By no means am I a sewing expert. I've been sewing for a few years now but I still consider myself a beginner a lot of the time. I still dread inserting zippers, there are a multitude of techniques that I haven't dared try yet and I'm a long way off mastering the art of fitting.
However, I have picked up a lot of tips along the way and discovered some great tutorials and would love to share them with you. I'll continue to do so as I discover more on my sewing journey.
My Stitchup Rules
Always prewash your fabric. After all those hard hours spent making a gorgeous dress with amazing fabric, the last thing you want is not to be able to wear it because it shrinks in the wash. Trust me, I've learnt the hard way!
Make a muslin. It may seem tedious (and it is!) but unless you're lucky enough to have the type of figure that most pattern companies have designed for, chances are you are going to have to make some fitting adjustments. Better to do them before you cut into that fabulous fabric you picked up while on holiday (after all, it cost you a fortune and you'll never find it again anywhere!).
Measure the paper pattern pieces. From my experience the big 4 pattern companies have a standard sizing chart printed on the packet but this by no means guarantees that the pattern has been designed to those measurements. It can save a lot of muslin making time to measure the pattern pieces first to determine which size is right for you. Most patterns will have the measurements for bust, waist and hips printed on the actual pattern pieces.
Links to Handy Tutorials
Lladybird's guide to using bias tape as a facing
Gaping Necklines. This link here is Ginger's tutorial for adjusting the back neckline on By Hand London's Anna Dress.
Go here for another good tutorial from Bernie and I on adjusting a front neckline.
Invisible zipper insertion: Anna Dress Sewalong
No comments:
Post a Comment