#sewinginstruction

[professorpski]

Threads, Fall 2023

Threads is a magazine that specializes in teaching fine sewing techniques, everything from fabrics choices to fitting garments. It also has made an effort lately to offer one basics article per issue for newer dressmakers and tailors, which I find usually has something to teach me despite my years of sewing. This issue has the color forecasts for the coming cooler seasons along with suggestions for some patterns to match. 

The cover offers an example one of the hand details articles which are featured. the jacket is made of wool double-cloth when two separate fabrics are woven and then attached to one another. It allows for a warmer, thicker more luxurious feeling fabric and a variety of edge finishes. Debby Spence explains the care needed to work with such fabric, and I would second the need to experiment with edge seams before you even think about cutting. The one time I worked with such a cloth, I intended to separate the layers at the front edges and fold them in and hand finished. But then the edges the stretched out alarmingly after separated; I changed course and covered the edges instead with a contrasting, knitted wool binding. 

Technical articles explain the methods for more hand-made details. You  see here also from Youngmin Lee’s article on bojagi a textile for wrapping gifts from Korea that can be quilted or embroidered. Then, simple hand embroidery on a black knit shirt is part of an article on the basics of developing, transferring and embroidering designs on knits by Alex Woodbury. 

Fitting in nicely with this attention to detail is Maggie Raywood’s interesting account of copying gowns created by the Callot Sisters of Paris which are held in the Acton collection which belongs to NYU Florence. You see here the portrait of Hortense Mitchell Acton, a devoted buyer of the sisters’ work, and the gown she wears in it, both of which are on display at Villa La Pietra, Florence.  

There are more articles, on types of interfacings (the basics article), how people who are left handed can find ways to make sewing easier for them, and on making a vintage pocket feature. 

Find the issue at your local fabric store, bookstore, or online here: https://www.threadsmagazine.com/

[seesallysewpatterns]

Apron Cover Up with V Neck Fashion Pattern Pacifica No 5019 Uncut Vintage Hawaiian Island Fashion Size X Small to X Large #sewing #vintagepattern #sewinginstructions #outofprintpattern #instructions #relaxedfit #patternspacifica #hawaiifashion #etsy #printedinhawaii #mariansmemorabilia https://etsy.me/3Y8kkQS https://www.instagram.com/p/CpObOWcP9Q3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lavonzella]

#issasale Want to learn to sew? Need a refresher? This instructor led workshop will teach you the basics of sewing and guide you through sewing your first garment! We are sewing Elastic Waist Shorts. Join us on June 1st! All ages welcome! Bring your sewing machine, we will provide the rest. Don’t have a sewing machine, no problem! You can borrow one at the event (Sewing machines are limited)! Purchase your ticket today, link in bio. Use code “Sew” for $15 off ticket! This deal ends tomorrow!!! . . . . #learntosew #sewingchronicles #lavonzelladesigns #learningtosew #sew #sewinglife #isew #sewingclass #sewingworkshop #supportlocal #lovetosew #sewingproject #sewing #kidssewtoo #menwhosew #sewingissexy #sewersofinstagram #sewingiseasy #sewingmadeeasy #sewingforbeginners #sewinglessons #sewcialist #sewmore #stlsewing #sewinginstruction #sewallthings #sewingisfun #threads2thimbles

[oldthymefarm]

Vintage Set of 10 Singer Sewing 1972 Instructional Series These have never been used. Please see photos for actual condition and titles. https://nemb.ly/p/HkXnlomFe Happily published via Nembol

[carmencitab]

Ça c’est pas mal aussi. 😁🧵 That’s quite nice too. 😁 🧵 #sneakpeek #aperçu #sewinginstructions #instructionsdecouture 🧵 Scraps / Récup de chez moi et de chez @chouettekit 🧵Coupelle aimantée/Magnetic pin dish @kylieandthemachine https://instagr.am/p/CL914djHyQ6/

[adaria-designs]

A stretch stitch video!! I’m a goober! Enjoy this visual aid! #sewing #sewingtutorial #sewinginstructions #sewinghelp #sewingstretch #spandex #bernina #sewingvideo #instructions #sewingmachine #stretchstitch #zigzagstitch #adariadesignscostumereplicas https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs82-p2j3UP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pxxpq3qwvby5

[jefferythom-blog]

SewingInstruction Sewing Instruction http://ping.fm/gJA6b Look For Cheap Sewing Instruction Online. Read Sewing Instruction & Compare On Sewing Instruction.

[professorpski]

The best profit will come from regular customers, because the dressmaker will have learned how to find the styles they like, how to design for them, and how to fit them, and all this knowledge will make it possible for her to produce better garments with less labor.

This advice comes from a 1924 volume, yet it is just as sound today as it was then. I know members of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals who make the wardrobes of corporate women. Once the customer has worked out a certain cut of pants or jacket as their favorite, they will have more than one made for different seasons, etc. And many women do the same with ready-to-wear: they find one garment that fits perfectly and buy it in multiples or more than one color. As a dressmaker, I have made the same favorite patterns, tweaked to my satisfaction, over and over again.

The Dressmaker and Tailor Shop is one of the Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences correspondence course booklets on a complete course on sewing, all of which were first written by Mary Brooks Picken. She was the first woman to write a dictionary, The Language of Fashion, which is still in print and very useful for vintage terms, and co-founder of the Costume Institute which is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You can find the ASDP here in case you are searching for custom clothing, or certification as a professional: https://sewingprofessionals.com/

[professorpski]

Threads, Summer 2023

This issue has some tips for party wear, which fits with the idea of summer weddings and other celebrations, along with some more sober technical articles. The cover features a red dress by Lalon Alexander, part of the competition organized by Threads and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. This year their theme was vintage inspiration, and this dress was chosen for most dramatic details along with its lime green coat. The other winners’ creations are also featured.

The back cover has a ready-to-wear dress from around 1960 with small pleats on the bodice and the skirt. Kenneth D. King shows you how to master this technique with careful marking, pressing and hidden stitch lines. The green dress’ skirt sections were hemmed and then attached to one another, creating greater volume while hiding the actual seam lines. Susan Khalje explains how to do it. And the last fancy look is the corset by Gilbert Muniz who explains the elements of fitting and sewing for something that is vital to a strapless look.

The funny little stuffed pressing form was created by Barbie McCormick. If you have ever found yourself thinking that your pressing ham or sleeve are not doing it for you, she explains how to create your own special forms using stuffing and padding and offers several patterns of her own devising.

There are also technical articles on fitting pants, on sergers, on lace, and on using an inspirational image to design a wardrobe, plus the usual new products, new pattern, and advice columns. Lots and lots of information and inspiration for a thin volume.

You can find it at your local fabricstore, bookstore, or line here: https://www.threadsmagazine.com/

The ASDP can be found here:  https://sewingprofessionals.com/

[professorpski]

BurdaStyle Magazine, January 2023

This issue’s cover features a dramatic Evening Gown 123 with draped features and what they call angel sleeves and a short train. The V neckline is repeated at the back which necessitates a tie to keep the dress on the shoulders. I am thinking raising the back neckline would be a better idea. Ties as well as draped shoulders seems one detail too many. While they chose a bright color, you could imagine an ethereal pastel as well as darker, sophisticated hue. They used a silk crepe from what I can tell.

Dress 106 offers an asymmetrical design that must be made in a knit as it pulls on over your head. Although asymmetry in dress design is often dramatic, this one is subtle enough that you could make it for office wear. Notice that Top 107 take the same pattern pieces, but skips “the cape” piece, that is the pattern piece which wraps the one shoulder of the dress.

The full sewing lessons cover the easy-to-make, pull-on knit pants, Trousers 119 and Jumper 118 which you see here in a pale taupe. Otherwise, you get written instructions but few if any sketches for each pattern. A Glossary explains some techniques in detail that apply to more than one pattern, such as putting in an invisible zipper, understitching a facing, shortening or lengthening a pattern, etc.

As you see from the sketches, this issue contains other pants patterns, and a number of knit tops as well as some jackets. Plus sizes offer the the long, open Cardigan 126 (you can add closures), as well as a pajama set and several knit patterns.

All the patterns are included in multiple sizes and you trace your size and garment following the correct overlapping lines on pattern sheets. So, you spend more time tracing, but get a lot of patterns for the price. You can find this issue at your local fabric store or online here: https://www.burdastyle.com/subscription-burda-style.html

[professorpski]

Big Blooms Organza Overdress: Inspired by Simplicity 8252

While hunting through my fabrics to make a dress for a wedding, I realized that I had a print and a silk organza that would work perfectly together as a dress and an overdress. Sheer overdresses, along with sheer skirts tied on almost as aprons, show up in the 1950s for evening wear. They allowed for a covered up during an era when the pinched waist of the hourglass and the long skirt were the fashion.

This over-dress was cut differently than the skirt of my dress, Butterick 6582, so I decided to cut my dress’s skirt pattern and simply adding 2 inches total at the side seams, and inch and a half at center front, and an inch in length at the hemline. While I tried to use this Simplicity pattern for the bodice, I realized I wanted flared, set-in sleeves, so I ended up drafting a pattern from a combination of bodices.

In working with silk organza, you definitely want a chalk powder marker, something so light that you can accidentally brush it away. I used the Chakoner which I picked up at the American Sewing Guild marketplace one year, but you can find it online at many places. Do NOT use a chalk pencil as the mark can be too solid and you will spend much time trying to brush it out. You can mark both pieces at the same time, although you may need to add chalking to the bottom piece.

Silk organza is sewn with a dry iron and dry cleaned in order to keep its crispiness. I actually washed this before I realized that was a mistake, but it remained relatively crispy all the same.  Because it is transparent, it has mass but seems to float.

Stay tuned for more pictures as the overdress progresses.

[professorpski]

BurdaStyle June 2023

This issue starts with a sundress on the cover, Dress 103, which is perfect for border prints as it is made of gathered rectangles of fabric. You can opt out of the ruffle on the strap if that is not your style. Dress 110 is another sun dress which they show in yellow with a flounce around top edge and a short feature offers some tips on sewing flounces.

One of the full, illustrated sewing lessons features knit T-Shirt 121 which has a knotted, draped front as you see in dark red, but it doesn’t appear to be a successful design: wrinkles appear in all the photos along the shoulders/neckline; a reminder that draping is tricky especially when it involves a tight fit. Far more successful as a top is the new little sleeveless Blouse Top 123 which has a keyhole neckline front and back and which you see here in a woven of white with black stripes. Also successful is the simple Dress 106 which they show here as a tunic. It needs a fabric with lots of drape to create the graceful look with the large, flowing sleeves. I think it also needs that obi belt in order to cover up the gathered elastic which gives the dress its shape. Elastic gathers always remind me of children’s wear; the obi belt brings the dress some sophistication. 

The last image shows the interesting Jacket 112 with a shaped pieced front which closes with an inside and outside tie. They show it as evening wear over a fancy dress which fits with its dramatic shaping.

There are more dresses as you can see from the sketches, three skirts, and some DIY projects. A pair of wide-legged pants which I would advise to cut to a cropped length as otherwise your shoes may catch the hemlines, especially on stairs. There are also plenty of simple tops; if you want a fast project, opt for a simple cut and let an an interesting print fabric do the work for you.

All of the patterns are printed as overlapping lines which you must trace out. The instructions for sewing are written, and not illustrated, but a Glossary does illustrate trickier techniques. You can find it at your local fabric store or newsstand or online here: https://www.burdastyle.com/blog/magazine

[professorpski]

BurdaStyle, May 2023

It is summer already in sewing patterns and sun dresses abound, but so do sleeved dresses for parties or every day. You see here strapped Dress 102 in a playful print while Dress 124 in stripes has sleeves, front banding, and a shirttail hemline. Both come in a range of sizes, including plus sizes, as do all of the women’s clothing. Dress 101, a variation on 102, is offered as a sewing lesson as well.

For more sophisticated looks which would work for more formal occasions, see Dress 123, in the black and green print, which takes the bodice of 124 and adds cuffed sleeves and a flared and ruffled skirt, and adds contrast piping as well. Dress 123 has a full sewing lesson included in this issue. For a barer look, try Dress 121 (which can also be a top) It offers a draped “corsage bodice” and uses boning and elastic to achieve it. You will be surprised how simple the garment pieces look; the complexity lies in the manipulation and sewing of a fabric with some body. If that seems a challenged, remember that even the simple, fitted shirt dress, see Dress 109, can become more formal when done in white lace, a reminder that sometimes the fabric can do most of the work for us.

There is also some work wear including Blazer 104 with a novel yoke and collar which they show with a matching Skirt 114B, both made in a smaller, grey plaid.  Blouse 113 shown in a blue and white stripe, has a peplum and smocking at the cuffs. And the latter is a feature you could borrow for other garments as well.

As you can see there are more dresses, more tops, some children’s fashions which could easily be made into party wear with the right fabrics, two fitted vests, and both wide and skinny legged pants. All of the patterns are printed on the master pattern sheets and need to be copied off of them. There are written instructions for all the patterns, then some sketches to explain various more complex techniques, such as inserting a zipper. So a lot of patterns, and instructions, but you do need to copy the pattern pieces.

You can find this issue at your local magazine stand, fabric store, or online here: https://www.burdastyle.com/blog/magazine

[professorpski]

BurdaStyle for March 2023

This issue is already for spring as you can see from the sleeveless dress in pink stripes on the cover. It offers a range of patterns in a range of sizes, such a wide range of sizes that it does not distinguish between misses sizes and plus sizes. Although the size range ends at 42, 44 or 48 depending on the particular pattern.

You see here in silver with sparkly trim Dress 101 for which there is a full sewing lesson with illustrations. In this fabric and with trim, it makes for a party dress, but they also show it in a print which makes the v-neck bands practically disappear. Clearly, a pattern that lends itself to a wide range of uses.

Greeting the spring, there is another sleeveless Dress 117 which they show in white. With its straight neckline it would be easy to wear under a jacket for office work, and then out to dinner without the jacket. The same could be said of the peplum Top 121 which zips up the back and which you see here in pale pink. Top 127 is a easy to make look with extensions at both sides which works best in a sheer to avoid any heaviness as you see here.

As you can see from the sketches, there are also a variety of jackets running from the very sporty to the most formal of tuxedo styles, several pairs of trousers and some skirts, plus sleeved tops and dresses.

All of these patterns come with written instructions, a glossary helps sketches of some more difficult sewing techniques. And all of these patterns, in multiple sizes need be traced from the pattern sheets which offer each model and size.

You can find it at your local bookstore or online here: https://www.burdastyle.com/subscription-burda-style.html

[seesallysewpatterns]

Hawaii fashion sewing patterns being offered for sale. Hawaii Side Tie Skirt & Midriff Peasant Blouse Fashion Pattern Pacifica No 5001 Uncut Vintage Hawaiian Island Fashion Large Size 14 - 16 #outofprintpattern #instructions #pattern #hawaii #etsy #sewing #vintagepattern #sewinginstructions #relaxedfit #patternspacifica #hawaiifashion #printedinhawaii https://etsy.me/3Zw79do https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOavQavTk3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[seesallysewpatterns]

The latest addition to my #etsy shop: Folkwear Australian Drover Coat Child's Uncut Pattern 138 w/ Pullover Sweater Knitting Instructions Children Sizes 6X to 14 #sewing #folkwearpattern #childrenscoat #folkwear138 #australiandrover #drovercoat #sizes6xto14 #sewinginstructions #pulloversweater https://etsy.me/3kygzXd https://www.instagram.com/p/CpIl9tjp87j/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=