Shirring is formed when several rows of stitching are gathered. It is highly decorative and resembles smocking in a way. Lightweight fabrics are the most appropriate for shirring. It is best to press the fabric before shirring, because it is…
Cutting out stretch fabrics: Stretch fabrics with pile, like toweling and velour, should be cut with all the pattern pieces laid in the same direction, otherwise the garment will have a shaded effect, once made up. Take care to follow…
Hello Everyone! I use this zipper application on all my slacks, because its a super easy and quick zipper application. It is also less bulky around the tummy, because there are less seams involved. I always add the fly facing…
Tape is sometimes sewn into seams, to stabilize it, thus preventing it from stretching. Shoulder seams, waistlines and neckline seams are mostly taped. It is best to tape seams that take some strain during wear, like the underarm curve of…
Darts form an important part of garment construction. They are added to give shape to the bust, waist, back and hip areas of garments. There are a few ways of marking out darts onto fabric. Dressmaker's carbon tracing paper can…
It is important to preshrink fabric before cutting, by washing and ironing fabrics like denim, t-shirting and cottons. Delicate fabrics like silk, must be dry cleaned. Tips to identifying the right side of fabric: Smooth fabrics are shinier on the…
There are two ways of creating a slit in a skirt or dress. A ''vent'' is created by leaving a section of the seam allowance open. A ''slit'' is created by adding extensions to the seam allowance to form a…
Hello Everyone! The invisible zipper is different from a conventional zipper, in both appearance and installation. When this zipper is closed, all that is visible on the garment, is a seam and the tiny pull tab. Invisible zippers are applied…
Hello Everyone! I decided to make a skirt and a cowl neck top for this weeks project. I stopped wearing skirts more then two decades ago, but will continue to make them for the blog and then add it to…
Hello Everyone! Exposed zippers have become very popular over the past few years. They are widely used as decorative embellishments and is often used in the front or back of garments, as well as on pockets. Below are two tutorials…