I have a client that wanted to wear her Mother's fully beaded gown to a wedding in May. It fits her perfectly, but because it is vintage, the chiffon on the strap has deteriorated with age.

I managed to find a combination of silk charmeuse and chiffon that would match the color perfectly and hand sewed it over the existing strap for security, and then did the hand beading.

If I was not able to repair it, another option would have been to camouflage the tear with a beautiful flower or pin.

New year and new beginnings!

I'm opening up a new Boutique/Custom Dressmaking studio and I'm in the process of getting it all together. Soon there will be a regular posting of sewing solutions and new ideas. Please be patient as the best is yet to come!

What is it with all the 3/4 sleeve sweaters? It's winter and freezing out and I want my arms to be covered. I think the manufacturers just like to cut corners and have decided that no one would notice if they shortened the sleeves. Well I did! But, I have a solution. Lace is everywhere and if you pick up a fabric to go underneath the lace that matches or compliments your sweater, all you have to do is sew an extension to your sleeve. It's an economical way to make your sweaters feminine and functional. Trims can also be stitched together to make them wider and added to your sleeves too. If you don't want to add to your sleeves, just cut them off and make a vest! That works just as well. LOL

Ruffles

I came up with a very easy way to ruffle fabric without using a long machine stitch and pulling the thread to form a ruffle. Simply, buy 1/2" clear elastic that you can find either in packages, or you can buy it online by the roll. Put one end of the elastic over the top edge of the fabric and gently pull the elastic as you stitch the fabric on the machine. You will then notice that the fabric begins to ruffle evenly. I would use about a 2 to 3 yard length of fabric at a time, so that it doesn't curl up too much that you can't manage it. The clear elastic is very thin, so it doesn't give bulk. Then you can simply sew the ruffles onto your fashion fabric. I made a very full skirt using 20 yards of tulle and sewed the ruffles to the fabric with 1" rows. I found this application to be very easy and much less time consuming.

I recently purchased a beautiful olive green sweater and wore it for the first time last week. Of course, I went to do a wash with bleach, and the bleach accidentally splashed on me. So, I ended up with a white spot right on my chest. My solution was that I bought metallic bronze fabric paint and a stencil and I painted a design over the front section of my sweater making sure that the white spot was completely covered. It was dry the next day, and I heat set the paint simply by using a hot iron for about a minute, and it was all ready. I'm wearing it today and you can't tell that the spot was ever there. By the way, Pearl paint has wonderful fabric paints that can be used even on silks. Just be sure that when you heat set the paint, you use a pressing cloth to prevent burns. Once it is set, you can have it washed or dry cleaned without any peeling.

9/8/10

When sewing many different items, it is always a good idea to have multiple bobbins ready. So, I bought a small plastic craft bin with the separations and lots of extra bobbins. For every item I make, I made 2 additional bobbins and keep one in the box. This way, it is eventually filled with multiple colors and makes replacement quick and easy. It's also good for travelling. I usually take a black, white and beige bobbin along with a great needle on my trips, so that I'm prepared for life's little mishaps.

7/24/10

When you work with satin, you have to be careful when pressing the seams that it doesn't leave a double pressing line on the front of your garment. If you serge the seams, it is always better to press the serger threads flat first before you actually press the seams toward the back or center front. Here is a quick tip: as you are pressing the seam toward the center back or center front, slip an envelope between the seam and the garment and then press right over the seam moving the envelope along the seam line when pressing. This will prevent a pressing line showing on the right side of the garment from the serged or encased seam.