I'll agree with BGibbs that sports elastic insertion is my problem too. I have followed online tutorials and still the result is ugly!!!!I too have a large difference between waist and hips so I've given up on elastic for me BUT since I sew for others I need to learn this but don't know how to achieve a nice professional finish.
My problem too is that I am a pear shaped "short waist-ed" mature petite and altering patterns still do not fit right so I've taken to making my own patterns from scratch but I would love to be able to use a made pattern. And while you can go to a store and try something gorgeous on only to find it looks dreadful on you, you won't know that until you have invested time and fortune into your homemade dress. RTW clothes also seldom fit, so of course I don't buy them. That leaves dreadful unfashionable skirt and blouse combos. Local stores don't sell "nice" fabrics. And this new stuff about stripes is just awful for me. Stripes make skinny people look balanced and that means only the angular or teen undeveloped figures will look good in them IMHO. Different shapes do need different patterns as well as different styles to be attractive in. A style for one can look all wrong on another even if it does "fit".

Like many others, I have inherited a good bit of my stash. I do projects for Church and Synagogue (mixed family) and love to mend or alter clothes or invent new. Amazingly when I think I have made a dent in my stash, things come back and I unpick the latest stage props, rework something else and seem to have more after I give away gifts than before. I save the trimmings from doing clothes alterations and resew them into new cloth for a project then get it back, unpick and recreate something new.

A beloved machine is a hard thing to lose. So sorry for your frustration. Now then, do you want just a walking foot attachment or a new complete sewing machine? From the looks of it, you MIGHT be rushing your work thus it breaks often. If you are on a fixed income, you might want to take it into a repair shop and have your service person explain what is going on, how it works and the mechanics of why it is breaking. From there you can make better choices. If it is just the walking foot that broke, you can continue to sew with other feet, and not spend money. On the other hand the cost of repair is considerably less than the price of a new machine. The workman is worthy of his hire. A warranty is only the factory telling you they sold you a good machine and if not they will fix what they did wrong. Maintenance is your part of ownership. A good machine will last with good maintenance which is a small but expected price to pay to be able to sew at home. And after 25 years, I'll say you really did get a GOOD machine. But if you really want a new machine, then that is your decision. When my 1978 Pfaff "died" I took it to several repairmen who made the situation worse. I searched for new machines only to find that like you, my daily requirements were more than any new home machine would handle (I treat them rough)so I got a book on home sewing machine repair and fixed it myself. Bless G-d, I am learning to repent of my bad habits and now am happily back to sewing again. Hope you too find a happy ending.

So many who commented already deserve this more. I am just drawn to it and want it so much. For me it is Better Than Chocolate. I'll put out a hint to family that my birthday is soon. Thanks for the heads up for a book worthy to be devoured with gusto and samples to be imitated with enthusiasm.

wow this is news to me. So that is why my friends in England press on wooden tables! And here I've been struggling to get the perfect press on quilt pieces etc. by putting more not less padding on my wooden ironing board. I feel ignorant, like reinventing the wheel. Thank you for putting us straight ...and flat...and neatly pressed.

wow this is news to me. So that is why my friends in England press on wooden tables! And here I've been struggling to get the perfect press on quilt pieces etc. by putting more not less padding on my wooden ironing board. I feel ignorant, like reinventing the wheel. Thank you for putting us straight ...and flat...and neatly pressed.

To sewkat: I think you would measure your bust as she did for enlarging but you would swing the hinge inward by overlapping (instead of having a gap) until it satisfies your bust and hip measurements. However whenever I've used the slash and pivot method, something elsewhere does not work well, as folks are commenting above. For you it might alter the hip measurements and waist curves. For myself I use a paper tape system I bought in England about 40 or so years ago and am amazed at how accurately it works. I thought it was out of print until by accident I came across a fancier version of it via another site's link that took me to lutterlohpatterns.com. Their price is way too high for me knowing I have a paper cut out version of it in my drawer but if you have trouble fitting yourself it may just be worth its weight in gold at today's prices. My version was printed on a sheet of papercard that you had to cut and tape together to make the oh so much nicer measuring tape you see in the kit they offer for sale. I've changed greatly over the years and it still works. I am petite, short waisted and wide hipped and thus seldom can buy a nice store bought item that fits and that includes patterns. Making my own pattern from scratch with the tape is easier than the alteration steps above. Go watch their video. It is as easy as he demonstrates it to be. If you too hate the price, then slash and pivot is a usable crutch, but one you have to tweek to get right for you.

How would this work for a short back with horizontal wrinkles?