What do all these sewing pattern terms mean?

One of  the most rewarding parts of my job has to be teaching. I teach "How to use a sewing machine" and "How to follow a sewing pattern" whilst my friend Michelle teaches "Patchwork and Quilting for Beginners" as well as an excellent "Machine Applique" class. Our little sewing room in Colchester is always a fun and friendly environment.

Many people show up not knowing a thing about sewing, after all they are at a beginners course. So here are a few terms you may have  heard or seen on a sewing pattern that you may not know yet;

Selvedge - This is the finished (neatened) edge of the fabric. If a fabric is sold on the roll then the selvedge is at either end of the tube. Sewing patterns will often say "fold fabric in half, right sides together selvedge to selvedge. If they said to fold in half along the length or width things could get mixed up, after all not everyone things of the length as the longer measurement and the width the shorter. Also what if you are using 1 meter of fabric that is 1.5 meters wide? By saying Selvedge to selvedge or "So the selvedges meet" they are removing that area of doubt.






Grain - The grain line TENDS to be an imaginary line that runs along your fabric parallel to the selvedges (see  how the selvedge makes an awesome reference point). When placing pattern pieces on your fabric you need to keep all of the grain lines in the same direction (imagine a striped fabric, if you put one side of the dress at a different angle on the fabric then the stripes will run in a different direction. EVEN if you're using a plain fabric try to follow the grain line. All fabrics have a little "Give" which is different at different angles, so you may find  some of your panels stretching slightly. 

Nap - Some fabrics have a texture, such as velvet or fun fur. When this texture only runs in one direction we call this the nap. Run your hand over some velvet, then run it the other way, see how different it feels and how it makes the fabric look different. The back of a sewing pattern will tell you if you need extra fabric to accommodate a nap. You will need this as sometimes the pattern will lay out a pattern piece "upside down" in normal fabrics this makes no different, but in a velvet for example it will make your garment look very odd if one side runs one way and their side has the velvet brushed the other way.

The Bias - When the pattern pieces are laid out on a fabric at 45 degrees to the grain line we call it Bias Cut. This will often give the garment a little stretch. Many people seem afraid of sewing on the bias but it's just like regular sewing, you just have to take it easy and take your time.

If you have trouble with "Interfacing and facing" or" Lining and interlining" just check out our blog.
Happy Sewing all.  

Teaching kids how to sew.

Last time I wrote about how we  now run  sewing classes in Colchester, Essex and how that has helped both our customers and us. Teaching grown ups is one thing, but teaching kids teaches YOU even more.

When you start teaching children you will find they are a lot smarter than you may think and very engaging. Try to keep the feeling of the lessons light and bouncy and let them make mistakes. They will learn far more from a mistake than by doing things perfectly.

There are some practical considerations. The main issue is one of safety. Whilst we may all have had a needle or pin through our fingers at some point, day to day most regular dressmakers never worry about injuring themselves. Whilst no kids in our classes have ever decided to do something overtly stupid such as sticking pins in each other or waving scissors around their heads they do need some supervision. To help with supervision we only teach children when they have a parent or other responsible adult with them to help  out. The adult is made aware that THEY are responsible for the  safety of their child when our tutor has to give some individual attention to another child.

The main points we have found through our lessons are:-

Picking fabrics for a project:-

There can be many reasons why a fabric isn't suitable for a project. The fabric may have the wrong amount of stretch, it may be too thick for some delicate points. If a child wants to use a fabric that is technically suitable but will look a little strange  we suggest you let them. We are trying to teach them that sewing is about expressing yourself and being creative and  yet we often see people try to stifle that creativity at the very first step! One girl wanted to make a scarf of white velvet,with gold ribbons and day-glow yellow fringe trim. A few of the grown ups tried suggesting other fabrics but she stuck by her guns and the actual scarf looked REALLY cool, original, one of a kind and she was thrilled with it!


Pining pattern to fabric and cutting out :-

Make sure you actually explain and demonstrate how to put the pin through the paper and fabric. It's something grown ups take for granted but some of our kids have never used pins before!

On the subject of patterns. We tend to make our own projects (such as making a draw string pouch). At home I use brown paper but young fingers can REALLY struggle to punch a hole through that stuff. Try using thinner tracing paper of your not using a commercial pattern.

Have a selection of scissor sizes on hand. This may sound obvious but I actually forgot to get some when we first started teaching kids as well as grown ups. some of my younger students can't even lift my personal shears (giant man sized ones). And a sharper blade is much  safer than a blunt on which will slip and slide!

Don't be afraid to spend a few minutes letting the kids cut through some scrap fabric (under intense supervision) before cutting out the pattern pieces. Again when you cut out fabric you may actually be holding the blades at a certain angle, or holding the fabric in a certain way. Many times I've been told scissors are blunt and seen people just mash the fabric with the blade, but when I cut I tend to apply some sideways pressure between the blades and with the same scissors I can cut perfectly. These are the little quirks we all develop.

If working with a very young child use the big scissors BUT have your hand through the handles as well as theirs, so they get the feel of how we cut out the fabric without the risk of injury.

So there you have it, a few simple ideas for when you want to introduce  kids to the world of sewing.
The biggest most important things to remember is to let them have fun and experiment and let them know it is ultimately only fabric. They are allowed to make mistakes.
Take care :)

Sewing Classes, what we teach in them, and what we learn from them.

From being too scared to try threading a machine to making a cushion

We have been running sewing  classes in Colchester Fabric8 since last Summer.  During this time we have run classes in putting in zips, patchwork, making fancy dress costumes and how to use a sewing machine.  There is a special warm glow you get when you give someone the skills to create something. I have lost count of the number of people who have come along to our "How to use a sewing machine" and told us they bought a machine years ago but have been too afraid to use it. The fear of failing can be very powerful and very destructive. The look of pride on people's faces when they hold up something they learnt to make in an hour or two and the determination they  have to go home and start sewing is fantastic.

A group of happy quilters with  out Patchwork,
quilting and appliqué tutor Michelle.

We get different kinds of people coming to our classes. Many are like the young lady above who was afraid to even thread the machine  at first. Often these people have a project in mind and need help overcoming the initial fear or maybe just need a little knowledge. We then have people with a good basic knowledge but who want to try something new like our Patchwork and Quilting classes or our Machine Appliqué classes.  Often these people like to come in groups and they like to make it part of a girls day out.
For these people we now offer a special discount.
If you book 2 places on the same class you get 5% off.
If you book 3 places will get you 10% off
If you book 4 places will get you 15% off.
And if you fill the class up with 5 people you get 20% off, that's a whole person free!

 We have learnt a lot from teaching as well though
.
1) Mean people don't sew. I mean it, we've never had anyone who wasn't totally lovely attend our classes.

2) It is always worth going to a basic class even if you know loads. We have had several people book in on the "how to use y our sewing Machine" even though they felt very confident in their abilities. Sure enough they always leave with a little gem of knowledge. One lady had been making curtains for years and said had she been to the class 10 years ago who life would have been a lot less frustrating .

3) Teaching helps you improve yourself. By slowing down and thinking about everything I do as I explain how to sew I have found myself becoming neater and more precise!

4) Enthusiasm is contagious, and it works BOTH WAYS! Our students always leave primed and ready to sew (most pick up a lot of fabric after the class to go home and work on). However after the classes I tend to stay behind and carry on sewing myself. There's nothing quite like sharing a passion for sewing and quilting to make you want to grab some fabric and start creating.

5) THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS - EVER! This can not be stressed enough! What may seem obvious because you've sewn for decades may not be at all apparent to someone setting out. And sometimes the questions really do make me think long and hard (such as how do you adjust the tension when sewing a light silt to a heavy furnishing fabric).

So there you have it, great reasons to either try a sewing class or to teach one! If you're handy with a machine then invite a friend over for a sewing session and teach them the basics. you will BOTH find it fun and rewarding!

And if you're anywhere near Colchester pop in for a sewing lesson with us! at the moment prices start at £8.00 and the lessons are not only informative but great fun!

Check back tomorrow for the second part of the blog. Teaching Kids  How to Sew!

Blackout lining your curtains

Yep I've been a TOTAL man and failed to multi task. The world of Fabric8 has been an interesting one lately. Whilst we sadly had to say farewell to Felixstowe out Colchester branch is expanding it's services. We now run some superb sewing classes (more on them in our next blog) as well as expanding and improving our fabric website . With so much going on this blog fell to the side a little, but it  was never far from my thoughts. During this time I have been preparing a few tutorials for you such as how to shorten curtains, fun sewing projects for kids and some patch working tips. All of these in the coming weeks.

  So where to begin with the first blog of the year? I took inspiration from our shop window this week. In previous blogs we've looked at why you should line your curtains , what kinds of curtain linings are out there and how to line your curtains.

Lately we've been focusing on blackout lining. Check out these examples of regular curtain lining and blackout lining.

Curtain WITH Blackout Lining

Curtain WITHOUT Blackout Lining 

As you will have noticed you can still clearly see the pattern of the curtain with the regular lining clearly through the reverse side of the curtain. The blackout lining however totally blocks everything out. So what are the advantages to blackout lining?

1) If you have children they may stay in bed a little longer giving you the lay in you deserve.

2) Blackout Lining reflects heat as well as light helping you reduce your fuel bills.

3) Blackout lining is slightly heavier than ordinary lining and helps your curtains hang straight making your curtains look even better!

4) Blackout Lining is durable. With proper care you wouldn't need to change your curtains for many years to come.

So if you ever visit us and talk about curtains you hopefully will understand our love for blackout lining

Take care and I promise not to leave it so long before the next update.

How to Make a Patchwork Christmas Stocking.

Forgot someone on your Christmas list? Want to make a hand crafted gift or decoration but haven't got time t visit your local fabric shop or order from an amazing fabric website?  Fear not we're here to help you create a stunning Christmas stocking to fill with nuts, fruit or small toys out of little pieces of scrap fabrics. Many people may find the patchwork simple, but I have a lot of people in the shop ask me how you avoid any raw seams in the finished article.
You will need:
Thread
Needles
Pins
Fabric for the stocking (any off cuts will do)
Lining fabric. (I've used satin lining but you can use any thin fabric that you have laying around.
Inspiration
Tea or Hot chocolate
A good Christmas movie or soundtrack to work to.

To begin with gather all your little odds and ends of fabric. One of our previous blogs covers ways of storing fabrics by the way. You can either just pick  what fabrics takes your fancy or  break the fabrics down into themes, such as "cool colours" or "natural colours" or just gold old "red, gold and green"
I adore this red and gold fabric (I've made a rather fetching jacket from it) but I just didn't have enough fabrics to compliment it, so I've gone for silvers and whites, a clean cool but festive stocking.









Draw a template 

I used an existing  stocking, and then cut out 4 of these stocking shapes out of the lining. I'm using a satin lining so I made sure to have 2 from each side so it looks like I have 2 "right" stockings and 2 "left" stockings. Then use this to sort out a rough stocking shape out of the scraps of fabric. I've decided my stocking will be made mainly of horizontal strips.

 I found a beautiful Crystal organza which has a iridescent shimmer. It reminded me of some of the Christmas decorations from the 80's. (this is why Christmas fashions goes around in circles as each generation of adults borrows ideas from their childhood, I'm sure of it.) Now my lining is white satin so the organza would look lovely over it, but it may be hard to control. So I decided to top stitch the organza over the lining to form a big square of shiny shimmering magical goodness. You can do this if your lining fabric isn't something you want visible as well.

Now start sewing your strips to form one sheet of fabric. You can keep placing one of the stocking panels  over it to give you a guide to which bit of fabric will go where (I wanted the shimmering white to form a heel). Don't worry if this fabric is not stocking shape yet, We will use the stocking shape as a template and cut out the proper shape next.

Place the stocking shape over your patchwork and line everything up until you're happy where each piece is, pin and cut out.

If you are using a lining fabric that looks the same from either side then which piece you top stick your patchwork to will not matter. However in my case I need to ensure the patchwork is laid and sewn onto the SHINY side ! Why? if I laid the fabric onto the mat side then either one of the inside pieces or the back of the stocking will be mat as well.

Top stitch in place, sewing close to the edge so these stitches wont show in the finished stocking. If you wanted a padded  quilted feel to your stocking you would add the wadding between the two layers here.

Now is a good time to add ribbon or ricrac. I used some organza ribbon to fold under a little excess of the light weight silver fabric that was bulging out slightly.

Now right sides together sew your stocking front to the stocking back. Repeat the process for the  lining, BUT leave an inch gap in the middle of the back of the stocking (to pull the stocking right side out after). Cut noticed into the seam allowances around the curvy bits on the stocking.




Pull the outer stocking right side out THE slide it into the inside out lining.

Now sew the inner and outer stocking together along the top and pull right side out. and her presto, you have a beautiful hand crafted stocking!

How to make a shrug or bolero top

In December Colchester is playing host to a Narnia themed party night that promises to be most enchanting. As with many themes nights there is a lose dress code of "Narnia character  or white". I decided to help out with this tutorial for a regal white queen shrug project which could be adapted for many other uses. This shrug was first taught to me by my fashion tutor Julie Stammers when I studied at adult community collage. She has very graciously allowed me to replicate it here for you all (she's lovely, trust me)

The initial shrug requires between half a metre and a metre of fabric depending on how long you want it and how big a collar you would like.

All you need are some 

Pins

Sewing Needle

Sewing Thread

Fabric   

Fleece would work very well with this shrug.

Step one

 Draw out the pattern.

I know this is an odd little pattern, the shrug is actually one single pattern piece.

As the diagram says the long rectangle in the middle is the measurement of wrist to wrist across the back with the arms fully extended plus 30 cm for ease. The bulbous bit in the middle is from armpit to armpit plus 20 cm for ease.  How high is the bulbous (or from this point on the back and collar) of the pattern? That's entirely up to you. In college we used a  far shorter back and collar, but I want this to have a regal quality so I went VERY large. Once you see how the shrug is sewn together you will understand how to alter the back and collar for different styles. 

Step two 

Cut out your fabric using the pattern and sew up the sleeves.

Right sides together fold the pattern piece in half along the length, Pin the sleeves section together and sew, stopping about 5 cm before the back/collar section. Pull the shrug right side out and check it out :)

Our beautiful model Jane showing off the new shrug.

Now hopefully you can see how the height of the collar and back effect the garment. This shrug covers the entire back and then has a large collar. If you have used a fabric that is fray proof and looks nice on both sides the behold you have a shrug! If your fabric looks nice on both sides but frays you could just hem the back and collar or bias bind them along with the cuffs. A warm snugly shrug made of fleece would be lovely by this point.

However the joy of this garment is you can adapt it and bend it to your evil will. I want a  shrug that's lined in white satin lining and even a little pipping. 

Lining and outer pinned together on the back and collar.

Step Three

 Cut out the lining and sew the arms up of the lining just as we did with the outer layer.

RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER pin the lining and outer together around the back and collar.

If your using piping with a flange just sandwich it between the outer and lining and sew together using a zipper foot.

Some people stress about where the lining joins the outer around the sleeves. Just take your time, pin everything in place and you'll see where you need to sew.

Pull the garment right side out through the sleeves. 

Pull the shrug into shape and hem the sleeves inner and outer together and you have a simply stunning regale shrug

Suitable for  any white or snow queen.

Thoughts.

The back and collar are easily adjusted. They don't have to be the same size so you could have a larger section UNDER the arms to form a long back and then less above the arms to form a smaller collar.

We HIGHLY recommend making a mock up first in a cheaper fabric such as lining or muslin first. Different people tend to need different amounts of  ease etc. 

This shrug is so quick and easy to make you could use different fabrics for different parties as well as day to day wear.

What is the difference between lining and interlining?

Often a blog is inspired by a project and tutorial, However this blog, much like my facing and interfacing blog last month was inspired by a question asked in the shop. A customer had heard of lining and interlining and wasn't sure which she needed. Fortunately she asked the right people, but for those of you unlucky enough not to live near an awesome fabric shop I present this brief summary.

Last month we looked at the differences between facing and interfacing.  Facings and interfacing are quit different, however lining and interlining have a lot more in common.

We find both lining and interlining in clothing and furniture like curtains.

In clothes a lining is simply a copy of the garment made in a lighter fabric. There are many good reasons to line a garment ;
Lining a garment reduces wear and tear
It can be a lot easier to put clothes on if they have a silky smooth lining
Lining looks neater and more professional
Lining hides a multitude of sins!

An interlining in clothing is a layer of often fluffy fabric like wadding to make the clothes warmer, think of the old parka coats. Interlining is more common in colder climates and in the UK you rarely come across it in clothing except in winter coats.

In curtain  making we find a few different sorts of lining and interning. Again we always recommend lining your curtains to make them last longer and to help them block out light and the cold.
Check out our blog "How to line your curtains" for details.

Interlining however is more of a personal preference. If you interline your curtains any pleats, tucks and folds become MUCH more pronounced. Curtains that have been interlined also tend to be far more insulating and have a much nicer draping quality.

So which to use? Well regular curtain  interlining works very well, however if you don't want to go through the bother of measuring and cutting out another lot of fabric for your curtains you can simply use bonded interlining, this is effectively a lining and interlining in one!

So there you have it, a quick run down of what the difference is between lining and interlining.

 Many readers of the blog may find all this elementary, but remember we were all beginners once and sometimes the smallest bit of knowledge can make the difference between success and failure of a project (or even worse, not starting a project).,

 I'll do a cool new tutorial next time, honest :)
Keep sewing, keep having fun!

What's the difference between facing and interfacing?

Our sewing classes in Colchester and Felixstowe  Fabric8 have been a  great success. We have covered all sorts of subjects such as patch working and how to follow a sewing pattern. I always find it fascinating to find what people struggle to follow. Paying attention to these things makes us  better teachers as well a guiding all our staff on how to help people new to sewing in our shops.

One such issue is that of interfacing and facings. Due to the similar names people seem to get the two mixed up, not helped by the fact that in many patterns ask you to interface the facings! So what are they?

Facings

What is a facing?

Here the facing extends a little into the garment
and ends with a  straight edge to make finishing easier. 

Facings are not something you buy they are a feature of a garment. The facing of a garment is normally a piece of the outer fabric on the inside of the garment. Whilst a lining is effectively a duplicate of the garment the facing extends only a little inside the garment. Sometimes a garment only has a  facing, other times the facing the joins a traditional lining.

What is a facing for?

Here the facing joins the lining.

Often a facing is used for cosmetic reasons. By having some of the outer fabric on the inside of a garment people do not see flashes of the wrong side of the fabric or the lining on the opening of the garment or at the arm holes. A facing will sometimes be used to add stiffness to a garment if it  has been interfaced (more on that later) or to avoid raw seams or to prevent you having to use a fined seam on a tricky part of construction, such as on the arm holes. The facings themselves can be shaped so if they have to be finished neatly then the edge needing finishing will be straight and easy to hem.

Interfacing


What is interfacing?

Interfacing is normally a special fabric you can buy from your sewing shop, occasionally a pattern will show you how to make your own. It comes in 2 main sorts, "sew in interfacing" and "fusible or iron on interfacing".

What is interfacing for?

Interfacing is attached to the wrong side of the fashion fabric to add body and stiffness to the garment.

How do you use interfacing?

Your sewing pattern will tell you what shape to cut out, normally it's the same as one of the pattern pieces. To use sew in interfacing simply lay the interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric and press with an iron, lining up the edges. Then using a basting stitch (a long stitch) sew around the edges of the fabric and interfacing within the seam allowance.

To use fusible interfacing lay the side of the interfacing with the glue (the shiny side) onto the wrong side of the fabric and pop a damp cloth on top. Then press through the cloth with an iron set on setting 2 for 12 seconds or so. Start from the middle and work your way out to avoid creases.

When things can get confusing.

a contrasting facing used in a lapel 

Sometimes a facing is made from a different fabric than the outer fabric. In these cases they TEND to
be lapels of a jacket or something similar that are contrasting with the fashion fabric.

Sometimes the only part of a garment that gets interfaced is the facing, If the patterns says that don't worry you've not misunderstood, some garments are just like that.

Sometimes a facing IS a complete lining. This is rare and normally happens in children's' clothing where it's possible to cut out a lining from the left over fashion fabric. Again if the pattern says to do this don't panic, you haven't misunderstood.

And so there you have it, a brief guide to the difference of facing and interfacing and a little of the terminology used by patterns. If you ever find yourself struggling with a pattern just pop into your local Fabric8 shop or find us on twitter. We're always happy to help.

Making a Princess Bubblegum Cosplay Dress

I was around my friend Keely's  house when she started talking about a Fancy dress event called INVASION COLCHESTER! Her and her family were planning on going as characters from Adventure Time, a strange cartoon for children set in what appears to be a post apocalyptic nuclear wasteland. My friend was stressing about getting a dress to become "Princes Bubblegum". I asked why she didn't just make one. "It's okay for you with a full sewing room and hundreds of reference books, it's much harder  to make things up as you go along". Challenge accepted. Can I make an affordable costume (around £20) using a standard sewing gear and no fancy or difficult techniques.

Many of these ideas would work just as well for a Halloween costume. 

Step one - Reference

What does Prince Bubblegum look like?
The dress looks simple enough, puffy sleeves, tight bodice, long skirt section. Then a contrasting collar and belt.

Step two- Initial planning

I decided to make a pattern for a tight-ish bodice and a floor length circle skirt. These would be sewn together at the waist and the belt would hide the seam. The whole garment would be made of poly cotton and have a zip fastening at the back. Initially I was going to leave the seams untreated and the garment unlined, however my friend said she would like to be able to wear it a few times. As a result I quickly change my  plans to make the dress more durable.  The bodice section would be lined and all exposed seams would be bias bound. The hem of the circle dress would be bias bound as well.

Step three - Making a pattern

Normally in my studio I have proper pattern paper or brown paper. However these aren't essential. You can just tape newspaper sheets together. use MASKING tape however and not sellotape. If need be later on you can iron your pattern if you use masking tape but sellotape will melt everywhere. You can also draw on masking tape much easier than sellotape.


I didn't have access to my books and so I had to come up with a pattern off the top of my head.
I can not stress the following enough- There is no supbstitute for a good pattern or a pattern making book.
However here's what I did. I drew a rectangle that measured 2cm more than my friends' nape (bottom of neck) to waist measurement high. The width was half her bust plus 5cm. I worked the neck out by measuring her neck and adding some ease this is VERY unscientific. The waist darts are easier, just take the difference between the bust and the waist and half it (as the pattern makes half a garment). The amount left is the amount you have to dart into the waist.I guessed at what angle the should sloped at and then drew in the arm hole, going down as far as the bust line.

Once the pattern was drawn  I cut it out, and then cut up through the bust darts, the side dart and the back dart. This left me with 3 pattern pieces.

Step four - Cutting out fabric

The fabric was folded selvedges together and the centre bodice panel placed on the fold. The pattern has NO SEAM ALLOWANCE. At home I'd use a seam guide to ass a traditional 5'8 of an inch seam. However I was back to basics here and so I fashioned a guide out of a cereal packet.




Step five - Making up

Construction of the bodice was relatively simple.  Just sew the panels together, right  sides together. The sleeves were slightly trickier. Now  here I went totally off track. I knew the sleeves were going to be VERY puffy, this gave me a lot of wiggle  room in design. I just taped the pattern together  the shoulders to give me the outline of the arm hole. I drew this on to some newspaper and then stretched the design making it Twice as wide and nearly twice as high. I then added 15cm to the bottoms length for the actual sleeve.

I removed the seam allowances from the arm hole of the LINING and bias bound it. Each sleeve was sewn along it's length and then pleated into the armhole of the bodice.

A pattern for the collar was made the same was as the sleeves with it being cut at the back for the zip.


Before the collar and lining were attached to the bodice  the circle skirt had to be made and attached.
Check out our guide on " How to make a circle skirt ".

The seams of the circle skirt were pressed open and bias bound and the hem was bias bound.
The collar was basted with minimal seam allowance to the neckline and the circle skirt was sewn to the bodice. All that remained was sewing the lining around the neck hole and  then pulling the dress right side out and pressing it. I tacked the lining to the bodice around the shoulders and around the waist as well to give it stability.








Final Thoughts.

This post isn't one of my typical "how to make" posts. It's more a collection if ideas and concepts. If you are not sure how to make something just get some poly cotton and give it a go, fly hands free once in a while, you may surprise yourself by your own ingenuity.

Bridal and other Wedding Sewing

I don't know if it's my imagination but we're getting a lot more bridal parties come into the shop to prepare for weddings. Sometimes they want something simple like dress net to make favour bags with, or ribbon for the cake.  Other brides (or their mums) are tackling the wedding dresses.

  I myself am about to get married (this coming Sunday in fact) and so I'm sewing for my wedding as well. Many people were expecting me to sew the wedding dress, however my bride has put her foot down on that matter. I'm not allowed to know anything about the dress and I can't very well sew whilst blindfolded. 

So have I made all of my (the groom's) outfit. Surprisingly not. I've been a busy boy with other aspects of work, however I did want to have some of my own creations in the wedding. This  was when I realised I could sew and save a fair bit of money.

I am guilty of having an "All or nothing" attitude at times. BUT I realized I don't have to make ALL of my outfit. I love making waistcoats and cravats so decided if I wear plain black trousers I only need a frock coat for the day it's self. Renting a wedding suit cots around £90 however BUYING a frock coat second hand on E-bay, £50. So by making a waistcoat and cravat I'm saving money and I get to have a frock coat to KEEP (and trust me I will get use out of it). There will be many pics of my creations for the day coming (and maybe another blog) until then I suggest you check out these past entries...

Learn from my wedding sewing mistakes.

How to make a petticoat

Retro Weddings 

How to make a cushion or pillow case.

Last week's blog was "How to make a quilted panel"  to be part of a steampunk fabric  cushion. Top stitching this panel on to an existing  pillow case could prove difficult. If I simply stitched directly onto the case it would be very easy to stitch through both layers of the pillow case. I also didn't have pillow case at hand which I thought would fit well with the room.  With this in mind I thought I would make my own pillow case. This way I could top stitch the panel onto one side of the case before making the whole case up.  Making a pillow case or cushion cover is pretty simple, the only tricky thing is the  envelope opening at one end. This envelope style is useful as it doesn't require buttons, Velcro or zips which can be uncomfortable when you lay against them.

You will need:

Two strips of fabric one 3cm longer than your pillow and 6 cm wider.The second piece has to be 15cm longer again.
Pins
Needle
Chalk

Step one
Cut out the two rectangles of fabric. About the width of your pillow with 6cm added to width of both rectangles and 3cm longer than your pillow on one piece and 15cm longer on the other (this extra length will form your envelope). Hem one of the short sides of each rectangle. A trained kitten to hold the fabric in place is useful here. An untrained kitten on the other hand makes things a lot harder.  Check here to see how to hem .

Step two
If you're adding a panel to your cushion or pillow case then now is the best time to top stitch it in place. Decide which side of the pillow or cushion case you want your panel to be on. If it's on the shorter piece then place the panel in the middle. If you want it on the longer side remember it does not go in the middle, but 15cm to the side of the middle to allow for the envelop opening of the pillow case.

At times it can be tempting to try and hurry through stages like this. However it is often quicker to take your time. In this case I positioned the panel in the middle of pillow case panel and pinned it in place before carefully top stitching the middle section to the pillow case.  This secures the panel to allow you to then smooth out the fabric and pin and sew the outer edge of the panel to the pillow case panel.
Top stitch the out edge to the pillowcase.



Step three.
Place both panel pieces right sides together, lining up the NON-HEMMED short sides. One piece (in this case my red piece) will be longer than the other.

Fold the extra length of fabric over the shorter piece. Now pin and stitch the two sections together, leaving a 1cm seam.  Sew lone edges together (at the ends you will be sewing through 3 layers of fabric). Sew the un-hemmed short edges together as well.

Pull the pillowcase right side out, and hey presto you have a pillow case.  Once you have the hang of making pillow and cushion cases you will find you can run one up very quickly. These projects are perfect for using up any old odds and ends of fabric you may have at home. So get creative !

Sewing without a pattern

I  love working in our fabric shop in Colchester in Essex. As I often say on these blogs one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is meeting interesting people and helping them out (mean and boring people don't sew or knit I've decided). Often I help people pick fabric or a pattern  or advice them on what sewing needles to use.  Sometimes I serve  someone who wants to make something very simple but is afraid of not having a pattern as they are unsure about how to construct their project. With this in mind I thought I'd show some of the basic sewing techniques that are useful when making a simple project. I picked a simple tunic for a child (one of the most common projects for school plays). I folded a piece of fabric (right sides together) and sketched a simple neckline, shoulders and arm holes (just measure  the child and add 5cm ease) the width of the fabric is half the chest plus 4cm seam allowances (2 on either side) and 5 cm ease.

Inside out, Right sides together.

If you read enough sewing patterns you'll see the words "with right sides together"  so often you'll start mumbling them in your sleep.  Traditionally when  we sew we make up a garment inside out, this means when we turn the garment right side out  the seam (or the narrow strip of fabric next to the where we've sewn) is on the inside.

How to get rid of "unfinished" edges.

An unfinished seam or edge of a garment is where the fabric is rough, and has just been cut. An exposed rough edge never looks nice and can fray very quickly ruining your work. There are a few classic ways of getting around this problem.

Line the Garment

Lining a garment involves making a second version of the garment (normally in a lighter weight fabric) and then sewing them together, right sides together (see there's that phrase again). This sounds like a lot of work but once you get the hang of it you'll see some advantages. Often for a simple outfit it's quicker to cut out to copies of your project and sew them together than to try fiddling with finishing off the edges. Also lined garments tend to last longer.  When lining remember that you're going to have to turn the garment right side out so you need to leave a small gap to pull the fabric through. For an idea of what you need to think about when making a lined garment check out - how to make a waistcoat 

Hem the edge

Hemming simply involves folding the edge of the fabric over by a small amount, pressing, and folding over again. Then stitch in place. Perfect for the hem of a dress, or trouser legs or a toga/tunic. However this can be tricky for a curved edge, such as a neckline, arm hole or circle skirt.  

Bias Binding

At first glance bias binding looks just like ribbon.However on it's under side you'll see the fabric is folded at each side, meeting in the middle.  Bias binding is made from a strip of fabric cut "on the bias" or at an angle. This means it can stretch and shrink on either side, letting you turn corners with it!

 Wrap the raw edge in the bias and top stitch into place. This is a very quick and easy way to finish off neck and arm holes and can look great whether on club gear or school play costumes. I like to use a contrasting colour bias when I make petticoats. 

Keep these simple points in mind and have a go at going freestyle on a simple project. you may surprise yourself!