I drafted a pants pattern with the directions in Threads #134 (Jan "08.) They came out great and it was very satisfying.

The only thing I wish is that I understood the "whys" for all the calculations. Perhaps I should look into a drafting class.

It got me thinking that if we understood that, we'd never need to buy another pattern again; just make whatever changes we want to our perfect fitting slopers. :-)

Happy sewing!

Fall sewing? Gack. I've barely started on my summer sewing, lol.

I cannot wrap my head around this exposed zipper thing. Maybe I'm too stuck in tradition, but it just looks WRONG.

The rest of the dress is quite beautiful, though. :-)

I agree! I always say, "Life is too short to deal with bent pins," as I toss them away. :-)

You know, I almost always pin perpendicular to the seam, except for zippers, which I usually pin parallel. But you're right, this makes the zipper stiff and difficult to handle. I'm not sure why I did it that way, but I won't do it that way anymore.

I have two magnetic pin cushions for my fine sewing pins. One is to the right of the sewing machine, for taking pins out as I sew, and the other is kept wherever I'm pinning, usually at the ironing board. When one gets empty and the other gets full, I swap them. Simple, but efficient.

Oh wow, what an amazing resource this would be!

As a beginning sewer, many of the articles in Threads just seemed overwhelming. Now I would love to go back and revisit a lot of the tips and techniques that I skipped over earlier.

And how easy to be able to search the entire archive on my computer!

Thanks so much for the chance to win.

When I was 17 my mom got remarried. I decided to design and make a special outfit for her wedding.

After choosing a lovely white satin jacquard for the top and a burgundy satin for the skirt, I carefully took my measurements and sketched out my designs, making sure to add in seam allowances. I was so pleased with myself.

Then came the first fitting. Both skirt and blouse were skin tight! I couldn't figure out where I'd gone wrong.

My stepfather-to-be saw the form fitting garments and accused me of trying to look like a hussy. He gave me money told me to go buy a dress for the wedding. I was crushed and didn't try to sew anything for many, many years after that.

It was only much later I learned the concept of wearing and design ease. ===sigh===

(And, in case you were wondering, yes, they’re still married, even after 29 years; and no, I still don’t care for him at all.)

After losing 55 lbs in the past year, I have a HUGE pile of fabrics waiting to be made into clothes that fit: a black denim jeans style jacket, a couple knit sarong shorts, cutwork t-shirts, two jackets, a few tops with sheer overlays, a dress and two trench coats, to name just a few.

I also have a stack of garments that survived my closet purge because I like them enough to take the time to alter them to fit.

I doubt that I'll be done with all this by Christmas, lol.

Oh my, what am I NOT making this summer? In fact, I was feeling overwhelmed, so I just sat down to make a list of projects.

a wedding quilt that needs to be presented by their 1st anniversary, which is in August

sarong shorts (fabric.com just gave out the pattern for free)
two summery tops with sheer overlays

a black denim jeans style jacket

Roman shades for my living room

two trench coats, one blue, one red, still trying to decide which fabric will be the 'muslin'

a cut-work t-shirt

a tailored jacket

a Chanel-style jacket

Ummm, I'm still feeling overwhelmed, lol.

Oh, and I need a case for my sunglasses. Maybe I'll start there. ***grin***

I've been sewing for years, but lately have been trying to take my skills to the next level. I know this book would be a great resource. Thanks for the chance to win!

I've never tried draping, it looks scary but intriguing. I'd really like to try it, though, and this book sounds like it would be a terrific help.

I've lost 55 lbs in the past year and have 20 more to lose. Once that is accomplished I plan to make a dress form out of duct tape. I'm looking forward to fitting and draping on THAT shape!

Beensewingfor50years, instead of paper, you might try a strip of tear away stabilizer under any fabrics that seem to want to bunch up. Love that stuff!

I'm not sure what you mean by the edge being scrunched "into a little round pile," but if your fabric is "tunneling" when you zig-zag you might try adjusting your tension or using a narrower zig-zag.

If you mean that it's balling up (making a thread nest) at the beginning, try holding the bobbin and needle threads behind the presser foot and very gently tug on them as you start sewing. This is one of my favorite tricks to keep points and corners from getting scrunched.

Also, isn't the idea to finish each edge separately and leave the seams pressed open?

Pabeaulieu, I just bought a Sizzix Big Shot, too. I'm a scrapbooker as well as a seamstress.

One thing I just did with the die cutting machine was to cut white knit and white lace fabrics into flower shapes, stack several together and sew them (tacking just the centers) onto a dress for my granddaughter. So adorable!

I have a stack of quilt tops that I plan to finish and give away or sell. It's just a shame to have spent all this time, money and energy on something nobody is using.

So far I've repurposed a round robin quilt top into a queen size wedding gift, and a watercolor wreath into a baby quilt. I'm going to put the nice ones that I don't want to keep on Etsy, and the "uglies" on freecycle.

You can bet I'll be buying a lot of batting and backing this fall!

My Grandmother used to make this. She used it to trim the handles and edges of baskets which she filled with fancy soaps for gifts.

When she passed away she left yards & yards of this trim. I used it to make gifts for family members and often wished I knew how it was done.

Thanks!

When I was 17 my mom got remarried. I decided to design and make a special outfit for her wedding.

After choosing a lovely white satin jacquard for the top and a burgundy satin for the skirt, I carefully took my measurements and sketched out my designs, making sure to add in seam allowances. I was so pleased with myself.

Then came the first fitting. Both skirt and blouse were skin tight! I couldn't figure out where I'd gone wrong.

My stepfather-to-be saw the form fitting garments and accused me of trying to look like a hussy. He gave me money told me to go buy a dress for the wedding. I was crushed and didn't try to sew anything for many, many years after that.

It was only much later I learned the concept of wearing and design ease. ===sigh===

(And, in case you were wondering, yes, they’re still married, even after 27 years; and no, I still don’t care for him at all.)

To Sew4Mary who didn't care for the flower, I wonder if you cut the petals in more of an "S" shape, rather than a "Z" if you would like it better. I think it's the spiky petals that make it look too modern; the curved edges might look more traditional.

Think I gotta get 1 1/2 yards of 3" ribbon and try it both ways! Thanks for the great ideas, I'm a sucker for a clever technique. :-)