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By the time I finish a garment, I want to wear it, not embellish it. But the fact is that embellishment is often what can take an outfit from nice to wow. A handmade touch can make a garment shine as the one of a kind that it truly is. What lies beneath: This is the vintage lace that inspired it all...
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I've always had an admiration for the Japanese sewing market, which started when I fell madly in love with a pair of scissors at a Japanese notions company booth at a sewing expo. I still kick myself for not buying them. The "faux-shiko" stitching on the skirt Modified sashiko stitching...
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I learned several valuable lessons over the Thanksgiving holiday. First, never underestimate holiday traffic when you have to get to the airport. I did, and I also learned that if you arrive 30 minutes before your flight, you may make the flight, but your luggage will not be going with you ... ever....
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There was a recent question from a member on the Sew Daily community about how to make the back of her work look as good as the front. She is really on to something, because the fact is that embroidery that is well done should look as good on the back as it does on the front. The elegant, skeletal feather...
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I'm fresh back from International Quilt Market in Houston and while there was some interim drama with Superstorm Sandy, I still haven't forgotten the aisles and aisles of textile eye candy. Am I the first person to wish that Quilt Market would never end? On the last day, as they wasted no time...
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If you're feeling adventurous, and ready to go beyond sewing to explore customizing fabric, you've come to the right place! Surface design is the perfect way to make a sewing project truly unique . . . because what's better than something that's not only made by hand, but made using one...
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More than any other sort of embellishing, I love beading. But beading is so much more than merely stitching beads to a garment or accessory. If you really want your beading to last, you want to take some precautionary steps: This beading sample tries out a variety of beads and designs. Always make a...
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Thanks to my mom's skill--and patience--the first garment I ever made using the sewing machine was a gathered skirt. It seemed quite mysterious to my eight-year-old mind, but for my mom this was truly an easy sewing pattern. And now that I've sewn a bit, I see the beauty in the simplicity. Here's...
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Having exhausted virtually all of the garment construction classes I can take in my lifetime on a Wednesday night at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, I have turned my attention to accessories: bags and shoes and belts, oh my! What girl hasn't put an extensive amount of...
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In many ways I'm very grateful for my more traditional sewing background. Having inserted hundreds (seems impossible, but is probably true!) of zippers over my lifetime, I can comfortably adjust almost any part of the process and still be confident about it being functionally successful. The ruffles...
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SpraynBond TM Adhesive makes sewing projects quick and easy! Little girls are made of sugar, spice, some fairy dust and well ... a pinch of butterflies! Learn how Therm O Web's NEW SpraynBond TM makes quick work of this pretty appliqué quilt by Therm O Web Design Team member Jenifer Cowles...
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I can't say enough about the new Jil Cappuccio video, "Sewing Skirts Your Way," that is now available for purchase. You may know Jil's work from her past contributions to Stitch magazine. She creates adorable designs and the skirts that you can learn to make in this video are no different...
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According to a quick Google check, my current sewing machine will stitch over 750 stitches per minute. Some things can only be done by handstitching-- and some designs are worth every stitch. Shown above is a close-up of the Hexagon Bag from Japanese Quilting by Yoko Saito. All photography by Yasuo Naguno...
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I love sewing bags and totes. And here's why: The leather handles make this bag a workhorse--and they're comfortable, too. With the pre-punched holes, it was easy to handstitched these on. I used six-stranded embroidery floss in the same color as the leather. These leather handles will give this...
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Of all the tricks I've learned about couture garment sewing, underlining is probably my favorite. It takes even the cheapest fashion fabric from so-so to fabulous in a matter of minutes. And your garments will wear better and last longer with the use of underlining (also sometimes called interlining...