Innholdsfortegnelse for SewStylish Spring Fashion 2013 i Threads Magazine

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ■ Send your letters to: SewStylish Letters PO Box 5506 Newtown, CT 06470-5506 or via email SewStylishLetters@taunton.com One of my best friends loves to sew as much as I do. Every time she visits me, we head to New York City and spend an entire day fabric shopping. The last time we got together, the spree ended with us at a tiny Thai restaurant, with giant bags of material and trims squeezed under our chairs. “When are we going to find time to sew all this?” my friend asked, and I realized something that I’d put into practice for a while without realizing it. I aim to sew just one seam a day, and with that simple effort, my sewing progresses. It gets done! There…

We asked Angela to share inspiration based on the runway trends. Here are some best bets: Key Silhouettes • Skirts and dresses with lots of ruffles• Crop tops and shorter jackets.• Biker jackets in silk, tweed, or other fabrics• Slender, ankle-length pants• Higher waistlines Gossamer Fabrics • Silk chiffon for spring• Sheers layered over prints• Sheers in unusual color combinations Dramatic Prints • Graphic designs• Large florals• Animal-skin patterns Daywear Embellishments • Crochet• Laser cutouts• Embroidery Color Trends • Black and white• Vibrant (poppy red, royal blue, emerald)• Soft and subtle (light jade, lavender, cream)…

Extra! Extra! Find bonus content from this issue when you log on to SewStylish.com. Spruce up any clutch bag with the chain tassel zipper pulls featured in “Portfolio Clutch” (page 62). “Project Rescue” (page 87) o≠ers many solutions to save garments from impending doom; check out an additional way to salvage your sewing projects. Discover more creative organization ideas for your sewing space in an extra from “Super Storage Solutions” (page 84). Also, learn how to serge professional-looking corners and more with four extra techniques from “Serger Basics” (page 80). More Exciting Projects & Videos Visit our website for more fun and fabulous spring projects. Learn how to make stylish cu≠ed shorts, embellish a dress with handmade stamps, or give garments a modern look with exposed zippers. Also, watch fashion…

Seams, turned-under edges, and a super-quick belt turn your fabric into a chic dress. 1 Sew the dress. With right sides together, pin the dress front to the back at the shoulder seams and side seams. Sew them with a straight stitch and a 5⁄8-inch-wide seam allowance. Sew the side seam starting at the dress hem and finishing at the sleeve hem. 2 Finish the edges with a narrow or rolled hem. Fold under the dress hem, sleeve hems, and neck edges 1⁄8 inch and press. Then, fold them under an additional 1⁄4 inch, press again, and sew with a straight stitch. Or, use a roll-hem presser foot to sew rolled hems. Press. 3 Make the belt. Pin the belt strips right sides together. Stitch along both long edges and…

If the lace resists flexing enough to encircle the neckline, try snipping into the decorative edge. This enables the trim to spread and follow the sweater’s neckline curve. Use a pair of embroidery scissors with sharp points for precise cutting. If you have a dress form, place the sweater on it to support the lace as you work. 1 Customize the lace, if necessary. If you’ve chosen a lace trim that isn’t the exact style and length you’d like, you can adapt it. Portions of the motifs can be removed to reduce the trim’s length, and some can be added to fill in any blank spaces. For example, I cut one pair of leaves from each frond motif to reduce the trim’s length, then I filled in the spaces between…

Pocket PATTERN INCLUDED page 94 Playing with fabric grain is a fun way to use a classic stripe. When I saw this dress design, I knew that the princess seams and raglan sleeves were just crying out to become boundaries for multidirectional pieces. I used a crisp seersucker and bound the neck and sleeve edges for a sharp finish. Adding some girly patch pockets with a bias-tape bow detail was like adding sprinkles to a sundae. The resulting confection resembles a 1940s nautical look. Cal Patch, a former staff designer for Free People, is the author of Design It Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified (Potter Craft, 2009). She has tutorials available at CraftStylish.com and blogs about projects at HodgePodgeFarm.net. 1 Play with the grainlines. When cutting, reconsider the suggested grainlines for…

Think about how you want the photo to look on your finished garment. Do you want the subject to be easily recognizable, or do you want viewers to contemplate it before realizing what they are seeing? Are you more engaged by the subject, or its colors and lines? Here are some examples of how designers manipulated photographic images to create fabric prints. Discover the options that appeal to you. A KALEIDOSCOPE This treatment plays with the photo so that it appears sliced and rearranged as if by the mirrors of a kaleidoscope. The slices radiate from different points or a single point on the garment. You’ll want to plan the print’s placement so that the photo segments radiate from interesting and flattering areas on your garment, either centered or asymmetrical.…

Clutch bags are a hot trend this season. The mode is for an oversized version that transitions from morning to evening. This polished, portfolio-sized clutch carries your essentials in style; it’s perfect for toting your iPad. Make different versions with fabrics and findings to suit your moods and your lifestyle. A contrast band at the top opening provides an opportunity for mixing materials and colors. Three zippered compartments provide ample storage and keep everything organized. A divided interior pocket is the perfect spot to stow your cell phone and other small necessities for easy access. Simply changing the colors or fabrications, adding decorative tassels to the zipper pulls, or changing the hardware for the removable strap lets you personalize this bag for a multitude of looks and uses. Begin by…

Your pattern may have darts that are not perpendicular to the skirt’s waist and hem. When you sew an angled dart in a striped fabric, it creates a “jog” in the stripes. You’ll need to reorient those darts to keep the stripes straight. 1 Trace the pattern copy on the fabric. Align the bottom cutting line to a fabric stripe. Pin so that the whole skirt is on grain and aligned to the fabric’s stripe pattern. Transfer the hem stitching and foldline markings to the fabric—or just mark the stripes that correspond to their placement. 2 Mark the dart leg tops and points. Use an air-soluble fabric marker to denote where each dart leg meets the waist edge. Remove the pattern from the fabric, then mark a short line at…

Transform sari fabric into a unique home accessory Nothing sets the mood for comfort like a gorgeous floor pillow—especially one that’s crafted from richly colored, silky sari fabric. Typically, bold colors and graphics are all a pillow needs to pack a lot of punch, but this pillow’s even cooler because of its patchwork design. The beautiful, undulating bargello pattern on this pillow is the result of a simple strip-piecing technique that you’ll learn here, and it’s one that you can use anywhere, at any scale, to enhance your sewing projects. Adapted from CraftStylish Vol. 4 article “Sweet and Sari” by Dan Pasky (DanDanDesign.com).…

A narrow bias binding is a great finish for a neckline: It looks sleek, eliminates bulk, and can provide a striking design detail when made in a contrasting fabric. Plus, it’s not difficult to sew. Follow the directions at right for a smooth, even trim that adds a couture finish to your garments. The technique shown is for a garment with a center-back opening, and for a finished binding width of ¼ inch. Start by trimming the seam allowance from the neckline and joining the shoulder seams. Staystitch the neckline a scant ¼ inch from the raw edge. Next, cut a bias strip six to eight times the desired finished width of the binding, by the length of the neckline plus an inch. Take your time basting, pinning, marking, and…

Christine Haynes (“Sew Creative,” page 38) “I love that we are at a time in fashion history where anything goes. Short skirts, long skirts, wide pants, skinny pants, it all works when worn well. I do love fashion and religiously read fashion magazines and watch the various fashion weeks around the world, but they don’t influence what I decide to do in my own studio.” Christine Haynes designs vintage-inspired sewing patterns and teaches sewing in Los Angeles. See her patterns and her blog at ChristineHaynes.com. Cal Patch (“Sew Creative,” page 38) “I like to think the garments I sew will last a lifetime. I’m not attracted to trends unless they fit with my own personal style. My tastes evolve slowly over time, but I always gravitate toward simple shapes that…

LIGHT AND AIRY, EYELET FABRIC is a natural favorite for spring-and summertime. This lacy fabric is characterized by small cutouts that are reinforced with stitching around the edges. The finely stitched holes are typically grouped into eye-catching floral or geometric designs. Eyelet fabric is a classic choice for lightweight tops, skirts, and nightgowns. And it’s comfortable around the house in the form of bedding, curtains, table linens, and more. Jasper Conran Go with the Flow. This classic shirtdress is lightened up by the symmetrical eyelet pattern running its length. Paola Frani Pick a Flower. Eyelet fabric is often at its best in a floral motif. The top shown has patches of eyelets between pretty blossoms. Skaist Taylor Channel an Urban Look. Eyelet goes hip in a cute minidress. SEWING TIP…

Designers love to feature delicate cutwork-style embroidery on warm-weather styles. Cutwork is removing fabric from an embroidered design to create an airy look. In the past, this technique required a lot of precise hand trimming. It was time-consuming, not to mention risky, since you had to turn the scissors on something you had carefully sewn. If you don’t have a lot of time, a workroom of couture sewers, or a high-end embroidery machine that trims fabric, there is a fast, easy, and inexpensive solution. You can dissolve fabric from embroidery designs with Fiber Etch from Silkpaint. This fiber remover chemically melts away cotton, linen, and other plant-fiber fabrics. Use polyester embroidery thread to embroider a plant-fiber fabric. Then apply a thin layer of Fiber Etch to the fabric areas you…

LOOKING CHIC HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER. All you need is a sleek shift dress—and luckily, it’s incredibly simple to create one. In a few easy steps, you can draft a one-piece pattern for a shift that fits you perfectly, then stitch it together and embellish it. This dress includes a reverse appliqué of contrasting fabric around the neckline, enhanced by a fancy trim. Reverse appliqué is just like surface appliqué—except it is applied to a fashion fabric’s wrong side and then revealed by trimming away the fashion fabric. Sew this stylish shift dress in a silky or slinky fabric for a party-ready look, or make it casual for daytime in a pretty, drapable cotton or rayon challis print. Adapted from CraftStylish Vol. 4 article “Stylish Sheath” by Christine Haynes.…

Temporary spray adhesive makes basting lace in position quick and easy. A straight or zigzag stitch holds lace neatly and invisibly. 1 Unpin the lace from the neckline, and lay it wrong side up on a sheet of paper or protective plastic. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, apply the temporary spray adhesive to the wrong side of the lace. If you’ve cut the lace into two or more pieces, work with the pieces individually. 2 Lift the lace, and carefully arrange it around the neckline, adhesive side down. Finger-press it in place to secure. Add pins for extra reinforcement, if necessary. 3 Set your sewing machine for a straight or zigzag stitch. From the sweater’s right side, stitch the lace trim’s heading in place along the neckline edge. Then, stitch along…

The pattern is just the beginning when it comes to sewing your style. The new Simplicity SewStylish 1699 pattern has an on-trend silhouette, with a fit-and-flare dress and a collared top with a peplum. Yet the silhouette is just the framework for endless fashion possibilities. Here, two SewStylish authors and an editor came up with three new takes on the dress from the wardrobe pattern. You’ll see how different fabrics, embellishments, and pattern alterations yield varied results from one design. These ideas show you the possibilities and how to make each version a reality.…

In a runway preview for the spring season, I saw an exciting designer dress that I knew would just take a simple pattern alteration to replicate. The dress had a curved hem, swooping up in front and down in back, and in an elegant fabric like brocade or jacquard, it’s a more modern, eveningwear take on the fit-and-flare silhouette. There’s a very easy way to handle the curved hem: Just line the skirt! This design tweak leaves the lining visible, and that opens up more options for contrasting or matching lining fabrics. Sarah McFarland is SewStylish issue editor. 1 Plan to remove the dress skirt’s center-front seam. You can’t do this with every dress design. However, this pattern has an on-grain front seam and the total skirt width is less…

Pattern details can wreak havoc on a beautiful photo print. Seams can crop photos strangely; darts can chop up the image; pleats and gathers hide parts of the image, and draping can distort. Fret not, the best plan is to try your options before ordering the fabric, and plan your garment methodically. KEEP IT BETWEEN SEAMS Determine the narrowest part of the garment between seams or darts; this is the largest photo size you can use without cropping the photo by a seam. This is very helpful to know as you select a photo and determine its scale and repetition. If the photos are large, a garment with few seams is best to prevent the photo from being cropped. If the photo repeat is small, garments can have few or…

The peplum pattern pieces on Simplicity SewStylish 1699 form nearly a semicircle. The original peplum has less flare than a circular version, as shown in the illustration on page 51. Here’s how to increase the flare from a half circle to a full circle. FROM A HALF CIRCLE TO A FULL CIRCLE 1 Add three lines to each pattern piece. To make them perpendicular to the hemline, start by folding the piece in half, matching the vertical cut edges and/or the foldline, and then fold in half again. Cut along the foldlines. Leave a hinge at the waistline by cutting from the hem up and from the waist edge down without crossing the seamline. 2 Start spreading the hem edge. As the hem edge becomes longer, the waist edge curve…

Add graphic detail with lace panels Lace continues to be one of the hottest runway trends, and it’s being used in innovative ways that give it an edgier appeal. One way to balance this ladylike fabric’s inherent sweetness with a bit of spice is to sew lace overlays onto a solid-colored garment with cut-away “reveals” around all the construction seams. This large-scale appliqué technique makes the lace appear to frame the garment’s seams, adding texture and a graphic element. You can appliqué lace panels on any garment you choose, but it works best on simple, structured shapes. Here, we applied lace to the top from Simplicity SewStylish 1699, a princess-seamed blouse with raglan sleeves, set-in waist, and flirty peplum. The key is to cut the seam allowances plus a little…

The clutch’s wrist strap clips onto a D-ring attached to a tab in one of the bag’s side seams. Use 1⁄2-inch-wide seam allowances to sew the D-ring tab and the wrist strap. 1 Pin the D-ring tab piece right sides together, matching the notches. Stitch along the tab’s long raw edge, and trim the seam allowances to a scant 1⁄4 inch. Turn the tube right side out and press it, keeping the seam on the tab’s long edge. Edgestitch both long edges, then topstitch 1⁄4 inch from the edgestitching. 3 With wrong sides together, fold the strap piece in half lengthwise. Press the fold to create a crease. Unfold the strap and fold the lengthwise edges to the crease, wrong sides together. Now, fold the strap piece along the center crease,…

If you’re like me, poring over great clothing catalogs and websites is a favorite leisure activity. I love discovering new embellishments and finding inspiration in interesting garments. This skirt project was influenced by some very expensive examples that caught my eye. The concept is a cute skirt circled with parallel bands of trim—crocheted lace in this sample, or it could be ribbons, or a mix of whatever you like. Here’s where you get to benefit from my experience: I found a few shortcuts to make the sewing super simple, and through trial and error, I found techniques to employ for results that look and wear better. Start with a straight skirt pattern (the sample is based on New Look 6843) with a perfectly straight hemline and right angles at the…

A balanced stitch is even on the top and bottom fabrics and is not loose or loopy. When threading the serger, be sure to correctly “floss” the thread through the tension discs. If even one thread is lying on top of, rather than between, the tension discs, it can make the stitch form loops. Follow this checklist to achieve a balanced stitch by making tension adjustments. LEFT NEEDLE: This is the most important adjustment. If the fabric puckers, loosen the tension. Tighten the tension if “ladders” show along the seamline on the right side. RIGHT NEEDLE: This is the easiest adjustment. Once the left needle is adjusted, set this to the same tension or one number lower. LOOPERS: Tighten the tension if thread loops extend off the fabric edge. If…

Fold a Fabric Flower Garden Kanzashi is the Japanese art of folding and stitching fabric into petals. You can create beautiful kanzashi flowers with these quick and easy-to-use flower makers by Clover. Available in small (2-inch/50-mm) and large (3-inch/75-mm), the templates make a variety of flower designs, including daisy, orchid, round, and gathered petals. Requiring only fabric, scissors, needle, and thread, the flowers can be created simply by setting the fabric, cutting, and sewing. Your creations can be used as hair decorations, garment or home décor embellishments, jewelry, and more.(Clover-USA.com; small, $5.75; large, $6.00) Spray Adhesives Simplify Sewing Therm•O•Web manufactures aerosol adhesives especially for sewers and crafters. Its new SpraynBond Basting Adhesive is a temporary fabric adhesive. It’s sewable, repositionable, and washes out. Use it to hold embellishments in place…

ANGELA WOLF IS ONE HARDWORKING FASHION DESIGNER. She’s a TV personality (the couture expert for the PBS series, It’s Sew Easy); a spokeswoman for Brother; a custom clothing, ready-to-wear, and pattern creator; and a speaker, instructor, and author. She’s also a frequent writer for Threads and SewStylish, where she keeps readers informed about fashion trends and professional sewing methods. Angela started her custom-apparel business, ABO Apparel, in 1994 and launched a women’s ready-to-wear collection in 2010, but her career has always included sewing education. She encourages sewers to learn couture techniques, to work with specialty fabrics, and to stay in style. She recently launched a pattern line and plans to offer new designs each season to coincide with her ready-to-wear collections. Here, Angela talks about how far she’s come, as…

This shift dress is so simple, there’s only one pattern piece. Cut it once for the dress front and once for the back. You’ll need your measurements, some pattern paper, a ruler, and a pencil. 1 Pick a size. Measure your body and determine which size is best for you:Small (bust: 34 to 35 inches; waist: 26 to 27 inches; hip: 36 to 37 inchesMedium (bust: 36 to 37 inches; waist: 28 to 29 inches; hip: 38 to 39 inches)Large (bust: 38 to 40 inches; waist: 30 to 32 inches; hip: 40 to 42 inches) Begin with a rectangle of muslin or pattern paper with the following dimensions:Small: 38 inches by 13 inchesMedium: 40 inches by 15 inchesLarge: 41 inches by 16 inches 2 Draft the neckline. Lay out the…

CLASSIC CARDIGAN SWEATERS can sometimes be too sedate. You can restyle a plain-Jane cardigan into a sweet and sassy number with wide lace trim around the neckline and sleeve hems. It’s a fresh look that’s easy to duplicate with a few feet of trim and any finegauge sweater in your dresser. For a pretty update that’s neither fussy nor childish, select weighty lace trims with large motifs. Look for a wide trim that has one finished edge (the heading) and one decorative edge. The lace must be able to curve around a neckline, so examine the motifs to see if they can be clipped apart to separate and spread. Venise lace—a heavy trim with lovely relief that comes in a wide variety of widths and designs—is the perfect choice because…

UNLESS YOU SIMPLY WRAP UNCUT FABRIC around your body, the only way to fashion a wearable garment is by sewing shaped fabric pieces together. To make well-constructed, durable garments, you must understand the basics of sewing seams. There are many kinds of seams; each one is suited to a particular fabric weight and garment type. The most basic type of seam works for nearly everything, but over time, you’ll learn how to sew a half-dozen or more seams with specific uses for certain fabrics, such as cotton shirting, chiffon, denim, felt, satin, and knits. In this article, you’ll learn the anatomy of a garment’s seams, how to treat and finish seam allowances for a clean garment interior, and how to gauge your sewing machine’s tension settings for perfect seams every…

When seam allowances are not hidden and protected by a lining, they can be unsightly, and the raw edges suffer from wear and tear. You can protect the edges by finishing them. This is essential on loosely woven fabrics or on fabrics that have a tendency to ravel significantly. Here are three easy finishes you can use to prevent a seam edge from raveling. PINK IT Trim the raw edge with pinking shears to reduce raveling. Sew a row of straight stitches within the seam allowance for extra insurance. TURN AND STITCH Turn the raw edge under 1⁄8 inch, press, and stitch close to the fold. BIND WITH SEAMS GREAT Seams Great is a bias-cut nylon knit tape you can buy at sewing supply stores or online. When you pull…

Bow & Placket PATTERNS INCLUDED page 94 I wanted to create a sweet and feminine take on this very modern pattern. I added a faux button placket, piping, and a bow at the neck to give it an adorable vintage look. The fabric I used is a silky-soft, lightweight cotton voile, and I combined the same print in two colorways. You could imagine this design in solid black and white or a combination of prints and solids. However you plan it, the new details are easy to add, and they create a delicate finish. Christine Haynes is based in Los Angeles, where she teaches sewing at the well-known Sew L.A. shop. She’s the author of Chic and Simple Sewing (Potter Craft, 2009) and the creator of her own pattern line.…

Photo prints have been popping up in the Spring/Summer 2013 runway shows. From Devastee’s monochromatic scrapbooking approach, to Agnes B.’s beach scenes, designers have discovered how much fun it is to use photographic images on fabrics. With custom fabric-printing services, the options for home sewers are more exciting than ever before. You can plan and design your own photo prints with personal or copyright-free images and have professionally printed fabric created just for your project. Here, I’ll share some of my insights for choosing an image or images, selecting a sewing pattern, and how to put the two together to give you designerlook results. Spoonflower printed the garment fabrics for this story, but there are other fabric-printing companies, and the parameters of what you can do with photo printing on…

Peplums have been making the fashion scene for more than a year, but they’ve been around for a lot longer and enjoy a revival every 50 years or so. Learn how to design them while they’re the rage. A peplum is a short skirt on a jacket, blouse, coat, dress, or even a belt. It usually encircles the body from the waist to the hip. It is far too short to be a true skirt for anyone but an ice skater. Because it usually flares at the hip, it creates the illusion of a smaller waist. Simplicity SewStylish 1699 has a lovely subtle peplum on a sweet spring top, the perfect starting point for splendid variations. With this design, learn how easily the original pattern can be modified. You can…

Consider the garment’s structure when selecting a pattern for this treatment. A full, gathered skirt or bias-cut design won’t accept lace panel appliqués as successfully as a simple sheath dress, blazer, or structured blouse. Select a garment fabric and lace for the appliqué panels in complementary weights. The garment fabric should have enough body to support the lace; the cotton sateen and lightweight Venise lace used to make the peplum blouse shown are a perfect pairing. If you choose a lightweight garment fabric, don’t try to pair it with a heavier lace. Choose lace with medium to large motifs with lots of open space so that the garment fabric shows through. Solidcolored fabrics keep the look chic and restrained, but fabric with a simple print, such as a stripe or…

Before you cut the skirt fabric, adapt the pattern to have just one vertical seam at the center back. You’ll find it much easier to sew the trim along stripes that wrap the skirt without seams. 1 Copy the pattern pieces. Press the pattern without steam and cut out your size. Trace a whole skirt front as well as a left back and a right back onto pattern paper. Most skirt patterns do not have a full front piece or separate right and left back pieces; you’ll use them to create a single pattern piece for the whole skirt. 3 Trim off the side seam allowances. Do not trim the center-back seam allowances. 4 Tape the pieces together. Align the copied and trimmed pattern pieces along the side seams. Make…

The zipper treatment on this skirt adds another surface detail, is easy to sew, and prevents the trim from getting caught in the zipper teeth. The center-back seam allowances are flipped to the right side beneath the zipper tape. 1 Place the zipper along one side of the center back seam allowance. Align the zipper tape’s top edge with the waist’s cut edge, and mark where the zipper bottom stop falls along the center-back seamline. 2 Sew the center-back seam. Align the skirt’s center-back edges, right sides together. Start at the waistline, and baste to the mark for the zipper teeth’s end. Back-tack, then sew the center-back seam to the hem. On the wrong side, press the center-back seam as sewn, then open. 3 Clip the seam allowances at the…

2 Sew the strips together. With right sides together and using a 1 ⁄4-inch seam allowance, stitch the strips together in the order you just laid out. If you’ve cut and sewn carefully, the intersecting seams will all align, but if not, don’t worry; the pillow top will still look fabulous. 1 Open and align the strips. Working with the strips in the order listed on page 75, use your seam ripper to open one seam in each strip. Start with the center 3 1 ⁄2-inch-wide strip, and open the seam between the lightest and darkest blocks. Lay this right side up. Working with the strips on either side of the center one, open the seam that’s one block down from the seam you opened on the first strip. Lay…

APPLIQUÉ—A surface embellishment that is made by stitching fabric or lace pieces to another fabric. ARMSCYE—Armhole. BACKSTITCH—A strong, hand-worked stitch that doubles back on the previous stitch. BACK-TACK—To sew a few stitches back and forth to anchor a seam’s beginning or end. BASTE—To temporarily join fabric pieces with long, easily removable, hand or machine stitches. BIAS—Any line diagonal to the crosswise and lengthwise grains. “True bias” is on a 45-degree angle to the selvage, and allows for the most stretch in wovens.  BIAS TAPE—A fabric strip cut along the fabric’s true bias; often used for binding. Also referred to as a “bias strip.” BINDING—A fabric strip used to cover or enclose raw edges. BOUND BUTTONHOLE—A buttonhole that has edges bound with fabric. BOUND EDGES—Raw edges that have been covered with…

FOR THE SPRING 2013 ISSUE, we began planning in July 2012! Then, all of the research, planning, and sewing came together in the studio and model shoots in early November. Here’s a peek at the fun when the photography starts.…