Sarah J. Doyle | November 21, 2012
With a little over a month until Christmas, you still have some time to make some of these quick and easy Christmas potholders. Use them yourself or give as hostess gifts or stocking stuffers. Each of the potholders in this project takes flannel fabric and quilt batting, plus [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | September 24, 2012
If you’re the kind of person that likes to change that basic dress or blouse (or sweater) into a variety of styles just by adding a faux collar or bow collar, this tutorial is for you! This collar tutorial will be a “custom” collar that uses your basic blouse or dress pattern as the basis [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | August 4, 2010
Today’s garments are designed with a wide variety of sleeves, which differ greatly in look and in the method of construction. A garment, for example, may have armholes that are merely finished, producing a sleeveless look, or it may have sleeves, either set-in or raglan, that are separately made and attached to the garment, [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | April 21, 2010
There are several ways to finish the waistline of skirts and slacks. The straight waistband is the most familiar and the most popular, but a stretch waistband or a simple facing may be used. The pattern will specify a waistline treatment, but a different finish can often be substituted if desired. Straight waistbands [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | April 19, 2010
Actually, this post could be “Need new toys for your grandchildren when they come to visit?” or “Need a new product to sell at the next craft fair?”, but sometimes it seems like the toy corner of a customer waiting area gets pretty skimpy! Not many toys, and the ones you have available are over [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | April 8, 2010
Today we’re going to go over what I think is the easiest and quickest method of joining a bodice to a gathered skirt. To prepare the skirt for gathering, first machine baste on the right side along the seamline (A). Baste between the “sections” so that the basting lines start and stop about 5/8” [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | March 31, 2010
We will be dealing with two types of waistlines this week and next – one is where the skirt will be joined to a bodice to make a dress, and the second type will be in making a skirt or pair of slacks. Before any waistline seam is sewn, all darts, tucks or pleats must [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | March 19, 2010
Bias facings on blouses and dresses are not hard to do – in fact you can do a bias facing instead of putting on that collar that came with the pattern. Here’s an easy and quick way to make and finish a bias facing. A bias strip should be twice the desired finished [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | March 10, 2010
Construction and finishing shaped neckline facings: To help maintain the shape of the facing, and not stretch it, it is good to staystitch a line ¼” inside the neck seamline of each facing section, as indicated in the left hand illustration show above. With right sides together and the markings matched, stitch the [...]
Sarah J. Doyle | March 3, 2010
I really like the “stand up” collars – it’s so easy to add a little extra to dress up the garment. A necklace or two looks very nice, or you could add a scarf to make a professional look. And the great thing is that the stand up collars are easy to make! After [...]
