Make entredeux trim with this heirloom sewing tip using your sewing machine and a wing needle.
Stitching lace insertion to fabric is the first technique that we learn when I teach heirloom sewing by machine. This is not a strong applic...
Learn how to create beautiful pintucks, an heirloom sewing technique. Learn tips on preventing flat pintucks, and how to choose the right needle for your pintuck presser foot.
Learn how to sew a narrow hem (easy even on chiffon) using a ban roll tape. You will like this video sewing tutorial on how to sew a rolled hem on chiffon without a special rolled hem foot.
Make entredeux trim with this heirloom sewing tip using your sewing machine and a wing needle.
Learn how to sew scalloped edges for sewing hems and embellishing. Step-by-step photos, and instructions including a printable template.
Pintucks are a cute detail that can dress up a bodice. I’m going to show you how I added pintucks to the Willow pattern. Pintucks are usually between 1/8″ and 1/4″ and you can add as many pintucks as you would like. For this example I used three, 1/4″ pintucks on each side, with a...
How to Sew Perfect Scallops. A photo tutorial to help you learn how to sew scalloped edges for the Highland Avenue House.
I've always been a purist when it comes to creating a shell hem, however there comes a time when you have to seek an alternative technique...
Follow these steps to add tucks, a classic detail, to a sewing pattern for a basic top.
You can use this attractive tuck treatment on anything you sew.
Add a neat professional detail to your handmade wardrobe
A vintage sewing hack how to sew perfect scallops quick and easy by hand! Embellish your dresses and blouses with a scalloped hem.
Learn machine smocking techniques you can do with your sewing machine in this expert guide from Lorna Knight.
A continuous bound placket is a common closure for infant and children clothing. It is usually found below the back yoke pieces to provide a wide en
A continuous bound placket is a common closure for infant and children clothing. It is usually found below the back yoke pieces to provide a wide en
Learn how to insert a lapped zipper the easy way. A lapped zipper gives a tailored look. Only one line of stitching shows on the right side of the fabric.
Here is a very interesting sewing tutorial for your sewing projects. Learn how to sew with the bobbin thread in the needle. Find out why you may need to do it.
This step by step tutorial will teach you the best way to sew a placket, specifically known as a continuous bound placket.
Bermuda fagoting - aka three-sided stitch & Point Turc - is a decorative embroidery stitch which was popular in the Edwardian era.
French seams are an elegant seam finish done on a regular sewing machine. Learn how to sew a French seam with these instructions.
One of the baby items we have ended up relying on the most with Kate (our second daughter) is her sleep sack. It gets chilly here at night and it's such a great way to keep her warm. When I turned it inside out to look at it, it didn't look that difficult to make my own sleep sack for her, so I decided I was going to try it. After all, I'm pretty sure we paid close to $30 for hers! This afternoon after Kate's nap, I went into her room and the zipper on her sleep sack was
Exciting news! New crochet-a-long is in the town. For almost two years I have been patiently waiting for Baby Henry’s Heirloom Afghan pattern to be released. Jessica Wifall, the designer, first introduced it in 2017 and after a huge positive response she kindly agreed to put all notes together, so that everyone who wanted could create their own beauty. And after two years of hard work (pattern writing, testing, organization) the pattern is ready to meet the world! The CAL, crochet-a-long, will begin in just two days – on August 1st, 2019. Phot credit: Jessica Wifall Introduction Although this fantastic blanket was designed by Jessica Wifall, this project is precious for me personally as a designer in several ways. First of all, because my own pattern – Dandelion Border – was used as a part of this design. Secondly, because Baby Henry’s Heirloom Afghan is based on the Overlay Crochet Mandala No 6 by Carola Herbst of CAROcreated. My own designing journey began 5 years ago with overlay crochet mandalas. I bought one of the Carola’s designs on Etsy, made my first ever overlay crochet mandala, and fell in love with this technique. Over a hundred designs have been created since then, but I remember very well how it all started. And I can’t thank Carola enough for giving me a huge source of inspiration and confidence in my own designing skills. Phot credit: Jessica Wifall And thirdly, this CAL is special for me because it also uses a part of Sophie’s Universe blanket designed by my dearest friend Dedri Uys of Look At what I Made. I was very lucky to become a part of Scheepjes Bloggers team, meet Dedri and make friends with her in real life. She is my forever crochet mentor. As you have guessed already, Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan CAL incorporates three patterns from different designers: Overlay Crochet Mandala No 6 by Carola, Sophie’s Universe Part 4 by Dedri and Dandelion Border by me. Two of these patterns including mine are paid, so to join the CAL you will need to purchase them, either on Ravelry or Etsy. Jessica Wifall put all three patterns together (and I can’t believe she could adapt mandala pattern so well!) and wrote her own notes which are available as a free download (HERE or HERE). Phot credit: Jessica Wifall General Information Infromation: Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan CAL will be hosted in Facebook in CAL – crochet A long group where you will connect with other makers from all over the world. You can ask questions and share your pictures there. Pattern: All notes can be downloaded either from Ravelry HERE or from CAL – crochet a long blog HERE. Instagram: If you share photos of your Henrys, please use #babyhenrysdesignerheirloom Yarn and Colorways There are no official yarn packs for this CAL. You can either use your stash or buy the yarn in separate skeins. Baby Henry’s Heirloom Designer Afghan comes in three colorways. The original was made with Catona yarn by Scheepjes (100% cotton sport weight yarn) and 3mm hook. Phot credit: Jessica Wifall The size of the finished blanket will depend on the yarn and hook you use and also on your personal crochet style. Jessyca’s afghan turned out 114cm/45”. You can purchase Catona yarn in local Scheepjes shops or via online retailers (affiliate links are marked with *): Wool Warehouse* (UK, international shipping), Black Sheep Wools* (UK, international shipping), Caro’s Atelier* (NL and Europe), Knotty House* (Canada), Taemombo* (Canada and US). Here are the colors and yardages for the original version: Jet Black (110) – 7 x 50g balls Bridal White (105) – 5 x 50g balls Champaign (248) – 4 x 50g balls Dark Olive (387) – 4 x 50g balls Light Silver (172) – 3 x 50g balls Metal Grey (242) – 3 x 50g balls Black Coffee (162) – 2 x 50g balls Mercury (074) – 2 x 50g balls Charcoal (393) – 2 x 50g balls Anthracite (501) – 1 x 50g balls Root Beer (157) – 1 x 50g balls Caramel (506) – 1 x 50g balls Phot credit: Jessica Wifall Another colorway is called Henry’s Voyage. It also uses Catona yarn, but in fewer colors: Ultramarine (124) – 9 x 50g balls Champaign (248) – 8 x 50g balls Light Navy (164) – 8 x 50g balls Dark Olive (387) – 6 x 50g balls And you can also choose your own colors. To help you visualize the look of the finished blanket, the organizers have created colouring pages for you. Print them out, take the pencils and color your own blanket in any palette you like. If you rather wish to use DK or even aran yarn, please, check yardages in the Official information post HERE. Phot credit: Jessica Wifall Techniques This Afghan pattern uses overlay crochet technique. If you have never tried it, the patterns might be a bit difficult to read and follow, at first. But after you are used to the pattern style, everything will become smoother. All three patterns contain heavy photo-tutorials with loads of progress high quality pictures. If you are still unsure, please check general information about overlay crochet HERE on my blog. And practice with one or two squares from Circles of the Sun CAL. Timeline Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan crochet-a-long will begin on August 1st, 2019 and will run for 16 weeks, with parts being released weekly on a Thursday. Enjoy! Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Don't toss your favorite jeans, learn how to replace a zipper instead. It is so much easier than you think and no expensive alteration fees needed.
Start your New Year sewing for charity with these free Wee Care/Preemie Sewing Patterns.
Step 1 Pull 2 threads at right angles to mark the cutting line of your piece. This makes sure that your piece is on grain. Trim away excess fabric along
I get a lot of questions about my exposed zipper that I insert on my Alberta Pencil Skirts and I decided to type up a quick tutorial! This is a quick and easy way to add an exposed zipper – it’s becoming my favorite zipper to install because of how easy it is! Exposed Zipper […]
A lot of people are astonished when the hear that I sew entire 18th century garments by hand, and mention that they find handsewing hard and intimidating. Here are 5 quick tricks to make it a lot easier – whether you are hand-sewing your own elaborate historical garment, or just sewing on a button or mending a tiny seam. 1. Use good needles (and the right kind). There are different qualities of needles, and different types of needles, and it’s important to have the best quality needles you can afford, and to use the right type the type of sewing and the type of thread you are using. Yes, a packet of good, high-quality needles can cost you up to $9, whereas the bargain store have them for $1, but the last time a student brought in bargain needles to a class of mine we ended up tossing the whole packet because they were all blunt (really blunt. The tip of each was FLAT). You may spend more money initially to buy really good …
This is a very pretty drawn thread embroidery stitch used in Heirloom sewing - a stitch that is used to sew a pretty hem, join two fabric pieces together, to
How to Sew Perfect Scallops. A photo tutorial to help you learn how to sew scalloped edges for the Highland Avenue House.
Sew a neckline facing with a beautiful finish Hey y’all, today we’re talking about how to sew a neckline and finish it off with a neck facing. I decided to do this tutorial now because of the neck facing on my new pattern, the Esma Top (pictured above and below). A facing is a strip...Read More
I've been asked a number of times how I do a french seam at the armhole of my blouses, so I put together a little tutorial to demonstrate the process. It might sound difficult, but if you can sew a regular french seam you can do an armhole french seam easily. The NUMBER ONE rule for sewing with french seams is to make sure you are using a somewhat thin fabric. I've attempted them before on fabrics like bottom weight denim and the outcome is bulky and happy-hands-at-home looking. ***Picture order is top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right.*** 1. Sew a line of gathering stitches onto the prepared sleeve. I actually like to sew 2 lines with a 4mm stitch length and leave the thread ends long enough to pull. 2. Pull one set of threads to gather the sleeve slightly. You can always gather it more when you get it situated in the sleeve but this gives you a little head start. 3. When I'm sewing french seams that will intersect, I always iron them in different directions. For example, here where the side seam meets the sleeve seam, I've ironed the side seam towards the back and the sleeve seam towards the front. Even in an especially thin fabric, french seams cause some bulk, and ironing them in different directions cuts down on this. 4. Pin the sleeve to the bodice WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. Line up your notches and adjust your gathers. I use long pins so I double insert them for a good grip. Don't cut your long gathering threads yet. The gathers on this sturdy cotton aren't going anywhere but they could slip out in something silky. 5. If possible, adjust your needle position to a little less then .25 inches. A standard seam line is 5/8" so I half that a reduce a little more for turn of cloth. You'll want to line up the right side of the machine foot with the fabric to give you an even line of stitches. 6. Stitch. When you get to the area with the gather, try to smooth out any bumps to avoid puckers. 7. When you get done with the first seam, inspect your work. Any big tucks need to be undone, readjusted and restitched. 8. Press. I pull the sleeve out so that I'm ironing on the front bodice and pressing the seam towards the sleeve. Pull on the sleeve a little to ensure a crisp edge for the second seam. 9. Here's what the first seam should look like when you're done pressing. 10. Trim away about half of this first seam allowance. I always put my hand under the edges being snipped to that I don't catch my bodice fabric on accident. 11. My sleeve is done being trimmed. 12. Turn the garment to the inside and pin for the second seam. Adjust gathering threads if needed. I like to sew this seam with the gathers up so that I can adjust any areas that might need it. 13. Stitch, keeping the needle in the same position as the first seam and aligning the fabric with the right edge. 14. The finished sleeve seam. Inspect for tucks and clip the gathering threads off. 15. Pull the sleeve through the armhole and iron from the inside, pressing the seam towards the sleeve. 16. Done!
A continuous bound placket is a common closure for infant and children clothing. It is usually found below the back yoke pieces to provide a wide en
