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Category Archives: Tutorials

Gathers

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Naomi

Gathers might be my favorite sort of shaping. They’re easy to get right – much more forgiving than darts – and they add an interesting little detail. Someone recently asked for more detail on how I make the gathers in my picnic dress, so here it is: a step by step tutorial on gathering.

1. Decide where your gathers go. Mark each end of the gather. For bust gathers, start by subtracting your front underbust/ribcage measurement from your front bust measurement – this is how much you will gather up. Then measure how much ungathered space you want in front, and how much. For example, my front bust measurement is 19″ and underbust/ribcage is 14″, so I need to gather in 2.5″ on each side. If I wanted the final gathers to be 3″ I would need to start with 5.5″, so I might mark my fabric to be gathered between 2.5″ and 8″. This leaves 3″ of ungathered fabric in the middle, which works well for me. You might want to hold a measuring tape up to yourself and make sure you’re happy with where the gathers are going to side and how long they will be.

2. Stitch between the marks, using a slightly longer stitch than usual. The longer the stitch you use, the bigger the gathers will be and the more fabric you can gather in. If you’re using a heavier weight fabric or trying to gather very tightly, you’ll need a very long stich length. If your fabric is lighter weight or you’d like the gathers to be less obvious, use a shorter stitch length. I typically use a stitch that is one step longer than the one I sew seams with.

3. Make the gathers. Pull both threads to the back on each side of the seam. Tie the ends of the thread together in a double knot on one side. On the other side, pull gently on one thread (it’s easier with the back thread, but either will work), pushing the fabric along. When your gathers are the length you want, tie the two threads together.

4. Sew the gathers into a seam. When you sew a gathered piece of fabric to a smooth piece, put the gathers on top. Make sure the tiny ruffled edge is all pulled out so no fabric gets caught poking through. Sew right over your gathering line.

I’m you’re still confused about step three, I made a little video!

Posted in Sewing, Techniques, Tutorials | 1 Comment

How to draft a bow collar

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Naomi

My favorite part of my winter coat is the bow collar. This variation on a shawl collar is cozy and warm, since it comes right up to your neck, making it perfect for a winter coat. It works best with an asymmetric closure, but I’m sure you could adapt it to work in the center.

First off: a bit about collars. A collar is usually made of two pieces: a stand, which is a rectangular or slightly curved strip of fabric an inch or two high and as long as the neckline, which is hidden under the collar and raises it up to an appropriate height, and the collar its self, which sits on top of the stand.

These are the pieces of the pattern. You only need one measurement for the collar: the circumference of your neck. Add an inch and a half to two inches to this measurement, since you don’t want your collar to be chokingly tight – this is a coat, it should have breathing room and space for clothes underneath. On your coat, cut down the neck opening until it is as wide as this measurement. If it is already larger, use the neck opening as your neck measurement.

First trace the stand: a rectangle 1 1/2 inches high and as long as your neck measurement.

Next the left side of the collar itself: draw a curve (a half circle, or a slightly flattened half circle) as long as 1/2 your neck measurement. Draw a straight line 5″ up from the top of the circle. This will be the center back seam. Holding the measuring tape perpendicular to the curve, measure 5″ out at several points along the curve. Draw an outer curve connecting these points. About 4″ from the end, start bringing this curve in, so that it meets the end of the inner curve.

For the right side of the collar, flip over the left side. Copy the inner curve, center seam, and outer curve until it begins curving in. Add a straight line extending 4″ beyond the bottom of the inner curve. Draw a straight line up 5″ from the end. Finish the outer curve, keeping it 5″ from the inner curve until it meets this new line.

For the “knot”, trace a 5″ by 5″ square (it says 8″ on the diagram, because that’s what I started with, but I ended up cutting it down to 5, because the knot looked better that way).

Cut out all your pieces from the main fabric. Cut out all pieces except the knot from lining fabric.

Sew the two collar pieces together along the center seam. Sew the inner curve of the collar to the long edge of the stand for both the main fabric and the lining, beginning from the left side of the collar. There should be 4 inches of collar left over. Sew the main fabric to the lining along the outer edge of the collar, along the extra 4″, and down the short sides of the stand. Turn right side out and top stitch. Gather the collar fabric at the end of the stand, just before the 4″ flap (this is optional: I didn’t do this, but I wish I had). Sew the stand to the neck opening of your coat.

So far this has been more or less how you’d sew in any collar. Now for the bow! Fold the knot fabric in half and stitch the long sides together. Turn right side out. Sew one end down along the seam between the stand and the collar, where you just gathered. Fold the “knot” strip up and wrap it around the collar. Iron over the other end and sew it down in the same place at the back. I did this part by hand, because the collar is quite thick at this point, and I didn’t want it to show from the front. Your collar is done!

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Flower Girl Dresses

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Naomi

I don’t sew a lot of kids clothes, what with not having any kids, so I had a lot of fun making these flower girl dresses. They’re just so much simpler and smaller and faster to sew!

To make your own, simply trace out the shapes above, matching the measurements listed. To make the skirt even, hold one end of your measuring tape fixed, and swing the other end along the edge of the skirt like a giant protractor, marking as you go. Wash your fabric and cut out your pattern pieces.

First, sew the two front pieces together along the neckline and armholes, then do the same for each of the back pieces. Turn the back pieces inside out and line up each strap so that the back piece is around the front piece. Sew along the top of the strap and turn right side out. Do the same for the sides, sewing the outside to the outside and the lining to the lining.

Add pockets and sew together the skirt. Then sew the top of the dress to the waistband and the waistband to the skirt, beginning and ending at the zipper opening.

To add the ruffle, create a long 5″ wide strip of fabric by sewing together several strips the length of your fabric. The amount you need will vary a lot depending on how long the skirt is and how much you gather the ruffle, but it’s easy to add another strip of fabric if you start gathering the ruffle and realize it’s not going to be long enough. Fold the strip lengthwise to form a 2 1/2″ strip with the right sides facing out. Using a long straight stitch, sew along the rough edge of the strip in 1 yard increments. At the end of each yard, tie the two threads together at one end and pull gently on the other end of one thread to gather the strip into a ruffle. When your ruffle is long enough to go all the way around the edge of the skirt, pin the rough edge of the ruffle to the edge of the skirt, and sew along the gather line.

Finally, put in a zipper, being careful to line up the waistband. You have a twirly flower girl dress!

Posted in Sewing, Tutorials, Wedding | Leave a comment

Flat cap

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Naomi

I love hats. I love sewing. But on the whole I don’t love sewn hats. The seams usually look out of place. But a cap like this is actually meant to be sewn and looks right that way.

I made this one for my dad, based on this tutorial. Rather than take apart an old hat, I carefully measured one, adding 5/8″ seam allowance along every edge. I used a milk bottle for the brim – it’s a bit stiffer than any of the cardboard I had in the house. If I made another one, I’d make the back of the hat a bit longer, but I’m pretty happy with the way this one turned out.

Posted in Hats and hair, Sewing, Tutorials | Leave a comment

Flapper Earwarmer Pattern

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Naomi

This turban-like earwarmer is a perfect last minute gift. Once I’d figured out the pattern Isabel’s took less than an hour to knit, even including breaks to take the cookies out of the oven and help my dad find his keys (turns out I had them all along). Just what I want from a Christmas knit. Plus, unlike the cape I made her last Christmas, this one might actually keep her warm in the New York winter.

I used a bulky weight yarn at about 3 stitches per inch, but the exact gauge isn’t important for this pattern.

Cast on 16 stitches

Odd rows: p1, k1, p1, k10, p1, k1, p1
Even rows: k1, p1, k1, p10, k1, p1, k1

Knit until piece measures 16″. Cast off. Sew ends together to form a loop, pulling hard on yarn as you sew, so the fabric gathers.

Cast on 5 stitches and knit in stockingette until piece measures 3″. Cast off. Wrap around seam of other piece, and sew ends together.

Posted in Hats and hair, Knitting, Tutorials | 1 Comment

How to make inverted pleat curtains

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Naomi

I haven’t made any clothes recently, but it’s not because I haven’t been sewing. I’ve been busy working on my new apartment. By far the biggest apartment project was curtains.

Curtains are a great thing to make yourself, as store bought versions just can’t fit your windows as neatly as something you made to measure. They are fairly time consuming and require a lot of fabric, but their mass-produced cousins are so expensive anyway, it’s worth the trouble.

Continue reading →

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How to add front jeans pockets

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Naomi

To make front pockets for jeans, first cut out two pieces of fabric in each of these three shapes:

Next sew down the small denim piece to the round white piece using a zig zag stitch so the edges won’t fray.

Cut out a 2″ square with a pointed end (like a mini version of the back patch pocket). Fold and iron all sides and stitch down the top edge, using a double line of stitching.

Sew the mini patch pocket to the right hand front pocket.

Take the remaining white pocket pieces (the ones with the cut out in the top) and pin it at the corner the front of the pants. Sew the pocket piece to the front of the pants, then trim the pants along the curve of the pocket. Turn the pocket inside out and top stitch it in place.

Sew the two pieces of the pocket together, in standard pocket making fashion. Your pockets are done!

Posted in Sewing, Tutorials | 1 Comment

Back patch pockets

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Naomi

The first step in sewing together a pair of jeans is to sew down the patch pockets in back. You just cut out the shape of a pocket, leaving your standard seam allowance on the sides and bottom and double allowance on top. Fold the top of the pocket over twice, press, and sew down. Fold over the sides and edges and press. Pin the pockets to the back of the pants, being careful to line them up so the two sides are symmetric. Sew along the edges.

Posted in Photography, Sewing, Tutorials | 2 Comments

How to put in an invisible zipper

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Naomi

I’ve had a lot of trouble with zippers. They buckle, the two sides don’t come out even so seams and stripes don’t line up the way they should, and I can never figure out what to do with that little extra bit at the top. But I’ve been getting better at them. It’s been a few years since I had any really lumpy zippers (if your zippers are lumpy, you’re pulling on the fabric too much), and I’m getting better at lining up the two sides. And recently I learned how to put in an invisible zipper correctly.

The trick to getting your invisible zipper to actually be invisible is to press it out first. The invisible zipper folds over when it’s zipped, pulling the teeth behind the fabric. If you sew it in folded up, you can’t sew very close to the edge, because the teeth get in the way. But if you unzip the zipper, you can turn the teeth toward the center. This lets you sew right up at the edge of the fabric part of the zipper, so when you close the zipper and the teeth spring back, the fabric comes all the way to the edge and looks like a seam.

This means you really can’t sew in the zipper when it’s closed, so you’re not going to be able to sew to the very bottom of the zipper (because the bit you pull on to close it will get in the way). Just get one that’s a little longer than you need and add a stitch where you want the bottom of the zipper to be.

If that doesn’t make sense, here are step by step directions.

1) Unzip the zipper and press the teeth toward the center

2) Sew your fabric to the zipper, as close to the teeth as you can get (if you have a zipper foot, this is easy. If you lost your zipper foot and never think to buy another when you’re in the store, be careful not to sew over the teeth). Sew as far down as you can before you hit the bit that closes the zipper, then stop.

3) Sew the other side the same way.

4) Close the zipper and sew up the rest of the seam.

5) Sew around the zipper where the bottom of the zipper meets the seam.

Posted in Sewing, Techniques, Tutorials | 1 Comment

Another easy shirt

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Naomi

I found this linen knit at the fabric store on Tuesday. It’s the most comfortable hot day fabric I’ve ever felt. Any breeze goes right through it, even walking cools you off. I went for a long hike in it yesterday, and it’s like not wearing a shirt at all, only you don’t get sunburned. Perfect. The bad news is, it’s a stretchy fabric with no memory. The edges unravel and have to be properly finished. It stretches as you sew it until every sewn edge is pulled to it’s longest possible length. I did my best with rolled edges and the loosest, drapiest, simplest design I could come up with, but it was still a pain to work with.

I wouldn’t go hunting down a linen knit if I were you, but the style of top is really easy to make and nice on a hot day in any fabric. Buy 3/4 of a yard of fabric and wash it. Cut it lengthwise so that one piece is a few inches longer than the other. I used about an 8 inch difference, which made for a very low neckline. Finish all the edges if the fabric you’re using needs it. Pin the two rectangles together so all the corners line up. One piece will have a bit of extra fabric in the middle. This is fine. Sew up the short sides a bit more than half way. These are the sides of your top. Sew up the top of the shirt (the long side that does not share corners with your side seams) From each corner. Leave a 5-10″ neck hole in the middle. Wear your shirt!

An entirely different set of photos from later in the afternoon can be seen in the Etsy listing.

Posted in Outfit Post, Sewing, Tutorials | 11 Comments