Bias tape, a strip of fabric that has been cut along the bias grain of the fabric and folded is available in shops in all its avatars, shapes, sizes and colors but when you want to make it with the exact fabric you have or cheaply, the option is to make it yourself. The single … Read more
The hem is such an important element in the final look of clothing that sewing requires you to give the utmost thought to it. But with a blind hem, not so much if you know how to do it right. Hems, finished with a blind hem stitch, looks really professional and meticulous, with the stitching … Read more
If you are a visual learner, watch the video tutorials for sewing a hand hem: I cherish a well-stitched hem. It is the qualifying signature of a well-made garment. If it is a hand-sewn hem, all the better. True that a hand-stitched hem takes a bit more (?) time and patience than a quick … Read more
\ Machine sewn buttonhole Machine buttonholes are simply two parallel zig-zag stitching lines on either side of a slit. They are that simple. They do terrify many people. I was terrified for a long, long time, I know. But with modern sewing machines, no one has to be. They are simple enough to make, with … Read more
A true couturier will vouch for the beauty of hand-stitched buttonholes. It is convenient to pop the cloth onto the machine and get those nicely done buttonholes out. But the buttonhole will always look assembly-made. The perfection of a hand-worked buttonhole is something else. A hand sewn buttonhole is made with a buttonhole stitch which … Read more
Sewing some thin fabrics can be extremely difficult. But when they are very thin and sheer, it becomes doubly so. Transparent fabrics are see-through fabrics through which you can see the skin, whereas sheer fabrics are semi-transparent. All transparent materials are sheer, obviously. The stitch settings for these materials will be different from what you … Read more