Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Don’t you hate it when the sleeves of your long-sleeved shirts aren’t so long anymore? Whether it’s from wear and tear, or just shrinkage from repeated washings, those sleeves have an annoying habit of creeping up. Tricia from Leafy Treetop Shop and Leafy Treetop Spot shares a cool idea fixing that. She adds a band of stretch lace to the sleeve hems of a long-sleeved shirt. Brilliant! Read more at Leafy Treetop Spot.
[photo from Leafy Treetop Spot]
I’m always tempted by the pretty velvets at the fabric store. So much texture! And the way the fibers catch the light! But sewing on velvet is trickier than you’d think. That nap that lends beautiful texture also likes to slip and crawl. That nap can also spell disaster if you cut a piece the wrong direction. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use buy that velvet and sew it into something gorgeous, you just need to go into your velvet sewing project prepared. And Melissa at Melly Sews has a post that takes you step by step through sewing on velvet.
Velvet is such a luscious fabric, especially for winter sewing projects. Of course there are velvet Christmas sewing projects – stockings, tree skirts, santa hats – but velvet is beautiful for all winter. Think of all the gorgeous velvet dresses, evening bags, hair accessories, even pillows and other home décor that you see all winter long.
Melly Sews’ post gives you the tips and tricks you need to know in order for your velvet sewing project to end up a success. There are types of projects better suited for velvets, and kinds of projects to avoid. She describes the different types of velvet available. And she also tells the best way to lay out and cut your pattern pieces from velvet fabric. Her tutorial also covers marking, pressing, and of course sewing that beautiful fabric. There’s also a video included in case that’s your preferred method for learning.
Head over to Melly Sews to learn how to sew on velvet fabric.
And if you want to learn more about that lovely blue velvet dress shown, she has a post that tells more about it including 2 ways to style it depending on if you want to be more dressy or more casual.
[photo credit: Melly Sews]
Okay, so this was a real ‘duh’ moment for me. I love the idea of putting stretch lace on the sleeves, but my first thought upon seeing this idea was to also put it on the bottom of the shirt as well. I hate short tee-shirts! Two or three inches of stretch lace would be absolutely wonderful – and stylish! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner! THANK YOU!
Thanks so much for posting this. I have ape-long arms. OK, not really, but regular shirts are too short in the ‘inseam’ & if I buy tall sizes, the length ends up at my crotch! So I’ll be using lace for both the ‘inseam’ & the sleeves. 🙂