Recently I had an opportunity to visit Spain, France and Italy. I know you have probably heard that French women are the most beautiful women in the world, but are they? In my opinion any woman can be beautiful if she...

T-shirts have become a staple in every woman's wardrobe, but these are not the baggy T-shirts of yesterday. Today's T-shirts fit closer to the body, are made in lighter weight drapey knits and sport styling details su...

The purpose of darts is to take out fullness where you don't need it and give fullness where you do. When making a skirt or pants, a woman with a large waist can decrease the width of a dart to get additional girth at...

One of the most frequently asked questions asked is how can I camouflage my tummy? For starters, stop wearing clothes which are too tight. With the exception of jeans, which can act as a tummy flattener, the waistban...

Adding a bias border can be the answer to a skirt that is too short or just lacks interest. Added touches on the hemline are what makes today's skirts more interesting.

To add a 3 inch wide bias border to a skir...

While we've all heard you get a better fit with princess seams, few garment sewers ever take advantage of just how great the fit could be.

For example, full high hips in back or butt would be camouflaged consider...

The 8-month remodel of our loft in downtown San Francisco is finally finished and the movers dropped off our furniture and household effects yesterday. My husband Dan and I have been vagabonds for over a year and ever...

Sandra's Words of Wisdom by Susan Pinardo, Houston ASG Summer 2006 Newsletter

Susan wrote such a wonderful article, that I wanted to reprint it here and share it with you.

Fashion does extraordinary things...

Skirts are a hot fashion item this year, outselling pants 2 to 1. I find skirts a lot more comfortable and feminine than pants. Certain figures have difficulty getting a skirt to hang properly. The skirt can hike up o...

I just knew you would enjoy this article (below), and wanted to pass it on to you. Please see we have More Power Sewing on sale for 20% off for the rest of the summer. The VHS Tapes are selling out, and we will be con...

Since making a jacket involves a fair amount of time, trouble spots can be avoided if you are aware of them before you begin.

When joining the front facing to the front, always lengthen your stitch by at least .5...

Students often ask me where I get my inspiration for a pattern design. Since Vogue has decided to do 3 new Today?s Fit patterns in each issue of Vogue Sewing Magazine and 4 patterns books that they publish annually. ...

My first stage in my life of sewing between the ages of 15 - 35 was all about FAST SEWING - sewing and trying out lots of new outfits that I wanted to wear as soon as possible. My next phase of sewing between ages of ...

If you haven't sewn for a while, you are probably finding yourself at a loss for ideas. You are not obsessing about any particular piece of fabric. You have no pattern that you feel compelled to cut out. Frankly, yo...

Yes, you can wear a tiered skirt no matter what kind of a figure you have, or what height you are, if you follow a few simple guidelines. Fabric must be very drapey, so that means no linens, no dupioni, no wool flanne...

While a lining can give a beautiful finish inside of a garment, it can also ruin the way the garment hangs unless it is done correctly. The cutting length of the lining is crucial because without enough length, the li...

I've never met a piece of fabric I couldn't tame, or so I thought until a great looking piece of 100% lycra knit walked into my sewing room. Pre-shrinking can be eliminated here, since unlike other knits, 100% lycra d...

The idea for this piece came about when a very accomplished seamstress named Billie Burke showed me her techniques for inserting ribbon and spaces between seams. I played with Billie’s techniques and came up with som...

Have you ever found a great piece of fabric at a discount store and the composition is unknown? Determining the fiber content is not an exact science since more and more fabrics are a combination of fibers. If a fabri...

I just returned from a month long textile tour of Northern India, guided by Australian textile expert Gabriella Verstraten. I met Gabriella about 15 years ago, while teaching in Australia. When she mentioned that she ...

Recently I read a review of a designer who said she liked to create clothes for the special occasions in life. I, personally like to create cloth...

I always prefer to use French seams on lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, silk charmeuse or silk crepe de chine. A beautifully executed French seam gives a nice finish to the inside of the garment while e...

Did you know that a silk worm increases its size by 10,000 times during its lifetime and produces one continuous filament of silk almost a mile long?

Because of the beautiful colors available in silk dupionni, i...

So many people have asked me what it is like to live on a houseboat after living on land house for the last 27 years. For the most part it is uneventful; noisy wild life sometimes turns our heads. But occasionally, li...

Puckered seams can be caused by sewing with the wrong needle for your fabric, wrong thread for your fabric or a combination of the two. That being said, your problem may have originated before the garment was even cu...

If you love to sew, one of the greatest pleasures is to make gifts for those you love. But have you ever seen said loved one wearing anything you made? To be honest, it would be a lot safer to make something that will...

You can eliminate a lot of frustration in setting in sleeves by carefully marking not only the sleeve and armhole notches but also the shoulder dot on the top of the sleeve and the underarm dot on a two-piece sleeve. ...

How many pant patterns have you tried, only to be disappointed? Making the great fitting pant has become an obsession. Before you make another pair of pants, a brief analysis of your figure will help you choose a styl...

Not all pants are created equal. Perhaps once in your life, you owned a pair of pants that you knew you looked great in. In addition to being ultra flattering, they were also very comfortable and didn?t wrinkle. What ...

Ah, the life of a traveling sewing instructor. Today, I am prepared to leave for a 6 week speaking tour across the U.S. and Canada. After several days of ironing and sorting samples, tightly packing into 3 large sui...

Why make a tailored blouse if you can buy one for $40? Some projects are simply not worth your time. Stores such as Gap, Limited, and Target have made basics so affordable that it is more expensive to buy the pattern,...

Recently my oldest daughter Kim, an interior decorator in San Francisco showed up with a large bag of fabric and an even larger bag of pillows in assorted sizes with a request for pillow covers. In her defense, I adm...

Don't let stains send a beautiful garment to the trash. Try these solutions to stains (listed in alphabetical order) and you just may be able to return the garment to your closet. Word of caution, do not expect instan...

Even the most basic sewing machine is capable of creating interesting texture with free hand embroidery. By dropping the feed dog and using a darning foot, fabric can be manipulated in any direction, enabling you to c...

Free hand embroidery can make stunning accents on collars, pocket flaps, cuffs and lapels or can be used to create a very wearable jacket or vest. Instead of a layer of batting between layers, I prefer one layer of ba...

Two days ago, I moved from my big Victorian house in San Francisco to a small houseboat in Sausalito. I have been wanting to do this since I was 23 and here I am finally doing it at 62. While my sewing room in San F...

Life can become rather predictable when you are the mother of 4 children and are lucky enough to be involved in a stable, long-term relationship. Looking both forward and backward, the years are punctuated with birthd...

The guys have done it again, our two male sewing super stars: Kenneth King, now living in New York City and David Page Coffin, now living off the coast of Oregon have been spending a lot of time on their computers, no...

Before you make that next pair of pants, spending just an hour on a pretest will save you twice that much time ripping out seams later and will result in a pair of pants that is not only comfortable but also flatterin...

When the neckline does not fit properly, fitting problems in other areas arise as well. If the neckline rides too high in back, it causes the back hemline to shorten, the bust curves on princess styles and darts to r...

It's not just about making a skirt anymore, it's about how you can embellish it so that it is interesting and feminine. Fortunately with the wide variety of trims and ribbons available this can be done quite easily, ...

Once I design a Today’s Fit pattern for Vogue, my pattern maker and I work out the kinks in the pattern. This means making up the pattern between 4 and 10 times, until we feel the pattern is 'perfect.' The mas...

My favorite summer outfit is a bias linen skirt paired with a colorful, fitted T-shirt and turquoise and coral jewelry. Because it has an elasticized waist, it is super comfy; and you can make this skirt in less than...

Flounces are everywhere: on sleeves, hemlines, and around the neck. If you don't have a favorite pattern, my two current favorites are Vogue 7903 and Vogue 8093. The addition of a flounce takes these blouses to a w...

Vogue 8093 pattern is in the stores and I am absolutely in love with it. One of the things I particularly love about it is that it can be made in a wide variety of fabrics and still be successful. While the blouse i...

Denim and lace — an unlikely combination. Not so, say the fashion mavens of today. Since the stores are still full of classic styles, the only way to make it new is either to change the fabric in a classic pie...

Jeans have become an essential part of every woman's wardrobe but wearing jeans and having jeans look great on you are two different issues. A few factors come into play here. Let's begin with the fabric itself&mdas...

Maybe you are lucky and you own a pair of pants you just love. Taking these apart and making a pattern is not an option since you love them too much to part with them. Taking a rubbing of the pants is an option but ...

One way to accomplish your goal of a perfect pair of pull-on pants is to start from a good pull-on pants pattern. Vogue 7263 and Vogue 7747 have several pieces in each pattern packet but they include excellent pull-o...

Is there any way to alter the crotch length in a pair of purchased pants? A crotch which feels too short is easy to fix. Here's how.

With pants right sides out, reach in through waist and down one pant...

If you have anything bigger than an A cup size and the pattern does not have a dart, the garment will simply fold into a dart on the armhole or create drag lines along the side seam toward the bust point. I see this ...

The location of princess seams is almost impossible to change after the garment is cut out; so for your next garment, why not find out if they are in the right place before you cut out. For starters, measure between y...

If you saw how quickly the industry slips a lining into a jacket, you might question the time you have spent doing the same thing.

Cut the body and sleeves of the lining the finished length of the garm...

If you don?t like stiff waistbands or prefer no waistband at all, the itty bitty waistband may be the perfect waist finish for you. This waistband has no interfacing, finishes about 3/8 of an inch wide and butts toget...

Finally you have perfected a pants pattern for yourself or your daughter and now you want to drop the waist without dropping the crotch. By letting out the side seams 1/2 inch, the circumference of the waist increases...

If you are a collector of antique buttons or love interesting closures, the fabric may not be stable enough to support the hardware without stress and draglines on the fabric.

Instead of merely sewing ...

Press on a 2 inch wide and 8 inch long strip of fusible interfacing behind pocket opening location. Mark middle and ends of pocket with a long basting stitch in contrasting thread so that pocket location is visible fr...

Who wants to haul out the sewing machine just to hem a skirt or pair of pants? Now you don't even need to own a sewing machine, or a needle and thread for that matter, to produce a professional looking hem. Using a pr...

Whenever the shoulder seam is not positioned at the joint of the shoulder and the arm, an uncomfortable, unflattering garment results, one which you will never wear. After experimenting with many alteration techniq...

Knowing your cross back measurement is the key to knowing whether the shoulder will be too wide for you before you cut the garment out. Most sewers try to reduce the width of the shoulders after the first fitting b...

If I've been asked this question once, I've been asked it 100 times: Once I get a pant pattern to fit me, can I make the same pattern adjustments on all patterns and get the same results? Yes and no!

...

Some women have a knack for looking chic. They seem to choose the right styles in the right fabric with perfect accessories to complete the look. How do they do it? Can this be learned? Yes, here's how...

Impu...

What is the difference between a gusset and a godet? A gusset is a piece insert under the arm or crotch and a godet is a piece inserted at the hemline.

Fashion trend 2004 may well be remembered as the...

For years we thought of silk brocade as a dressy fabric used in dinner jackets and straight Cheongsam dresses. Today this beautiful fabric has a wide variety of uses, from pull-on pants to denim style jackets in fa...

The holidays are just around the corner, why not put a set of linen napkins on your 'to sew' list. They will give your dining room a fresh, new look for holiday guests. They also make excellent holiday and wedding...

Choosing the right interfacing can be confusing because there are so many different types available. While the purpose of interfacing is to give support to the fashion fabric, no hints of interfacing should be visible...

Even if you live alone and don't have a sewing buddy, you can still make a skirt with an even hemline. What causes a skirt hem to hang uneven? ? the bumps, lumps, and hollows on the body combined with poor posture. If...

Angular seams are a place for experienced sewers to show off their expertise. You will often times find such seams in vintage pattern collections. For such a focal point, the angled seam must be flawless, without ...

Ponchos can be made in knits or wovens but the fabric must have the ability to drape if held on the bias. You will only need 3/4 of a yard of 54-56 inch wide fabric. On woven fabrics, serge finish crosswise ends, bein...

If you like uneven surfaces, asymmetrical lines or textural fabric, you will find reverse applique appealing. Well-known California designer, Jean Caciedo is, in my opinion, the absolute master of this technique in h...

If you look inside of a Chanel jacket, no matter what year it was purchased, you will notice that a row of weighted chain lies 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches above the bottom of the jacket, attached to the hem allowance. Has thi...

If thread breakage is a problem while doing decorative sewing, or if puckered seams trouble you when working with certain fabrics, the problem might be solved by merely changing the needle. Schmetz offers an assortme...

The flat front pant you have been waiting for is here at last, Vogue 7940, a Today?s Fit pattern which has a large range of sizes. This pant has a flat front, faced waist, slant pocket detailing, tapered leg with side...

Not all shoulderpads are created equal. Some are too thick, some too flat, and some too wide. Look for shoulderpads which have a shoulder shape built into them. The back of the pattern envelope indicates a suitable...

If you like boutique shopping, a current hot seller is the reversible scarf, one side in faux fur and one side in silk. This scarf comes in 2 shapes, an oblong one 14' by 71' or a triangular one 48' by 60.' Since a ...

?Before committing yourself to the expense of a project, buy 1/8 yard of each of your top fabric choices. Take the pieces home and look at them within the context of your current decorating scheme. Your eye will quick...

Wouldn?t it be wonderful if everything you took on a trip was reversible? One of my favorite travel garments is a pair of reversible chiffon pants, made from the full pant pattern in my book  

Summer blouses are sheer and sexy and my new Today's Fit pattern Vogue 7903 is a perfect candidate for this look. (1) Although easy to make, sheer b...

Because I make so many skirts and pants, I continue to refine the petersham waistline technique, getting better and better results. Vintage fashion of the 1940's eliminated both a waistband and facing on many skirts ...

Welt pockets are always a classy addition to any garment, especially if they are executed flawlessly with the method I am about to share. If you want to add a welt pocket to a garment such as a pant or a skirt, the...

While it is not necessary to pretest every pattern you make, I would certainly advise it when making a pant pattern for the first time. Since every style fits differently, and each of us has areas we would like cam...

After years of pant fitting and 6 years of designing patterns for Vogue, I think I have finally solved the mystery of why every pant pattern fits differently. When designing patterns for Vogue, we use 3 different pant...

Most women have become so goal orientated in their lives, whether in a high-pressured job or a busy family that they have forgotten how to do anything for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Since most of us would admit t...

Since piping is often applied around the perimeter of a pillow, collar, pocket or facing, a bit of extra piping must be eased in on corners and curves to prevent the piping from 'cupping' under.

While ...

If you have small shoulders, no matter what size you make, the shoulder is too broad for you. Find something in your closet or in a store with a set in sleeve which sits on your shoulder the way you wish everything fi...

A truly invisible hem in a jacket or coat is possible by inserting a strip of interfacing between the hem allowance and the garment. A bias strip of hair canvas or fusible wigan cushions the hem from the outside of...

The purpose of a dart is to take out fullness where you don?t need it and give you fullness where you do. An easy way to mark darts is to make quarter inch snips into the seam allowance to indicate the wide end of the...

Whether you are mother of the bride or mother of the groom, your ready to wear choices are pretty limited when it comes to finding something to wear on that special day. Ideally, you want to wear something that is fla...

While sitting in my booth between classes at the big sewing show in Puyallup, WA I have an opportunity to see a lot of women. For starters, I am always amazed at the number of women wearing sweatshirts and sweatpan...

Dolman sleeves can be feminine and flattering or frumpy and unflattering. What makes the difference? A flattering dolman sleeve is cut higher at the armhole, allowing a greater range of movement. A higher cut arm...

Anyone who wants to turn out professional looking garments has to master the art of pressing. Start out with a good iron. My preference is the new Rowenta DG-980 (http://www.ro...

If you would like to make your own shoulderpads for a special garment, it's easy to do so using the front and back pattern pieces. Start by overlaying the back shoulder seamline onto the front shoulder seamline. M...

• Cut down on bulk by cutting under layers of styling details in lighter weight fabrics. This includes pocket flap underside, undercollar, undercuff, sleeve facing and underside of belt loops.

&#...

Recently I attended a very good lecture on the use of twin needles by Carol L. Ahles. You may have read her articles in Threads magazine or seen her newly updated book Fine Machine Sewing. Upon retur...

Lite Steam A Seam ?, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. What did we ever do before this product was invented?

Rippled hems on all knits can be completely eliminated by pressing on 1/2 inch Lite Steam ...

A godet can add a bit of fullness to a straight skirt plus act as a styling detail. It can be made in a matching fabric or a contrasting but coordinating fabric. A godet can be added in the center back seam, side ...

By closely examining some of today?s ready to wear, you will notice some of the garments actually look better on the inside than the outside, with clean finished seams on the inside and frayed seams on the outside.

How many times have you fallen in love with everything about a pattern except for the fact that it is sleeveless. If only you could simply add a sleeve, the pattern would be perfect for you. Why don?t the patterns pro...

If you are not a fan of shoulderpads, you need to know how to alter the pattern to eliminate the built-in allowance for the pad. Simply eliminating the pad itself won't work because eliminating the height caused by...

Every summer there is always a dress I wish I had. I never get around to making this dress so this year I am starting early. I already have a lot of good looking jackets and vests, so what I really seem to need is a b...

Since I just got back from 3 weeks in Spain, France and Italy I thought you might enjoy some observations I had about fashion and customs.

EUROPEAN FASHION

I saw:

? applique on coat backs ne...

Constructing an unlined jacket is an attractive option to the lined jacket, because of its simple construction and the jacket?s ability to function as a lightweight sweater. To give the jacket a crisper look, plan on ...

Before you topstitch your next garment on auto pilot, be aware of the options that are available to you. Using the right needle can prevent thread from shredding or skipping stitches altogether. Uniform spacing be...

When constructing pants, the question always arises as to when the crotch seam should be sewn. For the best fitting pant, the crotch seam is sewn continuously after the inner leg seams are sewn. The crotch seam lo...

The expectant mother today is not trying to hide her pregnancy the way expectant mothers did in years past. In fact, showing off the belly has become more the norm. These styles are made in stretch knits. Looser st...

Unless I am taking a family vacation, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is a time I usually spend getting the house back in order after many nights of entertaining. While I love decorating the tree, bakin...

For most of us, setting aside time to sew is one of life?s challenges. Instead of searching your schedule for big blocks of time, you might have more success if you think in smaller blocks. Fitting in time to shop for...

If you have difficulty getting sleeve notches to match the notches on the armhole, it may not be your fault. Sometimes errors happen in the pattern grading process, where the front and back notches are not correctly ...

Give yourself a gift this season by getting together one or two dressy outfits now so that when the holidays are in full swing, you can go to your closet and pull out something you know you feel good in. Nothing makes...

Young or old, few ever outgrow the love of laying on the floor while visiting or watching television. What you need are some big comfy pillows that you can use for those times when the gang is over at your house and t...

The addition of fringe to a hemline, collar or jacket front softens the edge, making it not only more feminine but more interesting as well. Before you cut out your pattern, experiment a bit with a scrap of your fabr...

How can you tell if a sleeve is going to fit before you make up the garment? If you often have problems with sleeves which are too tight, first cut out the sleeve on your next garment from a scrap fabric or muslin. ...

Snoop shopping is great fun for garment sewers since we enjoy examining the ready-to-wear items for details and finishing touches, while trying to figure out how to do it ourselves.

Just because boiled wool d...

A skirt pattern with side front and side back seams such as brand new Vogue 7902, not only slims the figure by dividing the skirt width into thirds, but also provides us with creative opportunities since the vertical ...

Once you are ready to sew, nobody wants to even think about fabric preparation. I find the best time to think about fabric preparation is when I am driving home from the fabric store. Ask yourself how you plan to tr...

Retail stores are full of real and faux shearling jackets and vests. What is shearling? Genuine shearling is lambskin which has a sueded surface on one side and a curly hair surface on the other. Faux shearling loo...

Once you have chosen fabric and pattern, your next step should be a decision on how to close the garment. Once the pattern is cut out your options are limited. If the fabric is bulky a machine buttonhole is out of t...

What makes a dart invisible? The placement of a dart must be correct. A bust dart points towards the nipple but ends 1/2 to 1 inch from the nipple. Bust darts which end further away are better for the larger bust, 3/4...

Cotton and wool gauze are interesting fabrics because of their open weave and semi transparency. While these two properties make the fabric interesting, they present challenges when it comes to pattern choice and co...

If you don?t want your closet bulging this season with things you never wear, but you can?t bring yourself to do a major purge, concentrate on things you might want to have this season instead of things you need to ge...

The smoothest sleeve cuffs are possible when all cuff pieces, fashion fabric and interfacing are cut on the true bias. If this is not possible either because you do not have enough fabric or you are working with a st...

Your closest is full of items which could look 'new again' by adding a bit of ribbon, trim, embroidery or elastic to give the garment a bit more punch.

Last year, I made a skirt from Vogue 7538 in brown...

Dart positioning is not so easy to change once the garment has been cut and sewn. Why not make sure the darts are in the right place before you begin? A dart can be too high, too low, too long, or too short. Begin ...

Interfacing is the hidden support system which makes details such as collars, cuffs, front edges, and pocket flaps crisp. Facings should also be interfaced to keep the seams from stretching as they are applied, but o...

While a lining gives a nice finish to the inside of the garment, an underlining can also give a nice finish, depending on how the underlining is attached. When a garment is lined, the garment and the lining are constr...

Although the Hong Kong finish requires two-steps of sewing to complete, it's results are much more professional on curved seams and less bulky than using a packaged seam binding. A Hong Kong finish is a beautiful way...

Because silk is a bit more costly than other fabrics, we tend to expect more of ourselves when creating a garment in it. If you are planning to dry clean the finished product, it is not necessary to preshrink the sil...

While there is nothing like the drape of a pair of full velvet pants or cut velvet top, there is no fabric quite as challenging to sew on as velvet. It can be tamed and here's how.

Start with suitable p...

When shopping for your next coat or vest fabric, why not consider checking out the fabrics in the upholstery section. Many of these can make stunning garments with a few precautions. Tapestries, brocades and damasks...

Last week at the outdoor market, as I sat off to the side drinking my latte, inhaling the Saturday morning San Francisco scene, I couldn?t help but notice that the sea of black and taupe I saw here a year ago now has ...

If you struggle with fly fronts you will do so no longer. This technique is easy and fool-proof. A fly front can go on any pant or skirt by merely adding an extension