Tips, Tricks & Tutorials — Sewing tips

Do you hate getting to the last part of a project & having to hand sew a bazillion buttons on? Here's a nifty little trick to try with your sewing machine, this is a step by step guide but I also have a video tutorial on my YouTube channel if you prefer to see it being demonstrated. This works for 2 & 4 hole buttons but not buttons with a shank. Drop the feed dogs on your machine which normally can be found at the back of the machine on the bed behind the needle. Set your stitch to a...

There's a definite trend at the moment for gathered skirts & ruffles & if like me you find sewing 2 or 3 lines of gathering tedious & then getting the gathers even arduous, here's a nifty little trick that I use to get a nice even gather. This method is most suitable for those larger expanses of gathering rather than smaller ones in a sleeve head or a cuff for example. In this example there is a 5/8" (1.5 cm) seam allowance & I've used 3/8" (1cm) elastic. Step 1. Measure the width or circumference of the area that you...

It is my life’s goal to get every sewer in the world working with and goddamn loving French Seams! Please don’t make me sad; give them a go. I find them very therapeutic and relaxing, especially when I’m feeling a bit stressed. There is nothing difficult about them, they just take more time than sewing a standard seam. The hardest bit is getting your head round having to sew wrong sides together first! So, in the words of the Fresh Prince, “Here we go, here we go, here we here we go, WOAH!” Pin WRONG sides together and sew using...

I love viscose and rayon. So much so, that I would happily become Mrs Philippa Rayon given half the chance. If you’ve never worked with them out of sheer fear or you’ve had bad experiences, then you will think I’m crazy, but I do not care one jot; they are amazing! Some of the prints you can get are awesome and the result you can achieve is so professional looking. I don’t want you to be fearful of them, I want you to love them as much as I do…or just tolerate them enough to make yourself a top or...