We were blown away by the wonderful wardrobe of Fit for Art makes that our friend Therese crafted for her anniversary celebration with family on an island cruise in December. We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Therese to several of our recent retreats where she worked on developing her Eureka!…
Pin on the Seam Line
Seams are such an integral part of garment sewing, yet they are often taken for granted. My DIY clothes move up a notch when I pay close attention to each seam. Today we will begin to think differently about seams. That magical 5/8” garment sewing seam allowance is the first place to…
Everyday Swing Tops
The Swing Variation pattern for the Tabula Rasa Jacket is one of my favorite designs, so comfortable and perfect for using soft and drapey fabrics in my stash. I guess that so many of my swing tops have a dressy appearance because they are made with luscious fabric. Intentionally Plan your…
Back to Basics – Cuffs
The next class in Rae’s virtual series, Sew Great Clothes, with our host Fabric Mart is coming up next week with a focus on preparing the pattern and fabric to sew. Fit for Art has written many posts that touch on these topics; they can be found by search terms…
Slow Stitching
There is a movement in sewing, like in many other old established practices, to move back to the pre-industrial methods of creating. Embrace the process, one teacher might say. Another will say, experience the calm and creativity of a hand stitching practice. As a custom dressmaker, my career prior to…
Online Fabric Sources
Rae and I are frequently asked where we buy our beautiful fabrics. Like many of you, over the last several years we have relied on online fabric sources more often. To promote Rae’s upcoming Feb. 13 class, The Best Fabrics for Fashion, Function and Fit, we share a list of…
The Blue Skies of France are Calling
We hope you are considering joining us in France this year for one of our two retreat weeks in the countryside. The cold and snowy weather in the mid atlantic the last couple of weeks makes these excursions seem so very sweet. Why don’t you plan to come along for…
Tools for Garment Sewing-Scissors
Today we are thinking about sewing scissors as I prepare for the first of 6 virtual Sew Great Clothes classes we are sponsoring with Fabric Mart. In December we told you about some lovely silver tools we purchased a few years back from the talented silversmith Jan at Thimbles for…
Lace Encased Appliqués
Time to get sewing friends! In this post, we will look at how I turned a precious scrap of fabric into appliqués on a cropped Funnel Neck Variation of the Tabula Rasa Jacket. The appliques were further elevated by a halo of guipure lace cut into small motifs and used…
Advance your Sewing Skills in 2024
We are always looking for ways to bring our successful sewing strategies to your garment sewing practice. Why not take advantage of them? We have several learning opportunities coming soon that will interest you! Pam Damour’s 12th Annual Webathon We love participating in Pam’s annual webathon and this year will…