Simplicity 1589 A Learn to Sew

Hello again!
Don't be surprised that after a long time without new posts I am publishing two today! Well when it comes to sewing I've had my ups and downs but now that I have spent some time to create a nice space at home for all my sewing tools and materials, I am feeling very inspired lately to sit and get back to my favorite hobby.
So I have been working on Simplicity 1589 A pattern. It is a nice pattern for a beginner like me. I got to practice the seam finishes  for the square cutout which was nice.
I used a rayon fabric with black/ivory polka dots. The rayon fabric made kind of difficult handling the neckline and armholes sections. I added a black bias tape to the neckline because I accidentally did a hole on the fabric while using the seam ripper!! The hem was challenging too, but I am proud to say that is done! Anyways here are some pics.

Thanks for reading!

Simplicity 2226

Hello dear friends!
Yes I am back! So I finally finished the skirt on Simplicity 2226 pattern. It is very simple and easy to do. I ran into a problem with the zipper but to be fair this will be the first time I sew a zipper by myself without guidance. My advice will be to practice the technique that is explained in the instructions with scraps of fabric before you go ahead and do it in the actual skirt.
Another problem I had was that the skirt ended up being too big for me. To be honest I started this months ago and did it little by little...when I tried it sometime ago I thought it was going to fit. Anyways I still have a lot to learn and I am not getting discouraged. I know soon will be the day where I will get to wear the clothes that I make.
Anyways here is a picture of the skirt in my dress form. Since it was big I decided to not to do the fabric belt so I just added a belt I already have.
thanks for reading

Double Sided Headband!

Hello again!!
I have been so busy with work lately that I have not been able to spend time sewing which I missed so much!! :-( ...but anyways to shake off some of the rust of my hands I found this great tutorial from www.happytogetherbyjess.com on making headbands. What I love about these is that they are double sided so you can get creative with the fabric combination.
www.happytogetherbyjess.com/2011/07/double-sided-fabric-headband-pattern.html
Here a picture of the ones I made... Enjoy!!

Understanding the Grainline

Before you start laying out your pattern on fabric, it is important to understand the concept of the grainline. The way you lay your pattern pieces on fabric will have a direct impact on the garment construction.

Grainline is a term used in the textile industry that refers to the position or the orientation of the yarns in woven fabric.

Selvages: These are the finished edges where the fabric comes off the looms; the selvages are parallel to the lengthwise grain.

Lengthwise grain or grain line: The grain line runs the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvages. The lengthwise grain is usually the most stable and less stretchy than the crosswise grain.

Crosswise grain: This grain runs across the width of the fabric, from selvage to selvage and perpendicular to the lengthwise. Usually the Crosswise grain has most of the stretch.

Bias: 45 degrees between the crosswise and lengthwise grains. The bias is very stretchy and malleable. This is used for trims and bias tape because it is easily shaped to follow a curved edge.

Now that you have an idea of how to identify the grainline, you need to know that when you are laying your pattern on fabric, the arrows in the patterns must be in parallel with the fabric grainline. This way you ensure the fabric is being used appropriately when constructing your garment.

Extend the life of your commercial patterns!

Problem: You got that awesome pattern that you want to use over and over again but after the second use you noticed is hard to keep the pattern in a reusable state. After pinning and tracing multiple times the patterns paper has become a wreck and you will not be able to reuse it.

Solution: Go to a local medical supplies store and buy an exam table paper roll. What is that? The piece of paper they spread across the exam table at your doctor's office every time a new patient lays down in it. The good thing about this paper is that you can use it for making your own patterns but also for tracing your commercial pattern.

This way you can reuse as many times as you want your commercial pattern without damaging it with all the pinning and tracing. Also if you use the commercial pattern to sew for someone other than you, you can trace individual sets for each pattern size.

I paid about seven dollars for one roll so it is pretty cheap.
Do you have any other ideas? Let me know by posting a comment!

Knowing your pattern size

Hello!

One of the problems I encountered when I tried sewing my first blouse was choosing the correct pattern size. After almost done with my first disaster (I meant blouse) I realized that the armholes and the chest section was too big for me.

I thought the way to pick the pattern size was for your size overall and I always picked the one that matched my hips size. I know it sounds silly picking a size for a blouse based on the hips size but to be honest at that moment was not obvious for me.

Please see this awesome free guide provided by Simplicity, I assure you it will be very helpful.

http://www.simplicity.com/Classroom/Tools/TT14_SimplicityFitBrochure.pdf

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!