Patternmaking
A bra-making odyssey…but can I do it zero waste?
Folks, these are dire times: since Target Country closed their doors in April, there isn’t a bra shop within a 2-hour drive radius of here. As daughters have growth-spurt after growth-spurt, something must be done – but alas, the options are few. With these distances, it’s quicker to sew a bra than drive to the…
Read MoreMaking a zero waste pattern
We have passed the 100 day mark and now there’s only 96 days to go until Zero Waste Sewing is published. I thought I would talk about how I make a zero waste pattern and show you an example from the book. A zero waste pattern uses 100% of the fabric, with no scraps or…
Read MoreImagining the Magi – a trousers cutting challenge
Next month my children will be in a Christmas musical play, which means line-learning in front of the bathroom mirror, Christmas tunes in everyone’s heads, and, naturally, costume making. One of my girls is part of the Magi, and requires loose drapey trousers for her costume. I was given a piece of maroon polyester from…
Read MoreWhat happens after size 16? A discussion on plus-size grading.
Much talk has taken place in the sewing world on plus sizes, inclusivity and diversity, both in size ranges offered and models photographed. I was very conscious of this while doing my new book, Zero Waste Sewing, and this blog post by Song of the Sewing Machine reminded me again how frustrating is it to…
Read MoreThe unexpected conclusion to the hug-me-tight experiment
Last week’s hug-me-tight experiment has taken an unexpected turn. You can read about the adventure so far here. This is the cutting concept I started with: I felt that the maroon double knit hug-me-tight that I was experimenting with was too short (it finished at my waist), although the sleeves were good and the collar…
Read MoreThe hug-me-tight experiment
Folks, I’m not sure what to call this garment I’ve been experimenting with this week. I’ve seen it called a hug-me-tight but does it have another name? Some sort of shrug? The cutting concept is very simple and can easily be zero waste: John Galliano did a very glamorous brocade hug-me-tight for Dior spring/summer 1998.…
Read MoreHow to do a Small Bust Adjustment (SBA), my way
Hi Folks, I’m writing today as an SBA veteran. As an owner/occupier of an Small Bust, I have a certain authority and years of experience on the subject. As you may (or may not) know, it doesn’t matter if you have a small bust, a large one, you’re tall, short, have big thighs, skinny calves,…
Read MoreThe experimental shorts: the crushing verdict
In the world of patternmaking, I like to persist with things and Get It Right. It’s not often I give up easily on a project. Last week I experimented with a short/trousers draft, which I found in one of my old sketchbooks. Unfortunately I hadn’t dated it or noted the source, but I might have…
Read MoreExperimental shorts
Last week’s Built by Wendy, Sewn by Lizzy dress is progressing…slowly. Meanwhile, I came across an interesting idea for cutting trousers (or shorts) and thought I’d give it a whirl. Here’s the concept: It’s closely related to these zero waste pajama pants, except that the triangular/diamond gusset is cut from the tummy rather than…
Read MoreOn going digital
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I wondered that two years ago when I decided to learn computerized patternmaking. In 1990-91 when I did my patternmaking training, patternmaking software was rare and expensive (it’s still expensive). I learnt to make patterns Old School, and since I never worked anywhere that used computers, I…
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