!

  Did you know that bust darts often need to be moved? I did not. I thought I was sewing my darts poorly until I learned the issue was not how I finished the darts but where I put them that was causing my garments to have fitting drags. Typically, I now know that I need to lower my busts darts by about 1 inch, and I need to shorten the top of the fishy eye darts by about 1 inch in most darted dresses or tops. Lowering bust darts are actually common adjustments needed for older women as the commercial pattern companies assume a perky B cup when drafting. Many women find the apex sags lower as we age. Bust darts should point to the apex of the bust. If yours do not, like in these examples, you may need to move the bust darts. To calculate how to move the bust dart, I compare my measurements to those on the pattern piece. In my case, my apex is now about 10 inches from the shoulder seam and about 6 inches to the natural waistline with 6 inches from apex to apex. Tha...

L Looking for a stylish way to repurpose leftover fabric?  Wondering how to make a dress that can have multiple looks depending on the weather? A dickie is a perfect solution! It adds a polished look to your outfit while making use of fabric scraps. You can quickly turn a scoop neck dress into a dress with a toasty warm collar. Here’s how to make a wool Dickie from leftover fabric in just a few steps: Materials Needed: Scrap fabric Tape measure Pins Sewing machine or needle & thread Optional: Hook and eye closure Instructions: Measure & Cut Drape a tape measure around your neck in the shape you want your dickie to fall. Cut a square with sides equal to this measurement. (For a more fitted look, use a slightly smaller square.) Finish the Edges To prevent fraying, finish the edges with a rolled hem using a serger or a narrow hem on a standard sewing machine. Shape the Dickie Fold the square in half diagonally to form a triangle. Wrap & Pin Wrap the triangle around your ne...

So, you want to make your own jewelry to go with your handmade garments?   You've come to the right spot. Years ago, I launched a 90-day project where I made a new piece of jewelry every day out of found objects. Folks often comment on how well my jewelry matches garments I've made. That's because I made the jewelry too. Brass Chain Belt Below is a list of 90 different jewelry tutorials I wrote for projects that are quick and simple to make using easy to find household objects. Many projects are based on key resources destined for your trash or recycling can.  The list of projects include: belts, bracelets, cuff links, earrings, necklaces, neck-rings, pendants, pins, and zipper pulls. The list of core found objects used include: bottle caps, bottles & jars, box, broken chain, duct tape, game pieces, gift card, glass, hair bands, hardware, old leather from garments, bags or scraps,  LEGO® , paper, leftover refrigerator piping, polymer c...

So, you want to make your own jewelry to go with your handmade garments?   You've come to the right spot. Years ago, I launched a 90-day project where I made a new piece of jewelry every day out of found objects. Folks often comment on how well my jewelry matches garments I've made. That's because I made the jewelry too. Button to Post Earrings Below is a list of 90 different jewelry tutorials I wrote for projects that are quick and simple to make using easy to find household objects. Many projects are based on key resources destined for your trash or recycling can.  The list of projects include: belts, bracelets, cuff links, earrings, necklaces, neck-rings, pendants, pins, and zipper pulls. The list of core found objects used include: bottle caps, bottles & jars, box, broken chain, duct tape, game pieces, gift card, glass, hair bands, hardware, old leather from garments, bags or scraps,  LEGO® , paper, leftover refrigerator piping, polymer clay your ki...