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Finally, A Show About Garment Sewing! Sandra Betzina is the Best!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Love the Smart Iron!

Smart Iron Video

Dear Sewing Friends:

I believe I found an iron that finally meets my needs and then some. You have to check out the "Smart Iron". I think it is really great for your sewing projects as well as everything else you may want to iron. Let me know what you think.

Watch the video here:





To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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Finally, A Show About Garment Sewing! Sandra Betzina is the Best!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Serger Videos

Videos - How to Use Your Serger

Hi Sewing Friends:

It has been a long time since my last post. I've been so busy teaching. Plus, I recently moved. I am still getting settled. The new sewing room cabinets aren't finished yet. I don't seem to have enough time and energy to teach, write and keep house at the same time but I wanted to share this with you.

I just previewed some videos online that I think many of you would enjoy. Nancy Zieman of Sewing With Nancy always produces first quality videos to help you learn to sew or improve your sewing. These videos on serging are no exception. So, if you haven't seen them, take a look. Even if you are experienced with using your serger, you may pick up a few tips.

There are a series of three videos - each covering a different aspect of how to serge on your overlock machine. They are called, "Serge With Confidence - Part 1, 2 and 3".

Be sure to watch all of them for some good information.

The first video covers Basic Serging including 3 and 4 thread and the rolled edge. Go to:
Serge With Confidence - Part 1

The second video details Flatlocking and the Cover Stitch. Go to:
Serge With Confidence - Part 2

In the third video, Nancy teaches you how to use some serger specialty feet including the cording foot, ruffler and feller plus, she demonstrates how to serge a zipper in a pillow. Go to:
Serge With Confidence - Part 3

I hope you find these serging videos helpful.


To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS: Go to my Sewing Projects Tips Sewing Blog for a list of sewing videos you don't want to miss.

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Finally, A Show About Garment Sewing! Sandra Betzina is the Best!

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Create Your Own Sweatshirt or Tee Shirt Designs

Sewing Projects - Sweatshirts - Tees

Sewing Friends:

Someone asked where I've been. I haven't posted in a while. What with the holidays, traveling, sickness and working, there just aren't enough hours in a day to do everything. But, I do want to tell you about a fun sewing project that you might want to try.

Deconstructing a plain old sweatshirt or tee shirt and making it over into a fashionable garment is one of my most popular sewing classes. Why is it the most popular? Because it is simply fun!

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or an advanced sewist, young, old, teen or college student, makeover sweatshirts and tees is the easiest, quickest way to express your creativity and have a sense of accomplishment.

Make sweatshirt jackets or designer tees for yourself, family, friends and kids of all ages any time of year.

In my classes, students get simple guidelines to get started, but they are the designers of these one-of-a-kind creations. No one is concerned about fitting. The jacket will fit someone. And, there are never any errors. The "mistakes" are opportunities to be more creative. This "design as you go" process leads to some of the most spectacular garments.

The supplies are also simple. All you need is a sweatshirt, a bit of fabric and whatever trim you want to use. You don't even have to sew it if you don't want to. Just use some fusible web tape like Steam-A-Seam. Slit the front open or not. Add a zipper or buttons or a hood or not. Lengthen or shorten sleeves or not. Add ruffles or lace or denim or corduroy or whatever. You are the designer.

A sweatshirt or a tee shirt is a great canvas to practice your sewing and designing skills.

Whether than making samples of embroidery, applique, decorative stitches, heirloom stitches or techniques, fabric manipulation, felting, couching, bobbinwork, sashiko, ruching , quilting techniques, painting, stenciling, stamping or whatever it is that you want to try, I encourage you to do it on a sweatshirt or tee shirt so it becomes a wearable work of art. This is so much more rewarding than a pile of samples in a drawer.

How about making a sweatshirt with decorative zippers or different pockets. I'm considering doing my future demo pieces on sweatshirts. It seems that would be far more interesting than little square samples.

There are a lot of free sweatshirt and tee shirt ideas on line to inspire you. There are also a lot of books, and software available that give you step-by-step instructions on how to create a specific design. There are some wonderful makeover sweatshirt artists like Mary Mulari and Londa Rohling that offer superb instructions and infinite designs. Check out some sewing books.

I suggest that you get together with some friends or a sewing class and let your imagination take over to create your unique designs. You will be surprised how easy it is! The ideas flow in a group.

And, remember that if the makeover sweatshirt fails for some reason, you can always turn it into a bag!

Don't you just love sewing?

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

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Sewing Project - Sweatshirts - Tees

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Friday, December 14, 2007

Home Sewing Association Closing Its Doors!

Sewing News

Sewing Friends:

I am posting this to my sewing blogs because it is important news to the sewing world.

I just received a letter stating that the Home Sewing Association will be closing their doors at the end of the year. It is hard to believe that they will be gone. I have referred so many to them over the years. They will be truly missed.

Here is the letter:

"We regret to advise you that after 80+ years of service to the sewing industry, the Home Sewing Association will officially close its doors at the end of the year.

As your elected representatives, we have endeavored to keep the Association operating to fulfill its mission to "Get People Sewing!" Recent marketing programs - including Sew Trendy, Trained Sewing Educator and the Girl Scout kit promotion have shown great promise. In addition, members and sewers alike have benefited from our informative newsletters and website, together with our range of industry and consumer services.

However, we have not been able to absorb the costs - and potential liabilities - of a wrongful termination lawsuit which was filed against the Home Sewing Association in 1996. The lawsuit was tried before a jury in the state of New York in October 2006 and an unfavorable verdict was rendered against HSA.

The Board has engaged in a year-long assessment of the options available to deal with this unfavorable judgment and the additional cost of an award for plaintiff's attorney's fees in the case. It is our determination that the Association can no longer provide a viable level of industry service given this enormous financial burden.

Therefore, the Board of Directors of the Home Sewing Association has made the difficult decision to cease operations as of December 31, 2007. The dissolution of the Association and its remaining assets, such as the National Sewing Show, will be managed under the guidance of a chapter 7 bankruptcy of the Court of New York. Updates will be provided when information becomes available from the Trustee on the disposition of assets. We will be filing a bankruptcy petition for HSA in that court shortly.

We wish to thank you for your membership support and wish you continued success in your sewing industry endeavors in the years ahead."

The letter was signed by the Board of Directors

I feel like I've lost an old friend. If you want to print out their Sewing Guidelines for future use, I suggest that you do that now and put them into a sewing notebook. There is so much good information there. Also, be sure to check out the sewing projects while you can. These links will soon be gone. How sad for all of us!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

How To Sew Corduroy

Sewing Tips for Sewing Corduroy

Sewing Friends:

"Do you have any tips for sewing corduroy?" was a recent question I received.

Corduroy garments and fabrics are popular once again. Corduroy isn't difficult to sew, but there are a few tips that will help you achieve greater sewing success.

There are some articles online that address sewing corduroy. I will highlight a few of them here for you to check out. You may find some of the suggestions contradictory. My answer to that is always test on fabric scraps before you decide on a technique. Go with the one that gives you the results you want. Sometimes you just need to use your common sense.

See Threads Magazine article called, "Corduroy" by Andrea Moore. I think Andrea did a very good job of explaining how to sew corduroy. Many of the techniques she covered can also be used in other garment sewing as well. This how to sew corduroy article is a good one to keep in your sewing notebook.

The Home Sewing Organization offers Sewing Guidelines for Napped Fabrics and Working With Napped Fabrics

Shannon Gifford shares her knowledge on sewing corduroy and stretch corduroy in her Sewing Guides found at EmmaOneSock

Sewing Tip

One tip that I would add is about pressing. I have found not only with corduroy, but with many other types of fabrics as well, the absolutely best pressing cloth is a scrap of the fabric itself. It doesn't need to be any larger than the soleplate of your iron as you pick it up and move it to press.

With nap fabrics, be careful to place the "pressing cloth" the same grain and nap direction as the garment with right sides together when you press. Mark the direction of the nap on the back or wrong side of the press cloth. Place a small piece of medical paper tape at the top of piece of fabric and draw an arrow on it to indicate the nap and grain.

You don't want to press the corduroy with the wales on your press cloth going the opposite direction of your garment or you may end up with a waffle effect.

Quality Corduroy Fabrics

There really is a big difference between a good quality corduroy and what is generally available to us. Of course, that is true with all fabrics.

Check out New York Fashion Center Fabrics for some 45 inch wide 100% cotton corduroy at $17.95 per yard. Yes, it costs more, but good fabric is well worth the price for your good clothes. I wouldn't spend this on fabric for a growing child.

Fabric Sewing Books

Here are some excellent guide books by Sandra Betzina and Claire Shaeffer to help you achieve sewing success with all types of fabrics:

More Fabric Savvy: A Quick Resource Guide to Selecting and Sewing Fabric Completely Revised and Updated

Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide (Creative Machine Arts)

Sew Any Fabric: A Quick Reference Guide to Fabrics from A to Z

The following basic sewing book from Threads covers layout of napped fabrics and much more:

Sew Basic: 34 Essential Skills for Sewing with Confidence

With all of this information, sewing corduroy and other napped fabrics will no longer be a challenge for you to achieve successful results.

Try it! It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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Friday, November 30, 2007

Sew Baby Gifts

Sewing Project - Baby Gifts

Sewing Friends:

Do you have babies or are you expecting to have a baby on your gift list this year?

If you want to sew a quick and easy baby gift for holiday gift giving, see this series of sewing videos on How to Sew A Baby Blanket.

Take it a step further and learn How To Make A Baby Quilt in this sewing video.

How about sewing a baby sling? Here are the instructions to sew a baby sling.

Check out this site for instructions on how to use your baby carrier.

Go to Sewing and Improvising Baby Carriers for a long list of links to baby slings, pouches, and carriers of all sorts. Some of these are really good ideas and don't even require sewing. Anyone can make these with a little fabric.

One of my favorite sewing books for baby items is: Kwik Sew's Sewing for Baby

Here are some other baby sewing books that you might like:

Nursery Decor: Projects for Decorating Your Baby's Room

Everything for Baby: Projects to Make Yourself

Baby Gifts: Simple Heirlooms to Make and Give

Baby Couture

Sew & Go Baby: A Collection of Practical Baby Gear Projects/With Pattern

Amy Butler's Sew Baby hc

The Crafty Mamas: Book of 50 Fast, Fabulous and Foolproof Projects for Baby Gear

Handmade Baby Gifts

Baby Wraps: Quick, Cuddly Quilts

Sew a gift for your special baby this year. If you have no babies of your own, sew something and give it to a charity. There are many babies who could use these gifts. This is fun sewing.

Get your creative juices flowing, use up some of your stash and sew some love! It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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Finally, A Show About Garment Sewing! Sandra Betzina is the Best!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Free Sewing Pattern - Pajama Pants

Sewing Patterns

Sewing Friends:

Last post, I shared with you how to make nightgowns from t-shirts for Christmas gifts for kids. I made a few of these niteys for some special little girls. They are really cute!

I also made a few pajama pants using an old one-seam pants pattern I have. I added appliques to t-shirt, camisoles or sweatshirt tops to wear with the pj's.

Kids of all ages love these cuddly jammies. They are so quick and easy to sew. Choose some fun flannel, fleece or cotton print depicting their favorite sport, hobby or interest.

Today, I got the latest issue of Sew News - December 2007. It includes instructions to make pj pants. The best part is that Sew News has the sewing pattern for pajama pants online for you to download absolutely free. The pattern is for shorts, but the article explains how to lengthen the legs to make full length pajama pants.

Be careful of the size. The small size fits up to a 36 inch waist. The medium/large size fits up to a 44 inch waist.

The pj pants are fun and fast to sew. They can be baggy so you don't have to worry about perfect fit. Put in drawstring elastic waists if you aren't sure of size.

The leg length doesn't really matter either. Make them short, capri, long or whatever you want. Mix and match fabrics for more fun. Add bands of contrasting fabric to the bottom of the legs or how about some ruffles?

Try it! Sew some for Christmas gifts this year.

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Sew An Instant, Easy Nightgown for Kids

Sewing Project - Nightgowns

Sewing Friends:

If you are looking for an ideal Christmas gift, try this. Sew a quick and easy nightgown for kids.

Purchase or use an old, larger than the child normally wears, tee shirt. Add some Christmas flannel or cotton print and you have a kids instant Christmas nitey.


Here are the instructions:
  • Preshrink the tee shirt and fabric.

  • Measure the bottom of the tee shirt. Depending on how full you want your ruffle, multiply the width of the tee shirt by 1-1/2 or 2 times the width of the tee shirt hem.

  • Determine the length you want the ruffle to finish. Add about 1 inch to that measurement for a seam allowance and machine stitched hem. My ruffle is 6 inches finished. The fitted tee shirt I chose was long and the nightgown is for a little girl.

  • Seam the ruffle if necessary to go around the bottom of the shirt.

  • Gather the ruffle to fit the tee shirt. I used the serger to gather my ruffle and sew it to the bottom of the tee shirt at the same time. Use whatever gathering technique you prefer.

  • Machine stitch the hem of the ruffle.

  • Choose an applique motif from a scrap of fabric. Press the scrap to some fusible web. Center the design motif and cut it out. Fuse it to the center front of the tee shirt.

  • Add some ruffle eyelet trim around the motif or applique stitch around it if desired. Add a small flannel fabric bow if desired.

Voila! Easy, instant nightgown!

Kids love having a special nightgown to wear on Christmas Eve while they wait for Santa.

Sew these quick and easy nightgowns any time of year. They are so comfy and girls really like them.

If you have boys, fuse a motif to a tee shirt and sew some quick one seam boxer shorts or long pj's to make them very happy, indeed! They don't have to fit really well. Kids love loose clothing.

Try making some long baggy pj's with appliqued tees for the college kids, too. They love to lounge in them in their dorms.

Keep it very simple and have fun!

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

Sewing Project - Nightgowns

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

How To Sew Padded Hangers

Sewing Project - Padded Hangers

Sewing Friends:

Are you busy sewing gifts for the holidays? Here is a quick and easy sewing project that you can make with fabric scraps and it is much appreciated. Make luxurious padded hangers.

I really like to use velvet padded hangers for my best clothes. They are so elegant and support the garments nicely. Try some!

There are a lot of links on how to make different styles and variations of padded hanger covers and padded hangers. I have listed a few for you.

In addition, I will give you instructions to make my favorite padded hanger. This is not just a cover, but a wooden hanger that is padded and covered.

If you sew something for someone, make a matching padded hanger for a really nice touch!

Here are some links to check out:

Padded Hanger Covers by Husqvarna Viking Education Director, Cathy Wilson
http://usaapp.husqvarnaviking.com/education/pdf/PaddedHangerCovers.pdf

Elegant Padded Hanger
http://www.getcreativeshow.com/seminars/padded_hanger.htm

Padded Hangers
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/04-05.pdf

Luxe Hangers
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00222.asp

Here Are Instructions On How To Sew My Favorite Padded Hanger:

Supplies Need to Make One Padded Hanger
  • Fabric Scraps
  • Thread
  • Wooden coat hanger
  • Poly fiberfill
  • Old pantyhose or knee highs
  • About 5/8 yard of ribbon 3/4 to 1 inch wide
Fabric

Use fabric scraps left over from the garments that you make to sew a matching padded hanger. Try velvets, corduroy, cottons, double knits, prints, whatever you like. You can even mix and match fabrics.

Cutting
  • Cut two pieces of fabric 3 inches wide by 9 inches long
  • Cut two pieces of fabric 3 inches wide by 12 inches long
  • Curve one end of all four pieces.
  • Cut 2 pieces of pantyhose about 4 inches square
  • Cut one piece of ribbon about 22 inches long
  • Cut two pieces of poly fiberfill 9 inches wide by 14 inches long
Construction of Padded Hanger Covers
  • About 1/4 inch from the edge, sew a gathering stitch around the 3 by 12 piece of fabric. This will be used for the top side of the padded hanger.
  • Pull the gathers up slightly.
  • Lay this piece to the 3 by 9 inch piece of fabric with the right sides together.
  • Adjust gathers to fit the 9 inch piece.
  • Pin in place to hold.
  • With the gathered side up, stitch a thread deeper than the gathering thread and join the two layers together.
  • Use short stitches to make this seam. This will cover half the hanger.
  • Repeat this procedure for the other half of the hanger.
  • Turn both cover sections right side out
Pad The Wooden Hanger
  • Wrap one piece of the fiberfill loosely around half of the hanger.
  • Turn about 1 inch of the end over itself
  • Place one of the squares of the pantyhose over one of the ends of the padded hanger.
Put The Cover On The Hanger
  • While holding the pantyhose on the padded hanger tightly, pull one of the outer hanger covers over the end of the hanger to the center with the gathers on the top of the hanger.
  • Repeat for the other half of the hanger.
  • With a needle and thread, hand stitch the two cut edges of the cover around the center of the hanger.
Suggestions to Cover The Hanger Hooks
  1. Sew a narrow bias tubing out of the fabric to cover the hook part of the hanger. Secure the bias tubing with a few hand stitches at both ends.
  2. Use aquarium tubing that you get in a pet shop and slide it over the hook. Cut off the excess.
  3. Or cover the hook with ribbon. First put a line of glue on the hook and wrap the ribbon around the hook.
Finish the Hanger
  • To finish the hanger, fold the 22 inches of ribbon in half.
  • This makes a loop of the ribbon. Place this large loop over the hook and let it hang down below the hanger.
  • Put the ends of the ribbon through this loop at the bottom.
  • Pull up and tie into a pretty bow at the center.
Hope you enjoy making padded hangers. They really are quick and easy to sew. Give padded hangers as gifts this holiday season.

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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Friday, November 09, 2007

How Do I Know How Lopsided I Am?

Fitting Question

Sewing Friends:

Gee! You gals are quick! I barely got the last post out, when I was asked how I determined how lopsided I am. In other words, how do I know that I am one inch larger on the right side of my hips and one inch higher on the right side? Did I just keep guessing until I got it right? Absolutely not!

That's where my common sense fitting method comes in. If you follow the instructions in my ebook, "Common Sense Fitting For Hard To Fit Folks Who Want Great Fitting Skirts and Pants", you can determine exactly where you differ from side to side and exactly how much that is. There is no trial and error or guessing at all. It makes sense to measure and fit this way. Try it!

It is so important to understand how much your body differs from side to side to get a good fit. Particularly, as we age, we seem to shift more due to operations, arthritis, etc., etc.

Oftentimes, folks don't even realize they are lopsided. They just know that their clothes are uncomfortable and don't fit. Consequently, these ladies usually choose very loose fitting garments to get the comfort they seek. This causes them to look more frumpy and matronly than they should look. They are unhappy with their sewing results and no longer sew for themselves. These ladies usually wear knits rather than wovens for the same reasons. Knits stretch where they have larger "bumps"!

If you are one of these ladies, please do yourself a favor and check out my Common Sense Fitting Method to learn more about your body, what you need, where you need it and how to apply that to a commercial sewing pattern.

Then, get the Wild Ginger pattern making software and input your larger measurements as your sloper. Print out patterns with your fit already in them for that side and then, after you cut out your garment, trim off what you don't need for the smaller side.

I am telling you that this is so much easier to do than fitting every pattern every time you make a garment. If you think about it, you probably only wear a few basic style garments, like pants, a top, skirt and jacket. Get those patterns to fit you and have fun sewing different fabrics and using different sewing techniques to create different looks without all the fitting frustration you suffered in the past.

Sew for yourself once again and really enjoy it! Good fit is possible! Go for it! You will look and feel so much better. It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing and Fitting Success,
Marian

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