Back to Basics: Sewing tips

So I have my first serger on the way and I am so excited to start working with it. I am no longer afraid to work with Rayon and linens because now I can properly overlock the edge and reduce fraying. In the meantime, I wanted to talk about some things I have learned over the last year of sewing. I want to preface by saying I have been sewing a year and I am self-taught so it's been a lot of trials and error. Any corrections or suggestions please leave below.

As a general overview for someone who says they want to home sew, I would suggest the following (I may break up into blogs for length);

The first thing I would tell a beginner is to relax. When you decide to sew you can get very excited as well as overwhelmed. Slow down and don't' take on more than you can handle. Find the beginner tutorials on YouTube and get a good book.

I reference "The Sewtionary" by Tasia St. Germaine from Sewaholic. The link will take you to Sewaholics page. It's an a-z guild of sewing terminology and how-tos with color photos and easy to understand explanations.

Another good book is "Dressmaking, a complete guide to making your own clothes" by Alison Smith. The link will take you to an amazon retailer. This covers everything from equipment to materials, techniques for fitting and some follow along patterns. Again, it has color photos and easy to understand explanations. These are great references for any newbie, but even after a year I still use them.

The next thing I would tell a beginner is to make sure the projects they want to do are appropriate for their skill level. I didn't know for the longest time that patterns usually have a difficulty rating on them. Some are more obvious than others. If you look through a Vogue pattern catalog they even have a whole section dedicated to "Vogue Easy" without sacrificing style, and there are also Vogue Very Easy patterns. Love it! So make sure you are sticking to something within your skill range.

The third thing I would mention is to get those coupons!!! I live near a JoAnns, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby who take each other's coupons, so get those apps, get on that mailing list. They have 50% off items, 60% off items, 20% off total orders and so on. You can use those for craft supplies, notions, fabric, and equipment. Coupons can't be used on Patterns, but those babies go on sale all the time. When simplicity has their $0.99 each pattern I stock up! Butterrick and McCalls also have something like $1.99 each, or 3 for $5 and Vogue will go on sale for $4.99 each. May vary by area. Also use the internet to hunt down cute patterns.

There is so much more I want to tell you but I am going to break this up. Next, I'll talk about the must have equipment, understanding patterns, choosing sizing and making mock-ups.

Hope you enjoy,

Jessi Harm aka Evil Regal

Vintage Vogue Dress: V8789

     So, this is the lovely Vintage Vogue circa 1957 that I recently made and it was surprisingly easy. I bought this beautiful cotton sateen by Gretchen Hirsch a while back with the intention of making a princess seamed peplum blouse, but when I decided on this for a wedding I knew the fabric was perfect. I did the boat neck version on it, however, other than the bodice necklines everything else is the same. 

     This is the skirt, which was 4 yards alone. I did three lines of basting stitches for this beauty. I did not construct a cummerbund, I simply wore a belt in its place.

     This is the dress of the form as I am trying to gage a few thing in regards to construction and fit. No crinoline and no hem, yet.

     One more view from the side. It looks a little loose and baggy because my dress form isn't to my size, I just use it mostly to assist with even hems and a few other things, but never sizing. I promise it's not as pointy when it's worn.

     I even went to the antique store and got me a little clutch bag and gloves to match.

Here is the beauty with the hem, which I did a deep 1 inch, followed by a 3-inch hem. There are a few more pictures on my Instagram page. One change I did was in place of an armhole and neck facing, I just lined the whole bodice in white cotton.

I rushed to meet the wedding date, so I need to make a few fixes and then I will post pictures of the cute button details on the shoulders, and maybe I'll model a few too.

M7154 Shelved for now

     So I regret to inform you, but I had to cancel the party and I was having a hard time with the fitting that I had to put the project aside. I did, however, do a Vogue 8789 vintage Tea Dress that I will put together a blog of that for you. :) I'll be back soon. :)

Jessi Harm
Evil Regal