Last weekend I took two classes on industrial sewing techniques from Robin Bolton, a certified Islander Sewing System instructor. The workshop was sponsored by our local chapter of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. The first day, we learned several industry tricks for improving the speed and accuracy of…
Category: Technique
Local Fabric Sources
When working a booth at a sewing show or expo, we are frequently asked where we get our beautiful fabrics. This is typically followed by a lament that “there are no good fabric stores where I live.” Rae and I are indeed lucky to have an excellent fabric store near…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed: Summer Pants with Slits
Sewing pants for summer is so easy! Armed with your well fitting Eureka! Pants that Fit pattern, you can stitch up pants in fun prints and solids. As you choose that lighter weight or colored fabric, make sure the fabric is opaque enough that no lining is needed. Pre-wash your…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed- Inserting Elastic Into Faced Waist Pants
A warm Fit for Art welcome to our friend and Eureka! Pants collaborator, Sarah Veblen who has prepared the directions for you to add elastic into pants finished at the waist with a facing. Special thanks too to Monica Walker who provided the photographs for this post. She worked on…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed – Trimming the French Jacket
One of the last steps in completing a Tabula Rasa French jacket is to apply the trim. I love the way trim personalizes the jacket; trims can keep the jacket conservative and predictable, dress it up, provide an artful edge, or give it a fanciful finish. Whichever direction you choose…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed – Skinny Pants For Boots
It is pants blog week so here is a little tip that is making my winter more pleasurable. First: the back story. I am very pragmatic in wanting my clothing to cross at least three seasons. This is especially true for my basic black and denim blue pants. Two winters…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed: Faux Leather Pants
This fall, I (Carrie speaking this week) found some very cool “faux leather” at Haberman Fabrics that would make fabulous Eureka! Pants that Fit for this winter. It has enough stretch to be comfortable, “flannel” backing, and is a color – a cross between silver and purple – that goes…
Sew! Lets Get Dressed – Suitable for Work
The jacket montage on our home page was updated for fall and the first Tabula Rasa Jacket (TRJ) is Bobbie’s Shirt Jacket. I made it for my cousin Bobbie who is a busy mom of 3 and a full time professional with a large tech company. She usually works from…
Sew! Let’s Get Dressed – Pants Slip
Use your Eureka! Pants pattern to stitch up a “slip” to wear with your pants. It is an easy way to add a layer of warmth and drape to your fall and winter pants without lining each pair. Plus, if you choose a fabric that can be pre-washed, you will save on…
Sew! Lets Get Dressed – Adding a Scarf Tie
I hope that you have been thinking about, and perhaps even playing with some fabrics, for your own pieced jacket as I suggested in last week’s post. This is the second week of conversation about the pieced blue scarf jacket that received so many compliments during our fall appearances. Read…