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10 Ways to Sew Better and Faster
Learn tried-and-true tips for taking your sewing to the next level in this list of 10 ways to sew better and faster.
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Taking your sewing skills to the next level
There comes a time when you run out of ‘basic’ sewing skills or pattern making skills to learn, and you are hungry for more. But look for “Advanced Sewing” or “Sewing Level 2” books, and you’ll be hard pressed to find any. Heaven help you if you are in that spot with pattern cutting. And…
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Adobe Illustrator for Pattern Cutting Shortcuts
I do 99% of my pattern cutting on Adobe Illustrator. It’s almost the only reason I’m paying for it. It makes my work quicker, more accurate and easier to fix when I do something wrong. Here are some ways I make it even more efficient. The ones in bold are the ones I use most/like…
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How to draft a panties pattern from your jeans block
Buying underwear you can’t try on seems like such a difficult and utterly unpredictable exercise. There are so many styles and fits! I don’t want to spend a lot of time and money getting multiple pairs of underwear that don’t fit, so I decided to make some, and that means drafting my own patterns. I…
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A Simple Denim Waistcoat and a Full Tummy Adjustment
For no particular reason, I wanted to make Graham a waistcoat. So I did. At first I tried the pattern from Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear, but it’s quite the wrong shape for him. That has darting at the front. Graham needs it at the back, as most men seem to. So I copied his…
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Graham’s Waxed Jacket
Me being me, about a year ago I started designing a jacket for G (my bestie). Me being me, it never happened. This is partly because the drafts in Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear are so erroneously titled as “easy fitting jacket block” or whatever but don’t really give much idea as to how they…
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Sewing Tutorial: How to Make Cosy Slipper Socks from an Old Sweater
I used to have a lovely sweater. Until I washed it without looking at the instructions (lesson learnt). Then I had a cropped sweater that wasn’t quite as comfortable. So I made it into earmuffs for my hat, and then these wonderful, cosy, mustard yellow slipper socks! I sort of draped these. Meaning, I stuck…