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A Different Kind of Waist Stay

By on May 10, 2013 in Projects, Tips, Work in Progress

I mentioned the other day that this pattern, McCalls 7743, has a waist stay built into the dress. It’s constructed in a different way than the method I picture when I think ‘waist stay’ so I wanted to show you how it was done. It’s really quite smart, you sew seam binding into the skirt’s [...]

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A Hand-Picked Zipper in the Cambie Dress

By on March 13, 2013 in Tips

My favourite type of zipper insertion is a hand-picked zipper. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you might already know that! Why do I like inserting zippers by hand, when there are faster ways to do it? It’s strong. It’s easy to adjust as you sew, so the zipper opening is even and [...]

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Is Your Invisible Zipper End Scratchy?

By on March 7, 2013 in Tips

You know what I mean, right? The lower end of an invisible zipper can be scratchy and bothersome. Sometimes it can even poke its way into undergarments, if the length is right. (So annoying!) What if you’ve shortened the zipper, and have a cut end that looks like you cut it yourself? (Which you did, [...]

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Re-using Old Muslins for New Muslins

By on March 4, 2013 in Inspiration and Everything Else, Tips

Remember, a long time ago, we talked about what to do with old muslins? Some of you keep them, some of you toss them, and some of you suggested cutting them up into smaller pieces for new muslins. That’s what I did for my recent Hazel dress, used a mix of new muslin and old [...]

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An Alternative to Tracing Patterns: Photocopy!

By on January 18, 2013 in Tips

This might seem a bit random but I thought I’d share an alternative to tracing vintage patterns! (Remember this post on tracing vintage patterns to preserve the originals?) I know that it’s a good thing to do in theory, but in practice I usually just want to sew already! I came across these photos from [...]

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Make Patterns Last Longer: Iron Interfacing to Your Pattern Pieces

By on October 1, 2012 in Projects, Tips, Work in Progress

As I’m about to cut the knit fabric for my Renfrew Top, I thought of something. I sew clothing from my own patterns over and over again, but still want to use the same tissue pattern pieces so you guys can follow along at home. As I’m getting reorganized in the new office space, one [...]

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