Tutorial: Zero Waste Inseam Pockets

Easy zero waste inseam pockets can be yours! The pattern for these is in the (free) January instalment of A Year of Zero Waste Sewing. It was part of an idea for making a pocket matrix – a rectangular shape containing all the pocket pieces nested together, which can be moved around the fabric to…

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Tutorial: curving flat bias binding with an iron

Bias binding is a trim I’m very fond of using. Since I’ve been making zero waste patterns, I’ve found myself using it more, and in ways which I hadn’t previously. One of these is as a curved trim. I use 1.2cm/½” bias binding (not 2.5cm/1″ which is too wide) and pre-curve it with a steam…

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Stitchin’ away at those zero waste jeans

Zero waste jeans front knee patches sewn

Work is part way through the zero waste jeans project (last week I cut them out and the week before I did research and procrastinated). I’m happy with how things are going so far and I’m enjoying putting them together. I forgot to buy a zip so I’ve done everything possible before the fly front…

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3 Useful sewing ideas

3 Useful sewing ideas

A short post this week, with three unrelated sewing ideas I hope you’ll find useful…   Unpicker cover The Clover unpicker, while expensive, is considered by many to be the unpicker of choice, with its smooth sharp blade and comfortable handle. However, it comes with a flimsy sleeve to protect to blade (which I lost). …

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The Aquascutum suit

The Aquascutum suit

  Have you seen this before?  It’s WW2 make-do and mend advice for women.  The idea is, while your man is away raiding the enemy, you raid his wardrobe and cut up his suit (so the poor man doesn’t have a suit when he returns).  For best results, match a large husband with a petite…

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Winter shorts – trousers transformation

I dug up an old UFO to finish this week -some trousers I thought I’d turn into winter shorts.  Actually, it isn’t so much an UnFinished Object, more like a project I planned and never started. About four years ago I bought two pairs of men’s suit trousers from the op shop, because the fabric…

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