Sewing

Swim Shirt Sew-along

We are going to be somewhere warm and sunny for a week and I fear we will get too much sun. In Oregon, it seems there could be no such thing as too much sun. So for our trip, swim shirts are needed. Without them, …

How to Draft a Swim Skirt Cover Up

Sew a swim skirt in a half hour? When people say, “Oh, that project takes a half hour,” I never believe them. Well, because it usually takes me longer. Maybe if I made several, the time would be shortened. For that reason, I always hesitate …

How to Serge over Elastic

Good question! I serge over elastic a lot in both my projects and in my tutorials, but I don’t focus all that much on what that looks like. Here’s a tutorial to show how I sew elastic onto my projects with a serger. 3 thread …

Classic T-shirt Sleeve Hem

The last method I used for this round of T-shirts is the traditional sleeve style, using a stretch twin needle. This is quick and gives the shirt a non-homemade look. Can you tell that is something we care about around here? Using the twin needle …

Sewing T-shirts Tutorial: puffy sleeves with elastic

Up next in my tee variations: the puffy sleeve tee. Puffy sleeve tees are super fun and elastic in the hem makes a great finish. It’s pretty tricky to make a casing on some knit fabrics and have it look professional. This method is really …

Ringer Tee Sewing Tutorial

A seventies style at its finest, the ringer tee is easy to make from any t-shirt pattern. I’ve done this technique for myself and my kids, using Jalie, KwikSew, and Ottobre. The example tee is an Ottobre pattern from 2/2007. You can see how I …

Sewing a T-shirt or Two

Yes, I sew my own t-shirts. Sewing T-shirts is actually one of the fastest projects I regularly do. It’s no secret around here that I live in t-shirts and jeans (and shorts during our few warm months). Recently, I lamented that I have too much …

Seasonal Designing: Teacher Gifts, Summer Reading Programs, and Sewing Classes

I am teaching several sewing classes throughout the summer and have been designing some projects for them. I always feel like this local shop has new and unique examples hanging around and I wanted to be consistent with their style. It can be challenging to …

A Lined Backpack– just for teens

Teaching teens to sew can be a challenge, because most teen girls want to sew clothing. As a teacher, I want them to be happy with what they’ve sewn. If they like what they’ve sewn, it motivates them to sew more and build on their …

Pressing Hems and Casings: DIY Ez-Hem pressing guide

I love my EZ-Hem–did you know it used to be spelled EZY-Hem? And that credit was given to Edna Bryte Bishop? And that it used to cost only $1.25? Fun facts I found out when I chanced upon this great find at my local thrift …