5 Sewing Tips for June

5 Sewing Tips, Sewing15 Comments

 

5 Sewing Tips June

I know, I know, it’s July! I hoped to post 5 Sewing Tips for June last weekend, but we nipped south to visit my parents instead – and nippy it was:

tekapo
Snow on the beach at Lake Tekapo

So here goes – better late than never!

tip-1-copy

Do you have some fabric that you’d love to make into a top – but it’s too see-through? Consider cutting it double, with the hem as a fold:

patternscissorscloth top

You can sew the side seams (outer and lining) in one action, and have the bonus of a flat hem with zero stitching. Yes, no hemming to do!

tip-2-copy

On the same top(ic)… notch the hemline when cutting, then you can do the following to secure it in place:

patternscissorscloth hem

Open the seam allowances, and fold them wrong sides together at the notch, then tack one side together. Turn everything through to the right side and you’ll have a hem fold that stays in position.

tip-3-copy

To cut a perfectly matching pair from checked or plaid fabric, cut the top layer first.

patternscissorscloth.checks

Despite carefully laying up, my checks are still a little off. By cutting the top layer first, I can nudge it into position so the checks match perfectly before cutting the bottom layer. Takes a little longer but it’s worth it!

tip-4-copy

Quick Unpicks aren’t just for unpicking!

patternscissorscloth tool

I use mine to help prevent the layers from shifting as I sew. (Normally I hold it with my right hand but that one’s holding the camera!) You know those annoying fabrics that creep along as you sew? Using the tip of your quick unpick, press down just enough to hold the layers together as they feed through – but keep it well away from the needle!

tip-5-copy

This month’s tutorial shows you how to add side seam splits to the hem of your trousers – a cute detail that can be fiddly to master unless you adapt your pattern and assemble things in the right order. This tutorial covers it all!

How to add Hem Splits to your Trousers2

I’m off to photograph my new lingerie set now so I can blog it! It feels good to have finally finished it as I feel like I have unpicked almost every seam – and unpicking tiny zig-zags is no fun!

Happy Sewing!

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Designer, Patternmaker, Blogger Of All Things Sewing. Follow as I share projects, patterns, and my favourite tricks of the trade.

15 thoughts on “5 Sewing Tips for June”

  1. I LOVE your suggestion about cutting a double layer on the fold but I found the notching section a little confusing to be honest. The other issue I would have is the darts (I have to have darts due to an FBA) so I’m not sure if that would work 🙂 Love the idea though – it’s certainly less work than underlining!

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  6. Great tips as always. I look forward to these each month and I don’t mind that they are a bit late. You are very kind to share.

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    1. You’re not the only one who didn’t understand that one Brenda, and in retrospect it isn’t that clear! Tip 2 is about securing the hem on the tank top mentioned in Tip 1, where the top is double layered and the hem is simply a fold line. The original blog post has a more in depth description:
      https://patternscissorscloth.com/2010/11/14/everyone-needs-a-white-tank-top-binding-tips/
      Tip 3 is about matching checks perfectly, and the original blog post is here:
      https://patternscissorscloth.com/2012/05/18/cutting-checks-or-plaids-part-2/
      Hope that helps!

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