Hi,
I’m new to the board. I’ve really been enjoying threads magazine.
I’m just wondering if anyone has tried the islander industrial shortcuts book and Dvd. I have it and I like some of it and some of it seems a little tricky. Some of it works really well for me. I like the dart technique and I like the pinless straight seams, though I think it takes a nack on more difficult fabrics. I tried the curves exercise last night and had a hard time with it.
Thanks,
Sun
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Replies
Hi, Sun,
I haven't gone through the whole system, but I do use some of the techniques in it and can say that they're really improved my sewing. I love the Islander shirtmaking video (and the Islander shirt patterns)--the first shirt I made using those methods was done in about 4 hours and looked fantastic. Good luck--keep practicing, and remember that if you just can't master a technique, you don't have to use it. No one's watching!
Carol
You're right, good wisdom to remember there are so many ways to the same goal and no one is watching and grading!
thanks for the feedback.
what do you like best about the techniques and what do you like most about the shirtmaking video?
Sun
I'm not sure which video this come from, but what I liked best was learning to sew without (or with very few) pins. It saves time and overall encourages you to learn to understand your fabric and your machine better. Some fabrics just really need to be pinned--especially really slippery types--but usually I use the pins only to match up notches and other marks. Between the pins, I use my hands to keep the layers aligned.
For shirts, I love the way she does pockets, collars, hems, and flat-felled seams. All of these can be fussy, but she's got it down to a very no-nonsense science. Also, her recommendations for cutting down the seam allowances to different widths throughout the garment are excellent. Ever since I watched that video a few years ago, I've use all these techniques not just in shirts, but in all sorts of other garments I've sewn.
Carol
Dear Carol,
Thanks for the input, I haven't made a shirt in years because I just never liked the way they came out, but I have a hard time finding shirts that fit in shoulders and hips that I want to try again. I have seen her on Sandra Betzinas old show and she was great. I just used her method for bound buttonholes and it was a snap.
Nancy
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