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Fabric, Notions and More
13 Mistakes Beginners Make When Using a Commercial Pattern and How to Avoid Them
You finally did it. You bought a stylish pants pattern, picked out gorgeous fabric, and made your first pair of pants. You proudly try on your pants and your heart sinks. They are too big in the...
Using Commercial Sewing Patterns – Tips
Patterns, Fabric, Notions and More, Fundamentals, How-To
Getting a new pattern is exciting. But dealing with the massive pieces of tissue can be a pain in the butt. It's important to have a plan for using these patterns. The tissue is relatively resilient...
10 Reasons to Make Your Own Clothes
I grew up with a mother that sewed our clothes and taught me to sew. She recently admitted to me that she only did it because she had to. Not because she wanted to. And, that surprised me a little....
3 Rules for Laying Out Patterns and Cutting Fabric
Fabric, Beginner, Fabric, Notions and More, Fundamentals, How-To, Patterns
You've probably figured this out, but you can't just go and cut out pattern pieces from fabric all willy-nilly. There are rules. Knowing (and following) the "rules" can mean the difference between a...
How to Read Commercial Sewing Patterns
Patterns, Beginner, Fabric, Notions and More, Fundamentals, How-To
If you've found your way to this article, chances are, you want to sew clothes and you need to know how to read the pattern. I'll start by saying that there are a bunch of commercial and indy...
5 Cool Sewing Notions to Make Your Hobby Easier
Tools, Fabric, Notions and More, Notions
Sewing should be fun. In this day and age, it's relatively inexpensive to buy clothes. But, while there are really good reasons to sew your own clothes, a lot of them don't hold up if you don't find...
What to look for when buying a Sewing Machine
Fabric, Notions and More, Beginner, Tools
Alright, if you're going to start sewing clothes with a machine, you'll need a machine. There's a wide variety of machine on the market. Everything from $80 to $15,000. So, you definitely need to...
Introduction to Basic Fabric and Fiber Types
Fabric, Notions and More, Fabric
One of the most critical things to get right when making clothes is fabric. There are so many characteristics that can describe fabric. Drape, hand, color, stretch, weave, texture, weight, print,...
Essential Sewing Notions for Garment Construction (Sewing Clothes)
Fabric, Notions and More, Notions, Tools
If you are just starting out sewing, it can be overwhelming. What all do you really need to get started? I have an article regarding the tools you need to get started sewing. I wanted to dive a...