This T-shirt dress is both comfortable and stylish. The big advantage of this style is its versatility. Mixing and matching the prints and colours you can achieve a totally different look.
Continue reading T-shirt dress in contrasting colours sewing instructions.
Sashes are the simplest thing I can think about in terms of making, but even they can vary a fair bit when it comes to sewing details. Here are the few examples you can choose from. Each has its own merits and particularities.
Wrap up dress with a square skirtContinue reading Wrap up dress with a square skirt. Sewing instructions.
T-shirt dress with drop waist wears like a T-shirt but looks like a dress, It is both comfortable and stylish and combines a pretty look and functionality. By mixing and matching different fabrics you can achieve your own distinct appearance.
Continue reading T-shirt dress with drop waist. Sewing instructions.
Tie-up shoulder dress has an interesting look and unusual construction. Read the instructions to the end to visualize the process beforehand.
Cutting the fabric:Front and back bodice pieces are cut on a straight grain. Place paper pattern on fabric, aligning the fold of the fabric and center line of the bodice piece. Skirt is also placed on fold, fabric permitting. If, however, fabric is not wide enough, no big deal, you can always make a two-seam skirt, cutting two equal pieces. Bodice lining is cut exactly as the main fabric.
Sewing the skirt with one piece of fabric, the seam can be placed at the back or on the left side, depending on your design and desire.
T-Shirt dress is very easy to make and comfortable to wear. There are just a few points you need to remember to make a professional looking garment. Before laying your pattern out you should determine if the fabric is one way (direction which the print/pattern/sheen/texture runs) or two ways. If the fabric looks or feels differently in both directions your main pattern pieces will all have to face the same way. Don’t forget to match the stripes, if your fabric has them.
Continue reading Casual T-Shirt dress with drawstring waist and pockets. Step-by-step instructions.
This cute tunic dress is very simple to make. Absence of a complex details or zippers makes it suitable for novice seamstresses. Contrasting ribbons and bows give rhythmic harmony.
There are three main types of puffed sleeves that are very simple to draft from the basic sleeve pattern. The idea is to create enough extra fabric for gathering, which means to “stretch” the pattern in places were the ruffling will accrue. The “stretching” can be done along the head and hem of a sleeve, but never in the underarm area.
The process itself is not complicated. Start with a paper pattern of a sleeve. Mark the middle third of your pattern with parallel lines 3-4cm apart, cut and open out the pieces. The fuller the sleeve you are after the further you spread the parts. Traditionally it cannot be made more then 5cm. For fuller sleeve cut the strips narrower. In some old pattern making books you can find the pictures of a puffed sleeve draft looking like a fan with the strips cut as narrow as 1cm. 
Continue reading Three ways to draft a puffed sleeves pattern.
Bias binding is a widely utilized in all sorts of sewing projects. Its uses are far wider then just a hem finish. It can have decorative as well as functional purpose in a garment. Though the craft shops have a wide variety of ready-made bias tapes, they often are the wrong shade for the project, or not stocked in a particular width. Hence is a necessity to make your own. Luckily it is not hard to produce at home and gives your more control over the design. It is a useful technique to know either you a dressmaker or a quilter.
Frills and ruffles are very popular embellishments in dressmaking. There are quite a few methods to gather fabric, but double basting method is the universal one. Its main advantage is that it can be used with any fabric, be it knitted or woven and it is essentially the same done by hand or sewing machine. The beauty of the double basting method is the neatness of the result, it produces even and tidy ruffles and works equally well on straight or circular pieces.
Depending on the design, fabric can be cut on straight, cross-grain or on bias. Bias method is favored when the ruffle will be finished with the lettuce edge, and requires a fair bit of stretching.
Continue reading Perfect way to gather fabric – double basting method.
