In my recent post “10 Sewing Room Essentials – For Me” – I mentioned that gridded quilting rulers are one of my can’t live without tools.  And they’re not just for quilting either.
How else can you use them?
Well mine is getting quite the work-out as I sew my hubby’s new winter jacket.
A quilting ruler for sewing clothes?
Let’s see, I’ve used it to measure and cut extra pockets that I don’t have patterns for… and my favorite use has got to be making sure that things are lined up straight.  And that they match on both sides!

Because I’ve altered the basic …read more

I’m working on sewing a new winter jacket for my husband – and seeing as we got a good snow fall this morning, it needs to get finished ASAP!
I’ve shared a couple of different tips and tricks for altering patterns before you sew, but there’s one I haven’t mentioned yet…
It’s important to try garments on as you sew them!

Patterns are rarely shaped to fit you.  They usually need some tweaking to get them just right.  And let’s face it – if you’re going to go to all that effort of sewing something, why not make sure it’s done correctly?
For instance …read more

There is something so satisfying about a pile of neatly stacked pattern pieces, all cut out and ready to sew.
Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something exciting about the first couple of stages of any sewing project.  That little pile of fabric has so much potential…

Of course – as fabric sometimes has a mind of it’s own – it can also turn into something a lot more frustrating too!
But for now, let’s keep on the positive side of things.  Okay, so it’s not quite ready to sew yet.  It needs to be interfaced, marked and pinned.
And let’s not forget reading …read more

Today is Labor Day for both Canada and the USA.  There are lots of different kinds of labor, but I’m thinking about “labors of love” today.
For me, sewing can be a real labor of love.  I can go to the big discount chain and buy a shirt for a friend for very little money.  Odds are good that it was made in a third-world nation by someone who makes pennies a day.  But it’s inexpensive to buy, and saves me a lot of time…

Or I could take the time and sew something that’s going to mean something – if only …read more

Are you on the hunt for a particular how-to or sewing tutorial?
Are the search engines just not giving you the help you need?
I think I may have a solution…

Sewing Tutorials is a blog that just features sewing how-tos and tutorials – that’s it!
The site is divided into different area for tutes for things like embellishments, lingerie, tops & tees – even zippers and special sewing machine feet have their own areas.
Have you wondered how to use your flat fell foot?  Or how about using magnetic snaps in a purse?  Got questions about how to make a tailored collar?
They’ve probably got …read more

I’m one of those people who really doesn’t like having to spend a lot of money on store-bought clothing.  I’d much rather sew something instead.
Especially if I’m only going to wear it for a few months!
I started looking for maternity clothing patterns and was surprised at how few of the “big” pattern manufacturers have.  I did find more options for patterns online, but it can be awfully expensive to buy sewing patterns from another country.
So what’s a girl to do?
Why get creative of course!
Today’s trends of soft, unstructured blouses, maxi dresses and empire waists mean that commercial patterns can be …read more

Okay, I admit it – I haven’t had a whole lot of time to sew lately, but when I do, I usually really enjoy it.
How come?
There are quite a few reasons – so in no particular order….

I can custom-fit my own clothing… without having to pay a tailor to do it.  When you’re tall, and have a long waist – that’s a very good thing.
It’s generally less expensive to make your own clothing.  Now if you’re using $45 a yard silk or $60 wool suiting, it’s going to cost you – but generally, I can make an outfit for less …read more

There are some mighty creative folks out there!
J. Crew carried a gorgeous jacket,the “Astrid Cascading Flowers”, made from boucle, and accented with dozens of fabric flowers:

Unfortunately, at $425, it was also out of the range of your average crafter.
So what’s a creative person, in serious jacket love, to do?
Figure out how to make it yourself of course!  Orange Beautiful has an elegant cream version.  Maggie from Mighty Girl has a great step-by-step tutorial for her version.
Too many projects… not enough time
image: Polyvore

As, promised – here’s the new shirt I just finished for my DH:

I don’t think that the extra seam on the front facing is going to be missed… and the button holes look pretty good too (okay, so I should have ironed it again)!

Noreen left an excellent comment, reminding me of another favorite short-cut. When you’re cutting out shirts, place the back on the center fold of the fabric, instead of cutting out two halves of the pattern. You’ll save an extra seam down the back – and I think it looks just fine:

images: C Findlay-Harder

I’ve finished my DH’s new shirt (you’ll see it tomorrow) and wanted to share another tip that helps me when I’m sewing shirts with lots of buttons (like men’s dress shirts).
I’ve sewn the button holes, opened them up (I like to use a stitch ripper to open button holes).  I’ve laid the shirt over my ironing board and folded the front of the shirt to mark the button placements:

Instead of just marking them with a fabric marker or chalk, I like to insert pins through the button holes, and into the other side of the shirt front (just the front, …read more