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.

6/28/10

I'm going to tell you a story right now that is really not about the actual sewing but rather animal skins that we sometimes sew on.
I love to make bags, skirts and other items using cowhide or suede. But what happened this weekend really made me realize first hand that I should think twice or not at all about using real leather in the future. Even though I always new that these poor animals were slaughtered, I love the look and feel and always put that in the back of my mind.
My home is located on a very large pond with a natural preserve in the back of that. The pond appears to be a large lake because of the way my house is situated on the lot. We have fox, eagles, hawks, spoonbills, ducks, turtles and many other species. In the last 4 years that I've been here, 3 Alligators have been caught. The first one was about 4 feet long and was taken way down the other end of the pond where I could not get a close look. A 7.5 ft. Alligator was captured about 3 months ago by the state and was handled very humanly. That is he was caught by a fishing pole, and when surfaced, the trapper easily bound his snout, tranquilized him and carried him off to the back of his truck. We were told that because of his size, he would be sent to a processing plant. Clearly this trapper handled this gator with care that this was in fact one of God's creatures. But another gator surfaced about 3 weeks ago and I was watching it every day peering it's eyes to the surface watching things go by. Every evening around 6:30 he would climb up the bank on the opposite side of my house, and just hang. Sometimes in the heat of the day, he would lay along the bank and sun himself. I could see that this one was a big one and could possibly eat my Cocker Spaniel if he got too close. I was also concerned for the two ducks that were nesting in my yard. They would certainly have been a feast. But, he wasn't hurting anyone just minding his own business. Now I've been told that these beasts can eat a person and can become very aggressive if they got too big, but I was never going to call the authorities on an innocent animal that didn't seem to be a nuisance. But, one of my neighbors didn't feel that way, so on Saturday evening around 6p.m. my husband and I saw a man walk right passed our back door. We went to see, and it was a guy dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that said "State Trapper" and we thought, oh god, he came to take this peaceful giant. So we watched, or at least I did, everything this guy was doing and got a very close look since it was in my backyard. Well, he threw his fishing pole with the bate on it and the gator reacted instantly, rolling on it's back, happy that dinner was served. Then this guy reeled him in like a giant fish. But, when the gator got very close to the shore, he sent this huge harpoon right through his gut. The gator started thrashing about and then the man jumped on his back, stuck his fingers in both eyes to blind the gator and proceeded to tie his snout with wire and tape. As the gator was paralyzed on the ground, he picked him up by his right let and dangled him and twisted his arm. I felt the pain of dislocation just watching him. I was in shock but I didn't know what to say. I was numb. Then, he picked him up by holding the right front leg in one hand and the right back leg with the other and carted him off to his truck that was parked in front of my driveway. I was so sick to my stomach as to the way this poor animal was brutally treated, yet, what was I to do?
But to even make it worse, the gator was lifted and put in a cooler half its size and folded as if he was a ribbon and squashed when the lid was closed. Now, this gator was still very much alive and I knew that the torture was just beginning for him. The trapper told me that there were 3 other gators in the same cooler. It was at that moment I realized what I should have done. I should have asked to see his license. I should have called the police. I should have done something! I was up all night long and couldn't sleep thinking about this poor animal and how he will probably be skinned alive so that we can have a new bag or shoes, or skins to sew on.
This trapper was probably a hunter who collected gators and sold them to the highest bidder.
I was just about to report him to the local authorities when I checked on the computer about Alligator trappers and found that in the State of Florida, this practice is acceptable and is necessary for any gator that is a potential risk to humans.
My dear friends, let's think twice about using real skins to sew on. There are a large variety of synthetics out there to be found.
Now, how's that for a solution!!!!!!!

6/5/10

When it comes to sewing I have many solutions because I have been doing it for so many years and have just about had every mishap as part of my learning experiences. Furthermore, I read sewing books for fun. Who does that? Anyway, if you have a question or a problem with your project, please write because I'm always interested in helping my fellow designers.

If you like to sew using commercial patterns, don't get scared if it seems too difficult to master. Take a deep breath and follow their instructions step by step and do know that most of the time there are easier ways to construct the garment than what they tell you. If you don't want to add a lining, don't, just finish off the seams to protect the garment and look cleaner. If you don't want to add a facing or a waistband, then talk to me and I'll let you know what else you can do.
Nothing is set in stone which is why fashion is so fun and sewing should be just as fun and creative. :)