Love to Sew

An organized stash is the key to enjoying your fabrics! We share small-space strategies, listener tips, cataloging methods, and more in this comprehensive episode. Big stash? Small stash? We’ve got ideas for any stash!

The transcript for this episode can be found on this page at the end of the show notes.

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Helen and Caroline’s Stashes!

Helen’s stash is all stacked on shelves in this IKEA PAX Wardrobe piece! At the very bottom are the knits, then cottons, then linens, then rayons, and then special fabrics at the top!

Most of Caroline’s fabric is folded and organized onto these IKEA shelves (which are no longer available, but there are lots of similar shelves out there).

This half is mostly prints! Woven prints on top, yarn dyes in the middle (including a whole cube just for ginghams!), and knit prints and solids at the bottom.

This half is filled with bottomweights, with some mid-weights thrown in. It’s categorized by colour, with denims on the bottom.

This closet has chunkier fabrics sitting on the top shelf. Below, a couple of cute baskets hold Caroline’s patterns!

Listener Photos:

A post shared by Sarah | Pattern Cutting Expert (@thesewingretreat)

Resources:

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Apps:

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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s topic: fabric stash organization.

Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: Hi. Welcome to our new season.

Helen: Welcome you to our new season.

Caroline: I’m very excited to be here, recording with you again.

Helen: Me, too. We’re so happy to be back with our first episode of this fall season of Love to Sew, and we hope that all you listeners out there had a great summer. We definitely did. We even got to hang out a little bit. It was awesome.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. It was so awesome. It’s been an amazing summer, and I’m just so excited to be back recording with you. We have so many fun episodes this season planned out, so it’s going to be a fun fall.

Helen: Yeah. In fact, this season marks our four year podcast-iversary. Four years! Can you believe that? It’s so amazing.

Caroline: Uh, yeah, I really can’t. Four years, that’s a long time.

Helen: It’s a long time but also a short time and a good time. Thank you all so much for listening over the past years and supporting us, and we can’t wait to see what year five is going to bring, but yeah, thanks so much again. We really appreciate it.

Caroline: Yeah. Thank you everyone. And before we start, today’s show, we want to ask for your help. We would like to know: what is something you wish you knew when you first started sewing?

Helen: Yes! What is that one thing that you wish someone had told you, something that if you had known, it would have saved you from some of your early sewing mistakes, maybe even some tears along the way?

Caroline: And we’re going to compile the responses into an episode. Hopefully, it’s going to help new sewists avoid the mistakes that we made. So if you’d like your advice featured in the episode, there are several ways to contribute. You can leave us a voicemail at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428, and anyone can call worldwide. And obviously, we love getting voicemails from you guys, so please do send us a voicemail if you can. You can also email us at [email protected]. And finally, you can DM us on Instagram. Our handle is @lovetosew.podcast. And we’re so excited to hear your best piece of advice for new sewists.

Helen: Yeah, let’s help out these new sewists. Okay, longtime listeners will also remember that we used to read listener feedback and questions at the beginning of each episode. And we weren’t doing it for a little while, but we’ve decided we’re going to bring it back to this season because we really enjoy hearing your feedback and also getting a chance to answer questions on the show. We get so many great emails, DMS, and comments from listeners, and they need to be shared. You can also send in all of your emails, questions, comments at all of the ways that Caroline already mentioned. So let’s kick it off with a voicemail from Tara.

Tara: Hi, Helen and Caroline. My name is Tara. I’m @handmadeheadtotoe on Instagram. I’m in Wisconsin, and I was just calling cause I listened to your pressing episode. And one of the things you said is, “You have to have an iron before you start.” And when I started sewing, I did not own an iron, but I heard that it was important, so I try to boil a pot of water on my stove and then iron this little circle skirt that I was trying to make. And I still have the melted portion of the skirt, which I still wear, and also the melted portion marking on my rug. So homemade irons are a thing, but, you know, just be careful when you do that.

And telling a story made me realize that I would love to have a feedback episode where you guys shared, like, everybody’s horror stories, like the worst of the worst. Like, for example, maybe when you melted your rug with a pot of boiling water because you thought you could use that to be an iron. Um, thanks so much. I love the show. Have a great time!

Helen: Oh my goodness, Tara! I love that you still have the piece of fabric that you scorched and the carpet.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s amazing.

Helen: Always be careful with irons. They are hot, hot, hot, and any homemade iron’s no different.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. I think we can all learn from this mistake potentially, but it’s a really good story. Thank you so much for sharing.

Helen: Yes. I liked the episode idea, too, and hopefully our, uh, what I wish I knew when I started sewing episode will include some horror stories maybe, so that might scratch that itch for you.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay, Helen, should we get to the show? Cause we are talking about fabric today, and you know, I love my fabric episodes.

Helen: Yes! And an organized fabric stash is the most satisfying thing. It makes shopping your stash feel like actually shopping at the fabric store instead of just rummaging through bins and piles. So, the last time we talked about the subject was actually, like, three years ago in Episode Three, or four years ago, I guess.

Caroline: Yeah, four years ago. 182 episodes ago to be exact, Helen.

Helen: Oh my goodness. I can’t believe it’s taken us so long to revisit this, but we thought it’d be fun to do an update on our stashes then versus our stashes now cause of course a lot has changed in four years.

Caroline: Yeah. I mean, both of our businesses have grown so much, and we’ve both moved house, me, several times. But let’s just start off with some simple numbers, Helen, not counting home decor fabric, interfacing scraps, things like that, tell me where were you then, and where are you now?

Helen: Okay. Confession: back in 2017, I had 112 pieces of garment fabric, and now, I tried to count them.

Caroline: Tried?

Helen: I tried, uh, I have around 200, I believe. Okay. Your turn.

Caroline: Okay. So back in 2017, I had 78 pieces of fabric. Who was I? I don’t know. 78… it’s not enough. Now, I have 125.

Helen: Oh my goodness. Yes. I mean the numbers have grown, not surprisingly, but how do you feel about your’s, Caroline?

Caroline: I honestly am actually quite pleased with this number. I thought it would be more because I have fabric in my sewing room, kind of, like, poking out of a lot of different places, not just in my shelf, but also just, like, hidden in corners and things. So once I pulled it all out and counted it, I was surprised that it wasn’t more. And honestly, I have a lot more space in that room now, since we moved into this house, so I think I’m happy to have a bigger stash. I do think I’ve done a pretty decent job of purging my stash every once in a while, over the years.

We actually have a bin at work where people can bring in fabrics to swap or give away. So that’s really helpful to know that, um, those fabrics will go to a good home. I even have had fabrics that I’ve brought in and then seen someone make something with them and wear the-, wear it to work, which is so cool to see those fabrics getting used. And I’m also proud that I’ve done, like, a good amount of sewing through my stash. Like, a lot of pieces that I remember having in my stash back in 2017 are now garments, which is, you know, kind of, the point, so I’m happy about that.

I actually had to go back and look at the show notes for Episode Three, to remember how I organized my stash back then, which was, like, rolling most of my fabrics, and I had them hidden away in a cabinet. And now I have everything, kind of, folded, like, Blackbird style and stacked on cube shelves. We’ll talk a little bit more about that later, but I really like that they’re on display, and I can really see, like, everything that I have and admire my fabrics. I love just, like, sitting in my sewing room and thinking about all the projects I want to make. So it’s very conducive to that and yeah, I’m just, kind of, like, embracing my big fabric stash. I own a fabric store after all, so I think I have an excuse, and I’m proud of all the pieces that I’ve collected over the years. So, I feel great about it, but tell me how you feel, Helen.

Helen: Oh, I am not surprised at all that my number has grown. I, uh, like you, had a limited space in my apartment, and I had a large collection of fabrics, even then. They were, like you said, sticking out of every corner and cabinet and closet in my apartment. So now with my larger studio and my business, I have them all nicely organized and in one place, and it’s so lovely. And I do have a really hard time resisting beautiful fabrics when I see them come in in the newsletters for my favorite fabric stores, and I like to support those businesses, too. So, like you, I’m feeling pretty proud of my fabric stash.

I know that some people may find 200 fabrics to be a bit shocking, while others out there will be in the same boat as me. I don’t think there’s a right size for a fabric stash. I mean, I’m a collector of things at heart, and I love my fabric collection. I’m constantly inspired by it, and I play with it when I need to relax or have some, like, me time. You’ll find me in there organizing my fabrics or planning projects in front of my fabric wardrobe, touching them, and, like, it’s just a happy place for me to be. So I get a lot of joy out of my collection, and I do think I am getting better at using things up when I get them. I’ve been trying to be more mindful about purchasing fabrics and then immediately sewing something with them.

But that doesn’t help with all of the things that were there before. And I think a large portion of my collection is fabrics that I’ve had for five plus years. And I’m not sure at this point, if I’m going to use those fabrics, some of them I’ll hold onto just because they’re sentimental. But I have been thinking that it might be time for a destash. It might be time to let some of those pieces go and give them to a good home.

So I had this idea for maybe doing a little studio warming/fabric swap situation, where I could gift some of my fabrics to local sewists cause I’ve met a lot of local sewists here in the Valley, and that would be a great way to just get everyone together and have fun sharing fabrics. And I haven’t had a chance to do that since I moved to this new town because of the pandemic. So, I’m just, yeah, I think that would be really cool.

Caroline: That is such a great idea. I love the idea of, kind of, paying it forward, gifting your fabrics to new sewists, who will be able to make lovely things with them. So, yeah, that’s a great call.

Helen: Yeah. I will say as long as Blackbird keeps releasing those custom prints, my collection is gonna continue to grow.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. I think, uh, around this time when this episode comes out, we’ll be releasing our next print collection, and you’re gonna freak.

Helen: Oh yeah. I can’t get enough. Prints are just so much fun and yeah, I just love seeing everything you guys come up with.

Caroline: Oh, thank you. It’s been fun. It’s been a fun journey working on those prints.

Helen: Alright, should we talk about how to organize 200 plus pieces of fabric?

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yes. And we have so many thoughts on organization. So the simplest way to store your stash that you can still see it is to fold your pieces and stack them on shelves. That’s what I do. Having our fabric out makes it easier to remember what we have because it’s right in front of our faces, right? So the drawback of this though, is that people who don’t have a dedicated sewing room might not want to display their fabrics. However, you could also use, like, a cabinet, an armoire, or a closet, and just keep the doors closed. Keeping the fabrics in, like, an enclosed space also reduces dust and the opportunity for light damage. So that’s, kind of, a good way of looking at it as well.

11:41 Helen: Definitely. Do not put your fabric stash on a shelf in front of a window cause…

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: …when you go to unfold that precious fabric, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Um, another tip I have, too, is to make sure that the unit you’re using to store your fabric is strong. Ask me how I know! If you, a lot of fabric on there, it can equal a lot of weight. Fabric is actually quite heavy. It’s heavier than you think. So in my experience, my wardrobe I was using actually collapsed under the weight of all the fabric in it.

Caroline: Oh, that’s how you know.

Helen: That’s how I know. So one day I just came into my studio, and there was fabric everywhere and shelves everywhere and it was a hot mess. So I had to clean that up and reinforce my wardrobe and make sure that it could hold the weight and check to make sure that whatever you’re purchasing to store your fabric, see if there’s a weight limit on those shelves cause there very well might be.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s definitely a good call because, um, that can be dangerous if there’s someone, like, in front of a unit or something and it falls. So definitely want to make sure that you’re, kind of, reinforcing things where they need to be reinforced.

Um, another thing you can do is fold up your fabrics and store them in drawers. The Marie Kondo method of folding would come in really handy here. We’ll link that up in the show notes. She folds things so that they’re stacked horizontally in a drawer rather than vertically. So think of books in a drawer where you can see all the spines. This makes it easy to see what you have because it’s all visible from above. And it’s pretty difficult to explain how to fold this way without any vision. So we’re going to also link a video for you in our show notes. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to fold your fabrics this way without even thinking about it. And you can even adjust it so that your folded fabric can match the depth of your drawers.

Helen: Yeah, and another great option is to roll up your fabric. This is a great idea for fabrics that can get permanent creases, like waxed cotton, leather, vinyl. You can ask a fabric store if they have any leftover cardboard rolls, or you could use ones that you save from rolls of wrapping paper, things like that. You can also buy mailing tubes if you’d like something a bit more hardy. Um, and then you can stand them up in a basket or a bin and put them in the closet or keep them on display. Um, and to keep the fabric from unrolling, you could tie a scrap piece of fabric or yarn or bias tape or elastic around either end. Um, you could also use little plastic clips or stainless steel pins to hold it in place. So, you can roll it up around the tube, or you can just roll up your fabrics on their own and store them on a shelf in little rolls. Um, which I think looks really cute, kind of, like little cinnamon buns or something.

Caroline: Yeah. You can do… on the tube, it looks more like you have your own personal fabric store.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: And if you just roll it up into a little cinnamon bun, then it’s just much more compact and cute, I agree.

Helen: Yeah, and it doesn’t take up as much space on the shelf, I think, if you roll it, or at least, that’s the theory. It’s, kind of, like when you roll things to put them in a suitcase, if you’re going on vacation, um, so you can sometimes save space that way. I think they especially look good if you roll them up and stand them in one of those storage cubes that fit into square shelving. So, like the IKEA Kallax unit, if you roll them up and stick them in there, and then, you can have little separated compartments for each of the tubes.

So, to make sure that it’s going to fit properly, you want to open up the fabric, fold it along the cut edge so that the width is just a little bit smaller than the height of your cube, and then roll up that length of fabric so that way you make sure that everything is going to fit, and you can do the same for storing fabrics on shelves. You could make all the rolls the same length so that it looks really nice and uniform.

Caroline: Yeah. And rolling works really well for fabrics that don’t want to hold their shape when they’re folded, like any kind of slinky knit fabrics or like a silk satin or something like that, things that will just sort of like fall if you’re folding them will actually usually hold a roll a lot better.

Helen: So true. Okay. Another popular method we’ve seen is the comic book board method. You want to tell us all about that, Caroline?

Caroline: Yeah, it’s become a bit of a cult favorite way of organizing fabric in the sewing community. So comic book boards are acid-free and made of board that isn’t super thick, but it isn’t flimsy either. So the acid free part is important because your fabrics can get damaged by acidic paper, especially if they are stored for a long time. So to get your fabric ready to store, you basically fold the fabric around the board so that it’s all tidy, kind of, like a little book, and then it can stand up by itself on a shelf or in a drawer. There’s a really good video tutorial for this by Sew Sweetness that we’ll link in the show notes.

And having your fabric stash on shelves makes it easier to see what you have and then having them vertical makes it easier to take fabrics out and put them back. So it’s, kind of, again, like your own little mini fabric shop when you do it around comic book boards, that looks similar to, like, a quilt shop where you see all those double fold rolls of fabric, but it’s, kind of, more compact than that.

Kelly from True Bias wrote a blog post where she points out that a lot of the sewists who use comic book boards are organizing quilting cottons which are usually 45 inches wide, rather than garment fabrics which are usually around 58 inches. Obviously, there’s a lot of variance there, but as garment sewists, we usually have longer lengths of fabric as well. So Kelly’s solution was to use magazine boards which are just like comic book boards, but bigger. And Kelly also uses plastic alligator clips to keep her fabric from unfolding. She avoids metal because of the risk of rust. So we’ll link the blog post in the show notes so you can see exactly how she folds her fabrics and how neat her stash looks on her shelf.

Helen: Oh, it looks so cool. I want to try this method, but I’m worried about the time investment in changing my organization system that I have.

Caroline: I feel like it is quite, quite an undertaking.

Helen: Yeah, but if you had a small stash, like 10 pieces, it could be so pretty.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Hanging up your fabric is another good option. You can use pants hangers that have those little clips on either side of them to clip up your folded fabric, or you could use a regular hanger and, like, drape your fabric over the empty space in the middle of the hanger. You could use clothes pins to secure those slippery fabrics to the hangers. There’s also pants hangers that have multiple layers of horizontal bars. So you could hang a bunch of fabrics from one hanger. It’s a great way to use vertical space if you have, like, a spare closet that you’re not using where you want to put your stash, but this one comes with a couple of warnings.

Caroline: Yes. You want to be careful with wire hangers because dampness in the air can result in rust spots on your fabrics. So go with plastic or stainless steel hangers. That’s going to be a lot less risky. And then, not all fabrics are good to hang. So some knits can get really stretched out and misshapen if you hang them. Um, so just keep that in mind, not a one size fits all solution but could definitely work for some fabrics.

Helen: Mhm. Putting fabric in bins is another popular way to store fabric. It’s nice to have all your fabrics in one area, and you can put them in out of the way places, like under the bed or on a shelf in a closet. Putting fabrics in a bin also has the advantage of keeping them dust free, and a disadvantage to using bins is that it can be difficult to pull out just one or two fabrics that you’re interested in, especially if they’re at the bottom of the pile. It’s also not very easy to see what you have. And you’re just going to forget that there are things in there.

Caroline: Yeah. I used to store my fabrics, I’ve had so many different ways that I stored fabrics over the years, but this was one of them. And I remember thinking, like, I would just forget about things, and once in a while, I’d pull out all the boxes and open them up and try to go through and see what I have, and then I’d make a big mess. So it wasn’t the right solution for me. But definitely, if you’re trying to space save, I think it could be great. Yeah. I don’t know. It works.

Helen: Yeah, and there are some ways to make it a little easier to use this method. You can use smaller bins and label them really well. So make sure that you’re putting, like, just knits in this one or just linens in this one, that kind of thing. Then, you would only have to look in one small bin for what you need, and you’d actually be able to see what’s inside that bin.

Caroline: Yeah, exactly. Another way to make bin storage more practical is to catalog your fabrics. So we’ll discuss cataloging in a little bit, but you could go through your catalog to choose your fabric, rather than taking everything out to look at what you have. And then you would only have to reach into the bin when you’re ready to start sewing a new project.

Helen: Whoa, like you choose your fabric and then you look at your catalog and then, you know, oh, it’s in bin 4B and then you go and find that bin and you get it out. Wow.

Caroline: I love it. Yeah, you could go as far as you want with this, right? You can get really detailed.

Helen: Oh, yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. I think it could be a really cool method.

Helen: Yeah, and we already mentioned small bins, but I also think a good tip is shallow bins. So not only small but also not too deep because again, things get buried. So, um, shallow bins and clear bins can also be helpful so you can see what’s inside if you don’t have a super high-tech cataloging system just yet.

Caroline: Totally. Okay. So we’ve mentioned shelves, cabinets, and drawers in this episode, but what if you don’t already have these pieces of furniture? We have some fave furniture pieces that sewists love that we’re going to mention here. So obviously, IKEA furniture is popular for a reason. It’s affordable, and the simple design means it can go with lots of different decor styles.

So the Kallax shelf unit is that cube style shelf that you see everywhere, and you can actually buy storage cubes to put in it, or you can just leave it open. There’s lots of customization options with that, uh, shelving unit, the Kallax.

Helen: Mhm, and I love that you can buy that style of shelf from pretty much any store now. You don’t have to get the IKEA one. They’re definitely available in lots of places. Also, the Pax wardrobe. That’s what I have mine in, and it is the one that collapsed, so keep that in mind. But if you don’t have quite as many pieces as mine, I think you’ll be okay. It comes with a ton of different variations, too, shelves, drawers, hanging rods, doors. You can basically make a custom closet with their Pax system, so that’s pretty cool.

Caroline: Yeah. I love all the customization you can do with that because there’s just so many little bits and bobs in sewing, so you can have a big Pax wardrobe and have all of your sewing stuff organized in there. It’s a bit pricier, I think, but it’s still really cool.

And then the Billy bookcase is simple and versatile. This would be a good one for fabric folded on magazine boards. And it’s one of the more affordable options at IKEA as well. So you can do a lot with Billy.

Helen: And the nice thing about these simple designs is that you could also build them, and you could use cheap materials like plywood to make something like a Kallax or like a Billy, especially if you’re just putting it in your sewing area, and you just need something to put fabric on. Experiment a little bit with some woodworking, maybe if someone in your life who could help you out.

Caroline: Totally. And then Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are great places to find quality furniture in a ton of different styles…

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: …and look past, maybe, the initial impressions of furniture on Marketplace cause you can do so much with, like, a little bit of paint and elbow grease. So yeah, you can probably find some really great deals on there if you’re on a budget.

Helen: Yes. Okay. So let’s say you’ve got your shelf, your drawers, your bins, et cetera, emptied out, ready to go, ready for organization, and you want to sort your fabric so you can find what you need. What are some good ways to organize and categorize fabrics once you’ve got your stash?

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yeah. I mean, I think the sky is the limit here, and you also want to think about how you’re going to use your stash. So there’s a lot of different options, but one thing you can do is separate your knits from your wovens. So if you know what kind of garment you want to make, you probably know whether you want a knit or a woven anyway, right?

Helen: Yes. And you could also categorize her fabrics by color. This would look really great on a shelf. You can totally rainbow-tize your fabrics. I do love this idea, but I also think it’s impractical because a lot of the time you’re looking for a type of fabric, not a color of fabric, but maybe that’s just me.

Caroline: Did I ever tell you about the time I rainbow-tized all of my apps on my iPhone?

Helen: Oh yeah. When we first met, you had those.

Caroline: And I could never find anything.

Helen: It was impressive though.

Caroline: I was like, wait, what color is that app again?

Helen: And then they changed their logo and it’s all messed up.

Caroline: Yeah. This is something that I do: separating prints and solids. I love having all of my prints, kind of, stacked up together in one area. I think it looks really pretty. And usually I know going into a project if I want to work with a print or a solid, so it’s nice to be able to just go right to those sections when they’re already separated.

Helen: I like to mix mine together. I go, like, print, solid, print, solid, so that the prints, I can, like, see them better cause there’s some space around them.

Caroline: I like that. I can see that, too, Helen. There’s no wrong or right way to do this.

Helen: You can categorize based on fiber content. So if you have a big diverse stash, this can be a really cool way to organize it, so you can find what you’re looking for. Like, putting all your linens together, all your cottons together, that kind of thing.

Caroline: Yeah, and you can sort based on the size of your fabric pieces, so when you want to make a top, you know where to go to find your one and two yard pieces. When you want to make pants or a dress, you could look through your three and four yard pieces. And you can put your smallest pieces in, like, a shallow drawer or in a shoe box size bin.

Helen: Yeah. And in the end, it really depends on what your stash looks like. If 90% of your fabrics are black, sorting by color probably isn’t going to be the right choice for you. Or if you lay everything out to see what you have, maybe the right way to organize and categorize will leap out at you.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s true. Let your fabrics talk to you.

Helen: Yes. Okay, Caroline, how is yours organized? We touched on this a bit, but give us the full meal deal.

Caroline: Yeah, so, um, like I said, I have all of my fabrics on a cube shelf from IKEA. It’s not the Kallax. It’s, kind of, similar, but it’s now discontinued. We’ll definitely share some pictures in the show notes of our, how we have our stuff organized.

Helen: Wait, what?

Caroline: Right?

Helen: Yeah, totally. I just need to clean it up a little bit. I’ll be right back.

Caroline: Me too. Good thing we’re recording this in advance. Gives you a runway for that. But yeah, like I said, I keep all of my woven prints together cause I think it’s really pretty. I also have all of my yarn dyes together on one shelf, so all my, like, stripes and plaids, they might actually spill over into two shelves now, but to be determined. Um, and then the rest are kind of organized by fiber content or fabric type and grouped by color. It’s a bit of a mess, but, like, I know where everything is.

So for example, I have all my denims together in one cube, like, my bottom weight denims. And then I have all of my other bottom weights in one cube, and those are stacked, sort of, rainbow-tized. Um, and then I have a few cubes of, like, linens, which I have more heavyweight linens in one cube and lighter weight linens in another. So I, kind of, organize using a lot of the different ways that we mentioned, but it makes sense to me.

And then with my knits and stuff, I have, like, a cube with all of my more athletic knits. And then I have a cube with more of my sweater knits, and then some of my bulkier pieces, like coatings, I keep in a closet nearby. Um, cause they would just take up, like, a whole cube just for one piece of fabric.

Helen: Oh yeah.

Caroline: But yeah, it’s definitely a lot. I have, like I said, a lot of fabric, um, but I’m cool with it. And I know how I organize it, and I, I’m happy with my organization that I’ve, sort of, developed over the years.

Helen: I like your tip about organizing by weight. We didn’t really touch on that, but of course you can separate out the bottom weights, which would be the heavier weight fabrics from the lightweights. And that way you’re also not stacking a pile of denim on top of silk, like…

Caroline: Oh yeah, totally.

Helen: …cause you’ll squish it, right? And you might end up with some pretty hard crease lines in your fabric that way.

Caroline: Oh, that just made me think of a little bonus tip. Denim, especially, like, indigo denim will bleed. So make sure you’re not putting, like, a light colored fabric, right butted up against your denim. I would keep your denim separated and even put, like, a piece of paper or plastic in between the layers if you’re storing it next to something that it could bleed on.

Helen: Ooh, that’s a good tip.

Caroline: …cause that will definitely happen.

Helen: Do you think denim can, like, crease to the point where it would have, like, a permanent crease in it, too?

Caroline: Hopefully not. I haven’t had that experience. Yeah, I think, yeah, once you prewash it, it’ll, sort of, redistribute the indigo dye, and it should be fine…

Helen: Okay.

Caroline: …if you are seeing any, kind of, creases, but no, I haven’t experienced that.

Helen: Okay, good. Mine are all folded up, so I hope they’re fine.

Caroline: Yeah. Tell me about how you organize your giant Pax cause you have a lot of fabric in there and it’s beautiful, but I want to know what the method to your madness is.

Helen: I, kind of, organize them by fabric type per shelf. So I have all my linens on one shelf, my cottons on another, my rayons on another, my denim on another, wools, et cetera. And then all the knits on one shelf. And that shelf is the, the most messy by far, because knits, like, they don’t fold super well. And sometimes if you’re, like, a sweater knit could be really bulky versus like a slinky bamboo knit. And then also I find knits are hard to pull out without everything just coming apart and making a big mess. So that area of my fabric collection is definitely, could probably use some improvement. I might switch to the rolling method actually.

And then I have a couple of areas that are a mix of things like Tencel and silk and velvet and stuff like that. And then I also have a shelf on the top that I affectionately call my “weird fabrics.” We all have these, right? Like mystery fiber content or a unique weight or drape or some, like, random piece of something you picked up at a flea market, thinking like, this is so beautiful. And then you’re just not sure what to do with it. Maybe something embroidered or pleated or just outside of the norm of what you usually work with. So I have some random pieces of, like, faux leather and fur thrown in there, too. And they’re all, kind of, up on this top shelf where I put my quote unquote weird stuff.

Caroline: Yeah. I love that.

Helen: But I just fold and stack my fabrics in the wardrobe, um, just folding and putting them one on top of another. And I occasionally do need to go in and reorder them, but I try to keep it neat when I’m pulling things in and out when I’m playing around with them. And if I’m doing that and thinking about, like, a project or a pattern, I want to pull a bunch of fabrics to get inspiration and play around with them, I’ll pull them out and then I’ll put them on a table nearby when I’m done. And then I clear that table off regularly by putting everything on that table away, just to make sure that everything gets put away properly cause sometimes when I’m in like the inspiration moment, I don’t want to do the cleanup part.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Well, it sounds like you have a good, a good organization method as well.

Helen: I feel pretty good about it. I think, like I said, I need to destash a little and fix that knits area, but otherwise, I’m pretty satisfied.

Caroline: Awesome.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Okay. What about scraps? Because organizing scraps is pretty different from organizing large pieces of fabric.

Helen: Oh boy. Yes, they’re so small. And they’re the most likely to get jumbled up in a bin or a drawer and be just really hard to look at and get inspired by because they can just be so messy. Um, and you lose track of things that way, too. So you can do what a lot of fabric stores do with their remnants, which is roll them up and tape a small piece of paper around the roll with the fabric info on it or a little hang tag or something. And then a bunch of small rolls is a little less jumbly than a bunch of unfolded fabric scraps.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. Um, I think that would work as long as the piece is big enough.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: It won’t work for, like, little pieces but could definitely work for anything that’s over, like, a meter maybe. Um, if you plan to use some of your scraps as stuffing, then you don’t really have to worry about keeping them organized. You can throw these scraps in, like, a designated bag or a bin, and they’ll be ready for you when it’s time to stuff a poof or a pillow.

Helen: Yeah. I’ve seen quilters doing this, um, because I’ve been watching some more quilting YouTube these days, and having, like, a bag of little scraps that people will just pull little bits out of and then do, like, improv quilting with it. So it’s like you reach into the bag and you just pull it out and you just use it, whatever it is. So I think that could be really cool as an opportunity to just play with your scraps and use them up and make fun stuff.

Caroline: That is such a great idea. Like a surprise bag.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. @zerowastedaniel has a reel about how he sorts his scraps on Instagram. He sorts them by color and then by size. He has a rainbow of small scraps stored in a big glass jars in his studio. So it’s almost like his scraps are a paint palette, and then he paints his appliqued garments with them, which is so cool. And I love the idea of it being decoration at the same time as organization.

Caroline: Oh, absolutely. Use that wall space. I love, I love this jar idea, so cool.

Okay, so do you have a good method of organizing your scraps right now?

Helen: I mean, I don’t know if it’s a good method. I have two IKEA Samla bins that I try to fit everything into. They’re very wide and deep and very shallow. They’re, like, six inches tall, I guess. So they’re super, super shallow, and they’re clear. So I do find that those two things make it a little easier to see what’s in there.

And I fold the scraps up and tuck them in Marie Kondo style, so I can see the spines of all the fabrics. But I’ll be honest, the bins are full. They’re full to the brim. They’re overflowing. I’ve definitely hit my limit with these two bins. So maybe I need to do more, or I need to do some more scrap busting projects, obviously. I mean, I do love to make scrap busting things. It’s one of my favorite things to do in sewing.

So it’s a goal of mine to do a few more projects like this in the next year. I like sharing them, too, because I think other people find them inspiring. We all have scraps, and we want to figure out ways to use them. So it’s a lot of fun to do scrap busting projects, like making little home decor things or little accessories or just, like, putting a bunch of textiles together and making a garment. I think that’s one of the most fun things I enjoy doing with my scraps.

Caroline: Oh yeah, absolutely. And I mean, Helen, if your stash has grown, it would make sense that your scraps have grown. So maybe you just need a couple more bins.

Helen: Yeah, that’s true. And my scrap stash is separated by knits and wovens, but I think I would like to separate it even more now that it’s growing and maybe have a denim area and a linen area so that when I do go to put those scraps into a garment, I can make sure that I’m using all, kind of, similar scraps.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So yeah, maybe I’ll overhaul that as well this year. But another tip I wanted to give here is that I like to make sure that I’m trimming down the scraps that are leftover after I cut out a project. So I’m not putting away pieces that have long tendrils of selvedge edge or, like, a weird triangle of fabric sticking out that you might not ever be able to use for something. So I try to trim off all of those little bits and bobs so that I am left with a piece that is easier to store, and that way I can keep things organized.

Caroline: That’s actually such a good idea. I have that problem with interfacing where I’ll pull out my, like, one meter of interfacing that I’ve been using forever. And I’m like, why did I keep this? Cause it’s just, like, all these random tendrils sticking out.

Helen: Yeah, it looks like it’s been slashed in, like, a horror movie or something.

Caroline: It makes so much sense to deal with that right off the bat.

Helen: Yeah. Okay. What about you? What is, what’s the deal with your scraps?

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I’ve definitely updated my, uh, scrap sorting methods recently after moving last year and having, like, a more generous sewing space to work with. I decided to get a little bit more serious about it.

So, I have a bin for my cotton scraps that I use for, uh, mask making. And then I have four IKEA Sortera bins under my cutting table. So these are the ones that, I think they’re meant for recycling, they’re white, and they sort of have, like, a flat opening on the side. So they’re stackable, but you can always open them. You don’t have to, like, pull one out to open it.

And I have those labeled with linen, cotton, knits, and then, like, miscellaneous. I mostly work with linen, cotton, and knits, so that’s what made sense for me. And this is under my cutting table, so it’s really easy for me to, like, as I’m cutting, throw scraps into those bins. And I will do that unless it’s big enough for a whole other garment, a scrap, the scraps will always go into those bins.

And then I also have a bin for tiny scraps that are unusable, and those ones I bring into my warehouse and I go, they go into our, like, textile recycling bin. So I have quite a robust sorting method which has helped me a lot to keep things under control this year cause, honestly, I used to just have, like, one big bin that I would throw all my scraps in, and then every once in a while, I’d sort of try to go through it and bring some into work to recycle. And it just wasn’t really working for me. So…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …now I have a better method.

Helen: I like the idea of these recycling style drawers,and being able to just put things away as you’re cutting. I think that’s the system that I need, even if it’s like a landing spot for scraps before they go to the final organization area.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. They’re not folded or anything. They’re really just, like, thrown into the bin. So it’s a little bit of a treasure hunt, and I’m sure over time it’ll get more out of control, and I’ll have to have, like, a secondary way of, like, folding stuff and putting it away. But this works for me right now.

Helen: Yeah. Fair enough. Okay. Let’s talk about some special considerations for storing fabrics that we want to mention in this episode. First of all, sunlight. Sunlight can bleach fabric over time. So if you have your fabric on display, and you don’t think you’re going to be sewing it for a little while, you might want to get blackout curtains for the windows in that room, or make sure that you have your fabric om, like, a cabinet, so there’s doors that you can close to protect that fabric.

Caroline: Yeah. And if your fabrics are in drawers or opaque bins or, like, a closet, then you don’t have to worry about that.

Helen: No, you don’t have to worry about that, but…

Caroline: But, moths are definitely a danger to animal fibers. So wool, mohair, angora, fur, feathers, all of these things are at risk to have moth infestation, clothes moth infestation. So there’s a really good article in the New York Times, Wirecutter, all about clothes moths and how to prevent and get rid of them. Their main recommendation for preventing them is to store animal fiber fabrics in airtight plastic bins or, like, compression storage bags.

And they also said that moths hate light and movement. So regularly introducing light into the areas where you store your fabrics and moving them around will prevent moths. And if you see a moth under one centimeter long near your fabrics, or if you see the beginnings of moth damage, act fast. The Wirecutter article tells you all about how to get rid of these pests, and so, we’re going to link it in the show notes for you all. Oh my gosh. I think that’s, like, moths stresses me out the most, the idea of getting moths in my fabric.

Helen: Yeah, I know. I’m like, I want to go in my stash right now and just double check and see if there’s any in there.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah, it would definitely be heartbreaking, especially with your knitting, too. I don’t know if you store your knitting stuff in a similar area, but oh my gosh, what a disaster that would be.

Helen: I should check it. I think this is funny though, because we’re like, don’t put it in the sunlight, but make sure you put light on them so that you don’t get moths.

Caroline: Yeah, I think that, like, making sure that you’re, like, introducing light to it every once in a while. Like, if you’re keeping it in a bin, like, open it up, but probably not having regular exposure to light.

Helen: The best thing you can do is just play with your fabrics as much as possible.

Caroline: Perfect.

Helen: And you also don’t want to store napped fabrics like velvet folded up in a drawer because the nap can get crushed. Um, like we were talking about with a big stack of denim sitting on top of some silk or something, don’t put your velvet at the bottom of the pile. In fabric stores, they usually roll the velvet up loosely or fold it like an accordion and then clip it to a pants hanger and hang it or something like that. so that, that nap is not going to get crushed.

Uh, you can also use safety pins to pin it to a hanger. That’s a little bit more delicate and make sure not to squeeze your velvet into a super full closet cause that could crush the velvet.

Caroline: Ooh, good point. Okay. And then prewashing is always a good idea. So when you bring your fabric home, you can throw it directly into your clothes hamper and then wash it along with your clothes the next time you do laundry. And then when you’re ready to use it, it’s going to be ready for you.

Helen: Yeah. Just be mindful of dye leakage when you’re washing new fabrics, especially with your precious clothes. You want to make sure you’re not going to be staining anything. And you might notice a lot of lint coming off of linen fabrics in the first few washes. That’s totally normal. I also think that if you’re washing, like, a big piece of denim or something, that should go in the wash on its own. You shouldn’t be mixing that with a bunch of other things because it needs the space to move around because it’s stiff, right? So even if you’re washing, like, more than three meters of denim, you might want to cut that denim into smaller pieces if you’re able cause yeah, it can be a lot in the washer all at once.

Caroline: Absolutely, Helen. Thank you for mentioning that. That is so important. Okay, so what about your stash of notions? If you’re the kind of person who picks up bags of vintage notions from thrift stores or estate sales, you may have a bunch of notions hanging around that you’d like to organize. So how, what are our tips for that? How do we do that?

Helen: Organizers that are intended for eating utensils are really useful for holding zippers. I love that tip. You can have a little cutlery drawer full of zippers.

Caroline: Adorable.

Helen: You can also keep elastic, ribbons, and trims from unrolling and tangling up by winding them loosely around your hand and then putting a little rubber band around the middle. You could get crafty with it, too, and wind them around cards or pieces of cardboard. Like, cut up a cereal box and then you’ll have some pieces. I saw somebody using the Blackbird Fabrics hang tags to store their bias tape on.

Caroline: Smart.

Helen: The perfect size. So you can do that and then stand them in a little shoe box, like a card catalog. So cute.

Caroline: Oh, I love that. And sorting through a giant jar of assorted buttons can be a bit annoying too, if you have to do it every time. So you can sort your buttons by size or color and use a jewelry organizer to hold them. There are jewelry organizers that hang up in a closet and have lots of different, like, little clear pockets. And there are also kinds that go in a drawer and have little cubbies that you can fill. So you can throw your hooks and eyes and snaps in there, too. And have all of your little bits and bobs, kind of, organized into tiny little cubbies.

Helen: Oh, I need to do this with my, like, hardware because I have all of these jeans buttons and rivets and, like, little hooks and eyes and stuff, like you said. So I definitely think I need to get a jewelry organizer.

And then for thread, you can buy wooden spool racks that hang up on the wall. And if you’d rather not display your thread, or if you’re worried about sun damage, there are also bins that are specifically made to hold thread spools that you can put in a little drawer.

I use a tilted spice rack drawer insert to hold my thread, and, uh, we’ll put a pic in the show notes of what that looks like.

Caroline: It’s so cute. I love that method.

Okay. So let’s get into something super nerdy and super satisfying. And that is cataloging your fabric. So there are digital and analog ways to do this, but we want to start with digital. Digital catalogs are amazing because they’re easy to edit and don’t take up any space and you can browse your fabric stash while you’re in line at the bank.

Helen: Or better yet, while you’re in line at the fabric store.

Caroline: Should I, or shouldn’t I buy this fabric?

Helen: Exactly. You’re like, wait, I think I already have one of this. And then you can go and double check. It’s awesome.

Okay. So there are a couple of apps, we want to recommend for cataloging your fabric. There’s Notion, there’s Trello, and then also, Evernote. These are all apps that were made for small businesses to collaborate, but there’s lots of features that are useful for individual sewists, as well.

So to create a fabric catalog, you can create a fabric stash board with a little card for each fabric. And on that card, you can save a photo of the fabric, write the details, like the fiber content, the width, the length, where you bought it, and your ideas for how to use it. You can also put, like, the washing and care instructions if you have that information. I like to just copy and paste off the website of the fabric store that I got it from because often all that info is in there.

And you can use labels to organize your cards, and this is the best part because after you’ve labeled your cards in these apps, then you can search your labels for specific characteristics. Like, you just want to see your red fabrics or just your Tencel fabrics or just your quilting cottons. And put as many labels as you can think of on each fabric so that your catalog is super easily searchable.

Notion, Trello, and Evernote all have free versions that work well for individual sewists. And these apps are pretty similar. They all, kind of, have a similar approach. So you can do this on most of them and take a look at them and see which one you like best because they’re all a little different and the same at the same time.

Caroline: Yeah. Do you still use Trello to organize your stash?

Helen: Oh, I used to be really good about this digital catalog thing with my stash. And I’ve talked about it on the show before, and I was really into it for a little while. But I will be honest, I have totally not been keeping up with that in the last few years. So mine is woefully out of date, but I was really enjoying it at a time when I was getting super into sewing.

And it was just a way that I could engage with the hobby when I didn’t have time to do the sewing part. Like, when you’re really busy and you’re trying to do a bunch of things or maybe you’re parenting or whatever it is you’ve got going on in your life and you can’t sew. Having fun with cataloging your fabric stash, is pretty awesome.

Caroline: Oh yeah, totally. Yeah. I, I think it’s like, it depends on where you’re at in your life and what you need, but cataloging digitally could be so useful for some people and not needed for others and that’s totally okay. We did want to also mention that there are some fabric specific apps. Cora is the one that we know of, and this one’s for iOS only, but we’ll link it up in the show notes. It’s meant for sewists to organize their fabric stash so very much tailored to our needs.

Helen: Yes, and if you have a preferred digital method of organization, please share it with us. We would love to hear about it so we can spread the word. Um, you can also just use the notes app on your phone to categorize your fabric. You can save each fabric in a separate note and then give them lots of labels so they’re easy to search, similar kind of method. The drawback with these built in apps on the phone is that if you use them on a regular basis for stuff other than cataloging your fabric, uh, it can, kind of, get cluttered up. Uh, so it’s nice to have a dedicated area where you’re doing it just for fabric.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, and so you can also go analog and make a physical, fabric catalog. That rhymed. Uh, you can put a swatch of each fabric in a notebook along with its details. And this can double as a really cool reference book that’s going to help you learn about different textiles. And you can use a three inch binder. That’s going to give you extra room for fabrics and make reorganizing it really easy. And you can even use dividers for different categories. And you can do the same thing with index cards and bind them with a ring. So you have a lot of options here for that physical cataloging.

Helen: Yeah. One of the benefits of this is obviously that you get to touch and see and feel the fabric in real life. It’s not the same as just a picture, so I do really like that. And a cool idea is to cut a little swatch of each fabric you buy and put it onto, like, a key ring or carabiner that then you can take with you when you go fabric shopping. So when you want to buy a pattern or match your thread and notions or decide whether you need more of that type of fabric, then you will have a piece of fabric with you to help you make those decisions while you’re shopping.

You can use an awl to poke a hole in your fabric or make a tiny snip so it isn’t too close to the edge and then you can poke your key ring through. I used to have just, like, really big safety pin that I would do this with. Um, and that worked well cause you just poke it right on.

Caroline: Cute. Okay. We have a couple more cataloguing tips. So if your fabric comes with a hang tag, you can save that and glue or tape it into your catalog.

Helen: Very cool. You can also make a habit of cataloging your fabric right after you get it. That way you can write down all the details while they’re fresh in your mind. It’s so easy to forget what fiber a fabric is made out of. And if you’re online shopping a lot, you can pull, like I said, the description from the website, but you can also screenshot, copy/paste the images from the website so that you don’t have to take your own pictures of the fabric.

Caroline: Ooh, you can also make a note of, like, what you have in mind for that fabric if you bought it for a specific purpose cause I have a really bad habit of buying fabric with something in mind and then completely forgetting…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …what I was planning on making with it. But yes, cataloging sounds like a lot of work, but it’s more like a small habit that’s spread out over a long period of time. And once you have your cataloging system set up, it’s going to take five minutes or less to catalog the new fabrics that come into your life. So don’t be intimidated.

Helen: I mean, 200 pieces of fabric is a little intimidating, Caroline.

Caroline: But you could, like, split it up into groups of 20…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …over the course of 10 weeks.

Helen: Yeah. Or you could just not. If making a catalog sounds like a lot of work and you’re not into the idea, then forget about it. Your sewing practice is for you. So cataloging is for people who get joy out of cataloging. And if that’s not you, then the best way to organize your fabric stash is the way that you want and the way that you will stick with, more importantly.

Caroline: That’s such a good point. This is a hobby, not a job, everyone.

Helen: Yeah, exactly.

Caroline: Do what works for you. Okay. We’re going to switch gears now and talk tips for using what you’ve got and making a dent in your stash cause I think we would be remiss if we didn’t mention this in this episode, it’s always good to use what you have when you can. So when you’re ready for a new project, shop your stash. Stashes have the risk of being out of sight, out of mind. So if you actually look through what you have or your catalog of what you have, if that’s your jam, you might use some of that fabric that was exciting when you first bought it.

Helen: Yes. And one of the benefits, I think, to this, it seems obvious, but it’s that you already have it so you can get started right away. You don’t have to wait for the fabric to arrive. So I really enjoy shopping my stash when I have a project in mind, rather than choosing a pattern and then searching for fabric, you could go fabric first. So look for patterns that will match up with the fiber, content, style ,and the amount of fabric that you have in your collection. And it’s just another way to approach sewing that can, kind of, turn it on its head, and it might give you a little boost of inspiration.

Caroline: Bonus points if you can choose a fabric first and then find a pattern in your pattern stash that works with that fabric.

Helen: Full stash.

Caroline: Right? Okay, you can also make a commitment to make one stash garment for each new fabric garment or two stash garments for each new fabric garment. The ratio is totally up to you, or go even further and commit to making stash only projects for a little while. So this might feel really limiting, but with those limits, there’s a lot of opportunity for creativity and that’s brings us to our next tip.

Helen: Yes. One of my favorites, which is to combine your fabrics in interesting ways, you can use smaller pieces to patchwork into larger pieces. And I have done this a couple times this year. I made an Ilford Jacket with a bunch of denim scraps, a pink and blue jacket, and I also made a little scrappy knit tee earlier this year because I wanted to see if I could use up some of those knit scraps, put them together into a garment, and I absolutely love the result. I wear that t-shirt all the time cause I think it’s just the coolest thing. So I really want to do that again and make another scrappy knit tee.

We also shared a lot of cool ideas for using smaller pieces of fabric in our Zero Waste Sewing and our Stash Busting episodes. So we’ll link those in the show notes, too, if you want to get some inspo for what to do with those scraps.

Caroline: Helen, you’re so good at getting creative with your scraps and doing really fun things with them and really fun projects. And I find, like, that Ilford Jacket that you made and the knit tee so inspiring. So we have to share these on Instagram this week or in the show notes, so everyone can get inspired by those projects.

Helen: Aw, thank you. Yeah, like I said, I really want to do more of that this year, so that’s very encouraging. I appreciate it.

Caroline: So there’s an option we haven’t mentioned yet in this episode, and that is reducing the size of your stash. The smaller your stash is, the easier it will be to organize and store it. So if you’re overwhelmed by how big your stash has become, you might consider getting rid of something.

Helen: Yes, and this does not mean throwing it away. You do have options. You can post it on a resale site like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. You can list it on @buyselltradehandmade on Instagram. You could try donating it to a thrift store that resells fabric. You could give it to a sewing friend, especially a new sewist I feel like is a great opportunity to just give them a boost and an opportunity to play with fabrics. Um, or donate it to a home ec class or a 4-H club.

Make sure when you’re donating things to these kinds of organizations that you’re giving them usable things. It can be tempting to just get rid of everything in a big, messy bag, but it’s really helpful for these places if you can label them and make sure that you’re giving them quality things. And there’s so many possibilities for giving your fabric a new home.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely, if you have time to do some research on this, like, we’ve had a lot of luck finding local nonprofits that are looking for fabric scraps for different kinds of projects and home-ec classes, like, we have very rarely had a home-ec class say no to fabric scrap donations. They are always looking or even fabric, like, full pieces. They’re always looking for fabrics to work within their classes. So definitely if you have the time, do some research and stuff for your local community.

Helen: Yeah, you could organize a fabric swap with your local community and try not to take home more fabric than you bring. That’s the hard point.

Caroline: That’s the whole point. Um, and when you’re going through your fabric, be honest with yourself about whether or not you’re going to use it. If it’s not your style anymore, or if you really don’t like how a fiber feels on your body or there’s just not enough of it to make something you like, let it go. There’s a psychological habit called the sunk cost fallacy. That makes us think that because we spend time or money on something that we should keep going with it. But if a certain fabric isn’t working for you, it’s okay to remove it from your stash.

Helen: Yes. Oh my gosh. That’s so true. I’ve fallen into this trap before. And even with projects that I’m working on, if I’m like partway through it, and I just know that it’s not going to work and sometimes that can stall you completely because you’ll put it down and you won’t get back into sewing because you feel like you don’t deserve to start a new project because you’re working on this one.

Anyway, there’s a lot of things going on in our brains sometimes, but it is really nice to just move on from these projects and these fabrics and giving them to new sewists, like I said, is my favorite way. I have been giving my mother-in-law, Laurie, fabrics lately, and it is so much fun to just gift them and, you know, no costs involved. You’re just like, here you go. And seeing her sew up those fabrics is giving me so much joy. So I feel like I got my money’s worth.

Caroline: I love that. That’s great. And Marie Kondo’s techniques have helped a lot of people reduce their belongings to what they like best. In her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she describes two techniques that can apply well to fabric stashes. So, first of all, there’s the famous question: does this spark joy? It sounds a little cheesy, but it’s really about connecting to your gut knowledge. The idea is that, deep inside, you know whether you want to keep your fabric or not. If you hold each piece of fabric and ask yourself if it sparks joy, it brings that knowledge to the surface.

Helen: Yeah. And the second technique is to thank the item that you’re letting go of. This is another thing that does sound very cheesy, but it can really help, especially if you have an emotional attachment to something that you want to give away. So you can hold that fabric close and you can say thank you for inspiring me, for being in my stash, for being there for me as an opportunity to create, and then you can let that fabric go.

Caroline: I love it. And it’s so cheesy, but it’s so good.

Helen: And you can go another way, too. Some sewists love having a big stash, myself included. It feels abundant and joyful, and we’ve heard people say that they have fabric collections rather than fabric stashes. It’s a fun reframe. And if you think of your fabric as a collection, display them as much as you can, and enjoy them as much as you can. I think that that can be a nice way to not feel too much guilt around your fabric stash if you’re getting a lot out of it.

Caroline: Yes. Okay, finally, we want to give everyone a few space saving tips so you can make the most of the space that you do have. And then we’re going to go into some listener feedback, so let’s go for it. Space saving tips, Helen.

Helen: Use vertical space. Have you seen that Seinfeld episode where Kramer is like, “Levels, Jerry, levels!”?

Caroline: No.

Helen: He wants to build, like, platforms in his apartment so he can get more floor space. But anyways, I thought of this immediately cause you do want to go vertical, try to use a bookcase or a tall set of cube shelves so that you can get the most out of that wall space. Um, I think that’s a great tip.

Caroline: Absolutely.

Helen: Levels.

Caroline: You can also go low. So under bed bins or drawers are super handy so are storage footstools and storage benches, even storage poofs totally works for using as much space as you can.

Helen: Yes, and think creatively who says you can’t have a chest of drawers in your living room that’s full of fabric? Nobody.

Caroline: Not me.

Helen: You go for it.

Caroline: Um, okay. So we asked our listeners for their stash storage tips and solutions, and we got some really great ones. So we’re going to read out some of our favorites.

Helen: Sarah, who is @thesewingretreat on Instagram, made a reel for us. They start their fabric in vintage suitcases, and it is so cool. The fabric is sorted into three different groups by fabric type. It’s folded Marie Kondo style, so everything is visible on the top and then stored in three super cute brown vintage suitcases. We love that it’s decorative and it’s practical. So we’ll link that in the show notes.

Caroline: So, so cute. I love the vintage suitcase vibe.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: So into it.

Julie wrote, “I got some relatively inexpensive tables, and I’ve mounted curtain rods underneath to hang my stash on hangers. I also use little paper tags that I attach to the hangers to write the fabric info, the width, and how much I bought. Theoretically, I update the yardage when I use some… As a bonus, the tables are metal, so I can use magnets to hold my fabric in place when I cut!”

This is such a great idea to combine your fabric storage with your cutting table. And Julie included some pics, so we’re going to share those in the show notes.

Helen: I’m also just having a vision of, like, hanging your fabric stash under, like, your kitchen table. You’re like, shh. Don’t tell.

Caroline: People come over for a dinner party. They’re like, oh, it’s so soft under here.

Helen: Yeah, just put a tablecloth, and nobody will know.

Okay, Chanel wrote, “I have ADHD which means I have trouble organizing and maintaining organizational systems. Traditional organizing systems focus on ‘hiding things from view’ and making everything aesthetically pleasing. This means that items are often hidden away, in drawers or opaque bins. This makes it hard for a person with ADHD to know what they actually have. My husband and I have slowly worked through the majority of the house, following Susan C. Pinsky’s book, Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD. And it is time to do the sewing room! While there isn’t a section specifically on sewing, I used the section on clothing and wardrobe to make my sewing room work for my brain. As recommended in her book, I used clear or white bins with open fronts – the kind that are often sold as stacking bins. It is important that I can see all the fabric I have at a glance. While it looks like there is a lot of space, this is by design. Her golden rule? Inventory must conform to storage. Meaning, no overflowing baskets, it is easy to see, and more importantly easy to put away. In my opinion it is not the most pretty way to store fabric, I would love to have it all neatly folded in the same size squares! But that doesn’t work for me, and most importantly it is not good for my mental health – because it is unattainable and leads to guilt and shame. I wanted to share this because I think it’s important that neurodiverse people realize that there are systems out there that can work for them, and that they don’t have to be beautiful to function really well.”

Caroline: Yes. I love everything about this letter. Thank you, Chanel, for sharing and for encouraging other people who might relate to you to look for other solutions.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Okay, Lesa wrote, “My husband and I move around a lot and I always had a hard time trying to distribute my sewing supplies throughout different wardrobes in each apartment and not being able to find anything!My solution was to make myself my own custom cabinet to fit all my sewing supplies – fabric, notions and sewing machine, all in one place that moves with us from place to place! Now I know exactly where everything is located, it also helps me keep my fabric stash under control because if the cabinet starts to get full, I try to not buy more fabric until I have made some space for more! I tried to make the cabinet as pretty as possible, using picture frames with fabric inside for the door and doing some wood burning designs on the outside (my first bit of pyrography which has now turned into my little online business – LaVern Leather, making leather labels for jeans and clothes!)”

Helen: Cool!

Caroline: So cool!

“A few video calls from me in New Zealand to my dad (a carpenter) in Northern Ireland were extremely helpful to talk through the design and build process! In the end, woodworking is very similar to sewing. It’s lots of individual pieces which need to be put together to form a 3D object. The materials and tools differ, but the concept is the same.”

Helen: Oh, what a fantastic project. We will definitely have some pics in the show notes of Lesa’s custom cabinet, um, and waiting until you’ve got more space to buy fabric is a great idea, too. That’s one way that you can, sort of, limit the amount that your stash will grow and make sure that you’re using those pieces.

And I have to also say, Lesa, I couldn’t agree more about the similarities between woodworking and sewing. I’ve taken up woodworking this year, and I am so enjoying the process of putting things together, and it’s really quite similar to sewing. It’s just a very different material that you’re working with. Although, some fabrics are made of wood pulp, so maybe not that different after all.

Caroline: The tools are different, but

Helen: Yeah. Leah wrote, “I organize my stash via spreadsheet! I log something as soon as I’ve purchased it and update it when it gets washed or used. I also use the spreadsheet for my knitting and sewing plans, so I can cross reference my stash with my plans right there.”

This is so simple and so effective. I can’t believe we forgot to mention spreadsheets. I think it’s in part because you and I are not the most well-versed at Excel…

Caroline: What?!

Helen: …but if you know what you’re doing in those programs, you can make amazing spreadsheets that you can do, like, cross-referencing and down menus and all this stuff that I always ask Sam to build for me when I need it.

Caroline: I know. I remember when Sam was working with the pod, I was always so fascinated with his spreadsheets and all of the little, like, tools and functions he would build into them. And I was like, how did you do that? You can really do so much. So thank you for reminding us of that, Leah.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: And then Kayla DM’d us a picture of the fabric ladder she built. It’s super cool. If you love it and don’t want to build one yourself, you can hang your fabric from a blanket ladder.

Helen: Ooh, I love a blanket ladder or a textile ladder as, like, a little decor piece.

Caroline: Perfect. I love it.

Helen: Okay. Jasmine from The Lemonade Shop had a bed specially made to store fabric! The bed rests on top of two side-by-side sets of square cubby shelves. The shelves are three cubbies high by six cubbies wide. And some have square bins inside, and some don’t.

Jasmine wrote, “I like to store a lot of my smaller amounts of fabric in the cubby boxes and store the bigger amounts in the cubbies without them. This helps me be able to see what fabrics I have and to bring inspiration! Before I had this, my fabrics were stashed away where I couldn’t see them. Therefore, I never did as many sewing projects because I would forget about the ones I had!”

This is such a creative solution! I really like the idea of, like, a platform of fabric that you sleep on.

Caroline: I feel like this is next level.

Helen: Yeah, like, literally, cause it’s a pretty high bed.

Caroline: So cool, and obviously, we have pictures of Jasmine’s bed in the show notes for this episode, so go check that out.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Jennifer wrote, “I still live in my childhood bedroom which is really a sewing room with a bed. My fabric stash lives on two shelves. I have one shelf of fabrics I have a plan and pattern for and another for fabrics I have used for one project but there is enough left for another project! I try to only buy fabrics with a pattern in mind and try to not have more than 4 or 5 projects lined up to try and control my stash!”

Wow. You have amazing self control, Jennifer. Definitely, a small stash is easier to organize. Um, yeah, I need to take a page from your book.

Helen: I do like the concept of separating this dash from the ones that you know what you’re going to do with versus the ones that you don’t know what you’re going to do with it. That’s an interesting way to organize.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely.

Helen: Amanda of Bimble and Pimble, past guest Amanda, wrote, “I love organizing my next projects into a basket!”

It’s such a cute idea to put everything you need for your next project into a nice little basket or a bin or something. And it’s really motivating to see the basket there, and everything waiting for you and just know that it’s all there in one place. You can put, like, the thread, the zipper, the interfacing in there, too. Perfect.

Caroline: Yeah, I totally do that with my, like, work in progress or I have a bad habit of cutting out a project and then not sewing it for a very long time. So, I have some bins, um, with my WIPs in them, but man, it’s, it’s useful, but also, um, a constant reminder of all the things I have not sewn.

Helen: It’s true. It can go both ways.

Caroline: Yeah. Katie wrote, “I used to sort by type, but lately I’ve been stacking it on my upper shelves in little ‘capsule’ collections. I find that seeing the fabrics and colors I look forward to wearing together helps motivate me to stick to my sewing plans. Of course there’s plenty of space on the lower shelves for fabrics that are more…ahem…permanent residents of the stash.”

Caroline & Helen: Aw, I love this.

Caroline: I’m going to give you citizenship.

Helen: You live here now.

Caroline: You live here now. It’s official.

Helen: I love you so much. I’m never going to wear you. This is where you live.

Caroline: That is so funny. Um, I think all of this feedback just proves that there’s, like, no right or wrong way to organize your stash. You just have to find the way that, like, works for you and your personality and your brain. Maybe your heart.

Helen: Yeah. Whatever’s bringing you the most motivation to sew, inspiration to be creative, a nice, like, aesthetically pleasing space to be in, maybe, if you want to just spend time with your fabrics, like we were talking about earlier. There’s no right way, but I certainly am feeling pretty motivated to go organize my stash now. Anyone else?

Caroline: Me too.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Helen: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For just $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Caroline: And thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber.

Helen: And thank you so much for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: And we’re so excited to hear your best piece of advice for new sewists.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Sewasts.

Helen: Sewasts. That’s a new term. New season, new term.

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Pants! We love to sew them and we love to wear them. In this episode, Helen and Caroline talk pants sewing techniques, pants patterns, pants fabrics, and the pants fitting process!

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

To hear bonus episodes in the off-season, sign up for the Love to Sew Patreon! It’s the best way to support the podcast. 

Previous episodes mentioned:

Articles, blog posts, books, and other resources:

Patterns mentioned:

Tools Mentioned:

Fabrics Mentioned:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations. 

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. Join us for today’s topic: sewing and fitting pants.

Helen: Hi, Caroline. 

Caroline: Hi, Helen. 

Helen: How are you? 

Caroline: Oh, I’m sad because it’s our last episode of the season. 

Helen: I know! It went by really fast, didn’t it? 

Caroline: Yes, It’s been so fun though. I feel like we did some really, really amazing episodes this season. And I want to take a second to just thank our listeners for listening along this season.

Helen: Yes, it has been a nice change. Thank you so much again for your support switching to seasons. If you’re new to the show, don’t worry about it. It’s all good. But we will be back in the fall with a whole new season of Love to Sew, and we’re going to spend the summer prepping for it. So it’s going to be amazing. And in the meantime, we’ll be airing some of our favorite Love to Sew episodes from the past, and you can just find those in your podcast feed as we release them. 

Caroline: Yes, and of course, we will be over on Patreon on the off-season doing our usual bonus content. So if you want to hear some behind the scenes updates on our businesses and our personal lives, you can support us over there for just $5 a month. You’ll get access to that bonus episode, and we actually have a lot of fun in those episodes. They’re a little bit more informal and chatty. I know a lot of the time, when people will listen to them for the first time, they’ll be like, Ooh, you guys are kind of different in your bonus episode. 

Helen: It’s true. And we don’t get a chance to, like, catch up that often, you and I. So it’s really, it’s just like our monthly catchup where we talk about everything we’ve got going on in our lives. And we also talk about all the fun, new pattern releases that came out that month, so it’s a really good time. And there are other perks too. If you support us at $10 or more a month, you get another bonus episode, a little mini-sode, and a discount code for both of our shops. So it kind of pays for itself if you are a regular shopper with Blackbird Fabrics and Helen’s Closet. And the bonus mini-sode for the month of May was actually a discussion about how to share your me mades because of course, it’s Me Made May, how to take pictures and feel confident in your me mades if you’re planning to share on social. So that was a really fun little mini episode. 

Caroline: Yeah, it definitely was. So if you want to support us on Patreon, go to patreon.com/lovetosew, and we’d love to see you over there. 

Helen: Yeah, and we’ll see you all or hear you all or you will hear us in September. 

Caroline: Yes! We’re going to have a fun summer. Okay. We also have an exciting announcement to make: we have transcripts for our new episodes! So our team transcriber, Margaret, has been making accurate transcripts for us. And we started posting them the day the episode comes out which is so awesome. We’re so happy to be able to do this. They’re on the show notes page for Zero Waste Sewing, Lyocell/Tencel, some of the other episodes this season. This episode will have a transcript, and Margaret is also going to start working on the rest of the episodes for the season soon, so look out for that very soon. We should have this whole season transcribed and have those transcriptions in the show notes. Uh, we’re really, really excited to make our show more accessible. If you want to find the show notes, you can just go to lovetosewpodcast.com, and they’re all listed for each episode. And just scroll down to the end; that’s where you’re going to find the transcripts. And if you could, spread the word about these transcripts to those who might need or want them, we want to get the word out about them. 

Helen: Yes! I’m so excited about this change, and thank you, Margaret, for all your hard work on these transcripts. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. Let’s start the show. We have a really exciting one today because we love sewing pants. We love wearing pants. Pants pants pants!  

Helen: I really do love sewing pants. I like it more than I thought I would. I mean, pants are so hard to shop for. Sometimes it feels like you’re looking for that needle in a haystack. like, will I ever find a pair of pants that fits me properly? And you might even face the same problems over and over, like they fit in your hips, but they’re always too tight in the waist or vice versa. Or you might get bagginess or tightness in different places. And you’re just like, ugh, it’s so frustrating. 

Caroline: It is. It can be so frustrating shopping for ready to wear pants. And that’s one reason why it’s nice to be able to sew your own because you can customize the fit to get the perfect pair or multiple perfect pairs. But, and this is a big “but,” no pun intended… fitting and sewing your own pants can be a lot of work. 

Helen: Yes, we hope that beginner sewists hoping to sew their first pair of pants and longtime pants sewists will get something out of this episode. We’re going to guide you through getting started with pants sewing and fitting as well. And we’re going to share some expert tips and resources along the way to make this a little bit easier for you as you endeavor to sew your own pants. 

Caroline: Okay. I can’t wait to get started. So, the actual sewing of the pants is probably easier than the fitting part. Do you agree, Helen? 

Helen: I do agree. So let’s start with the sewing. If you’re a beginner to pants sewing, we have a few suggestions for pants types that will be a bit easier than traditional fitted trousers or jeans. 

Caroline: Yeah, so elastic waist pants are a great choice for this. With an elastic waistband, you don’t have to worry about a fly or an invisible zipper. You also don’t have to fit the waist precisely. Uh, so, the Arden Pants from Helen’s Closet are a great option for a beginner pants pattern because they have an elastic waist and jeans details. That way you can practice your jeans making skills without having to do any intense fitting. And I love the Arden Pants, but there are also so many great elastic waist pants patterns on the market these days so take your pick. I know I have several in my stash that I am just waiting, there’s, like, a lineup, waiting to try out the perfect elastic waist pants. 

Helen: It’s true. You can’t have enough because they are all, kind of, slightly different, and you want to look out for that perfect pants for you, the perfect crotch curve, the perfect rise. And of course, you can make these adjustments, but it’s fun to try out the new patterns as they come out and just see, maybe you’re going to find that little needle in a haystack. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. If you’re just starting off with pants, sewing wide leg pants are easier than pants that are more fitted through the leg because the fabric hangs loosely from the hips. So if you’re only fitting the waist and hips, you don’t have to worry about getting the back of the pants to cup your butt. I never thought I’d say “cup your butt” here on the Love to Sew Podcast, but here we are, Helen. 

Helen: Here we are. And Peppermint Magazine actually has a free pattern: The Wide Leg Pants pattern designed by Emily from In the Folds, and it’s a great option. It’s free or donation based. So there’s not a ton of risk there for your investment. I also love the Dawn Jeans from Megan Nielsen for that wide leg. And I agree. It’s nice to just fit that upper part of your lower half, the upper lower half of your body and not worry so much about the legs cause they just hang down from there.

Caroline: Exactly. And you could also try stretch pants or stretch jeans for a more forgiving fit. Some don’t have, like, a fly or belt loops. For example, the Jalie’s Eleonore Pull-On Jeans are well-reviewed on the Curvy Sewing Collective, and they have the top stitching and pockets that you love to see on jeans, but they’re just pull on. So this one would also be great for beginners. 

Helen: Yes, and shorts are a good option too. They can be a bit easier to fit because again, there’s nothing to fit from the thighs down, and you can use a shorts pattern or hack a pants pattern to turn it into shorts. We like the Megan Nielsen Flint Pants and Shorts. They’re super cute with a little pleat front. And any shorts that have, like, an elastic waist or an elastic back are a good option as well, because again, just easier to fit. So don’t be too intimidated as a beginner. You can definitely sew pants. If you can sew a top, you can sew pants. You got this.

Caroline: You got this. Exactly. So intermediate pants sewists might want to try pants that have more details and, maybe, require a little bit more fitting. So this could be non-stretch jeans and trousers cause this’ll provide a little bit more of a challenge for you. And they’re super wearable, the kind of thing that you can see yourself wearing all the time. So you’re going to need to pay attention to the fit of your muslin, but with all the great resources out there in the sewing community, you can definitely master this. Try Cashmerette’s Ames Jeans which have the fly, top stitching and all the jeans bells and whistles, or maybe the Seamwork Callaghan Pants which are beautifully fitted high-waisted pants with a pintuck down the front. 

Helen: There are so many fun features and techniques that you’ll encounter when you’re making pants that you might not have seen on other patterns which is one of the reasons why it’s so fun to make them. Don’t get too overwhelmed. We’re going to discuss these one at a time and hopefully, clear up some of these techniques for you. But I also just want to say one step at a time. Like with all things in sewing, it’s one step at a time. So, the instruction booklet for pants can look a little scary if you read too far ahead, but it’s all just one seam at a time, and you can totally do it. So first let’s talk about top stitching. Top stitching is a row of stitching that’s visible on the right side of the garment. And in pants making, top stitching works as both a design feature and a way to hold those seams down so they don’t irritate your skin when you wear them, as well as add strength to that garment. With something like jeans, it’s workwear typically, or at least that’s what it was designed for, so you want it to be extra strong. 

Caroline: Definitely. And we’ve talked about the edge stitching foot before. I absolutely love my edge stitching foot. It’s so great for really neat top stitching, although you can top stitch without it. But what I love about it is that it has this guide close to the stitch line that you can kind of fit into the groove that the seam has made. This is the ditch that people mean when they say stitch in the ditch. And this is going to help you stitch next to the ditch which is what you do when you’re top stitching pants. So you kind of line up that guide with the ditch and then you move your needle over however much you want, and it will just guide you through and create this, like, perfectly straight, perfectly aligned top stitching. I just think it creates such a beautiful finish. 

Helen: It does. It’s especially handy when you’re doing two rows of topstitching which you do see on jeans quite often. So getting that, like, first line without that stitching foot, I find I can do, but then the second line, if I try to do it without the edge stitching foot, it just looks super wonky, and I can never get them to be, like, equidistant. So getting that edge stitching foot, if you’re doing a lot of double top stitching is great. Another tip we have for this is to use a longer stitch length for top stitching. It tends to look a little bit neater. You can try it out on a swatch to see what you think. Try your standard two and a half stitch length, and then maybe try a three or a three and a half, and just compare and see what you like, especially if you’re using a thicker top stitching thread, I think a longer stitch length just makes it look that extra level of polished.

Caroline: And there are threads on the market that are just for top stitching; they’re thicker than all purpose threads. So they’re really visible, and they look great on the outside of garments. We love the Gutterman Mara 70 thread which you can get at Blackbird. You want to use all purpose thread in your bobbin when you stitch with top stitching thread, so you can adjust the upper thread tension. Make sure you use the appropriate needle, and you’re going to get really pretty stitches. Adjusting the bobbin tension usually means breaking out the screwdriver, so you can avoid doing that if you use regular thread in the bobbin. I don’t think you need to use top stitching thread on all projects. I have made a pair of black jeans before, and you can just use regular black thread, and I think that totally works or, like, a navy thread on a denim. If it’s your first pair of jeans and you’re intimidated by top stitching thread, it’s definitely not necessary, but it gets a really nice finish if you want to go for it. 

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I think both look good. I’ve done the same thing and just matched my all purpose thread to the jeans color. And then you don’t have to worry about that gold top stitching. 

Caroline: Exactly. And you can also use all purpose thread with a top stitching stitch that goes forwards and back to make a thicker stitch. I think it’s also called a triple stitch, and this can take longer. So, you know, heavier topstitching thread is always easier and faster, but if you want to get that look and you don’t have the top stitching thread, you can use regular thread.

Helen: Yes, and for many pants patterns, you’re going to finish your seam allowance, press it to one side, and then top stitch it down close to the seam line. Like we said, this just adds extra strength, and it also adds that decorative detail, and it keeps those seams from irritating. Especially on the inseam, you don’t want seams flopping around and irritating your skin, so you want to top stitch them down. A nice alternative to that method is flat felled seams. With a flat felled seam, you can grade one side of the seam allowance so it’s a quarter inch wide, and then you press the longer seam allowance over the quarter inch wide one, enclosing it, and press the whole thing to the side. So you’re basically, like, wrapping it up in a little blanket and pressing it to the side, and then you top stitch it the same way that you would if you had serged it. So this gives you that completely flat seam on the inside  which looks great and feels amazing to wear. If you’re using a top stitching thread for this method, you’ll want to have it in your bobbin as well, so that you can do your top stitching from the inside of the pants. This is super handy. I mean, if you can get the right tension with top stitching thread in your bobbin, it can be a bit tricky. But topstitching on top of a flat felled seam from the inside of the garment is a lot easier than trying to do it from the outside of the garment and it potentially unraveling, and you not noticing that it’s unraveled.

Caroline: So true. Yeah, so if you can get it to work, then do it with a topstitching thread in both the bobbin and the regular thread. 

Helen: Yeah. Love it. 

Caroline: Love it. This next pants feature that we’re going to talk about is something that intimidates a lot of sewists, and that is the fly. Dun dun dunnnnn. The part of the fly that we usually think of when we think of flies is that curved top stitched line on the pants front, and this is actually stitching down the fly facing. But flies have multiple parts to them. So another part would be the fly shield which is a separate pattern piece that goes between the body and the pants closure to, kind of, protect your body from the zipper rubbing right up against your skin. 

Helen: Right. Literally shielding you from potential harm. 

Caroline: Exactly. 

Helen: The most common fly type we see is a zip fly which typically lies a bit flatter than the other kind of fly which is a button fly. Button flies have a row of buttons in place of the zipper. They have a really cool like vintage feel to them, but they can be a bit bothersome if you need to rush to the bathroom.

Caroline: I don’t know, I’ve, I’ve really mastered my, like, ripping open of my button fly when I have to pee. You can do it pretty, pretty fast if you practice. 

Helen: It’s true. It was really stiff after you finish it, too. But over time as you wear them, it definitely starts to soften up, and you do get the hang of taking it off and putting it on easily. But button flies are a little bit harder, I think, than zipper flies. What do you think, Caroline? 

Caroline: Yeah, I think they’re just different. Especially if you’re used to sewing a zip fly, a button fly can feel like not your usual thing. So it takes a little bit longer to wrap your head around. Personally, I like button flies sometimes, but not when I’m wearing, like, a really tight fitting high-waisted pair of pants cause I find it doesn’t have that, like, closure power that a zipper has, and my pants tend to almost like stretch out in between the buttons and it almost draws attention to the fly. And when you sit down, it almost, like, can gape sometimes. So I personally prefer a zip fly where I can, but I think, like, a, a button fly looks really cool and vintage-y, so there’s a place for it for me, for sure. 

Helen: I think so, too. I love the look, and there are button flies that have the buttons visible, and there are also button flies that have them hidden inside the fly closure which is, like, next-level button fly. But you know, you just work your way up to these things.

Caroline: Yeah, and remember that there are so many methods for sewing flies. Once you learn the method you like the most, you can do it that way every time, even if your pattern instructions say differently. And one way that’s really cool is to sew the fly really early in the process when the pants are still flat, so this makes it a little bit easier to finagle. So Seamwork has an article all about sewing a zipper fly, so we’re going to link that in the show notes, but just remember, you can use whatever fly method you like and interchange flies in different patterns. You might have to do a little adjusting to make it work, but if you like the method, it’s worth it. I would say pay special attention to the fly extension, if there is one. If you’re using a method that uses a fly extension, you’re going to have to add that extension to the front pants leg piece. So it’s not just a matter of switching out the fly pieces, you also might have to adjust your pants leg. I have made this mistake in the past, so I’m just, kind of, putting that out there to anyone that might want to use your own pieces for making a fly, just pay attention to all the different components.

Helen: Yeah, and sewing flies is honestly not too hard once you try it a couple of times, but it always feels a little intimidating to get started. There’s a lot of steps, and there are quite a few little pieces sometimes. So like we said, just take it one step at a time and, you know, practice on some muslin or some scrap fabric. You don’t need to go right into your project with that zipper. You can practice the whole technique ahead of time, and then you can go to your project and, you know, even Caroline and I have to look carefully at instructions when we’re sewing flies. I cannot sew a fly from memory. Maybe after I make a jeans pattern, I’ll be able to do it because I’ll have to sew, like, 20 of them, But to this day, I still have to look really carefully at the instructions every time I make a fly, and I second guess myself, and I screw it up all the time. So you know what, it is a little bit tricky, but it is just one step at a time. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And it’s also worth mentioning that not all pants have a fly. Some have an exposed row of buttons or an exposed zipper at the front, some close at the side or back with an invisible zipper or a conventional zipper. Others have a full stretch waistband or a back stretch waistband. Say that five times fast. Some have faux flies. So there are so many different closures for pants, and you don’t necessarily have to sew a fly if you’re going to get into pants making. 

Helen: Very true. Okay. This brings us to our next pants feature which is the waistband. Most pants have them…not all, but most. And usually waistbands are interfaced. Some people like to interface both sides of the waistband, so the side that faces out and the side that faces your body. Some people like to interface only one side of that for the extra stability. If your fabric is light or medium weight, you will probably want to interface both. Whereas if you’re using a really heavyweight fabric, you could probably get away with just interfacing one side. Waistbands face a lot of movement and strain, and they need to be able to stand up to that. So that’s why we interface them. If you don’t interface at all, which is an option, your waistband will be a little bit more malleable which means that if you’re sitting down and standing up a lot during the day, it’s going to start to stretch out and you’re going to notice that it’s just getting looser and looser. So the interfacing helps to, kind of, hold it in place, but it does mean that it can be a little bit more constrictive on your body, at least for the first half of the day. 

Caroline: I personally, I feel, like, for really heavy weight denims and canvases, like 13, 14 ounces, you might prefer not to interface your waistband at all, but you can also interface with like a lightweight, plain cotton so that you have that stability, but it still gives you just, like, a little bit of give. I’m thinking, especially for high-waisted styles, sometimes, like, it’s hard to even sit in a pair of jeans because the waistband can be so tight. So those kinds of styles, you might not want to interface, but it really depends on the fabric and also just, like, your comfort level. If you need to have a little bit of, like, breathing room in your high-waisted jeans, I would recommend no interfacing.

Helen: Definitely. A couture technique for strengthening waistbands is actually to sew in a grosgrain or petersham ribbon that’s the same width of your waistband. So you basically just sandwich it in between the two waistband pieces. There’s a great video on couture waistband techniques with our past guest, Susan Khalje, on the Threads Magazine website. We’ll link that in the show notes. And in it, she demonstrates this technique of adding this grosgrain or petersham ribbon in there, um, which is really cool. That would give you even more stability because grosgrain and petersham ribbons do not stretch at all. 

Caroline: Mhm, mhm, Yeah, that’s a really cool technique. Okay. Let’s move on to pockets. Pockets are a great feature of pants, and they get even better when you know how to sew them. You can make your pockets bigger than is found in ready to wear. You can add pockets to patterns that have none. You can fill your pockets with cool rocks to show people you meet in the grocery store. Pockets are seriously magical. There are a few different types of pockets you’re going to find on pants. So let’s talk about some examples here today. 

Helen: First of all, I was just collecting rocks the other day. So I really feel like this is applicable to me, and also who hasn’t bought a pair of pants and then you put your hand in the front pocket of your jeans and you’re like, what the? Like the pockets are only, like, two inches deep. It’s so stupid.

Caroline: Yeah. I find in ready to wear, a lot of the time, the butt pocket is too small for me. And I’m like, whoever did this grading didn’t know what was up. I love that when I make my own pants, I can make, like, extra large butt pockets for my extra large butt. I love it.

Helen: I love that too. Okay. So the first type of pocket we want to talk about is in seam pockets. And those are pocket bags that are sewn into the side seams of pants. They can be barely visible from the outside if you sew them completely into the seam, or they can have a diagonal or curved line from the side seam to the waistband, like in traditional five pocket jeans. So Seamwork has an article on how to design and sew your own inseam pockets with different shapes and variations. Um, you’ll often see inseam pockets in looser pants like elastic waist pants. You probably won’t see them so much in jeans. And the downside to inseam pockets is that they can add bulk to the side seam of your project, so that’s in the hip area. And they flop around unless you anchor them to the waistband or top stitch them to the pants front. So I know some people don’t like the way that they flop around, and there are ways to get around that with using the inseam pocket method. But if you’re sewing a pair of jeans, you want to do something that’s more connected to the waistband piece, so they’re more anchored to the front of the pants, or you can do a little patch pocket which we’re going to talk about next. 

Caroline: Mhm. That’s the beauty of sewing your own pants is that you can, like, try out a method and then be like, actually, I don’t like the floppiness of these inseam pockets so maybe I’ll redraft the pocket piece so that that inseam pocket goes up into the waistband and it doesn’t flop around anymore. Like, you have so many options, and you can figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Sewing is just amazing. 

Helen: It’s so true. Okay. Patch pockets are individual pieces that are top stitched onto the pants. So this is usually seen as a back pocket on a pair of jeans, for example, but they can also be really cute on the front. And I feel like I’m seeing a lot more jeans patterns with patch pockets on the front these days. It gives it a bit of a retro feel, and I’m really into it. If you want to do some decorative top stitching on these pockets, you do this before you attach the pockets, very important, or you’re not going to be able to put your hands into them. So you mark out the design using a template that you want and try to get it to be as symmetrical as possible if that’s the look you’re going for, and then you use your top stitching threads so you can really see that design. You know, on the back of a jeans pocket, you might see something like a horseshoe or a little swoop or a little swirl or a little triangle. There are so many designs that you can do with your patch pockets. 

Caroline: Yeah, and because patch pockets are super visible on the outside. You might want to wait until you’re almost finished making your pants to place those pockets. You can try on the pants, pin on the pockets, keep moving them around and repinning them until you like how they look, and then you can top stitch them on. 

Helen: Yes, you can even get a friend or family member to take a picture of your butt. This is so helpful because twisting around to look at yourself in the mirror is not going to give you a clear picture of what’s going on. But just remember, when you’re looking at pictures of the back of your pants, be kind to yourself, you should expect to see some wrinkles and lines around your butt, in the back of your knees. That’s just the way pants look. So don’t freak out when you see that picture and you’re like, these pants look terrible. If you look at anyone on the street, the back is full of wrinkles. It’s just how it is. So yes, you can do fit adjustments to fix some things, but most likely your pants are just fine the way they are, and you just got to worry about putting those pockets on. 

Caroline: I’ve totally been there. I almost think it’s like a rite of passage to, like, take pictures of the back of your body and then, like, analyze them when you’re a sewist. Cause it’s always, like, really shocking at first. You’re like, oh, is that, like, what my back looks like? Is that what my butt looks like? Is that what the behind my knees looks like when I’m wearing pants? But as you see more and more photos of yourself wearing clothes that you love, you’re going to notice that, like, wrinkles are totally normal. And, like Helen said, don’t freak out, be kind to yourself, remember it’s okay, and, you know, you’re going to have some fun analyzing those wrinkles and figuring out what to do next.

Helen: Yes, and I have one more tip about the back pockets, too, which is basting stitching is your friend. You can baste those pockets on, check the placement one more time because you know, it’s kind of hard to analyze placement of pockets when there’s pins sticking out everywhere. So baste them on, check the placement, and then they’re all basted and ready to go so the top stitching process is going to be even easier. And then you can just remove those basting stitches when you’re done. 

Caroline: Yes, absolutely. Okay. So welt pockets are the next kind of pocket we want to talk about, and they’re a more difficult type of pocket to make, but they can look so beautiful on a more tailored pair of trousers. They’re kind of like giant bound buttonholes. You cut into the fabric of the pants and bind the raw edges so that only one or two strips of fabric are visible on the outside and the pocket bag hangs on the inside. So if you’re wondering how to draft your own, Workroom Social has a great article on how to draft and sew these without any hand sewing, so check that out. We’ll link it in the show notes. I actually just printed out a pattern from The Fabric Store. It’s the Cass Pants, and they have a welt pocket on the back. And I have to admit when I first saw them, I was like, I really want to make these pants, but I may or may not make that welt pocket cause welt pockets are so stressful. But I’m feeling, kind of, inspired now. And I think I’m going to, I’m going to do the welts. I’m going to do the welts. 

Helen: I think you should. I find them fun, to be honest. I don’t do them often because trousers aren’t really my jam, so I just don’t have that many opportunities to do welt pockets. But when I do one, I think it’s so amazing. It’s like one of those sewing things, it feels like magic because you don’t think it’s going to work and then all of a sudden you have this beautiful pocket and it’s, it’s just, you feel like a superhero. 

Caroline: Yeah. It’s definitely, like, the moment when you’re, like, wait, I have to cut into my beautiful pants leg to, like, make this opening. That’s the scariest part, but then when you flip everything in and you see it come together, you’re like, oh, okay, it makes sense now. 

Helen: Yeah. 

Caroline: They’re so fun, too, so scary and fun. 

Helen: That’s the theme of this episode, I think. Okay. Let’s talk about belt loops. That’s another feature that you’re going to find on a lot of jeans patterns and some other pants patterns, and they’re pretty easy to make. So you just make a long, double folded strip of fabric, edge stitch it on both sides, and then you cut it into pieces. So if you’re using a lightweight fabric, you might want to interface this before you make these loops, but if you’re using a heavier weight, you probably don’t need to. And then to sew them on you just fold down each end of those little loops, and usually, you would sew the top edge of the loop into the top seam of the waistband and then sew the bottom edges on using, like, a bar tack stitch which we’re going to discuss a little bit later. 

Caroline: Yeah, and before we talk about bar tack stitches, here’s a trick for sewing belt loops on a heavy or bulky fabric. There’s a tool called a hump jumper that you put on top of your fabric under the presser foot. It keeps the presser foot horizontal rather than pointed up at, like, a weird angle which can sometimes lead to skipped stitches. And since belt loops can be pretty humpy, it’s a cool tool to have. 

Helen: They can be, it’s a tricky spot because oftentimes you have your waistband which could be double layered with interfacing, and then you have these belt loops which is another double layer because it’s folded under. So you’ve got four layers of potentially, like, 10 to 12 ounce fabric, and your machine might struggle with this. Make sure you’re using your denim needle. Go slowly. I break needles all the time when I’m sewing on belt loops. It’s frustrating, but it happens, and the hump jumper does make a difference. And if you don’t have the hump jumping tool, you can use a needle case like those little flat plastic needle cases that your universal needles or jersey needles come in. That’s usually quite a nice height. So you just put that under your presser foot and then use that as the hump jumper. Just make sure you don’t sew into the case. Oh gosh, you’ll break a needle, but you’ll probably break a needle or two doing this anyway. 

Caroline: Wear your protective goggles when you’re sewing your belt loops your belt loops. Protect your eyes from needles. Okay. So now back to bar tacks. A bar tack stitch is basically a row of zigzag stitches, really close together. And this is used to reinforce areas of pants that are put under stress, like pocket openings, fly openings, and belt loops. You might have a bar tack stitch built into your machine. If not, you can experiment with short, close together zigzag stitches. You can even disengage your feet dogs and move the fabric through manually to get super tight stitches. And to make it really strong, stitch a bar tack forward and then all the way back to where you started. You can even go back over it again if you want, so this is going to create really, really strong areas. I’ve actually seen jeans made where instead of using rivets, it’s just bar tacks in the areas where rivets would be which I think is a really nice look. So bar tacks can be really useful in pants making. 

Helen: Yes, and you can have fun with them, too. You can use a contrasting color. Maybe you have gold top stitching on your jeans, but you have red bar tacks. Or you can do a bar tack horizontally and then another one vertically, so you make a little plus sign or a little X. There’s so many cute bar tack details that you can put onto jeans. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Okay. Now speaking of reinforcement, we have to talk about hardware, and this is something that seems intimidating but is so impressive when you just bite the bullet and do it. So let’s talk about zippers first, and then we’ll get to the fun stuff, like buttons and rivets. 

Helen: Yes. You might use an all-purpose plastic coiled zipper for your pants. For example, in a side zip or a back zip on lighter weight pants. On our Winslow Culottes pattern, we use an invisible zipper in that back seam, but for heavier fabrics, if you’re making that classic jean, you probably want to use a metal jean zipper. These metal jean zippers are a lot sturdier, and pants can take a lot of stress, so it’s important to have that strength and structure in there. 

Caroline: Yeah, and you can also do an invisible zipper if you want really sleek pants, kind of like… 

Helen: Really sleek pants, but not on your jeans though. 

Caroline: No, that would be, kind of, weird. Okay. Next up buttons. So you can use regular sew on buttons either flat or with a shank as a pants closure, or you can bust out your hammer and really get into hardware. Jeans buttons are stronger than sew on buttons. They give such a nice finish, and we’re going to tell you a little bit about them today because, don’t be intimidated, they’re really fun to install. So they actually come in two pieces, the button and the post, and here’s how you install them. First, you want to mark your button placement on your pants. Then, you make a hole there with an awl or with a hammer and a nail. You put the posts through the hole you made, and then you flip it over so that the post fits into the button. And the button should be on a flat surface that won’t get damaged by hammering so, like, on the back of a cast iron skillet. You might be tempted to put, like, a piece of fabric to protect your cast iron skillet. Don’t do that because the fabric is going to create some give, and it almost gives an opportunity for that post to break through the button because it’s not giving that button a really, really flat hard surface to sit on. So throw away that protective fabric, your cast iron skillet will be just fine. So you line everything up, and then you tap the hammer on the post a few times to get it to catch. Once it catches which means, once it, kind of, locks in a little bit and it has, like, a really nice straight placement, then you hammer it all the way in so it locks into place. And we recommend practicing this on some scrap fabric before you do it on your pants. A lot of the time, these jeans kits, like the ones we sell at Blackbird come with two buttons, so you have one that you can use for testing and one that you can use for the real thing. The only way to remove buttons like this is to cut them out. So I wouldn’t, like, do your first ever button on your first ever pair of jeans. I would definitely test first, but I have to say it’s really fun. 

Helen: It’s so fun. So satisfying. I recently put a bunch on an Ilford Jacket that I made, and I loved doing all of them. And I did a little Instagram story about that, too. So we’ll link that in the show notes. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. And then rivets are also really impressive, and they do have a purpose. Metal rivets reinforce stress points. They’re super strong, and pants made with them will last a really long time. Traditionally, there are five places that rivets go. So they would go at the end of the front pockets where they meet the side seams on the outside edge of the coin pocket and on the outside edge of the back pockets. But you can kind of decide where you want to put your rivets based on your preference. Some people don’t like to have them on back pockets cause they worry about, like, the rivets catching on fabric or on, like, you know, a chair or something. It can cut something, can sometimes scratch surfaces. So it’s really a personal preference, and rivets, like the buttons, are made up of two pieces, the post and the top, but they’re a little bit different in the installation. So you need a really tough surface, like a cast iron skillet, again. I really, really love using my mini anvil. We sell them at Blackbird. So we’ll link that in the show notes if you want your own cute little mini anvil to hammer in your rivets and buttons. You want to use an awl to make the hole again, where you want the rivet to go, and then you push the post through that hole. And then you want to make sure that the post is only sticking out a little tiny bit. So remember when you hammer down your fabric, the fabric kind of compresses a little bit, so it might not look like it’s sticking out very much, but it’ll continue to, kind of, push through as you hammer it. And you really only want a couple of millimeters sticking out because, or else it’s going to break through the rivet. So this is like the most important part I think of installing rivets successfully is making sure that you’re trimming down that post as far as you can. And then once that’s trimmed down, you will put that top of the rivet onto the post, turn the rivet over so you’re looking at the back, place it on your metal surface, like your, the back of your cast iron skillet or your cute mini anvil, and then you just line everything up straight and hammer it in really hard. I’m sure that description was absolutely riveting. I’m sorry for meandering, but I will also say that different buttons and rivets have different instructions for installing. Some you have to trim, some you don’t. So I definitely look at the instructions that come with your package. I’m talking from experience with, um, the kits we sell at Blackbird. I’ve also used the kits that Closet Core Patterns sells that are very, very similar. So with those kits, you want to trim down that rivet post. Closet Core has a really good article on installing jeans hardware. We’re going to link that in the show notes. It’s videos, so it’s much easier to understand than my convoluted description, but in it, Heather shows how to snip off the extra length with wire cutters, and she kind of walks you through the whole process. Blackbird also has a video on YouTube where we show you the process of using our hardware. So we’re going to link all that in the show notes. Um, and I would say watch a video, like, watch some tutorials before you jump in, but then just go for it. It’s really fun. And so satisfying when you get those rivets and buttons and, and, uh, I think they really take your jeans to the next level. 

Helen: I agree, and you can improve as you go. If you notice that that post is breaking through the rivet on the front side of the pants, as long as it’s not, like, sharp, you don’t need to worry too much. But you’ll notice if there’s, like, a little bump or maybe it’s even piercing through the metal, then you know you didn’t trim your posts down far enough, and you do need to trim further than you think, like you said. I think it has something to do with whether the post is hollow or not, whether you trim it or not. Is that right? 

Caroline: Yeah. There’s different types of, like, rivet tops as well. So I think there’s just a lot of variety in that area. So definitely check out the instructions that come with your kit. Yeah. 

Helen: Yeah. The important thing to remember is that you want to trim it down if you’re using rivets, and if you’re using a button, you don’t need to trim it down because the post can go all the way into that button shank. So just keep that in mind, and try not to get it mixed up. 

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Now for my favorite part: fabric shopping, I wanted to start off just with, like, kind of, a general overall tip for selecting good fabric for your pants. And that is to think about how you want to wear your pants or what you like about the pants that you already own. I think that lighter weight fabrics are not going to last as long as heavier weight ones; they’re probably going to need more mending along the way. It’s totally normal to have to mend pants in, like, high friction areas. But just think about, do you want a pair of pants that is, kind of, like, easy breezy, lightweight drapey? Or do you want something with a bit more structure? What are the pants that you reach for the most in your closet? And that could help you to figure out the types of fabrics that you want to pick for your home sewing pants projects. 

Helen: That’s a great tip. And there’s two essential things to consider when you’re picking out fabric for your pants pattern and that is: the weight of the fabric and the stretch of the fabric. So bottomweight fabrics will sometimes name their weights. For pants, you want a weight between six and 14 ounces. For example, at Blackbird, I know you have a six ounce lyocell twill that you can use to make a light and flowy pair of, like, culottes, for example. But, at the other end, you also carry, like, 13 and a half ounce denim that you can use to make great jeans that could potentially last forever if you take care of them and mend them. So to help you decide what weight to use for your pattern, look at the pattern’s suggested fabrics, look at the tag on Instagram to see what fabrics other people have used. It’s great to use the community as a resource for this kind of stuff. There are lots of sewing groups on Facebook as well, where you can ask, you know, will this fabric work for this pattern? And people might pop in there with good answers for you. I feel, like, for jeans, if you’re in that, like, nine to 14 range, you’re going to end up with like a good solid pair of jeans, but keep in mind that your machine might struggle with a fabric that’s over 12 ounces. If you’re working with a really beginner machine, sometimes those can just have a really hard time sewing through all those layers of thick fabric, unfortunately. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And then the other, kind of, thing you want to be thinking about other than weight is stretch. So first of all, make sure to check whether your pattern is intended for stretch fabrics or not. This isn’t always evident from the photos and even a little added stretch can make a non-stretch pattern look baggy and going non-stretch on a stretch pattern could mean not even being able to pull your pants on. So it’s, it’s definitely something you want to look at. And when you’re sewing with stretch fabrics, it’s also really important not to cut on the cross grain cause there’s no stretch on the cross grain only on the, you know, regular grain line, will it stretch width-wise so just make sure that you’re cutting on the grain only when you’re working with stretch fabrics. 

Helen: Yes, and another tip for buying denim is to remember that raw denim is stiffer than ready to wear a denim. Often ready to wear jeans that we find in the stores are pre-washed pre softened, pre treated, even with, like, sandpaper or other methods to give it those faded looks in, like, the thighs and the knees and stuff. So garments made with raw denim are going to feel different when you finish them, but they will soften and mold to your body as you wear and wash them. If you really want your jeans to be soft, right from the get-go, you can wash your finished jeans a bunch of times before you begin to wear them. Just throw them in with your wash for, like, a month and they will be softer, but it really helps to wear them in because they will mold to your body. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And you can check out our episode on denim for lots more info. And I do have one final thought about fabrics and that is that not all fabrics are going to work for pants. I know sometimes it’s tempting to use that, like, stripey linen or cotton print that you have in your stash for a pair of elastic waist pants, but you really want to make sure that your fabric has at least a little bit of durability. For example, some linens have, like, a really loose weave and that’s just going to pull apart where there are seams that take stress like your bum or inner thighs. So just be realistic about your fabric choice. You probably don’t want to pick, like, a really loose weave linen, and then, you know, maybe you could line the pants to make, make it work, but like, It’s not ideal and it’s not going to be a pair of pants that you’re going to love and wear again and again, because they’re just going to, kind of, deteriorate more quickly than other fabrics. So just keep durability in mind. Even for those lighter weight fabrics, you want to make sure that they have, like, a nice kind of tight weave to them. 

Helen: Do you have a fabric in your shop that you’re like, this is a perfect jeans fabric? Like the nine ounce bolt denim or something? Like, just like, a nice weight for a pair of pants?

Caroline: Definitely the nine ounce denim or the 10 ounce, organic cotton duck canvas. Those are both really great fabrics for jeans. A couple of other ones that I really love that we have in stock. We just restocked denim, so I’m hoping by the time this episode comes out, we’ll still have some stock, but our 12 ounce Japanese non-stretch popcorn denim is like, a favorite in the sewing community. We’ve carried it for a few years. I’ve seen so many amazing pair of jeans sewn up in this fabric. It has a little bit of, like, a speckly texture to it which I think is really cool. And Japanese denim is just super beautiful high quality denim, so I would definitely check that one out. We also have a couple of S-Gene denims in the shop, S-Gene denims are this, kind of, technology that Cone Mills coined. And S-Gene is, it means that the cotton has been blended with a bit of polyester and spandex, and it creates, like, a really hard-wearing yet comfortable denim. It has really, really good recovery. So if you’re wanting to try out a stretch pattern, like the Ginger Jeans, S-Gene denim is definitely the way to go. And we have a lighter weight, eight ounce, one in the shop and a 10 ounce one, so you, kind of, have your pick of, if you want something that’s a little bit more structured or not. But yeah, those would be my recommendations. I mean, I love all of our denims that we carry. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, Helen.

Helen: I’m sorry to put you on the spot. Listening to you talk about the S-Gene makes me want to try sewing a pair of stretch pants, like the Ginger Jeans again, because it’s been a while. I made a pair, I think, like, four years ago, and I haven’t returned to that pattern, but I’d really like to make a 10 ounce pair of stretch denim jeans. I think that would feel really good. 

Caroline: You should do it. 

Helen: Okay. Now that we’ve gotten through all of the sewing tips that we have, it’s time to get to the fitting which is probably the part that most of you are here for. Am I right? 

Caroline: Probably it’s definitely one of the more intimidating parts of pants making, so we’ll try to make you feel a little bit more prepared for jumping in today. So our top three tips for pants fitting are: first, you want to make a practice version. So make your toile out of a similar weight and type to your fashion fabric. If you’re making stretch trousers, using a woven muslin fabric to practice is not going to help. If you’re making a pattern designed for 12 ounce denim, using a cotton bedsheet isn’t going to look right. You are fitting for your body and the fabric. So try to get as similar as possible fabric for your toile, and you might even have to use denim for your test garment. It can feel weird to use a fashion fabric for a toile, but the goal here is to make a garment that is going to fit you well, and that you’ll be able to wear for a long time, so it’s all part of the process. I think with pants making, investing a little bit more in that toile fabric is going to mean that you’re going to end up with a pair of much more wearable pants in the end. So, it’s definitely worth it. 

Helen: Yes. Our second tip for pants fitting is to change one thing at a time. If you see lots of areas for improvement in your pants, don’t worry. You only need to address one thing at a time. So pick something, try to adjust for that, and then see what happens because all adjustments can affect other areas. So it’s good not to do too many at once, or you won’t know what it was that you did fixed what. 

Caroline: Exactly. Yeah. Take it step-by-step. And our third tip is to resist the urge to overfit. So pants need to move with our bodies. Looking in the mirror too hard can cause you to see wrinkles in your pants that actually need to be there. So you’re not going to get a pair of crease-free pants. Just keep that in mind, going into it. Don’t have that expectation, and I think you’ll come out a lot happier. 

Helen: Yes. Okay. Let’s go over some common pants adjustments. We know it’s hard to visualize pattern adjustments on a podcast. So we’re going to link lots of resources in our show notes for this episode. Figuring out what adjustment you need usually means trying on your toile and noting where the fabric is hanging in, kind of, a weird way. So sometimes you can tell a problem by the drag lines that are created. Drag lines are, like, dramatic wrinkles, and there’s some really great fitting guides out there that will tell you which fit problems create which draglines, and we’re going to link those in the show notes. You can also tell fit problems by where the toile is too tight or too loose, too restrictive. You want to make sure that you’re sitting, bending, squatting, moving the way that you would do in your everyday life in the finished pants to check that they’re going to be wearable for you.

Caroline: Yes, and grading between sizes is something every pants-wearer should get familiar with. Everyone’s body is different. People can have three different sizes for waist, hips, and legs. So check out the body measurements chart for your pattern to see where yours fall. And Cashmerette has a great tutorial for grading between sizes for pants that’s going to help you to get close to a good fit on the first toile. 

Helen: And many adjustments require you to trace out a pattern piece and then slash it and spread it or overlap pieces. Slashing is cutting along specific lines on your pattern, and spreading is moving those slashed pieces apart or together to change the shape. Overlapping makes it smaller, moving it apart to make areas bigger. And then you redraw the lines of your pattern so that they’re smooth. That’s called truing up the pattern lines. So again, we’re going to link lots of resources so you can get the visual on how to do these adjustments. 

Caroline: Okay, next thing we’re gonna talk about is the rise. This is sometimes also called the torso of the pants. If you have diagonal smile lines radiating from the crotch of the pants and the pants feel like they’re being tugged downwards at the crotch, you might need to lengthen the rise. If you have drooping frown lines radiating from the crotch, you might need to shorten the rise. Some patterns are going to come with a lengthen/shorten line for the rise adjustments. If not, you can just make a slash line parallel with the hip line above the crotch, cut along that line and then spread or overlap the pieces to create a shorter or longer rise.

Helen: Changing the rises is, like, a life changing adjustment to try because almost everybody either needs one or wants one. Like, it all depends on your personal preference where you want that rise to sit so jeans, you can change the rise. Elastic waist pants, you can change the rise. I mean, it’s just such a handy adjustment to get that waistband exactly where you want it. And waist adjustments are also really common for pants. So you can choose your pants pattern based on your hip measurements, and then you can go in and make adjustments to fit the rest of your body. That’s typically the easiest way to approach it. If your waistband is too tight or too loose, you might need a large or small waist adjustment. This adjustment is done on the side seam edge of the pants pattern pieces to add or reduce the width. It’s also done on the waistband to lengthen or shorten, it and jeans have that handy center back seam that can be adjusted as well, so you can take things in there. Oftentimes, you can preempt this by grading between sizes before you sew the pants. But if you still find that your waist is too tight or too loose, then you can go in and adjust that waistband. 

Caroline: And if your waistband fits okay, but the pants feel too tight at the lower belly, you might need a full tummy adjustment. Or if you have extra fabric hanging vertically at the lower belly, you might need a flat tummy adjustment. So this adjustment is done at the center of the pants pieces, you cut them into four and spread or overlap them, then redraw the lines. The difference between a full tummy adjustment and a large waist adjustment is that a full tummy adjustment adds length along the rise as well as width which is good for fitting rounded tummies. A large waist adjustment only adds width which is good for flatter, but wider. 

Helen: Yes, and then other area you’re going to want to look at is the back. And you might need a sway back adjustment if you have fabric pooling above your butt, around that lower back area. This is another slash and spread adjustment, and it helps to fit the past to bodies that have more, a dramatic curve or a sway from the back down to the butt. So a sway back can be the result of a body shape or posture, but no matter why it’s there, remember you’re correcting the pattern and not your body. As with all adjustments, we’re always correcting the pattern, not the body. Your body is right. No matter what. 

Caroline: All right, Helen, now we’re down to the butt. We’ve said the word “butt” a lot in this episode already. We’re going to say it a lot more. 

Helen: Now the next adjustment is a full or flat butt adjustment. If you have tight, diagonal draglines radiating from the fullest part of your butt, or if the back waist is pulling down almost into like a little V-shape at the center backseat, you might need a full butt adjustment. And conversely, if you have extra fabric pooling under your butt or the butt, in general, just seems too loose, you might need a flat butt adjustment. This is another adjustment that is made both lengthwise and widthwise, since you’re fitting a curved area. Caroline, this is one that you do, right? 

Caroline: Yes, I am all about that full butt adjustment. Um, yeah, it’s always necessary for me. And, uh, it really does make a huge difference. Like when you’re used to wearing, ready to wear where there’s either, you know, you get it to fit your butt and then you have a ton of extra fabric at the waist in the back, or if it fits your waist too maybe you have some like that V kind of dip that you just talked about. So being able to make that adjustment on the pattern pieces is a real game changer for fitting pants. 

Helen: Yes, and there’s also high and low butt adjustments. So if you have fabric pooling above your butt, you can adjust the back darts for a high butt adjustment. Or if you have fabric pooling below your butt, you can scoop out the crotch curve in the back for a low butt adjustment. So not only small and large, but also high and low, it, kind of, depends on how your butt is oriented in relation to that crotch curve on those pants. 

Caroline: Mhm. And you might need a round pubis adjustment. If your pants fit too tight across your pubic area. So this is something known as: camel toe. 

Helen: I hate the phrase camel toe.

Caroline: I know, I know. I’m using air quotes here, “camel toe.” Um, you can help this by scooping out the front crotch a little, even a quarter inch can make a big difference. And if you’re getting horizontal drag lines at the crotch, you might need a flat pubis adjustment. In this case, make the front crotch curve shallower. 

Helen: If the rise seems right, but you still have those smile or frown lines at the crotch, you might need to shorten or lengthen the crotch. So, for this, you reduce or extend the crotch right at the inseam to give yourself a little less or a little more room, and a little goes a long way, again, like a quarter inch at a time here, people. Don’t get carried away. 

Caroline: All right. We’ve made it down to the legs. So if your pants are too long or too short, you can adjust them by simply adding length at the hem. However, if you have a shaped leg, like a wide leg, tapered leg, flared leg, you might want to adjust the leg length by slashing and spreading the pattern so that you don’t change the design too much. Um, you could end up with two small tapers or extra wide hems. So just keep in mind the shape of the leg when you’re deciding where to add that length or take it away.

Helen: Yes, knock knees or bow-legged adjustments are for legs that curve inward or outward through the knees. If you have diagonal wrinkles coming inward from the side, seams at the knees, you might want to do a knock-kneed adjustment. If you have the opposite, diagonal wrinkles coming from the inseams at the knees, you might want to do that bowling.

Caroline: And then the next one would be full or small thigh adjustments. These can be done in several areas. If you find your outer thighs need adjusting, you can add width to the side seams and taper down to the knees. And for the inner thighs, you can adjust at the inseam, close to the crotch and taper to the knee.

Helen: And if you have tight wrinkles forming around your calf, like I do, you might want to do a large calf adjustment, and this is a slash and spread adjustment that adjusts the width at the center back pieces from the knee down. So you make room for all those gorgeous calf muscles. 

Caroline: And if you need more or less room down the entire leg, you’re going to want to do a large or thin leg adjustment. So this adds or subtracts width down the entire leg at the center front and center back of each leg piece. 

Helen: Oof, that was a lot of potential adjustments, Caroline. 

Caroline: It really was. It was fun to walk through it, but I have to say it’s so much more helpful to have visual cues when you’re working through these adjustments. So don’t go just by our words. Definitely.

Helen: I don’t think they will, right? 

Caroline: Yeah. Uh, definitely check out the show notes. We have tons and tons of links in there for all these different adjustments, so you can figure out how to do them at home. 

Helen: Yes, and you certainly won’t need to do every single one of them adjustments on every pair of pants. It’s more, like, a list that you can go through to figure out exactly what changes you might want to make. And again, make one adjustment at a time because they all kind of cascade and affect each other. And there are lots of great resources like Collette Patterns, which has now rolled in with Seamwork, has a pants fitting cheat sheet that lists the signs of fitting issues and links to tutorials for each adjustment. Closet Core Patterns has their jeans fitting adjustment post which has lots of illustrations to help you see those fit problems and what the drag lines are actually looking like, shows you how to do the adjustments to fix them. They also have a downloadable pants fitting worksheet that you can get for signing up for their newsletter which I have definitely downloaded because it’s super helpful to look in the mirror and then look at that cheat sheet and actually figure out what’s going on.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so, so useful. And the Curvy Sewing Collective has a couple of posts on pants fitting that are filled with helpful links and tips, including suggested patterns for different skill levels, lots of pattern adjustments, and construction resources. You don’t have to identify as curvy or plus size or fat for these pages to help you out either, so they’re useful for everybody. 

Helen: The book Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Every Body by Patty Palmer and Maria Alto is a bit older, but it’s got tons of great fitting advice in it. If you’d rather have a book that’s a bit broader and helps you fit other patterns as well, the Palmer-Pletsch Complete Guide to Fitting is a beloved resource in the sewing community. Um, it’s by the same authors, and it’s super helpful for all of your fitting issues. 

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. So that is all of our resources and tips. The process of fitting pants can be, kind of, annoying. Just remember to be gentle with yourself during this process. It’s normal for it to bring up a lot of uncomfortable feelings. Try to react with kindness when these come up. Treat yourself like you would a beloved friend, and just remember, fit problems are part of the process of making pants. And it’s the pants that need to be adjusted to your body, not the other way around. 

Helen: On the other hand, making pants that fit your body can bring up a lot of positive emotions because it’s so cool when you finally get to that stage where you make this pair of pants that fits you perfectly. It’s like a true act of self-love; you’re so worth pants that fit you well. Maybe you’ve even avoided wearing pants because you can’t find ones that fit, and this could be a whole new style adventure for you which is so exciting. And I just think that once you get that pants fitting down, you get that one pair of pants. The next one’s going to be easier and easier, and you can even make that one over and over again, you don’t need all the fancy patterns out there. You just need the one that fits. 

Caroline: Yeah, totally. And on that note, we have just a couple more tips that we want to throw in before we wrap up. If you already have a pair of pants that fit you well, you can compare them to your pattern pieces so you can see the changes you want to make really, really clearly based on this pair of pants that you already have, that you already know fits well. And once you fit a pattern to your body, you can make it again and again. Like Helen said, it really makes that fitting process worth it. You can apply these fit adjustments to other patterns, too. It’s such a cool learning experience and a big sewing level up. So approach it like an exploration, and you’re going to have more fun. 

Helen: Okay. We’ve made it to the end of our pants episode.We had a pant-astic time recording this, and we hope you had fun listening, too. Please tag us in all of your pants sewing adventures. We want to see what you’re up to. You can find us @lovetosew.podcast on Instagram. 

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. 

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com. 

Caroline: If you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, or maybe you want to follow along with us in the off-season, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month and you’ll get access to our really fun bonus episode feed. And if you contribute $10 or more a month, you’ll get a 15% discount code for both of our shops and the Love to Sew shop and a bonus mini-sode every single month. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info, and we can’t wait to see you over there. 

Helen: Yeah. Thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening to the spring season of Love to Sew. We will talk to you in the fall. Bye.

Caroline: Buh-bye. Have a great summer.

Caroline: The episode in which you will hear us say the word butts at least 20 times. Butts butts butts.

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In this episode, Helen and Caroline chat with three amazing petite sewists: Simone Nelson, Shontae Buffington, and Lauren Digby. They share their petite sewing strategies, tips, and stories to help other sewists find their perfect fit!

The transcript for this episode is at the end of the show notes on this page.

Previous episodes mentioned:

Simone Nelson

Shontae Buffington

Lauren Digby

Patterns and pattern companies mentioned: 

Other resources:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s topic: petite sewing.

Caroline: Hi, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m great, thanks. How are you?

Caroline: I am very good.

Helen: I don’t know about you, but I have been really looking forward to this episode.

Caroline: I have, too.

Helen: Uh, yeah, we know that there’s a need for petite sewing information out there because we’ve gotten a lot of requests for it. And because we’re not petites ourselves, we decided to have not one, not two, but three amazing guests who can speak to the petite sewing experience today.

Caroline: Yes, we have some great interviews coming up, but before we get into the guests, let’s talk a bit about what petite means. So petite, of course, is the French word for small. In the garment and sewing industries, petite is typically a category for people who are short statured, usually below five feet, four inches. That covers a lot of people. But as you’ll hear in the rest of this episode, sewists who identify as petite are not all one shape or size; there’s a huge variety, and each individual will have unique measurements and sewing preferences.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Let’s get into these interviews.

Caroline: Let’s do it.

Helen: Hello, Simone. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Simone: Hi! I’m super excited to be on here.

Helen: We’re so excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Simone: Yes, I am Simone. And you can find me on Instagram @intenselydistracted. I’m a mom of two from Utah, and I just recently opened a label shop.

Helen: Yeah, we are so into your labels. Can you tell our listeners what the name of the shop is?

Simone: It’s just my Instagram handle, Intensely Distracted. I thought about changing it to something that was more like funny and sewing friendly, but, uh, I think Intensely Distracted, kind of, sums my personality up quite nicely.

Helen: That’s awesome. I know it’s hard to come up with a good sewing pun these days that isn’t taken.

Simone: Yes, very true.

Helen: And can you tell our listeners a little bit about how, and when you learned how to sew?

Simone: I first learned, like, the very basics in junior high. We had to take a year long class of, like, life skills, and a third of that class was home ec stuff but only a small unit of that was sewing. And so I learned, like, you know, you have to back stitch and stuff like that, but like, that was it. And so I didn’t start again until after I had my first baby and we just, I just, kind of, like, figured things out as I went along, and then it wasn’t until I, kind of, realized I could actually do more with sewing and that there was a whole world of sewing patterns that were outside of what I was finding at my local store that I kind of delved in and realized there was more to it. Um, and that was when I learned more technical skills. So, I usually like to say that I started my handmade wardrobe in 2018 cause that was when I actually started really following patterns and actually learning skills outside of what I was making up.

Caroline: Awesome. And what was that like in 2018? I mean, you already knew how to sew, but then you discovered this whole world of sewing patterns. Was it super exciting? Did you get really into, like, wardrobe planning and that kind of thing?

Simone: Um, I was. I’m not a big planner. I just, kind of, like, delve into things when I want to do something. So I did get into wardrobe planning, but it was, kind of, like this door opened, and it was super exciting to see that there was so much out there. And I was shocked that I had, kind of, been, like, hanging out outside of the, outside of this sphere, but to see that there was so much more and that there was, like, a lot of styles and, like, an online community that could help me figure things out was really exciting.

Caroline: Yeah, and our episode today is all about petite sewing. So that is definitely one of the reasons why we wanted to have you on to chat about this topic, and even in your Instagram profile, you identify as a petite sewist. So, I wonder when did you come to think of yourself in those terms?

Simone: Um, that’s a really good question. I actually, I had to Google and search what, like, what it meant to be petite because before I even claimed myself as a petite sewist, I wasn’t sure if, that if being petite actually fit what my body type was just because I always thought that petite meant being, like, on the smaller end of everything. And so I’ve always been on the smaller end. I’m only five feet tall, and usually, like, nothing in the stores fit me. So I just kind of, just assumed that’s what it was. But as I’ve gotten older and I’ve had my kids and you know, your body changes with age and I wasn’t, I’m not, like, the same size I was obviously when I was younger and it was really hard for me to decide whether or not I was still petite. And so I did have to look it up and I realized, Hey, petite sewing, being petite, actually encompasses a lot of different sizes.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. I think there is a common, kind of, misconception that petites, quote-unquote petites are tiny all over but really, like anything, there’s a range of body types within that category. I wonder how you think this affects petite sewists or how that has affected you and, kind of, your mindset.

Simone: Well, for me, I always was on the smaller end of, like, store sizes, you know? And when I started making clothing from patterns, I was really surprised to see that I was not on the small, smallest end of the size ranges. And I actually, I’d go back and remeasure myself, and I was just completely shocked by it. And it was, kind of, like, this weird, like, Am I, the size that I think I am? Am I measuring myself incorrectly? And it was kind of eye-opening because I was just shocked at that, I was not on the smallest end which is not a bad thing whatsoever. And it’s taken me some time to, obviously, understand and understand my body better and realize that it’s not about the number.

Helen: Yeah, I think that’s a hurdle that a lot of beginner sewists face because the sizes and the size chart don’t often match the sizes that we’re used to buying in ready to wear. And every ready to wear store has a little bit of a different sizing. So it is a little disconcerting when you go to make a sewing pattern and you’re not the size that you thought you were, and then you start questioning what even is sizing. And in the end, I think that’s a good thing because, like you said, it’s really not about the number, and sewing is all about making things that fit you well. So I wonder if you can take us through your fitting journey. Did you immediately start making those petite adjustments to your patterns when you started sewing or was there a bit of a learning curve there for you?

Simone: There was definitely a bit of a learning curve, but part of it was because I’d never actually had things that fit me well, but I didn’t realize that at the time. And so a lot of my earlier makes I would do certain, maybe I would, like, shorten things, but just because, like, if the pattern told me, Hey, if you’re shorter than 5’5” or 5’7”, whatever the pattern is drafted for, shorten it, right? And so then I would do that, but I would only do what it told me to do. And so I didn’t realize that generally I actually want things to fit me better, but I didn’t know what it was. So it took me a while to, kind of, understand that a lot of things that I had were oversized.

Helen: And are there certain adjustments that you typically make to garments now?

Simone: Yeah, so I almost always shorten things right off the bat. I really suck at making muslins. And so I generally do two inches. Like, that’s my magic number, in most cases. I usually shorten two inches in pants and sleeves. Um, and usually if I, if there are darts in the pattern, I try to do a small bust adjustment.

Helen: Right. That makes a lot of sense. And when you’re shortening things, that two inch magic number, how did you come up with that number? Because I know a lot of times it seems like it’s the height it was drafted for minus your height, and then there’s your magic number. But, of course, our height is distributed throughout our entire body, from our toes to the top of our heads. So how did you figure out that magic number?

Simone: I actually learned how to adjust for height in the York Pinafore pattern from Helen, and that was where I, kind of, learned that. And then, just from there, I realized that, for the most part, a lot of the patterns that I’ve used, that two inches just from the inseam works best for me.

Helen: Oh, that’s awesome. I’m glad to hear that was helpful. Yeah, I like to recommend that people take the number that it was drafted for minus their height, and then divide that by two, just so they’re not lengthening or shortening too much right off the bat. And then, of course, adjust from there for your personal preference and the way that your height is distributed too, because some of us have longer torsos than others or longer rise or longer legs. So it’s all an individual process.

Simone: Yeah, and I’m still learning actually. I don’t do a lot of fit adjustments because I’m, kind of, more trying to focus on building my skills, and then, eventually, when I have more energy to do so, I would like to get into better fitting.

Caroline: Do you have any, uh, favorite pattern companies out there that you think are, kind of, serving you as a really good starting point for making your fitting adjustments, any pattern companies that you tend to gravitate towards?

Simone: Helen’s Closet. I’m not trying to be, like, a total fan girl, but I am. And so, uh, the York Pinafore actually helped me a lot. I learned a lot of technical skills, but then also with the height adjustment. I had not tried any other pattern before that even told me how to adjust for height, and so that one, I always recommend. Sinclair Patterns is also a good one because they actually include petite sizing in their sizes, so you don’t have to do any guesswork. Um, and I really liked that because sometimes I just don’t have the energy to try to figure things out. And then Itch to Stitch is another good one because they have the different cup size, so it’s a little bit more like mix or match.

Helen: Yeah, I like that Itch to Stitch has, I think they have A through DD, at least. I can’t remember exactly, but they actually do include that A cup which is rare in sewing patterns.

Simone: Yes, and if you don’t know how to do a small bust adjustment, or if you just don’t want to deal with it, then I like that I, it’s right there for me.

Caroline: Awesome. Um, so I think we’re going to have a lot of petite listeners tuning into this episode. So I wonder if you have any advice that you would give to them if they’re thinking that they want to make clothes that really fit them well.

Simone: My recommendation is to try out different designers and to see which ones work better for you. For some designers, you know, you’re going to have to do a lot of mods while others are going to do just a couple, you know, some really small, easy mods. So really, the more that you do and the more that you make for yourself, you’ll discover what works best for you and what you prefer. Cause I’ve got, of course, what you prefer for your body is very relative.

Helen: Yeah, that’s good advice, I think for any sewist. Um, and we also want to share some of your garments that you’ve made in our social this week. So can you tell us, maybe, some of your favorite garments that you’ve made recently?

Simone: I usually really like my last make, but I haven’t been making as much lately just because I’ve been dealing, trying to get my shop running. And then also, because I’m kind of satisfied with everything that I’ve had, I have. So really, my current favorites are probably my Free Range Slacks because I wear them, like, every day.

Helen: They are so cute. I really love your outfit combos. I mean, definitely go follow Simone on Instagram, everyone, because you have this window, you stand next to where the lighting is just perfect. And you take all these beautiful pictures of all your makes. So I really enjoy following you for your styling. And I also noticed recently that your sister has been popping up on your IG. How is learning to sew going for her?

Simone: It’s so fun because she had never really expressed any interest in learning how to sew or make your own clothes. And she had basically the same education that I had from junior high. And so when she, she was here for, you know, we were quarantine bubbling for vacation. And she was like, you know, since I’m not going to do anything for a couple of weeks, like, let’s, maybe, I want to learn how to sew. And I was like, and I completely jumped into, like, all the different things. And then I had to stop myself and be like, Okay, don’t overwhelm her. But it’s been really fun because she actually, like, texts me now and tells me what she’s up to or asks for advice. And it’s really nice to have, like, someone in real life that I know that I can talk to about this.

Helen: Yeah, it’s like talking to somebody who speaks the same language as you in a way, when it comes to sewing. I always find when I’m chatting with my sewing friends and you can just drop names of patterns, and you don’t have to explain anything. It’s just like, they just get it.

Simone: Yeah, it’s so true. And so she’s definitely gotten way more into it than I, I didn’t know. I was like, Let’s see if she’s actually going to continue with this. Um, but she has, and so it’s been really fun to see her, her growth.

Caroline: That’s so awesome. And okay, we have to talk a little bit about your new shop selling garment labels for home sewists. Can you just tell us a little bit more about why you decided to start the shop, kind of, the journey before launch because you just launched recently, right?

Simone: Yeah, so I launched at the end of March, and it’s been really fun. I’ve always been interested in running my own shop, and I like the flexibility that comes with it. And so I’ve done different things in the past, but I’m really, really excited about this one because I feel like it encompasses everything I’ve ever been interested in. I once heard, uh, Alton Brown talk about, like, the unique career that he’s had and he, that he’s created for himself and how he says that every random thing that he’s done ultimately led to where he is now which I have really liked because a lot of the things that I’ve done have not been connected, and they don’t make any sense, at least, you know, at the time they don’t make any sense. But then, at this point in my life, I realize that every little skill that I learned in those things have led me to here. So I’m really excited that, it’s, like, my level of interests have all accumulated into a label shop.

Caroline: And the labels are so cute and fun. I really encourage our listeners to go and check out your shop. There’s even a Mandalorian themed one that says, “This is the way.” So can you tell us a little bit more about some of the other labels that you have in your store?

Simone: Yes, so I have cotton labels and woven labels, and there’s, like, a geeky spin on half of them. And then, like, slow fashion slash mindfully made, for the others. It’s like a, like I said, it’s an, uh, it’s a very good representation of my interests where I love the slow fashion and I love making things, but I also am a geek. And so it’s really nice to be able to incorporate the two.

Helen: I laughed out loud when I saw the “This is the way” one. I just thought it was so clever. And I also love, love, love “The ironing is overrated” tag.

Caroline: Oh, yeah.

Helen: It’s perfect for all the linen out there. I mean, it doesn’t get better than that.

Simone: Yes, and or for just anything, like, I only use my iron when I’m sewing.

Helen: It’s true. It’s, I have mine set up all the time, and yet it never gets used after my clothes come out of the dryer.

Simone: Same. I actually was really excited to move to my new house so that I could have a full ironing board, but it never gets used other than what I’m sewing. So I don’t know what I was thinking.

Helen: Well, now you have these labels, so you’re good.

Caroline: How long did it take to get this project off the ground?

Simone: Um, from actual, like, announcing that this was actually going to happen and, like, talking with my family and, you know, deciding whether or not this is going to be the right fit for us. It took several months, but that’s, like, all we did, was, like, heads down, let’s do this. And it was actually, it took longer for production than it took to actually design everything. So I design everything, but, like, I had these ideas in my head, and so that was actually really quick to do.

Caroline: I love that it’s kind of like a family affair. Are you going to have your kids help you ship out orders and stuff?

Simone: They don’t, they’re like, my kids are, kind of, old. And so they’re like, No, we’re good, mommy. Um, but my, they, they actually really liked “This is the way” this is their favorite one. We’re a big Star Wars family. And so when that came in, I’m like, Hey, who wants this on their backpack? And they were like, Yes, all of us. So it’s nice to be able to share this with them and, like, have them, kind of, help out with the ideas and just see what goes into a business.

Caroline: Awesome. It’s so inspiring. Um, we finally wanted to touch on another thing that you’ve shared on your Instagram a little while back and that was your amazing sewing notebook that we’ve seen in your stories. It’s super inspiring. So we were hoping you could describe it a little bit to our listeners and just tell us how you use it in your sewing practice.

Simone: I like to document things a lot. Um, I’m the person that, like, takes a zillion photos anytime I go anywhere. Um, so having this sewing notebook has actually been really wonderful because I like documenting things, but I also have a really horrible memory. So I write down the pattern, the fabric notes, the fitting notes, and I, kind of, keep track of different things as I make a project so that I can look back at it later and see what changes I did or, um, just to reference back to it.

Helen: It’s such a smart idea. And it’s becoming one of my go-to pieces of advice for beginner sewists because I wish I had done this right from the beginning. I mean, I have my blog where I showcase some things, so I have notes there. But more detailed notes about adjustments and sizes because if you want to recreate that later, you know, say it’s like two or three years later, there’s no way you’re going to remember what you did to your pattern or what size you made. So it’s so, so handy to have it documented. And through that documentation process, you can learn so much about your sewing and about the garments that you like to make and wear.

Simone: Yeah, and it actually has helped me a lot in understanding my body size as well. Because in the beginning, I would not, I wouldn’t even write down what size I made. I didn’t even remember what size I made because again, I was still, kind of, like, unsure about all of that. So to actually be able to, like, put it down, and it’s just numbers, it’s not a big deal. Um, so then I, it’s, it’s really helpful to actually understand when I’m making new things.

Caroline: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing that. And thank you for coming on the show. Simone, before we wrap up, can you let our listeners know again where they can find you online?

Simone: Yes, you can find me online, uh, on Instagram @intenselydistracted and my website is intenselydistracted.com.

Helen: Amazing. Thank you again, Simone for coming on. Have a great day.

Simone: Thank you so much.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Helen: Hello, Shontae. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Shontae: Hi, thank you so much for having me today.

Helen: We’re really excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself for our listeners?

Shontae: Sure. My name is Shontae Buffington and, um, I love sewing. That’s why I’m on this podcast and, um, I’m a native of Atlanta, Georgia, but I’ve lived everywhere. And everywhere I go, fabric and sewing goes with me.

Helen: Amazing. You sound like the perfect guest for our show. And how and when did you learn how to sew?

Shontae: I learned how to sew about 23 years ago. My husband thought that, as a new wife, I needed a hobby. And so his idea of a hobby was for me to learn how to make all the clothes that I was buying. So he took me to Sears and bought this little, I don’t know, some, some kind of sewing machine. And I couldn’t even thread the needle. He said, Well, did you put the VHS in, you know, that, did you watch the video? So it was like pre-YouTube and, you know, pre, pre, like, real internet and that sort of thing. People were only sewing in really small circles. So I put the video in, learn how to thread the needle, and made a button up shirt. That was, like, literally the first thing I made, and the button placket was backwards, but he still wore it. So I’ve been sewing ever since with tubs of fabric and tons of patterns and all that kind of stuff. So that’s me learning how to sew.

Caroline: That’s so ambitious that you made a button up shirt first…

Shontae: Right?

Caroline: … as one of your first projects. Tell us more about the patterns and garment styles that you tend to gravitate towards. Can you describe your style a little bit for us?

Shontae: So I guess my style is pretty much anything I can’t buy ready to wear, or it would be difficult to get ready to wear. So I always tell people I’m, like, sewing, I’m, like, sewing, bling, you know? So I like sequins, I like fur, I like velvet, any kind of stripe, something that you have to match up, prints that you have to match up. I love Ankara. So I love bright colors and fabrics and things like that. I, lately, have really been into organic types of fabrics because I live in a very hot and humid climate, and polyesters really stick to your skin. So I’ve been searching out fabrics like that. In terms of finding patterns, I love indie patterns right now. I’m really into that. The PDF patterns, trying to support, um, smaller pattern companies, smaller newer designers, but I have made everything from a jean jacket, fur coat, a pair of pants, leggings. Right now I’m into bras, so, you know, sort of all over the place, which is, which is good and bad.

Helen: And how has sewing shaped your style? Like were you into those kinds of bling, bright color garments before you started sewing? Or was that just something that came with your discovery of all the beautiful fabrics out there?

Shontae: Um, I guess I would say yes and no. So I’m a southerner, and if you know anything about the South, um, as soon as you cross the Mason-Dixon line, things get brighter and louder. Purses are orange and yellow and all that good stuff. And so, probably I’ve always liked color and pattern, but I had such a difficult time finding the, the right style for my body type. So I think the sewing just allowed me to express myself and really get the fit down. So I noticed when I started sewing my own clothes, people would say things like, Oh, I really like your outfit. Oh, that was so cool. Oh, that’s really cool, where’d you buy that from? And I was like, Oh, I didn’t buy this. I made this, thanks. So I think I learned what, how clothes were supposed to fit and because I’m so small, I could never really just pull something off the rack and wear it. I always had to do something to it. So the color and the fit sorta just mish together. I think it just expresses where I’m from, which is, you know, the, southerners tend to wear a little bit brighter. When I went to California, I remember my college roommate saying, uh, she, she didn’t see me yet, what she saw was my shoes and the clothes I had laying out. So I walked into the room and she goes, Oh, I, I, I couldn’t figure, I knew you were a smaller person cause your shoe was so small. But when I saw the clothes, I was like, she must be from the South. So she knew, just from, like, the clothes that were there that I clearly was not a Californian. So I came to California and I learned how to, you know, mute things down and, you know, maybe don’t put those colors together, like a little bit of a, a mix of all of that. It’s like Gap meets the South altogether.

Caroline: That is awesome. We also wanted to talk more specifically about petite sewing today, and you touched on fit a little bit just now. So can you tell us about your journey from beginner sewist to making the well-fitting garments that you make now? Like, what did that look like for you?

Shontae: So in the beginning, you know, when you first start sewing, you don’t understand that pattern. So I was looking on the back, really teaching myself how to sew from the, literally, the instructions. And so I was using the size thinking that that was my size. So initially, I just thought I couldn’t sew because. I didn’t understand that, oh, if you’re a four in ready to wear, maybe you’re not a four on the pattern. So initially I thought I couldn’t sew. Then when I figured out, oh, I’m using the wrong pattern size, I still thought I couldn’t sew because things would be too big or too small or too tight or too long, mostly too big. Mostly everything I made was way too big. And so the first adjustment I learned how to make was the back to waist because I didn’t understand that when I buy a shirt, my middle section is just small, it’s just smaller. And then after I had kids, my midsection, my front to back was smaller, but my breasts were bigger, right? So then I, I learned how to make the full bust adjustment with the back to waist. So for me, it really started with learning how to adjust the bodice, getting the bodice, like, really perfect. Like it’s the one thing people are always like, Oh, your shirt, it fits so nice. Like, yeah, cause the darts are pointing exactly where they’re supposed to be. And so I really learned how to get the top part right.

Helen: Yeah. It’s interesting listening to you talk because it makes me think about how there are so many adjustments out there and no matter what size you are, whether you consider yourself petite or plus size, you might still have to do some of these adjustments like a full, bust adjustment or a full seat adjustment. Do you think that there are adjustments that are specifically for petite sewists or is it more just finding the adjustments that work for your figure?

Shontae: So most of us will always, always, always have to do a length adjustment period. You will almost never find a standard, even the misses pattern which is really like the juniors, like, it’s like Macy’s juniors. You will always, always have to make a length adjustment. So I’m, I’m what you call super petite. So I’m 4’11 ½”. So it’s so funny when I see people, like, at, like, a sewing conference or something, Oh, my god I know you, but I thought you were so much taller. And I’m really, really, really short. So when I make pants, I already know five inches is coming out. If I make a maxi dress, which the only way I get a maxi dress is if I sew it. It’s the only way I get it. So I know that I have to take a solid five to seven inches out of the dress, which is tricky, right? Because you can’t just chop five inches from the bottom of the dress. Sometimes you can, but you may have to kind of take it out in chunks. So I may take two inches here, two inches there, an inch there because otherwise you’re going to get something that looks like a baby doll dress. You don’t want that. You still want the shape of the garment. So length is something petites, we always struggle with, skirts, not so much skirts, but like a maxi dress or dress. And then the sleeves. It is always a problem. So if it’s a long sleeve garment, it will get three inches chopped out. Right away, which is a lot, you know, if you were thinking three inches that’s a lot, somebody else, that’s a crop, you know, three quarters. So, yeah.

Helen: I’m curious too, when you’re making length adjustments, do you like to just chop off from the bottom or do you prefer to use the lengthen and shorten lines on the pattern? Or do you like to make your own lengthen and shorten lines to distribute all of that length that you’re taking out throughout the pattern? What’s your process like for that?

Shontae: So it depends on what it is. If it’s a pair of, like, cigar pants, you might completely mess those up just chopping off five inches from the bottom. Now you’re going to have to taper the leg, you’re going to have to taper the calf part so that it still looks like a cigar pant. So it really is very, very pattern specific, style specific. And the straighter the garment is, the easier it is to just chop it off from the bottom. But something like, I cannot think of the name of this pattern, but it’s almost like a gown, like something like the Ivy gown or there’s another gown that’s out there, it would take me two hours just to do the length adjustment, because I have to be careful about where I take it out. Otherwise you lose the entire design of the pattern which is exactly what you don’t want. So a lot of times I’ll make a muslin, and I will make all of my major adjustments to the muslin, and then I’ll cut the precious fabric. Because if you, you know, you can generally always make something smaller, but trying to make it bigger is much, much harder or almost impossible.

Caroline: Yeah. We often recommend that too, on the show, making a muslin, especially when you know it’s a new pattern to you and you know that you’re going to be making a lot of adjustments. I wonder if you have any other advice for petite listeners who want to make clothing that fit them well.

Shontae: So when I first started making adjustments, there were a few brands who were doing a few things well, and I had a few pieces and what I did was I learned to deconstruct. So this was back when Craftsy was everything, it was just like, there was nothing like it. And I took one class where I learned to deconstruct. And then I feel like I went and did something with Kenneth D. King, and I learned how to deconstruct the pattern and retrace it so that I could make that thing. And that taught me where the standard pattern was not fitting me properly. So if you really, if you have one or two garments that you love, but they’re on the recycled sustainable sewing list, like, you’re like, Oh, I don’t think I can wear this, but maybe I can do something with. But that’s the, that is the ready to wear item that you use. Just deconstruct and work backwards. And that really got me started like, oh, okay. This, even things that have really long zippers, you have to be careful with because where the zipper is going to fall on a girl that’s 5’9”, it’s different than where the zipper, the back zipper falls on somebody who’s 4’11”. So, so I would take a ready to wear garment, deconstruct it well, make yourself a pattern, put that on pattern making paper, Swiss tracing paper or something like that, and that can be your personal sloper and then work backwards. Because you know, there weren’t, it’s not like every pattern is a new adventure. Sometimes you can look at a pattern if you’re petite and go, okay, I’m going to take that out, I’ll take that, move that, maybe even take a dart out sometimes. But yeah, that, that ready to wear deconstructed pattern will really help you out.

Helen: That’s really good advice. Thank you. I also wanted to come back to something you said earlier about, you know, wearing your me mades out in the world and getting compliments about how well they fit. And I wonder how that has affected, you know, your self-confidence or your day-to-day. Do you feel like a superhero in your me made garments that fit so well?

Shontae: Yeah, it’s kind of funny because I’m in a fairly large practice and sometimes the way people introduce me is, Oh yeah, this is Dr. Bevington. And you know, she made that dress, right? I’ll go, No, no, I didn’t make this one. I know she makes all of her clothes. And I’m thinking. Okay, you didn’t say, like, Oh, she’s a great doctor. You know, it’s, like, the first thing they say. Oh, she does this thing. Oh, she has this great hobby. Um, I think when you wear clothes that make you feel good, whether you’re, you know, 4’11” or 6’1”, cause no matter what size you are or how tall or small you are, if your clothing fits well, and people notice that. So they don’t notice, for example, the worst is pants that are too long because I feel like that’s such a simple adjustment we can all make, but it makes a difference when your pants fit well. You have a different confidence about yourself. So yeah, not tripping over your pants going up the stairs has made me more confident for sure.

Helen: We’d love to share some of your work on our social media channels. So do you have any garments that you would like our listeners to see, garments that you’re the most proud of?

Shontae: Um, recently. Okay. So I did this pattern, but I, I took one look at this pattern and I said, I am not sewing that like who, who is gonna, no short girl, this is discrimination against short girls cause, you know, short girls can’t wear that, but I made this Vogue pattern, but it’s a jumper. And it’s Vogue 9075. It’s uh, I, I liked the, um, Very Easy Vogue cause I can do them in a day, but every time I wear that, people are like, Oh, it’s so pretty, it’s so pretty. But it’s huge. It’s palazzo pants. A girl my size should not wear palazzo pants ever. Like, as a matter of fact, if you go to a style book, it’s going to tell you if you’re my size, just forget about the palazzo pants, but it is palazzo pants. It’s a palazzo pants jumper, and it looks great. People are always like, Oh my goodness, where did you buy that? I didn’t buy it; I made it, but thanks. So yeah, that’s, that’s probably one of the ones where I thought I was going to have to crumble it up and throw it away, but it turned out great. It really did.

Caroline:I think that’s one of the cool things about sewing is that we think so much about the clothes that we wear and the fit and how they look. And it makes us feel confident to push the envelope of, like, what people might say you can or can’t wear. And it’s really fun to experiment in sewing with styles or types of garments that maybe you’ve been told are not for your body, but really like who cares about those rules, right? We should just wear what we want to wear. And I think that’s one of the coolest things about sewing is that we can actually experiment and, and, and try out different styles and we have so much control over the fit, right?

Chontae: Right.

Caroline: And you’ve talked pretty openly about sewing being a huge stress reliever for you, but I’d love to know, kind of, specifically what it is about sewing that you find so calming and relaxing. Personally, I also find sewing relaxing, but sometimes it can also be challenging and frustrating. So what is it about sewing that kind of calms you?

Chontae: I think it’s that, it’s the exact opposite of what I do in real life. So I have to be very analytical in both things, but there’s a certain freedom I don’t have with medicine, right? You know, if you have this disorder, then I do this. Believe it or not, you know, doctors get bored, too. We, we get into this mode where it’s like, okay, you know, I, I need a vacation. I need to take a break. I need to disconnect from that. And I absolutely love what I do, but I never really get to be creative in that mode, right? So I’m a scientist in that way. So my sewing is, is a science too, but I get to jump out of it. At work, I have to wear certain colors. I, there’s certain colors I probably wouldn’t wear to work, certain shoes I wouldn’t wear to work, certain fabrics. I’m not wearing, you know, my fur to work. I might wear it to the grocery store though, but just not to work. But so, so, you know, like when I sew I don’t have that limitation. I can go in a fabric store and say, I love purple sequins. And that’s what we’re doing this weekend, the date night, so purple sequins. And it’s interesting because sometimes people will see me outside of work. I live in a very small town. I live on St. Simon’s Island, which is off the coast of Georgia. It’s about the size of Manhattan. And there are about 30,000 people that live in this area. So the chances that I’m going to see a family that I know out is very, it’s it’s going to happen. So if people have seen me out and go, Oh my goodness is that you, you know, not that I’m a different person, but I get to, I get to express myself in a way that I would not get to express myself at work. So it definitely allows me to use a different side of my brain. I have seasonal affective disorder. So in the winter, my husband put these, these lights in this, in my studio that really helped me not have seasonal affective disorder. So the sewing, believe it or not, was, like, the first thing that I was, like, maybe it’s sewing that makes it so that I don’t have this seasonal affective disorder, but it was legit the lights. It was the lights from, you know, the, the white lights that are on your like boat lights and all that? Those lights help, um, reorganize your brain to say it’s daylight. And when you’re working in a hospital or you’re in a building all day, and when you go to work, it’s dark, when you come home, it’s dark, it’s dark in your life. But then I would go upstairs and I would sew and I would turn on my lights, and my ring light would be on, all this kind of stuff. And my husband was like, You should sew. It makes you happy. But it was actually the, it was the lights from the sewing room. So yeah. All kinds of benefits from sewing.

Helen: That’s a good tip though. I want to put some of these lights in my studio now.

Shontae: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You should. And they’re good for the environment too. They’re, they’re expensive. They’re maybe like 20 something dollars per light. But, um, because I only have two windows in my studio. I had to have those lights in so that, you know, it’s not fluorescent, it’s LED light, but it works. It does work.

Caroline: I love your husband’s investment in your sewing practice, like getting you the machine, getting you the lights. I’ve also seen on your Instagram, you shared some photos of him like sewing or like cutting as well. So is that something that you do a lot with your family? Involving your husband or your kids in your sewing practice?

Shontae: Um, so it’s such a part of our lives that, because my kids don’t know anything else. So we’ve been married 22, 23 years, and my children are 10 and 15. So they don’t know anything but mom having sewing machines, my, my youngest would fall asleep under the presser foot all the time. She, I mean, like in the little sewing area, she would fall asleep right there all the time. So it’s literally part of their lives. My husband is, um, the guy who, we go somewhere, like we went to Europe two years ago and he’s like, okay, so this is your suitcase for your fabric. And I was like, what? It’s empty. I know, it’ll be full. And you know, yeah. So, and he doesn’t get a lot out of it. He, it’s not like I’m sewing a lot of menswear or anything like that. I really don’t like sewing menswear; it’s a different animal, but he’s good for, like, holding fabric. He’s good with that wheel, you know, the rotary cutter. Oh man, he’s so good at it. And he can hold fabrics or sometimes I need an extra hand if you’re cutting really thick things This past year we made, we all made masks. So I brought out every sewing machine I had before, you know, masks were out. And we literally spent like six days in my studio making masks for days and days and days. So they don’t know anything else. The kids don’t know anything else. And my husband thinks it’s the best thing ever. So he adds to the addiction all the time, like literally all the time. It’s kind of bad, but, um, yeah, it’s kind of a family thing. It definitely is a family thing.

Helen: Yeah. That’s so cute. We love that. You’re sewing with your family, and it’s been really wonderful hearing a little bit more about your sewing journey and your adjustments that you make to make these amazing clothes. We’re definitely going to share some of it on our channels. Where can our listeners find you online if they want to follow along more with you?

Shontae: So online, I’m on Instagram @sewingformysanity. Facebook is also Sewing For My Sanity, and my website of course, is www.sewingformysanity.com.

Helen: Wonderful. Shontae, thank you so much again for joining us. This was really a pleasure.

Shontae: You are very welcome.

Helen: Have a great day. Bye.

Shontae: You too. Bye.

Helen: Hello, Lauren. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Lauren: Hello. Thank you so much for having me. It’s just so exciting.

Helen: Oh, we’re so excited, too. Can you please introduce yourself for our listeners?

Lauren: Yeah, sure. Hi, I’m Lauren. Um, I’m normally based in London. I sort of grew up in the sewing blogging community. Cause I started sewing when I was sort of about 14, 15 in school and I learned how to sew from all the lovely ladies who were also sewing their own clothes and blogging about them. And I liked it so much that I decided to go to university, and I went to drama school to study costume, and now that’s my job. So, but also I still sew all my own clothes because once you start, how can you go back?

Caroline: That is so cool. I want to know more, more about, kind of, your early sewing journey. Like how did you discover the online sewing community? What inspired you to even think about starting to sew and how did those early days go for you?

Lauren: Uh, they were full of adventure. I basically have a lot of thanks to give to my mum because she’s a very creative lady, and she was the one who went, Oh, well, we’re going to put the sewing machine in front of her and see what happens. And obviously wonderful things happened. So yeah, once I had that in front of me, I haven’t stopped since really.

Helen: Yeah, you are actually one of the first sewing bloggers that I discovered and started following when I got into the sewing community. So it’s really a pleasure to chat with you today and learn a little bit more about your petite sewing. Cause that’s obviously our topic for today, but can you tell our listeners what the name of your blog is If they want to go follow you there?

Lauren: Yeah, for sure. Um, it’s called Original Digby because my last name is Digby, and everything I make is, in fact, an original, but actually it’s the second blog name that I’ve had. Um, the first was Lady Sew a Lot which I, which is the one that I started in, I think it was maybe, 2014 or 2015. Yeah, I graduated to Original Digby when I was at uni and that’s now my Instagram name and my blog name.

Helen: Amazing. Okay, so we’ve noticed from looking at your blog that a lot of the things that you make, you’ve designed yourself and they’re all based off of, or not all, but many of them based off of a block that you’ve made. And for our listeners who might not know a block is sort of a base pattern that’s made to your measurements which then you can adjust and design different things from. So how did you go about designing and making your own block and how do you use it now?

Lauren: Well, it’s a very good question. There’s been various iterations of my block over the years, and I’ve had different blocks. So the first one I made when I was, I think, maybe 14 or 15 or pretty near to the start. Because the patterns that I was finding, most of the ones I had access to, were the big four patterns and they were a size eight, 10, 12, and of course, big four patterns are notorious for being four sizes bigger than they actually were. And as someone who’s, uh, yeah, as you would say, petite, uh, they didn’t fit. And so the best methods to get things to fit me seemed to be by drafting a block. So I was like, right, well, I guess I’ll do that then. Um, and I did, and I didn’t really know what I was doing. I used Helen Joseph Armstrong’s pattern cutting book, and I found that some of the instructions maybe were wrong or I wasn’t very good at following them, or they didn’t actually work for a bust as small as mine, cause they use certain formulas and certain bits of maths to work out the measurements for how the block is drafted. When my bust is as small in proportion as mine is to everything else, it seems to throw things off a bit. But I managed to, sort of, get it to, kind of, work. And so I used that for years and years. And then when I was at uni, I had to choose what I wanted to do for my dissertation. And because my course was such a practical one, we made things all the time and all of our assessments were based on sewing things. We had to choose a dissertation topic, and I got to do mine in a practical way. And that meant that I got to make things. And then I only had to write 5,000 words instead of 10,000. And for my dissertation, I wanted to do something that would benefit me as much as possible. Um, because I knew I’d be spending a lot of time on it, and I didn’t want it to be one big costume that I spent a lot of money and time on and then never use again. So the best use of this time for me, seemed to be making blocks for myself. And the way that I managed to work this into a big project was what I called a British Outfit which was actually inspired by Nicki from This is Moonlight. So I set myself a challenge of making myself a complete outfit of clothing, uh, made from entirely British materials. So this meant no chemical dyes. Everything had to be grown and manufactured in the UK. Um, so this was quite a challenge, but the very, the very basis of it all, it meant that I needed to have a bodice block that fit me, a trouser block that fit me. And that meant that I was setting myself up for whatever I wanted to do in the future, because so many of the things I sew would be based on either of those two things.

Helen: That is so smart. And this British Outfit is absolutely amazing. I mean, really head to toe, like you made the undergarments, the clothes, and also the shoes, like, it’s incredible.

Lauren: The shoes, the shoes just were brilliant because I was looking at different options and clog bases seemed to be the way to go. And I can’t remember what type of wood it is now, but it’s wood that we use to make cricket bats. And my dad is very big into his cricket. So he took me to the local cricket bat maker, and I said, Hello, do you have any spare wood that I can make some clog bases from? And he took me to the bits of wood in his workshop that he wasn’t actually going to use for cricket bats and said, Would any of those do? And I was like, Yeah, yeah, that’s perfect. And then he seemed to take it on as his own project. And so he’s, I had a template to my foot with me. So he drew around that and then he used all these tools to make me my very own custom pair of clog bases. Um, they were definitely sisters, not twins. Um, not at all practical for wearing in any circumstance. I did wear them on the walk to uni one day as part of the research, and my feet were very bloody by the end of it.

Helen: Oh no.

Lauren: So I wouldn’t recommend it, but it was a brilliant experiment. So, nonetheless.

Helen: Yeah, I mean, they were your first pair. There could be future clogs for you.

Lauren: For sure.

Helen: Yeah. Well, it’s really cool. We’ll definitely link it in our show notes and show it on social, like you dyed things using elderberry and cabbage and made your own buttons. So it’s worth checking out, and our listeners should go take a look.

Caroline: I’d love to talk more about blocks cause I’m so interested in this process. Um, personally, I don’t use blocks, and I don’t do a lot of drafting for myself. So I’m curious, when you start with a block, kind of, what is that process that you go through to design and then, sew that garment and, you know, are you having a lot of success with that or are there challenges as well with working with blocks?

Lauren: I love working with blocks cause it’s a completely blank canvas. And then my chances of success in the end product, I feel are a lot bigger because I know that the base fit is going to be right. I have lots of different blocks for different things. So I have one a bodice block or, um, so it’s like bodice and hips. And so if I’m making a dress I’ll start with that. Or if I’m making trousers I’ll start with that. Or if I’m making something like a t-shirt or a jumper. I have a separate one for each of these things which is my starting point from going on to design. And then when I’ve got to design, I’ll choose the applicable one. And then adapt that to make it into whatever I want which is just amazing. It’s brilliant to have that amount of creative freedom.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. I am sure that it must be so fun because you can just, like, dream up whatever you want and then draft it yourself and, and make it, and then you have it, and you don’t have to rely on the indie pattern world to create the things that you want. Do you have any advice for any of our listeners out there who want to make their own bodice block or any type of block to, kind of, help move them forward in their sewing practice?

Lauren: Yeah, absolutely. So the most recent block that I made is actually over this last summer. And it was from Suzy Furrer’s book, and I actually came on to her through listening to your podcast episode with her. So thank you so much for that, but yeah, so I made a new block using her method which I found really, super useful. And the book she has is so informative. That was one of my projects over the summer, is just to sort of go through her book and because she tells you everything you need to know, and because there’s a section on necklines, and there’s a section on sleeves, and there’s a section on collars. So you can just go, Okay, I want this sleeve and this collar, and you can just go to that relevant section in the book and then it’s just step by step like that really.

Helen: Oh, that’s great. We’ll have to link that one in the show notes. Yeah, I remember that interview with Suzy. She was so inspiring just with regards to making your own block and being able to have your own starting point. Like you said, it’s such a great way to go about it. And you’ve spoken before about being sized out of indie patterns and how challenging that can be. What has it been like for you finding patterns that fit or clothes that fit and how has sewing your own garments that actually do fit you well affected your relationship with your body?

Lauren: Oh, it’s been so good for me because I always forget about it and to, like, go into a shop when I am in a changing room, and then I’m a bit sad because that’s so rarely is the circumstance for me anymore. Because from a very young age, I’ve been able to go, okay, I’m standing in front of the mirror with a toile pinned onto me or something that I’m in the process of making, I go, Okay. Well, it doesn’t fit, but that’s okay cause I can make it happen. I’m, that’s completely within my power to make it whatever I wanted to be. I mean, you can’t ask for more than that really. And it means that I don’t have to look at numbers or dress sizes because once you’ve got a block, you’re not looking at any size charts ever. You’re just going, okay. I’m starting with my block. So I forget, in some patterns I have, the best of the girls age 12, it’s just not relevant anymore.

Helen: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. And I wonder if you have any other advice for our petite listeners out there who are maybe struggling to find the right fit or right patterns that fit them other than making a bodice block custom to them. Is there anything else that you’d like to say to them?

Lauren: Yeah, so I found that the indie pattern companies that have sort of the closest size to me, cause I think my bust is about 29 and a half inches, and most companies start maybe 32 or 33 inches, but yours, Helen, that starts at 30 and a half, basically yours and Closet Core Patterns, both of them have a, a bust size, sort of the closest I can get. So they’re both good starting points. And also, small bust adjustments, are your friend, and the, um, I only actually did one for the first time, pretty recently on the, um, the Closet Core blazer to get it to where I wanted to be. But really a pattern is only ever a starting point. It’s never the end, you know? So if it’s not there, when you first try it on, then you can get it to where you want to be with a bit of research and a bit of perseverance.

Caroline: Yeah, and a little birdie told us that you are planning to start a pattern company. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Lauren: Yes, of course. Um, it’s actually always been in the back of my mind ever since I was a teenager in school. It seemed like the best thing in the world to me to, to be able to help change people’s lives in a way to help, help empower people and go, you can be whoever you want to be. And you’re part of that journey for that person. And it’s just a matter of, you know, building up the skills to be in a position to do that. And I think I’m finally getting that actually. It’s been a, it’s been an interesting year because I’m normally working in theater and theaters have been shut, I mean, over a year now. So the first part of this year, it was very quiet for me. And so it was wonderful to concentrate that time onto something that I can develop in the future.

Helen: Yeah that’s so exciting. We can’t wait to see what you come out with. I’m curious to hear, like, what has the process been like for you so far, as far as starting this company? What does it look like for any of our listeners out there who are curious?

Lauren: Well, it’s frustrating because I haven’t been able to get as further forward with it as I wanted to because I started working on a film in November, and I spent most of the summer waiting for Lauren Dahl’s course to come out so I could get the necessary skills for Illustrator and InDesign and all of that. So, yes, I’ve had lots and lots of thoughts, and I’ve been trying to work out what’s the best pattern to start with? What kind of size range do I want? Because I wanted to be as inclusive as possible. How can I learn the skills to make sure that I’m making it as inclusive as possible in the most informed way? How do I want to grade it? Do I want to grade the patterns myself or do I trust someone who’s more skilled at that? So there’s lots of thinking points that I’m trying to eventually coerce into a final product.

Helen: And are you planning to serve the petite audience with your pattern company?

Lauren: This is the thing I’d like for the patterns to serve as many people as possible. Helen, you did a very interesting survey, I think, over the last couple of years, looking at what sizes people in the community are. And it seems that the majority of sizes, but correct me if I’m wrong, they’re, sort of, middle of the range. Um, and so my size, which is sort of a size zero, or even below that, is a very small proportion of the same community. So financially, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to concentrate lots of efforts into that portion of the community because actually you’re not serving the majority of your audience. But then, as a petite person, myself, I think it’s important that I would be able to make my own pattern. And so I haven’t quite decided how I’m going to resolve that yet, but I’m thinking maybe about doing a broad range of cup sizes because then, at least, you’ve got the opportunity to serve as many people as possible. Also, I’ve been trying to work out how I could possibly size down from where everybody else has stopped because there must be a reason that the size chart’s stop with that 0 or 00 size, and I’ve looked at sort of the crossover from girls’ sizing or teenage girls’ sizing to women’s sizing. And I’m trying to work out how that overlaps and whether I could go down even further. But then what would the drawbacks or the costs be?

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure it’s when you’re in these early stages, it’s difficult to pin down exactly where you want to come to it from. But I think one of the cool things about being in this stage is that you can bring your own kind of unique experience and perspective through your pattern company. And I really look forward to seeing what you do with that because I think that if you are having this issue when sewing or this challenge in sewing, where you’re not able to find patterns in your size, there are probably so many other people out there having that same challenge. You just have to find them, right? So hopefully, hopefully you’ll figure it out. And I’m just really excited to see what you come up with with this pattern company. It’s so exciting that you’re going on this new venture.

Lauren: Thank you, me too. I’m pretty glad that I talked about it with you guys. Cause now I’ve actually got to follow through and make it happen.

Caroline: Oh, you will.

Helen: Our listeners will hold you accountable.

Lauren: So, um, yeah, I’m really excited to see what it could become because it’s just been so brilliant. Especially just seeing all these women in my Instagram feed and my blog feed who are working for themselves and are helping people. And everyone’s been such good role models to me really. And I couldn’t have asked for better really then, with everybody setting the example that they have to me. I appreciate that.

Helen: That’s really sweet. And I think another interesting thing about what you were saying about sizing is just that sometimes there isn’t a good reason why things stop at a certain size or why things are the way they are, and especially in the fashion industry and when it comes to sizing, a lot of the decisions that are being made are based on data that’s really out of date. So, you know, talking about my survey and not seeing the numbers represented for the smaller sizes. I mean, that survey was geared towards plus size people. So that’s obviously a reason why there might not have been those numbers represented, but also, you don’t really have access or have the audience of those people, unless you’re already serving those people. So it can be a challenge to get feedback about certain things, if you’re not already serving those people. And we’ve seen that a lot in the last year with the plus size sewing community and fat sewists wanting patterns in their size and companies saying, Oh, but there isn’t the data to support that, but that’s because they’re not asking an audience full of people who support that data. So it’s kind of like a chicken and egg situation. So I think you might find that they’re actually, as an audience, like Caroline said out there, who’s interested and it’s especially good to come at these project ideas from a personal experience so you can bring your own excitement to the table and you can serve the petite sewing audience as a niche, as well as everyone else at the same time. I believe in you

Lauren: Thank you so much. I appreciate that. I appreciate that a lot.

Helen: I love that this is turning into, like, a business advice podcast.

Caroline: I mean, we have thoughts. We have thoughts, Lauren.

Lauren: I mean, you’re both such good examples. Thank you.

Caroline: Yeah, like I said, we’re so excited to see what you come up with. I’m sure whatever you end up landing on with your pattern company, it’s going to be wonderful, and we support you. So this is very exciting. Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit before we wrap up, I want to hear more about your career in costuming and what is it like and how is sewing there different from sewing for yourself? I feel like we have to get into this a little before we wrap up.

Lauren: No worries at all. So, I’ve actually done a couple of different jobs now, and they’re all very different. So I’ll start from the beginning, cause that’s a good place to start as Julie Andrews puts it. Yes. So when I graduated, I started dressing in a West End theatre. So the London theatre district is known as the West End, and so that’s where the big shows go. And I was a dresser on Aladdin, uh, which is the big Disney musical. And my job there was, whilst the show was going on, to make sure everyone’s costume was in the right place, to do quick changes with people, uh, throughout the show who needed to quickly go from one costume to another, uh, often misinformed poppers. And very, some of these were very quick, you know, less than a minute to go from one thing to another. Um, and so it’s very adrenaline filled, but it’s also, you’ve got 20 minutes then some tracks that you just sort of, you sit for. And then it’s go, go, go, go, go. And then you sit for a bit and then it’s go, go, go. Um, so our show schedule was, we had eight shows a week, and you have evening shows from Monday to Saturday, and then you also have matinee afternoon shows on Thursday and Saturday. And then I also did a laundry call on one of the day that week. And so I’d make sure everyone’s pants and socks were clean and in the right places, essentially. So that was really fun. It was really fun to work on because you’re right in on all the action. And you do get to see the magic of theater, literally from the wings.

Helen: That’s so cool.

Lauren: That was very exciting.

Helen: Have you ever had, like, a wardrobe malfunction moment where you go to do a quick change with somebody and, like, a zipper breaks or something?

Lauren: Oh, absolutely all the time. But it’s okay because you learn how to handle it, and you’re going to do the same show exactly the same tomorrow. So you can see, you’ve always got another try.

Helen: I love that.

Caroline: How do you think sewing for, kind of, costume and theater has affected your personal sewing practice? Has it given you any, like, good or bad habits or do you think it’s had an effect on, on that for you?

Lauren: It can go either way. So I actually managed to, sort of, break into the world of film, uh, this year, which is super exciting because this has always been the dream. So it’s, it’s just brilliant to actually be doing it, but the hours are fairly long. It’s from, uh, 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday to Friday, and sometimes Monday to Saturday. So it’s pretty intensive. I find that when I get home and I do sew it can be very scrappy just because I spend so much time during the week making sure that the sewing is as good as it can be and up to the standard that it needs to be, that when I’m at home, I just, I can’t redo it with any of that, and I just need it to be held together. But sometimes the habit sort of, sort of carries through and I go, okay, actually, this isn’t good enough because if I can do this for other people, then I definitely deserve to have the same for myself. So it can go either way.

Heln: That makes a lot of sense. I could see how you would just want to so quickly when you’re home, especially given that it sounds like you don’t have a ton of free time. How are you supposed to get any sewing in?

Lauren: Well, I make it happen because yeah, I find that, I’m working away from home at the moment. I’m actually moved to Belfast for a few months and I didn’t bring very much with me. And so now I’m like, I need new clothes, but I only make my clothes, so I’m going to have to make some clothes. Um, but it’s all good.

Caroline: That’s so exciting though. Congrats on breaking into film.

Lauren: Thank you. I honestly can’t believe it. It’s been such a bizarre year, but obviously, some good has come out of it, so I’m super grateful for that.

Caroline: Aw, that’s so good to hear. Well, tell our listeners where they can find you online.

Lauren: Oh, absolutely. So, um, I’m on Instagram @originaldigby, and that’s where I do most of my interacting with the sewing world. Occasionally, I’ll log on originaldigby.com if, and when I’ve got something interesting to say. Yeah, that’s pretty much me.

Caroline: Wonderful.

Helen: Perfect. Well, it’s been a real pleasure getting to know you, Lauren, and I hope our listeners go check out your British Outfit, as well as everything else that you’ve got on your blog. And we can’t wait to see what you come up with for your pattern company. We’ll be watching.

Lauren: Thank you.

Helen: Take care, Lauren.

Caroline: Take care, Lauren.

Lauren: Thank you so much for having me. It’s been brilliant.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Bye.

Lauren: Bye.

Caroline: We’d like to thank our guests, Shontae Buffington, Lauren Digby, and Simone Nelson for sharing their experiences and advice with us. Before we go, we want to share a few more petite sewing resources.

Helen: First up, we have SBCC Patterns which is a pattern company focused on petites. They have a graphic called “A Visual Guide to Petites” that is super helpful. It shows some different body types, short torso versus short legs, or short torso and arms, small frame and short. It really shows that there are just so many ways to be petite. And there are infinite variations on body types, especially when you consider that a person can be any combination of those things. SBCC also has some great pattern adjustment tutorials, including one called “The Number One Easiest Way to Reduce or Increase Shoulder Width” which could be really useful for some petite sewists out there.

Caroline: Yes, definitely go check out SBCC Patterns. And there are also a few Instagram tags that are in use, including #petitesewing which has over 5,000 posts, #petitesewists with an S which has over 1,000, and #petitesewist without an S which has over 500.

Helen: Yes, and Instagram user @sew.wendy has a story highlight called “XXS Friendly Patterns” where she lists the smallest size for each pattern company that she highlights. This info is so useful for petite sewists on the small end of the size spectrum. Thanks, Wendy.

Caroline: So that’s it for petite sewing. It’s like a whole world that is just opening up for us, Helen.

Helen: I know, I hope we can have more petite sewists on the show in our future seasons. Petites are an important part of our sewing community. And it’s so nice to spend a whole episode focusing on them.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com.

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful BC, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: If you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month, and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed. Contribute $10 or more a month, and you’ll get a 15% discount code for both of our shops plus lovetosewshop.com and a bonus mini episode. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our awesome podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

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Terrance Williams is a sustainable fashion entrepreneur, style icon, content creator, and activist! In this episode, Helen and Caroline chat with him about his business, his personal style journey, and creating change in the sewing world.

The transcript for this episode can be found at the end of the show notes on this page.

Find Terrance Online:

Terrance’s favourite makes: 

Other mentions:

A post shared by Terrance Williams Designs (@terrancewilliamsdesigns)

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations. 

Helen: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns. 

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics. 

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. 

Caroline: Join us for today’s interview with Terrance Williams.

Helen: Hello, Terrance. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. 

Terrance: Thank you so much for having me. 

Helen: We’re so excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners? 

Terrance: My name is Terrance Williams. I am a small business owner and sewer, designer, kind of, a jack-of-all-trades. 

Helen: Wonderful. And we can’t wait to chat with you all about your business, but first off, can you tell us where you’re from?

Terrance: I am currently in Dallas, Texas. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and I moved down here a year and a half ago. 

Helen: And tell us a bit about your sewing journey. We love hearing how our guests learned to sew and when they learned to sew. 

Terrance: I’m a self-taught sewer. I learned how to sew, I would say, I was a junior in college. I had been sketching and designing clothing, and I had told my family that I wanted to learn how to sew, so my sister bought me my very first sewing machine. Um, it was a Singer, and she gave me a gift card to Jo-Ann’s, and that was really how it started. Just through tutorials online and my mom’s best friend. She also taught me some, a few things, a few tips and tricks because she knew how to sew, but really it was just me learning on my own.

Helen: Aw, that’s so sweet. Shout out to your sister. I mean, it sounds like she gave you a machine that changed your whole life. 

Terrance: She did. She is my biggest supporter, and she saw so much potential. Even today, she’s my biggest supporter. So she fully believes in my dreams and helping and supporting me in that way. So I really appreciate her.

Helen: Aw, that’s so wonderful. 

Caroline: Well, you have such a vibrant and beautiful personal style. We just feel energized whenever we see your outfit posts on Instagram. So, for our listeners out there who might not know you, can you describe your personal style for us? 

Terrance: My personal style is really bold and colorful. I love really fun prints. Sequins are probably my favorite thing in the whole entire world. Um, if it’s not glittery and colorful, then I really don’t want it. Um, that’s, that’s pretty much it. I really, I mean, I hate to subscribe to gender roles, but it is more girly and feminine, but that’s just, that’s just how I am. That’s just what I love. 

Caroline: Has that always been true for you? Or did you have, kind of, like, a journey to finding your personal style? Can you tell us a bit more about that journey? 

Terrance: It was definitely a journey. I was a late bloomer when it comes to fashion and discovering myself. It was only, I would say, like, 2014/15, when I really, kind of, developed my own personal style. I come from a really small, conservative town in Pennsylvania. I was the only black kid in my elementary school, and even through middle school and high school, there weren’t a lot of other black kids. So I’ve always kind of stood out and was different. So I spent a majority of my childhood just trying to fit in. So wearing the name brands that were cool back in the day, like Hollister and Abercrombie, everything from the sale rack, because I did not have a lot of money, and those clothes were really expensive. So I spent a lot of time just trying to fit in because my family, we were really poor, um, working paycheck to paycheck. So we didn’t really have a lot of money to go out and buy new expensive clothes. So a lot of the stuff I had was hand me downs, stuff from the thrift store, Kmart “blue light special” two pair of jeans that, you know, we just had to make work until we had a growth spurt and had to go out and get new ones. So really kind of utilizing what we had because we really didn’t have a lot. So now that I’m able to have a little bit more freedom and flexibility, and I’m not in that small town anymore, and I’m able to make and sew things myself, I really started coming into my own. When I moved to Dallas the first time, um, that was in 2014/2015, and I just had access to so many different stores and designers, and, um, that’s when I really started to develop my own style that I have now. But it’s been, uh, it’s been a process. 

Helen: So was the sewing machine that you got from your sister and your intro into this whole sewing world, was that the point in which you started dressing in more bright, colorful clothes? Like, did you discover sequins at that point, or would you, were you shopping off the rack for that stuff before? 

Terrance: I was shopping off the rack. I didn’t really get into designing clothes for myself until a few years ago. It was just something that I was always, kind of, timid and afraid to do. I was more comfortable with accessories, and that’s how I started my business, uh, with accessories, little bow ties and then wallets and clutches and purses and things like that. It wasn’t until about two years ago, two or three years ago, that I started really diving into clothing. First, for myself, and then, obviously, selling it to other people. So bright colors and sequins I’ve always liked them, but I was always afraid to, kind of, dive in, but it really, kind of, took off two or three years ago.

Helen: Yeah, and I bet we have some listeners out there who would love to wear more of the fabrics that you’re describing or maybe want to have a bit more of a bold personal style, but it can be challenging to put yourself out there in that way. So, what advice would you give to our listeners who are struggling to develop their personal style and wear what they want to wear with confidence?

Terrance: I get this a lot. A lot of people message me saying that they wish that they could wear the things that I wear, do the things that I do. And I always say, you can, you just have to not care what other people think and what other people say, and you have to live in your truth. That’s one of my mottoes and the things that I live by: living your truth. You have to wake up every day and love who you are. And growing up is a process and learning about yourself is a process, and it is just one day at a time. And it doesn’t even have to be a whole sequin, caftan dress. I get people who say, oh, I love your eye shadow, but I could never do blues and purples. And I’m like, just try it. Or even painting their nails, they say, Oh, I would love to do, like, a bright pink. Just try it. Just take a chance. If it makes you happy, then that’s all that matters. I truly do not care what other people say because at the end of the day, I’m happy.

Helen: And you have fabulous nails and eye shadow, so…

Terrance: Thank you!

Helen: I’m curious if you have more than one style mode. Cause I know that you do a lot of sewing for your business. So are you in, like, a t-shirt and sweatpants sometimes? Are you always in these beautiful caftans? 

Terrance: So, during quarantine, it’s definitely been athleisure. It’s definitely been sweatpants, sweatshirts, lots of, just, workout running gear because I really don’t go anywhere or do anything. So, that’s how it’s been. But when, before quarantine, I was definitely getting dressed up and putting makeup on and doing more and putting more of an effort into, into what I do. But even when I go out, before it wasn’t like I was wearing caftan, dresses and sequins and stuff all the time. Sometimes I just like to do a t-shirt and jeans, but my shoes are the thing that really stands out. So I have, you know, embellished shoes or sequins and rhinestones, and my jewelry and my accessories, that might be the thing that, that stands out. So I like to mix and match, but definitely, recently it’s been, I’ve been bumming it. 

Helen: That’s very relatable. I feel like the accessories thing is a good tip for people, too. Like a great way to experiment with a little bit more of a bold personal style, just with, like, a really cool shoe or a really amazing piece of statement jewelry. It’s a great way to kind of dip your toe. 

Terrance: Yeah. I’ve been telling my friends. They, he’s gay, and he’s very business suit attire, but he sees my shoes and how flashy they are, and he keeps saying like, I would love to, like, be more bold and do different things. And I’m like, just take one step at a time. Just little things, little accessories. You don’t have to have, like, a gold sequined shoe like I do, but you could get a shoe that has, like, a cool buckle or, you know, a belt that has some sort of embellishment or even a pin that you can put on your lapel. Just something small. You don’t have to dive in fully a hundred percent.

Caroline: That’s great advice. We would love to share on our socials this week some pictures of some of the amazing outfits that you’ve made for yourself. And I wonder if you could highlight for us some of your, maybe, favorite pieces that you’ve ever made? 

Terrance: Definitely my dusters. They are, kind of, the thing that has pushed my business to the next level. I have this white embroidered tulle duster that has really garnered a lot of attention. So that definitely is one. I think another thing is any of my caftan dresses, mainly the rainbow sequined one has been really popular. I have this gingham coord set that I made a few years ago that I really like. So it’s gingham shorts that’s, like, a light blue and white, and then a off the shoulder ruffle top that I made. I love that outfit. I think it’s so perfect for spring and summer. 

Helen: Ooh!

Caroline: So cool!

Helen: Those all sound dreamy. I love that. The sheer one that you’re talking about with the embroidered flowers, I notice it comes in like a black background, too. I don’t know if you still have that in stock, but…

Terrance: Yes, yes I do.

Helen: It’s gorgeous. 

Caroline: Helen’s doing some shopping right now.

Helen: I am looking at your shop right now. I mean, it’s just so beautiful, and it makes me wonder if you have any tips for our listeners about sewing with sheer fabrics because that can be a little intimidating. I’m sure working with those fabrics were. Like, how do you finish the seams? And how do you get, like, a nice finish on the outside when you’re working with something sheer like that?

Terrance: Patience. Patience is definitely key. Using the right needle size also is really important. Going slow and taking your time. Before, I was just doing a zigzag stitch to finish everything, but I was lucky enough to be given a serger, so now I’m able to serge the edges on the inside and the outside, or just a simple rolled hem. There are quite a few different ways that you can finish edges. Before, I really liked to leave the edges raw because I’d watched an interview with Marc Jacobs, and he said, there’s something really beautiful about having this beautifully constructed garment that you spend so much time and effort on and then leaving the edges raw. It just creates such a interesting and unique contrast that you don’t really see in fashion. And when I heard that quote, that really resonated with me. But, recently, I have started finishing the edges, um, just for something different and just from customer feedback. 

Helen: So don’t be too intimidated by those sheer fabrics.

Terrance: Right, right.

Helen: Yeah. You can figure it out. Okay. Let’s pivot a little bit and talk a bit more about your business cause we’ve been teasing it an awful lot, and it’s called Terrance Williams Designs if anyone wants to check it out. Can you tell our listeners a little bit more about your business, what you sell, and, maybe, how you got started?

Terrance: Yeah. So I make clothing and accessories that are ethically sourced and sustainably produced. And I do everything from headbands to caftan dresses, to dusters, capes, purses, zipper pouches, wristlets. I started on Etsy in 2014, and I started with bow ties and then went from bow ties to wallets, to zipper pouches, envelope clutches. I eventually outgrew the Etsy platform and wanted to do more and expand. And Etsy fees were getting really, really high, and it was getting really expensive, so I decided to launch my own website. So I launched Terrance Williams Designs last year, in February, right in the beginning of the pandemic which I didn’t even know was going to happen, but it’s been really, it’s been really good. It’s been really successful. The feedback has been amazing. Um, and I’m just really excited to keep growing and expanding. 

Caroline: Yeah. It’s been so fantastic to see your journey over the last year or so, and I would also love to know a little bit more about the sustainability piece of your business. And I guess my first question would just be, why did you decide to focus on sustainability? Why is that so important to you? 

Terrance: I’ve always really been interested in sustainability as far as the human rights aspect. I think when we think of sustainability, we really, a lot of people, only think of protecting the environment or saving the whales, but there are different aspects and pillars to sustainability, and one of them is human rights, and I’ve always been interested in human rights. I was originally supp-, going to go to law school. Um, that’s what I went to school for, took the LSATs, got into the Drexel summer program for law school, and decided not to go. I wanted to help refugees and asylum seekers seek asylum in different countries, but I just wasn’t really sure if I wanted to do law school. I really wasn’t sure if my heart was in it. So I had to think, how was I going to combine my love of fashion and fashion design with my love of human rights and helping people? So that’s when I, kind of, did the hybrid of my business, combining both of them. So I make the majority of everything. I recently did hire someone to help me sew headbands. But before that, and still now, I’m doing a majority of all the sewing. Um, I buy all the fabrics and source all the fabrics, and I make sure that they are, whether they come from Jo-Ann’s or whether they come from Spoonflower, I make sure that the fabrics, the factories are respecting human rights. So paying people a fair wage, um, making sure that they are working in safe conditions, that there’s no exploitation of labor, there’s no child labor. All of those things are really, really important to me. And then when it comes to fabrics, I really try to make sure that they are ethically sourced and sustainably made. And, I’m starting to expand more with that also really looking into recycled polyester or Tencel, organic cotton, bamboo fibers. I’m really excited for what the future holds with that. Um, but that’s the main thing, respecting human rights in fashion. 

Caroline: Yeah, and it does seem like you kind of take that sustainability through so many different aspects of your business which I think is so important when you’re making a statement like that. And, and the work that you do is so, so great. Are there any other, kind of, parts of your business where you are focusing on sustainability? Like, for example, with packaging and that kind of thing. 

Terrance: Yeah, everything from beginning to end. So not just how I source the fabrics, but the packaging. I use EcoEnclose, so they produce recycled packaging. So my mailers, they can be reused, and they’re also, you can recycle them. Even with, when it comes to shipping, I do USPS pickup, so I’m not running back and forth to the post office. The mailman is dropping off the mail, and he’s also taking all of the packages with him. So that cuts down on having to travel and producing CO2 emissions. Um, and I also have it set up on my website where 5% of total revenue is donated to different organizations that help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. So there are quite a few different things, even when it comes to sourcing the fabric, trying to use deadstock fabric is another way.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah. And a lot of our listeners are, are sewists themselves, and they’re just kind of sewing as a hobby at home. Do you have any tips for sewists out there, how they can be more sustainable in their home sewing practice?

Terrance: I think utilizing the fabric that you have and not continuously buying more is one of the most important things that we can do. I know I’m definitely guilty of this. If you saw my fabric stash, I think you would faint. But the main thing when it comes to sustainability is, uh, reducing your waste and reducing your consumption. So tackle those projects that you have already, and use the fabric that you have instead of immediately going out and purchasing more. 

Helen: That makes a lot of sense. I feel like your shop is a great inspiration also. I mean, not to discourage anyone from buying your products, but a lot of these little projects would be great sewing projects for scraps, too. If people are interested in making their own headbands and bags and things like that. 

Terrance: Yes, definitely. I like that my items are really simple and accessible. They’re not complicated patterns or designs, but what makes them unique is the fact that they are sustainable and the fabric choices that I use. I think that is really what sets me apart from other people, but there are definitely things that other people can, can do on their own.

Helen: I feel like some of our listeners out there might be wondering how you, kind of, started this business. I mean, it just seems like a really approachable way to begin a business starting with accessories. You said you started on Etsy, and then you started growing the business and adding more products. So do you have any more advice for anyone else out there who’s interested in selling the goods that they make themselves? 

Terrance: Oh my gosh. So much advice. I have learned so much through trial and error and success and failure. I think the number one piece of advice that I have is just do it. Just start. It doesn’t have to be perfect. And I hear a lot of people say, well, I’m going to wait until I get this or wait until I have backdrops or wait until I have a better camera or I’m going to wait until I can offer more stuff. And I always say just start. When I started, I didn’t have a lot of money to start my business, but I started it anyway. I didn’t have fancy backdrops. I didn’t have a fancy camera. I was shooting everything on my iPhone and just using… We, I had a wooden porch when I lived home, uh, back home in York. And that’s what I would shoot my products on. I would just lay them, flat lay them, on the wooden porch and take the pictures with my iPhone, and I would edit them and put them on Etsy, and people were still buying them. So I think it’s just really important to put yourself out there, and just do it. And you don’t necessarily need a lot of capital and investment. If you have it, that’s great and amazing, but it’s not a necessity. I think a lot of people think when they start, they need to have 50, 60, a hundred items to sell. But if you just have one item that comes in a few different colorways, and that’s what you start out with, at least you’re starting somewhere. So my biggest piece of advice is just to start.

Helen: That is really good. And I feel like making things to order is another way that you can not have to have all this stuff in stock. And I know that’s what you have previously done. Are you still making everything to order? 

Terrance: I still am making everything to order. It’s really interesting. Because I feel that we are in the time of fast fashion, and people expect to order something and, like, Amazon, they’re going to get it, you know, two days later, the same day. So it’s been really interesting running a slow fashion business where it takes maybe a week or two for people to get their items and just how nice and gracious people are about it and how understanding they are. But it also really helps with keeping stock levels in control as far as fabric because I only buy what is selling. Um, so there’s not a lot of excess. I don’t have a lot of excess material around. 

Caroline: Yeah. I’m sure that would be really helpful to kind of keep your operations really lean with the made to order model. I wonder if there have been any challenges that you faced with the made to order model. 

Terrance: Last year, during July, was when my business really took off. I was in a few BuzzFeed articles. A few influencers on YouTube had bought my stuff from my website and mentioned me in their YouTube videos, and they had over, you know, a million subscribers. And then I was popping up on a bunch of different Black-owned business lists on Twitter and Instagram, and people were tagging me. So, I went from doing, you know, 40-50 orders to 500-600 orders in the span of a day. Uh, it just exploded. So I was not ready, and I really don’t think anyone could prepare or know. I had always hoped that my business would be at that point and be at this point. But I always thought, like, I would have a team. I would have a warehouse. I would have things set up, but it’s now, and it’s real. So dealing with the influx of orders and having to make every single one last year was really, really overwhelming. And I’m glad. I’m so happy for the support and I’m, but I’m also glad that it’s over because it was a lot. It was a lot to handle. 

Caroline: Yeah. What has that been like since that, kind of, influx of orders? Have you found that, you know, you’ve come to, sort of, a level that’s more manageable and, for lack of a better word, sustainable for you personally to, kind of, handle? 

Terrance: Yeah, it’s definitely leveled out, and it’s definitely a lot more sustainable and manageable which I really, really appreciate. I think that July was just an anomaly. I went from doing, I mean, I did, I think it was, like, $7,000 within the span of, like, an hour. It was, it was insane. It just, it just took off. I had never seen that much traffic, that many sales, even on my Etsy. So having to deal with that and come to terms with that and figure out a plan. It definitely forced me to be more organized and more on top of inventory, figure out ways to streamline my process to not get backlogged again. So it was definitely a blessing, and I’m glad that things have definitely mellowed out now. I’m still doing really, really well, hitting my sales calls, and doing everything that I want to do, but it’s not at that, that level.

Helen: Yeah. Scary level.

Caroline: Well that’s, I mean, it’s good to hear. Obviously, you know, the success is very well deserved, and I think that it’s nice that it’s, sort of, tapered to a level that’s manageable for you. One thing that I wonder is, I mean, with all of the sales that you’ve made, there must be so many people out there wearing your gorgeous accessories and garments. How does that feel to see people wearing those things and sharing those things online? 

Terrance: It is one of the most humbling experiences. The fact that someone would take a chance to trust my business and then purchase the items and then post about it on social media or write me emails. I get a lot of messages from people, whether it’s plus size people who write me and say, you know, I can never find things that fit or that make me feel beautiful, but I bought one of your caftan dresses or bought one of your dusters, and it fits me perfectly, and I feel beautiful. I’ve just had someone, the other week, buy a bunch of headbands. And they said, you know, I’m recovering from cancer, and my hair is slowly growing back, and I just wanted your headbands to help make me feel beautiful. Um, I have a whole Black artists and Black Lives Matter headband, uh, that people have just been really, really loving. And not just Black people are buying it, but a lot of white people are buying it, and they have been messaging me saying, you know, I feel really great that I can be an ally and help support in this way. So, it’s just been really surreal. And I, I, with every order, I still get really emotional. You know, I just hit over 2,000 orders the other week, and I was crying my eyes out. The fact that over 2,000 people have bought from me and supported me and loved my items and just taken a chance on something that was just a dream, just something that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s, it’s a very humbling, humbling experience. 

Caroline: Aw, that’s so wonderful. 

Helen: Yeah. So sweet to hear and really encouraging again for anyone who might be just starting out in their business to hear that you’ve hit these amazing milestones and that, you know, you’re still just feeling amazing about it. And you’re just excited about all of the customers buying your garments and your accessories. I can imagine that would be so fun to see. 

Terrance: Yeah, I don’t ever want to lose that feeling, that excitement, or that connection with people. I try to be as relatable and down to earth as I can. So I think that really resonates with people. 

Helen: Yeah, and I’m sure making things to order, too, like if people can give measurements and then you’re making things to fit perfectly for them, that gives you even more of a connection with your customers. 

Terrance: Right. Because it is specifically made for them, made to order for them. So it, it really helps establish a bond and a connection because it’s a piece that’s uniquely theirs. 

Caroline: Yeah, and we also love that you describe your products as genderless and inclusive, and I wonder why making genderless and inclusive garments and accessories is important to you? 

Terrance: Well, I think, for me, I’ve always been interested in just different clothing styles and different clothing items but have never taken the chance until recently, like I talked about before, in wearing those items because they were deemed, you know, for a man or for a woman or whatever. And, for me, it’s just, you know, cotton or polyester or sequins. It doesn’t necessarily need a gender. Anyone can wear a dress or anyone can wear a skirt. It shouldn’t just be regulated to one gender. So, for me, that’s the style that I developed. I’m not necessarily wearing a caftan dress, and it’s a women’s caftan dress. It’s just a caftan dress to me. Anyone can wear it. It was really important for my brand to be as inclusive as possible, size inclusive but also gender inclusive. Right now, we are seeing a huge wave of people being comfortable in their skin and in their life and expressing themselves how they want to express themselves, and it doesn’t necessarily align with being a man or a woman. The trans community deserves representation, and they deserve a spot and they deserve a, a clothing line and accessories that they feel comfortable in. Non-binary people, it’s the same thing. Anywhere that people fall on the spectrum, they deserve that. And I think a lot of clothing retailers still are not at that point yet. It’s still very man/woman sections. We get a few gender neutral lines. I know H&M has a few gender neutral lines. And Beyoncé’s Ivy Park came out with gender neutral. And Adidas has a few gender neutral things. So we’re getting there, but it’s not at the place that it needs to be. And I’m just hoping that I can, kind of, help be the catalyst for other small businesses to make things more gender neutral. 

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. I mean, at the end of the day, clothing doesn’t have a gender, right? 

Terrance: Right.

Caroline: Anyone can wear whatever they want to wear. And I think that your business really sets an example for that fact. You know, that anyone can wear whatever they want and hopefully, other businesses will follow suit. And maybe one day we’ll live in a world where gender isn’t assigned to clothing, and we can just go into a store anyone can feel welcome to wear and buy whatever they want, you know.

Terrance: I hope so. I hope so, but, and I think the more people advocate and more people say that that’s what they want. It’ll happen. 

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Terrance, you have such an uplifting presence and even on your website, you have that slogan: love, light, positivity. And you just radiate that, and I would love to know how you keep that going through life’s challenges and setbacks.

Terrance: It is a process. It is something that I work on every day. I’m very open about my mental health and struggling with depression and anxiety. So I don’t necessarily have the luxury of having too many bad days. I remember I had just moved back from Texas the first time, and I was staying with my sister for a few months until I got back on my feet, and I was in the spare bedroom and I was just crying because I was so upset that I had to move back in with her, and I was so embarrassed and she came in, and I said, I just don’t know what I’m going to do. And she hugged me, and she said, this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to take today to cry. I’ll give you one day to cry and be upset, but then you are going to wake up tomorrow, pull yourself out of bed, and you’re going to start over. And you’re going to figure it out. And so I’ve taken that motto with me since then. I have days that are difficult. Um, I think we all do, especially during this pandemic being away from friends and family and, uh, self isolating, it’s been really hard. But I give myself a day to maybe feel down in the dumps, and then the next day I’m up, and I’m at ‘em, and I’m doing what I need to do. Staying in constant communication with my friends and family, texting, calling, FaceTiming getting excited about my business, um, interacting with people on social media, seeing what other people are creating. It’s really easy to kind of fall into a depressive state. So having to be active, to be positive, and spread that positivity is really important to me. And also, I just think, there’s so much negativity in the world, and there’s so much negative stuff that’s happening, and people just are so cruel. And I believe that energy is transferable and the same energy that you put out is the same energy that people feel. So why would you want to go around with negative energy? I really feel that you should walk around with positive energy because if you smile and you’re happy, it might make someone else smile. It might make someone else happy. And I think that’s the most important thing, um, radiating that positive energy and just helping other people see the positive in life.

Caroline: Yeah. And you do such a, such a great job with that. Even just, you know, visiting your Instagram or website or YouTube channel, you really do radiate that positivity in that light. So thank you. 

Terrance: Thank you. I try, I try. I try not to have it be, like, fake, like fake positivity. I think we see a lot of that on social media. So I really try to make it genuine because it is genuine. But along with the happiness and the positive, I also talk about the struggles and, like, how I’m overcoming them and the good, the bad, the wins, the losses, everything. 

Caroline: Yeah.

Terrance: I’m just an open book. 

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. It really, it really does come through us as, you know, coming from a genuine place. And I think it is so important to have that balance and that, you know, not having, you know, Instagram being a highlight reel and really showing the vulnerability, too. This also makes me think of another story that you shared on Instagram about some advocacy work that you did. You advocated for diversity and inclusion from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and you succeeded. And, um, I think it’s such a great story. Would you mind sharing that story a little bit with our listeners? 

Terrance: Yeah, so I am a frequent Jo-Ann Fabric shopper, and I was really disappointed that they hadn’t released a statement after George Floyd and his murder. And it was not just Jo-Ann’s, it was a bunch of other companies, but I was really close to Jo-Ann’s again, because I shop there so frequently, so I had just been spamming everything. I had been spamming their Instagram comment section, YouTube comment section, Facebook comment section, just letting them know how disappointed I was. And I didn’t hear anything, didn’t hear anything. So I was like, what if I try to reach out to the CEO? So I Googled the CEO of Jo-Ann’s, and it came up, and he was on LinkedIn. So I took a chance, and I messaged him on LinkedIn, and I let him know how I felt. I let him know that I was really disappointed in their lack of a response. And I let him know that specifically Black people spend, probably spend millions of dollars in their store, and they deserve at least a statement that says Black Lives Matter or Jo-Ann’s doesn’t support racism. Something. And he actually responded which I thought was so amazing that he was open to that feedback. And he said he absolutely agreed. And we had a really good phone conversation, two phone conversations. And from those phone conversations, he set me up with HR and different departments at Jo-Ann’s which really got the ball rolling. I had a list of, kind of, demands that I wanted ,things that I wanted to be seen done. Um, so more diversity on their Instagram feed, in their marketing. Um, I wanted them to, you know, at least release a statement, condemning racism. I wanted to know about their executive boards and who occupies those positions, the makeup men/women/minorities. How can we get more people in those positions? So it was, it was a lot, um, but they were completely open to the feedback, and they were really responsive. And they admitted that they had messed up and did not handle the situation the way that they should have, but they wanted to really fix it. And they have, and it’s been so amazing to see. There’s definitely a lot more work that needs to be done, but I’m really proud of the changes that have been happening. So their Instagram feed is definitely more diverse, along with their social media, along with their marketing. They are highlighting different holidays, so not just traditional Easter and Christmas but. you know, Kwanzaa and other holidays of, for, for other ethnicities. They have created a whole new division that tackles diversity and implementing diversity. They have redone their bias training in stores because that was another thing that I had asked them to do. Because in some stores, the experience for people of color, for myself included, was not the greatest. So redoing the bias training, promoting people of color into certain positions in their diversity council. It’s just been, it’s just been a lot. Going to schools that are predominantly Black or predominantly people of color to do more recruiting, putting people of color in those recruiting positions because it doesn’t really make sense to go to a school that’s predominantly Black but not have any Black or people of color recruiters. If the students can’t see themselves in the position, then what’s the point of even going. We need people in those positions to be able to relate and talk to the students, to be able to recruit them. So it’s just a long list, a list that’s growing, working with different people of color influencers, myself included. It’s, it’s been a lot, but I’m really, really happy that they took the suggestions and the feedback. And they even offered like a $10,000 grant to, I think, 15 or 20 different Black artists and sewers. So it’s, again, it’s just been amazing to see that my one email, my one voice, resulted in so much change that I truly do not think would have happened if I had not reached out.

Caroline: It’s so fantastic. And it’s just proof that every voice matters because I think it’s so easy to sit back and say, oh, this is really horrible. You know, I don’t think this company is taking a stand and, but not actually reach out and say anything cause you just don’t think it’s gonna make a difference. But it’s just showing that, you know, use your voice. Everybody should be using their voice cause you just never know what one voice, what difference that can make, you know? 

Terrance: Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that’s the biggest feedback that I’ve heard. And people have said like, I’m going to use my voice because you don’t know what could happen, what changes you can make.

Caroline: Yeah. I wonder what you think needs to change in the sewing world, kind of, at large to make it more inclusive. Do you have any thoughts about that?

Terrance: I think, hm, I think people have to let go of the idea that it’s only for a certain demographic of people that it’s only for, you know, white women that, you know, quilting is only for, you know, older, white women or just the, these preconceived notions. I think if we let that go, it will be a better environment for people because everyone can sew, if they want to, or everyone can knit, or everyone can craft or, or do whatever. It’s not necessarily only for a certain demographic of people. But I also think that the majority of the people in those positions also need to be open-minded. So people who own sewing blogs or fabric stores,  whether they’re big or small, or pattern making companies, they need to have more inclusive marketing. They need to have people of color wearing their patterns, um, buying their fabric are included in their, like, influencer marketing and things like that. We need to see more representation. I think that is one of the biggest things. More representation. 

Helen: Yeah. That’s a really great tip. And you know, talking about the people who are in that position, if you are, you know, a white person aged 30 to 50 and you craft and that, you know, does make up a huge portion of the people in our community. Just changing the way that you talk about your craft with other people. Don’t refer to everyone who sews as a woman. Or don’t assume, you know, that people have a certain gender just because they’re wearing a certain thing. You can, you can be an ally just in the language that you use when you are with your friends or when you’re at the fabric store. And it’s those little changes that, over time, are going to be, you know, make these bigger changes in our community. 

Terrance: Absolutely. 

Helen: Well, before we go, we were wondering if we could ask you a bit about, you know, reflecting on your past and your future as a sewist and business owner. So what, for you, have been some of your career highlights and things that you are really proud of?

Terrance: I think the fact that I’m a self-taught sewer and that I’ve been able to grow the brand as much as I have being a self-taught sewer is something that I’m really proud of. I see a lot of people who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have, and there are people who have gone to school for it and, you know, can draft patterns in like five seconds. And I always get really envious of everyone else’s talent and everything that they’re able to do. But I think for me, I’m personally really impressed because I didn’t,in the very beginning, didn’t even think I was going to be able to sew in a zipper. That was one of the most difficult things, trying to do, but now I’m sewing in zippers, and I’m making clothes and garments and doing everything that I’m doing now. And I never thought I would get to this point, making the items that I have, being self-taught, but here I am, and it’s, it’s working. So that’s probably one of the most things that I am proud of and excited about the fact that I was able to teach myself. And here I am. 

Helen: It is such an accomplishment. And where do you see your business going in the future? What are your big dreams? 

Terrance: I really want to expand on the activism part of my business. So I’m doing a lot right now on the sustainability front and for Black Lives Matter, but I would really love to expand that to give back in more ways. I don’t know how big I want my business to get. It’s kind of, I guess, a catch-22, trying to remain sustainable and a small business but also wanting to grow at the same time. So, I definitely have ideas and plans for collections and stuff, but really, I’ve, I’ve taught myself that I just have to enjoy the moment. Last year was just so crazy and hectic, and I was just trying to get my bearings, that I really wasn’t able to enjoy it. So now that, um, things have slowed down a little bit and I have a system and things worked out and some assistance and some help, I’m just enjoying it every day and taking it all in.

Helen: That’s really great advice – something I’m going to take into the rest of my day, because sometimes things are hectic. And not only if you’re running a business, but just in everyday life with all the things that people have going on. And, and even in our sewing, sometimes it can feel a bit frantic, but it’s nice to remind ourselves to just slow down and just enjoy every moment. 

Terrance: Yes. Yes, definitely. 

Caroline: So where can our listeners find you online, Terrance? 

Terrance: I am everywhere. Running an e-commerce business, I’m everywhere. So I’m on Instagram @terrancewilliamsdesigns. I’m on Twitter under the same handle. Pinterest. Tik-Tok. YouTube. Everywhere. 

Caroline: Amazing. We’ll link all of that up in the show notes and on socials this week. We wish all the best for you. And we’re sure that you’re going to continue to do amazing things with your business and your sewing. Thank you so much for chatting with us today, Terrance. 

Terrance: Thank you so much for having me. And the opportunity, it really means a lot, especially being a small business owner, but a Black small business owner, always having the opportunity to talk about it, it really means a lot. So thank you. 

Caroline: Amazing. Thank you so much. 

Helen: Thanks so much, Terrance. Take care. 

Terrance: Bye. 

Caroline: Bye. 

Helen: Bye. 

Helen: That is it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com.

Caroline: We’re recording today in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com. 

Helen: If you’re enjoying the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed. Contribute $10 or more a month and you’ll also get a 15% discount code for both of our shops and a bonus mini episode. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info. 

Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We’ll talk to you next week. 

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen:: Buh-bias tape.

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Lyocell/Tencel is lovely for garment sewing…but what is it? In this episode, Helen and Caroline completely demystify this beautiful, comfortable, and sustainable fabric: how it’s made, how to sew it, and how to care for it!

The transcript for this episode can be found at the end of the show notes on this page.

Previous episodes mentioned:

Me Made May:

Helen and Caroline’s favourite lyocell/Tencel makes:

Lenzing links:

Other mentions:

Sewing and fabric care tools:

Where to buy lyocell/Tencel:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns. 

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. 

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: a deep dive into lyocell and Tencel fabric. 

Helen: Hi, Caroline. 

Caroline: Hi, Helen. 

Helen: How are you? 

Caroline: I’m so good. How are you? 

Helen: I’m doing well, thanks. I believe when this episode comes out, it is April 27th which is right before the beginning of May. And so I want to know, are you going to do Me Made May this year? 

Caroline: This is about the time of the month when I start panicking and speed sewing a few things so that I can have what I need for Me Made May. I am undecided right now if I’m going to do Me Made May. Are you? 

Helen: I think I am. Yeah. I feel like this year, I’m really loving where my wardrobe is at. We have had some fun, new pattern releases in the last year that I want to play around with and show, you know, how to pair them together or pair them with other patterns. So I’m pretty excited about it. I think I’m going to try to post in my stories regularly, but you know, Me Made May is really just about wearing the clothes that you’ve made, and you don’t need to wear them every day. It’s just an encouragement to pull those out of your closet more often, whatever that means for you.

Caroline: Totally. I think I need, like, a low commitment Me Made May pledge. So I’m gonna think about it. 

Helen: Yeah, well, we’re excited, and if you want to participate and you’ve never participated before, Me Made May happens for the entire month of May, and you can use the hashtag #memademay. I think there’s a few hashtags like hashtag #mmmay or hashtag #memademay2021 to get the specific year. So play around on your social media. Find the hashtags in the areas you want to be, and then you can just have fun posting and sharing if you want to. But if not, you can just wear your garments. That’s totally participating, too. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. I am so pumped for this week’s episode because it’s another fabric deep dive. And it’s one that, I think, we’ve had a lot of requests for… about a fabric that is quite popular, kind of has, like, a cult following in the sewing world… can be hard to find in some places. And that is lyocell slash Tencel. 

Helen: Yeah. I’m like, wait, what? What’s lyocell? You probably know it better as Tencel. Um, and we’re going to get into why it’s called that. But yeah, I feel like this fabric when it came on the market like three or four years ago, it was probably on the market before that too, but I didn’t…

Caroline: Way before that.

Helen: …become aware of it until like three or four years ago. So, it’s become super popular because it’s so drapey, and it just has this lovely quality to it. And you sell it at Blackbird, so I think that’s where a lot of people are getting it from, and it really works well for so many projects. So I’m excited to chat about it, too. 

Caroline: Yeah, and not only is it a fantastic fabric, but. It is a really good sustainable option. If you’re a fan of rayon, Tencel is a really great alternative to that fiber that is a lot more friendly to the earth. And we’re going to talk all about that today. So I think before we start our deep dive, we should define exactly what we’re talking about today and just sort of explain what is Tencel slash lyocell. 

Helen: Yeah, so Tencel is actually a brand name by the company Lenzing. Lenzing is a company that develops and produces fibers from natural wood for fabrics and personal care products. They make Tencel and viscose fabrics, wipes, paper products, packaging, rope, and a bunch of other things that can be made from those fibers. So that’s why when you see Tencel written out there in the sewing world, it’s often capitalized because it is the brand name of the product. 

Caroline: Yes, and Lenzing also makes other fibers like Modal. They do, uh, EcoVero which is something that we stock at Blackbird in our custom prints. So it’s kind of a parent company that encompasses a lot of different sustainable fibers. A big part of their brand identity is sustainability. They make products from organic materials that are biodegradable. They have a really good record of sustainability and source most of their woods from forests recognized by the forest stewardship council. 

Helen: That’s awesome. The generic name of Tencel is lyocell. Tencel and lyocell fabrics are exactly the same product except one is a proprietary name and the other is a descriptor for all of this type of fabric. It’s kind of like how people call bandages “Band-Aid” even if they’re not made by Band-Aid, you know?

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And in addition to Tencel, there’s another brand of lyocell that’s pretty rare to find. It’s called Xcel by the company Birla. If you ever see that, it’s also a type of lyocell. Although most lyocell out there is the branded Tencel by Lenzing. You can also find it simply called lyocell. Although Tencel is the more recognizable name for this fabric, we’re going to be calling it lyocell throughout this episode because it’s just the more accurate term. All Tencel is lyocell, but not all lyocell is Tencel. Does that make sense? 

Helen: It does. Okay. So what is lyocell made out of exactly?

Caroline: So lyocell is made from wood fibers. Usually, it’s eucalyptus, though other woods like oak and birch are also used. So this means that, although it’s processed, it is a natural fiber, it’s breathable, and it’s biodegradable. 

Helen: Yeah. The breathability is one thing I really enjoy about lyocell fabrics, and it’s such a popular fiber in the sewing community because it’s so nice. It’s very soft on the skin. Even for very sensitive skin, I think it’s appropriate. I have pretty sensitive skin, and I enjoy wearing it. It’s breathable which makes it extra comfortable. It has a lovely drape. Even heavier fabrics like lyocell twill drape just beautifully; they have a bit more body, but they still have that swish and swing that you get from a lyocell or a Tencel.

Caroline: Yeah, and lyocell can hold really vibrant colors which can be a challenge with natural fibers. Although, like most natural fibers, it will slowly fade with washing and wearing, but those colors do remain a little bit more vibrant than, say, on, like, a linen or a cotton. And it’s one of the more sustainable fabric options. It has a non-toxic closed loop process, and it’s biodegradable. So, again, just such a great sustainable option. 

Helen: Win-win-win. 

Caroline: Okay. Let’s talk about history because contrary to what Helen might think, it was not created in the last three to four years. 

Helen: I feel like I said to me, for me.

Caroline: I’m just, I’m just bugging you. 

Helen: No, it’s true I’m spreading misinformation. Don’t listen to me. 

Caroline: But Tencel does have a relatively recent history, so it starts in the mid-20th century. Because viscose rayons use the toxic chemical carbon disulfide to dissolve wood fibers, scientists and fiber companies were on the lookout for an alternative. And that alternative turned out to be the NMMO process. So NMMO is the N-Methylmorpholine N-Oxide. Big words here. 

Helen: Methylmorpholine. 

Caroline: It’s a solvent that breaks down the cellulose into a viscous liquid pulp. It’s non-toxic, biodegradable, and it can be almost completely reused in a closed loop production process. So we’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Helen: That’s so cool. So instead of using this toxic chemical to dissolve the wood fibers, they found this other N-Met…

Caroline:  You try saying it, Helen.

Helen: …N-Methylmorpholine N-Oxide that can do the same job without all of that toxicity. 

Caroline: Yes, and U.S. company Eastman Kodak, Inc. spent 1966-1968 working on the dissolution of compounds, including cellulose in NMMO.

Helen: And then from 1969-79, the U.S. company American Enka, worked on the spinning process. So it was quite a process by the sounds of it to get this to the point where it would work for producing products. 

Caroline: Yeah. It can take a really long time to figure out how to make a fiber work for, you know, turning it into different materials like fabrics. A U.K. research and development team led by Pat White of Courtaulds, a U.K. fiber and fabric manufacturer, built off this research to develop the first successful spinning process for spinning lyocell fibers in 1982. Love the eighties. This involves pushing the pulp through spinnerets to create long, thin fibers. 

Helen: As if we needed more reasons to love the eighties. Courtaulds built the first lyocell plant in Grimsby, England shortly after. They increased production over the years until they added a production line in Mobile, Alabama in the U.S. And in 1992, they reached the height of their production and began using the brand name Tencel. 

Caroline: So Lenzing, which is an Austria based company, began producing lyocell in 1990. And in 2004, they completed the process of acquiring the Tencel group. And now they are the biggest manufacturer of lyocell in the world. So that brings us up to the present. So, you see, we haven’t been blessed with lyocell for all that long. Although longer than three to four years. 

Helen: I think we forgot the part of the history where it’s like, in 2016, Helen Wilkinson and Helen’s Closet Patterns discovered Tencel and started using it for a lot of her makes.

Caroline: Okay. We mentioned before that the production process of lyocell is a closed loop. So what exactly does that mean, Helen?

Helen: Okay. So all the chemicals used in the production of lyocell can and are recycled and used again and again. That means that there is very little waste. NMMO, for example, is over 99% recyclable. So in the closed loop system, those chemicals, like this NMMO, is just getting reused again and again, and the water is getting, like, cycled through, and it’s all a closed loop system. So nothing’s getting, well, not nothing, but very little is getting wasted away. 

Caroline: Yeah, and lyocell is also better for textile workers. This one is pretty important. Viscose and rayons use carbon disulfide in their production which is really damaging to the health of textile workers and the people and environment near viscose factories. If you want to learn a little bit more about this, we’ll link a post from @michelleofatime. We had her on our show talking about Matchpoint Fabrics. She did a really great post talking about how harmful cellulose fibers can be for workers and some sustainable alternatives. So I think it’s really important to be, kind of, informed about that, but this is such a great alternative because the chemicals used in the production of lyocell don’t endanger workers’ health.

Helen: Yes. Love that. Okay. Now that we’ve been through the history and the science of lyocell, can we talk about the nitty gritty of working with it? Let’s go over, like, the types of fabrics that are made with lyocell and how we work with them. 

Caroline: Yes, so lyocell wovens come in different weights and weaves. Lightweight lyocell wovens are perfect for linings. You can also make tops and dresses. Though be warned that it can wrinkle more easily than a mid-weight lyocell. So lyocell linings are a good alternative to silk in that they are breathable and a little bit slippery, but lyocell wrinkles. So the lighter it gets, the more wrinkly it’s going to be. 

Helen: Yes, that’s true. And mid-weight lyocell wovens are excellent for dresses, flowy pants, jumpsuits, tops. I mean, I think this is the range that you see a lot in the sewing world, people using for their project. This is kind of the range that you carry at Blackbird, Caroline. And it’s just so great that, like, four ounce to six ounce weight for Tencel or lyocell.  Just a beautiful fabric for so many different garments. 

Caroline: Yeah. And you can find plain weave lyocell which is a lot like the viscose rayons you often see used for like summer tops and dresses. Plain weave is the simplest weave. It’s the one you probably think of when you think woven, but twill is definitely a more common weave that you’ll find for lyocell. Lyocell twill is more like a silk twill scarf than a stiff cotton bottomweight twill. So it’s still lightweight and drapey, don’t let the word twill, you know, deter you, but, you know, the weave is subtle. This weave also makes a stronger fabric than a plain weave. So this is what we carry at Blackbird is the lyocell twills. 

Helen: Yeah, and I just love it. And like you said, don’t be deterred by the twill because it makes me think of, like, a cotton twill or a denim twill that can be quite stiff. But Tencel or  lyocell twill, it has a totally different vibe. It’s super drapey and flowy. So if you haven’t tried it, maybe pick some up and make a project and see how you like it. 

Caroline: Yes, and outside of lyocell wovens, of course, there are also lyocell knits, and these are incredibly soft and fluid. Lyocell jerseys come in light and medium weights. They can even come in heavier weights if they’re blended and made into like a terry or something. They’re great for tops, leggings, dresses. A knit, like, a lyocell jersey makes the comfiest bralettes, camisoles, underwear. I love my Tencel knit underwear. Like it’s just so soft, breathable. You just can’t compare to Tencel knits.

Helen: I’m going to have to get some. I don’t know that I’ve worked with Tencel knit that much. 

Caroline: Mm, so nice and soft. And of course, lyocell can also be blended with pretty much any other fiber, natural or synthetic, to get different effects. Lyocell blended with cotton, for example, would give a softer hand and a better drape than just cotton by itself, while being a stronger fabric and less wrinkle prone than lyocell by itself. 

Helen: Ooh. Yeah. Sometimes when you blend different fibers together, different fabrics together, you get these really cool effects where you get, like, the best of both worlds in one fabric. And you can find lyocell fabrics in so many colors. It’s another thing that I just love about this. It takes less dye to make a vivid color on lyocell than on cotton. And it takes the dye really, really well. So that’s how we get this beautiful range of colors. 

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. So let’s say you’ve just bought your gorgeous lyocell fabric. What do you need to know about caring for it and sewing with it?

Helen: Well, like most fabrics, your first step is going to be pre-washing. Lyocell labels often advise hand washing which you absolutely can do. However, because labels tend to be on the safe side, you’ll most likely be just fine washing it on a delicate cycle in a garment bag. Um, make sure to use cool water to wash and hang it to dry because a high heat could shrink it significantly. From personal experience washing and wearing my lyocell garments, I just throw them in the wash with my other clothes. I don’t treat them preciously. They do fade, like you said, the dye, and it does tend to wear, but I love that look, like, it gets those beautiful, like, crinkly seams and the faded look kind of gives it a vintage vibe. So I’m all for throwing it right into the washer and the dryer because I find when I hang my lyocell garments to dry, they come out a bit stiff, and I prefer how they feel after I throw them in the dryer. 

Caroline: Yeah. That’s the case for a lot of fabrics. They can get a little bit, like, crunchy when you leave them, and you almost need to iron them afterwards. But even that sometimes doesn’t solve that sort of like stiff, naturally dried fabric feel. I agree. I throw my lyocell into the washing machine, into the dryer. I like that faded look. If you don’t then you might want to hand wash, but I think it’s, really, I don’t know, kind of nice and stylish. 

Helen: I think it is too. Okay. And then when you press your fabric, you want to use a low to medium heat somewhere between your silk and wool settings on your iron. Lyocell poses the same danger as polyester, in that if you use too high a heat, your fabric can get shiny. I’ve definitely experienced this. So pressing on the wrong side of your project, whenever possible, too, to avoid any of those iron marks, because it sucks so much to get that iron shiny mark right on the front of your garment when you’re almost finished. 

Caroline: I know it really does. And using a press cloth, also, if it’s something that you need to iron from the right side of the fabric, then just use a press cloth. Don’t be afraid of steam though, because lyocell can definitely handle some steam. 

Helen: Yeah, and unlike polyester, it does press pretty well. It can hold a press really well. So that’s not an issue. It’s really just watching out for that shine. 

Caroline: So now you’re ready to sew. Although lyocell is stronger than viscose, it can still twist and shift in the same way when you’re cutting it out. So be especially careful with your grainlines when you’re cutting and make sure to stay stitch any pieces that have, like, a curve or a bias in them so that you’re not stretching out those pieces as you handle them. 

Helen: Yes. And lyocell knits are incredibly stretchy and soft which is lovely to wear, but they can be a little challenging to sew. So if you’re using a standard machine, we recommend using a walking foot with your knits. You can test different lengths and widths of zigzag stitches on a scrap piece of fabric to figure out how you can avoid wavy seams. And you can also check out our sewing with knits episode for more strategies for sewing with stretchy fabrics. I know it can be a challenge, but it’s all about just getting your machine set up for the fabric that you’re using before you dive into your project so that you can just sew with ease from there. 

Caroline: So lyocell fabrics also have a sheen to them which is something to keep in mind when you’re picking a thread. Michelle Brown Colistro, formerly of Matchpoint Fabric, wrote an amazing post for Seamwork magazine, talking all about Tencel and lyocell. And she recommends using a thread that also has a sheen to it, like a polyester thread because matte threads can really stand out, 

Helen: And I wonder if a good, like, biodegradable alternative would be, like, a silk thread, because then it would also have a bit of a sheen. 

Caroline: Good idea, Helen. 

Helen: So, let’s say you’re finished your garment now. That was easy. Wow. Good job. Wash it the same way you pre-washed it. So if you hand washed your fabrics or put it in a garment bag, and you wanted to be really careful with this final garment, then you’re going to want to wash it in the same way. Maybe on a delicate cycle in your machine. Hang it to dry. Iron on low or low-medium heat if you need to press it afterwards. Or don’t iron it at all, if you like that breezy kind of slightly rumpled look. Or, of course, you can go the route that Caroline and I do, and just throw it in the wash with your other clothes. Hope for the best. Haven’t had any problems. I mean, we’ll see what happens. 

Caroline: I love it. Just see what happens. 

Helen: Another thing to be aware of is that lyocell does stain. It can take up a stain pretty well. So, as with any other clothing item, you’ll want to treat stains as quickly as possible with the method that’s recommended for that kind of stain. Google is your friend. I mean, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. 

Caroline: Yeah. I was talking with, um, Laura, one of my team members, and we were trying to figure out why is it that lyocell tends to be prone to stains. And our guess, and this isn’t fact, but this is kind of my guess, Tencel and lyocell are very absorbent. So I think that because of that quality in the fiber, they just kind of suck up any stain. And unfortunately, it’s just the reality of that fabric, but I think that stains can be removed, so it’s not the end of the world. Um, you just have to be maybe a little bit more careful when you’re wearing Tencel and lyocell.

Helen: I mean, if you think about the fact that it’s made from wood fibers, it makes total sense that it would be super absorbent, right? 

Caroline: Yeah, and because lyocell knits have that super soft, slightly brushed surface, they have a tendency to pill. So a sweater shaver or lint brush will keep them in nice condition.

Helen: Ooh. A sweater shaver. I gotta get one of those. 

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Sounds cool. Okay. With all of this said lyocell is a pleasure to sew with because it makes really beautiful, wearable garments. Caroline, what have you made out of Tencel or lyocell?

Caroline: Okay. So I have a Tencel twill Ashton Top in, like, a rusty color that I really love. Although, um, speak of the devil, it has a stain on it, so I don’t wear it as much anymore. Um, but I do love that top. I also have a Tencel twill Ninni Culottes. I actually used to have two pairs. I gave one of them to you.

Helen: And I still wear it all the time.

Caroline: But I think it’s such a great fabric for that kind of, like, loose elastic waist pants style. I also have some really, really amazing Tencel cotton French terry sweatpants. I’ve made so many. I made some for Shea too. They’re so soft and comfy. I think Tencel blend terries are like the softest terries ever invented. 

Helen: You know what? I think I might’ve actually used a Tencel blend terry for a project now that I think about it. I thought maybe it was a Modal blend, but I think it was a Tencel blend. 

Caroline: I feel like you have. Yeah, and I think you’ve also used a Tencel jersey for Luna at some point, for your Luna tank. Is that possible? Like we had a Tencel jersey in the store at one point, and I feel like you ordered some. I just know all of your fabric buying because you bought it from my store. Maybe you haven’t worked with it yet, though. It could just be in your stash. Tell me about some garments that you love that you’ve made out of Tencel. 

Helen: Well, most recently, we used a Tencel twill to make one of our March top samples for our model, Kate, a beautiful like blushy pink tone. I really love the way that one turned out. I’ve also used a denim Tencel to make my Ashton Winslow jumpsuit hack. I don’t know if you’ve seen denim Tencel. I think you carried it at Blackbird at some point. It’s so cool because it looks like denim. It has that kind of vibe from the outside, but it’s super, super drapey and is not really anything like denim other than just, like, the color, maybe the weave. 

Caroline: Yeah. It only has a denim look to it. Um, you’ve used that fabric a couple times. One of my favorite Ashton’s like a really early Ashton sample that you made was a Tencel denim with the, like, cut off hem. 

Helen: Yeah. A raw hem. You just, like, stitch a sort of stay stitch line around, and just throw it in the wash, and let it fray. And the Tencel that I used for that one frayed really well. So it worked out super well. I’m sure I’ve used Tencel for other things, but I’m drawing a blank right now. I do love those pants that you gave me. 

Caroline: Yeah. Oh yeah. Those ones are so great. I think we’ll have to dig up some photos and share them on Instagram this week so everyone can see our favorite Tencel makes.

Helen: Yes, we’ll definitely share lots of our makes in the show notes this week. 

Caroline: Okay, now it’s time to answer some listener questions. We asked you for your questions about lyocell and Tencel on Instagram, and you came back with some really good ones. So what’s our first question?

Helen: The most frequent question we got was how sustainable is it really? What impact does it have on the environment and on labor?

Caroline: Okay, so Tencel is a very sustainable fabric choice because of its closed loop process. With regard to the chemicals used, it produces very little waste. It’s made from natural wood which is biodegradable. Whether the wood is grown and harvested sustainably depends on the company manufacturing it, but many do source it sustainably. It would be a good idea to check with each manufacturer if this is a concern for you though. Lenzing, mentioned before, is the manufacturer of Tencel branded lyocell, harvest from sustainably managed forests in Austria and the Czech Republic. More than 99% of the wood it buys to make Tencel is certified or controlled. So we’ll link our source for this information in the show notes. The chemicals used in dyeing lyocell are another issue. Most often they are conventional. Lyocell takes dye very well, though. So less is needed to dye it than, say, cotton overall. It’s one of the most sustainable options for new fabric. 

Helen: And as far as labor goes, lyocell rayons are a huge improvement on viscose rayons. Viscose production uses the toxic chemical carbon disulfide which damages the health of workers by causing forms of polyneuropathy. Polyneuropathy is peripheral nerve damage, damage to the nerves outside the brain. Its symptoms include pain, weakness, and numbness. In a 1995 study, scientists found that over half of the workers they studied had some form of polyneuropathy. Lyocell production does not use toxic chemicals. And the chemicals they do use are reused in that closed loop process that we keep talking about. So this is unquestionably better for workers, and you still get that beautiful drapey fabric. 

Caroline: In regards to labor policies, the labor policies of each manufacturer of lyocell are worth researching. Lenzing has a policy on human rights and labor standards that reflects the standards proposed by the United Nations, the International Labor Organization, and other international human rights and labor organizations. 

Helen: Okay. So our next question is I never know which is the right side. Usually, I just randomly pick one. How do I decide? 

Caroline: Okay, so I’ll start off by saying, if you’re working with a knit, or, like a, like a, jersey knit or, like, a Tencel twill, for example, which are pretty much the most common forms of lyocell and Tencel, there should be a right and wrong side. So you might just have to look under a little magnifying glass or under the light to really try to figure that out.

Helen: Thought you were going to say microscope.

Caroline: Under a microscope. Pull out that microscope from your sewing tools. 

Helen: Sometimes it feels like you need one to see these things. 

Caroline: I know, but if you’re working with a plain weave fabric, or, you know, another fabric that isn’t, like, a jersey or a twill, that obviously should have a right and wrong side. If you look at this fabric on both sides in varying lights and cannot tell the difference, then it’s very likely that just picking one side as the right side will work great. Another way to tell, that may or may not be applicable to your fabric, is to look at the little holes on the selvedge. On the right side, the holes will look smooth and on the wrong side, they’re going to look messier like they’re pointing towards you. Another tip that I have when you’re looking at right or wrong side, or trying to pick a side, once you do decide which side is your right side, I would try to mark the fabric, especially if it’s really hard to tell the difference, because even if you can’t really see a difference, you might be able to see it once it’s sewn up in different lights, kind of like how the nap of a corduroy or a velvet will show only in certain lights. So once you pick a side, use just that side, don’t just, kind of, alternate between sides cause that’s when I think you’ll run into issues. 

Helen: Yeah, and marking it will save you a lot of squinting at your fabric throughout your project…

Caroline: Totally.

Helen: …trying to make sure you’ve got it right. 

Caroline: Yeah. 

Helen: I think with the Tencel twill, it can be even challenging because the twill weave is more pronounced on one side, but you can still see those diagonal lines on the wrong side as well. So if you’re looking at your Tencel twill, the correct side or the right side is the side where the diagonal lines are the most pronounced. So you want that twill facing out. But if you like the look of the other side, you can totally sew it with that pronounced twill on the inside. That’s totally fine, too.

Caroline: Absolutely. Okay. Our next question is, is there any way to prevent these fabrics from wrinkling? 

Helen: Oh, sadly, wrinkling is pretty much the nature of lyocell. Linen is that way, too. There’s not really a great way to avoid it. We suggest embracing it instead. Lyocell is great for laid back garments with a natural rumpled look. It might not be the best fabric for the workplace if you don’t want to have, you know, wrinkles after sitting at your desk. So just something to consider when you’re working with this fabric. 

Caroline: Yeah, and the next question is, how breathable is lyocell? So lyocell fabrics are very breathable. They’re a natural fiber, and they’re comparable to cotton and linen in terms of breathability.

Helen: Okay, this next person wants to know: Lots of folks have said that lyocell and tensile wears quickly, and that’s kept me from trying it. What are your thoughts? 

Caroline: So, all natural fibers tend to fade more quickly than synthetics. Washing these fabrics less often, hand washing them, avoiding the dryer, are all ways to prevent your fabric from fading, or you can just embrace the fade like Helen and I do. But if you’re really looking to, like, preserve that color fastness for as long as possible, I would just hand wash. Go the slow route, and you’ll definitely have less fading that way.  

Helen: Mhm. Next question is, why does lyocell stain so easily? We kind of touched on this already, but it most likely stains that way because it is so absorbent. It’s 50% more absorbent than cotton. This makes it great for activewear and very comfortable to wear, but it also does make it stain more easily. So some ideas for reducing the risk of stains include: don’t be so sloppy, just kidding; choosing lyocell prints rather than solids to make the stains look less obvious; hand washing to avoid too much agitation in the washer, um; and treating stains as soon as you notice them. 

Caroline: Yes. Okay. Our next question is about avoiding marks when you’re pressing. So, this person has had issues with the Tencel that they’re using for their wedding dress. So, first of all, congratulations on your upcoming, or possibly recent, wedding. 

Helen: Yeah. 

Caroline: So to avoid these marks, you can turn the heat down on your iron. Tencel needs a low to low-medium iron temperature. You can also use a press cloth between your iron and the fabric to protect it. 

Helen: Lastly, this question, why are Tencel knits so soft compared to other knit fabrics? Caroline, fill us in.

Caroline: So, we suspect they are so smooth because the fibers created in the process are very thin and very smooth. So think of how a microfiber poly fabric can be so soft but with the breathability and environmental friendliness of a natural fiber. It’s kind of magical. 

Helen: Pure magic. Okay, so now that we’ve kind of completed our deep dive, we want to answer this, where can you buy lyocell fabric if you want to try it? So, of course you can find lyocell fabrics at large retailers, we would like to highlight some small businesses who also sell lyocell fabrics for our listeners. To find the lyocell and Tencel, either navigate to the categories in the store’s menu, or simply use the website search function to look for it. Remember to search for both Tencel and lyocell, so you make sure that you find everything that shop might have available, and we’ll link all of these shops in the show notes on our website.

Caroline: Okay. So in Canada, there’s Earth Indigo. They have a focus on sustainability. The Fabric Snob also has lots of knits. And, of course, we can’t forget Blackbird Fabrics, my store. We have a lot of Tencels. 

Helen: Yes. You have a beautiful range. In the U.S., we recommend Melanated Fabrics. This is an online shop co-owned by former guests, Mimi G and Brittany J. Jones, and the menswear fabrics are curated by former guest, Norris Danta Ford. So definitely go check out Melanated Fabrics, if you haven’t already. 

Caroline: And APC Fabrics is another U.S. fabric shop with a sustainable focus. They have a great selection of Tencel and lyocell. 

Helen: In Australia, Potter&Co and fibresmith have lots of beautiful choices both online and in store.

Caroline: In the U.K., there are Sister Mintaka and Selvedge and Bolts. 

Helen: In Belgium, try Atelier Moondust. 

Caroline: In Denmark, MeterMeter has a huge selection. 

Helen: In France, Cousette has some beautiful prints, as well as solids available. 

Caroline: And, finally, in New Zealand, Miss Maude has some beautiful choices. So, obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. There are so many fabric stores out there that are carrying lyocell and Tencel right now. I’d love to hear from our listeners on your favorite place to buy these fibers and these fabrics because I’m sure other people are wondering too, but yeah, go check out these shops.

Helen: Yeah. And if you own a fabric store, let us know if you have these for offer too, and we can make sure our listeners hear about it as well. So that’s lyocell, there is obviously so much to know about it. We hope you feel ready to enjoy the sustainable, beautiful, and comfortable fabric and head to our show notes for links to a lot more resources, some pictures of how these closed loop systems work, and just more information about this fiber. I know it’s a lot to take in in an hour of podcasting. 

Caroline: Yes. Go check it out. 

Caroline: Okay. That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew, you can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. 

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful BC, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: If you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed. We have a new episode coming out very soon. Contribute $10 or more a month and you’ll get a 15% discount code for both of our shops which, might I say, would be very, very good to use if you were buying some lyocell or Tencel from my store. And a bonus mini episode every month as well. So go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info. 

Helen: Um, I don’t know if we mention this very often, but that 15% code is, like, ongoing. 

Caroline: Oh, yeah.

Helen: You just use it. 

Caroline: Anytime. You can use it again and again. Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Thank you to our amazing podcast team, and thank you all so much for listening, as always. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: That brings us up to the president. To the president. That brings us to the president. Mr. Biden. He’s a big fan of Tencel.

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This week, we are delving into zero waste sewing! Helen and Caroline discuss how to revolutionize your sewing practice with waste-reducing techniques, zero waste patterns, and sustainable habits.

The transcript for this episode is at the end of the show notes on this page.

Previous episodes mentioned:

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Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics. 

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns. 

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. 

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: Zero Waste Sewing.

Caroline: Hello, Helen. 

Helen: Hi, Caroline. 

Caroline: How are you doing? 

Helen: I’m doing well, thanks. How are you? 

Caroline:I am very good as well. 

Helen: We have such an exciting topic today. There’s so much ground to cover, but let’s start off by just defining zero waste sewing for anyone out there who doesn’t know what zero waste sewing is all about. 

Caroline: So zero waste sewing is the process of creating a garment or garments without any or with very little waste. So for those working in the fashion industry, it could be designing a sewing pattern or changing a wasteful garment production process at the factory level. For a home sewist, it could be about creating habits that reduce or eliminate waste, sewing from zero waste patterns, or designing your own zero waste garments.

Helen: Yes. And zero waste sewing has gained traction in the 21st century as more attention has been called to the amount of waste that the fashion industry generates. About 15% of the total fabric used by the industry is wasted. And that might not seem like a lot, but when you consider that 400 billion meters of fabric are manufactured per year, it really adds up; that’s 60 billion meters a year.

Caroline: Wow. 

Helen: Yeah. 

Caroline: Of waste. It’s pretty wild. And home sewists have started to pay attention to the amount of waste they generate, too. For example, our former assistant Melanie has started a textile waste reduction project on her blog. We’ll link that in the show notes. On her first post for the project, she sits on a big pile of a year’s worth of scraps – it’s really an extraordinary visual. 

Helen: Yes, I really love what Mel has been doing with her zero waste reduction sewing, and she’s made some really cool projects so definitely go check it out. So why, other than the obvious reason, would somebody choose to sew zero waste garments? 

Caroline: Well, sewing using zero waste principles reduces a sewist’s individual contribution to environmental degradation. So that’s one thing. 

Helen: Yes, and sewists may be interested in working towards a larger shift in both social values and policy around environmental issues. So zero waste sewing can be a reflection of someone’s values as well as an action in and of itself. 

Caroline: And it could also be an economic choice. Strategizing to make the most of your meterage of fabric is something frugal people have done through all of history.

Helen: Yes, and designers and sewists may want to contribute to a body of knowledge that is definitely growing. It’s really exciting to see new innovations as well as the revival of time-tested techniques. So everyone who sews with zero waste methods and principles is contributing to the growth and refinement of this movement that may completely change the industry.

Caroline: Yeah, and we’re going to talk a little bit more about all of that today, but keep in mind that a single person might combine some or all of these reasons or have other reasons that we haven’t thought of. So if you sew zero waste, we would love to hear your thoughts on Instagram, email, or leave us a voicemail this week.

Helen: Yeah, especially when I hear people’s recommendations for cool zero waste patterns that we can try. 

Caroline: Yes. 

Helen: Okay let’s talk a little bit about ways to reduce or eliminate waste in our sewing practices. The first thing we’re going to talk about is piecing fabric. I love this topic because you know I love pattern hacks, and piecing things together is a great way to hack your pattern. It’s sewing together smaller pieces of fabric to make a large piece that’s big enough to sew into a garment or something else. And those sewists out there who are also quilters are already quite familiar with this because it’s like quilting but often on a larger scale. 

Caroline: Yeah, and you can do this in a symmetrical way that looks like the patchwork on traditional quilts. One of the reasons quilting was invented was to use up scraps of fabric. So historical sewists were the original zero wasters. Alyse on Instagram, uh she’s @maeandbjorn, made a super cute flowy patchwork dress that’s on her profile as a highlight. So we’re going to link that in the show notes. Natalie Ebaugh also has several colorful patchwork jackets and oven mitts on her profile. Jessica Quirk has a Tamarack Jacket in a more muted style, and she designed and made the patchwork especially for the jacket. So we’re going to link all these up in the show notes if you’re looking for a little bit of patchwork inspiration.

Helen: Yeah, you can also do more of, like, a wacky quilt style where you fit scraps together like puzzle pieces. Zero Waste Daniel does this a lot with his bright, fun clothing and masks. So we’ll link that too. But if you’re not into the patchwork style, you can also piece with a single fabric. This is something that clothing makers have done throughout history. You can try to put the seam in a less visible place, like, under the arm or inside of a gathered area. If the fabric has a busy pattern, you might not even be able to see it unless you look very closely. But think about how your pattern pieces could be cut up into more manageable pieces and then sewn back together so that you can make the most of the yardage that you have.

Caroline: Oh yeah, I mean, haven’t we all done this in a situation where we’re running out of fabric when we’re cutting out a project and then we ended up piecing together the belt or the sleeve or something like that? 

Helen: Yeah, totally. I do this all the time, especially cause I hate when, like, a piece is just sitting off in the middle of, like, a big open area of fabric. I’m like, oh, but I could just cut this facing on the fold and, like, have half of it hanging off. And then I’ll, like, squeeze the other half in over here, maybe cut it on the cross grain. Definitely getting creative is a big part of zero waste sewing. 

Caroline: Yeah, and you don’t even notice most of the time. 

Helen: Nope.

Caroline: Okay. Another way to reduce textile waste is to bust scraps. You know we’ve talked about this before. We have a whole episode about it. So you can check out episode 98 which is all about scrap busting for a bunch of suggestions on how to use up all of your scraps. And we also mentioned before that our former assistant Melanie is working on a really cool textile waste reduction project this year. She has some great ideas on her blog. So we’re gonna link that up in the show notes as well. One really great project she did a few months ago was a DIY dress form which she sewed up and stuffed with textile waste. 

Helen: What? I love using forms that needed a stuffing for scrap busting. It’s so handy. Closet Core Patterns has that free pouf pattern that you can sew up out of scraps and then fill with scraps. I mean, how great is that?

Caroline: It’s so great. And Mel also has a post on her blog of 50 plus scrap busting ideas sourced from her blog readers. So, definitely, Melanie is an awesome resource right now. 

Helen: Yeah, I do love scrap busting. I mean, it can get a little overwhelming when you keep every little piece of fabric. So you do have to be a little bit careful about getting too many scraps built up in your stash, but that’s why working in some scrap busting projects as a regular part of your sewing practice is so great because it helps to clear out those scraps. And also, just use what you have which is the baseline for more sustainable sewing.

Caroline: Yeah, try not to get to the point where you have bags of scraps in every corner of your sewing room. 

Helen: It’s true. It can happen faster than you think. 

Caroline: It really can. Another way to sew zero waste is to use zero waste patterns, and there are a growing number of patterns for purchase and for free that are designed with zero waste in mind. But first we wanted to kind of talk about the fact that zero waste design principles are both old and new. 

Helen: Yeah, so many medieval European garments, including cotes, shirts, chemises and kirtles, were more zero waste in design. The South Asian sari is a modern-day zero waste garment with roots that go centuries into history. The Japanese kimono is a traditional garment that uses every bit of precious fabric. We want to note here that it’s so important to avoid appropriating the kimono and the sari. We mention them because they’re great examples of how different cultures have been doing zero waste for centuries uninterrupted. In the sewing community, we’ve had a history of appropriation in our language and in our design, you know, myself included. At Helen’s Closet, I have done this and since apologized for this, and it really needs to change. So we’d like to honor the fact that zero waste design has been a part of many cultures’ clothing design and construction for centuries without advocating that people from outside of those cultures appropriate those garments and those words.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s a really important point to make. And there are a few 20th century fashion designers who’ve influenced 21st century zero waste designers including Madeleine Vionnet and Paul Poiret. In the early 20th century, Madeleine Vionnet began experimenting with bias cuts and avant-garde draping, departing from conventional Western pattern making techniques. And similarly, Paul Poiret moved away from traditionally tailored garments in favor of structural simplicity and drapey silhouettes. 

Helen: Yeah, in many ways, today’s zero waste design is a reimagining of all these time-tested methods of designing and constructing garments. In general, modern zero waste pattern design takes a length of fabric and imposes the design on it, moving from large pattern pieces to small ones. So they block out the biggest parts of the garment and then divide up the leftover fabric to make things like cuffs, plackets, collars, and other design details. 

Caroline: Yeah, and designer Julian Roberts has a free PDF ebook called Free Cutting which teaches this method of “subtraction cutting,” making a garment by cutting, or “subtracting,” small pieces from the main piece of fabric rather than “adding” the large pieces.

Helen: So zero waste sewing patterns are not patterns in the conventional sense. That is because there’s not usually paper pieces to them. Instead, they often include a cutting diagram and instructions. So the cutting diagrams can be a little puzzling to look at because the pieces look different than conventional patterns. But if you take the instructions one step at a time, it will all come together. So, for example, the instruction booklet will tell you to cut a rectangle 30 inches by 40 inches, and then cut another rectangle 12 inches by six inches. And by assembling all of those pieces and cutting all those parts, eventually you have all the pieces for the pattern. I’m simplifying it obviously, but you get the idea. 

Caroline: Yeah, and a lot of the time in these zero waste patterns, they don’t even give the exact measurements. They’ll have you divide the width of your fabric into sections. So let’s say, they’ll say, you know, a third of the width is for this, two thirds is for this, so that you can use the full width of the fabric and have it be, like, a true zero waste design. So it’s actually really interesting when you kinda look at that chart and figure out how that’s going to work for the fabric that you have. But I think now would be a good time to go over some of the patterns and pattern companies that we know of that have zero waste options. 

Helen: Yes, I think it would be so much fun as a community if we tried some of these zero waste designs and started sewing more of these zero waste patterns and contributed more to these hashtags because that will just help this movement to continue to grow. So the first one we want to mention is the Elbe Textiles Maynard Dress pattern as well as the free tutorial for a zero waste robe that they have on their site. The Maynard is a modern style wrap dress with a really cool kind of jagged or handkerchief hem. The robe looks like a standard one; the standout part is that the pattern is a zero waste style where it’s a cutting diagram laid on top of a rectangle that represents the fabric. So every part of the rectangle is accounted for as part of the pattern.

Caroline: Yes, and one of my personal faves, Birgiita Helmersson, is a Sweden-based designer who designs patterns and garments using only zero waste design principles. She has patterns for a cropped shirt, two dresses, a jacket, and a coat available. Riika Alanko recently made a beautiful taupe version of the coat with yellow pockets. We’ll definitely link that up in the show notes. I’m also working on the zero waste dress pattern, and I’m so excited to finish it. 

Helen: I’ve seen a lot of people making this design since you pointed it out to me, Caroline. It’s so, so cute. It’s very, like, on trend with voluminous sleeves and a gathered skirt. I love the button front. So I definitely want to give this one a try, too. 

Caroline: Yeah, and it comes in a couple of size options which is fairly rare with zero waste patterns. So we’ll talk a little bit more about sizing later. 

Helen: Okay. Cris Wood Sews has instructions for a couple of dresses and a jacket for purchase on her website. The Envelope dress has been really popular on Instagram lately. Both of the dress patterns are kind of a caftan style. One with closed sides and one with open and fluttery sides. 

Caroline: Yes, and next up is Milan AV-JC. This is the home of designer Mylène L’Orguilloux’s patterns. They are all free as of May of last year under an open source license. And of course, you can also make a donation for her hard work. There are dresses, a pair of pants, a jumpsuit, a bag, and a trench coat. 

Helen: DIY Daisy isn’t known for designing zero waste, but many of her tutorials use rectangles that could be adapted to be zero waste if you use the full width of the fabric and maybe do some piecing here and there. 

Caroline: Yes, and then Schnittchen Patterns has two zero waste patterns; one for a dress and top, and another for a top only.

Helen: The Craft of Clothes on Etsy has a zero waste top, backpack, skirt, a hoodie, two dress patterns as well as a low waste Pinafore pattern. The designer, Elizabeth M. Haywood, also wrote a book called Zero Waste Sewing: 16 Projects to Make and Enjoy, so you can find her patterns in there as well. 

Caroline: And then Make/Use, they’re a zero waste pattern company based in New Zealand, and they offer their patterns for free. They have two shirts, a coat, two dresses, a skirt, and a pair of trousers. Their Spiral Trousers pattern looks especially intriguing. The seam starts at the back waistband and spirals down over the legs. That is pretty cool. 

Helen: It’s so neat. This is one of the things about zero waste patterns that I find, as a designer, so intriguing is that you get really unique style lines with a lot of these patterns because, of course, you have to get creative about how to construct the garment to not waste any of the fabric. So you might end up with some really cool ties, some cool wraps, in this case, a really cool spiral seam. They kind of have a look to them, zero waste patterns, not all of them, obviously. But I do like that there is this style of modern sewing patterns that is developing around the zero waste aesthetic. 

Caroline: Yeah, it’s really, really cool. I love seeing how designers decide to use those little pieces cause sometimes it can just be a patch, you know, that doesn’t really serve a purpose. It’s just adding a design feature. And sometimes it’s really serving a functional purpose, like a pocket or a belt loop or something like that. So it’s so fascinating to see how things come together. 

Helen: Yeah, Danielle Elsiner has a free pattern for zero waste scrubs that is graded from an XS-2X. That’s awesome. 

Caroline: That is awesome. Thread Faction has a collection of zero waste patterns for kids. That’s so cool. There’s enough to make a full closet of clothes: T-shirts, a skirt, a pinafore, shorts, pants, a sweater, and a bag. 

Helen: Oh, so smart. Another thing with kids clothes, like, if you’re cutting out something for yourself and you have some scraps leftover, you can use those often to make kids’ clothes. Maybe you piece a few fabrics together. You can have a lot of fun mixing prints for kids’ clothes and for yourself, obviously, but for kids’ clothes, especially. The aesthetic really suits it. So don’t be afraid to use your scraps to sew kids’ clothes too. 

Caroline: Oh yeah, totally. And like a matching scrunchie for your kid or like… 

Helen: Oh yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. So cute.

Helen: Or for you or for… 

Caroline: Yeah, totally. 

Helen: I have a scrunchie in right now. I’m a scrunchie fan. 

Caroline: Okay. Bag.uettes recently released the Zero Waste Wave Bags pattern which includes large, medium, and small zero waste bags. The top edge has a really cool wave to it which is a unique detail I haven’t really seen in zero waste. Um, but it makes so much sense and it’s so cool. 

Helen: Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan, leaders in this field, published a book called Zero Waste Fashion Design that includes design strategies as well as sample zero waste patterns; it’s possible to use this book to make those patterns or as a reference to make your own zero waste patterns. How cool would that be? 

Caroline: Very, very cool. When it comes to zero waste sewing patterns, there are definitely some barriers we have to acknowledge. And the first one is fit. Often zero waste sewing patterns come in one or only a few broad sizes to fit a range of measurements. “One size fits all” doesn’t work for many people though. Many sewists will not fit into the range of measurements that they’re offering. And even people who are within the range of measurements for a roomy piece may have trouble with fit because how a garment fits a person at the low end of the range will fit the person at the top end very differently. 

Helen: Yeah, I think this is super important to note. I mean, it reminds me of, like, when you shop for ready to wear, and sometimes things are “one size fits all.” And I just always laugh when I see that tag. I mean, even on things, like, as simple as a hat, “one size fits all” is certainly not gonna fit everybody, right? But I do think that there are ways to get around this, especially if you’re interested in designing your own zero waste patterns because the principles are the same. You just need to apply them to make sure that the garment is fitting your specific body. Or maybe you can tweak a zero waste pattern that’s out there already and piece things together to make some adjustments to make it work for you. Obviously, it’s not ideal, and hopefully, we’ll see more zero waste sewing pattern designers coming out with patterns with more groups of sizing so that more people can be included. 

Caroline: Yeah, I think the zero waste sewing pattern world is fairly new. And I think it’s really important that we use our voice. I know that’s one thing that I ran into when I was looking at zero waste patterns is that there weren’t many that I felt comfortable making cause I felt like, oh, I’m kind of either at the top or beyond the size range and maybe it would fit me, but they’re not really catering to me, you know? So reaching out to these designers and letting them know, hey, I’m here, and I’m outside of your size range, or I don’t fit in with this kind of, you know, diagram that you’ve put together for your zero waste pattern. Can you make another one for a larger size range? And just using your voice to make sure that they know that you are wanting to support them, but only if they’re really paying attention to you and catering to you. 

Helen: Yeah, that’s so true. Okay. The second barrier to acknowledge is that fabric widths vary, and they vary a lot more than I think we realize. We kind of think in sewing of… as there being like two camps, there’s the narrow fabric which is like 115 centimeters and then the wider fabric which is around 150 centimeters. But there’s so much on either end of that. I know, Caroline, you must experience this at Blackbird. Like how many different widths are there out there?

Caroline: Oh my gosh, every width under the sun. Even a single fabric from the same manufacturer could be different widths in different colors, depending on, you know, the dye lot when it was manufactured. So anywhere from 40 inches to 70 inches. For some denims, you’ll get every single increment of measurement in between those two widths and sometimes even less, depending on the fabric. So, it is really important to keep that in mind which is why I think that zero waste design is so cool when they lay out these diagrams that aren’t necessarily giving you exact measurements. They’re often just having you split up your fabric into quadrants, you know, or thirds or, you know, half, or whatever. But yeah, one thing that was cool when I was, uh, starting to work on my zero waste dress from Birgitta Hellmerson is that her chart was for, like, a 55 inch fabric. But the one that I was thinking of working with was only 40 to 45 inches. So it really didn’t work with her diagram as she laid it out. But I ended up cutting out all the little squares, like, from the diagram and sort of rearranging them myself to work with the width of fabric that I had. And it actually totally would have worked. I didn’t end up going with that fabric cause I didn’t have quite enough of it, but it would have worked. So you can totally, like, rework those diagrams to fit the fabric that you have if you need to. 

Helen: Yeah, and that’s a great tip for, just for, sewing in general, because when you’re looking at patterns, you’ll see the cutting layouts, and you’ll see the fabric requirements, and sometimes you’ll want to use a fabric that you have that doesn’t match with what’s going on in the instructions. So printing out the pattern ahead of time and laying it out on a table, or if you have the skills to do it digitally, that can be so helpful. And you will save fabric that way, and then you won’t be overbuying or overusing fabric that you have. 

Caroline: Oh, yeah. And I’ve seen some really cool, like mixing of fabrics, too. Like, if you find that you don’t have enough of the original fabric, you were thinking of, maybe try working in another fabric from your stash, maybe in your scrap pile for small details here and there. So that you’re really trying to, like, make the most of your stash throughout the process. 

Helen: Yeah, and if you’re ordering online, you’re often limited to a whole yard or half yard length. So it’s impossible to get exact dimensions that the pattern asks for with these zero waste patterns sometimes. Um, so just keep that in mind. Obviously, if you can go in person, then you can get a little bit more specific with the amount that you’re ordering. 

Caroline: Yeah, or if you end up having to buy, let’s say, you know, an extra 30 centimeters of fabric, then you would really want to make it truly zero waste. Use that extra fabric, use it for masks. Use it to maybe lengthen your garment a little bit. Maybe if it’s a dress, you can just add that 30 centimeters to the length of the garment or make an extra wide hem. I think there’s so many ways that you can still utilize that additional fabric and still make it zero waste. 

Helen: So smart. Okay. The third barrier is that often these patterns require the user to draft it themselves. So, sewists who have limited space, resources, or energy to draft their own patterns might find this process a little bit overwhelming or just more than you’re ready to do in, like, your hour of evening sewing. 

Caroline: Oh, absolutely. It’s a lot more challenging I find to draft your own pattern, even though you’d think it would be easier. I just get overwhelmed when I’m having to, kind of, lay out measurements, and you need a lot of space. So I can totally see how some sewists would just be like, you know what, this is not for me. And I get that. I think all of these barriers are important to keep in mind when we’re advocating for zero waste patterns. There are many ways to reduce waste in your sewing practice. So it’s just good to keep an open mind and not judge others harshly for choices you may not understand. 

Helen: Yes, that’s true. I thought of something else that I think might come up when you’re working with zero waste patterns is that sometimes they may require more yardage than a regular pattern does, like, especially, you know, for, like, a full jumpsuit or a dress or something. Maybe the yardage requirement is, you know, five or six meters versus like three meters might be what you’re used to making a dress pattern, you know, from an indie pattern designer or something like that. So it’s not a bad thing, obviously, you know, you’re using every inch of that fabric. So it’s all being very well used, but you could use three meters instead and then use the scraps to make masks or kids’ clothes or other scrap busting projects. So if that’s more your style, there can be benefits to that as well.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So with all of that in mind, I think we should go over some habits that our listeners can incorporate into their sewing practice to reduce waste. So these don’t require a pattern or instructions. These are just things that you can do on the day-to-day in your sewing practice to make your sewing more sustainable and reduce your waste.

Helen: So the first one is a little interesting. You can reduce seam allowance. If you would know that you’re going to trim your seam allowances anyway, and you’re confident in your sewing, you can reduce your seam allowances to the trimmed length that you’re going to be using. Then you won’t have a pile of trimmings at the end of your sewing. And as a bonus, you might be able to squeeze your pattern pieces in just a little bit closer and get a better cutting layout. 

Caroline: This is such a good tip, and I’ve definitely done this before when I’ve been short on fabric, just kind of, like, overlap the seam allowance a little bit, and it’ll be fine. 

Helen: Or, like, this a-line skirt’s just going to be a little less a-line so I can fit the two pieces next to each other.

Caroline: And that’s totally fine in the spirit of using less fabric. I think that that is absolutely a-okay. You can also shop your stash, so make the best of what you have. I think this is a really good eco-friendly sustainable practice. It’s gonna save you time. It’s gonna save you money. It’s gonna give you an opportunity to fall back in love with some of the fabrics that you loved so much when you bought them. I know I fall prey to this as a fabric shop owner. I am constantly seeing all the new, fresh, shiny things come into the store, and I always wanna buy basically everything. But, you know, I also have a stash full of fabrics that I was excited about a month ago or six months ago or six years ago. So dive into your stash and figure out what you can use that you already have. I think that’s one of the huge ways that we can be more sustainable as sewists. 

Helen: Yeah, and I think an important part of this is having your stash in a place that’s accessible and maybe even visual, on display, so you can see it, and you can be inspired by it and be reminded of all the lovely things you have. I used to keep my fabric in tote bins under my desk, and they were basically hidden away. And so it was really easy to buy new things when you’ve forgotten completely about all the stuff that you have. Don’t even get me started on the mending pile. I mean, why start a new project when you have 18 things to mend, but hey, that happens right? 

Caroline: I know I’m resolved to do mending on my, on our next, uh, sewing afternoon, our next Zoom sewing session cause I have so much mending to do. Okay. The next thing you can do to just be a little bit less wasteful in your sewing practice is to buy second hand fabric. So thrift shops often carry donated fabric pieces. We’ve also seen some great garments made from unconventional thrifted fabrics, like tablecloths and vintage sheets. Francisco of @ciscosews on Instagram has made a lot of amazing garments from thrifted textiles. So we’ll definitely link that one up in the show notes. 

Helen: Yeah, and I want to give a quick shout out to our assistant, Lisa, because she makes all sorts of really cool things out of tablecloths and stuff like that, and I just think that’s amazing. I have a couple of tablecloths that we used growing up and they’re printed tablecloths that we used outside. So they’re completely “sun damaged.” I’m putting it in quotes cause, I mean, they’re actually fine. It’s just that the print has faded in areas, and I really wanna make a garment out of them because I feel like I can use that faded print as, like, an ombre effect so it almost looked like the garment’s, like, dip-dyed. 

Caroline: Ooh!

Helen: And, you know, there’s, like, maybe a few, like, food stains here and there, but I thought maybe I’d work it into the project. And it could just be this really nice reminder of, like, all the lovely dinners that we had on those tablecloths. 

Caroline: Ooh, or you could do some, like, embroidery over the stains… 

Helen: Oh, true!

Caroline: …or, like, patches of other scraps of fabrics that you can use up your scraps as well. 

Helen: Are you trying to say you’re not into my stain positive garment? 

Caroline: I’m all for being stain positive. We’re coining a new term. I need to be stain positive because I stain my clothes all the time.

Helen: Right? Then you don’t have to worry so much about it. 

Caroline: I love that. Now, when someone points out a stain, I’m going to be like, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a stain positive person. 

Helen: All stains are welcome. You can also use thread from your stash that doesn’t quite match your fabric. You can choose a contrasting thread for a top stitched look, or you can just use a similar-not-quite-matching thread on the seams and seam finishes that won’t be visible from the outside. I do this all the time because it drives me crazy when the thread spools get, just like, down to that last, I don’t know, you could sew maybe a couple of feet with them. And then I’ll just do a project where I get all of my spools out, and I have them next to my sewing machine, and I just pop them into the machine as I sew, and I use them for all the construction seams and you’d never know. 

Caroline: Such a good point. You mean you don’t play thread chicken at the end of every single one of your projects? 

Helen: Sometimes you finish a project and there’s just that tiny bit left on the spool. And you have like a little dance party because it’s so exciting, but then you have to use that up at some point. 

Caroline: True. Okay. You can also compost some fabric, so all natural fibers can technically be composted. Now I’m talking natural fibers like silk, cotton, linen, hemp, not, uh, cellulose fibers like, you know, rayon or bamboo or EcoVero or those kinds of things. So you want to go really natural with the fibers. Just watch out for certain dyes because sometimes the dyes can’t go into the compost. So if you’re thinking of composting a fabric, you want to do a little bit of research on, like, what the limitations are in your area, in terms of composting, and what kinds of things maybe are in that garment or that textile that might limit you from composting it. But it is possible for some fabrics.

Helen: Yeah. That’s pretty exciting. And some garments, you know, they can break down better in a landfill, if they do end up there, if you’ve used cotton thread and you haven’t used plastic closures and things like that. So we do have a couple of sustainability focused episodes on the podcast, as well as that scrap busting episode we mentioned earlier, where we have a lot more ideas of cool projects that you can make with all your scraps. So we’ll link everything in the show notes, and I think that you’ll find lots of inspiration there as well. 

Caroline: Okay, before we end the episode, we want to share an organization doing work that is related to fashion and the environment, and that is Fashion Revolution. We’ve mentioned them on the show before, but just to recap, they organize Fashion Revolution Week which happens every April around the anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse. This was a tragedy in 2013, that killed 1,138 people and injured many more. And Fashion Revolution is an organization that works to change the fashion industry, focusing on human rights and environmental responsibility. We’re gonna link them in the show notes so that you can get involved, and it’s such an important organization and so important to acknowledge that these things do happen in the garment industry, and we need to be working to change that. 

Helen: Yeah, one of the things that Fashion Revolution promotes during this week, which I think is happening the week the episode comes out, is getting in touch with brands that you like and asking them to be more transparent about where they are manufacturing their items, how their workers are being paid, their environmental impacts, and how they are focusing on improving those. And just making sure that you’re using the voice that you have to ask those important questions, and it can make a big difference. So, during this week, you know, maybe scrap bust something, maybe just organize your fabric stash and fall back in love with what you have. Try one of these zero waste patterns. Try piecing together something and figuring out how to sew something out of the random scraps you have lying around or just participate in Fashion Revolution Week by following along with Fashion Revolution and everything that they’ve got going on this week.

Caroline: Yes. And we’d love to hear from you about the greater topic of zero waste sewing and what your experience has been like, what kind of patterns you love. Show us things that you’ve sewn out of zero waste designs. We really wanna see your zero waste sewing. So get in touch with us on email, voicemail, Instagram, DM, mention, and we’d love to hear from you this week. 

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew you can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com.

Caroline: We’re recording today in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Helen: If you’re enjoying the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month, and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed. We release a bonus episode every month where Caroline and I catch up about what we’re sewing, what we’ve been doing in our personal lives, and just have a good chit chat for about half an hour to an hour. It’s really fun. So you get access to that for $5 a month. Or if you contribute $10 or more a month, you also get a 15% discount code for Blackbird Fabrics, for Helen’s Closet and for our swag shop lovetosewshop.com. So go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info. 

Caroline: Yes, and thank you to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We will talk to you next week. 

Helen: Buh bye. 

Caroline: Bye.

Caroline: It’s really an extra ordinary visual. 

Helen: Extra ordinary, 

Caroline: Extra ordinary.

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Mark our words: marking tools are important! Helen and Caroline break down all the different kinds of marking tools so that you can choose the best ones for your projects.

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The transcript for this episode can be found on this page, at the end of the show notes.

Love to Sew’s Spring Sale: 25% off everything now through April 19!

Tools and Tips mentioned in this episode:

Transcript:

Caroline: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too. Join us for today’s topic: marking tools.

Caroline: Helen!

Helen: Hi, Caroline. 

Caroline: How’s it going? 

Helen: It’s going well, thanks. How are you? 

Caroline: I am very good. I’m excited to be recording with you today. Nice to see your face.

Helen: Ah, same here. You know what? The week this episode comes out is my birthday week.

Caroline: No.

Helen: And I’m going to be turning 33. 

Caroline: Oh my gosh, that’s a nice number. 

Helen: It is a nice number. 

Caroline: A nice even number.

Helen: I’m quite excited about it.

Caroline: It’s actually an odd number, but it’s even in the numbers.

Helen: In Caroline’s world, that is an even number. It is a satisfying number and I’m, I’m pretty excited. My second pandemic birthday. So it’s not going to be terribly exciting, but, um, I’m sure we’ll do something nice. 

Caroline: Ah, happy birthday. 

Helen: Aw, thank you.

Caroline: I hope that Sam makes you a delicious meal.

Helen: Oh, you know it.

Caroline: And, I hope you like my present. 

Helen: Aw, all right. Wait, are you thinking about what you’re going to buy now?

Caroline: No, I totally already have a thing for you that I am sending. 

Helen: Oh my gosh. I have a hope and dream for what it is, but I’m not going to say it out loud lest I jinx it.

Caroline: Ok, perfect. Our poor listeners are going to be left in the dark for this. 

Helen: It’s true. You have to find out what it was on Patreon. You can join us over there at patreon.com/lovetosew. 

Caroline: Good point. Okay. Before we get into the show, we wanted to mention to you all that we are having a spring sale on our Love to Sew merch the week this episode comes out.

Helen: Yes. All of our t-shirts, tote bags, and enamel pins are on sale for 25% off until April 19th! And we’ve got our podcast logo available as a pin as well as our “Stitch Witch” t-shirts and our “You can Make anything” tote bags. We’ve also got shirts that say “I love to Sew” and so many other goodies! And I have to say, not to toot our own horns, but I’m gonna. But we were pretty serious about sourcing quality manufacturers for these products. And I’m still so happy with how the products turned out. Like, after six months of wearing my t-shirts every week, at least once a week, they still look brand new. Like the black is still really nice and dark, and the print is still really nice and crisp. And I don’t know, sometimes t-shirts just don’t wear that well, but these ones, I have to say, are wearing very well. 

Caroline: It’s so true. My t-shirts also look amazing, and I wear them all the time. I wear them to do pottery. I wear them to work, and I use my tote bags all the time. They’re so nice and heavyweight. They have this great side panel. They have room for everything. I bring them for all of my groceries all the time, so I’m always, like, repping Love to Sew when I go grocery shopping. They’ve really up to my tote bag game. 

Helen: Yeah, so since we’ve stopped having advertisements on the show, not sure if you noticed but we did, this shop and our Patreon are the best ways that you can support us and the show. So if you like to listen and you’ve learned from Love to Sew, consider snapping something up in the sale. I mean, it’s a win/win. You get something cute. We get something cute, your love and support. 

Caroline: I totally agree. You can check us out at lovetosewshop.com. That’s 25% off your order this week at lovetosewshop.com.

Helen: All right, Caroline, should we get into this episode? I mean, I know marking tools doesn’t sound that exciting, but mark my words, it is. 

Caroline: I love this. Yes. There are so many tools that you can use to mark your fabric. It can be kind of overwhelming to decide what’s best for you or best for a certain project.

Helen: Yes, and having the right marking tool for you can make a big difference in your sewing experience. So in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about all kinds of different marking tools and when to use them. 

Caroline: So, just in general, when do we need to use marking tools? 

Helen: Well, usually it’s to transfer information from the pattern to the fabric piece that you’ve just cut out. So that means things like darts, notches, pocket placements, button hole placements, or button placements, but you can go a little off script and mark whatever you need to. You could mark a grainline or a center front, if you have a hard time seeing it on a certain piece of fabric. You can mark the right side of your fabric, so you can tell it from the wrong side, once you’ve figured out which is which. And you can mark front and back pieces, if they look similar. So all this information can prevent a lot of seam ripping and frustration later on. 

Caroline: And before we begin sharing tools, we want to share the most important piece of advice we have on this topic. And that is: always test first! The risk with marking tools is that you don’t always know, at first, how they’re going to interact with your fabric. So, test your marking tool of choice on a scrap of your garment fabric before you make marks on your cut out pieces. And if you test first, then you can be sure that you’re not going to be left with marks on a garment you worked really hard to make. So taking that few minutes is totally worth it, and do it every time you have a new fabric because different marking tools will react differently depending on the fiber content, the weave. So just always, always test. Always test. 

Helen: Caroline, do you always test your marking tools on your fabric?

Caroline: Helen! That’s not the point. That’s besides the point.

Helen: No, you know what? This has happened to me. I used a blue chaco liner on a white linen button up shirt. And yes, it was a bit foolish. I know what you’re thinking, but I did it anyway because I haven’t had very many issues with my chaco liners. I kind of use them willy-nilly. So I used them on this white linen button up shirt to mark my button hole placement, and it left a blue residue under the button holes. Even, like, after washing, I could still see, there was a slight blue tinge. It wasn’t too serious, but I knew it was there, and it was really bugging me. So after all that hard work, I should’ve been more careful and not rushed those final steps and not used blue on white. 

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, it seems obvious now. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but I think that it happens to the best of us. Luckily, it has not happened to me, but I’ve seen it happen. And I remember this shirt that you’re talking about, and it’s so heartbreaking which is why, Helen, it’s key to test on your fabric. Do as I say, not as I do. I feel like I’ve said that way too much on this podcast, but it’s true. 

Helen: Just a little bit, but that’s okay. Okay, now that we’ve talked a little more, generally, let’s get into the nitty gritty and talk about specific tools. We’re going to start with a big category in marking tools, and that is chalk and waxed based tools. So the first on our list is the most classic of marking tools: tailor’s chalk. 

Caroline: Yes, tailor’s chalk is a small, flat rectangle or triangle of chalk-like material that has narrow edges for marking. They’re also sometimes called tailor’s crayons. And tailor’s chalk can come in a lot of different colors. Most often you’ll see them in white, yellow, kind of, a rusty red, or a blue. And this is a really traditional tool. Although tailor’s chalk used to be made out of actual chalk which is soft and, kind of, like, a white, sort of, rock or soapstone, they now come in two basic formulations: clay-based and wax-based. 

Helen: Yeah. So let’s talk a little bit about clay-based tailor’s chalk. It’s usually made of talc which is a clay material that’s often been used in baby powder or a titanium dioxide which is an important ingredient in mineral sunscreens, too. Clay-based tailor’s chalk can be brushed away after you don’t need the mark anymore which is great for avoiding permanent marks. However, if you’re not careful, the chalk can fade or disappear if you handle the fabric too much. You know, sometimes you make a mark to mark a dart, and then when you get to the step to sew that dart, the marking’s gone. Sometimes it just brushes away, and that’s really annoying.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Okay. What about wax-based tailor’s chalk? 

Helen: Yeah, so the advantage of wax-based tailor’s chalk is that the marks are bright and clear, but the disadvantage is that they’re difficult, or impossible, to remove from the fabric. So it makes sense to use wax-based tailor’s chalk if you’d like to trace a pattern piece onto fabric or make markings on the edges of a piece that are going to end up hidden inside your seam allowance or get trimmed away later.

Caroline: Yes, and something to keep in mind when using tailor’s chalk, is not to stretch out your fabric when making the markings. You might find it helpful to hold the fabric down on the table with your flat hand or a quilting ruler and mark right next to that, so you’re not, kind of, moving and warping the fabric as you mark. You want to use the flat edge of your tailor’s chalk for larger lines and marking around big pattern pieces and use the points for more precision markings.

Helen: Ooh, is that why they’re triangle-shaped? 

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I’ve also seen, like, square-shaped ones, but I think that you definitely make use of all the different parts of it, right? And you also need to keep in mind that these things need to be sharpened. So you can actually buy tailor’s chalk sharpeners,  so that you can make really sharp lines. But an alternative is to just sharpen them the old-fashioned way by scraping it away with a knife or an x-acto blade so that you get a really nice sharp edge where you need it. Just be careful when you do this. 

Helen: Yes, and another little tip we have is to keep your tailor’s chalk in a little ziploc bag to prevent it from shattering and getting your sewing toolbox all covered in chalk dust. You know, ask me how I know. 

Caroline: I used to have these in school. And I actually, wasn’t a huge fan because I would keep them in my kit with all of my other drafting tools and sewing tools, and they break up, and they get this like chalky residue on everything. So I just, kind of, had this aversion to those types of chalk markers because they’re just messy.

Helen: Yeah. I haven’t used them very much because I like to use a different tool which brings us to our next subject which is: Chaco liners. And these are made by Clover, and they come in many different colors. And they’re pretty popular in the sewing community, so you might have seen them before. 

Caroline: Yes, and we’ve definitely talked about them on the show before. It’s no secret that this is our favorite marking tool. So Helen, why do we love chaco liners so much? 

Helen: Well, I like that the chalk dust is all contained inside the tool, so it’s not getting everywhere. And then there’s a little rolling wheel which allows for precision marking, and you don’t have to struggle to sort of drag it along the fabric to make those marks. We were talking about how, with the tailor’s chalk, if you’re dragging it along the fabric, you can, kind of, warp your piece. I find that the little rolling wheel doesn’t distort the fabric as much when you’re using it. It also makes a really satisfying, cute little rolling wheel noise. 

Caroline: It really does. And then you can really hear when it’s not rolling nicely, kind of, cause it makes a different sound. So you need to, kind of, like, go test it on another piece; try again. It is a very satisfying tool to use. 

Helen: Yeah, I actually first encountered it when I graduated from high school and my home-ec teacher gave me a chaco liner pen and a pair of fabrics sheers, like, on the graduation stage. When I went and walked across the stage to graduate, she, like, presented me with this cute little gift cause I loved my home-ec class so much. And I spent so much time in the sewing room with her, so that was really special. And that was my first time ever encountering the chaco liner, and I’ve never looked back. 

Caroline: Yeah, I also love that there are lots of color options with this pen, and they last a really long time. I have not had to replace mine yet, but when I do, I like that there’s a refill option instead of buying a whole new pen as well. 

Helen: Yeah, it’s true. You sell them at Blackbird. Is that right? 

Caroline: Yes, we do. 

Helen: Woo-hoo! Okay, so these are a plastic pen-like casing that’s filled with powder. The powder inside is made up of the same material that’s in tailor’s chalk: it’s a talc and a pigment to get the color. And there is a flat tip with a roller in it that dispenses a thin line of chalk whenever you roll the pen over your project. And it’s refillable, as we said, so you can reuse it. And, much like clay-based tailor’s chalk, you can brush it away when you no longer want the marking, but unlike tailor’s chalk, it rolls smoothly over the fabric, and it doesn’t tug or stretch it. 

Caroline: I would say that the disadvantage to chaco liner pens is that, like tailor’s chalk, the marks can fade or get brushed away when you’re, like, handling and ironing the fabric. So it’s nice that they brush away, but it’s also not nice depending on when it happens. 

Helen: It’s true. You have to be a bit strategic about when you make your markings, especially if you’re cutting projects out on a different day or time than you’re sewing. Even just the passage of time can cause these kinds of marks to fade.

Caroline: Exactly. Okay, we’ve talked all about chaco liners, so let’s move on to chalk pencils. This is another type of marking tool. Like tailor’s chalk, marking pencils can come in chalk or wax formulations. Dritz actually sells a chalk cartridge set where you can insert a chalk cartridge that looks like a thin pencil into a pen, and it also comes with a sharpener. And some of these chalk pencils just look like regular pencils, but instead of graphite in the center, there’s a waxy kind of marking formula. And these are nice cause they feel more familiar to hold in your hand than tailor’s chalk, and they have less risk of breaking into a million pieces.

Helen: Yes. So true. Okay, there’s also wax or chalk transfer with a tracing wheel, and this is a really neat system that I feel like is underused. I learned how to use this, again, when I was in high school, and I used it a lot for marking different things. And it can be really handy because the struggle often when you’re marking is, like, how do you get access to the area you want to mark underneath the pattern piece, right? The pattern piece is kind of blocking everything. So using a dressmaker’s carbon paper, chalk transfer paper, with a tracing wheel is one way that you can get underneath the pattern without disturbing it at all, so you make sure that it stays in the right place. So essentially it’s a small metal wheel with little points on it that’s attached to a handle. It looks, kind of, like a little pizza cutter or a rotary cutter, but it’s super spiky. And you roll it over the dressmaker’s carbon paper to transfer the markings onto your fabric. So you’ll have three layers: your fabric on the bottom, then the carbon paper with the colored side down, and then your pattern on top. And then you run the tracing wheel over the lines in the pattern to transfer the color from the carbon paper onto the fabric. You don’t even need a video. You’ve got me. 

Caroline: Do you ever think about, like, sewing tools, like, as emergency weapons? 

Helen: This would be the one.

Caroline: Like the tracing wheel? I think, like, if I were, like, zombie apocalypse, I would have, like, my rotary cutter in one hand and my tracing wheel in the other. 

Helen: I might grab my awl, you know, it’s really spiky. 

Caroline: Or, like, the, uh, this is getting a little dark, but my, um, what’s it called? The anvil. 

Helen: Oh my goodness. It’s true. It’s nice, it’s, like, it’s, like, heavy…

Caroline: It’s very heavy.

Helen: …but it’s still light enough that you can swing it around. 

Caroline: Anyways. Moving on. So dressmaker’s carbon paper can come, once again, in wax or chalk formulations in many colors. And you can use the paper many times over, basically until it stops making marks.

Helen: Yeah, and a tracing wheel and carbon paper are great to use for sustained lines, like transferring patterns on the fabric, rather than making really small marks, like a pocket placement. Just cause it’s a bit of a hassle to get out all of this stuff just to make like one little dot on your pattern, but you do get a really nice exact transfer from pattern to fabric, so I do love that about it. The downside of this is that it can be a little unwieldy to deal with big sheets of carbon paper and your fabric and the pattern and the spiky wheel. So it’s just a slightly more involved situation. 

Caroline: Yeah, I always wondered with that stuff, I’ve never used it before, but will the residue from the paper get on your fabric in the areas where you’re not using the tracing wheel or does it kind of keep to the paper pretty well? 

Helen: It keeps to the paper pretty well. I think, I’m not sure if I’ve used more of the wax or the chalk versions though. Um, I think maybe the wax version, and then in that case, it didn’t transfer. Maybe the chalk ones are a little bit more dusty. I don’t know. 

Caroline: Hm, I want to try it out. It seems really cool. Okay, so this next one is also so cool. There is a device that can make marking a hem by yourself so much easier. It’s basically a hem gauge combined with a chalk puffer. It looks a bit like a camera tripod, but without the camera on top. It has measurements along the stick in the center and a little pen sticking out from it that you can adjust to whatever measurement you want for your hem. And then you hold an air bulb that is attached to the pen by a hose and stand with your skirt touching the pen and you squeeze the air bulb to puff chalk powder out of the pen and mark your hem. So you can go around the whole hem that way. And I just think that that’s really innovative. 

Helen: It really is. This is truly for, you know, the home sewist who’s going at it alone. And the benefit is, too, that, like, of course you could measure from the waistband of your skirt or dress or pants down to figure out what the hem length should be and make it even all the way around. But maybe it’s not hanging evenly because you’ve got like a bit of a belly or, you know, because your bum is holding it up in the back, so you actually don’t want the same distance all the way around. You might want a different distance in the front than in the back. And this hem gauge measures up from the floor, so it gives you a more accurate hem. 

Caroline: Definitely, and I would say the disadvantage of this tool is that it’s pretty big. So if you live in a small space or if you just like simple solutions, this might not be for you. But the advantage is that the chalk powder is easily removed, and you can mark a hem without anyone else’s help. So it’s really, a thing that’s really self-sufficient, you don’t have to rely on anyone else to help you. And it’s really helpful for a-line skirts, circle skirts, things that can warp and stretch with gravity, so you know you’re always going to get that even hem every time. 

Helen: Awesome, and we have a Dritz version of this product that we will link in our show notes. 

Caroline: Amazing. So that wraps up our discussion of chalk- and wax-based marking tools. Let’s move on to another popular type of marking tool: the fabric markers.

Helen: Yeah. Popular brands of disappearing fabric markers include the Dritz Mark-B-Gone, Clover Water Erasable Marker, Pilot Frixion Pens, which are not for sewing but have been used by sewists for quite some time now. And also Crayola Washable Markers work well for sewing, too. 

Caroline: Yeah. So there’s like specialty ones for sewists and then, like, secret ones that we’ve discovered as sewists, and we’ll talk more about that later. I’m going to give another warning. While it’s important to test any marking tool on your fabric, it’s especially important with fabric markers which have more concentrated color. So please, please, please test the tool you plan to use with the fabric you plan to use, results can differ. So even marks that disappeared on one fabric type might not on the other. Okay, warning over. 

Helen: Okay. So most of fabric marking pens contain water soluble material. So you can tell if a pen is water soluble because the instructions will tell you to wet the fabric to remove the marks. And these work because the pigments are put into water-based mediums, so when they come in contact with water, they dissolve in it. In contrast, permanent markers are put into non-water-based mediums that do not dissolve in water. So Crayola Washable Markers aren’t intended for use by sewists, as we mentioned, but they work on the same principle as water-soluble fabric markers.

Caroline: Okay. Next is, kind of, a sewing hack because these pens are not formulated for use on fabric, but we use them anyways, as sewists: the Frixion pens. These are pens that are made for writing and erasing on paper, but sewists have started using them because the marks disappear when you iron them. The science of how it works is really interesting. The ink is made up of microcapsules that contain three substances: leuco dye, color developer, and color change temperature regulator. At room temperature, the leuco dye bonds with the color developer to make the ink’s color. When heated, by the friction of an eraser rubbing or the heat of an iron, the temperature regulator breaks these bonds, and the color disappears.

Helen: Whoa. 

Caroline: It’s really fascinating. I love the science behind this, and we should thank our assistant, Lisa, for doing this research because I think it’s really cool. 

Helen: It is really cool. And I think it’s kind of magical, too, when you go to iron your project and the marks disappear, but I’ve also had situations where, you know, you’re sewing a dart or something, and you want to give it a little quick press before you go to the sewing machine, and then your marks are gone. So you do have to be strategic about when you use these. And another issue with these is that the marks can reappear if the garment gets cold. So a Pilot rep who spoke to Jenny of The Quilt Skipper said that any temperature below freezing would cause this to happen. So in order to prevent this, you would have to remove the markings the same way you remove any ink markings using a specialized cleaning solution. So these are used at your own risk and for certain applications in sewing. It might not matter too much if you live in a warmer climate, but it would be awful to have your dart mark reappear when you go in a walk-in freezer at a supermarket or something. I love this analogy. When you work in a kitchen and you’re going into the deep freeze all the time, this is not the pen for you.

Caroline: I feel like it would be a great conversation starter though. 

Helen: It’s true. And like, you know, if the dart marks reappear usually they’re on the wrong side of the fabric. You probably won’t see them anyways. But again, it’s all about where you’re putting these markings. 

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Okay. Another type of fabric marker is air soluble marking pens, like the Dritz “The Fine Line” Air Erasable Marking Pen. So these work by reacting with the carbon dioxide in the air, so you don’t need to do anything to erase these. It’s difficult to tell beforehand how long these marks will stick around, so testing is, again, important, but Amazon reviewers gave a range from 10 minutes to 24 hours.

Helen: Yeah. I have one of these in my collection, and I have used it a few times. If I want to make a quick mark for something, it’s really handy. But I do find that they fade quite a bit in the first 10 minutes, and then there’s a bit of a mark for about a day, and then it fades away which is really cool and can work for a lot of applications.

Caroline: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. I think that it could totally work if you’re, kind of, in the zone and just need to mark something before you take it over to your sewing machine. But if you’re marking in advance and you’re like me and it takes you weeks and weeks to finish a project, then probably not the best choice.

Helen: Yeah. Okay, so this next tool isn’t a fabric marker per se, but it works on the same principle: which is water soluble pencils. So water soluble pencils are similar to the markers in that the pigments are bound in a water soluble medium whereas regular colored pencils are bound in a waxy medium. So these come away with a wet cloth, and they’re best used in a firmly woven non-stretch fabric because it does take some pressure to make a mark with them. So if you’re going to be pushing hard down on your fabric, you don’t want to be doing that on something that has a loose weave or something that has some stretch to it. 

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. All of these marking tools require testing and could potentially damage our projects. So can we talk about alternatives here? 

Helen: Why are you so scared of marking tools, Caroline? 

Caroline: I don’t know, Helen. It’s bringing up a lot of feelings for me. 

Helen: Okay. There are tons of ways to mark without all these fancy gadgets, and these can be an, a more affordable option too because you don’t need to go out and purchase some specialty things. So this method is truly old school, and it’s kind of cool to know, and that’s: tailor’s tacks. Tailor’s tacks are a method of making marks on your fabric with just a needle and thread. And you can make them over top of the patterns, so you get super accurate marks. 

Caroline: Yeah. So to make them, you take a thread that contrasts with your fabric and thread your needle. You want it to be a double thread, but with no knot at the end. Put your needle into the fabric, and draw it back up close to make a small stitch. And then put your needle back in where you started and come back up as if to make a backstitch, but don’t pull it tight. You want to leave a finger size loop on top instead. Then, you snip the loop at the top to leave a little fringed ponytail on the top of your fabric, and that’s your marking. So if you’re going through two layers of fabric, you can pull the layers apart and snip the thread between them, and then you’ll have tacks on both layers. 

Helen: Yes. We’ll put some images of this in our show notes, of course. They do look like little ponytails sticking off either side of the fabric, like little fringe. And because you’re trimming on top of your pattern, you can just pull the pattern piece off after. It comes loose because the threads are in the fabric. And these are so easy to remove when you’re done with them. You just pull the threads from the fabric, and there’s nothing left. They also have the benefit of marking both sides of the fabric at the same time. Or if you’re cutting two layers of fabric at once, which we often are, you can actually pull it apart and have some of your tailor’s tacks on one side and some on the other. So there’s strategic ways to go about using these. The disadvantage of these is that they might take a little longer to do than other methods. After you get used to it, though, it will barely take longer than placing a pin or using another marking tool. There is also the risk of the threads pulling out if you handle the fabric piece a lot before you’re sewing it, or if it’s a looser weave. Of course, we’re talking about, like, a two- to three-inch long piece of thread, so it could easily come loose and, and end up somewhere else. But in general, I find that, when I’ve used these, that they don’t actually come loose as much as you think they might. 

Caroline: Yeah, and you can also, kind of, tie a really loose knot at the end of the ponytail, just to, like, keep it in place so that it won’t just get fully pulled out by accident. Just make sure you don’t tie that knot tightly to, like, pucker your fabric or anything. 

Helen: Yeah, that’s true. I think that this is a great tool to have in people’s arsenal. Like, if you just thread a needle and thread, when you’re working on cutting out your project, you can experiment with using tailor tacks, see if you like it, maybe you like it better than marking tools, and then, you can go from there.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay, you can also make basting stitches wherever you need to mark your fabric. So basting stitches are great for when you want the marking to stay around for a long time. So to make these, thread a hand sewing needle with a thread that contrasts with your fabric. Sew long stitches, and leave longish thread tails. And then, you can stitch on, or right next to, your basting stitches. And when you’re done, you can just pull the basting stitches out. So this method like tailor’s tacks truly leaves no marks, and it marks both sides of the fabric at once. I think the risk is that the threads could pull out with handling. It might take a bit longer if you’re not very comfortable with hand sewing, but both of these methods, the tailor’s tack and the basting, are really great uses for the end of your thread spool, if you’re trying to use up thread. So I think that they’re definitely worth mentioning. 

Helen: Yeah. I used the spacing stitch method recently because I’m working on an embroidery project, and I marked out the front panel piece of our March dress pattern with my chalk. But then I thought, Oh, this chalk’s not going to last; it’s going to rub off, especially because I’m handling it so much, and I’m embroidering it. So I went through and I basted it all around my chalk marking, and then I also basted it all around where the seam allowance was so that I wouldn’t accidentally embroider inside the seams. And I’ve been working on it for over a month; it’s taking me a while to embroider this piece. So it’s been great because these stitches are not going anywhere, and they clearly mark everything so I can see it, and they don’t disappear. So this was an instance where basting stitches was the right marking tool. 

Caroline: That makes so much sense. What a great hack. 

Helen: Okay. Another marking tool that doesn’t use pigment is the Clover Hera Marker. And this is, kind of, a plastic scoring tool. So to use it, you put your fabric on a hard surface and you drag the tool along the fabric to mark it. It reminds me of, like, a pastry cutter or, you know, you could just use, like, a credit card for something like this, too. And what’s great about the Hera Marker is that it’s simple, it’s low tech, it’s reusable indefinitely, and it will make a crease that’s visible on both sides of the fabric. 

Caroline: Yes. The disadvantage of the Hera Marker is that some might find it difficult to see the markings, and it’s only going to work on certain fabrics. Fabrics that crease, like linen and cotton, are going to work well, but I don’t think it would work well on poly or, like, a nylon swim fabric, for example. So more for natural fibers, not so much synthetics. 

Helen: Yeah, I’ve seen a few quilters using this in the quilting videos that I’ve been watching recently on YouTube. It does seem like a great tool to have in your arsenal for those quick markings. 

Caroline: Oh, yeah. 

Helen: Okay, let’s finish off our list of marking tools with some that are truly simple and low cost. You can use regular pencils and pens for marking. The most convenient marking tool is just whatever you have on hand. If you use these, you want to make sure that you only mark inside the seam allowance because you can’t really remove regular pen and pencil marks as easily from your fabric. But if you just need to mark on parts that are going to be inside the garment or end up trimmed away, this is a great option. You can mark things like notches, or you can make a little right side, wrong side marking just on the edge of your piece. It’s also great when working with muslins. If you’re doing a test version, if you’re not going to be wearing it out, you can just use markers. I’ve used Sharpies on my muslins many times. 

Caroline: That’s one of the fun things about muslins is that you can just draw all over them and not worry and just not have to test. It’s great. 

Helen: Yeah. 

Caroline: Okay. The other kind of household item that you’ll probably have around that you can use as a marking tool is soap. So this is a cheap or free way to make marks on your clothing. You can just use a bar of white soap. Hotel soaps are great for this because there are, like, the slivers at the end of the soap bar. Just make sure to use this only on washable fabrics because obviously soap will wash away no problem, but you need to be able to wash it. 

Helen: It’s true. And if something bad happens using a pencil or soap, you can’t come crying to us cause we told you to test. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. That finishes our very long list of marking tools. There are so many, so thank you for bearing with us. Now we’re going to discuss some marking tips for when you’re actually going through the process of marking your fabric. 

Caroline: Let’s do it. Okay. Transferring markings from a pattern comes with the challenge of making the markings accurate, right? So you have several options for how to do this. You can insert a pin through the pattern and then carefully tear the pattern over the pin. I do this. And it works okay. It’s a little bit stressful though because you have to be really careful when you’re pulling the paper over the pin that you don’t rip it too much and that you don’t move the pin, but when you get used to it, it’s pretty straightforward. You can also fold the pattern piece back to where the marking is and mark right next to it. So find your marking, maybe put your finger there, kind of fold it away so that you can get to the fabric, and just mark directly onto the fabric. You can cut a hole in the pattern or poke through it with a tailor’s awl, for example, and make a marking through that hole. This is really great. If you have that cardstock where you’re working with a pattern that’s maybe a TNT and you use again and again, you can just prep all of your holes and markings on the papers so that it’s really easy to just stick your marking tool through the hole and make your markings as you go. You can also do tailor’s tacks through the pattern and fabric and just snip the loop so that the pattern pulls free. And the other way you can do it is use a tracing wheel and dressmaker’s carbon paper. 

Helen: Yes, I love all of these suggestions. I’m a big fan of the folding the pattern piece back to where the marking is and just marking right next to it. But of course you have to be careful not to jostle your pattern piece too much. So once you get used to this, like you said, it does get a bit easier, but for beginner sewists, I think, there’s a lot of things going on, and you want to make sure everything’s, like, straight and perfect, and it can be a bit stressful to start moving things around like that.

Caroline: Yeah, and you always want to make these markings on a flat surface. Um, like, I’m thinking if you forget to make a marking and then you’re, like, sitting at your sewing machine, don’t just put it on your lap and try to figure it out, sort of, on the fly. You really need a flat surface that you can make sure that you’re lining up your pattern piece correctly and that nothing is, sort of, warping, especially when the fabric pieces are already cut, they’re really prone to kind of stretching and warping on the bias, so try to do it on a flat surface. 

Helen: That’s a great tip. Okay. Here’s an issue that a lot of sewists face when they’re using marking tools: how do you get a sharp, clean line?

Caroline: That is a good question. So if you’re using a tightly woven fabric, maybe medium or heavyweight thickness, and you’re marking on the grain, you’re going to be able to make marks really easily. So these fabrics are best for marking tools that require some pressure to make a mark, like a tailor’s chalk or pencils or soap. If you’re using a more loosely woven fabric, or maybe one with stretch, or if you’re marking on the bias, you want to be a bit more mindful of how you mark. So one option is to use a marking tool that glides really smoothly, like our favorite chaco liner pens, markers, or a tracing wheel with carbon paper. But if you’d rather use a marking tool that takes more pressure, you can put a ruler or your hand down along the part you need to mark, kind of press down firmly, and mark close by the ruler or the edge of your hand. So this is going to keep the fabric from stretching out and allow you to use enough pressure to make a good mark. Our final tip to make sharp clean lines is to keep your marking tools fresh. So sharpen your pencils or chalk because blunt tools are going to leave more of a haze than a clean lin, and make sure you replace pens as they’re running out of ink. 

Helen: Yes, I realized this once because I had some old fabric pencils that were in, like, my mom’s sewing kit or something. I can’t remember where they came from, but they weren’t working, and I found them so annoying. And then I sharpened it one day because it snapped, and it was so much better, like, I think there was just, like, a residue of, like, years of container gunk, like, over the chalk. And so it wasn’t really functioning, but when I gave it a fresh cut, it was like new chalk. 

Caroline: It’s so true. That’s definitely happened to me before with older tools, like giving it a good sharpen can really do wonders. And also just some marking tools, I think, just don’t work on certain fabrics. So if you have one that’s not showing up, it could just be because that tool or that particular, you know, marking tool that you’ve picked out is just not a good match.

Helen: Yeah, it’s true. Okay, I’m sure this has happened to most of us before. You’re in the middle of sewing a garment and the pattern references a marking that you forgot to make when you’re cutting it out. How do you go back and make that marking? Caroline, I know you just gave a great tip about doing it on a flat surface. You can grab your pattern piece, you can put your project on the flat surface, and you can make that marking. Or you can also measure the distance from say the notch to the nearest seam on the pattern, and then measure that distance on the garment piece as well. And sometimes this can be extra challenging because if you’ve already started the construction process, you might have to consider seam allowance and things like that when you’re measuring your garment, but just do the best you can to get that marking. And then in some cases I will say, even as a pattern designer, that marking might not be as crucial as you think it is. So just evaluate the situation and think, do I really need this marking for this pocket placement? Or could I just put my garment down on the table and figure out where I want to put the pocket?

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. And I have another little extra tip for, if you’re laying that pattern piece over your fabric piece, like on a table, like we mentioned earlier, is that if you’ve started to sew your garment already, make sure that you’re accounting for the seam allowance of the parts that you’ve already sewn. So if you’ve already sewn a side seam, for example, you’re not going to line up the pattern piece right at that stitch line. You need to, kind of, overlap it over the stitch line to account for the seam allowance so that you’re making sure that you’re getting an accurate marking. So just keep that in mind.

Helen: And we mentioned this at the top of the episode, but it bears repeating because it’s such a good tip. When you’re working with fabrics that don’t have an obvious right and wrong side, you can use a marking tool to mark the right side of your pattern pieces. And this helps you to avoid making annoying mistakes, like sewing the right side to the wrong side, or having to tear out your work. Maybe you’re working with a pattern where you have to sew the wrong side to the right side at some point, and it’s not your usual construction methods. You want to make sure that you don’t make that mistake. You can also mark front and back pieces if they look similar. So using a marking tool for this is great. However, we talked about how many of them disappear quite quickly, so if you are doing this, you might want to use a marking tool that’s going to stick around a little bit longer. Or you could use something else, like some washi tape or something that will just, like, peel off when you’re done with it. Again, you should always test these things with delicate fabric, but I think that I’ve seen washi tape used many times for this, and it seems to be a favorite. 

Caroline: Yeah, or, like, painter’s tape because that comes off really easily and shouldn’t leave a residue, but I’m not going to say it again, but I think, you know what I’m going to say.

Helen: I know, I know. 

Caroline: Okay. We have a tip from Threads as well, and that is to color code your marking. If you have more than one color or more than one marking tool, you can use different colors to mark your darts and pocket placements, for example. So kind of color coding it so you, sort of, know what the marking is for.

Helen: Yeah, sometimes in patterns a lot of marking is going on, and then you go back to sew it and you’re like, I don’t know, which is which, so color coding could come in really handy. And if you’re using a marking wheel and carbon paper on the same pattern over and over, or if you’re using it on a tissue paper pattern, the perforations can cause the pattern to start to come apart over time. So Melly Sews recommends reinforcing the lines with tape before you punch through with your marking wheel. I love this. I remember when I was using carbon paper more often, I was also using tissue patterns more often, and it was an issue. If you start making those dart markings, like, it won’t be long before you’ve completely cut out that little triangle of dart.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s such a good tip and such an easy fix just to place tape on those areas to reinforce them. And one thing that’s worth mentioning as well, is that for notches, you don’t necessarily have to use a marking tool. You can just snip a quarter inch into your seam allowance instead of using a marking tool, just to indicate where you have notches.

Helen: Yeah. That’s my preferred way to do it for sure. Okay. There’s so much to know about marking tools, obviously, but don’t let this overwhelm you. Just pick one, test it. And if it works, go ahead and keep using it. There are marking tools and methods for every budget and every situation out there. So we hope this episode gave you all the information you need to move forward and mark with confidence. Go forth, and make your mark.

Caroline: Mark my words, Helen. 

Helen: Mark my words, Caroline.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. 

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com. 

Caroline: And if you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed where you will find out what I got Helen for her birthday. 

Helen: Woo-hoo!

Caroline: And contribute $10 or more a month and you will get a 15% discount code for both of our shops which basically pays for itself and a bonus mini episode. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info. 

Helen: And don’t forget all of our podcast’s merchandise is on sale the week this episode comes out. For 25% off, you can go to lovetosewshop.com to check that out. And thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you so much for listening. We’ll talk to you next week. 

Caoline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Dritz actually sells a chalk cartridge set where you can insert a chall-. Oh my God. I’m sorry. I can’t read it right.

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Hooray for beginner sewists! Helen and Caroline cover your beginner questions in this Q&A–from machine threading to fitting muslins!

The transcript for this episode can be found on this page at the end of the show notes.

Episode of Love to Sew Mentioned: 

Helen’s sewing machines:

Books, articles, and other resources:

Sewing patterns mentioned:

Sewing Tools: 

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Today’s topic is a beginner Q&A.

Caroline: Hi, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m good. How are you?

Caroline: I am good. I’m caffeined up. I have my coffee with me. It’s the morning. I’m feeling good. I’m really excited to offer some support to all the beginners out there.

Helen: Yes. It’s been a while since we had a beginner sewing episode. We had a whole episode dedicated to beginner sewing which was episode 32. And although it’s an earlier episode, there’s lots of great tips in there. We also recently did a sewing vocabulary episode. That was a lot of fun.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: So if you’re a beginner, check those ones out, too, but we wanted to revisit this topic because we’ve welcomed so many new sewists to our community in the last year. It’s so exciting that people are getting out their machines, they’re making face masks, and then they’re going on to make all sorts of fun things, and rediscovering sewing. So, welcome to the community. Welcome to the podcast. And we can’t wait to answer your questions.

Caroline: Yeah. So, today we’re going to be answering questions that we got when we put a call out on social, and we are so excited to answer these questions. There’s some really good ones. There’s some funny ones. Of course, we’re not able to answer all the questions we received, but we’re going to do our best to get through as many as we can. And we want to thank everyone who sent in your question. If we don’t answer it today and you’re really desperate, maybe shoot us an email…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …and we can help you out over email.

Helen: Definitely. Okay. Let’s start off with questions for the true beginner. @lauralmurphy wants to know, “So I can use the sewing machine if someone else sets it up. But now I have one that’s not threaded, and I have no idea what to do. I don’t know what I need or how to install what I need. Please help.”

Caroline: Okay. This is truly one of the first beginner hurdles. When we don’t understand how sewing machines work or how to thread them, it can be super intimidating. There are so many little bits and bobs and things sticking out everywhere on a sewing machine. Where do you put your thread? Ah, I get it.

Helen: Yes, and our tips are to consult your sewing machine manual, if you have it. This will help to identify how to thread your machine. It might take a few tries. You don’t need to get it right the first time, but consulting that manual, and if you don’t have the manual, you are probably going to be able to look it up online, even if it’s a vintage machine. A lot of vintage manuals are online. You might have to buy it, but if that’s the machine you’re going to be using, it’ll be worth it to have that PDF on your computer.

So, check that out online. There’s also lots of YouTube videos related to specific machines. So search your machine’s, like, number. It should have, like, a, it’s different from the serial number of the, like, model number of the machine, search the number and see if there’s a YouTube video of someone walking through how to thread a machine. That could be really helpful.

But I will say even though machines differ in type and size, and there’s mechanical machines versus computerized machines, and they all look, kind of, different, the general threading process stays the same for most machines. So we’ll link some threading YouTube videos in the show notes that you can check out and hopefully, those will, kind of, cover the bases.

You can always ask a friend, too. Maybe a friend or family member can walk you through it over a Zoom call or something like that. And once you get the hang of it, you’ll be threading with confidence. Don’t give up. You just need to get over this first hurdle.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Don’t give up. Helen, I wanted to ask you, there is, like, a song or, like, a jingle for threading, sewing machines. And I was trying to find it online when I was reading this question, and I could not find it. Do you remember this song? I feel like it came up in a workshop or maybe one of our sewing days…

Helen: I don’t remember.

Caroline: …but it’s over the mountain into the valley and, like, there’s like a whole thing. And it’s, sort of, like, a catchy song, so you can, kind of, remember the order to do things.

Helen: Oh, yeah! And in the silver, into the silver boat or something like that.

Caroline: Yeah!

Helen: The take-up lever’s the little silver boat.

Caroline: Anyway, if any listeners out there know what we’re talking about…

Helen: …send us a voicemail singing it.

Caroline: Oh yeah. Send us a voicemail. We’ll do a follow-up because I remember when I heard that, I thought it was so cute, and now I can’t find it again. S,o please help.

Okay, our next question is from @judupreez, “I legit just started. I got a sewing machine in July, and I’ve only made masks and the Costa Tote. I’m super nervous to dive into clothes. What would you recommend you start with as a first project and scale from there?”

Helen: Such a good question. Oh my goodness. Everyone who starts sewing has this question. Where do I start?

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. I mean, starting with accessories as your first few projects is a great idea because it gives you a feel for how to use your sewing machine and can help you to learn new techniques along the way, but it doesn’t involve fitting and all of those feelings and that complication that’s wrapped up with fitting clothes to your body. So, kind of, coming in neutral with an accessories project is usually a good call just to get the hang of it.

And then you can maybe start with a beginner sewing pattern that doesn’t require a lot of fitting. So most patterns have a difficulty level labeled on them. So these typically look like beginner, advanced or confident beginner, i[nter]mediate, and expert or advanced. So look out for that and choose a beginner pattern.

A few great beginner patterns are the Donovan Skirt from Helen’s Closet. There’s the Torrens Box Top from Muna and Broad, the Devon Dress by Seamwork. I know Seamwork has quite a few beginner patterns that could definitely work, and they have a really nice subscription model, so you get access to a lot of stuff if you subscribe.

But you definitely want to go with a reputable pattern designer with great instructions so you know you’ll have a good experience. Now, how do you know if a pattern designer is reputable, Helen?

Helen: Well, I think checking out their pattern collection, making sure you see something you like, first of all. And then go and check out the hashtag associated with that pattern and see how many hashtags are there. Are there thousands or are there just, you know, tens? And that doesn’t necessarily mean that the pattern is good or bad, but it does mean that more people have tried the pattern, and there’s more reviews for you to read.

So if there’s tons of different makes on Instagram or Facebook, or just Googling the name of the pattern, people have made blog posts about it. You can read reviews, you can check out what other people had to say about the fit and the instructions. And that will give you a really good sense of whether or not it’s a pattern that will work for you.

Another reason to check out the pattern designer is because they often provide a lot of additional information on their websites, like sewalongs or technique tutorials to help you along the way. So, in addition, to the pattern instruction booklet with all the illustrations, you’re going to get photographs or videos of the actual steps, and that will really help you in your sewing process, especially as a beginner.

Caroline: Yeah. So looking out for patterns that might have that kind of additional support is such a good way to feel like you’re being handheld a little bit through that process of working on your first garment.

Helen: Exactly. And I want to say, too: don’t be shy of that advanced beginner or adventurous beginner, confident beginner category. So many patterns end up in this category because, for a designer, the category of beginner is, like, I just got my machine and I just need a pattern that has a few straight seams like a pillowcase or tote bag or something like that.

And to put a pattern like a shirt in there that maybe has a dart and, like, a neckline binding, doesn’t really feel fair to put that in the beginner category, so that’s how we ended up with this advanced beginner, confident beginner category. And if you’re a beginner and you’ve made a few straight seam projects, or if you’re a beginner and you’re just really game to get going this category is for you. You don’t need to pass a certain amount of projects or make a certain thing in order to graduate to the advanced beginner category. This category is for you, beginners.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And if you’re looking at fabrics, knits or wovens can both make beginner projects. I think what you really want to look for is the pattern and the rating of the pattern in terms of difficulty level.

I also want to mention, Helen, just to toot your horn a little bit, I know that the Donovan skirt, you spent a lot of time on the instructions in there, and there are lots of tips for beginners and lots of, you know, really detailed explanations in there, so I think that that’s a really great starting point. And I was really excited to see that a lot of people who submitted questions mentioned that they had sewn the Costa Tote…

Helen: Yeah!

Caroline: …so it sounds like the Costa Tote is also such a great first project to try out.

Helen: Yes, it’s one of those straight seam projects, but it’s not just a simple box tote bag because it does have some pockets, and it has some nice details, so you’re going to get to practice a lot of different skills. And we always include lots of beginner tips with our patterns. That’s, kind of, our jam.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. We had a similar question from @blackberryteamakes, “I’m an experienced quilter, but I’ve never made a garment because I’m quite curvy, and I assume that I’m going to need a lot of adjustments. Where should I start?”

Caroline: Yeah, this is a really great question. It would definitely be a good idea to start with a few beginner projects first, but you might find that you can level up faster because of your sewing experience. Even though quilting isn’t garment sewing, you know your way around a sewing machine. You understand the mechanics of putting fabric together and creating something, so I think that’ll give you a bit of a leg up.

In terms of a curvy sewing resource, we love the Curvy Sewing Collective. They have a super active Facebook group. We’ll link it in the show notes. It has over 24,000 members, and it’s a really supportive community. This can be a wonderful resource to understand fitting adjustments for different body types. I know people are posting photos in the Facebook group. You’ll get tons and tons of support and encouragement there. So joining a group like that is a great way to go.

Helen: Yes. And you could try a knit project for your first project, even though you probably haven’t worked with too many knits, being that you’re a quilter. Knits have more of a forgiving fit; they stretch to fit over your body, so it’s a great project for a beginner because you don’t have to worry too much about the fit of the garment. If you didn’t get the size quite right, it’ll probably still fit you.

Another option is to try an elastic waist. Again, that just gives you that wiggle room. So you don’t have to worry too much about the fit. I think starting there and then moving onto something like a fitted pair of jeans or a fit and flare dress or something that you’re dreaming of making, um, and you will get there eventually.

Caroline: Definitely, and you also want to look for pattern designers that cater to your size range. So you might find that you don’t have to make as many pattern adjustments, if you have a good starting point with the pattern. So, for example, patterns offering different cup sizes versus only drafting for a B cup.

We know that Cashmerette offers cup sizing and has a lot of really great patterns, popular patterns they’ve been around for a while, online classes, and resources for curvy sewists. And if you’re on the hunt to find other plus size sewing pattern designers, Megan from the Green Violet has a great list of sewing pattern companies that go to plus sizes. We’ll link it in the show notes. You’ll have ton of options there, and hopefully, you can find something that aligns with your style.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Alright, our next question is from @sewl.kel, “The challenges I face as a novice sewist are understanding new patterns. Sometimes it feels like I’m putting together a puzzle in a new language, and I spend days, if not weeks, just researching and re-reading patterns before I actually make something. I also find it difficult to step up my game and try something a little harder with more skill required, probably out of fear of failure due to my lack of skills.”

Helen: Uh, we totally get this understanding patterns takes time and practice. And I know that’s probably not very comforting in this moment, but we think you have the right idea with reading through patterns and searching those terms that you don’t understand and giving yourself the opportunity to read the instruction booklet in full and just know what to expect before you go in.

This is such a great first step when you’re working with a new pattern. You can even highlight the terms that you don’t know or understand, so you can do a quick Google search or reference terms in your sewing books. Some of the steps might not make sense at first, and that’s totally okay. Sometimes we learn by doing, too. So just understand that it’s okay not to know everything. Your seamer is always close by.

And the steps often compound together, so the first few steps will be easy, typically, like, constructing some shoulder seams or whatever. And then it’s going to get more complicated as the garment starts to come together, so when we’re pre-reading those instruction booklets, sometimes it can feel like overwhelm starts to set in. And it’s okay if you feel that way. And it’s still a good idea to pre-read the instruction booklet, but just know that every step is just one thing. So when you get to that step, I think you will know what to do. And it’s okay that ahead of time, step 27 looks like Greek to you.

Caroline: Oh yeah. It’ll start making sense once things start coming together. And, as we mentioned before, you can check out pattern designers’ blogs and social media to see if they offer support materials because these extras can make a really big difference in the learning process, if you have that visual help through a video or something like that.

And also don’t hesitate to reach out to the sewing community for support. We love Instagram, so you can put a call out there. There’s also community support through Seamwork. They have a great forum, patternreview.com, as well. Sewing Facebook groups. If there’s, like, a specific sewing niche that you’re interested in, um, or even Facebook groups for the pattern designer that you’re working on their pattern.

Sometimes these other options outside of Instagram can be better options if you’re not using IG regularly. Or if you don’t have a sewing specific account. So I know we talk a lot about Instagram on the show, but it’s definitely not the only place to get support. And I know it can feel a little bit like you’re screaming into the void if you are, maybe, just starting out on Instagram, don’t have a lot of followers, so use hashtags and, you know, try your best to connect with people, but there are definitely other ways.

Helen: Yes, and if you just want to have a helping hand, or maybe you need that extra little push just to get going, there are some ways that you can sew without overthinking and avoiding it, like joining a sewing workshop or class, maybe an online version of a class, making a virtual sewing date with some friends or with a family member you know who sews, so you can get a little bit of help along the way. That can be a lot of fun and just give you that extra push that you need.

Caroline: Yeah. That’s definitely helpful for me. I know sometimes I avoid sewing because it feels overwhelming or, like, diving into a new project feels, like, too much, but scheduling it in and making it more intentional, I think helps me to, like, get to that end point that I’m hoping to get to.

Okay. Our next question is from @phillip_the_stripey_cat, “My question is, is it better to get yourself a decent digital sewing machine? Or am I just blaming my rubbish sewing on my machine?”

Helen: I love this, and it really depends. Our best advice here is try another machine. See if you can use a friend or family member’s sewing machine for a day or go to a local workshop that has sewing machines on site or go to a sewing machine store and try out the machines. They’re often really happy for you to go in and try the machines. Of course, they want you to buy one, so that’s part of the process.

And through testing out these other machines, you’re going to be able to understand better whether your machine does need to be upgraded or whether you just need some additional time to better understand how to use your particular machine, or maybe your machine just needs to be serviced. That’s a common issue as well. Take it, get it serviced. It might come back and be a whole newest sewing experience.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. And you used to have a vintage machine, but now you’ve upgraded, hardcore upgrade to a beautiful digital computerized Pfaff machine. So tell me more about that transition and how you found it affected your quality of sewing.

Helen: It was quite a leap because I had been sewing on a machine that was gifted to me. It was a 1966 Sears Kenmore machine, an all metal mechanical machine, and that’s what I learned on cause I learned on a little Singer Featherweight when I was a kid, my mom’s machine. So that vintage machine was familiar to me, and I love that mechanical and vintage machines all of the threading is on the outside of the machine. There’s no computer UI to get used to. It’s usually just all dials. You have a few less options. You know, you don’t have a hundred stitches. You have six or something like that.

So I think from a beginner’s perspective, often those vintage mechanical machines are easier to understand, and they are easier to approach. But that being said, the digital machines offer so many amazing tools like automatic thread cutters or needle in the down position, automatic tension adjustment, things like that, which just make the sewing process a little bit smoother, and there’s less guesswork because a lot of it just happens automatically.

So I think that both are really good options, and it probably just depends a little bit more on your personality and whether, you know, you like to drive standard or you like to drive automatic, right?

Caroline: I like that analogy. Helen, your machine beeps at you when your bobbin thread is almost out, right?

Helen: Yeah, it does. I think a lot of new machines have that feature, and it’s always fun because it beeps, it’s like bobbin threads getting low, and you’re like, I’m just going to keep going and see what happens. It’s thrilling.

Caroline: That’s so thrilling.

Helen: Yeah. I do miss my old machines. Sometimes I get it out to do certain things because I do find that, like, it handles a twin needle better. It does a beautiful straight stitch, which sometimes modern machines, their straight stitch is, like,just slightly angled. Whereas, like, a vintage machine that was designed for straight stitch does just, like, a really nice straight stitch for a top stitch.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: So there’s some advantages to those older machines, for sure.

Caroline: Yeah. Awesome. Thanks for sharing, Helen.

Helen: Yeah, no problem. Okay, our next section is all about seam finishes and sergers. @tigtucker asks, “How do I finish edges on a home sewing machine when instructions tell you to use an overlocker or something else that I haven’t invested in yet? I’m very new, and I’m having trouble making things look neat even if I try my best to follow the instructions.”

Caroline: This is a great question. We actually have a whole episode dedicated to Seam Finishes (Episode 110), and we cover a lot of popular ways to finish seams in this episode. So be sure to go and check it out, but you definitely don’t need a serger or overlocker, especially if you’re new to sewing.

I think that’s something that you can wait to invest in. There are many ways to finish a seam, so don’t worry about that. How you finish seams can depend on the weight and nature of the fabric that you’re using. So, for example, you can do a French seam on more delicate or lightweight fabrics, and French seams are a really beautiful finish where the seam is sewn twice so all the raw edges are enclosed. So you sew once, and then you, kind of, turn it, and sew it again. So that’s a really good option for delicate fabrics.

If you are working with a heavier weight fabric, bias bound seams are a great option. This involves encasing the raw edge with a strip of bias tape. You can also just use a zigzag stitch to finish off edges. This works for most fabrics. I know it can look a little bit messy, but also, remember that’s the inside of your garment. No one’s going to see it, but you, so try to, like, be a little bit easy on yourself if you don’t have a serger and your seams look a little bit messy because you’re a beginner and you’re learning, and I think that clean finish is going to come with time.

Some sewing machines actually have a faux overlock stitch built into the machine. So check out your sewing machine manual because this can actually have a similar effect to overlocked or serged edges.

Helen: Yeah, I like this stitch. Sometimes it’s called, like, an overcast stitch as well, and you can use really any stitch on the seam, like, as long as it’s covering that, it’s helping to prevent it to fray. So if you have, like, a cute little stitch, that’s, like, elephants all in a row, like, go ahead. Why not, right? Like, it doesn’t need to be a zigzag. It’s really just about adding that, like, extra support. I have that stitch.

Caroline: I’m just imagining.

Helen: You’re laughing, but…

Caroline: Cause those stitches take so long to, like…

Helen: I know.

Caroline: …actually forms So I’m just imagining like, okay, I’m going to go finish my seam now. And, like, 20 minutes later, you’re, like, dun dun dun dun. And you’ve got little elephants all…

Helen: And then you run out of the thread, and you’re like, Helen, why did you tell me to do that?

Caroline: Yeah, yeah. Definitely. I mean, and you will go through a lot of thread if you’re finishing your seams with a zigzag or an overcast stitch. Um…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …so do keep that in mind, but what’s your preferred seam finish if you’re not using your overlocker or serger?

Helen: I didn’t have a serger for many years, and I used to do a lot of French seams on everything. So that was my go-to. But lately, when I don’t feel like getting out my serger, I just want that really clean inside finish, I’ve been doing more flat felled seams which is where you trim one edge of the seam allowance down, you wrap the other edge around it, press it to the side, and then you topstitch it. It’s a super, super strong seam. You often see it in, like, jackets and jeans and menswear and it’s just beautiful. I think it really, the fact that the seam gets tacked down in the end, I find really satisfying. And you get, like, a little row of top stitching on the outside which can look really beautiful. So that’s been my go-to these days. And wonder tape is your friend with flat felled seams. Don’t be afraid to use that wonder tape.

Caroline: Oh really?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Cool.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I don’t do a lot of flat felled seams except in jeans making sometimes. I love a good French seam. I think that French seams are super satisfying, and they do take a little bit longer, but they are pretty strong. And I think that they have worked really well for the types of fabrics that I use, but honestly I love my overlocker.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I use it for everything, and I rarely don’t use it. So it is worth the investment down the line if you decide that you love sewing…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …and you want to, kind of, up your game a little bit.

Helen: Yeah. We’ll put a link to a serger that we both think is top-notch and is relatively affordable. Sergers don’t have to be thousands of dollars. So we’ll put a link for the one that we like in the show notes.

Caroline: Yeah, and we also received some questions about sewing with knits and whether a serger is needed. And the answer is no, we debunked this myth in a Love to Sew Favorite: Sewing with Knits that aired in January, and the original episode number for that is Episode 62, but you can simply zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, and you’re good to go. Knits don’t fray, so you don’t have to worry about messy insides. You can just sew and go.

Helen: Exactly. Okay. Speaking of sergers and knits, we got this question from @maggyswaggy, “When using a serger, you can use it straight on knits, but you have to sew then serge on wovens – why?”

I love this question, and the main reason why we can’t only serge seams for woven fabrics, is because the seam won’t be strong enough. Serged seams for knits work great because there’s some flexibility and stretch, but this is not the case with most wovens. So when sewing wovens, we need to think about the construction stitch and how we’re going to finish the edges as two separate parts of the sewing process.

Caroline: Yeah. The construction stitch is typically a straight stitch, and then we finish off the edges so they don’t fray with a serger or zigzag stitch, and it doesn’t necessarily have to go in that order. You can finish the edge first, and then, sew the construction stitch. Follow the pattern instructions accordingly. Usually, they’ll, kind of, lay that out for you, but yes, you definitely do have to think about this.

I have to admit that when I first got my serger, which was a long time ago, I used to just sew straight on my serger.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Like, wovens, knits, didn’t matter. I didn’t use my sewing machine if I could avoid it. And I’ve never really had problems, but that’s also because I use a four thread overlock machine.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: So you have two rows of stitches and then the overcasting. And I think that does add a little bit of extra strength. If you have a three thread overlock, then I definitely would not just simply use that for sewing wovens.

Helen: That’s a really good point. With a four thread, I think you can get away with it. But one reason why I wouldn’t recommend that, especially to beginners, is because you don’t really want to be going with your project to the serger, with that blade there cutting away. And like, you’re trying to construct your garment, but you have this really intense blade that’s going to be cutting. So, it’s just risky, right?

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So constructing it first and then going to the serger second, even with knit garments, I like to do that because I just like the control, you know?

Caroline: Yeah, and it won’t always work right, either, to just go straight to your serger because sometimes those seams need to be pressed open, or sometimes, you know, you need to do different things with them. So using your sewing machine is definitely a good call.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Okay. Our next question is from @sewlful_creations, “Do you need different serger needles when serging woven materials versus knits?”

Ooh. Okay. Helen and I, I wouldn’t say we disagree on this, but I think that we do things a little bit differently…

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: …because I do change my serger needles for knits. I make sure that I have, like, ballpoint needles in, for knits, and for wovens, I’ll put in an all-purpose needle, but you don’t, and you’ve never had any issues, right?

Helen: So, yeah, I just keep my universals in my serger, and I haven’t had any issues. And universal needles are intended to be for wovens and knits, in a way. But with a lot of knits, there is still that risk that those pointy universal needles could tear the knit fibers. You might end up with skipped stitches. You might find that the tension’s all wonky. So I think using whatever needle is working for you with your project is the way to go. So if you’re not having any problems, then I think it’s fine.

Caroline: Yeah. I also recommend changing out your serger needles periodically just because they do get dull, and they get used a lot, if you’re, you know, finishing seam edges, those needles are getting a lot of use. So switch them out at least so that you have sharp, clean needles in there once in a while.

And, also, consult your serger manual because some sergers will need specific needles for them. So you can’t just use, like, a Schmitz needle in a serger all the time. Some sergers have, like, a specific requirement, but there’s an interesting article on Sewing Parts Online about using sewing machine needles for your serger that we’ll link in the show notes. So sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Just make sure that you’re following your manual.

Helen: Yeah, totally. Okay. @plaidnotpolkadots wants to know, “What can I skip when it comes to finishing seams, like finishing with a bias or pinking shears or serger, what can I skip with no consequences? Right now I finish everything, but I also get anxious when I need to do things like clip curves when I’ve already serged an edge. I know some fabrics are fine left unfinished, if they don’t fray, but what about seams that wind up fully enclosed in the garment? Am I wasting my time finishing these? And what about those curves? I was actually just searching the archive to see if there was a finishing episode.”

Caroline: This is a great question. We do have a Seam Finishes episode, but I don’t actually know if we touch on what seams you don’t need to finish in the episode.

Helen: It’s true.

Caroline: So maybe we need to do a follow-up on that, but, as a rule, if the seam ends up fully enclosed, you do not need to finish the edges. So when we say fully enclosed, we mean like a pocket bag in a coat or the inside of a lining.

Helen: A neckline that’s finished with a facing, so that once you’ve applied the facing and it flips to the inside of the garment, you have a raw edge inside ther, along your neckline.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And that’s okay, you don’t need to finish that one unless you’re working with, like, a fabric that frays like crazy, and then you probably do want to finish it.

Caroline: Yeah, and remember when you’re, for that, like, neckline example, you’re understitching that facing. So that is adding an extra layer of stitches which is, kind of, like an extra layer of security to prevent the threads from fraying past that stitchline. So that is helping to prevent any potential for things, like, falling apart around the neckline which is probably what you’re worried about, right? With extra washing, the seams just, kind of, deteriorate slowly. So that can be a little bit of an insurance policy that, kind of, understitching or topstitching that you do.

Helen: I like their question about clipping into seams before or after serging, too. And I think, ideally, you don’t want to serge a seam and then clip into it. And if you are clipping into a seam, chances are it’s going to be a fully enclosed seam, so you probably don’t need to finish it at all.

But if you want to, like, say the underarm of a dropped shoulder garment, you want to finish that seam, the side seam that goes into the sleeve, but you also might want to clip into that underarm so that when you turn it right side out, the sleeve is sitting flat. So in that case, I think what works best is to clip before serging and then spread out those little wedges, like spread them open in the way that it will be once it’s garment is finished and then serge all of those little triangles, kind of, together, if that makes any sense.

Caroline: Yeah, no, it definitely makes sense cause that’s just going to, kind of, lock everything in and prevent it from fraying. Whereas if you clip into serging, then that’s, kind of, clipping into all those threads, and they can just unravel, and it sort of defeats the purpose, right?

Helen: Exactly. Yeah.

Caroline: And you can also avoid finishing seams if you’re working with a fabric that doesn’t fray. So knits don’t fray, so you don’t have to worry about finishing those edges. Other fabrics that don’t fray could be a fleece, a velvet, boiled wool, melton, you know, check out your fabric, and if it doesn’t seem to fray, then you don’t have to worry too much about finishing those edges.

Helen: Yeah. Alright, we got a lot of serger and seam finishing questions, so if we didn’t answer your question in the section, we recommend checking out our episodes that cover these topics. Again, 110: Seam Finishes and also Episode 92: Sergers and Overlockers 101.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. Our next section is all about skills and techniques, and we’re going to kick it off with a voicemail from Allie.

Allie: Hey, Helen and Caroline. My name is Allie, and I’m from Colorado Springs. I’m calling today for your beginner sewer episode. And my question for you is all about bias bindings, facings. I’m honestly so confused by all of that. I started out sewing knits just a few months ago.

Now I’m getting into some wovens, and I just want some advice on which method to use for different projects. If a pattern suggests using one type of method, like a bias binding, can I use a facing instead? Are there any implications there that I’m just not thinking about? Also, just wanted to say thank you so much for this podcast. As a new sewer, it’s really helpful to just learn all the lingo from you, girls, and, um, just get some advice and tips and tricks for getting started with sewing. So, thanks so much.

Caroline: Thanks for your question, Allie. So bias bindings and facings are used for many garments, and they finish off the raw edges like necklines or armholes on a sleepless top. A bias binding uses bias strips of fabrics to finish off the edges. So they can be made in the same fabric or in a contrasting fabric. You can use store-bought bias binding, or you can make your own. Bias binding can sandwich the edge of the fabric and be a decorative finish that’s visible from the outside, or it can be turned into the garment, uh, to the inside and topstitched so it’s not visible. So this finish is very common. What about facings, Helen ?

Helen: Facings mirror the opening of the edge that you’re intending to finish, so it’s a separate pattern piece. It’s typically a tiny bit smaller than the garment piece that you’re working with, and it’s sewn to the inside of the garment, flipped in there, so it’s facing your body and enclosing those areas like the neckline or the sleeveless arm holes.

So, how do you choose when to use bias binding or a facing? It’s really about achieving a different look. So bias binding creates a band look around these openings which can be a style element. If you want to have some decorative stitching or you just like the look of that, like, once you wear it, it starts to, like, weather, and it looks really pretty. Whereas facings create a really clean, smooth edge with no visible stitching on the outside. So this can look a bit more polished and sleek.

Caroline: So you also want to consider the fabric type that you’re using, especially if you’re working with, like, a sheer, delicate, lacy fabric, any of those things, you might want to use a bias binding because the facing would otherwise show through the fabric. And if you do want to use a facing instead of a bias binding, or if you just don’t like the look of bias binding, you could actually extend your facing into a full lining so that it backs completely your sheer fabric or lace so that you don’t have to worry about, like, seeing that line around the facing.

Most fabrics, you can choose either or method. There’s not really, like, a right or wrong. It’s really about what look you want to go for.

Helen: Yeah. And you get to decide, too. Say the pattern includes a bias binding, but it doesn’t offer the facing option, you can actually draft a facing, and you can do a facing instead or vice versa. You don’t need a pattern piece for bias binding. If you want to do a bias bound neckline or leave the collar off of a top and bias bind the neckline instead, you really can decide what you want to do when it comes to your finishing on your garments.

I used to be, like, full team bias binding, and I always found facings to be fiddly, but the more that I pattern design I’m coming around to them. My thing with them is that I don’t like how they flop around, and I don’t like how they, like, come out the armholes and, like, you know, on the, you’re wearing a top and halfway through the day, you realize your facing’s like flopping around on your back.

I don’t like that, but there’s lots of different ways where you can tack these things down. You can tack them in by hand, by tacking them to the side seams or the center back seam of your garment. You can also stitch them down. You’ll have a decorative line of stitching on the outside of the garment, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

On our Gilbert Top, we have a facing that’s turned under on the inside and stitched down, and it just encloses all of those seams, and it’s a really satisfying finish when everything is, like, tucked away and nicely topstitched.

Caroline: Yeah. Your Ashton top has a really cool kind of all-in-one facing as well which I think mitigates some of those issues of facing flipping out, but definitely under stitching makes a big difference. And I’m a big fan of topstitching on top of facing. Um, I think it gives, like, a really nice look.

I personally love bias binding. I love how it fades and wears with washing, especially on fabrics like linen or other natural fibers. I just love that casual look. But everyone has different preferences. So pick what you love and do that.

Helen: Yeah, and if you want to practice these two techniques, our Ashton Top is a great beginner pattern where we offer a facing and a bias binding option. So you can make one with a facing and one with a bias finding, and you can practice both and then you can see which one you like better.

Caroline: Exactly. Okay. Our next question is from @mightybobbin, “Even though I wash my makes on delicate in a delicate bag, I found my bias tape often gets ripped out at certain points on neck and shoulders in the washing machine. Am I not securing it enough? Should I be making wider tape? I sew using a vintage machine and don’t have reverse or zigzag, but I still lock my stitches, so not sure why it isn’t secure enough. My seams always hold up though. Thank you and love the podcast.”

Helen: This is a great question, and this used to happen to me when I started sewing. I would bind my necklines, and then I would run it through the wash a few times, and it would start to fray along that edge. And I think the issue is likely caused by trimming and clipping too close to your seam.

When you apply your bias tape, if you’re, like, grading that seam and you’re getting, you know, at 1/16 of an inch away from your stitchline, that’s too close. You can, you want to be a little further away, same when you’re clipping into your seam so that you can turn it on a curve. You don’t want to go right up to the seam of the stitches because with a fabric like linen, that could fray. It will start to come apart.

And then the other issue with bias binding, specifically, is skipping the understitching part. So the understitching on a bias finish, I think, is key for locking it all together and making sure that even though you grade and clip those seams, it’s all going to stay secure once you sew it all together. So if you’ve been skipping the understitching, try not skipping the understitching.

Caroline: Yeah. Those are really great tips.

Helen: Okay. @sak1978 wants some tips for neat topstitching. Caroline, I think you have it.

Caroline: Oh yeah. I love my edgestitching foot, and I use it all the time for topstitching. It creates a really clean look. The edgestitching foot has, like, a metal or plastic piece down the middle, and you butt your fabric up against it, and then you middle over so that you can get that perfect line, um, in relation to kind of where you’re trying to topstitch next to, and it, kind of, keeps it even the whole time. I just think it’s such a great tool to have.

A few other tips that we have: avoid back stitching. This is going to prevent bulky looking thread at the start and end of your stitchline. So you can simply leave long tails and tie them off on the inside of the garment. Testing and practicing is also key. You can play with varying stitch lengths and tension to get the right look. Use scrap fabric to practice before you give it a go on your final garment.

Another tip we have is to match the thread weight to your fabric. So all-purpose thread works great for topstitching a lot of fabrics, but if you’re working with a heavier weight fabric, like a denim or a canvas, you might want to invest in a thicker thread, such as a topstitching thread.

And you also want to make sure that you’re using the right needle. A microtex needle can work great for topstitching with all-purpose thread. I’ve also just used a universal needle, and I think it works fine for all-purpose thread when you’re doing topstitching. If you’re using topstitching thread, try using a topstitching needle, the thicker thread requires a thicker needle. So keep that in mind.

Helen: Yeah. And when we’re talking about topstitching thread, it only goes on the top. So you’re not putting this heavier weight thread into your bobbin because you’re sewing on the top of your garment. You only need that visible, beautiful topstitching thread on the top. And we want to have that universal all-purpose in the bobbin still.

Caroline: That’s a really great tip that we forgot to include. That’s great.

Helen: @heidi_saffron wants to know, “Tension settings – what are they and why do we need them?”

Okay. Good tension is when the needle thread and the bobbin thread meet in the middle of the fabric, and they have this beautiful marriage, and you can’t even see them because they’re right there in the fabric, joining together in a love fest.

Caroline: I love that description.

Helen: So if you have bad tension, no shame. The stitching might appear too tight or too loose. So if your tension’s too tight on the top, the fabric might appear puckered and the stitches bunched together. And you might even see your bobbin thread appearing on the top side of your fabric. It’s, like, coming up from underneath, and it’s coming on top. It’s, like, crawling over, so we don’t want that.

And if your tension is too tight, you need to loosen it. So lowering the thread tension, the number on your thread tension dial. So consult your sewing machine to figure out how to adjust tension on your specific machine.

Caroline: Consult your sewing machine manual.

Helen: Oh yeah.

Caroline: Consult your sewing machine. Have a meeting. Sit down, talk about your shoes.

Helen: We need to talk.

Caroline: There’s tension.

Helen: There’s tension between us.

Caroline: Oh, but what about if your tension is too loose?

Helen: It will be the opposite. So the stitching might appear too loose on one side or the other. And the needle thread is going to appear on the underside of the fabric. So just like the bobbin thread creeping up on top, the upper thread is going to, like, sink down underneath, and you might see little loops or little bumps.

One of the best ways to see if you’re having tension issues is to put a different color in your bobbin than in your top thread. Do a little test on a scrap fabric and that way you can actually see where the threads are going because if you have matching thread, it’s really hard to see those spots, especially if you struggle with, like, looking at things up close with eyesight issues. So definitely trying out some contrasting thread here to nail that tension.

Caroline: Awesome. And if you have continued tension issues, like, if it keeps coming up, you might want to get your sewing machine serviced and checked out by a professional because it might just be a timing issue or something in the deep depths of your machine that you don’t know exists.

Helen: A screw is loose.

Caroline: A screw is loose. Maybe there’s a buildup in there.

Helen: Yeah, so many things.

Caroline: Yeah. Our next question is from @zoestyron, “How do I buy appropriate fabric for a pattern when I don’t know what a type of fabric is? Example a ponte or a French Terry versus a sweatshirt. I don’t have a local store to check out different fabric types, and I’ve wasted a lot of money buying fabrics online which turned out to be way different from what I expected. I love that Blackbird suggests patterns for their fabrics, but I wish more designers gave specific recommendations for their patterns.”

So this is interesting because we do give patterns suggestions with our fabrics. And I do think pattern designers usually will have a general guideline of the types of fabrics, but they’re not necessarily always, like, linking to stores so that you can actually see, like, a specific fabric that you can then go and buy.

You have to sort of do your own research and, kind of, try to match what they’re suggesting with what you’re finding online which can totally be challenging for a beginner. I definitely get that. I want to say fabric knowledge is going to grow with you and your sewing practice. As you become a more experienced sewist and you buy more fabrics and you sew with more fabrics, you’re going to start understanding more, but as a beginner, we totally understand that it can be confusing.

So my first tip for you is: because you don’t have a local store where you can go and check out different fabric types, pretty much your only option is to order swatches online, and I highly recommend doing that. Some fabric stores offer them for free. Some fabric stores charge for them. Some if you’re ordering, like, a really large quantity and you know, it’s, like, just for research, you might want to offer to pay for them because you know, it still takes, obviously I’m speaking from the perspective of a fabric store, it does take work to put together these swatches. So if you know, you’re not going to then purchase a fabric, then you know, it’s always good to, to pay for them.

But I think that this is such a great tool for you to be able to see the fabric in person, touch it, feel the weight, and make sure that you actually like the type of fabric that the pattern designer’s recommending and that it’s, like, the right weight.

I think weight is a really important thing to consider because not all French Terrys are created equally. You know, not all denims are created equally. So it’s not necessarily, you’re just looking at a fabric type, you also need to look at a fabric weight, and then you can also consider personally what fibers you like. You might know that you really don’t love the feel of wool against your skin, or you might realize that certain fabrics just don’t do well with you, like, in terms of washing regimens or something like that. So ordering swatches and, kind of, exploring different fabric types are going to help you to know what you like and you don’t like.

If you do get the opportunity to go into a fabric store, we always recommend exploring different fabric types. This is another way that you can understand different weights and types of fabrics in person: touching and feeling those bolts of fabric, looking at the labels, kind of, trying to do a little bit of your own recon, and don’t hesitate to reach out to shops, to ask if a specific fabric would be a good choice for a pattern. This is so much of the emails that we get at Blackbird are people saying, is this fabric good for this pattern? We love answering those questions. We’re sewists ourselves, so we have lots of thoughts about that kind of thing. And it’s not always so obvious, so most fabric shop owners are happy to help with this kind of thing. Um, so definitely don’t be shy to reach out.

We’ve also recommended, um, some books on the show in the past which we think are really great fabric guides. So Fabrics A to Z by Dana Willard and Claire Shaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide are two books that are great to have in your library as a new sewist. Fabrics A to Z is a little bit harder to find, but Claire Schaeffer’s book is more easily accessible. So if you have trouble finding one, look out for the other.

And of course, I want to direct you to all of our fabric episodes which we love putting together these episodes. So Episode 27 is Fabrics 101, Episode 103 is a Q&A all about fabrics. We have Episode 155 all about fabric shopping online. And of course, we have deep dives. So wool is Episode 164. Linen is Episode 152. Cotton is Episode 128. And we are working on more deep dives as we speak, so I’m excited to dive into some other fabrics in the future.

Helen: Yes, and I want to thank this listener for, also, the suggestion for me, as a pattern designer, to be more clear with those fabric recommendations. In the pattern instruction booklet, we, kind of, are vague. We’re like cotton, like cotton lawn, cotton batiste, and linen, like any linen. And it’s not the same as shopping in a fabric store when everything has a specific name. So I think with supplementary content on social and blog and stuff, we can help people to find more fabrics or even just listing the exact fabrics used on the product listing so that if people want to just recreate the one that the model is wearing, they can do that. I think that is super valuable. So I’m going to take that tip for my next patterns, and I appreciate it.

Caroline: Okay. Our next section is all about tips to get the right fit. And our first question is from @katkataboo, “Full bust adjustments feel scary and overwhelming.”

I guess that’s not really a question. It’s a statement that I agree with. They are overwhelming, but we want to tell you that you got this, and we got you because there are lots of resources online for full bust adjustments. We love the Curvy Sewing Collective Beginner’s Guide to a Full Bust Adjustment. We’ll link it in the show notes. It’s super detailed and has lots of great photos to help you along the way.

We also want to recommend that you use muslin or an old bed sheet or something low pressure so that you can just experiment first. Don’t do a full bust adjustment for the first time and then cut into a precious fabric and just, like, cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Helen: Yeah!

Caroline: You have to do some tests to get a feel for it and make sure that you’re doing it correctly for your body. But remember fitting is an extension of sewing. It’s easy to get swept away in hoping to sew a garment in, like, a day or two. I definitely fall prey to this. I love that, like, instant gratification, but I think that you’re going to realize that there are many components to this sewing practice that don’t involve sewing itself. And you, kind of, have to try your best to embrace each part of that process and see it as a learning opportunity.

And remember that you’re not trying to make yourself fit the clothes. You’re trying to get the clothes to fit you. So, work on that, spend some time learning about these adjustments, because in the end, you’re going to end up with clothes that you’re going to love more, that you’re going to want to wear more, that are more custom to you.And that’s really the goal with sewing, right?

Helen: Yeah. And I think compartmentalizing these different steps is really helpful because really making a full bust adjustment on a pattern, you’re just cutting up paper. You’re just cutting and taping paper. And, like, if it doesn’t work out, you just scrunch it up and throw it in the trash. Like, you’re not even at the fabric point yet. So it might feel scary, but all you’re doing is just getting the scissors and cutting some paper. And I think you can do that. And then the next step you can worry about later.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely.

Helen: Okay, @alexis_vancil wants to know, “Everything about muslins, how to make one, what fabric to use, where you find it, how to translate adjustments made on the muslin to your pattern when you’re making the garment for real, and when you make one versus when you don’t.”

We got actually a lot of questions about muslins, so you’re totally not alone. And if you call this process toiling or prototyping, there’s lots of different words for this, but a muslin is usually made in muslin fabric, which is a tightly woven cotton fabric, um, it’s pretty affordable fabric, and it is a nice woven without any stretch. So it gives you a good example of how woven garments are going to fit.

But you don’t have to use cotton muslin. You can use old bedsheets. You can use any other fabric. You can go to the discount section of your local fabric store and pick up, like, wacky printed rayons that didn’t sell very well and use those for your muslins. I do that all the time because sometimes it’s better to make your muslin of your finished garment out of something that’s more close to the actual fabric that you’re going to be using. So if you’re making jeans, you probably don’t want to muslin those in muslin, although you can. It would be better to muslin those in a similar weight denim to really give you a sense of how the, that muslin is going to fit.

And when it comes to making a muslin, you don’t need to worry about completing all the steps indicated in the pattern. You can, and that’s a good way to practice the pattern if you want to do that. But we’re typically muslin-ing to assess the fit. So focus on those primary steps that are going to help you to try on the garment. So you can baste your muslin together so it will come together even quicker, and then you can take it apart and make fitting adjustments.

And don’t bother with, like, bias binding and facings, unless you really want to practice those things because they’re just going to take up a lot of time and sewing with that cotton muslin that can be super stiff is frustrating. So you’re probably not going to enjoy that very much so I wouldn’t bother.

And when you go to try on the muslin, you’re looking for indicators of where the fit isn’t quite right. So maybe it’s feeling too tight in the bust, too loose in the hips. There’s unwanted draglines coming off of your shoulders, or there’s pooling at your lower back. Pay close attention to those areas that you might want to fix and start identifying the adjustments that you need to do in order to make those changes.

And I know that this is the hardest part, because what if you have all of those things. What if it’s too tight here, too loose there, pooling here, draglines here. Where do you start? There is really no answer to this. You need to just take it one step at a time. So identify the issue that’s bothering you the most and start there. Researching, what do I do if it’s too tight around the chest? Oh, I need an FBA. Make that adjustment. Try another muslin and then see where all those other lines are at because you cannot fix everything at once. And if you try to fix everything at once, you’re not going to know what adjustment had what effect. So you’re essentially undoing all of that hard work.

So one thing at a time, every adjustment you make is going to change the fit. And just keep in mind too, that cotton muslin, if you’re using it, is a super stiff and unforgiving. It has no give. It often looks way worse than a fashion fabric would look on you. Things kind of tent over the bust and you might see draglines there that seem like a fit issue. But then if you were to make it in like a rayon or a linen, it would actually hang better off the body and you wouldn’t be as bothered. So that’s another point in favor of using fashion fabric when you’re making a muslin, in my opinion.

Caroline: So if you want to tackle those fitting changes one-by-one, you can consult a fitting guide. So Palmer/Pletsch has the Complete Guide to Fitting. It’s a book that a lot of people like in the sewing community. This is the same authors as the Fit for Real People book. This is just an updated version.

And we also have an interview with Melissa Watson who helps to put that book together. It’s Episode 36, all about tissue fitting. So if you’re working with big four patterns, um, tissue fitting could be a great method. We also have an episode with Linda Lee, all about fitting solo, which could be a great starting point for you. That’s Episode123.

Google is your friend Googling whatever’s happening in your garment and seeing what comes up is a great starting point as well. And then engaging with the online sewing community on Instagram or through Facebook groups. Those forums that we mentioned earlier are a great place. A lot of Facebook groups, too, you can literally just post pictures and people will come to your rescue. I’ve seen it happen. It’s really great to be a part of an active Facebook community for sewing.

Helen: Yeah. And it’s important to note here, too, that it’s great to give people fitting advice if they’re asking for it. And it’s not so hot to give fitting advice to people, if they’re not asking for it. So keep that in mind when you’re in these groups.

But I want to talk about the process because this person’s asking about what to do once you have decided you want to make an adjustment. Do you make it on the muslin? Do you make a new version? Like, how does that process go?

So you do want to apply the changes that you want to make to your muslin, if you can, to test it out and then apply it to the final pattern pieces for the garment. In some cases, you’re going to be able to try things out on the muslin that you just made, things like letting out a seam allowance or taking things in or maybe to take the shoulders up to lift everything up. You can make those changes and then measure what you did and recreate them on your pattern pieces.

Other times you can actually cut into your muslin and then pin more fabric in its place. So just like if you’re making a full bust adjustment, you would make several cuts into the pattern piece, you can make those same cuts into the actual muslin that you’ve made and then pin or sew in fabric to fill in those gaps, and then you can try it on again. Yes, it is very finicky, and it can be a little challenging to wrap your head around, but it’s worth experimenting with because you never know what you might find. And then you don’t have to go through the process of cutting and sewing another muslin with the changes already on it.

Caroline, I know you did this when you were trying to figure out the fit on your Yates Coat. You, like, cut open the sides and added a little wedge panel in there in muslin, and it worked out great, right?

Caroline: Yeah. That was really helpful for me to be able to, kind of, visualize what I wanted. And then you can really know exactly how much you need to add. It doesn’t always have to involve putting fabric behind, too. Even just, like, if you’re finding you don’t have enough room in the bust, cutting into the fabric and then just seeing how much the fabric separates and, like, measuring that amount will tell you how much you need to add to that bust measurement on your pattern when you’re making that full bust adjustment. So utilizing, like, your scissors and pins and extra fabric when you’re fitting is, is really helpful for then taking that information and putting it into the pattern.

Helen: That’s so true. And sometimes the best way to proceed is to make changes to the pattern piece based on what you’ve researched, and then sew another muslin. And you can make as many muslins as you want and need to make. It’s completely up to you, but this is nice because you have the original to compare it to. So if you don’t make any adjustments to your first muslin, then you make a change. You make a second muslin. You can try both those garments on, and you can see, this is how it was before. This is how it was after.

That can be really helpful. If you’re making changes to the actual muslin that you just sewed, one thing you can do to have that before and after is take pictures or get someone else to take pictures so that you can then look at those pictures and be like, did it make a difference? Did it improve? Cause if you start cutting it up, then you no longer have that muslin to evaluate.

Caroline: It’s so true. Yeah. Keeping track of those changes and, kind of, taking photos along the way is super, super helpful.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Alright, we’re going to wrap up this episode with a little “Ask Helen and Caroline” section. I mean, isn’t this whole episode Ask Helen and Caroline? It, kind of, is.

Helen: Basically.

Caroline: Um, but this is more of an advice column section. And our first question is from @whataboutelevenses, “A big challenge I have is that I often have little, very specific questions that pop up during the course of a project, but have nowhere to go with them. They’re the kind of questions I would love to throw at another friend who’s a sewist, but I don’t have any friends who are into garment sewing. While Instagram and YouTube provide plenty of tips and tricks, I’m looking for a forum with other garment sewists where I could post some of these little questions versus spending hours looking for the right tutorial.”

Okay, so we did touch on this already in this episode, but if you’re someone who doesn’t have sewing friends nearby, consider checking out Instagram, other forums, Facebook groups, find a community that you can ask these questions to. For example, if you are looking for a Facebook group, maybe if you’re working on a specific pattern, look for the Facebook group for that pattern designer, the Bra Making Forum is a great place if you’re doing bra making. So there’s a lot of, like, niche groups that you can find to ask these questions to. Aside from that, I feel like you can, maybe, make a sewing friend that you can ask questions to.

Helen: Yeah! You totally can. You can try to find people online, obviously, all over the world. That’s wonderful about the sewing community is it is global, but you can also try to find people locally, and then hopefully, you’ll be able to make an IRL friend in the process. You can use a city sews as a hashtag. So #vancouversews, #newyorksews, #coloradosews. You can do more regional areas or even the country. See what you can find on Instagram, and see if you can connect with your local community.

Maybe there’s a Facebook group for your local sewing community as well. We have the Vancouver Garment Sewist Facebook group, um, and that’s a great way to connect with people that are in your area that will have the same access to the same fabric stores and stuff as you. Also, I want to mention taking your sewing project and your question to your local sewing studio. I think that a lot of people that run local sewing shops and run workshops are so happy to help, and they love getting sewing questions.

I’m thinking about my local sewing shop and Nicole who runs it. And she would be thrilled if you came in with a sewing question, it would make her day. So try that out, too, if you’re able to. That could be a really great resource for you.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Next step. We have a question from @sewingpoet, “My name is Marcella, and I’m just finishing my first garment. It’s a Seamwork Adria Top made of cotton lawn. And I have previously made a Costa Tote which I completely love. I struggled with getting things just right, making the darts even, getting the sleeves in. Do the two of you have any tips on how to decide if something’s “good enough,” or can you unpick and resew things too many times? Is that possible? I know some of these things just take some practice and getting things wrong, but I’m having trouble letting things not be perfect.”

Caroline: I hope that there isn’t a limit to how many times you can unpick and resew things because I would be, like, kicked out of sewing if that were the case. I want to say to Marcella that it’s okay to make mistakes and have to redo them again and again and again, and even, like, advanced sewists, like, this happens to them.

Like, I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve, like, put in a sleeve the wrong way, like, inside out multiple times and had to unpick it. Like, sometimes you just, sort of, hit that wall in sewing, and you just make the same mistake again and again, and that’s totally fine, but we do have some tips for, kind of, deciding if something is good enough.

And I think a lot of it is, sort of, personal choice, but one that I love is to take a few steps back and see if you notice the mistake. Because if you can’t see it from that far away, chances are nobody else will notice. And I think that as sewists, we notice and point out our mistakes way more than anyone else would. So try to, kind of, like, reprogram your brain and think if I can’t see it from a few feet away, maybe it doesn’t matter.

Helen: Yeah. I love this tip. We use it in our workshops all the time because people come up to the front of the class with, like, basically holding it up three inches from their eyeballs saying, look at the top stitching here. It doesn’t look right. The, you can’t see it if you take a few steps back, and no one’s looking at clothes that closely.

Or mistakes on the inside of a garment, if you get your seam allowance pointing the wrong way, it’s different than what the instructions recommended, that’s totally fine. It’s just, like, the instructions are this ideal world where if you did it all this way, it would all, like, line up and be amazing. But if it’s all facing a different way, that’s fine too. It’s really no biggie.

So if you find yourself in a moment of frustration or not knowing if it’s worth it to rip a seam out, my best tip is to just take a break and come back to it an hour later, the next day, next week, if you’re really frustrated, come back with some clarity when you’ve not been immersed in the project for hours and you’re not super frustrated with yourself, and you’ll probably have a bit more grace when you come back, and you’ll say, oh, that’s not so bad.

Caroline: It’s so true, and remember the handmade items come with unique flaws. In our recent pep talk episode, Brooks Ann Camper mentioned that she’s always embracing problems and mistakes, and she is a couture custom wedding dress designer. And she, nevertheless, embraces the handmade flaws that come up in her work. So if Brooks Ann Camper can embrace flaws, you can, too.

Helen: Yes. @wobbly.stitches wants to know, “What do you do when a project totally fails and you know you don’t want to wear the garment? It feels wasteful to make clothes and not wear them, but I can’t seem to get better without making more. Should I be recycling these garments? Not making garments? Help!”

Oh, we’ve all been there.

Caroline: Yeah, we definitely have. And although it can be disappointing, there are ways in which you can find this garment a good home, or, as you mentioned, upcycle it in creative ways to give it new life. So if it’s wearable, but maybe just not your size or you decided that it’s not your style, you could consider giving the garment to a family member or friend.

You can also maybe think about selling it on @buyselltradehandmade. That’s an Instagram account where they do, like, reselling of handmade items. And can also just do that through your personal social media accounts. You could also sell it to a curated consignment shops. Consignment shops don’t always accept handmade garments, but sometimes they do. So you could try to find one.

And then there’s also many, many ways that you can upcycle a garment. You could turn it into something completely new. We share a lot of great small project ideas in our Scrapbusting episode, which is Episode 98, and our Sewing Accessories episode, Episode 170. And you can also try to update the garment to make it more wearable.

So maybe you want to make it sleeveless or add ruffles or add embroidery, or, you know, make it your own, make it something that you actually do want to wear. Maybe you’re going to refashion the whole garment. We have an episode about that Episode 113, if that’s of interest to you. I also think, like, I use some of my muslins are, like, projects that don’t work out as, like, stuffing for poofs and things. If I really don’t know how to, how to use them, it is, kind of, sad to get rid of those things, so do try to find it a new home, if you can.

Helen: I think from a sustainability standpoint, it’s great to think about the fact that it is, it’s disappointing to make clothes and not wear them. And you feel like you’re participating in this cycle of waste. And one way that you can mitigate that is by choosing sustainable fabrics from the get-go. So using deadstock fabrics, or just using, like we’ve mentioned it so many times in this episode, like an old cotton sheet or something, if you’re just getting started sewing. You’re just using things that are already there.

You’re not using virgin goods, so you’re not diving so far into that cycle. And then if it doesn’t work out, you really haven’t added to the waste, and that can be comforting. And also, I think it’s okay if you are starting out sewing and you’re trying to learn how to make your own clothes because you don’t want to participate in fast fashion anymore and you want to have control of your wardrobe and you want to be able to make sustainable garments that you’re actually going to love and wear for a long time that are high quality, there’s going to be some projects along the way that are going to not work out, and you’re not going to be able to wear them or even give them to a friend. And hopefully, you can find another place for that. But I think, in the end, the decision that you’ve made to, to opt out of fast fashion and to make your own clothes is a huge one. It’s a huge, huge win. So continue to celebrate that, and try not to get too upset about these projects that don’t work out. You certainly should not stop sewing.

I actually have kept a lot of projects that I’ve made in the past that didn’t work out or when I was a beginner. Maybe I don’t want to wear them anymore because they don’t fit me, or I am just not as happy with the sewing, but they’re such a great representation of where I was when I started. So I have a little bin of projects that I might upcycle one day, but they’re also just there as a little reminder. It’s, like, my sewing journal, you know? So you can keep that stuff if you have room for it, too.

Caroline: Oh, that’s such a sweet sentiment. I like that. Keep those garments and then look back on them.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you all again so much for submitting your beginner questions. Let us know if we missed any topics that you’re hoping we could cover in a future episode, we’re always game to hear your suggestions. So reach out to us at [email protected].

And if you’re a beginner out there, tag us in what you’re making this week on social. We want to see it. We want to share it. We want to encourage you, so never hesitate to tag us. We always love seeing that stuff coming in.

Caroline: Yeah.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com.

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: And if you’re loving the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month, and you’ll get access to our monthly bonus episode. Contribute $10 or more a month and get a 15% off discount code for both of our shops and a bonus mini episode. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening and sending in your questions. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: We love the Carissa Look… We love the Curry Sewing Collective.

Helen: You said Curly Salon.

Caroline: I said Curry Sewing Collective. Oh my gosh.

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Saremy Duffy from Sew Sew Live joins us to talk about commercial sewing techniques and how she started live-streaming sewing projects on YouTube! Saremy talks about her extensive experience in the sewing industry and shares her top tips for bringing commercial sewing practices into home sewing.

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Follow and support Saremy and Sew Sew Live:

Sew Sew Live is live every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 11:00 am PST. Here are some garments Saremy has made live for viewers and their Sew Sew Live episodes:

Sewing tools:

Other mentions in this episode:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s interview with Saremy Duffy from Sew Sew Live.

Helen: Hello, Saremy. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Saremy: Thank you for having me.

Helen: We’re so excited to talk to you about everything that you do for the online sewing community. Can you please start us off by introducing yourself to our listeners?

Saremy: Yes. My name is Saremy Duffy, and I’ve been sewing for a really long time.

Helen: You’re not going to tell us how long?

Saremy: Uh, I, I think about 35 years now. No, I am totally open about my age. I’ll be 50 this year.

Helen: Ooh!

Saremy: I’m actually pretty excited about it.

Helen: Congratulations!

Saremy: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah. You get to join the Sewers Over 50 Club.

Saremy: That’s right. I love that group. Exactly.

Helen: Yeah, me too. Um, and where are you from?

Saremy: I’m originally from California, and that’s where I reside now. I’ve pretty much lived all over the state, and I, I really love California. It’s really beautiful, really diverse. I love it.

Helen: That’s awesome. And tell us a bit about your sewing journey: how and when did you learn how to sew?

Saremy: I learned in high school when they used to have home ec classes, I think some schools might still have them, but they’re pretty much disappearing. And I learned very grudgingly. I’ve told the story a lot because people ask me and I’m not really proud of the brat I was when they put me in a sewing class, but I was kind of a brat. I was like, you know, I don’t want to be in this sewing class, you know, but it was really the only elective available to my schedule. And the first time I actually did get out of it, and the second time I couldn’t. And then I really took to it, and it ended up really… the engineering side of it, like, how you put things together, just really blew my mind, and I loved it. And then I stayed in sewing for the rest of my years in high school, so I think three years.

And then I went on to design school because back then they didn’t say to a woman, you know, you might be a good fit for an engineering program. They were completely behind my idea of going into fashion design with a production emphasis on pattern drafting, and that’s what I did. But I really do wish I would have been encouraged to be an engineer because I just love that kind of spatial thinking and how things go together and how they are in relation to each other. It’s something I really enjoy.

Helen: Yeah. I think a lot of our listeners can probably relate to that. It’s one of the most satisfying parts of putting together a garment, seeing that 3D thing come together.

Saremy: Yes!

Helen: Very cool.

Saremy: Yeah.

Helen: So tell us a bit about the work that you ended up doing in the fashion industry. What was that like for you?

Saremy: Um, I really liked it. I didn’t much like the fashion industry itself. I think it looks a lot different on the outside than it really is. It is a really tough industry. And I did this in California, so I went to FIDM, which is the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA, and I graduated in design. And the production emphasis thing was my own, kind of, emphasis that I did, but they, you know, they allowed me to really focus on all the pattern drafting, grading, anything in that genre and focus less on sketching and things like that because I was really terrible at it.

And I went to work even while I was studying and worked as a designer or pattern drafter for lots of different companies. And the last time I was employed and not freelance, I worked in the outerwear industry, and that’s, kind of, where I ended my career as far as being employed, but I’ve never stopped working in the industry just in different ways. So, that’s basically always what I did: just design and pattern drafting, and usually both. And I always got the job because I knew how to do the pattern drafting. The designers were really easy to hire and find, and the pattern drafters, not so much.

And they, things weren’t really being exported as far as those skills until, well, I want to say about the 2000s, but I was seeing the export of all of our labor and all of our production, but I did get the privilege to work at places that had factories. And that really shaped me. And anytime I ever got, you know, headhunted for a job or whatever, I always made sure it had a factory cause I really liked that kind of atmosphere, and I only… one of the places I worked, I didn’t have one.

Caroline: Very cool. Once you finished, you said you were working for different companies as a pattern drafter designer, and then did you transition into freelance? Like, what happened after that?

Saremy: Yeah, so then I went into freelance, and I did it for… I’ve specialized in startup companies because I’m not one of those people that feels like you have to know the lingo or have graduated in something in order to do it. You know, I just feel like education hits all of us in different ways. And, you know, funnily, I, I feel like I’m the only one of my friends that actually does what I studied in college. Most of my friends went to school, finished, and by the time they were in their, like, third year, they’d say, you know, this is actually isn’t the field I thought it was. I’m not as interested in this, but I don’t want to start over, I’m just going to graduate in this. And then they go into something else, but they have a degree in this other thing.

And I think, like, having a business where I focused on startup companies, that’s what I saw, you know? I saw people that had these thriving careers in their life, but they really wanted to break into the garment industry or sewn product industry somehow. And what I did for them was the engineering, all the engineering, prototyping, spec sheets, everything they needed so that when they knocked on the door of a factory, they would actually talk with them because if they didn’t have, you know, professionally made patterns that production facility can read, they didn’t want to talk to you. And that I understand because it does, kind of, there’s just a specific style of pattern drafting. It’s not like what you see in a, you know, in a home pattern.

So, um, that’s what I did. I did that, and I had over a hundred clients. I did it for about 10 years, and you name it, I did it. I did everything from, you know, patented things, which is extremely rare. It’s, it’s extremely difficult to patent anything in the sewn products world to motocross gear with 85 pattern pieces.

I specialized in articulated garments, which means, um, cause the going into the outerwear industry really sparked my sense of pattern drafting. I loved it. I loved that there was this technical component of the garment having to function, not just look a certain way, right? So it has to fit the person. You know, if they’re a sea kayaker, it has to fit the person as if they’re in the boat holding their paddle, for it to function the best or any kind of articulation for something like that. If you’re doing a, you know, I did triathlete gear and fitness apparel, but that’s not actually considered the outerwear industry, it’s the fitness, you know, apparel, but in the outerwear world, you really get to focus on those things.

And that’s, I ended up, how I ended up getting the motocross contract because they didn’t want to, um, the place I was working at had them as like an off-season customer, and they said, hey, do you want this customer? Because we don’t, we don’t need them anymore where we’re busy on our off-season, so I took it. And so those are some of my favorite projects, was to do some of the more technical outerwear pieces with lots of pattern pieces: functional hoods and adjustments and self draining pockets and gasketed things and things like that.

But I did things as simple as, you know, a dog coat or children’s wear. I did a lot of children’s wear when I first started out in the garment industry. In fact, I worked for a really iconic brand in the eighties called B.U.M. Equipment. That was a really fun experience. So, and, the there, they did like garment dyed apparel. So, you know, there was shrinkage and all those kinds of things, so I got to learn how to do shrinkage and garment dying. And we didn’t dye on the, on the premises. It’s the only thing we didn’t do, but we got everything ready for it, and we’ve manufactured everything there. So I feel like I got off track with that question, but…

Helen: I was going to say I could listen to you tell these stories for forever. This is so cool. I can’t imagine what it’s like to design motocross gear. Like, that just sounds like so much fun, but I am curious to hear how you got into the home sewing world? Cause I know you don’t do that kind of stuff anymore. And now you’re more focused on home sewists and, you know, how people can make their garments at home. So how did you discover the online sewing world?

Saremy: Well, um, my last business was, I manufactured a line of accessories and designed it for knitters and crocheters and people in the fiber world. So, the home sewing world was really starting to kick off and boom, and I wasn’t able to participate because I was so busy with my other business. In fact, I even worked for Heather Ross when she was at Munki Munki. I don’t know if you know that fabric designer, but she and I were friends where we lived and that I feel like, right then, when she was starting to design fabrics and have them printed and, you know, I helped her with her children’s line, that right then, I feel like was that moment where people were starting to design fabrics people actually wanted.

Fabrics at the fabric stores started getting cuter and better, but fashion fabrics were still not really available, you know? Quilting had really taken over the, uh, local small fabric stores, and our only options were big box fabric stores. So finding the fashion fabrics was, kind of, tricky, but if I ever, you know, I like Josephine’s Dry Goods in Portland, Oregon, you know? And when I heard that there was a store dedicated to fashion fabrics, you bet I went there, you know? Because it’s so rare to find, it was back then, you know?

I remember the internet was, as a baby. It wasn’t really what we have today. So that, like the home sewing world, was just, like, exploding. And even my friends were like, oh my gosh, Saremy, have you seen this? Have you heard of this company? And they expected me to be keeping up on all these things. And I just, I just, couldn’t.

The only day I got to sew for myself during that, you know, 11 years having my last business, which was the manufacturing business, was my birthday. I made it a rule early on that I got to sew whatever I wanted for my birthday every year, no matter what. No matter what. And that was one of the biggest gifts I gave myself. But that was the only day of the year that I would kind of enter into the home sewing world.

So then, you know, time passes. I’m just consumed with my business. It was doing so good, uh, which was great, but I was the sewist living in a knitter’s world, and I, you know, I hate to say it, but there’s a little bit of push back from some knitters. They didn’t believe I could make them a bag and know what they needed, uh, because I only sewed, in their opinion, you know? Which for the record, I am a knitter, so, uh, that wasn’t an issue, you know? But it was this really strange thing where I’m this knit- just, you know, this sewist primarily, living in this knitter’s world, watching all this really cool stuff happening in the home sewing world, which is pretty exciting.

And then my friend convinced me to get a PlayStation. I know this doesn’t seem like this is my journey to home sewing, but I promise…

Caroline: It’s all gonna make sense in a minute, right?

Saremy: Yeah, I know. It’s just like, I don’t know. I’m just one of those weirdos. So she convinced me to get a PlayStation, and I tried it out, and I’ve always liked little games on my phone and things like that. And obviously, I like to stay busy. I’m the weirdo that likes to wash dishes. I like my hands to be busy. It’s why knitting was always great.

And I was, kind of, cooling it on the knitting because it’s really hot where I live. I had moved, recently moved to this area, and I just wasn’t even getting to wear all my sweaters that I knit through the winter. It was, just never got cold enough here. And I just didn’t want to keep creating things that I wasn’t even going to get to enjoy.

So when my friend kind of convinced me to the PlayStation thing, I was like, well, this is something I could do in the evenings? And I really got hooked. I started trying. I was terrible at it. Just for the record, I’m really, really bad. Like, they, I, my name people call me the newb, like, it’s, I’m terrible. And so I started looking up how to get better, how to do a game.

And then I learned, oh my gosh, the online gaming community is massive. It’s probably one of the biggest communities in the world. And I discovered livestreaming. And so I just loved that I could ask someone like, wait, how did you do that? Where did you just find that thing? You know, where, how did you access this? And they would reply, you know, they would tell me, and then I’d be like, oh my gosh, great. I’m not stuck in this game anymore.

You know, I just really love this interactive capability with the streamer and over something that we’re both interested in. I liked that it’s anonymous; you can have whatever name you want and just be there. No one knows that I’m almost 50, so, cause there’s a lot of, of course, inherent bias being female and being older. And it was just this really great anonymous space that I could be, yeah, a nerd about a silly game.

And I just kept thinking, like, how could I bring this into the sewing world? It took me a while to kind of wrap my head around it. And that’s really what did it, was thinking of just being able to sew with people and helping them. Because I always posted videos on my business account which was called @chickenbootsusa. And so, you know, if you look back through my @chickenbootsusa Instagram, you’ll see all these little, like, short videos of me sewing at the machine, just whatever, just to have content to put on there, whatever, or using our cutting machine or whatever. And people loved those videos. And I would get people asking me how to do things.

And I just thought, what if I could do that? What if I could sew with people and hang out and they could ask me questions and I could help them through or get unstuck, or maybe share my love of using an industrial machine? I didn’t really know, you know, what would happen. I didn’t know if anyone would even want that. Um, but I just decided to try it on the side and me and my assistant, at the time, helped, she helped me, like, set it up and let me do some trial runs where she would watch me in the next room because no one would know I was live, you know?

And that’s how I did it because how the home sewing world was the place to sew, you know? Like, I, finding the every sewer, you know, the every person to be able to help them. And it had been a while since I’d been in the home sewing world, I don’t even technically know if I’ve ever really been in the home sewing world, except when I was sewing in high school.

Caroline: It’s so cool what you do and so unique, and I think you found this really cool niche, and it makes so much sense. I mean, my partner’s a gamer, and he’s always watching videos on Twitch, and he gets so much out of it, and it makes so much sense to me that sewists would also feel like they’re getting so much out of these livestreams.

Like just that connection with somebody who’s sewing, and you’re learning these little tidbits as you go along. And I think the cool thing about you, Saremy, is that you bring so much knowledge to the table with your industry experience, things that I think a lot of sewists don’t really have the chance to learn because we’re not learning in this, kind of, like, industry fashion design setting or fashion industry setting.

So, I’d love to dive a little bit deeper into that before we move on to talking about your lives. Just talking a little bit about this commercial sewing experience and commercial pattern making experience that you have. And the first question that comes to mind, for me, is just, you know, how has your industry experience affected how you approach your home sewing and, kind of, how does that transfer over for you?

Saremy: Yeah, I feel like I didn’t really notice that I sewed differently from other home sewists until people would ask me questions, which was so great, and I’ve learned so much from my sewing community, the people that come in and hang out in my streams, you know. But one of the things that’s really hard for me to get away from, um, that I’m not really trying necessarily trying to get away from is being quick.

But, and I just want to qualify that by saying, like, I don’t feel like people need to be fast at sewing at all. And there’s certainly enough stuff in the world, right? But at the same time, I think any time your project can, kind of, keep moving along, you’re feeling those micro successes, it makes you feel more motivated to finish, and it makes you feel overall better about your, you know, the process.

And that is one thing that I really like to show is simpler ways to do things. And I think this is where I would probably not get a lot of support from pattern companies because they’re very concerned I might not, I, this is what I think, I don’t know. I never get to have a conversation with them. I’m always just, kind of, trying to figure it out, you know, like, okay. How, w-, what would appeal to them?

I think cause they’re concerned I’m not going to sew it the, maybe the quote “right way” or the way they want it to, intend for it to be sewn, or maybe it won’t have the same result or maybe it might, like, make their pattern look bad, you know, you just never know what the concern is, but the thing is, like, because of the pattern drafting experience and because I’ve worked with production floors and sample makers, which are completely different skill sets, I’ve learned there’s so many ways to get to the same end result. And none of them are right or wrong. They’re just a different path. And I think just like, we all have different learning styles, we all can have different sewing styles.

And so sometimes one person’s like, oh, I always hand sew that. Whereas for me, if you, if I have to hand sew, sew something I might pitch a fit, you know? Like, I’m such a baby about hand sewing. I’m getting better about it. My streams really made me come around and not be such a baby about it, but you know, other people are just like, oh no, no, no, I always hand sew that. That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to be fast.

But there, you know, knowing that there’s like one method that works for you and one method that doesn’t, you know, I think once you realize, oh my gosh, I don’t have to do it that way, I could go this other route. Great. Now I can sew all these things I’ve always wanted to sew because, you know, I liked the way this person sews cuffs better. And, um, that, kind of, frees them up. You know, it’s just like different learning styles or different sewing styles.

And I, I definitely have people that disagree with how I do something, but not very often. Um, it’s definitely not a Twitch gaming stream, and I was literally just watching a Twitch gaming stream before we went live so I’m right there with your husband, I watch those a lot. And I definitely try to stick to the chats that aren’t too toxic, you know? But I see it in there. I don’t get that.

My community is really nice. Sometimes we’ll get new people and, but occasionally people will say, why do you do it that way? And I love it when people ask that, because it’s not an opportunity for me to say, this is the only way. It’s an opportunity for me to say, well, what, what other way are you thinking about? Because then I can stop maybe, and if I have, if it works, I can even, like, try it their way as well and say, oh yeah, yeah, I can do it that way.

Or maybe I’ll do that one on the left sleeve, and I’ll do this other way on the right sleeve. And we can just check it out, you know? Cause I think, I’m fully willing to throw my garment under the bus of experiment. Like I am fully like, okay, let’s do it, you know? And everyone else is like, oh my God, don’t do it, you know? Like, no, let’s try it. Let’s see what happens. I don’t mind sacrificing my garment. That’s the only way you get better is making mistakes and learning how to fix them. It’s just, like, mistakes are good.

So there’s really few times where I’m like, oh shoot, how am I going to come back from this, you know? So, so I wouldn’t do it if I’m like, eh, that’s not gonna work out, you know? But…

Helen: Yeah, I love that you’re encouraging your viewers, and our listeners, to approach things in different ways. And to just know that there are lots of different ways to get to that end result and that there isn’t a right or wrong because so much of our sewing learning online, it’s often presented that way, that this is the correct way to do something.

And I’m in the same camp as you where I like to experiment. And we actually collaborated on a little sew along, and I had so much fun watching you sew. And I know that you were nervous about maybe doing it a little different than the instructions, but it was so cool to see. And people already have the instructions so you might as well show them a different way.

Saremy: Yeah. Absolutely.

Helen: Yeah.

Saremy: Yeah.

Helen: Are there things that you think about when we’re talking about differences between commercial sewing and home sewing? Are there specific techniques that come up a lot where there’s, like, a, a difference in the way that you would approach something, some examples that you could share with our listeners?

Saremy: Ooh, nothing really comes, specifically comes to mind, but I definitely, like, there’s, half the time I will read it through the instructions of whatever I’m going to sew, and half the time, I don’t. I really try to come to the stream with a raw experience as possible, so we’re all in it together.

There are definitely bigger projects where I need to plan ahead, and I look, and I want to see how they’re going to do it. Or if, I think, like, okay, this is a really high profile garment. I know a lot of people might see this stream, so I probably should look at the instructions and, kind of, stay somewhat close. But, that being said, I am not going to force myself to do it if I just don’t think, I feel, like, that way is a little painful, you know?

And I, kind of, know my stream now, too, and I know what kinds of sewing they do and what they like and what makes them more confident and more nervous. So I can, kind of, pick a method based on that. I know that sounds probably really detailed, but there really are just so many ways to do every step.

So I guess a jeans fly. The way a jeans zipper fly is described in instruction packets is so different every time and I’m always like, I hate it when I’m like, oh, wait a minute. I don’t know what they’re saying here, you know? I don’t ever think that whoever made that pattern is wrong because their method might speak to someone else, you know? It’s just, we, do you put the toilet paper roll over the top or under the bottom, you know? It’s, like, it’s not a big deal. They both work.

Caroline: I beg to differ, Saremy. I think that people who put their toilet paper roll on backwards are just, no, it’s not allowed.

Saremy: Well, there’s only one way in my house, too.

Caroline: That’s such a great example. A jean’s fly is one of those techniques that can be done in a dozen different ways and different patterns have different instructions. And I think that is an area where, as a sewist, you can decide which method works the best for you, for your brain, for how you approach sewing, and then, kind of…

Saremy: The fabric.

Caroline: Exactly! The fabric. And then, kind of, adjust to fit what you want to do and how you want to approach it. And I think that can be applied in a lot of different ways.

Saremy: Yeah, and for something like that, specifically, if I’ve noticed something might be a little like, ooh, you know, there might be a little better way to do this. I hopefully have noticed that by the time we’re cutting it out, which is my first stream on the project. And I can say, you know what, this little piece right here, I’m going to do this one little thing to it. Cause I’m going to set it up to sew it this way, but hopefully, I don’t have to do that at all. I can just use the exact same pieces and sew it a different way which is, nine times out of 10, what you can do.

And then that way I can just say, hey, if you want to follow the instructions, go for it. But at this point, right now, I’m going to be sewing this my way, or, you know, not my way, just this other way, using the same pieces, you know? So I think that that’s just giving people that option, but there’s definitely, I’ll get a comment on an uploaded livestream, you know, you didn’t sew it the way the instructions said, you know, they’re really upset at me. And I can talk for a long time about that, just that kind of interaction. You know, why is that expected of me?

Caroline: Yeah, and I mean, at the end of the day, they’re your livestreams. So I think that what you choose to teach or how you choose to teach is totally up to you. So, you know, those people giving you grief, eh, forget about them.

Saremy: Yeah, exactly. I’ve definitely had some very funny interactions that I’ve posted on Instagram, maybe on a day where I’m feeling a little bit salty about it. Cause it’s like, like famously, I recently had someone comment on my video, uh, an uploaded video, and they said, “Shut up and sew.” That was their comment.

And, you know, sometimes, I actually, I respond to every comment. I will say, I respond to every comment if I haven’t it’s because I somehow weirdly didn’t see it. And for someone to treat me that way, I’m not going to let them treat me that way. A lot of people are just like block and delete. You can’t do that on YouTube. Um, you can delete the comment, but you can’t block someone, um, not in the way that you think. And so they can just create another account. It’s no big deal.

Um, and this person definitely didn’t have a real name. And so I try to look at it like, you know, this is someone really frustrated. They are at this point at this pattern, this particular pattern, and they’re really frustrated, and they just want to get to it. They want it to be solved. They want to be at the end, and they want to be successful. Cause I just try and feel like, what would make say that.

Caroline: Yeah.

Saremy: So then, I just replied to him, and I just said, this is a livestream. And I just really kindly explained it and blah, blah, blah. And he replied. We ended up having, like, a 10 comment back and forth in my YouTube comments.

And this is, like, 8:00 PM on a Sunday night. You know what, people? I don’t really want to be doing that at 8:00 PM on a Sunday night. But at the same time, now he, I’ve seen him in the livestream saying hi now. And so I feel like that was an opportunity to, kind of, say, what do you need, you know? What are you looking for?

I know I’m not fast, but you can hit the screen, double tap the screen and hit, go 20 seconds forward. You can speed this up. You can play back the speed at two times the speed, you know, there’s a lot of things you can do that might get him where he needs to be. You know, so it’s, it bugs me, but I use it as an opportunity, hopefully, you know?

Helen: It sounds like you have a really positive attitude about that, and I’m sure you really turned him around. Maybe he’ll stop leaving rude comments on other people’s channels, too.

Saremy: Right? Yeah. I know. I think, oh, with a name like that, you’re already setting yourself up to do that. I can tell that’s what you do.

Helen: That’s what you’re here for. Oh, yeah.

Saremy: He doesn’t know that I spend my time in Twitch chats with 15 year old boys, and I’m going head to head with them all the time. Like, come at me, bro. I got this.

Caroline: Okay, well, I would love to pivot for a second and talk about the fact that you use an industrial sewing machine because I think that this intimidates a lot of sewists. People are maybe interested in learning more about industrial machines, but they’re so, like, big and heavy and fast and scary. So I would love to get more from you on that topic and just, kind of, hear about what machine you use and why we should not be afraid of industrial sewing machines.

Saremy: I love my industrial. I sew on a Juki 8700-7, and just a full disclaimer, I am not an expert on industrial machines. I know how to use my industrial machine very well. And I’ve been using an industrial machine for a very long time. I want to say, ooh, 25 years at least, but I’ve known how to use one since college. They do teach you how to use it.

Uh, and I think I got one pretty, s-, like, in my college years. Yeah, I did actually. I don’t still have that one. So I’ve actually had an industrial almost consistently for 30 years. The one I have right now has electronics on it. And what that means is that I can do a couple of automated things.

Like, my back tack can be automated, but if you watch me sew, you’ll see that I don’t usually have that enabled. Um, it also has, uh, auto thread snip, and it raises and lowers the presser foot automatically. And those two features, hands down, are some of my favorite things about my machine because it frees my hands up.

You’ll also see, I don’t sew with very many pins. I am not anti-pin at all. I use pins and clips that… You need it, you use it. Like, there’s nothing wrong with that, but because my hands are always available, I can hold my work as it goes under the needle, you know, it’s just so great, you know, I have that capability. And the way I am able to engage those mechanisms with the auto thread snip, the auto back tack, and the raising and lowering is with my feet.

So you’ve probably seen knee lifts and then, and the knee lift can raise and lower a presser foot. Um, mine doesn’t have that. My old one does, and I actually have used an industrial for so much, I got a repetitive motion issue in my hips from using my knee lift.

So I’m not here to say that’ll happen to everybody, but if you are a production sewist, you might consider switching to a heel lift, because it’s a far more ergonomic action. So I just tilt back on my heels. It’ll raise my presser foot. If I push down a little harder, it’ll back tack or thread snip, and I’m oversimplifying that, but yeah, it’s really simple.

And I have a whole video dedicated to showing how this happens, but you’ll see it. And in fact, newcomers to my stream will often say, what’s that sound? And, um, if you’ve ever been a livestream, there’s usually commands that you can type in a chat. Uh, usually you can just write “!commands” and then you’ll find out what all the commands are in that live chat. And we have one exclamation point noise. And so people, like a fellow viewer, can just, if someone asks that, they can just write that command, and it’ll answer the question for them.

Because sometimes I might not see the question cause I’m busy looking down, and I’m sewing, and it’ll explain, oh, you’re hearing her presser foot go up and down cause it does make a noise. And sometimes, um, my machine’s name is Phoenix. So it even says, you know, Phoenix is getting impatient for Saremy to keep sewing because when I pull my work out, the presser foot sitting up and in the up position. But after a while, it’ll, it’ll come down if I don’t keep sewing, like, engage it again. So sometimes you’re hearing that.

That’s a little bit about the things my machine does, and there’s other electronics, uh, configurations, like I can, I can change the distance or the number of stitches in the, the back tack does at the beginning or the end. And there’s other things you can do. Some of the electronics panels, you can, maybe, if you stitch a square label down all the time, you can set it up, and it’ll do it automatically. There’s you know, so there’s some basic things like that.

One of the biggest things I love about my machine is how much pressure it puts on the fabric. So if I’m making a pretty heavy duty project, and I’m, kind of, hoiking on it, it doesn’t pull it out from under the machine, and it stays in there, and I really love that. My machine always stops needle down as well which helps that. It also sits flush in a table which is more ergonomic, and I really like that it doesn’t sit above the table.

And you can adjust the speed. So being nervous about the speed, you will get used to it, like, you, you will. And it’s funny cause if I go back to my old one, it’s a little zippier than this one, and it always catches me off guard, but I immediately, kind of, get used to it. But you can, you can adjust that. So I can talk about this a lot. So I’ll let you ask me what you want to know.

Helen: I think that as a great introduction for our listeners. And I think the only other question that I would like to know is: where does one get an industrial machine if someone’s interested? Is it, like, a Craigslist thing usually? Cause it seems like it’ll often times, they are used or they’re from production facilities, right?

Saremy: Uh, yeah. Um, I did want to say one other thing, your machine can be calibrated to what you sew.

Helen: Oh, cool.

Saremy: Cause I did see, I did want to, like, I wrote some things down like home versus a commercial machine, and I did want to say that, like, if I want to just only sew lingerie on this, I could calibrate it for that. Uh, mine’s calibrated more for middle of the road, you know? So, like, a lot of garment sewing and, and a little bit of heavy duty sewing. And that all has to do with, like, the timing.

So my needle size, I can go up to about a size 18, and I probably shouldn’t go below a size 12. That’s where my, kind of, like, the sweet spot of what my machine likes, because the timing is really the most important thing about this machine. It’s the thing that they, you have to have, uh, calibrated for whatever you’re sewing.

So anyway, as far as buying a machine, I’ve done it many ways. I’ve done it off of Craigslist. I’ve done it from, uh, factories going out of business. I’ve done it directly from a sewing center. That’s where I got this one, and I went and got to try it out. And I’ve also gotten them from Texas. I’m in California, and I ordered, like, two of the machines sitting here I had ordered from a place in Texas, and I said, oh, I want a binding attachment on one of them, and I gave him my specifications, and they sent them fully assembled on a pallet to my office.

Helen: Wow.

Saremy: And then all you do is pour the oil into the pan. And so if you don’t get a machine with electronics, it’s even simpler because the electronics, there are a few extra things you have to plug in. But one of my viewers, I’ve had a few viewers get, um, ind-, industrials, since I’ve been streaming and I’ve tried, I’m not trying to sell industrials, I promise. I feel like you get, you use the machine that works for you, you know? I don’t have a zig zag, I don’t have a stretch stitch, so I am limited, but you’ll see, I do all those things anyway because that’s just, kind of, my style.

But she put like, um, one of my viewers, she was like, I put the whole machine together myself, even though it was electronics, she goes, I was nervous, but it worked. I did it and followed the schematic, and it worked out. I always recommend buying used if you can. They’re so affordable. This one I’m sewing on is my very first brand new industrial I’ve ever had in my 35 years, and it cost me $1,800. And new home sewing machines aren’t cheap, so I feel like it’s pretty affordable. If you wanted to get it without the electronics, $800 brand new. That’s really affordable. It’s just not portable, you know? So…

Caroline: Yeah, and you made a good point that I want to stress again. For anyone out there that doesn’t have experience with industrial machines that, you know, they don’t do a zig zag or a stretch stitch. So when you’re buying an industrial, it’s just a straight stitch, you know, the classic one is just a straight stitch.

I have some experience with industrial machines because I used them in college when I studied fashion design. And out of school, I bought one second hand. And in Montreal where I grew up, like there’s, there were a lot of production facilities, way back. And so a lot of places were closing, and I was able to get one really affordably.

Saremy: Yeah, perfect.

Caroline: But they are so heavy, too. And that’s, like, a couple of things that other people might not realize about machines, if you don’t have experience with them, the industrial machines is that they are so heavy. I had an experience where I was living in, in the Plateau in Montreal in, like, a walk-up…

Saremy: This involves stairs, doesn’t it?

Caroline: Oh, yes. I had to carry this industrial machine up, like a spiral outdoor staircase, and then up another staircase inside. And my brother was helping me. And there was a point where, like, I was pinned against the wall with, like, this industrial machine, and I was like, I’m going to die here today. It was so, so intense, but that…

Saremy: Yeah. It is something to keep in mind. And, um, if you don’t get the electronics, you can just remove the head of the machine. It’s really easy to put the belt back on the, uh, hand wheel. I promise. You know, so, but I do want to back up and say, you can get an industrial that has a zig zag.

Caroline: Oh, ok. Yeah.

Saremy: So that’s, yeah, you can get industrials to do, kind of, a pretty amazing amount of things, but some of them may take a while to get here if they’re from Japan. And, um, that’s why I try and go the used route is really great. You can also get lots of attachments. Like I said, the binding attachment I got, $35 and I can do binding, like, price for happiness, you know? So, that’s pretty cheap, but yeah, moving them is, kind of, a bear.

And one time I did have to bring, uh, one of the machine heads to Sacramento which is about an hour and a half from here. And usually my mechanic comes to me, but I had to bring it in this time because he was in the hospital, and I was desperate. And so I had to unhook it all and bring it, and it was fine. We all lived. And it was so much easier because usually, if there’s anything up with, going on with your industrial, it’s the machine itself, not the table where the motor is, and they just plop your machine into a table and do the work.

So it’s, it definitely is, like, if you move a lot, and I have been lately with my office, you might lose a few friends over, if you ask them. I can speak to experience because I also have big tab-, like, heavy tables. And I definitely have had more than one friend, I’ve probably had three say, I’m never moving this with you again, and now I just hire people.

Caroline: Yeah. My brother’s stuck with me.

Helen: It’s like a piano or something.

Saremy: Good thing he’s stuck with you.

Caroline: He has no choice, but he still tells that story to this day. And it was, like, 15 years ago. So, um…

Saremy: You’re like, try living with it, dude. I have to always move it.

Caroline: But yeah, no, that’s, that’s so cool. And it’s so interesting to hear, you know, your experience with an industrial machine and what you love about it. And I totally agree. They are, you know, they have just this power to them that I think is really fun once you get past that intimidation factor, having a machine that can just do a little bit more, and it just obviously it’s industrial, so it’s, it’s designed to take a lot more than our home sewing machines. So definitely try it out, listeners, if you’re interested. You can get one at a good price and, and give it a go.

Saremy: Yeah, I have a whole video about, like, I pit my three machines against each other, a home machine, this industrial, and my industrial without electronics. And at the end, I really stress that if you are going to buy an industrial, or any machine, honestly, bring the fabrics you sew.

Like, I brought on an entire pocket bucket that I, it was a pattern I had in my line at the time, which has stiffener, vinyl, binding, all of it. And I sat there, and I sewed it, you know? I, by the end, I had a little crowd, so I can’t guarantee you might not be left alone, but at the same time, you really should try the machine cause then they can say, oh, that can be calibrated. That can’t be calibrated.

And if you’re like, but I sew too many different things. Just bring a few pieces of fabric from your last few projects and give it a go because that’s really, it’s more than just about if the machine works or not. It’s how you get along with it and how you feel with it. So they should let you do that if you get to buy it in person.

Helen: Yeah. Yeah. That’s really great advice. And it’s so fun watching you sew on your industrial machine in your videos, too. So people can just watch some of your livestreams if they’re interested in seeing what some of the differences are with these machines.

And I do want to talk more about your livestreams, and I’m not even sure if we fully mentioned the name of your streaming, which is Sew Sew Live. Everybody got to go and subscribe because there’s so much great stuff on there. Can you tell our listeners what they will find when they get to your channel?

Saremy: Yes. Yeah. So my s-, my stream on, I livestream on YouTube, primarily. I have tried doing it on Twitch as well, but it’s pretty hard to do stream on both at the same time because of terms of service and things like that. So I primarily am on YouTube, and mostly, you’re going to find that I like to sew a garment from start to finish.

And so I will cut it out on one stream, and then we’ll sew it in one or two streams. So recently, I did a bigger project, and there were five total videos, but I really, um, wanted to take my time with it. And it was a fully lined jacket that I ended up waterproofing. So that one, you know, I had a couple of fitting streams, a cutting stream, and then a bunch of sewing streams. And that’s usually what I do.

And you’ll see on the thumbnail, what I, what I plan on doing. So you can, kind of, see, okay, well, I’m only stuck on this one part of this project. So I’m going to look for the thumbnail that covers that cause usually I’ll write on the thumbnail, oh, this is the one with the zipper fly in the waistband.So you can just watch that one if it’s an uploaded livestream and, um, that’s mainly what I do or, you know, products like bags and floor poufs and dog coats.

We do anything. I’ll do whatever. I don’t care. I, I, sew anything like I, I’m one of those people that just barrels towards a challenge, you know? I want to get it over with sometimes. And if I’m nervous, I just, like, barrel towards it.

So, uh, I do have quick uploaded videos on specific things like how to French seam a set-in sleeve or how to set in a sleeve or how to sew zipper fly, how to do French seam side seam pockets, binding a neckline, drafting a facing, like, like 20 minute long videos. So those are there as well. Binding. I am a huge fan of binding, and I bind a lot. So there’s a few videos dedicated to that as well, but mostly, you’re going to see pretty long videos.

And just as a tip, not all my vid-, videos have timestamps in them yet. But if they’re there and you have your mouse over the time bar of the video, just, kind of, at the bottom of the screen, if you see it in chunks and little titles, it has timestamps, and then you can go directly to the step you’re looking for.

And that goes for anybody’s videos. So if you want to see the timestamps, you just tap the title of the video and the description will open up and below there are, is a list of timestamps, and I’ve been really fortunate that some of my viewers have been giving them to me, as a gift, you know? So they’re, say, hey, I’m going to do the timestamps for the Tamarack jacket, and then they email them to me, and I can put them in which is super nice and helpful. So we’re making our way through it. I’ve done over 500 videos now. So it’s gonna be a while.

Caroline: Wow. 500 videos. That is an accomplishment.

Saremy: Right?

Caroline: That, wow, that’s amazing.

Saremy: I had no idea. I totally missed the milestone and everything.

Caroline: So when do you livestream? Like, how often and how would our listeners join in if they wanted to.

Saremy: So I usually am live Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday and 11:00 AM Pacific. It definitely leaves out a lot of folks at that time. So if you’re someone that would really love to be in a livestream and I’m never live at a time that works for you, please tell me that. I, cause I want to know that. I’m flexible. I finally just settled on that time, and I really like having one time per week so that it’s consistent, but it’s not set in stone.

So usually on a Wednesday, we’ll cut it out. Thursday, we’ll sew part on. And Saturday we’ll sew part two. And then sometimes it’ll spill over into the next week, and that’s generally what I do, and the uploaded videos just happen when I have the time to do it because I don’t, you know, like, editing takes awhile, so they just happen whenever, but that’s generally my schedule.

And when you join the livestream, there’s a couple of interesting things that we’ve all learned as a stream together. If you look, if it’s live, it’ll have, like, a little red icon in the corner that says it’s live, and then you’ll just need to look for the “show chat” or “hide chat,” uh, little, uh, text. It’s small and, or it’ll, maybe it might, I don’t think it says “join chat.” I think it just says “show chat” or “hide chat.” And then you’ll be able to see everyone talking. It’s different than commenting on a video because a comment would just live there below a video, like we’ve all seen.

Um, chat is a little different, then there’s one other little thing at the top of the chat window to the left, it’ll say “top chat” or “live chat.” And we all have learned that you need to enable live chat because otherwise you might miss certain comments, and I do not know why this is. I’ve never figured it out, but I definitely was like, what is everybody responding to? What did this person say? I didn’t see it. And then I realized it’s because of that weird little thing.

I watch the, the stream on YouTube like everyone else does. I do not watch it from the Creator Studio which is, as a streamer, that’s what I have, mainly because of, the font’s too small, and I can’t enlarge it. And cause, because you remember, my machine’s between me and my computer, it’s just too far away. So I see the stream how other people do.

So typically I sometimes might not even know how many viewers are in the stream and someone will say, Saremy, there’s, like, 40 people here. And I’m like, oh great, you know? So it’s kind of funny. I don’t like, I like those, I like statistics, but I, I will also miss, I’ve missed all my subscriber milestones. Someone will told me, Saremy, you got over 6,000. I’m like, I did? So I am just here for the people.

Caroline: That’s so cool though. I’m just imagining, like, if you were teaching this class or doing this in person, you’d have 40 people in front of you watching. Like, that is so cool.

Saremy: Yeah. Yeah. I watch a lot of gaming streams and I know, like I watched a streamer who has 60,000 people watching him play the video game. But the thing is those aren’t really the streams I like to hang out in. I really like hanging out in the small communities, and I watch some really popular streamers making a living doing this, and they have 10 to 20 viewers. They have no clue I have more viewers than they do for sewing which makes me feel good some days, but they’re making more money than me so we can see the priorities, but it is pretty cool.

Caroline: Yeah, it is so cool. I’m also curious, what do you think are some of the benefits of participating in a livestream, watching a livestream versus like, you know, an edited video that you might find on YouTube? What do you think livestream brings to the table?

Saremy: Ah, yes. The edited video. The bane of my livestreaming existence. I’m just teasing. Okay. Full disclosure if I’m, when I would tell someone, like a knitter, like, oh, you know, look up a little tutorial and look for the shortest one. That’s what I would say. So I am pay-, this paybacks for me right now.

So yeah, I, what I like about a livestream is you’re not going to miss anything. You’re going to see me make mistakes. I guarantee it. Um, mistakes with every stream are guaranteed. Um, you’ll see how I fix it. You get to ask me anything. You can challenge me. You can ask me to sew it a specific way. You can derail the stream with your sewing issue, you know? I, sometimes that happens where we’re all like, ooh, I don’t know. What would we do? You know? And we’re all kind of fig-, trying to figure out the pattern someone’s looking for, you know?

I really like that it’s interactive, and you interact with other people, you know? And you’ll start seeing regulars there, and they’re all very friendly group, and it’s open to everybody, and there are people of every persuasion in there. And I love that because it’s just this nice, equal playing ground that way, you know? We’re all there for one reason. And so if you’re, kind of, looking, for that space where…

And there’s lurkers, too, and lurking is definitely a livestream term for someone who just wants to watch, likes the live experience, but maybe just doesn’t want to be involved in chat. You do not have to chat. And if this helps you join a chat, I cannot see who is in my chat, you know? I can’t see who likes my videos or dislikes my videos if that helps you, you know?

That, that kind of an anonymity is there as opposed to Twitch. Twitch, you can see who’s in a chat very easily. I don’t think it’s even possible in YouTube, maybe in that Creator Studio which I don’t look at, but once it’s uploaded, you can’t see it at all. I can’t see who’s liked it, disliked it, or was in the chat unless they said something.

Caroline: Yeah. So, and obviously, I mean, all of these people are excited to watch your videos because they are learning from you, an experienced professional with this industry experience. I think that that is bringing so much value to the table for your audience.

And you mentioned mistakes a minute ago, that you, you do make mistakes, and I’d love to talk a bit more about that. Like, how do you handle that in the moment when you’re live and people are watching and you make a mistake?

Saremy: Well, first I just shut the stream down and crawl under my desk. That’s what I want to do, but I can’t. And you know what, it’s, it’s more that I’m just like, gosh darn it. I was getting hungry. Now, I can’t, I can’t stop. I have to fix this. You know?

So yeah, that one time on Myosotis Dress that I serged through the front of the skirt. Yep. That happened live on camera. I hadn’t serged through the middle of my garment in 25 years, and I did it. And when it happened, I knew before the chat did, and I was like, oh no, you know, so then I could fix it. And I got really lucky with where it was at. So I think the one comment I hear a lot from viewers is how comfortable I am with my seam ripper. I view the seam ripper as a tool. There’s no shame in it. And I find that there’s still a lot of the sewing community does feel some sort of shame using a seam ripper. I feel like that’s this carry over from when I was in home-ec sewing, you know?

When I, the way I like to liken it is I have a few, like, little is euphemism the term, um, or like weird little ways of looking at it is, you know, a hammer comes with both tools on one tool, right? So you have the way to put that nail in and the way to take the nail out. And there’s no shame in using the claw side of a hammer, right? So why is there any kind of shame using a seam ripper?

I have three tools on my sewing machine. Always. I have my seam ripper, my awl, and my scissors. That’s it. I use all three of those constantly through everything I sew all throughout. And I couldn’t sew without it. If I notice I don’t have my seam ripper, I go find it, and I bring it back. So it’s something you need, and I do make mistakes. It’s just how it is.

And, but what I have learned is sometimes I’ll have to go back and watch one of my videos because of a timestamp or whatever reason. I rarely do. It’s hard for me to watch my own video. Uh, but I have to. I will notice that I had a mistake. You couldn’t even see it on the camera, and then I’d spend 20 minutes fixing it. I’m like, shoot, I could have just not said anything, and fixed it later, you know, like maybe the topstitching was a little crooked and I’m like, oh shoot, and then I pull it out. Yeah. Do I want to fix it? Yes. But is it really critical to the process that they’ll watch me fix that? Not in general, you know?

So I’m getting better about going, I’ll just fix that later. They know how to do that. You know what I mean? Like, they, you know, and I, and I don’t, like, hide it. I just say, oh shoot, that’s a little crooked, you know, like I put two of my snaps on my Kelly Anorak on upside down, like, come on.

Caroline: But you know what, I think that’s so relatable. And I think that’s another valuable thing about watching a livestream versus watching an edited video is that you’re actually witnessing these things happen in the moment and seeing somebody who is confident and positive and, kind of, has this go with the flow attitude like you do. People are seeing that in real time.

And I think it makes the whole sewing process less intimidating when you can watch someone make a mistake and work through it and, kind of, feel like you’re, you know, having maybe those similar experiences in your sewing practice and learning that, you know what, it’s okay. And you can still move on and, and be easygoing and positive and have a good sewing experience even when those mistakes happen. So I think you set a great example in that way.

Saremy: Thank you. Yeah, I mean, one of the things I used to say was, you know, you know, we, you don’t know how to make a grilled cheese perfectly the first time you do, you know, 10 of them before you figure out the heat and how much butter and cheese and how much time and whatever, right?

We don’t get that opportunity with a garment. You’re usually only sewing one. So to expect this, kind of, level of ready to wear, minimum ready to wear perfection, um, which we all know ready to wear is not even perfect at all. Now that we’ve all been looking at our clothes and knowing, oh gosh, I bought this, and it has these crazy things on it and these threads flying off and seams coming out like I, you know?

So why do we put that kind of pressure if you don’t get to sew 10 of them first, you know? Even, uh, even doing a toile or a prototype or a muslin, you, you know, that’s not enough, you know, because usually you’re just working through a fit issue. You’re not actually sewing the garment the way it will be sewn with your real fabric. So expecting that, putting that kind of expectation on yourself is just completely it’s, it sucks the fun out of it, you know? It really puts a lot of pressure on yourself.

I have sewn production style for my own business, so I know, you know, what it takes to get to that point where it’s mindless, and it does come out exactly how I intended it to come out. And I think that, kind of, um, thinking about it that way, like, you know, like, for me, I’m learning, trying to learn how to sketch right now. And what is in my head is not coming out, you know, through the darn iPad pencil thing, you know, so, and I think that’s the thing.

And like, to get to that point in sewing where, what you planned, what you intended and how it ends up is all the same. It takes a long time, you know? So, you know, and then on top of it, maybe you did sew that garment twice before, but each time you did it in rayon, and the third time you’re doing it in double gauze, and now you just want to throw it in the trash, you know, because that double gauze has a mind of its own or whatever. So it’s, and it feels like a completely different garment.

So I dunno, be-, being kind, we, we like to say in my stream, be kind to your future self you know? Do things to kind of be kind to your future self. Set yourself up for success. And the other thing I like to say is, you know, let it know who’s boss. You really like, I really firmly believe in that. In fact, I feel like that I know the day I got better at sewing, and it was when I decided that no, I’m the boss of this, you know? And I just, I, I just didn’t accept anything different than what I wanted for whatever I was stitching in that moment, you know? And it, and it took me stopping and starting and stopping and starting, stopping and starting to where me and the machine finally understood what I wanted and how to do it.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. You do have to be kind to yourself and also, kind of, take control of the situation with sewing sometimes and be like, I can do this. And one of the things that we love about you is that you are so willing to, kind of, tackle anything. You even said earlier, “I’ll sew anything.” And I love that about you. And I think it’s such a great example to set as well. And I wonder if you have any words of encouragement for our listeners out there who maybe feel like they have trouble tackling those, those challenging projects or just getting started. Like, as beginners, I think sometimes sewing can feel so intimidating and, and, like, there’s so much that you have to learn, but you just take on everything. So I’d love a little pep talk about that.

Saremy: Well, I think one thing to remember is that when you talk about sewing, it sounds like sewing is one thing, but it’s not, right? It’s so many different types of things and made in so many different types of fabrics.

So if you were going to specialize in, um, sails for boats, you’re probably not, even though you’re sewing 12 hours a day on, you know, sails for boats or parachutes, which I’ve actually known a factory that did that, you’re not probably going to entrust them to fix your fly zipper or your bra hook that fell off, right? You know? Like, that person, maybe, never have sewn those types of things.

So because there’s so, a greater versatility in home sewing, like we can sew whatever we want. You’re also trying to be a mini expert in all these different genres, you know? So I know that when I start sewing, uh, lightweight fabrics, I, kind of, got to get my sewing legs under me again, you know? I gotta remember, oh yeah, I need to, kind of, do this and do that and get these pins out. And it, kind of, usually is fits and starts before I, kind of, remember the things I really need to, to ensure success on that project.

So if you’re new to sewing, you probably haven’t figured out where your skills are at yet. As far as like, you may want to sew bras, but you might find out you’re really good at sewing knits. It’s just something your fingers really handle the fabric really well. You understand how the fabrics shift amongst them, you know, like when their, their being sewn, um, how the stretch works, how the finishing is.

And even though you really wanted to learn how to make your own bra, you’re learning that, oh, shoot, knits are actually the way to go as far as sportswear goes, you know? So becoming a mini expert in all these different genres, you know, don’t expect that of yourself. Just, just go with the flow and see what you like.

And then you may find that what you like to sew and what you’re good at may be two different things. Um, so, and I just laugh because that’s how I feel with sketching right now. Because I’m a ner-, a novice, and I am definitely like, oh gosh, I’m really good at this, but I want to sketch this, you know, so yeah.

Helen: I’m sure there’s a livestream for sketching out there.

Saremy: There is! Yeah, I did not, and, and incidentally, I did not invent livestreaming sewing. There’s plenty of amazing cosplayers out there, uh, on Twitch. If you want to look at sewing on Twitch, they have a category called, uh, makers and crafting. That’s where you’re going to find them.

You’re also going to find a lot of other really interesting crafts on there, so… and even how to change your oil in a car. Like I’ve seen all kinds of cool stuff on there.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: Very cool.

Saremy: It’s a lot harder to find on YouTube. YouTube’s, kind of, a mess as far as navigation goes.

Helen: So, um, I have a tangent question before we wrap things up here, and it’s relating to something you said earlier about your three tools that you keep next to your machine: your seam ripper, your scissors and your awl. And I want to know what’s the awl for, Saremy?

Saremy: Boy. I feel like that’s the one sponsorship I should probably go after. But I never ask for anything, so I guess you don’t get anything unless you ask for it, right? But I think I’ve converted 25% of the awl users in the world.

I’m really into my tapered tailor’s awl. And I use it as, like, a pointy finger. The-, one of the reasons I don’t need a lot of pins sometimes is because my awl, I can hold it in place with the awl while I’m sewing, and I can get very close to the needle, right? Cause it’s not my finger, especially with binding. I use it a lot in binding, and that’s where I, kind of, perfected using it.

I’ve had an awl for a really long time. I never used it for sewing until I started learning how to bind, and I was binding bags. So, yeah, that’s why I use it. It doesn’t work for everybody. Um, I tried a seam ripper, and that’s just not the same because there’s a blade on the, on the seam ripper. And there are stilettos, and they’re not the same. Um, but if it works for you great.

For me, I like this tapered tailor’s awl. Mine’s even yellowed. It’s so old. I lost my first one. I actually think someone took it, funnily. It was a blue handled one I got issued in college. So they even issued me one. But yeah, that’s what I use. I use it as, like, a pointy finger.

I, I think when you were saying how people really like how I don’t mind making mistakes, that’s not quite true. They definitely get nervous when I’m doing certain things, and it’s, kind of, cracks me up. They’re like, oh my God, you’re making me nervous. Like, with certain things I’ll be trying to sew, you know?

And the awl sometimes makes people nervous how close I get, but because an awl is rounded, the needle, even if it hits it, is going to graze off of it. It’s not like hitting a pin that’s static or other items. And so I’ve never had an issue with the needle and the awl. I feel like it’s, uh, better, you know, and, but I change my needle a lot as well, a lot more than most people, too. So, so yeah.

Helen: That’s really cool. Thank you for sharing that. I’m going to get my awl out now because I have only ever used it to poke holes in jeans, so…

Saremy: Oh yeah, exactly. Yeah. I’ve done that, too. Yeah. It is handy. Give it a try. I mean, you might find it’s nice in just, I especially like, you know, doing a collar stand, holding, like, a folded edge down or a cuff or anything like that. It’s perfect. Hems. Anything I’m folding the fabric. I fold it. I don’t ever use pins. I just fold it and hold it with the awl.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: Awesome. Okay. I have another question that I think you’ll find a bit awkward, but how can our listeners support you? I know you’re providing the stream as a real service for the community. And you’re just there for the people. And you just want to give back, but I also know that you are making a living from this. So how can our listeners support you in your livestreaming if they want to join in?

Saremy: Well, you know, I appreciate you asking me that because I’m trying to get better about being more transparent. Um, not that I’m hiding anything, but I do need to be a little more proactive on getting support because I am doing this for sewists. I am almost 50. I’ve had a really great career. Uh, financially we’re very stable, and this is my way of being able to give back and also be a part of a social community that I want to be in.

Um, I’m not a big fan of social media. I’m not even on Facebook, you know, so I’d much rather hang out and talk with people about sewing. But I am not making a living doing this and I just posted a whole transparency thing on my Patreon. So I do have Patreon, but my goal someday is that I don’t have to have Patreon, that maybe fabric stores or pattern companies will say, hey, can you sew this?

And right now I already do accept sponsorships. Whereas, they can send me the pattern, send me all the materials. We sew the project. I send it all back. So they get to have the project back. Cause I don’t need 52 new garments a year. And if I stream every week, I’d have 52 new items a year. That’s just too many things.

And so, I think in a perfect world, I’m looking for that kind of sponsorship, and maybe they’ll say, hey, can we pay you a $100 or $200 and do this, you know? And then, and then we promote it, you know? Partnering for this robe, that was such a really great example of seeing what difference it can make for viewers and, and being able to reach more people and help more people because you supported the stream so well with, um, social media and other things like that. And I think that’s what I’m looking for, you know?

I can see what my most viewed videos are, and I can see who is liking themposts on Instagram and who isn’t, you know, and I think that that would be really nice to get some more support from companies to help. Cause right now, financially I have Patreon which will maybe cover my rent.

And then the other things I get income from: I get some passive income from Spoonflower because of the fabric I designed and, um, that can fluctuate wildly. And up until COVID, that was maybe $30 a month. And then after COVID, you know, sewing has, kind of, exploded, so I’m getting a little bit more, more reliably. Do I think that’ll be forever? Um, and then lastly, um, I do sell patterns. I design and sell patterns.

I’ve been turning in a lot of the designs I had at my last business Chicken Boots into sewing patterns as, kind of, a way to, kind of, transition out of it, kind of, help me close the door on that. I wasn’t ready to shut that business down. It was doing really good and just some circumstances, kind of, forced my hand. So it was, kind of, a way for me to give back to my customers and say, you know, I’m going to have these as sewing patterns and you know, some of the folks were all, but I don’t sew. I’m like, yeah, but you can join me, and I’ll teach you.

Helen: Come on the journey.

Saremy: Yes, exactly. So I do have, you know, and I have a lot of free patterns as well, so I’m hoping, it’s hard, like, oh, and I get ad revenue. I should say I do get ad revenue, but that is about $100 a month. It is nothing. So ad revenue for YouTube is not something you can really rely on. I know, and I think that’s why I also don’t get a lot of sponsorships because people think that, oh, I’m just making money off of the project, but I’m not because we all know how much it costs to do a project, you know?

So, like, I have a fabric store that sponsors me regularly, and it’s really awesome. And then they hang the project up in their fabric store. So that’s great.

Caroline: That’s awesome.

Helen: You know, if there’s any other designers out there listening, or fabric store owners or whatever, it was such a pleasure collaborating with you. So I would recommend it.

Saremy: Ditto. I really enjoyed it, and it was really a positive experience for me, too. So thank you. And I think, like, that kind of experience really helps validate what I’m doing, you know? And it helps because I’m doing this for the people, you know?

Helen: Yeah.

Saremy: It’s like, what do you guys want? And I do get a lot of requests, you know, like, can you, so this, and I’m like, I would love to, so that, do you know someone who can send us the project? I’m trying to be better about saying that, like, do you have a local fabric store? Do you think they would give you the project to give to me? And they would get it back. They can hang it up in their store, you know? So yeah, it doesn’t have to be my size. I don’t always do my size. So yeah. Yeah.

Helen: Amazing. Well, thank you for sharing that little behind the scenes with us. I’m sure our listeners find that very interesting. And, and I hope everyone does go and subscribe and participate in some of your livestreams.

And I want to reiterate, too, that the videos all go up afterwards as well. So if you can’t make the livestream, you can watch it at any time at your leisure. And there’s tons of content on there for you to consume. If you’re trying to tackle a project, do a sewing pattern, maybe just go and check it out. Maybe Saremy’s already sewed it, and you can watch the sew along.

Sarmey: And I should probably mention, I have a website, and you can go on the website, and I have each project on there. So I understand how difficult YouTube is to navigate, at least for me, in my opinion, it is. So what I do is I have every project on YouTube. So if you go to my website or on my, on my website and my website is sewsew.live.

So if you go there and you search “robe,” you’ll find the project. And in that it’s a very bare bones, little type of post. It just says what size I made, what fabric. I, it was in, what modifications I did, and then it has links to every video.

Helen: Perfect.

Saremy: So you can find everything you need for that project in a really small, concise, tidy format. And it has my notes underneath, like if I say, hey, be careful, this pattern piece out of all the pattern pieces says, cut face down, you know? If you just search on my website, you’ll find the link to every project and uploaded videos.

Helen: Perfect.

Caroline: Very cool. And we’ll definitely have links for everything in the show notes, your YouTube, your website, your Patreon, um, so our listeners can go and check you out. Thank you so much, Saremy, for chatting with us today. It was such a pleasure.

Saremy: Oh, h-, I was so delighted to hear from you guys. Thank you. I really appreciate it. Thanks for what you’re doing for the sewing community, too. I’ve definitely listened to a lot of episodes and even cried to a few.

Helen: Aw, Saremy, I love it.

Caroline: Aw, thanks, Saremy.

Helen: We need a group hug.

Caroline: Alright, take care.

Saremy: Thanks.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com.

Caroline: We’re recording today in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Helen: If you’re enjoying the show and you want to help us out, you can support us on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month, and you get access to our bonus episode feed. Contribute $10 or more a month, and you get a 15% discount code for both of our shops, which basically pays for itself if you buy fabric from Caroline. And you get a bonus mini episode, so go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Caroline: And thank you to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

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Need to brush up on your sewing vocabulary? We are here to help! We cover some of the most common terms in home sewing and share some helpful tips and tricks along the way!⁠

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Episodes of Love to Sew mentioned:

Resources:

Sewing Patterns Mentioned:

Sewing tools mentioned:

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: sewing vocabulary.

Caroline: Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you doing today?

Helen: I’m doing great. How are you?

Caroline: I’m also doing great. Tell me, I feel like you have some news to share. I can see it in your eyes.

Helen: I am so, so excited today. We have a new pattern available in our shop this week. It’s called, wait for it, the March Top and Dress. And yes, it’s also March right now. And it’s called March.

Caroline: Did you plan that?

Helen: I know it’s confusing. I did plan that, but I also have some regrets because it’s, it’s confusing me in my, like, to-do lists and my… everything, but we’ll get there.

Caroline: Oh, congratulations. I love this top. I mean, I know I say this about all your patterns when we have these conversations on the podcast, but honestly, when you first sent me that little, like, sneak peek of this pattern back in December, I freaked out. It’s so cute. It’s so exactly what I want to be sewing right now. Please tell our listeners about March because she’s gorgeous.

Helen: Aw, thank you. Yeah, I’m really excited, too. This, kind of, whimsical style just came to me in December over the holidays. And I ended up making several versions of it because I had time, and I was just really feeling the design. And I love when that creative spark hits, and I can just run with it.

So it features a voluminous gathered skirt or a peplum for the top option. It’s very 70s retro. It also has, like, gathered sleeves that are kind of poofy. And it has a really cool front and back panel design which is essentially, like, an exterior facing, and it’s fully interfaced. So I thought this was a great opportunity for people who want to play with things like embroidery or beading or even just statement fabrics.

Like, I’m wearing a version right now because I knew I’d be talking about it, and I wanted to feel extra special today. I’m wearing a version right now that has a contrast stripe on this panel. And it’s just really fun to play with fabric here and a good opportunity for scrap busting which is a cool thing to incorporate into a pattern design.

Caroline: Absolutely. Yeah. I love patterns where you can play around with stripe directions and different kinds of, like, options for customization. And this totally has all of that.

Helen: Yes, and it has a neck tie that’s optional, and it has pockets. It’s really got it all. And I have to say that this instruction booklet for this pattern is one of my favorites that we’ve done yet. It’s super detailed, and the illustrations are really fun, and we’ve included tons of beginner tips. It’s marked as intermediate, but I know you adventurous beginner listeners out there can do it. So don’t hesitate if you’re interested in this pattern.

And we have an amazing lineup this week that we’re launching. I’ve got three different models, and we’ve got several guest bloggers, and I’ll be showcasing my versions as well. So tons of different fabrics, different bodies. And I’m just so excited to share more about this. So I hope that you come over to my Instagram, and check it out, even just to see the beautiful models cause they look great.

Caroline: Aw, and personally, I can’t wait to see all of the samples sewn up because I know you’re using a lot of Blackbird fabrics.

Helen: Of course!

Caroline: So I’m so excited to see what you picked out for that. And I can’t wait to make my own version.

Helen: Yeah!

Caroline: They’re so cute. And I can just imagine all the hacks that you have planned. I feel like this is such a hackable pattern.

Helen: Oh yeah.

Caroline: There’s so many ways, even just, like, lengthening different sections of it, different areas of it…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …or, like, mixing, I’m really excited to try a version out, like, mixing prints or patterns. Like, I feel like there’s so much potential there. So congrats.

Helen: Thank you. Yes. Go check out March. It’s on sale until the end of, you guessed it, March.

Caroline: That’s confusing.

Helen: I know. Alright, what are we talking about today, Caroline? Let’s get into this.

Caroline: Oh, okay. So every once in a while I feel like we do an episode, this probably happens more than we’d like, an episode where we’re like, why do we not have this episode already? Like, why have we not thought of this? And this was one of those ones for me where I was like, of course we should have an episode where all of the sewing terminology vocabulary that you, kind of, learn when you get introduced to the sewing world is all in one place, and we can explain all of these different terms that maybe feel unknown or mysterious to beginners. Like, of course, we need an episode like that. All about sewing vocabulary.

Helen: Yes. We’re going to explain some common sewing vocabulary to help you feel equipped to tackle new-to-you projects and techniques. There’s so much to learn when you first start to sew, so we hope that this helps our beginners out there. It can be a companion to our Beginner Sewing Episode. And for you more seasoned sewists, we’re covering some of the terms that you might not have heard of, or maybe you have and you just never knew what it meant. So hopefully you’ll get something out of this episode, too.

Caroline: Yes, I’m so excited. Okay. Do you have a favorite sewing term and why?

Helen: My favorite sewing term is not an official sewing term, but I think my favorite sewing word is janky. Because that’s how I describe a lot of the things that I sew. I’m like, it’s kind of janky, but it’s fine. Or like, I sewed that seam, and it looks a little janky, but whatever. Like, I just say that word a lot, and I think it applies so well to sewing because sewing is not perfect. It never is. So I think it’s totally fine if things look a little janky.

Caroline: You’re going to have to, okay, you have to define the word janky cause I don’t think it’s in our list.

Helen: It’s true. Janky just means a little wonky, a little, a little off center, a little outside the lines, a little weird. It’s cool. It’s all good. How about you, Caroline?

Caroline: Well, I also love the word janky, but my favorite term is pre-washing because you should always do it. I’m just going to leave it at that.

Helen: Spoken like a true fabric store there.

Caroline: Okay. So we’re going to go through these terms in alphabetical order, starting with B, because there are no A terms apparently. And we’re going to start with backstitch.

Helen: Yes. Backstitching can refer to two different sewing techniques. One is done on the sewing machine, and the other is done by hand. So to backstitch on a sewing machine is to sew your stitches backwards. There’s a backstitch function on most sewing machines, and you simply have to press it down and sew backwards. Or sometimes it’s an on/off button, and it’s done at the beginning and end of a seam so that the stitches don’t unravel, and it’s super handy.

Uh, you don’t have to do it if you’re sewing two intersecting seams, but I just do it all the time because why not? And it’s a good habit to, to make, right? So you can always backstitch. It’s no big deal. A standard backstitch is typically three stitches, but you can do five. You can do 10. It’s all good.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And back stitching isn’t always the best way to reinforce the start and end of a seam. So that is one thing to keep in mind. In Episode 134: Sewing with Delicate Fabrics, we talked about how backstitching can create unwanted puckers in delicate fabrics. So instead of backstitching, in this case, you can just leave long thread tails, and tie them off.

So, sometimes when you’re working with tricky fabrics, it’s a good thing to test out. Some sewing machines, like mine, also have a thread knotting button, so it’s right near the backstitch button, but basically, it stitches in place a few times to lock the stitches and prevent unraveling. And for me, sometimes this works better for certain applications or certain fabrics than actually, like, sewing back and forth.

Sometimes you can get, like, a little bit of knotting happening in your thread or, like, a little nest with a backstitch, but I don’t get it with the thread knotting. So something to look out for if you have a sewing machine, and maybe you have that button and you don’t even know that you have it.

Helen: Yeah, I love that button. I’ve been using it more often lately, and it’s great.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Backstitching can also be done by hand. And it’s actually one of the strongest hand stitches that you can make. So you insert the needle through the right side of the fabric, and then you insert the needle back at the starting point. So bring the needle through to the right side, one stitch length ahead of the previously made stitch and then you go back to the beginning. So you’re, kind of, making this, like, double reinforced stitch as you go along. And obviously watching a video would be ideal here, but…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …I hope my little description helps.

Caroline: No, I think it makes a lot of sense, and I’m sure we’ll be posting a little source in the show notes so people can actually see a picture as well.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Okay. The next one we’re going to talk about is bar tack. A bar tack is a short narrow series of zigzag stitches. And this is often placed at stress points on garments for added strength. So you can find bar tacks often on jeans, maybe around the side seam, kind of, where it meets the waistband, where there’s a lot of tension when you sit down. Or maybe on pockets, you might find it on outerwear pockets to reinforce those areas that get a lot of stress.

You can sew bar tacks in a different thread color which is really fun. It adds, kind of, like, a fun design feature. And we do have a tip for bar tacks. If you want to achieve a smoother bar tack, loosen the tension on your machine. So this is actually going to allow the top thread to pull to the bottom layer which makes it look smoother on the surface.

Helen: Yeah, this is called a satin stitch, and I love doing this. If you have a bar tack setting on your machine, it might automatically adjust your tension for you. So you don’t have to worry about this, but if you don’t have a bar tack setting, you can just set it to zigzag. Maybe even turn off your feed dogs or make the stitch length really, really short so that the needle’s barely moving forward. And then you can make a bar tack that way, too.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Ooh, I have a bonus tip.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: If you are having trouble bar tacking on jeans, which is something that can happen when there are a lot of layers of fabric, try hammering it. So use, like, a hammer and just, like, hammer the crud out of that fabric, and it’ll really, like, squish the layer down and make the bar tack happen a lot easier.

Helen: Yes. Bar tacking onto belt loops on 14 ounce denim… you need a hammer.

Caroline: Yeah. You need a hammer, and it’s a great way to get out frustration and anger, too. Just saying.

Helen: Okay. Next is basting. Basting comes up a lot in sewing, and it can be done by hand or by machine. It’s a series of long running stitches to hold fabric layers in place, and these are usually temporary stitches. So they’re eventually removed after the actual seam is sewn up with shorter, stronger stitches, and basting can also sometimes allow us to test try on a garment or to prevent something from moving while we’re sewing or just act as a temporary stitch until the final seam is sewn.

And so often if you’re making a muslin, you might sew it all using basting stitches, so that it’s really easy to take it apart and resew it with a different seam allowance, for example, or if you’re putting something in place temporarily using a basting stitch, so it’s super easy to pull out after.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And of course, machine basting is faster than hand basting. Uh, machine basted stitches also tend to be stronger than hand based stitches because they tend to be a little bit shorter and just, kind of, more uniform. So a little bit stronger, depending on the application.

If you’re thinking about when would be a good time to hand baste, we think that this provides better control, so you would want to choose hand basing on projects where you want to have better accuracy. Personally, I like to hand baste things like zippers and waistbands, especially, like, a waistband where I have to stitch in the ditch to, like, catch the waistband facing or the inner waistband. I love hand basting that because I just have so much control. I can distribute everything perfectly and evenly. And then I go in with my machine to do that final stitch in the ditch.

Machine stitching can leave holes in certain fabrics, so look out for this. If you’re working with something more delicate, you might want to test that out. I personally find machine basting easier to rip out. So I think that it’s something that you can use, like, if you’re doing, like, a muslin and you want to then, like, rip, rip it apart, I find machine basting is the way to go there. Just be careful that you don’t damage your fabric. So you don’t want to try to, like, rip out basting stitches on something that you think might get damaged. Look out for that.

Helen: Yeah. Be careful. Don’t, if you’re yarding on it and it’s, doesn’t want to give, then you know, get in there with a seam ripper and break up those basting stitches, so you don’t risk ripping your fabric.

Caroline: Totally.

Helen: I’ve definitely been there, especially when I’m doing a lot of gathering cause once you gather it up and sew it on, sometimes those basting stitches can get stuck and it can be really tempting to, to yard on them.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Ask me how I know. Alright, next up is bias. Now this term comes up a lot in sewing because it can refer to the diagonal grainline, but it also is used a lot when we’re talking about bias tape. So when we talk about bias, we’re often referring to the true bias. Not the company name but the true bias which is a 45 degree angle of the fabric. So 45 degrees to the selvedge is the bias of the fabric. And this is the intersection of the warp and weft of the fabric.

So when we cut pattern pieces on the true bias, we’re starting from a 45 degree angle from the selvedge. And that allows us to have pattern pieces that are a little bit stretchier. They have a little bit more ability to grow and move and shift. So if you have, like, a bias cut dress or skirt, it just flows over the body really beautifully. And similarly, bias tape is cut on the bias so that it can stretch around curves like necklines.

Caroline: Mhm. So that means that basically when you’re talking about bias, it refers to any diagonal grainline. But if you want the true bias, then it’s 45 degrees. And when we’re cutting garments on the bias in sewing, usually we’re using the true bias, right?

Helen: Mhm. Exactly. Yeah. It’s not often said if someone says, cut it on the bias. Usually, they mean the true bias.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: But it’s true. It can refer to any angle, and gridded rulers are really helpful when you’re trying to find the true bias because they often have that 45 degree angle marked. So if you get one of those gridded quilting rulers, you can line that up with the selvedge, and then you can just use your rotary cutter to cut strips of bias tape.

Caroline: Yeah. I love using my gridded ruler for that kind of thing. We also cut pattern pieces on the bias to allow for more stretch. So, like Helen said, you’re getting those pieces to hug around your body more, but do keep in mind that generally when you’re cutting something on the bias, you want to use a pattern that’s drafted for bias because fabric behaves really differently when it’s cut on the bias.

So I don’t think you, generally speaking, want to take a pattern that’s meant to be cut on the straight of grain and cut the whole thing on the bias cause I think the fit will just be totally off. One pattern that we love is the Sicily Slip dress by Sewing Patterns by Masin, and it’s cut on the bias. It has a beautiful form fitting shape. So if you’re looking for a pattern, maybe check that one out.

And fun fact: bias doesn’t fray! So this is because the woven fibers cross each other on an angle. So you don’t really have to worry about fraying when you’re cutting things on the bias.

Helen: Woohoo! I’ve actually never made a bias cut garment. And that’s, kind of, surprising to me now that I think about it. I think I need to rectify that and get my hands on this Sicily Slip Dress.

Caroline: Yeah, no, I, I have also never, uh, sewed anything on the bias before, cut out any garments on the bias. I’m really tempted to make, like, a bias cut, midi length skirt. I feel like that would fit really well into my wardrobe.

Helen: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: Okay. So what about binding? Binding is a strip of fabric that can be used to cover the raw edges of the fabric and this, kind of, encloses them and provides stability to that area. Binding can be used instead of facings. We’re going to talk about facings later, and it can also be used as a seam finish or a hem finish.

I do want to mention that often the term binding, bias binding, and bias tape are, kind of, used interchangeably. So if you hear either of those words, usually they’re talking about binding which is, kind of, that strip of fabric that’s cut usually on the bias so that it has a little bit of stretch to it that is used to finish raw edges.

Helen: Mhm. Exactly, and it can be visible like a sandwich over a neckline, or it can be turned to the inside and be invisible and only visible in the inside of the garment. But again, it’s often just referred to as a bias binding, even though technically if it’s going all the way to the inside of the garment, it would be called a bias facing.

But you know, we just, kind of, get these terms going and we start using them and, and it works. So I think when you hear the word bias bound neckline, usually it refers to something that’s facing your body.

Caroline: Yeah. And I think not all binding is cut on the bias.

Helen: True.

Caroline: Getting confusing. But if you can understand what I mean, like, I think certain applications, like I’m thinking of finishing edges in, like, athletic or outerwear. Sometimes they use, like, a binding that isn’t stretchy, but it’s just used to, like, kind of ,lock in, um, a raw edge or a seam. So not always on the bias.

Helen: Alright. Next up is another one of my favorite sewing terms which is bodkin. I don’t know why I always have to say it like that. Bodkins are used to help pass through objects, like drawstrings or elastic through a channel, or, you know, when you’re trying to, like, turn this little fiddly tube right side out, so you can have, like, a spaghetti strap or something like that.

You don’t have to use a safety pin for that. That’s, kind of, the go-to method, and it does work. And that’s the method that I use, to be honest, but bodkins can really help you here. You insert this little metal stick into the fabric. You grab the other end. You pull it through. So they can make that process a lot easier if you find the safety pin to be a bit cumbersome. They come in different shapes and sizes, but most commonly they look like a stiletto tool which has a tweezers clamping section on one end and a pointed end on the other.

Caroline: Very cool. Do you use a bodkin in your sewing practice?

Helen: I don’t actually have one right now. I, I’ve definitely seen them before, and I’ve used one before, but I don’t have one in my personal sewing arsenal, but I should get one.

Caroline: I’ve actually never seen one in person, but they do sound really cool. I use a bobby pin actually or a loop turner to turn, like, long strips of fabric. And I also use a safety pin to feed elastic through. So yeah, I mean…

Helen: Isn’t it a bodkin turner just a bodkin though?

Caroline: No, it’s different.

Helen: Oh!

Caroline: A loop turner is, it has, like, a little hook on the end. Um, and so you, kind of, like, put it through and then you hook the end and then you pull back right side out. Um, and it is a little bit tricky to get, like, to hook properly and have it not get caught as you’re pulling it through.

Personally, my favorite method for turning a loop is a bobby pin. You just snip the end. Like, you just snip, like, even a centimeter down from the edge. And then you slip your bobby pin through that little loop that you created, and then into the strip of fabric that you’ve sewn. And then you, kind of, use that to pull it through. I feel like I need to make, like, a video to share this method, but it’s, it works so well. And it’s, that’s how I always turn loops because it’s just, kind of, full-proof.

Helen: Hot tip.

Caroline: Hot tip.

Helen: There you go. And you don’t poke yourself when your safety pin inevitably opens, and you have to try and close it in the middle of a loop.

Caroline: The worst.

Helen: The worst.

Caroline: Okay. Next up we’re going to talk about casing. So a casing is an enclosed tubular area on a garment. This enclosed area is made of two rows of stitching or a fold line plus a row of stitching. And really the purpose of casing is often to hold elastic or boning or drawstring into an area. Um, and these can pop up in garment construction when you’re sewing areas like waistbands or cuffs. You’ll see that a lot.

Helen: Yeah. It’s like a little fabric tunnel.

Caroline: Yeah, there you go. A little tunnel.

Helen: Alright, clipping seams is next. And we clip into seams to help our garments lie flat and smooth after sewing up a seam, particularly in a curved area. So we clip into seams that are concave, such as snipping in towards the seam allowance with scissors. So a concave shape is similar to a bowl shape where it’s sunken in at the center. And then when you go to turn everything right side out, those snips that you made get to open, and they can actually, like, bend to fit that curve.

Conversely, with a convex curve, you want to make little notches. So you’re actually cutting out little triangles of your seam allowance so that when you turn it inside out, your seam allowance can move in towards itself, and there isn’t bulk there that’s creating little folds. So it is, kind of, a bit of a mind bender to think about what kind of curve you have and what kind of curve it’s going to become when you go to turn it. Um, hopefully the instructions that you have will tell you what to do. I know we always include that in ours.

Caroline: Yeah. And I think that you learn the value of clipping seams pretty quickly in sewing because if you don’t clip frequently enough around a curve or if you don’t clip far enough into the curve or if you forget to clip altogether, you’re going to know right away because your neckline, for example, will not be laying flat. It’ll look bunchy. It might have some weird angles to it instead of, like, a nice smooth curve. So clipping is really, really important. You just have to be careful not to clip into your stitch line because that will create problems.

Helen: Yeah, and if you’re using a really delicate fabric, reinforcing that stitch line, maybe you sew it with a slightly less long stitch length or you sew it twice or you do some understitching or something to reinforce that area before you go clipping into the, towards that stitch line and everything starts to unravel.

Caroline: Yes. Okay. Next up is darts. So a dart is a wedge shaped area that’s tucked to form one point or sometimes two points. And that would be like, if you had a dart, kind of, going from your bust down to your waist, for example, it’ll be, like, a double-edged dart. So that dart that you’ve sewn ends up looking like a wedge or triangle shaped bit of fabric That’s visible on the wrong side of the garment. And on the right side, it simply looks like a straight line with no visible stitches.

We also love using a tailor’s ham to press darts. These make it really easy to, kind of, get into those corners. And we learned in our pressing episode, not to press past the dart point to get a more professional finish, but Helen, do you have any dart tips to share with our listeners?

Helen: I just want to say that there’s lots of ways to sew and secure and press darts. So don’t worry so much about doing it right. You can experiment with different methods. Um, there’s lots of tricks out there for getting your dart straight and lots of different methods that people use. I usually just mark mine with chalk. And then I pin it together. And then I sew as best I can along those chalk lines. But it can be a little tricky to follow that line and get to that point really accurately. And in the end, you know, that’s what the seam ripper’s for. You can always try again.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. And I also would like to encourage everyone to adjust your dart length, shape, position. I feel like this is a really easy and quick fitting tool. If there’s a dart in your garment, making the dart a little bit bigger or moving it up or down so that it aligns with your bust point, I think is a really great way to, kind of, up your sewing game and get a better fit.

I also wanted to give a little tip about sewing darts. So when I saw my darts, I actually like to. decrease my stitch length to like 0.3 to 0.5 for the last centimeter of the dart. So I start at the side seam, you know, the larger bottom of the dart, let’s say. And then I stitch into the point. And then when I get to the end, I really decrease my stitch length. And this, kind of, locks in the stitches.

And with this method, I don’t have to back stitch or even tie off my threads at the end. So it actually really helps to decrease the bulk at the dart point which sometimes can get, like, a little bit pointy. But…

Helen: Yeah. Yeah. If you try to tie a knot there and you pull your threads a little too tight, you can actually get a little pucker. Um, so be gentle. But yeah, like I said, lots of ways to sew a dart, and I do love your tip about adjusting where it sits on you because everybody’s different.

Caroline: Totally. Okay. Let’s talk about ease next. Um, ease can be calculated by comparing the finished garment measurements to the measurements on the body size charts. So often patterns will come with two different size charts, and if you compare them that difference in measurement is going to account for the ease.

So positive ease is when the garment is bigger than your body. Typically, woven garments have positive ease, and do keep in mind that almost all garments have at least some ease.

You need to be able to move in a garment, so especially when you’re talking about a woven garment that’s meant to be no stretch in the fabric. Think about how your weight distribution changes from standing to sitting or standing to kneeling. I think we’ve all been there with a pair of pants where you’re like, this feels amazing when I’m standing up and then you try to bend down or kneel or pick something up and it’s actually, like, painful. Or you just can’t do it. Or you feel like you’re going to split your pants. That’s why you need ease. You need to account for this movement with ease.

Some garments have negative ease. So this means that the size chart numbers will actually be larger than the final measurement chart, and negative ease makes sense for garments that need stretch to fit your body so, like a swimsuit or a pair of leggings, like the Avery Leggings.

And then some garments will also have close to zero ease. And these are really fitted garments that don’t have a lot of wiggle room. So an example of this would be like a form fitted pencil skirt. But I would say, like, when you’re talking about a garment made out of woven fabrics, you always need to have at least a little bit of ease or else you’re just not gonna be able to move in it.

Helen: Exactly. And sometimes I get questions in my inbox about how to choose a size and whether to use the size chart or the finished garment measurements chart. And I see beginners getting tripped up by this because we have these two charts, and they have different numbers on them. So it’s really important to look at both those charts, but you want to choose ultimately based on the size chart, and then just be aware of the finished measurement chart because that’s going to tell you how much ease is in the garment.

But the designer has considered that when they design the garment. So they’ve designed it to have a certain amount of ease. And so if you choose based on your size, you should have the amount of ease that was intended. But if after you make your first version, you find, oh, it’s a little bit too roomy for me, or it’s feeling a little bit too tight, you can size up or down to get more or less ease.

Caroline: Yeah. Cause it’s also about the designer’s intention for how they think that garment should fit a person. So you might say I’m imagining this to be a really relaxed fit and maybe, you know, the person sewing it isn’t as into the relaxed fit. So sizing down is always an option, but it’s good to make it as intended first, so you can decide what adjustments you want to make after.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. Okay. Next up we have edge stitching which is a line of topstitching that’s sewn, like, 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch from a sewn edge. So edge stitching helps to create a really nice flat finish. Plus, it just looks really good. It gives you that professional, polished, kind of, look, and it shows up on things like colors, waistbands, patch pockets. We have edge stitching along the side of the front and back panel on the March Top.

And one thing that you can do here to make this easier is to use an edge stitching foot. An edge stitching foot has a little piece of plastic or metal that just runs along whatever it is you’re trying to align your edge stitch up with, so it runs along that edge. And then the needle is always going to be the same distance from that edge, so you don’t have to worry so much about sewing straight.

Caroline: Yeah, I swear by my edge stitching foot, especially for jeans making. It helps me to get a really, even super professional topstitch that I just cannot achieve without my edge stitch foot, so it’s not cheating. I’d like to say it’s not cheating. I think that it’s totally valid to use tools like this in the sewing room. And I highly recommend the edge stitch foot.

Helen: Yeah, and I think some people might be wondering what the difference between edge stitching and topstitching is. And we are going to talk about topstitching later, but edge stitching is typically sewn closer to the edge than topstitching. And it’s done with a regular stitch length versus topstitching, which often is done with topstitching thread or the stitch length is increased and it’s further from the edge.

Caroline: Yes. Okay. So next up is facings. Facings are sewn on the inside of the garment openings, and they often mirror the opening they’re intended to finish. So, a facing is fabric sewn around the edge of an opening. It’s then flipped to the inside of the garment to face the body and create a clean edge. And this is often used for necklines, arm holes, hems, slits. Because facings are not visible on the outside of your garment, you can always consider using scrap fabric for your facings or contrasting fabric. Just be mindful of fabric weight and drape if you’re mixing fabrics here.

Helen: Yes. And with facings, you want to think about whether your exterior fabric is see-through, too because if it is, then you’re going to see that facing underneath. So it might not be the best finishing option, but oftentimes, facings just give you this beautiful finish. They give you the super polished edge that with say a bias binding you wouldn’t get, because you’ll have visible topstitching. Um, with facings, you don’t have to have topstitching.

Caroline: Yes. Love it. I love a good facing.

Helen: Me, too.

Caroline: Sometimes I switch out, like, a bound neckline for a faced neckline just cause I, I like the look of the finish more.

Helen: Yeah, I like to have those options, like with the Ashton Top, we included both because sometimes you want to do bias binding and sometimes you want to do facings.

Okay. Next up is gathering. And I want to talk about this one because my new pattern has a lot of gathering in it, and it involves bunching up fabric to create fullness or volume in certain areas of a garment like sleeves or a skirt.

And there’s a lot of ways to achieve gathering fabric. The most common way is to sew two or three lines of basting stitches, pull the tails of those stitch threads to gather the fabric in intended areas, pulling the bobbin will make it easier to gather. So do a couple of lines of stitching, just making sure that you’re grabbing only the thread tails from one side of your fabric. And then that way everything is just going to slide along those stitches real nice and easy.

We also shared some of our listeners’ favorite gathering tips in our Sewing Tips Episode. One person suggested using dental floss with a row of wide zigzag stitches, sewn over top of it. And then you can just gather up your fabric really easily along that dental floss, and when you’re done, you just pull the dental floss out, and everything’s minty fresh.

Caroline: Yes. Minty fresh. Minty fresh garments. Exactly what I’m always going for. Helen, do you like gathers? Do you like poofy garments? Tell me.

Helen: Are you joking right now?

Caroline: As you’re sitting in front of me wearing a poofy sleeve blouse.

Helen: I love a good gather, and I think it’s a little on trend right now. I will say that maybe I won’t love gathered sleeves forever, but there is something really just fun and whimsical about it. I’m really enjoying the statement sleeve trend that’s been happening for a few years now, so I don’t even know if it’s a trend anymore. But it is just fun to sew gathers.

I find you find them a lot in kids’ clothes. They’re an easy way to add a skirt to a top, you know, to make it into a dress. It’s just a simple thing that you can do in sewing to add ruffles and things everywhere.

Caroline: They make it fitting easier, like a gathered skirt or, like, a poofy sleeve is going to be much easier to fit then, you know, something that’s, like, really close to the body. I also love a poof. I love a gather. I don’t own enough things with gathers. I have a few Roscoe Blouses, but outside of that, not enough poofy garments in my wardrobe. I really want to make a…

Helen: You gotta make a March.

Caroline: I really want to make the March. I want to make the Huon Shirt from Muna and Broad as well. Um, I think that there just can never be too many gathers. Um, I can’t wait.

Helen: I wanted to mention, too, that we talked about darts earlier, and gathering is another way that you can add fullness to an area like a bust, so you don’t have to have a dart that’s sewn in there. You can actually turn that dart into gathers, so that you have a different, kind of, look. You get a little bit of gathering, obviously. Folded fabric, it can look a little bit more romantic or whimsical than just a simple dart, and that’s a pretty easy change that you can make.

Caroline: Good point. Turning darts into gathers over there.

Helen: You can do it.

Caroline: Okay, next up, we’re going to talk about grading seams. So when we grade seams, we’re trimming the seam allowance to be different widths, and this helps to reduce added bulk from the seam allowance. When we’re grading seams, we generally want one seam to be about 1/4 inch shorter than the other, and areas where you might grade your seams are necklines and collars.

Helen: Yeah. Or the back of a yoke, I mean, pretty much any interior seam you might want to grade if it’s, like ,tucked in somewhere else. And especially if you have more than two layers, if you end up with three layers, like on the back of a yoke, making sure that they’re all different widths. We’re going for a blend here. We want, like, a little step down so that everything lies smoothly. And typically, when you’re grading seams you want the shortest seam to be the one that’s facing your body, but I honestly don’t think it makes that big a difference. That’s just, like, technical stuff.

Caroline: Oh yeah. Interesting rule. I didn’t know about that.

Helen: Cool.

Caroline: Do you wanna talk about grainlines, Helen?

Helen: Okay. Grainlines are the long lines indicated on the pattern pieces. They usually have little triangles on either end that mark the lengthwise grain, and you want to line up that lengthwise grain with the lengthwise grain on the fabric. So we use these grainlines when we’re cutting out our pieces to make sure that everything is cut on grain.

And the reason why cutting on grain is so important is because we want our garments to sit well on our bodies. We want them to hang nicely. If we, kind of, cut our pieces, willy nilly on angles here and there, they’re going to stretch. They’re going to get a little bit misshapen. They’re not going to hang correctly. You’re going to have one side of your garment looking different than the other.

So if you are a beginner, I think cutting on the grainline is a really important thing to start off your sewing journey doing. And I know it’s really tempting to, you know, not measure those grainlines, but even just when it’s off a little bit, it can make a big difference.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s true. That’s when you get the leg twist or weird things happening where one edge is, like, longer than the other.

Helen: Or if you buy, like, a cheap t-shirt from, like, a fast fashion place, you might wash it and it comes out of the wash and you put it on, it’s all twisted. It’s because it wasn’t cut on the grain. There’s a mistake that happened there, so it is important.

However, you can also often cut on what’s called the crossgrain which is turning the piece completely to the side so that the grainline is running perpendicular to the grainline of the fabric. And with woven fabrics without stretch, you can often cut on the crossgrain and that can give you the opportunity to save fabric in some places or experiment with things like stripes in different directions.

Caroline: Yeah, I would say, try to stick with a plain weave fabric, a fabric that doesn’t have a nap when you’re cutting on the crossgrain. Like, if it looks different, and you can usually see this with the naked eye, like if it looks different when you’re cutting it crossway, either color-wise or pattern-wise, then just be mindful of that when you’re figuring out which pieces to cut on the crossgrain or cut the whole thing on the crossgrain. And then you know that…

Helen: True.

Caroline: …you’re not mixing weird textures or anything.

Helen: I like the idea of a corduroy garment with all of the nap and the wales running horizontally. Why not?

Caroline: Why not, right?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Okay. Next up is hemming and hemming is typically done on the bottom edge of a garment, such as the bottom of a skirt or sleeves, to finish that edge. So hems are folded up on the wrong side and stitched in place. And the amount that you hem the garment piece is often recommended in the pattern. And these are typically done near the end of the garment making process. So hemming is really satisfying because it’s often, like, the last thing that you do.

I personally really love hemming. I think pressing hems make them look really, really polished. And I love putting that finishing touch on a garment and spending a little bit of extra time to make my hem look really crisp and beautiful, really makes a big difference.

I also wanted to mention that trickier hemlines, maybe with a curve or hemlines that maybe have areas that are on the bias, can benefit from a hem facing. So if you find you’re having trouble, uh, hemming a garment, for whatever reason, you might want to consider drafting a hem facing, and that will make it a lot easier for you to finish that edge.

Helen: Ooh, that’s so smart. I love hemming, too. It’s just that nice final step before you get to wear your garment finally. And one thing that I will say is always good to do is before you do your hem, try on your garment and see if you’re happy with the length because you can adjust your hem. The pattern might call for a two inch hem, but maybe it’s already looking a little short, so you just want to do a little baby hem, and that’s totally fine. It’s really easy to customize hems.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s so true. Sometimes I’ll try on a garment and it’ll be, especially with pants, I’ll be like, ooh, I don’t really want to hem it because it’s the perfect length. So I’ll just do like a little teeny tiny hemp, or just leave the edge raw.

Helen: Ooh, I love that. Especially in denim.

Caroline: Yeah. Do you have any other hemming tips to share?

Helen: I don’t think so. What about hemming in a circle? I know that’s kind of challenging for people.

Caroline: Yeah, one thing that comes to mind with that is, like, if you’re working with a circle skirt or you’re hemming an area of a garment that maybe has portions that are cut on the bias, like a circle skirt, you want to let that garment hang for at least 24 hours before you hem because fabrics can actually kind of stretch out and warp just with gravity and certain areas of the bottom of that skirt, for example, might end up being longer than others. So you might want to keep that in mind.

I also have found that sometimes, for me, because I have a larger booty, hems end up being a little bit shorter in the back. So it is really good to try it on and actually, like, measure from the floor up to your hem. Have someone help you out to make sure that your hem is even because if I’m working with, like, a skirt, let’s say that’s pretty loose, so I know it’ll fit around my hips, it still might, like, hike up a little bit in the back because of my bum. So look out for that, but yeah, hemming is fun. It’s, like, straight forward. It’s, I don’t know the last thing you get to do in the sewing process.

Helen: It’s true. Unless it’s a circle skirt and you have to go all the way around. It takes forever.

Caroline: Oh yeah. That’s true. We won’t talk about that.

Helen: Feels like it’ll never end. No, uh, even that is, kind of, fun. I always enjoy a good hem, and I also love to press my hems after I sew them because I find pressing beforehand is great, but the final garment needs that extra press, too. And I think we might’ve mentioned that in our Pressing Episode, but yeah, definitely, always good to reiterate.

Alright, interfacing. Interfacing is a fusible or non-fusible fabric that is used to provide added structure and support to garment pieces to prevent it from getting stretched out or to give it just more structure so it holds its shape. It can be purchased at most fabric shops.

And fusible interfacing has a glue side on it. So it has, kind of, a bumpy feel to one side. And the glue side is fused to, typically, the wrong side of the garment pieces. And it’s put on using your iron, so you want to add some heat and steam to melt that glue and attach it to your fabric.

Non-fusible interfacing is sewn onto the fabric instead, so you’ll sew, kind of, around the interfacing to tack it on. You can also use scrap fabric for interfacing, too, if the goal here is just to add some structure to an area like a collar, using a piece of the same fabric that you’re using for your shirt or a piece of cotton muslin in there can just give you that structure that you need without you having to go and get more materials.

Caroline: And we have a whole episode on interfacing, Helen. I don’t know if you remember Episode 78: Interfacing101. So if you want more info about interfacing, go back and listen to that one.

Helen: Definitely. Okay. What about interlining? Is that the same thing?

Caroline: It is not the same thing. So interlining is a layer of fabric added to the inside of a garment which will add warmth and insulation. Interlining is placed between the fabric and the lining, and it’s not visible in your finished garment because it’s completely encased by the lining and fashion fabric.

Popular options for interlining are often flannel, lamb’s wool, you can even get synthetic batting made specifically for interlining, and it’s often basted to the pattern pieces before garment construction begins similar to what we would do with non-fusible interfacing.

Helen: Yeah, I love this for a cozy jacket if you live in a colder climate. It makes so much sense.

Caroline: Yeah, or if you want to work with, like, a wool or coating fabric, that’s maybe a little bit lighter than you want it to be, like, drape-wise, you can actually, kind of, change the look of the fabric and the drape of the fabric by interlining all of your pieces.

Helen: Perfect. Okay. Muslin is a term that we’ve already mentioned a few times, and muslin is a fabric, but it’s also used to describe a test version of a garment, and this can be called toiling or making a toile or making a prototype, as well. So whatever word you want to use, it’s totally fine. And these test versions of the garment, the intention is just for you to check the fit and see if there’s any changes you want to make before you try it in your precious fashion fabric.

So when you’re sewing muslins, you can use actual muslin fabric which is unbleached woven cotton fabric. Or you can use a fabric similar to the weight of your garments. So, for example, if you’re making a pair of jeans, you might want to use, you know, a cheap denim, or maybe even just get extra yardage of the denim you’re planning to use, knowing that you want to make that test version. Um, or if you’re making a swimsuit, you’re not going to want to make a muslin out of cotton muslin because it’s not going to work.

Caroline: Now, I know you sew a lot of muslins because you’re testing patterns all the time, right?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. So do you always use that cotton muslin fabric or do you use like, quote unquote, real fabric for your muslins?

Helen: It depends on the garment, but I do typically use the cotton muslin for most of our woven patterns when we’re testing them, at least for the initial test, just to see, okay, what is this looking like? But I love to try it in the intended fabric. So if I’m designing a drapey dress, seeing it in a muslin is okay, but, like, seeing it in a rayon or something like that, that’s what I really need to see. So after we’ve kind of nailed the initial fit, we move on to fashion fabrics.

And I want to say, too, that if you have sewn muslin as a beginner and then sewn the final garment, and you’ve noticed that even though you tested it and it looked good in the muslin and you figured it out, you’ve sewed the final garment in your fashion fabric and it looks different, it’s because fabrics are different and muslin has, like, no give to it. It is, like, rock solid. Like, you cannot stretch that fabric one way or the other.

If you use, like, a washed linen that has actually quite a lot of give to it. It’s not stretchy, but it just drapes over the body. It has, like, some movement. It can grow with wear. It can get larger as you’re wearing it. So the fit between those two garments is going to be different. So that’s one point in the favor of using a fashion fabric to try out your finished garment rather than using a muslin because it is just so stiff and kind of hard to evaluate sometimes.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s a really good tip. Okay. Next up we’re going to talk about nap, not taking a nap, but fabrics with nap.

Helen: Dang.

Caroline: Okay. So napped, or sometimes also referred to as piled, fabrics are fabrics that have a raised or brushed surface. So this could be corduroy, faux fur, velvet, some coatings. One direction of the fabric is often smooth when you touch it, and this is when you’re brushing or following the nap or pile.

If it feels rough to the touch, you’re probably brushing against the nap. Oftentimes, we cut so that the nap runs from top down, making it feel smooth as we brush down. And this also helps the garment to lay flat. That’s usually what’s recommended if you’re making, like, a coat or something, to have that nap going down.

Some napped fabrics are more obvious than others. So obviously with fur and velvet, you can see that there’s a nap. But some fabrics, such as wool or cashmere, can also have a nap which is only really noticeable when you rub your hand up and down the fabric. So if you’re working with a fabric that’s a little bit spongier or thicker or seems to have even a little bit of a pile to it, make sure you rub that fabric and see which direction the nap goes in because you really want to make sure that you’re cutting all of your pattern pieces running in the same direction.

Naps are directional, so if you are, kind of, not paying attention to the nap as you’re cutting, you might end up with one pant leg that actually looks different from the other because napped fabrics look lighter or darker depending on the angle that you’re looking at them or the direction of the nap. I think we’ve all been there, like corduroy garment where like one section of it you’re like, that looks weird. It’s cause you probably cut it in the wrong direction.

Helen: Yeah, I did this recently. I cut some pockets on my Yanta Overalls with the nap going the wrong way, and I decided to leave it cause I was like, if pockets get highlighted, that’s fine, right?

Caroline: Yeah, and it’s one of those things, too, I think that sewists notice and that people who don’t sew probably wouldn’t notice or point it out, but it’s, I think also something that might bug you in the future if you think that that’s something that you’ll notice, you know, moving forward every time you wear the garment. So it’s all about, kind of, knowing yourself, too.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. Okay. Notches are very important in sewing as well. And a notch is a short line or triangle that shows up along the edge of pattern pieces. And we want to clip into these points with our scissors or make little triangle hats on the outside of our fabric, if that’s your jam, during the cutting process so that they’ll be there to help us join pieces when we’re constructing the garments.

So it’ll say, you know, matching notches, sew the shoulder seams together, and those notches are there just to help you know which piece goes with which and to help you line up long areas, too. Like, a really long side seam will typically have at least one notch on it, so you don’t have to guess how to align the fabric. You have that check-in point along the way.

Caroline: Helen, are you a notcher or are you a NOT-cher?

Helen: I am actually, um, team notch. I think notches are super handy. I love using them strategically in pattern design as well. Like I said, they can be so helpful for just making sure that people get things lined up right. So as a designer, I think I appreciate a well-placed notch. And so I try to make sure I, I clip them, but of course you miss them. People miss them all the time. So it’s no biggie if you need to pull out your pattern piece and try to figure out where that notch goes, or if you’re just like, I’m just going to wing it. I don’t need that notch. A lot of times they’re just there to help, but they might not be a hundred percent necessary, but sometimes if we’re distributing ease in certain areas of a garment, notches are necessary. So if you’re not sure, because you’re just getting started with sewing, err on the side of caution, and make those notches.

Caroline: Yeah. And be careful not to cut too far into the seam allowance when you’re notching. I think it’s really easy to, like, not pay attention and be a little bit cavalier with those scissors when you’re snipping your notches in the cutting process. So just be mindful of, you know, what the seam allowance is and making sure not to go past that cause then you’re going to end up with holes in your seams.

I also wanted to mention that if you do a lot of pattern making or if you like to trace your TNT patterns onto, like, a cardstock or a heftier paper, a notcher tool is a really fun one to have. I have one from my fashion school days, and I still use it on my TNTs cause it just makes it really easy to see all the notches when I’m tracing them out and remember to cut them when I’m finishing cutting out my fabric.

Helen: Yeah, it is a really fun tool to have for sure.

Caroline: Next up, we’re going to talk about press cloths. So we talked about the importance of press cloths in our recently released Pressing episode, Episode 174. Press cloths are used during the pressing process to help you protect your fashion fabric. So you will use this press cloth by placing it over your fabric so that there’s protection between the fabric and the sole plate of the iron which can get really hot and sometimes damage the fabric if that fabric is particularly delicate.

So there are lots of different kinds of press cloths. You can get a silk organza press cloth, a wool one, you can make your own out of cotton fabric. Try to look for something that’s tightly woven. You may also be able to use scrap fabric for press cloths. It’s a really nice scrap busting project. Just cut out squares of scrap fabric, serge the edges, and you’re ready to go. Definitely not something you need to buy.

Although, I do really love my silk organza press cloth, and I swear by it because I love that you can see through silk organza so that you can, kind of, see what you’re doing. And silk organza, can take a ton of heat, so you don’t have to worry about, like, burning or scorching or anything. So.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: And along those lines, pressing. As you mentioned, we have a whole episode about this, but it’s a really important part of the sewing process. Pressing involves an up and down motion with your iron, and it’s not to be confused with ironing which is more of a back and forth movement with the iron to smooth out wrinkles.

So the up and down movement of pressing helps to prevent stretching and distortion of the fabric. So when we are sewing our garment, we wanna do things like pressing our seams, pressing our darts, pressing facings when we turn them right side out. There’s all sorts of opportunities in the garment construction process to use pressing.

You can also use finger pressing which is doing it with your hands and just using the heat of your fingers. It’s not quite as effective as the iron, but it gets the job done. And it could be helpful if you just want to finger press something before you move on to the next step.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. Pre-washing. My favorite. My favorite word. I’ve claimed the word. Pre-washing involves washing the fabric before you cut it out. It’s almost always recommended to wash your fabric before you cut and sew it because you want to get that shrink out of the fabric.

There’s nothing worse than making a garment and then putting it through the laundry and then having it shrink. This is why we pre-wash fabric. Different fabrics require different washing and caring methods. So if you’re given washing advice when you’re purchasing the fabric, go ahead and follow those instructions.

If you’re not given care instructions, you can determine your pre-washing method often based on the fiber content. So we’ll link some resources in the show notes to help you better understand pre-washing based on fiber content. Obviously, when in doubt, cut a swatch and test it out. We always say this, you can cut a piece of fabric, put it through the wash, see how it behaves before you wash your entire yardage.

And you can also do this for testing your iron temperatures. So take that same swatch that you put through the wash and test iron it and see how that behaves that way you know what iron temperature to use in your sewing process. I always like to say, pre-wash your fabrics the way you plan to wash your finished garment.

So if you are the kind of person who is not going to dry clean anything, who is going to put all of your clothes through a hot washing machine, in a hot dryer, then buy fabrics that can take that kind of care. And pre-wash your fabric in that way so that you know that you’ve gotten all of that hot shrink out of it. It’s, kind of, a weird, weird… the hot shrink, get it out of the fabric.

Helen: Get that hot shrink out of there!

Caroline: But no, it’s really important to be realistic about how you’re going to care for your garment and do that in the pre-washing process. And then I do have a bonus tip for pre-washing. I always like to serge or zigzag the cut edges of my fabric before washing and this prevents fraying. Some fabrics can get really frayed and, like, bunched up and knotted during the pre-washing process. And you can even lose, like, a good inch on either end of the fabric when you’re pre-washing it just from, like, fraying. So serging or zigzag is going to help you to have less mess. And also just save a little bit of fabric.

Helen: I love that. I will pre-wash some fabrics multiple times, too because some fabrics shrink. Even after you pre-wash and dry them, they shrink, like rayons are, I’ve had some, like, cotton shirting do that on me. And it’s so upsetting. You think you’ve pre-washed. You think you’ve checked that box. You make the garment, and then the garment shrinks. So, I mean, if you’re worried about it, just keep, throw it through the wash a few times.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Why not?

Caroline: Totally.

Helen: Okay, next up we’re going to talk about seam allowance. And the seam allowance is the space from the intended seam line to the raw edge of the pattern pieces that you’re working with. Seam allowances are added so that the seam can be sewn, and then can be pressed open or to one side. And seam allowance widths will vary from pattern to pattern.

The most common seam allowances are 3/8 of an inch, which is about one centimeter, or 5/8 of an inch, which is about one and a half, 1.6 centimeters. And of course, whether your country uses metric or imperial will affect whether the sewing patterns that are developed there use metric or imperial measurements here for seam allowances and the seam allowances on your sewing machine markings as well.

So it can get a little complicated, but you, kind of, as you sew, you’ll get used to moving between the two different ways and looking out for that seam allowance marking before you start sewing cause that is really important to know before you get going.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And most patterns include seam allowance in the pattern, but some do not. So look out for this, especially in vintage patterns, I think it’s pretty common for the seam allowance to not be included. If this is the case, you would have to draw out that seam allowance when you’re tracing out your pattern.

I think Burda Patterns are another company that often has patterns without seam allowance. And I think some people like this because then you have control over how much seam allowance you can add which is really nice. If you prefer to have a skinny seam allowance, you can just do 3/8. If you like extra seam allowance, then you can do that. So it is really fun to have control over that.

Kind of, in a similar vein, as you grow in your sewing journey, you might want to play with seam allowances. So you don’t necessarily always have to keep the seam allowance as it is. You can widen the seam allowance to test the fit a bit more. Wider seam allowances can also allow you to let out a seam later on if needed.

And the narrow seam allowances can be desired on garments with sharp curves so that they’re easier to sew, but do keep in mind with those narrower seams that they don’t provide that room for alteration later on.

Helen: Yeah. And typically knit garments have a smaller seam allowance because the intention is that you might construct it with a serger, and sergers have a smaller seam allowance from the needle to the blade, so that’s why you often see shorter seam allowances on knit garments.

Caroline: Yes. Okay. Next up is selvedge or selvage.

Helen: Both acceptable. I always say this because I get questions about this. Whenever I run a pattern test, people say, I spell selvage wrong. I’m like, it’s fine. Both ways are acceptable.

Caroline: Yeah. I’ve definitely seen it spelled a V-E-D-G-E or V-A-G-E. So the selvedge is parallel to the lengthwise grain. So it’s, kind of, the lengthwise edge of the fabric, and it might have some colored dots along that edge, or maybe a name brand printed on it. Um, and sometimes even has, like, holes running through it. And this is from the machinery that’s used to handle and finish the fabric.

It’s very normal for some selvedges to be a bit messy or have some, like, larger holes. This happens often with washed fabrics, like a washed linen or knit fabrics. So keep that in mind if you’re seeing, like, some holes along your selvedge, that’s totally normal. And this is me speaking from experience at Blackbird because we get questions about that a lot.

One thing to remember with selvedge is that you don’t really want to include the selvedge in your pattern pieces when you’re cutting out. As much as possible, you want to try to avoid it because oftentimes the selvedge is more tightly woven than the rest of the fabric. So it might behave a little bit differently, or it might, kind of, like, scrunch in a little bit along the edge. So just keep that in mind when you’re cutting, you might want to avoid the selvedge, even give yourself like an inch or so from the selvedge, from where you’re cutting your pieces.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. Sometimes it’s really tempting because the selvedge on quilting cottons is so cute. And I have used it in patterns before. If you want to use it to make, like, a binding or some little detail here or there, of course you can use it. But I think with a lot of fabrics, as you said, it behaves really differently. So it’s not a good idea to include it, um, when you’re cutting things out, if you can avoid it.

Alright, staystitching is our next term. And stay stitch is a line of stitching that’s sewn at the edge of a pattern piece to prevent that pattern piece from fraying and stretching out as you’re handling it. It’s often the first step in the pattern, and it’s done to curved areas like arm holes and necklines. Again, just to help them to maintain their shape as you’re moving them from your work table to your iron, to your machine. You’re handling it. You’re stretching it out. You’re draping it on your body to see if it’s going to fit. All of these things that you’re doing stretch out the fabric. And so stay stitching is going to help those areas to maintain their shape.

And unlike basting stitching, staystitching remains in the garment after the seams are sewn. You don’t need to remove it. It’s usually done using a regular stitch length, and it’s usually done just inside the seam allowance. So if your seam allowance is 5/8, you would do it at half an inch, so that it’s hidden, and you don’t need to worry about taking it out later.

Caroline: Would you say stay stitching is one of those things that you can skip?

Helen: Oh, I want to say no, but, like, the rebel sewist in me wants to say yes. You know, I think you can skip it. I know lots of people do. And if you’re careful with your fabric, it’s probably not going to be a big deal, but don’t come crying to me when your neckline’s all stretched out, okay?

Caroline: I was going to say, it’s just going to take one, like, droopy neckline for you to realize the value of staystitching so you can go make that mistake, listener.

Helen: I like doing it. I think it’s fun. It’s, like, the first thing on the project. And it’s, like, really an easy thing. So you don’t need to, like, stress about it. And then I feel like I have this freedom to do things like drape it over myself to see if I like the way the fabric’s fitting. Like, I don’t need to be so precious with the thing once I’ve stay stitched it. I can be like, yeah. Go nuts.

Caroline: It’s totally true. Yeah. It gives you a little bit more freedom to, like, handle your fabric a little bit.

Helen: Exactly.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Next up we’re going to talk about stay tape. So stay tape is a thin web form of tape that’s applied to stabilize and support seams. It helps to prevent unwanted stretching and gaping. Often stay tape can be applied to a neckline, a waistline, pocket openings, arm holes. I’ve seen it used on shoulders in knit garments. It’s often sewn in when you’re sewing the actual seam in place, so you’re, kind of, doing it all a time.

A scrap busting tip to do with stay tape is that you can actually use the selvedge, which we just talked about, that can be quite tightly woven and really stable. And you can cut that off and save it and use it as a stay tape in future projects.

Helen: So smart. I love this. If you’re looking for an example of stay tape, I often see it on the back of, like, ready to wear hoodies.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Like, it kind of goes from shoulder to shoulder along the back neck edge. And that’s just a great example of stay tape. It looks hard to sew in there, but…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …you can do it.

Caroline: And it does give it, kind of, elevates the finish, like the inside of a knit neckline which can sometimes look, like, a little bit messy or unfinished when you’re used to ready to wear. So adding that little detail can really up your sewing game.

Helen: Yeah, totally. Okay. Tailor’s tacks are next. Tailor’s tacks are thread markings that are added to pattern pieces to mark things like dart points, pocket placements, things that you can’t mark on the edge of a pattern piece. So they’re actually in the middle of the garment somewhere floating around. So you could mark this with chalk, but you could also mark this with a tailor’s tack.

And you’re just using some thread and a needle to make a little loop onto the fabric. And then you’re just trimming it off, so you’ll have little thread tails. And the benefit of this is that you don’t have to worry about your fabric marker disappearing over time. You don’t have to worry about your chalk rubbing off. And then three weeks later, when you come back to your project, all your markings are gone. Tailor’s tacks are going to stay as long as they don’t fall out, which you think they would, but they don’t.

Caroline: Yeah, they don’t.

Helen: Yeah, they just, kind of, hang out.

Caroline: Quite literally, they just hang, they just hang off.

Helen: They just hang there. Yeah. And use a contrast thread, too. Cause then you can see them.

Caroline: Oh yeah. And it’s another great scrap buster for thread because you can just use, like, your little spool ends and save them for hand sewing and tailor’s tacks and things like that.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: Okay. I’m going to talk about tailor’s ham. I mean, I feel like we’ve been talking about tailor’s ham a lot lately. We had a whole section on tailor’s hams in our Pressing episode.

Helen: I love ham though.

Caroline: Oh, me too. I love a good ham. Okay. A tailor’s ham is a stuffed pillow that’s, kind of, ham shaped. It often has red wool plaid on one side which is really great for pressing with wool and synthetic fibers. And then it’ll have a cotton side which is best for fabrics that require higher heat when pressing. It’s an awesome pressing tool. It helps you to get into those curved areas like sleeve caps, necklines, darts. You can make your own. It’s a fun scrap busting project. If you are DIY-ing it, just make sure that you’re stuffing it really, really full because you want that tailor’s ham to be really hard to the touch so that it can really support that project on top of it.

Helen: Yes, definitely. Tailors. They have all these fun tools. Tailor’s tacks. Tailor’s hams. I love it.

Okay, topstitching I touched on earlier, a row of stitching that’s visible on the right side of the fabric. Sometimes referred to as, like, a decorative stitch, topstitching strengthens seams, making them a little bit stiffer. It can also help to hold a seam allowance down on one side of the fabric. And it’s a beautifully decorative element to add to your garment in the final stages of a seam or an area or the garment once it’s all finished. You can use topstitching thread when topstitching, which is often a bit thicker, or you can use regular all-purpose thread.

And if you decide to use topstitching thread, you want to also consider using a topstitching needle because the thread is thicker, so it needs a bigger, what’s that called, the scarf that runs down the needle that holds the thread? It needs to be a little bit wider and then the, it needs to be able to comfortably fit into the needle hole as well.

So when topstitching, consider your needle, consider your stitch length as well. You might want to lengthen it to give yourself just a little bit more room as your stitch is going along, give it that, like, finished, hefty feel that you want from topstitching. And also when you’re topstitching, rather than backstitching at the start and end of seams, consider leaving longer thread tails, pulling them to the back of the garment and then tying them off in a knot to give a bit of a cleaner look because topstitching thread, when you backstitch, can really draw the eye to that area, and it can create quite a lot of bulk as well.

Caroline: Mhm, it’s so true. And topstitching thread can actually come in different weights which I didn’t really know early on in my sewing journey. And I always had trouble sewing that stuff that you find online or, like, the Gutterman more, like, sewing focused line of threads where it’s really quite thick and bulky, but you can get, like, a lighter weight or slightly skinnier topstitching thread that still has that heft and still is more visible on a garment and, like, kind of, gives that strength in the seam, but it’s easier to sew. At Blackbird, we sell Mara 70 which is my preferred topstitching thread. So if you have trouble sewing the thicker stuff, maybe try that one out.

Helen: I love Mara 70, never going back. So good. Okay. Truing up. Caroline, can I take this one?

Caroline: Yeah, do it.

Helen: Truing up is the term used when you’re making pattern adjustments or pattern cutting. So truing is the process of checking to make sure that the seam lines match and the pieces connect. For example, a sleeve can fit into an arm hole, or if you’re adjusting, maybe you do a full bust adjustment, and then you want to double check that your new side seam on the front bodice matches the side seam on the original back bodice, along with checking other components like pocket placements and darts at the same time.

So if you’re making adjustments to a pattern piece that can affect the overall construction of the garment, truing up allows us to ensure those pieces are all going to fit to the other in the end, in the intended way, and that your adjustment was done correctly. So you just need to put those pieces together, either measure them and make sure that they’re the same length. Or in some cases, if you’re, uh, say, adding length to a pattern, you’re slashing it and then you’re spreading it. You’re adding some paper. And then all of a sudden, that angle on the side seam looks a little janky, if you will. Then, you want to draw a new angle there, and that’s a process of truing up.

Caroline: Yeah, and one tip that I have about truing up is to remember to use the stitch line and not the edge of the pattern piece. So you want to keep in mind what your seam allowance is. And often what I will do is just, like, fold it under, so I’m not even looking at it. Or when you’re, kind of, walking your pattern pieces together to make sure that they match, do it using the stitch line and not the edge of the patterns because those two things are very different.

Helen: Yes, and Made to Sew has two YouTube videos on how to true up which we’ll link in the show notes because they’re great.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. Next up is underlining. So underlining is similar to the aforementioned interlining. It’s a layer of fabric that’s placed beneath the fashion fabric. Underlying is meant to help with the overall structure of the garment. So its aim is to provide body and support to the garment versus added insulation that the interlining offers.

Underlining is also added when you’re working with sheer fabric, so you can’t see through them. Underlining fabric often are cotton batiste, rayon challis, silk organza. So, depending on what your main fabric is, you’ll want to use the appropriate underlining fabric. And similarly to interlining, it’s cut and basted to the fashion fabric on the wrong side, before the garment construction process begins.

Helen: Yeah. So in this way, it’s different than a lining because a lining is, like, a separate piece of fabric that is facing your body, and it’s not actually connected to the fashion fabric before you start.

Caroline: Exactly.

Helen: So many linings to consider.

Okay. Last but not least, we have one of my favorite terms which is understitching, a row of stitching visible on the wrong side of the garment that’s there to help strengthen the seam and keep those seams from rolling or peeking out on the right side of the garment. So understitching’s not visible from the right side of the garment. It is a permanent stitch that helps to create a really professional look. So we often find understitching on things like facings, linings on garments, in seam pockets are usually understitched.

And again, it just helps you to not see that little edge, so you can actually use, like, you know, if you’re using a solid fabric for your exterior and then you want to use a fun printed fabric for your facing, understitching that facing so that you don’t see that little edge of print peeking out as you’re wearing it can really just help you to achieve that professional finish.

Caroline: Yes. I love understitching.

Helen: Me too.

Caroline: It’s essential.

Helen: So fun. It’s actually not. It’s very frustrating, but it’s fun once you get the hang of it.

Caroline: Well, you know, with an edge stitching foot, understitching is a pinch.

Helen: Is a breeze?

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Alright. Alright. Hot tip.

Caroline: Alright, so let us know what your favorite sewing term is. Is it janky? Is it pre-washing? Maybe it’s understitch. We want to…

Helen: Is it selvedge?

Caroline: Is it selvage? Let us know on social this week. Tag us in your stories and your posts. Um, we want to talk all about all of these weird sewing terms that we use, that other people have no idea what we’re talking about. It’s so great and fun. Let’s do it over on social.

Helen: We’ll see you there.

Caroline: Bye.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com.

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: If you are loving the show and you want to help us out, you can support us over on Patreon. Contribute $5 or more a month, and you’ll get access to our bonus episode feed. If you contribute $10 or more a month, you will get a 15% discount code for both of our shops and an extra bonus mini-sode go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

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