In a world with thousands of fabrics in various prints and designs and colors, sometimes you just don’t find what you’re looking for. Enter Spoonflower (in 2008) to allow us to order fabric in custom prints. Whoot! The concept is fabulous! However, as the company was starting to grow many of us sew-ers were curious Read More...
Tag: Fabrics
Podcast 003: Organdy Fabric Basics
Organdy is a beautiful fabric ideal for a variety of historical and vintage garments as well as inner layer/underlining support. Learn about the technical details including the weave, finish variances, and differences from organza and crinoline materials. Jennifer will cover various garments, accessories and trims where organdy is best used with sewing tips that help Read More...
For the Love of Dirndls – Fabric Options
Hello Fabrics!!! In continuing my current obsession of dirndls, I wanted to cover fabrics one can use to make these wonderful ensembles for daily wear or special occasions. Before jumping into your fabric stash be sure to review my post on general elements of dirndl and Trachten wear, then also my post on dirndl patterns 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...
Working with Mockups
If you’ve been around garment sewing, and especially historical sewing, for any length of time you’ve probably heard of mockups, aka toile (pronounced twal), muslin, run-through, or fitting test garment. The purpose is to do a test run of the pattern for sewing errors and also to fine-tune the fit to a body. Mockups are Read More...
Tips for Packing & Moving a Sewing Room
This year, after eight years in the same house (our first one), I find myself having to pack up and move a *stuffed* 8 x 10 ft room full of sewing “stuff” and miscellanea. When I started out, ok… when I started thinking about doing that I froze. I procrastinated. I sighed. How in the Read More...
Pintucks – the Old Fashioned Way
Pintucks! So gloriously tiny! So delicate! So straight & even… or not. Pintucks have a charm about them. They call to us because they signify something regal or heavenly. They appear aloof and untouchable. The beauty they add to Victorian petticoats and Edwardian chemises elevate such tantalizing garments. So as dressmakers from another time, Read More...
How to Use a Fabric Conversion Chart
Ever find a beautiful fabric and it’s a wide 60″ but your pattern only lists yardage amounts for using 45″ fabric? Yeah, me too. It happens often. And what about if it’s reversed – a pattern requiring 60″ fabric but you have THE material for the project in 40″? Well… that gets more complicated. You’d Read More...