Sleeves seem to be that *thing * that bothers a lot of dressmakers, costumers and sew-ers. The term “sleev-evils” has been tossed around for a while now. But I don’t want you to think of sleeves in that way. It only hinders you in getting that sleeve sewn and set into the bodice as quickly Read More...
Tag: Beginners
How to Grade Seam Allowances
Do you make the grade? It’s super important to get into the habit of grading your seams, and I highly recommend it! The process of grading your seam allowances (aka trimming to various widths) is fairly easy to understand. However, this sewing technique can be time consuming. But don’t let that stop you! Making the Read More...
Easy Machine Gathers
I’ll admit I [HEART] gathers, and I love doing them with the machine… the classic, two-thread method. Some people freak out about this. Maybe they’ve never been taught good tips to make machine gathers go quickly and come out looking fantastic. This makes me sad, so I’m sharing those tips with you so you can Read More...
How Much Yardage Do I Need??
We’ve all been there. Standing in an aisle of gorgeous fabrics… swooning at the computer screen… gazing lovingly (and with drool at the mouth) at THE.PERFECT.FABRIC for that next dress. Question is… how much to buy?? Will 5 yards be enough? 10? Or do I have to sell a kidney to afford some unmentionable amount Read More...
Flatlining 19th Century Sleeves
Flatlining – or the process of mounting an underlining to a fashion fabric – is a hallmark of garment construction in the 19th century. You find it everywhere in all decades of this era – in bodices, skirts, collars, reticules… and also sleeves. Essentially, flatlining in these antique pieces is what we’d call putting in a Read More...
Tracing Paper Patterns
Save the original pattern! It is generally suggested in the sewing world that you copy that precious, new paper pattern you recently received and are getting ready to sew with. This is so you keep the original intact. I would agree – about 80% of the time. Read More...
Seam Finishes for 19th Century Garments
If you’re like me, as you sew up a garment you wonder how you’ll finish the raw edges of the seams. You know I cheat on nearly all my historical projects by serging the exposed raw edges. But what if you don’t have a serger? Or don’t want to use something so modern as a zig-zag Read More...
Selecting Color Palettes for Your Historical Costumes
You look fabulous in red. Or purple may make your heart sing. But green is calling to you recently. In all the colors we have to play with in creating our historical costumes, how do you decide what to use? What shades are complimentary to each other? Will they “look period”? And how do you Read More...