~green dress part 1: bodice~

April 13, 2010.Reading time 2 minutes.

Today I constructed the main parts of the bodice and this is how it’s looking so far: The fabric is a silk chiffon/viscose burnout, so is slightly sheer where the viscose component is absent. I am underlining it in black viscose lining, partially to disguise the seam allowances, and partially so that it will match […]

~vintage elna~

April 9, 2010.Reading time 6 minutes.

A couple of posts ago I briefly mentioned the curse word ‘buttonholes’ and alluded to a future blog post. Well here it is….. Meet the sewing machine I learnt to sew on: It is a 1950’s Elna Supermatic that my mother bought before she was married. Don’t you just love the kitchen green colour? It […]

~FO: burda 11/2008/103A top~

April 6, 2010.Reading time 1 minute.

It has been a productive weekend around here, sewing wise: I’m really short on tops at the moment, and thought this was a nice wearable design to use up another end-of-the-roll piece that I had saved. It turns out the whole piece was flawed with barring across it, but although it was really noticable on the […]

~FO: burda 1/2009/113 skirt~

April 5, 2010.Reading time 3 minutes.

Yay – finished! This is such a nice pattern – I really love the pocket flaps and the button front, and the high waist is so flattering – even though I am quite short-waisted. I might start doing sit-ups though – I have to hold my tummy in (see the strain on my face!) to stop it creasing […]

~tricks of the trade: facing an invisible zip~

April 2, 2010.Reading time 7 minutes.

This tutorial shows you how to apply your facing around an invisible zip using your machine all the way – no handstitching or hooks! The facing is set back from the zip on the inside, so that it never gets caught when the zip is used. I always make my facing pattern so that it […]