ISSUE 32 - Full calf adjustment on the Darlow pants

THE Q & A SERIES - FULL CALF ADJUSTMENT ON THE DARLOW PANTS

Hi Emily,

I love the Darlow pants pattern! The panel lines are so unique and interesting and I have wanted to give the pattern a go ever since you released it.

I made a muslin recently and have managed to get quite a good fit in the waist and hips due to your fantastic Fit Kit, but I have realised they're a bit too tight in the calves. I have done a full calf adjustment with other pants patterns in the past, but have no idea where to start with the Darlows due to all those panels! I'd love your help.

Thanks,
Jenna

Melbourne, Australia

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Hi Jenna,

I'm really sorry I didn't include the instructions about how to tackle a full calf adjustment in the Darlow Fit Kit! It now seems like quite an oversight as I know this is a common adjustment to make to pants.

Any adjustment made to the Darlow pants isn't that straightforward, but once you see how to go about dealing with the panels, it should make sense and hopefully you will see that there are a couple more steps than with a simpler pair of pants, but overall it isn't any more difficult.

For the sake of the example, I will be showing you how to make the adjustment on View B of the Darlow pants. At the end, I will show you how to get started with View A and then you will be able to follow this same tutorial for either style.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED TO DO A FULL CALF ADJUSTMENT

There are three main ways you can tell if you are going to need to do a full calf adjustment: 

1. Check your toile
If you have made a toile / muslin and your pants are too tight at the calf or bunching up in your calf area, you may require a full calf adjustment. 

2. "Tissue fit" with your pattern
If you’d like to know if you’ll need to make this adjustment before making a toile, simply hold the FRONT LEG [5] piece of the Darlow pants pattern up to your body and wrap the lower section around your calf (you can use a pin to hold in place along the stitch line). You should be able to see if the pants are going to be too tight in the calf area. The Darlow pants are not designed to be tight in the calf - so keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to make the adjustment. 

3. Compare your calf measurement to the finished calf measurement of the pattern
Alternatively you can measure the calf circumference on the pattern piece (again - hold the piece up to your leg and mark where the fullest part of your calf is). Then lay the pattern piece down and take a curved ruler and draw a line across the pattern that remains roughly parallel to the hemline. Measure the line with a tape measure (remembering to measure from stitch line to stitch line so that you don’t include the seam allowance in the measurement). Compare this to your calf measurement, to work out how much you're going to need to add - more about this later on in the tutorial.

HOW TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT

PREPARE THE PATTERN

Step 1
Take the FRONT LEG [5], CENTRE BACK PANEL [13] and SIDE BACK PANEL [14] pieces from the Darlow pants pattern. If you think you’d like to go back to the original design in the future, I’d suggest tracing a copy to make the alterations on (although if you are using the PDF version of the pattern, you can always re-print from the PDF later down the track if you need to).

The first step will be to separate the FRONT LEG [5] piece into a front and back (as the alteration will only be made to the back section of the pants). By looking at the design, you can see that the FRONT LEG [5] panel wraps around the leg, removing the need for a side seam in this section. For the adjustment we will need to create a side seam and then revert to the original design after the adjustment has been made.

A. Mark a point on the hemline (on the grey stitch line), about halfway along the line. This does not need to be exact.

B. Circle the notch on the inside curve on the FRONT LEG [5] that indicates the side seam position (the point where the side seam of piece 14 meets the FRONT LEG [5]. Extend this notch so that it meets the stitch line.

Step 2
A. Join the notch circled in the previous step (where it meets the stitch line) to the point marked on the hemline with a straight line.

B. Mark two sets of notches on this line (one single and one double notch). You can put these anywhere on the line that you like, they will just help you stick these two sections back together correctly later in the process.

C. Cut along the line, separating the FRONT LEG [5] into 2 pieces. We will call the section that we removed from the main section the ‘LOWER FRONT LEG’ for the sake of the tutorial.

Step 3
Now what we need to do is put the panels together to create a full back leg pattern piece. 

A. To do this, line up the seam line that joins the CENTRE BACK PANEL [13] and SIDE BACK PANEL [14] at the top and bottom of the pieces. Place stitch line onto stitch line - as if the two pieces have been sewn together. As you can see, there is shaping through the seam, so you will not be able to line the pieces up through the middle section, but you can at the top and bottom. Tape in place with masking tape or scotch tape.

B. Flip the LOWER FRONT LEG piece and line up the stitch line on this piece with the stitch lines on the bottom of the  CENTRE BACK PANEL [13] and SIDE BACK PANEL [14] pieces. You might not be able to get it lined up exactly, but you should be able to get it fairly close. You will notice that there is seam allowance on the side seam of the SIDE BACK PANEL [14], but we don't have it one one side of the LOWER FRONT LEG. Line up the cut edge of this piece with the stitch line. Tape in place.

Now you can see that the back panels resemble an almost standard pant leg! Which means an adjustment is now much more straightforward to make. 

Step 4
Mark the point on the pattern that lines up with the fullest part of your calf. There are two ways you can do this:

1. Hold the pattern piece up to your body and work out where the fullest part of your calf is, in relation to the pattern (you may have done this earlier to see if you needed to make this alteration). 

2. Take a look at your toile. Mark the point where the pants are too tight on your leg and then transfer this marking to your pattern. 

A. Once you have found the fullest part of your calf, mark this line on the LOWER FRONT LEG with a straight line across the piece (running roughly parallel to the hem).

B. Mark another line from the notch on the top edge of the LOWER FRONT LEG (indicating where the panel line meets the LOWER FRONT LEG) down to the hem line. The point where these two lines intersect is where we will be adding width to make the calf circumference larger.

MARK THE CUT LINES

Step 5
Slide a piece of pattern paper under your pant leg. This will help later as you will need something to stick the pattern pieces to when you make the adjustment.  

A. Mark a point on the inner leg seam below the crotch - marking the point on the stitch line. I marked mine about 6cm down from the crotch point. 

Mark another point on the side seam - roughly halfway down the seam. Again, mark the point on the stitch line.

B. Connect the point on the inner leg seam to the top of the vertical line on the LOWER FRONT LEG with a straight line.

Connect the point on the side seam to the same point with another straight line.

C. Cut along the lines - up from the hem line through the LOWER FRONT LEG until you reach the top of the line. Cut along the diagonal lines until you reach the points where they meet the stitching line. Stop there. Cut into the seam allowance towards each point leaving a small 1-2mm “hinge” (a hinge in this sense is a small bit of paper that allows you to adjust patterns, whilst still keeping the piece intact.)

HOW MUCH YOU’LL NEED TO ADD TO THE PATTERN

If you have a toile, you may want to cut up from the back hemline towards the calf and pin in a strip of fabric to see how much width you need to add. This is a good way to quickly see how much more width you need. Take note of the width of the strip at the peak of your calf.

Alternatively, take the finished calf measurement from the pants (found at the beginning of the tutorial) and compare to your own calf circumference. Now consider how much ease you would like in this area.

Ease refers to the difference between your body measurement and the finished garment measurements. Some garments have more ease than others. The amount of ease will depend on the style, fit and design of the garment. As mentioned earlier, the Darlow pants are not designed to be tight around the calf area. 

To work out how much ease you’re going to want, take a tape measure and hold it loosely around your calf to get a feel for how much fabric you will want in this area. Then walk, sit and squat to see that you have allowed enough ease to be comfortable. If the tape becomes too tight, loosen it up a bit and try again.

Once you have this measurement, subtract the pattern calf circumference from your own calf measurement and the difference will tell you how much you’re going to need to add when you make the adjustment. 

MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT

Step 6.
A. Slowly open the pieces up - giving more space at the calf point. You will see that the small hinges allow you to move the pieces while still keeping everything nice and flat (when making adjustments, you always need to check that your pattern pieces are remaining flat as fabric is flat and therefore patterns need to be flat too).

B. Open up the calf by the amount required (check by measuring from one side of the opening to the other on the horizontal calf line). When you are happy with how it’s looking, tape or glue in place onto the paper underneath to keep everything in place. 

TRACE YOUR NEW PATTERN PIECES

Step 7.
Take some fresh pieces of pattern paper and trace each adjusted pattern piece. Be sure to mark the grainline (by tracing the original grainline) and transfer drill holes and notches. I like to trace the stitch line and the cutting line, but it’s up to you - you may just want to trace the cutting line. Where the pattern piece has opened up and the lines have been broken, you will need to mark a line of best fit.

Step 8.
When you get to tracing the LOWER FRONT LEG you will need to re-draw the hem line as there will now be an opening. Take a curved ruler and draw in a nice smooth curve. When tracing this piece - be sure to remember to trace the notches on the temporary side seam that were marked in STEP 2B. 

PUT THINGS BACK TOGETHER

Step 9.
A. Flip the LOWER FRONT LEG and line it back up to the FRONT LEG [5] using the notches you marked to help you. Tape in place.

B. Your hemline might be a little skewed after making the adjustment. Smooth out the curve with a straight or curved ruler.

CHECK THE PATTERN

Step 10.
Check that all your new pattern pieces fit together correctly and notches line up. For guidance on how to check patterns, check out this tutorial.

DRAFT A NEW HEM FACING

Step 10.
The Darlow pants have a hem facing piece. You will need to re-draft this piece to accommodate the alteration. You can refer to this tutorial to do this. 

MAKING THE ALTERATION TO VIEW A OF THE DARLOW PANTS

Step 1.
As we did for View B, line up the panel lines as if they have been sewn together - stitch line on stitch line. Use the notches to help you. As you will see, it will be impossible to get some parts of the panels to line up (as the panels wrap around the body to make a three dimensional tape) - so don't worry. As long as the parts of the seam that will be impacted are lined up, that's all you need to do. In this case it's the back leg section that needs to line up.

Step 2.
Mark in a temporary side seam. You can do this by drawing a straight line from the side seam on the BACK [3] down to the centre of the hem line.

Step 2.
Mark in the alteration lines as we did in STEP 5 for View A and then use the above instructions to continue the alteration.

Whoa! That was a long one, but we got there! I hope this helped you and inspired you to give the Darlow pants a go!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• The Darlow pants pattern can be found here.

• The Darlow pants Fit Kit can be found here.

• Checking patterns: Curved seams. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to Draft a Hem Facing. Tutorial can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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What you’ve been making

Darlow pants by @beccamadethat

Darlow pants made by @breadandthread

Darlow pants made by @sew_singapore

Darlow pants and Peppermint Ruffle Sleeve Top made by @icecjan

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 31 - Mix & match the Flynn and Hove jacket patterns

THE Q & A SERIES - Mix & match the Flynn and Hove jacket patterns

Hi Emily,

After reading your tutorial on removing the pleats from the Hove jacket I remembered that it and the Flynn were sibling patterns. Is it possible to mix and match them, for example Hove’s back pleats with Flynn’s collar? The front curved seams look the same on your line drawings but I wasn’t certain if they still were after you refined the designs.

Thank you!

Katina

Canberra, Australia

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Hi Katina,

Lovely to hear from you!

Yes, you're right, the Hove jacket pattern and the Flynn jacket pattern are sibling patterns. They originally started out as two variations of the same pattern, but over time as I continued to work on the patterns, I realised they were moving further and further apart in terms of design, and it was going to become a mammoth of a pattern that would probably intimidate makers - rather than inspire!

They can be mixed and matched as you suggested, and I'd love to see a Flynn jacket with the Hove pleats. It sounds dreamy!

As you can see in the illustration above, the curve on the two patterns is the same until you get to the shoulder point (circled in the illustration). The curve then changes course in shape, but is the same length, so still fits with each of the back pieces from the patterns.

If you do choose to swap out the hood on the Hove jacket for the collar from the Flynn jacket, just be sure to transfer the notches from one piece to the other as they are different between styles to accommodate the difference in pockets. You can do this by laying one piece on top of the other and transferring with a tracing wheel, snipping in with scissors or tracing with a pen / pencil. It's also a good idea to put a small cross next to the notches you won't be using to save any confusion (or covering them up with masking tape). These new notches then need to be transferred to the FRONT piece too (or you can just print the FRONT from the pattern style you are using).

I'd love to see your version if you do go ahead and mix and match these patterns Katina!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• How to remove pleats from a pattern. Tutorial can be found here.

• The Hove jacket pattern can be found here.

• The Flynn jacket pattern can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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What you’ve been making

Flynn jacket made by @jacqlucey_makes

Peppermint Everyday Dress made by @_ohsewfine⁠

Peppermint Wrap Top made by @lexannasews

Peppermint Ruffle Sleeve top made by @memade.by.madeline⁠

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 30 - How to remove pleats from a pattern

THE Q & A SERIES - How to remove pleats from a pattern

Hi there!

I was hoping that you might be able to send me the details on how to remove the pleats from the back of the Hove Jacket?

Thank you kindly!

Amy

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Hi Amy,

I’m excited you’re going to be adapting the Hove jacket to better suit your preferences! 

For those of you who aren't looking to remove the pleats from the Hove jacket, you can also use this technique on most patterns with pleats. 

PREPARE THE PATTERN

Step 1
Take BACK [2] and BACK HEM FACING [7] pieces from the pattern. If you think you’d like to go back to the original design in the future, I’d suggest tracing a copy to make the alterations on (although you can always re-print from the PDF later down the track - so that’s an option too).

Step 2
Place the BACK HEM FACING [7] piece on top of the BACK [2] piece, lining up the centre back lines (the fold line).

Place stitch line on stitch line (the grey line marked on the pattern), as if the pattern pieces have been sewn together. You will notice that you can’t match the seam line all the way along the piece - this is because there is some shaping in the seam - don’t worry about the end section (towards the side seam) where it doesn’t match - as long as the centre back lines match (as this is where the alteration will be made).

Tape pieces in place (with something that can be removed as you will want to separate pieces again in a moment).

EXTEND THE PLEATS

Step 3
Take a ruler and draw in the pleat lines by extending the pleat lines on the pattern all the way down to the bottom of the BACK [2] and through to the bottom of the BACK HEM FACING [7] - ensure these lines remain parallel to the centre back (a long clear pattern drafting ruler will really help with this, if you’ve got one).

REMOVE THE PLEATS

Step 4
Remove the tape so that you have the two seperate pattern pieces again.

I have shaded the pleats so you can see the parts of the pattern that make up the pleats and what we will be removing.

Step 5
a. On the BACK [2] piece, carefully cut along the pleat line closest to the centre back, detaching this section from the rest of the pattern piece.

b. Slide the section you removed across so that it lines up with the other side of the pleat and removes the pleat value. Line up the top and bottom of the piece and then glue / tape in place.

c. You will notice that there is some excess on the right side of the centre back seam (this is because the pleat value is greater than the section of the pattern to the right of it. Trim off the excess pleat value.

Step 6
a. Repeat Step 5 for the centre pleat (the next pleat along).

b. Repeat Step 5 for the final pleat.

Trim excess paper from the neckline.

Step 7
a. On the BACK HEM FACING [7] piece, carefully cut along the pleat line closest to the centre back, detaching this section from the rest of the pattern piece.

b. Slide the section you removed across so that it lines up with the other side of the pleat and removes the pleat value. Line up the top and bottom of the piece and then glue / tape in place.

c. You will notice that there is some excess on the right side of the centre back seam (this is because the pleat value is greater than the section of the pattern to the right of it. Trim off the excess pleat value.

d. Repeat process for the centre pleat (the next pleat along).

e. Repeat process for the final pleat.

FINALISE THE PATTERN

Step 8
Smooth out curves on the cutting line with a curved ruler before trimming off any excess. You can use the pieces as they are, or trace if you would like a fresh copy.

TIP: It’s always a good idea to keep note of the alterations you have made to a pattern, so that you can refer to this information later down the track. You can write this directly on the pattern itself, or download this pattern specification template.

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• The Hove jacket pattern can be found here.

• Pattern specification template can be downloaded here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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What you’ve been making

Collins top made by @dreaminspiredbk

The Rushcutter dress made by @icecjan

Peppermint pleated summer dress made by @kristinesews

Peppermint wrap top made by @madebytayla_

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 29 - Staying motivated

THE Q & A SERIES - Staying motivated

Hi Emily,

Is there anything in particular you can point to that has helped you stay motivated in your business when much of the work is self directed? On days when you'd rather rest, what keeps you going?

Thanks,

Amber
- Sydney, Australia

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Hi Amber,

As you may have noticed, this is my first email in a while. If you read my last email, you will know that my dad passed away unexpectedly a few months ago. It was a huge shock to my family (he was only in his mid fifties) and we have been dealing with the grief ever since.

I was lucky enough to be able to take the time I needed off work and am slowly easing back into things. It now feels like the right time to get back to writing my weekly newsletter. I love creating this email and it has been an incredible way to connect with makers in our community. At a time when we are all struggling to connect with our loved ones due the restrictions most of us are all living with, an email series like this seems like a small but important way to connect with all of you. 

I thought this would be a good question to restart the series with, as finding motivation is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. I am sure there are a lot of you struggling with it too as we are living through fairly difficult times at present. In my experience, it can be easy to find motivation when all is well, but at times like this it can be difficult. This rings very true for my personal experience over the last few months and although I don’t think I am an expert on it, I do feel like I have learned a few things that helped that I’d be happy to share with you.

I’ll be talking about motivation as it relates to my business, but I’d hope this could apply to whatever you are currently working on - whether that’s a business too, learning a new skill, working towards a goal or sewing a handmade wardrobe.

TAKE A BREAK

This may seem counter-intuitive, but the first thing I want to talk about is taking a break when you need to. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the “hustle culture” of doing more, more, more, rather than taking a pause when we need to.

I found there were times in the last few years that I have accidentally gotten swept up into this way of thinking (as it can be difficult to avoid this messaging that surrounds us and sometimes you don’t even realise you’re doing it), but losing my dad made me realise that I can stop if I need to and nothing is going to collapse.

A few months ago I felt like I didn’t have time for anything, then suddenly I needed to stop everything, and I did. I spent 6 weeks doing not much more than watching Netflix and I realised that life (and my business) went on. It was a difficult way to learn that we can stop and take a break if we prioritise it.

All this is to say that we are living through a very difficult time. Maybe it’s not motivation that you need right now, but a break. Inspiration and motivation seems to slowly seep back in with time (well at least that is what happened to me). 

I am now being careful about what I re-introduce into my schedule. I definitely don't have the energy to do all the things that I used to do, so it has been a good lesson in boundary setting and getting clear about the things I really want to do and the things that I have to say no to at the moment.

Read / listen to / watch things that inspire you

Apart from bingeing on Netflix, I did read a lot during my break and have continued to do so. At first I couldn’t stomach my usual go-to motivators (business and self-development books), so I started with fiction.

Eventually I started gravitating back to business books and found these really helped me to re-focus and get back into the habit of thinking about actionable things I can do to grow my business. I think sometimes you can get distracted by the busy day-to-day work, but business books generally make me take a step back and look at the business from a different perspective.

I have also been listening to the podcast How I Built This a lot lately. Hearing about the struggles of other entrepreneurs is a good reminder that it takes a lot of work to have a successful business and there are ups and downs for everyone.

RECONNECT WITH YOUR MISSION

I think that it can be easy to lose motivation when you have lost track of why you are doing the thing in the first place. Whenever I set goals, I always make sure to write next to it the reason I’m striving towards this particular goal. At the time "the why" seems obvious, but in the weeks and months that follow, often I can lose sight of the why and having it there to refer to is helpful when I need to get back on track (more about my goal setting process can be found here if you are interested).

One of the books I read recently is Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller, and I really enjoyed that it forced me to reconnect with my mission and remember why I created In the Folds in the first place. Simply put, my mission is to help you make clothes that you are going to wear, love and cherish. As soon as I re-focused on that, I felt more inspired to keep serving my customers and making a difference in my own little way.

Now when I look at my to-do list, I’m thinking about what will make the greatest impact in line with that mission, that I'm able to get done today. Taking it one day at a time like that is a good way to break down big goals, but is also all we can do - especially at the moment when the future feels particularly uncertain. 

CONNECT WITH PEOPLE THAT ENCOURAGE AND INSPIRE YOU

I am lucky enough to have some incredibly inspiring and creative people in my life. When I’m struggling to get in a groove, I have found making a phone call or catching up with one of these people helps a lot.

Getting a second set of eyes on the problem can also be hugely beneficial, and if you have friends from different industries / areas of focus, they can often suggest things you have never even thought of. Also hearing about other people's struggles can give you a change of perspective as you approach what you are facing. The last three months have been particularly hard in my personal life and having amazing people around me is the thing that has been getting me through.

LOOK AT THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE MADE

It can also be a good idea to look over things that remind you of the progress you have made already. Working on a handmade wardrobe? Make a list of all the pieces you have made in your wardrobe, or the skills you have learned that you didn’t have 12 months ago.

I think reflection plays a huge part in feeling motivated and making sure you are celebrating the wins along the way, rather than just continuously moving back your goal post. For me, I always find looking through the hashtags for my patterns very inspiring. To see that there are people using my patterns to make beautiful garments that are bringing them joy and they are wearing proudly and sharing online feels like a huge win. I also have a file in my inbox called “for smiles.” Each time I get an email from a happy customer I put it in there. Sometimes if I’m feeling low or forgetting why I’m doing this, I look there and it reminds me of the people I’m serving.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Learning something new can sometimes be a good way to inspire you or motivate you. It might be related to the thing you are struggling to motivate yourself to do, or something completely different. Recently I have done this by reading business books, doing an online course, listening to podcasts about things I'm interested in, but don't know much about, and even getting out my old sketchbook. 

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

I didn’t feel like working 6 weeks ago, but there came a point where I just had to (hello bills that need to be paid and a small business that I run on my own) and I decided to just get back on the horse and fake it till I made it.

I think we all dream of showing up to work everyday absolutely loving what we do and overflowing with inspiration and energy, but unfortunately it’s not like that a lot of the time (even when you are doing what you love), and I feel just getting started is often the hardest bit. Once you are on your way, things feel a lot easier and you are reminded of what you love about it.

Lately I have been telling myself that I only need to get through a few hours of work in the studio, and normally by that point I am in the zone and want to keep working. But if I’m not, I’m giving myself permission to say that’s okay too (which takes us back to point number one about taking a break if you need one). A few hours of important work feels like a greater achievement than eight hours of faffing about.

I hope this helps some of you get back on track to do the things you want to do. But as I said, if it doesn’t, that’s okay too. Give yourself some time to just rest or relax - the days are difficult enough to get through at the moment without the added pressure of a never ending to-do list. The motivation will come back, it generally does if you give it time. 

Happy sewing!

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• How I Built This podcast can be found here.

• Making a plan for the year / quarter. Post can be found here.

• Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller. Book can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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What you’ve been making

Collins top hacked into a dress made by @sakijane

Hacked Peppermint wrap skirt made by @plandaflowers

Flynn jacket made by @emilia_to_nuno

Collins top made by @ava_of_mine

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 28 - Saving inspiration for future use

THE Q & A SERIES - Saving inspiration for future use

Hi Emily,

I love following lots of creative sewists on Insta and blogs. But I often find it frustrating that many of them are in the northern hemisphere. Suddenly everyone is dusting off their linens and sun dress patterns, when what I really need to get working on is a coat.

There were plenty of lovely coat posts 6 months ago...so how do you manage ‘unseasonal hemisphere inspiration’-syndrome? Any tips on filing away favourite patterns & posts to dig out at the right time?

- Melanie
Sydney, Australia

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Hi Melanie,

I will do my best to answer this question, but I thought it might be a good one to also open up to the community, as I am sure there are plenty of people out there who have a process for saving projects perfectly!

There are two main ways I save inspiration for a later date - I save posts to folders on Instagram, as well as taking screenshots on my phone and adding to an inspiration folder on my phone. You mention also looking at blogs for inspiration, so Pinterest could possibly be a good option for you too.

I feel like my system is not the most reliable or fool-proof though, so I just did a bit of searching online and found some great suggestions of some other methods that might inspire you:

• Colette - 6 Apps to help you plan your sewing

• Helen's Closet - How to organise your patterns using Trello - this one is about organising patterns, but you could definitely use the same method to organise your inspiration. If you read a previous email of mine, you will know I am a huge fan of Trello. What's great about Trello is that it's free, you can use it across devices and it's really flexible. You can make boards, add tags, attach photos, links and comments (among a range of other things) so can be quite a robust way to organise things - if you are willing to take the time to do it.

For those of you reading this that might have a good suggestion for Melanie, I'd love to hear from you! Just reply to this email with how you organise your projects for future use and I'll share some responses in a future issue of the Q&A!

Happy sewing until next time,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• How do I create a collection for posts I save on Instagram? Instructions can be found here. 

• Pinterest can be searched here.

• 6 Apps to help you plan your sewing. Post from Colette can be found here. 

• How to organise your patterns using Trello. Post from Helen's Closet can be found here.

• Making a plan for the year / quarter. Post can be found here.

---

P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

---

More posts in the series

ISSUE 27 - Adding and removing fullness from a sleeve cap

THE Q & A SERIES - Adding and removing fullness from a sleeve cap

Hi Emily!

I’d like to know how to reduce the fullness in a puffed/gathered sleeve - as opposed to slashing a straight sleeve design to add in fullness. I often come across patterns that I love everything about - except for a gathered sleeve cap, or or gathering into a cuff, that makes it difficult to layer under a cardigan or jacket (here in Canada it’s all about layering to stay warm!).

Do I slash & straighten and redraw the sleeve cap?

Thank you!

- Vivian
Fredericton, Canada

---

Hi Vivian,

What you suggested is exactly right! You need to slash and close to remove the fullness from a sleeve cuff or cap - rather than the usual technique of cutting / slashing and spreading.

As I mentioned in last week's issue of the Q&A series, I had planned to create a tutorial to show you how to both add and remove fullness from a sleeve hem/cuff, as well as from the sleeve cap - but I realised it was going to get way too long! So I'm popping in today to show you how to add or remove fullness from a sleeve cap - and if you would like to know how to add or remove it from the hem/cuff of a sleeve, you can check out the previous post here.

PREPARE PATTERN

For the example, I will be using the sleeve from the Peppermint Wrap top pattern, although you could use any sleeve pattern that you like.

Take the pattern piece and trace a copy - if you would like to keep the original. The stitch line (the grey line on my patterns) will come in handy for this tutorial. If your pattern does not have the stitch line marked on it, you can mark it with a clear ruler.

I would suggest removing the hem allowance from the pattern - this will make the pattern adjustment easier to manage (as the hem line of the sleeve will be impacted by the change) and then you can add it back later on. 

ADD FULLNESS

MARK CUT + SPREAD LINES

Mark in your slash lines on the pattern. It is up to you how many you mark - but be generous with the number of lines you mark, as this will help the change to the pattern be nice and gradual so that your lines remain as smooth as possible when you make the adjustment. Be sure to keep the slash lines parallel to the grainline and evenly spaced.

When adding gathers to a sleeve cap, you are only wanting to add extra fabric (that will become the gathers when you sew the sleeve) to the sleeve cap, rather than the whole sleeve - this means that the slash lines need to be marked between the front and back notches only.

CUT + SPREAD

It is a good idea to put the pattern on top of a larger piece of pattern paper at this stage, as after you cut the pattern it becomes very delicate and difficult to move.

Take your scissors and cut along the first slash line, from the top of the sleeve down towards the hem. Go nice and slow as you approach the hem line (marked with circles in the illustration) as you will be wanting to leave a small "hinge" of 1-2mm of paper intact to help with the alteration. 

Repeat for each line marked, being careful to keep the pattern intact (although it's not a disaster if you accidentally cut through the hinge - just use a small piece of masking tape to put the sections back together).

With your grainline in the centre (and keeping this section of the pattern straight), gradually start spreading each section of the cut pattern - opening each cut line by a consistent amount.

HOW MUCH VOLUME TO ADD?

Think about how much volume you would like to add to the pattern piece overall. You may want to do this by eye (just cut along the line and then spread until it looks as though enough volume has been added), or by an exact amount. 

You may want to have a play with a scrap of the fabric you are planning to use to see how it gathers. For example, if using something very lightweight like a silk chiffon, you will need to add quite a lot of width to the sleeve cap to create a gathered sleeve cap. For a heavier weight fabric, you will require less fabric to achieve a gathered sleeve. To check this, measure out a strip of fabric before and after gathering to work out the ratio of fabric to gathers. 

If you have found an exact amount that you would like to add to the pattern, you will need to divide this figure by the number of cuts you have made. For example, in the sleeve pictured, I added 18cm to the sleeve cap. I divided this 18cm by the number of slash lines (6) and therefore opened up each slash line by 3cm.

Tape / glue pattern in place to the piece of pattern paper underneath.

TRACE PATTERN

You can either smooth out the lines of the pattern on the original pattern that you have glued / taped, or re-trace on a fresh piece of pattern paper. Sometimes it is good to use the original, as then you can keep track of the changes you made to the pattern - but this is up to you.

When tracing the new pattern piece, you need to make sure all lines are nice and smooth. Use a French curve ruler, or even a straight ruler (that is my preference for drawing curves) to work your way around the pattern. Draw the new hemline by drawing a smooth curve that follows the hem sections of the original sleeve. For the new sleeve cap, draw a line of best fit through the original stitch line, before adding seam allowance. 

Be sure to also transfer the notches (you won't know exactly where they should be at this point, just mark them so you know which is the front and back of the sleeve) and grainline if you are tracing the pattern.

Check notch placement

Check the placement of the notches by walking your sleeve piece into the front and back armhole of your pattern (starting at the underseam of the sleeve and side seam). You can use this tutorial as a guide. 

FINALISE PATTERN + ADD PATTERN MARKINGS

Add seam allowance to the hem of the pattern. The amount will depend on your hem treatment - for example, if you are adding a cuff, rolling the hem, or creating a hem facing.

Add pattern details to the new pattern piece. This includes:

• Pattern name (e.g. Peppermint Wrap Top)

• Piece name (e.g. Gathered sleeve)

• Size (e.g. Size E)

• Cutting instructions (e.g. Cut 1 pair)

• Number of pieces (e.g. piece 4 / 5)

• I also like to add notes of the changes I made (e.g. 18cm added to the sleeve cap using cut & spread technique on 16 April 2020)

And you're ready to use your new sleeve pattern! I'd suggest making a toile to check you are happy, before cutting your garment.

REMOVE FULLNESS

MARK CUT + SPREAD LINES

To remove fullness, we will use the sleeve piece created in the previous example. 

Mark in your slash lines on the pattern. It is up to you how many you mark - but as in the first example, be generous with the number of lines you mark, as this will help the change to the pattern be nice and gradual so that your lines remain as smooth as possible when you make the adjustment.

As you will see, due to the shape of the sleeve pattern piece, the slash lines will need to gradually fan out, so that they can remain evenly spaced out (rather than parallel to the grainline like they were in the earlier example).

HOW MUCH VOLUME TO REMOVE?

To work out how much volume to remove from the sleeve cap, you will need to measure the front and back armholes of your pattern pieces. Remember to measure the stitch line and not the cutting line on the pattern.
Take note of your measurements and add them together to find your armhole circumference.

Next, measure your whole sleeve cap (including either side of the notches). Subtract the length of the armhole circumference from the length of the sleeve cap. When you have the answer, deduct another 1.2cm - this is to allow for a small amount of ease to remain in the sleeve cap.

Divide your answer by the number of slash lines that you have on your pattern, and this is the amount you will remove at each point. 

Mark the measurement you found in the previous step on each section of the pattern - being sure to mark it on the stitch line, as this is the line we are adjusting and measured to work out how much to remove. 

Take your scissors and cut along the first slash line, from the top of the sleeve down towards the hem. Go nice and slow as you approach the hem line (marked with circles in the illustration) as you will be wanting to leave a small "hinge" of 1-2mm of paper intact to help with the alteration. 

CUT + CLOSE

Repeat for each line marked, being careful to keep the pattern intact (although it's not a disaster if you accidentally cut through the hinge - just use a small piece of masking tape to put the sections back together).

With your grainline in the centre (and keeping this section of the pattern straight), gradually start overlapping each section of the pattern with the section beside it - lining up the cut edge with the point marked previously - to remove the desired amount. Tape or glue in place.

Repeat for each slash line.

TRACE PATTERN

You can either smooth out the lines of the pattern on the pattern that you have glued / taped, or re-trace on a fresh piece of pattern paper. Sometimes it is good to use the original, as then you can keep track of the changes you made to the pattern - but this is up to you.

When tracing the new pattern piece, you need to make sure all lines are nice and smooth. Use a French curve ruler, or even a straight ruler (that is my preference for drawing curves) to work your way around the pattern. Draw the new hemline by drawing a straight line from one side of the pattern to the other (being sure to check the hemline is perpendicular to the grainline). For the new sleeve cap, draw a line of best fit through the original stitch line, before adding seam allowance. 

Be sure to also transfer the notches (you won't know exactly where they should be at this point, just mark them so you know which is the front and back of the sleeve) and grainline if you are tracing the pattern.

Check notch placement

Check the placement of the notches by walking your sleeve piece into the front and back armhole of your pattern (starting at the underseam of the sleeve and side seam). You can use this tutorial as a guide. When you get to the shoulder seam, mark the position on the sleeve (it won't meet the centre notch). Do the same one the back section of the sleeve. You should now have two markings on either side of the centre notch. Measure the distance between these two markings, on the stitch line - this is the amount of ease you have in the sleeve pattern.

To mark the shoulder notch, take this measurement and divide by three. Place the centre notch 1/3 in from the front marking, so that 1/3 of the ease is distributed in the front section of the sleeve and the other 2/3 is in the back section of the sleeve.

FINALISE PATTERN + ADD PATTERN MARKINGS

Add seam allowance to the hem of the pattern. The amount will depend on your hem treatment.

Add pattern details to the new pattern piece. This includes:

• Pattern name (e.g. Peppermint Wrap Top)

• Piece name (e.g. Sleeve)

• Size (e.g. Size E)

• Cutting instructions (e.g. Cut 1 pair)

• Number of pieces (e.g. piece 4 / 5)

• I also like to add notes of the changes I made (e.g. 18cm removed from the sleeve cape using cut & spread technique on 16 April 2020)

And you're ready to use your new sleeve pattern! I'd suggest making a toile to check you are happy, before cutting your garment.

I hope that helps you and I will be back next week to show you how to use this technique on a sleeve cap.

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Adding and removing fullness from a sleeve hem. Tutorial can be found here.

• Peppermint wrap top pattern. Pattern can be downloaded for free here.

• How to add seam allowance to a sewing pattern. Tutorial can be found here.

• Checking patterns: Curved seams. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to draft a hem facing. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to (and why) make a toile. Tutorial can be found here.

---

P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

---

More posts in the series

ISSUE 26 - Adding and removing fullness from a sleeve hem

THE Q & A SERIES - Adding and removing fullness from a sleeve hem

Hi Emily!

I’d like to know how to reduce the fullness in a puffed/gathered sleeve - as opposed to slashing a straight sleeve design to add in fullness. I often come across patterns that I love everything about - except for a gathered sleeve cap, or or gathering into a cuff, that makes it difficult to layer under a cardigan or jacket (here in Canada it’s all about layering to stay warm!).

Do I slash & straighten and redraw the sleeve cap?

Thank you!

- Vivian
Fredericton, Canada

---

Hi Vivian,

What you suggested is exactly right! You need to slash and close to remove the fullness from a sleeve cuff or cap - rather than the usual technique of cutting / slashing and spreading.

I thought that for today's post I would show you how to add fullness to a sleeve at the hem (like you would need to do to create a bishop sleeve, gathered sleeve or a flared sleeve - as pictured above) and then show you how to remove this fullness - if you're working the other way - as in the case of the question. The technique is basically the same, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach this technique for both uses (adding fullness and removing fullness). 

I had been planning on also including removing fullness from a sleeve cap but realised this was going to become a very long tutorial - so I will split it over two issues and show you how to do that next week!

PREPARE PATTERN

For the example, I will be using the sleeve from the Peppermint Wrap top pattern, although you could use any sleeve pattern that you like.

Take the pattern piece and trace a copy - if you would like to keep the original. The stitch line (the grey line on my patterns) will come in handy for this tutorial. If your pattern does not have the stitch line marked on it, you can mark it with a clear ruler.

ADD FULLNESS

MARK CUT + SPREAD LINES

Mark in your slash lines on the pattern. It is up to you how many you mark - but be generous with the number of lines you mark, as this will help the change to the pattern be nice and gradual so that your lines remain as smooth as possible when you make the adjustment. Be sure to keep the slash lines parallel to the grainline and evenly spread.

In the case of the example I will be adding fullness to the centre section of the sleeve, but you can add slash lines across the whole sleeve - it will just depend where you want the fullness and how much fullness you would like to add. You will be cutting these lines, to add volume to the pattern - wherever there is a slash more fabric will be added.

CUT + SPREAD

It is a good idea to put the pattern on top of a larger piece of pattern paper at this stage, as after you cut the pattern it becomes very delicate and difficult to move.

Take your scissors and cut along the first slash line, from the hemline up towards the sleeve cap. Go nice and slow as you approach the stitch line (marked with circles in the illustration) as you will be wanting to leave a small "hinge" intact to help with the alteration. Then cut in from the seam allowance, leaving 1-2mm uncut. 

Repeat for each line marked, being careful to keep the pattern intact (although it's not a disaster if you accidentally cut through the hinge - just use a small piece of masking tape to put the sections back together).

With your grainline in the centre (and keeping this section of the pattern straight), gradually start spreading each section of the cut pattern - opening each cut line by a consistent amount.

HOW MUCH VOLUME TO ADD?

Think about how much volume you would like to add to the pattern piece overall. You may want to do this by eye (just cut along the line and then spread until it looks as though enough volume has been added), or by an exact amount. If you are just opening up a hemline, I would say that doing it by eye is fine. But if, for example, you are using this technique on a skirt pattern to increase the hip measurement, then I would suggest finding an exact amount so that you don't get any surprises. 

If you have found an exact amount that you would like to add to the pattern, you will need to divide this figure by the number of cuts you have made. For example, in the sleeve pictured, I added 21cm to the hemline. I divided this 21cm by the number of slash lines (6) and therefore opened up each slash line by 3.5cm.

Tape / glue pattern in place to the piece of pattern paper underneath.

TRACE PATTERN

You can either smooth out the lines of the pattern on the original pattern that you have glued / taped, or re-trace on a fresh piece of pattern paper. Sometimes it is good to use the original, as then you can keep track of the changes you made to the pattern - but this is up to you.

When tracing the new pattern piece, you need to make sure all lines are nice and smooth. Use a French curve ruler, or even a straight ruler (that is my preference for drawing curves) to work your way around the pattern. Draw the new hemline by drawing a smooth curve that follows the hem sections of the original sleeve. Be sure to also transfer the notches and grainline if you are tracing the pattern.

FINALISE PATTERN + ADD PATTERN MARKINGS

Add seam allowance to the hem of the pattern. The amount will depend on your hem treatment - for example, if you are adding a cuff, rolling the hem, or creating a hem facing.

Add pattern details to the new pattern piece. This includes:

• Pattern name (e.g. Peppermint Wrap Top)

• Piece name (e.g. Flared sleeve)

• Size (e.g. Size E)

• Cutting instructions (e.g. Cut 1 pair)

• Number of pieces (e.g. piece 4 / 5)

• I also like to add notes of the changes I made (e.g. 21cm added to the hemline using cut & spread technique on 12 April 2020)

And you're ready to use your new sleeve pattern! I'd suggest making a toile to check you are happy, before cutting your garment.

REMOVE FULLNESS

MARK CUT + SPREAD LINES

To remove fullness, we will use the sleeve piece created in the previous example. 

Mark in your slash lines on the pattern. It is up to you how many you mark - like in the first example, be generous with the number of lines you mark, as this will help the change to the pattern be nice and gradual so that your lines remain as smooth as possible when you make the adjustment.

As you will see, due to the shape of the sleeve pattern piece, the slash lines will need to gradually fan out, so that they can remain evenly spaced out (rather then parallel to the grainline like they were in the earlier example).

HOW MUCH VOLUME TO REMOVE?

Work out how much volume you will be removing from the hem of the sleeve, and then divide this by the number of slash lines. For example, I will be removing 21cm from the hem of the sleeve, so will be removing 3.5cm from each slash line. Mark this amount on each section of the pattern - along the hemline. Alternatively you can do this by eye - although this will depend on the hem treatment. For example, if you are going to be attaching a cuff, you will need to carefully check the hem length so that it will fit the cuff. If joining to a sleeve cuff, you will still need a little bit of fullness in the bottom the sleeve, so that you can make a pleat or gathers before joining it to the cuff.

Take your scissors and cut along the first slash line, from the hemline up towards the sleeve cap. Go nice and slow as you approach the stitch line (marked with circles in the illustration) as you will be wanting to leave a small "hinge" intact to help with the alteration. Then cut in from the seam allowance, leaving 1-2mm uncut. 

Repeat for each line marked, being careful to keep the pattern intact (although it's not a disaster if you accidentally cut through the hinge - just use a small piece of masking tape to put the sections back together).

CUT + CLOSE

With your grainline in the centre (and keeping this section of the pattern straight), gradually start overlapping each section of the pattern with the section beside it - lining up the cut edge with the point marked previously - to remove the desired amount. Tape or glue in place.

Repeat for each slash line.

TRACE PATTERN

You can either smooth out the lines of the pattern on the pattern that you have glued / taped, or re-trace on a fresh piece of pattern paper. Sometimes it is good to use the original, as then you can keep track of the changes you made to the pattern - but this is up to you.

When tracing the new pattern piece, you need to make sure all lines are nice and smooth. Use a French curve ruler, or even a straight ruler (that is my preference for drawing curves) to work your way around the pattern. Draw the new hemline by drawing a straight line from one side of the pattern to the other (being sure to check the hemline is perpendicular to the grainline). Be sure to also transfer the notches and grainline if you are tracing the pattern.

FINALISE PATTERN + ADD PATTERN MARKINGS

Add seam allowance to the hem of the pattern. The amount will depend on your hem treatment.

Add pattern details to the new pattern piece. This includes:

• Pattern name (e.g. Peppermint Wrap Top)

• Piece name (e.g. Sleeve)

• Size (e.g. Size E)

• Cutting instructions (e.g. Cut 1 pair)

• Number of pieces (e.g. piece 4 / 5)

• I also like to add notes of the changes I made (e.g. 21cm removed from the hemline using cut & spread technique on 12 April 2020)

And you're ready to use your new sleeve pattern! I'd suggest making a toile to check you are happy, before cutting your garment.

I hope that helps you and I will be back next week to show you how to use this technique on a sleeve cap.

Happy sewing,

Emily

---

resources mentioned in this issue

• Peppermint Wrap top sewing pattern. Pattern can be downloaded for free here.

• Adding volume to a pattern. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to add seam allowance to a sewing pattern. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to draft a hem facing. Tutorial can be found here.

• Making a toile. Tutorial can be found here.

---

P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

---

More posts in the series

ISSUE 25 - Sewing a zip

THE Q & A SERIES - SEWING A ZIP

I'm wondering what your preferred method is for inserting a side seam (dress) zipper? I inserted one out of necessity recently, but I'm not happy with the method I used. (Desperate times called for desperate measures!)

It worked out but I know there's a better way!

Thanks Emily!

- Lodi Cambridge, Unites States

---

Hi Lodi,

Thanks for reaching out. Zips can be tricky when you're a beginner, but once you find a method that works for you, they get a lot easier!

I pretty much use invisible zips exclusively (all the patterns that I have released so far that have a zip use an invisible zip - except for pants that have a fly front), as I think they give the cleanest and most modern finish. They are very easy to do - once you get the hang of it. You can use an invisible zip in the centre back of a dress, or in the side seam as you mentioned.

Basting stitches

I think the game changer when getting a perfect finish on an invisible zip is hand basting the zip in place before sewing it.

What you need to do is pin one side of the zip in position and then baste in place. Take a needle and thread (I always use a contrasting thread because it makes it nice and easy to remove the stitches later), and hand baste the zip tape to the garment. It takes a couple of minutes extra to do this, but it will ensure that the zip does not shift while you are sewing it in - and I prefer hand stitching to unpicking any day! When the zip is attached, remove the pins.

I also only ever baste one side of the zip at a time - this way one side is stitched in permanently before you stitch the second side - this ensures nothing wiggles around in the process.

Use the right tools

Next thing you want to make sure of is that you have the correct machine foot for the application. For an invisible zip it is best to use an invisible zipper foot (although you can get away with using a regular zipper foot) and for a standard dress zipper you will need to use a regular zip foot. I am not into have fancy sewing tools and attachments and try to keep all that to a minimum, but I think a regular zipper and invisible zipper foot are a must for anyone wanting to make their own clothes.

As you can see in the photo above, the invisible zip foot really helps you get nice and close to the zip coil because of the groove in the foot that lifts the coil. It takes a little practice to get the hang of this and to make sure that your needle is positioned as close as possible to the coil, but it is worth getting it right as this is what helps the invisible zip become 'invisible' on the right side of the garment.

You will then need a regular zipper foot to sew the remainder of the seam. As you can see in the photo above, the regular zip helps you get nice and close to the zip.

I have a full tutorial available on my website about sewing an invisible zip that can be found here. 

As mentioned at the beginning of this email, the key is to find a technique that works and makes sense to you. That may or may not be this technique and that is okay!

OTHER TECHNIQUES

Some other techniques that I'd also suggest looking at are:

• This technique for installing an invisible zip shared by Kenneth King for Threads. 

• This is the method I use for sewing a lapped zipper - this tutorial comes from Blueprints for Sewing.

• This is the method I use for sewing a centred zip - this tutorial is from Colette.

I'd love to hear if you have a go-to method for sewing zips that I haven't mentioned!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• How to sew an invisible zip. Tutorial can be found here.

• A Smart Sewing Technique for an Imperceptible Zipper by Threads can be found here.

• Sewing a Lapped Zipper from Blueprints for Sewing. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to Sew a Centred Zipper from Colette. Tutorial can be found here.

---

P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

---

More posts in the series

ISSUE 24 - Transform the Peppermint playsuit pattern into a dress

THE Q & A SERIES - TRANSFORM THE PEPPERMINT PLAYSUIT PATTERN INTO A DRESS

Hi!

Just wanted to say I’ve loved your patterns ever since finding them in Peppermint magazine! They are so detailed and thorough and beautiful!

I’ve made the Peppermint Playsuit before (I love it) but I’m hoping to hack it into a dress. I was just going to remove the curve on the front and back which is for the shorts, however I’m worried if I do that there won’t be any movement for my behind.

Any tips of hacking the pattern? Sewing is how I’ll survive this self isolation period haha. Thank you!

Or would the Peppermint Jumpsuit be easier to hack into a dress I wonder?

- Amy

---

Hi Amy,

I am so pleased to hear you have been enjoying my patterns! 

Hacking the Peppermint Playsuit into a dress is a great idea! I actually have a dress that I made from the Peppermint Jumpsuit and it is one of my most worn wardrobe items. It is great to wear over a t-shirt or long sleeve top, or can be worn on its own when it's warmer! I am sure that the Peppermint Playsuit pattern will work just as well!

Both of these patterns - the Peppermint Playsuit and the Peppermint Jumpsuit - can be hacked into a dress. In this tutorial I will show you how to do it using the Playsuit pattern, but you can use the same technique for hacking the Jumpsuit into a dress.

Prepare the pattern

1. To start, take the FRONT [1] and BACK [2] pattern pieces. You can trace them, or just use the original pattern - whichever suits you. If you are tracing the pattern, don't cut it out just yet - the paper around the edge will come in handy in the next step.

Cut / trace the pattern size based on your upper bust / bust measurement, as suggested in the pattern (p 5 in the instructions).

Extend centre front + centre back lines

2. As you suggested in your question - the first thing you need to do is remove the curve of the crotch on both the FRONT [1] and BACK [2] pattern pieces.

As you can see in the illustration (and on the pattern itself), the centre front is straight, so all you need to do is continue the lines down to the hem. You will need the stitch line to work out your hip measurement, so I suggest extending the stitch line (grey line on the pattern), as well as the cutting line (black line).

The centre back of the Peppermint playsuit has some shaping in it to make it more form fitting, so you will need to straighten this out. Mark a straight line from the top of the pattern piece down to the hem (the line needs to be perpendicular to the hem) - once again marking the stitching line and the cutting line. As you can see in the example, you are going to need to stick some paper onto the pattern piece so that you can make the centre back section straight - if you have cut out your pattern already.

Please note: for now we will leave the centre front and centre back seam lines. If you would prefer not to have these seam lines on your dress, I will show you how to remove them at the end of the tutorial.

cut out new pattern pieces

3. You can now cut along your new cut lines to create the new pattern pieces. I would also suggest adding new notches on the centre back seam - as illustrated (only if you plan to keep the centre back seam line).

Check hip measurement

4. Now it's time to check the hip measurement, and ensure that you have enough ease in this area. 

We first need to mark the HIP LINE. To do this you can either hold the front pattern piece up to your body and mark the location of your hip on the pattern, or you can make the marking through the centre of the pockets, which is the approximately where the hip line should be on this pattern.

Mark* the HIP LINE with a straight line that is perpendicular to the grainline. Transfer the HIP LINE on to the BACK [2] pattern piece, measuring up from the hemline so that the HIP LINE is in the same position on both pieces.

*The HIP LINE should only run from stitch line to stitch line, as when finding the finished measurements of a garment, we need to remove the seam allowance. If you have traced the pattern without marking the stitch line, simply take the measurement from edge to edge on the HIP LINE and remove 2.4cm (1in) - the sum of the seam allowance on each side of the pattern piece.

Do the maths

5. Now measure the two HIP LINES (front and back) and add together, then multiply by 2 (as each piece is cut as a pair). For example, in this tutorial I am using a size C. The front HIP LINE measurement is 28.4cm. The back HIP LINE measurement is 26.7cm. Added together this equates to 55.1cm. Multiplied by 2, the total finished garment hip measurement is 110.2cm.

If you are a straight size C (for example), this would give you 16.2cm ease at the hip, which is plenty. If your hip measurement is larger than the size you chose to cut, I will show you how to add width to the pattern at the hip to account for this.

Take your actual hip measurement and compare it to the HIP LINE measurement taken from the pattern. For example, let's say that your hip measurement is 105cm. Although it is less than the finished garment HIP LINE measurement, it only gives you 5.2cm ease at the hip (110.2cm - 105cm = 5.2cm). Although 5cm ease at the hip could be okay for certain patterns, I think this will be a little snug for this pattern - although this is up to you! You can always take a tape measure and measure your hips while sitting down to see if there will be enough ease in a pattern for your preference.

For the example I will show you how to add another 6cm ease to the pattern (although again, this amount will depend on your style and fit preferences).

To add 6cm to the hip circumference you will need to divide 6cm by 4 (as each pattern is cut as a pair - there are 4 pieces in total). 6cm / 4 = 1.25cm. Write that number down. This is how much we will be adding to each pattern piece at the HIP LINE.

Add width at hip (if required)

6. Get two large pieces of pattern paper and put your FRONT [1] and BACK [2] pattern pieces on the paper, using pattern weights (or whatever you have around) to hold them in place.

Partially trace around the pattern pieces.

For the FRONT [1] trace:
 - from the top of the side seam up the armhole
- across the top edfe
- down the centre front
- along the hem

For the BACK [2] trace:
- from the top of the side seam along the top edge
- down the centre back
- along the hem

Do not trace the side seam at this stage.

Use an awl / stiletto (or even just a pencil) to mark the pocket placement markings on the FRONT [1] piece.

extend hip line

7. On the HIP LINE on both the FRONT [1] and BACK [2] extend the HIP LINE so that it reaches the cut edge and continues onto the pattern paper underneath by a few centimetres.

Now, take the measurement that you found in STEP 5. Measuring from the cut edge on the hip line, mark the distance of the measurement (e.g. 1.25cm) on the HIP LINE on both the FRONT [1] and BACK [2].

Pivot pattern

8. Now you need to pivot the pattern so that you can draw a new side seam - that will be adjusted for the new hip measurement. To do this, take a pin, or an awl / stiletto and put it in the corner where the side seam meets the top stitch line - as marked with red circles in the illustration above. Carefully rotate the pattern so that the side seam moves towards the line marked in the previous step. When you reach the point, use pattern weights to hold the pattern pieces in place. Trace the side seam in the new location. Do this for both the FRONT [1] and BACK [2] pattern pieces.

Finalise pattern + add pattern markings

9. Remove the original pattern pieces to show your new pattern lines underneath. You will need to join the hemline to the side seam in the corner of each piece, due to the alteration made. Simply continue the straight line of the hem line and then continue the side seam until the lines intersect.

Transfer the pattern details (Pattern name - re-naming if you like, pattern piece name and number, grainline etc.) from the original pattern to the new pattern pieces. 

Remove centre front / centre back seams

10. If you would like to remove the front and back seam lines (as they are no longer required from a functional perspective) you can remove them by removing the 1.2cm seam allowance from the centre front and centre back.

You will now need to change the cutting instructions to CUT 1 ON FOLD. Adjust the grainline to indicate this, as illustrated.

For more details about pattern markings, you can check out this blog post. 

If you would like to add more length to the pattern, you can use this tutorial. 

I'd love to see your finished dress. Please send me a photo or tag In the Folds on Instagram!

I hope you are keeping well at this strange time. I appreciate all the responses I got to my previous email and I feel very lucky to be in a position to offer a bit of joy, inspiration and distraction at such a difficult time. 

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• In the Folds patterns can be found here.

• Peppermint Playsuit pattern can be found here.

• Peppermint Jumpsuit pattern can be found here.

• Peppermint Playsuit instructions can be found here.

• In the Folds sizing chart can be found here.

• Tools for patternmaking blog post can be found here.

• Adding pattern markings to your patterns blog post can be found here.

• How to lengthen a pattern blog post can be found here.

• In the Folds Instagram account can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 23 - Lining the Flynn jacket

THE Q & A SERIES - LINING THE FLYNN JACKET

Hi Emily!

I'm currently working on a toile of the Flynn jacket. I shortened it per your instructions on the blog, which were super helpful!

I ordered some cool deadstock fabric to make the jacket. Once it arrived, I realized that the wrong side of the fabric isn't super pleasant to the touch. I probably want to line the jacket with some lightweight lining.

I've never lined anything before. I have two questions here -

1. Would you recommend that I cut the inner/outer hem facing out of the lining fabric, or both the outer fabric and the lining?

2. More generally, any tips?

Thanks!

- Hannah

Los Angeles, Unites States

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Hi Hannah,

Thanks for getting in touch. I am pleased to hear you're making a Flynn jacket! It is also great to hear that you found the tutorial for shortening the Flynn jacket helpful!

Your options are to interline the jacket or fully line it.

Interlining is a little easier because you attach the lining fabric to the main fabric before you assemble the jacket, so that the main fabric and the lining act as one fabric - this way you would still use bias binding on the seams (you can baste the two layers together by hand or machine - making sure your stitches are within the seam allowance, so that you don't see them later) and construct the jacket as usual.

If you were to line it, you would be enclosing all the raw edges inside the jacket lining, by making two jackets (one of the main fabric and one from the lining fabric). It's up to you which option you choose, as both would work. If you would like some more information on lining a jacket, this post from Seamwork should help.

Either way though, I would cut both the inner and outer hem facing (back and front) from the main (deadstock) fabric. This means the lining is only required for the front, back and sleeves. This will ensure that the hem facing has the correct weight (same as the outer jacket) and will sit nicely. It will also give you the nicest finish on the inside.

I hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else I can assist with.

Happy sewing,

Emily

P.S. Hannah wrote to my quite a while a go with this question, so you can see which method she chose to go with (and her beautiful Flynn jacket) here.

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Shortening the Flynn jacket. Tutorial can be found here.

• The Flynn jacket pattern can be purchased in paper or PDF format here.

• A Lesson in Lining from Seamwork. Post can be found here.

• Hannah's finished Flynn jacket can be seen here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 22 - SAVING Q&A POSTS ON PINTEREST

THE Q & A SERIES - SAVING The Q&A POSTS ON PINTEREST

Hello – I’ve been reading all your tutorials online and I wanted to email you to thank you for taking the time to share these. As a fairly new sewer, I need and appreciate all the help I can get! I have one request, please, and apologize if I’m asking you to move mountains to accomplish this. Is there any way your tutorials could be saved to Pinterest for future use? They’re so valuable – and it may also hopefully give your company more online visibility. Hopefully this could be a win/win for you and for current and future customers. Thanks so much for listening…wishing you all the best for future success!

- Maureen

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Hi Maureen,

I am so pleased to hear you are enjoying the Q&A series! Thank you for this suggestion - it is something I have been meaning to do for a long time, so your email was the prompt I needed to get around to doing it!

You can find all the Q&A posts that have been published so far here.

Happy pinning!

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• The Q&A series Pinterest board can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 21 - ONLINE RETAILERS IN THE US & CANADA

THE Q & A SERIES - ONLINE RETAILERS IN THE US & CANADA

I love your Q&A newsletter on the patterns. This is great news! What are a few online fabric retailers in the US? My instagram feed is filled with UK and Australian fabric stores and I'm so jealous of their selection.

- Stephanie

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Hi Stephanie,

This is a great question and one which I'm sure will be of interest to a lot of you, seeing as though about a third of the people who read this newsletter are from the US.

I have some fantastic US and Canadian pattern stockists that I'd love to share with you. I reached out to some of them and asked for them to give us an idea of the fabrics they specialise in!

STONEMOUNTAIN & DAUGHTER FABRICS

Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics is a family-owned store with a brick and mortar in Berkeley, California. We got our start as a fashion-focused store that provided silks, linens, wools, and more at a time when most fabric stores were stocked with cottons. Now almost 40 years later, we are still centered on offering high-quality garment fabrics (in addition to a large range of quilting cotton!) and serving as a knowledge hub for sewists both locally and around the globe.

Though we're known for our linen, ikat, and silk noil selection, we love garment fabrics of all kinds. We also have an extensive selection of fun deadstock pieces—these "leftovers" from the garment industry are a great way to find more unusual fabrics and take part in reducing textile waste.

Find out more:
www.stonemountainfabric.com/

FABRICATIONS

Fabrications is a fabric boutique in Ottawa, Canada's Capital City.  We believe that everyone is creative, and we are here to support you in your journey as a maker. We welcome sewists and makers of all levels, races, shapes, and genders.  

We focus on natural fibres and casual apparel sewing when choosing our fabric selection.  We stock lots of cotton and bamboo knits, a wide range of linens, denims, rayon challis, double gauze, the occasional wool, and much more. 

We are particularly thrilled to have been able to restock our best-ever-selling fabric this week!   This digitally printed reproduction Rembrandt floral canvas is perfect for a pair pants, a York Pinafore, or a stand-out bag!

Find out more: 
www.fabricationsottawa.com

NEEDLE SHARP

Needle Sharp specialises in monthly subscription sewing kits. You have a subscription to your coffee, your favourite magazine, even your dinner. Why not your sewing? Enter Needle Sharp, the sewing box sent to you each month that contains everything you need to sew a beautiful piece of clothing: the pattern, the fabric, and all the notions. No finding a pattern, searching for the right fabric, running to the store for matching thread, cursing because they don't have matching thread, running back to the store because you forgot interfacing. It's all done for you so you can get down to the fun part of crafting your very own handmade wardrobe. We offer four different boxes each month, each featuring a different independent sewing pattern which we pair with three fabric options to choose from. Once you pick your fabric, we do all the rest for you to put the box together, and we send it to your door at the beginning of each month. 

We also have an online retail store where we sell fabric, patterns, and non-subscription sewing kits. The website is https://www.needle-sharp.com 

SIMPLIFI FABRIC

Established in 2012, we specialize in the latest eco and organic textiles on the market, including knits and wovens made with organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, lyocell, linen. We also stock a large variety of European imports, wool, indy sewing patterns and notions! 

Find out more:
www.simplififabric.com (US/worldwide) 
www.simplififabric.ca (Canada)

OTHER STORES

Some other stores you may like to checkout:

• Blackbird Fabrics

• Cate's Sew Modern

• Gather Here

• Dabble & Stitch

• Drygoods Design

• Firecracker Fabrics

• Oak Fabrics

• Three Little Birds Sewing co

Another thing you could look at is this post I did a little while ago. It's not just US retailers, but a great list of stores that makers have suggested, so might be worth taking a look at too!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• In the Folds pattern stockists can be found here.

• Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

• Fabrications Ottowa

• Needle Sharp

• Simplifi Fabric. US/worldwide shop here. Canadian shop here.

• Blackbird Fabrics

• Cate's Sew Modern

• Gather Here

• Dabble & Stitch

• Drygoods Design

• Firecracker Fabrics

• Oak Fabrics

• Three Little Birds Sewing co

• Instagram post with suggestions of other independent fabric retailers can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 20 - FINDING TIME TO SEW WHEN YOU WORK FULL TIME

THE Q & A SERIES - FINDING TIME TO SEW WHEN YOU WORK FULL TIME

What’s the best way to find time for sewing when you work full-time+. Thanks!

- Gail

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Hi Gail,

This is a question I have also been grappling a lot with in recent years! Up until recently I was working 6 days a week, so it did not leave much room in my schedule for a lot of things that I love, including sewing. It did make me think hard though about how I could use my sewing time so I could get the most enjoyment out of it, and I found a few things that worked for me.

I used to keep my sewing machines in my studio (photo above), but a couple of years ago I realised I would have a better chance of sewing recreationally if my machines were at home. For a year or so I was working from the dining table, so I had to pack up my machines after using them, which meant that I wasn’t taking advantage of free time to sew very often as I wouldn’t want to set up my machines! Last year I decided to bite the bullet and set up a sewing table in a spare corner of the house. I don’t have a lot of space so I purchased a fold down sewing table that is quite narrow, and it’s great! I also try to keep my sewing space as organised as possible, so that if I do have 15 minutes to spend at the machine, I know where everything is to get started. 

Also, this may seem like a small thing, but I also grab a plastic bowl whenever I sew and use it to put in cut threads and clipped corners etc. This has saved me a lot of time when it comes to cleaning up and less vacuuming of my sewing space!

I know many of you probably don’t have a dedicated sewing space where you can leave your machines set-up at all times. I once heard Helen from Love to Sew podcast (sorry I can’t remember which episode it was!) say that she once timed how long it took her to set-up her sewing machines, so that if she had a small amount of time to sew, she could convince herself it was worth taking the opportunity by knowing exactly how long it would take to set up / pack down (and it wasn't very long, which really helped). Why not give that technique a try!

ORGANISE YOUR SEWING PROJECTS

I find having my projects well organised is something that always inspires me to jump on the machine to get started. After I cut a project, I put all the pieces in a large zip lock bag (I use storage vacuum bags, that are not very glamorous, but do the job well as they are clear and large enough for all projects). I then stick a plastic sleeve to the front of the bag where I can keep the instructions. Once a project bag is set up like this it can be used over and over. I have about 5 or 6 on rotation so that I always have one on hand when I’m cutting a project.

 In the bag with the cut pieces I put:

• Leftovers of the fabric. This is handy if you want to do sample seams or end up needing to re-cut pieces later down the track (or forget to cut things like bias binding or pocket bags etc.)

• Spools of thread in the correct colour (plus overlocking/serging thread if required)

• Any notions, such as zips, buttons, fusing etc.

I then use a skirt hanger to clip the top of the bag so that I can hang the project bag on a door handle / coat rack.

Alternatively, you could use clear plastic storage containers that are stackable. Whatever works for you and the space you have!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SMALL POCKETS OF TIME

This leads me to suggest that if your sewing space / sewing projects are organised well, you may be able to create a few pockets of time in your week when you can sew for 15-20 minutes. Possibly you could get up half an hour earlier a couple of days a week. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I am a firm believer in small steps adding up over time, and if you managed to just sew for 20 minutes three times a week, that’s 52 hours in a year!

PUT IT IN YOUR SCHEDULE

If you’ve been reading these emails for a while, you might know that I am really into having a schedule and planning my week in advance (if you would like to know more about my method, you can see this past post). Can you schedule time to sew? It might mean saying no to other things in your schedule, but the benefits to blocking out time to do things that you love are usually worth the sacrifice.

BATCH SIMILAR TASKS

I find that it helps to batch similar tasks. For example, I normally cut two garments at the same time. This way if you’ve cleared your table for cutting, you can get more done with less time. It’s also a good opportunity to listen to a good podcast or put something on Netflix to watch in the background. The same goes for taping PDF patterns together. 

I also try to sew similar fabrics / colours one after the other. This means my overlocker is threaded in the correct colour - and often my sewing machine is too! 

FOCUS ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

I know that it can sometimes kill your sew-jo when you feel like you have no time to sew. I tackle this by reminding myself of the joy I will get from sitting down to just focus on one sewing project. I know it can get overwhelming seeing some makers churning out a new make every week, but I’d suggest focusing on quality over quantity, and using that as your driver.

For example, last year I decided that I would make myself a pair of jeans. I wanted them to be the kind of jeans I would wear over and over, so committed to getting them right no matter how long it took me. I ended up making three toiles (muslins) and then spent days on the jeans themselves! When they were finished I realised the waist was too high and ended up removing the fly and waistband so I could move it all down by 3cm. It doesn't sound like something that would be worth the effort, but it really was the difference between a pair of jeans I would actually wear and I pair I wouldn't. Yes it took a lot of time, but in the end I made a pair of jeans that fit me well and that I love. Now when I’m feeling overwhelmed about finding time to sew / thinking about what I should make, I remind myself that if I make just one thing this year that I love as much as my jeans, that will be a huge win!

GO ON A SEWING RETREAT OR MAKE YOUR OWN

This may not be something that you are in a position to do, but consider going on a sewing retreat for the weekend. There are more and more of this style of event popping up all over the world, so there might be one close to you that you can save up and plan for.

Alternatively, find some sewing friends in your local area and consider hosting a sewing day at your house or in a local hall / sewing studio. There are also studios where you can go and sew by the hour. I feel like booking something in (and exchanging money) is a great motivator to keep you accountable to a goal you have.

OTHER RESOURCES

• Busy and Finding time to sew (Sewcialists)

• Finding time to sew (Christine Haynes)

• Making time to sew with Lauren Taylor (Love to Sew podcast)

• Speedy sewing (Love to Sew podcast)

• You don’t have to sew everything (Love to Sew podcast)

I hope you find some of these suggestions helpful!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Love to Sew podcast

• Q&A Issue 4: Making a plan for the year / quarter. Post can be found here.

• Busy and Finding time to sew (Sewcialists). Post can be found here. 

• Finding time to sew (Christine Haynes). Post can be found here.

• Making time to sew with Lauren Taylor (Love to Sew podcast). Episode can be found here.

• Speedy sewing (Love to Sew podcast). Episode can be found here.

• You don't have to sew everything (Love to Sew podcast). Episode can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 19 - Piping and the Darlow pants pattern

THE Q & A SERIES - PIPING AND THE DARLOW PANTS PATTERN

Hi Emily

I am thinking of purchasing the Darlow Pants pattern. I was curios to know how the outlining on the pants is achieved. Is it bias tape used in the seams to create the borderlines? I did not mention it in the notions. I would like to know before I purchase.

Thanks you,
- Heather

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Hi Heather,

Thank you for reaching out and for your interest in the Darlow pants pattern!

The lines shown on the sample photographs have actually been illustrated on. The panel lines are they key feature of these pants, so I wanted to be sure that customers could see them in the photographs (and I was a bit silly when I chose to sew the samples in black and off white!).

I have seen some customers use piping though to highlight the panel lines - so that could be an option. You can see an example of that here.

The other option would be topstitching along the panel lines to highlight them. An example of this can be seen here.

I hope that helps you decide if this pattern will be a good fit for you!

Let me know if there is anything else I can assist with.

Talk soon,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Darlow pants pattern can be purchased here.

• Darlow pants with piping. Instagram photo here.

• Darlow pants with topstitching. Instagram photo here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 18 - Adding in-seam pockets to the Peppermint jumpsuit pattern

THE Q & A SERIES - ADDING IN-SEAM POCKETS TO THE PEPPERMINT JUMPSUIT PATTERN

Hi Emily

It's me again...sewing another one of your fabulous patterns. I wanted to know for the Jumpsuit where would the best place to put pockets? Is there a standard measurement or is it just up to the person? I love pockets and I thought this would be a great addition to the jumpsuit to add slit pockets.

Any tips would be great.  Thank you once again for you wonderful patterns.

Regards,
-Stacy

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Hi Stacy,

Thanks for getting in touch. I am pleased to hear you are giving the Peppermint jumpsuit a go!

There probably is a standard measurement for pocket placement, but I also don't know what it is! I don’t think knowing the standard measurement is the most important thing, it’s more about knowing what this measurement is for you and adjusting patterns / adding pockets that are comfortable and practical for you to use.

The best way to decide on pocket placement is by holding the pattern piece up to your body (if you don’t have a toile / muslin to use as a reference) and then putting your hands where you would comfortably have a pocket. Take a pencil and mark this position on the pattern (I mark where I would like the top of the pocket to be). 

To get you started - I have a dress that was drafted from the Peppermint Jumpsuit pattern and the pockets are positioned 31cm (12in) down from the top of the side seam. I'm roughly 170cm (5'7") tall - this might help you as a guide. 

The other thing you can do is look at your ready to wear clothes and take the measurement off one of those (if you like the pocket position on the garment) and then transfer that to the pattern.

Once you have your measurement, mark it on the front pattern piece by measuring down from the top of the side seam (you will be marking where the top of the finished pocket will sit on the side seam).

Take an in-seam pocket piece from a pattern you already have and trace a copy on a piece of pattern paper. 

If you don't have an in-seam pocket pattern that you can use, you can download one here. If you would like to learn how to draft one from scratch, you can find a tutorial about that here.

Do not cut out the pocket piece just yet.

Place your pocket piece onto the front of the jumpsuit (this is when semi-transparent pattern paper can come in handy), and line up the top notch on the pocket pattern with the point you marked on the front of the jumpsuit in the previous step.

Line up the side seam line as closely as you can. If the pocket and the garment had a different amount of seam allowance included at the side seam, be sure to line up the stitch lines. As the jumpsuit and the pocket have the same seam allowance, you can simply line up the outside (cut line) edge. Use a weight to hold the pocket in place.

You will notice in the illustration above that the pocket does not follow the same line as the jumpsuit towards the bottom of the pocket - this is because the pocket piece is from a different pattern. 

Make any changes to the pocket shaping that are required by redrawing the lines. For example, in the case of the example - I just needed to smooth out the bottom of the pocket by tracing the side seam of the jumpsuit. 

Before removing the pocket, transfer the notches onto the side seam of the jumpsuit underneath using a tracing wheel. 

Remove the pocket piece and cut out, following the new line/s - rather than the original traced version.

Mark the notches on the side seam of the front jumpsuit piece (using the points transferred from the pocket in the previous step).

On the side seam of the Peppermint jumpsuit there are a number of balance notches (these help you line up long seams and ensure you are not stretching the fabric), I'd suggest removing* the two that are closest to the new pocket notches to save confusion. If you want to keep them, just make sure to mark the pocket placement between the notches so you can refer to it later when you are positioning your pockets.

*TIP: To remove notches I normally just cover them up with a small piece of masking tape.

Transfer the pocket notches to the back pattern piece by lining up the side seams and transferring with a pattern notcher or tracing wheel.

Now you are ready to go!

If you need directions about how to sew the pockets in, you can use this tutorial here from the Acton dress sew-along.

I hope this was helpful!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Peppermint Jumpsuit pattern can be downloaded for free here.

• In-seam pocket pattern can be downloaded here.

• How to draft in-seam pockets. Tutorial can be found here. 

• Tools for patternmaking. Post can be found here.

• The Acton sew-along: Sewing in-seam pockets. Tutorial can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 17 - GRADING BETWEEN PANT SIZES - PEPPERMINT WIDE LEG PANTS PATTERN

THE Q & A SERIES - GRADING BETWEEN PANT SIZES (THE PEPPERMINT WIDE LEG PANTS)

Hi Emily,

Could you please explain how I can grade between pattern sizes. In the instructions you say that I should use a diagonal line between the 2 sizes, but I don't understand what to do. Is it possible to show that in pictures or a video? That would be so helpful!

I feel a bit insecure whether I have to grade between sizes or not for the wide leg pants. My waist is 74 cm, hip 100/101 cm. Do you think I should grade between C and D or just make D? I’m afraid the pants might become too wide at the waist…. Could you advise me? The fabric I want to use is a cotton twill.

Thank you very much in advance!

P.S. About your question regarding plans for 2020: I am going to try to reuse 'old' clothes to make something new. For instance, make a blouse out of an old shirt of my husband that has a little hole in the sleeve. And I want to make a bag out of an old leather jacket from my mother in law.
I started sewing 3 months ago and so far I made a pleated skirt, an a-line skirt, the peppermint every day dress and I just finished the wrap top. I love your patterns because of the very clear is instructions. I learn a lot from them. Thank you so much!

- Marjon
Almere, The Netherlands

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Hi Marjon,

Thank you for your email. I am thrilled to hear you are enjoying using my patterns!

Wow, it sounds like you are really sewing up a storm in your first few month of sewing - well done!

In regard to your question about sizing, I have a tutorial about grading between sizes on my website here. 

In terms of your question in regard to the Peppermint Wide Leg pants, rather than grading between sizes at the side seam, I would suggest altering the darts. Grading between sizes at the side seam is a good method for a lot of patterns and it will work with this pattern, but I think you would be better off keeping the side seam intact as it will give you a nicer shape, and the adjustment you're needing to make isn't a large one.

INCREASE DART WIDTH

What I would suggest doing is cutting the pattern in a size D. This is the right fit for your hip measurement, but will be about 2cm (3/4in) too big for you at the waist. It is much easier to make a pattern smaller, than make a pattern larger, so the size D is definitely the best starting point for your measurements.

As you are wanting to reduce the waist by 2cm (3/4in), you will be wanting to increase the width of each dart by 1cm (3/8in) (i.e. 2 darts at a 1cm increase = 2cm removed in total), to make the finished waist measurement 2cm (3/4in) smaller.

To do this, take the BACK LEG pattern piece and measuring from the dart arms (where the dart arms intersect with the stitch line), mark a point 5mm away on each side of the dart. You need to mark this point on the stitch line (faint grey line on the pattern), rather than the cut line (black line) on the pattern because the waist measurement is taken from the stitch line. My patterns all have the stitch line marked - but if you were using a pattern that does not have the seam allowance marked, simply mark it in before making an adjustment.

Re-draw the dart arms by drawing straight lines from the points marked on the stitch line in the previous step, down to the tip of the dart. Continue the lines so that they run to the cut line (edge of the pattern), as illustrated above. 

RE-SHAPE WAISTLINE

To complete the change to the dart, you will need to move the notches to be in line with the new dart arms. You will also need to re-shape the top of the dart, so that you get a nice smooth waistline when the dart is sewn. I have a tutorial on my website about dart shaping here. 

REMOVING MORE FROM THE WAIST

If you were needing to remove more from the waist, you could also take a little bit of width from the side seam. I thought I would add notes about this, just in case you are reading and would like to make a similar adjustment to the pattern, but would like to remove more than a few centimetres from the waist.

For example, if you needed to remove 4cm (1 1/2in) from the waist in total, you could remove 2cm (3/4in) from the darts as illustrated already and then remove the other 2cm (3/4in) from the front and back side seams - 1cm (3/8in) from the front waist and 1cm (3/8in) from the back waist. As each piece is cut as a pair, you need to remove half of this amount from each pattern piece. In the case of the example, this would mean taking 5mm from the front side seam (1cm in total when cut as a pair) and the other 5mm from the back side seam (1cm in total when cut as a pair). 

You can see this illustrated above - I marked a point 5mm in from the side seam, on the stitch line, and then re-drew the the top section of the side seam, by drawing a nice smooth curve that started at the point marked and re-joined the original stitch line at the hip point. Once I was happy with the new stitch line, I added the 1.2cm (1/2in) seam allowance. You then need to cut along the new cut line to remove the excess from the side seam that is no longer needed.

For the front pant leg, remember that you will also need to make the change to the pocket pieces. Do this by placing the pattern pieces one on top of the other (lining up the edges as if they have been sewn together) and then holding in place with pattern weights. You can then mark the new cut line as you did for the back piece, before cutting through all the layers to copy the adjustment across the three pattern pieces.

TO KEEP IN MIND

The other thing to keep in mind when making adjustments like this, is that there are small changes you can make during the making process itself. For example, you might make this 2cm (3/4in) waist adjustment and then make the pants and realise that you could do with removing another 2cm (3/4in). That is okay! You can simply take a few more millimetres from the darts and also take some from the side seam. This is why it's a really good idea to make sure you have staystitched your waist seam so that you can try your pants on before attaching the waistband. You can even wait to cut your waistband until you have fitted the pants (as any changes to the waist of the pants will also impact the waistband), so you know you are cutting the right size waistband.

To make changes while I am making a garment, I like to use a ruler and tailor's chalk to mark the amendment on the fabric itself, making sure the alteration is the same on each side of the garment, so that things remain symmetrical. I then make a note on a post-it about what I did and staple it to the pattern pieces, so that next time I use the pattern I know to make the adjustment/s to the pattern before cutting.

ALTER WAISTBAND PIECES

If you have made changes to the waist edge of any pants, you will need to adjust the waistband pieces to reflect the changes. 

For the case of this example, I will go back to Marjon's measurements - we have removed 2cm (3/4in) from the back waistline of the pants and we now need to remove the same amount from the back waistband too. 

Take the pattern piece and cut it in half vertically. This saves you from making the amendment on each side of the pattern, as you can cut the waistband on the fold once you have made the change, or re-cut your pattern piece in full after making the change (this ensures your pattern piece remains symmetrical).

Take a ruler and mark a line through the pattern piece at the notch (this notch indicates where the waistband lines up with the dart, so reflects the point on the waist where we made the adjustment on the pant piece).

Cut along the line marked in the previous step.

On the section of the waistband with the grainline, mark a point 1cm (3/8in) from the cut line, on both the top and bottom of the waistband (on the stitch line). We are marking 1cm (3/8in) as this is the amount that was removed from the waistline on the pant back, so we need to remove the same amount from the waistband.

Join these two marks with a straight line (if you have a clear ruler with horizontally markings you could miss the previous step and mark this line in straight away, using the cut line as a reference). 

Stick the pieces back together by aligning the cut edge of the left side with the line marked on the right side. Tape or glue in place.

Move the notch over by half the amount removed from the piece. For example, 1cm (3/8in) was removed from the piece, so the notch will need to move 5mm to the left (this is because on the back pant, 5mm was taken from each side of the dart - rather than 1cm from one place).

The alteration hasn't made any difference to the cut line on the top and bottom edge of the pattern piece as we only removed 1cm (3/8in), but if the change was more drastic, you might need to smooth out the edges after making the alteration. To do this, take a line of best fit and draw a smooth curve.

Cut the back waistband piece on the fold, or trace a copy onto a piece of paper before cutting it on the fold from paper to create a full pattern piece (pinning the paper in place before cutting can prevent it from wiggling around).

The final thing you should always do after making alterations to a pattern, is to walk in your seams to check that everything still lines up correctly (such as notches) and the seams that will be sewn together are the correct length. You can find a tutorial on my website about checking patterns here.

I hope this was helpful!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• The Acton Sew-along: How to Grade between sizes. Tutorial can be found here. 

• Peppermint Wide Leg pants pattern can be downloaded for free here.

• In the Folds sizing chart can be found here.

• How to add dart shaping. Tutorial can be found here. 

• Checking patterns: Curved seams. Tutorial can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 16 - Starting a business without formal training

THE Q & A SERIES - STARTING A BUSINESS WITHOUT FORMAL TRAINING

Hi there!

I think this is such a great series you are doing, and I really appreciate how thorough your responses are! I am a home sewist and an aspiring designer and pattern-maker. I don’t have any formal training, and I have a background in a completely different field (education). I’m really struggling against the voice in my head that’s telling me I’ll never be able to do this and all my efforts won’t go anywhere.

I was wondering if you have any advice for someone who is trying to learn patternmaking and fashion design, and hoping to starting a business without formal training? I’m soaking up as much as I can from classes on Bluprint and Skillshare, and I’d be so appreciative of any additional resources or suggestions you may have for someone who is starting from scratch!

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Sofia

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Hi Sofia,

This is a great question, and one that I think many creatives struggle with, or have at least thought about! Many creative ventures are self-taught, and it makes sense that for many there is a tipping point where you go from sewing (or any other type of craft) for fun to realising it could be the beginning of a new career or business venture. 

I have to be honest and say that I find this question a little tricky to answer because I do have a formal education in fashion design and I can see a clear path from my university degree, to where I am now (although the journey has been far from linear). In saying that though, so little of my day-to-day work for In the Folds is related to what I learned at university, so I’m almost certain I could be doing my job without my degree behind me. 

When I started In the Folds I envisaged days at the studio, patternmaking new pieces, cutting fabric and sewing samples. The reality is very different. I spend most of my days working on my computer, doing many different tasks that I have learned on the job, by reading countless marketing and business books, watching hours of Youtube videos, doing online courses, following tutorials meticulously to make something work in the way I would like it to or just plain winging it until I work it out. So although my degree gave me a really solid foundation of skills and knowledge to get started with, it is definitely the learning I have done since then that has kept my business running. I often think that if I was going to go back to university and study something it would be business, marketing or entrepreneurship as, at the end of the day, I think these are the skills that lead to a business being successful. 

In terms of more tangible advice and resources for you, it sounds like you are on the right track - learning what you can from online course and practicing at home.

I have a few other suggestions that might help, some very practical, while others are about mindset.

Get used to that voice

If you’re wanting to start a business or go out on your own in any way - or even change careers - get used to that little voice in your head that’s telling you that your efforts won’t go anywhere. Unfortunately that voice comes with the territory, but I can tell you that it gets easier to manage (well at least mine has).

This voice of mine became present in my life when I decided to work in the home sewing world, rather than the fashion industry. I questioned whether I was going the right way, if I would be able to get the experience I needed for a fashion job, if I was wasting my education…. you name it, I thought it! But the excitement of starting a new business and serving a community of makers trumped those fears every time and I worked on just ignoring that voice when it began to whisper.

After a while though, as my business grew and I learned more and more skills related to running it, I started to quantify my learnings and realised that what I was learning was experience I could use to get another job, if for any reason I needed to. All this is to say, try to get to a place where you focus on the skills you are learning, as new skills will always lead to something. It may not be exactly what you have in mind now, but skills are valuable and if all goes pear shaped, you can put them on your CV and find a job related to the new found skills. Well at least that's my plan!

Value the skills you do have

I’m not sure what exactly you are planning on doing if you do take this leap, but your career in education could really help in the sewing world, if that’s where you are hoping to end up! I think one of the most important aspects of my job is making clear and easy to follow instructions that all makers will understand - so I’d imagine your experience in teaching would really help you with aspects of the job like this!

I can imagine that you also have plenty of skills that are very relevant to the career you are hoping to go into, that you haven't even thought about. For example, I have a lot of work experience in customer service and didn't realise how helpful that would be until I started my business and people mentioned time and time again how much they appreciate the level of service I provide to my customers. Until that point I saw this experience as completely irrelevant to the job - I now can see countless parallels to things I have learned through previous (unrelated) jobs I have had and the work I do today.

Find a mentor

Can you find a tutor or mentor in your local area, or even online? You might reach out to local fashion schools or colleges to see if there are any students towards the end of their courses who might be interested in private tutoring - or even a teacher who teaches on the side.

A couple of years ago I was struggling with the fit of a particular pattern and I found a local patternmaker that could help. Although what she showed me was helpful, the main thing that she helped me with was my confidence! I was doing things correctly and she reminded me that patternmaking (even for the patternmakers who have been doing it for decades), involves trial and error and I just needed to stick with it until I found the right solution.

Work experience

Have you thought about doing work experience or an internship? I know this can be almost impossible if you work full time, but I learned a lot from interning with a local designer when I was at university. If you are in a position to do this, you may want to contact a few small designers in your local area and see if they would be open to you lending a hand for a few hours a week. I think the smaller the business, the better!

I interned with a designer who was working on her own and I learned so much! I was able to work on a range of different things, as she was doing it all herself, and it also means there’s time for you to talk one-on-one with someone who is doing the type of job you would like to do.

Get help / outsource

The other thing I think you need to think about is that you really don’t have to do it all! People say this all the time and I really didn’t believe it until a couple of years into running In the Folds.

When I started the business I did every little thing myself - whether I was good at it or not. By this point I have a much better idea of the tasks I should be doing and the tasks I can outsource. For example, when I started, I manually graded my patterns into the 10 sizes in my size range (in Adobe Illustrator as I don’t have computer grading software)! As you can probably imagine, it was a long and very monotonous process.

Eventually I realised I needed to outsource this task as there was no way I could produce more patterns at the rate I was going. I found a fantastic freelancer online, who was able to grade the patterns with CAD software for a rate that is far cheaper than the days it was taking me to grade manually. It did help that I do know how to grade patterns though as I can check the patterns when they’re returned and spot any issues if there are any. So I'd recommend at least wrapping your head around the process of grading before outsourcing, if you can. I think this and this is a good place to start if you would like to get your head around grading.  

Have the right people around you

Also try and get as many creative people around you. I run my business from a shared creative space and having others who are on a similar journey to me does the world of difference. I also have my partner and friends who I can call who really understand my business and can put my doubts to rest when that little voice returns.

On this note, have these types of conversations with the people who will understand. Some people will always direct you to the safe path, or encourage you to stay put with what you're doing. That is completely fine, I just wouldn't be asking their advice if you need a little nudge to take the leap you want to take.

Look to others for guidance / inspiration

Look at other people doing the kind of job you would like to do and speak to them if you can, or listen to / read interviews they have done.

You will realise that there are plenty of people out there doing jobs in industries that they don’t have formal qualifications in. I love reading interviews and listening to podcasts with people from my industry (or related industries) and learning how they got to where they are. Often the route is far less straightforward than it seems from the outside! Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette is also a great example of this or Heather Lou of Closet Case Patterns - who took her experience in interior design into the world of patternmaking. If you are looking for more business inspiration and start-up success stories, I’d also recommend listening to How I Built This.

I hope this motivated you and didn’t overwhelm you. Try to pace yourself and not get carried away by the details. In time you will be able to look back and realise how much you have learned and how much closer you are to reaching your goal!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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resources mentioned in this issue

• Making Sense of pattern grading by Threads. Post can be found here. 

• How to make a sewing pattern bigger (or smaller) - pattern grading by Melly Sews. Post can be found here.

• Times, they are a 'changing: A conversation about Growth and adaptation - Elizabeth Suzann. Audio essay can be found here. 

• Elizabeth Suzann, Ask me anything: Professional. Post can be found here.

• Elizabeth Suzann, Ask me anything: Personal. Post can be found here.

• Curvy Sewing with Jenny Rushmore - Love to Sew podcast. Episode can be found here.

• Let's talk money with Heather Lewenza - Seamwork Radio. Episode can be found here.

• How I Built This with Guy Raz. Listen to the podcast here. 

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi. 

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 15 - Why use a hem facing?

THE Q & A SERIES - WHY USE A HEM FACING?

Hello,

I bought the Rushcutter dress pattern and I'm planning on making View A in a medium weight denim, thick but soft. I was wondering, since the fabric already has so much structure, are the hem facings necessary? Are they supposed to give extra form to the dress shape or is it more of an aesthetic detail?

Thanks for any help, I'm still a beginner but I'm looking forward to developing lots of new skills with this pattern :)

Mariana

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Hi Mariana,

I am pleased to hear you will making the Rushcutter dress! It's a great pattern to use to step up your skills.

Denim is a perfect fabric choice for the Rushcutter!

Hem facings work really well with mid to heavy weight fabric as it will add a bit of extra weight to the hemline, which helps the garment and the hem sit nicely. Also, hem facings are the cleanest way to finish a curved hemline.

View B of the Rushcutter uses a turned up hem as it's designed for lightweight fabrics, which are more suitable for this kind of hem finish - but I would be hesitant to recommend this hem finish on a midweight fabric. Without having the fabric in my hand, it's hard to suggest another hem treatment you could use - if you decide to give the hem facings a miss.

I have a denim Rushcutter myself and I think it would have been quite difficult to turn up the hem without the hem facing as there ends up being quite a bit of bulk in the seams where the pockets attach.

I hope you enjoy using the pattern!

For those of you reading along at home, that would like to know more about hem facings, you can take a look at this post about drafting your own hem facing. If you would like to see how you go about attaching a hem facing, you can check out this post in the Rushcutter dress sew-along.

Happy sewing,

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• The Rushcutter dress sewing pattern. Pattern can be found here.

• How to draft a hem facing. Tutorial can be found here.

• Sewing a hem facing. Sew-along post can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 14 - WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON IN 2020?

THE Q & A SERIES - WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON IN 2020?

Hi lovely makers,

I am mixing things up a bit for this week's issue of the Q & A series and have decided to ask YOU a question!

With the start of the new year here, I would love to know what you will be working on in 2020? What skills would you like to learn or what struggles are you looking to overcome? What projects would you like to complete? This could be related to sewing / making practice or even creative business (I know there are quite a few creative business owners who read this email too)!

Simply press reply on this email and let me know what you've got in mind. I would love to hear from you! If you are reading this post on the blog, simply send me an email with your reply. 

As for me, although I feel that I achieved a lot of my business goals in 2019 (you can see this post with more about how I managed to do that) I realised that I didn't leave enough time in my plan for fun. So in 2020 one of my goals is to leave some space and time for things that bring me joy. And one of those things will be more personal sewing projects! I need to think a bit more about how I will do this, because I have learned over the years that setting the goal is the easy bit, it's the coming up with the plan and setting new habits and sticking to them that is the tricky bit! Wish me luck!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday period and that your year is off to a lovely (and hopefully relaxed) start.

I'll be back with regular Q & A programming next week, so if you have a question that you would like answered - submit it using the button below!

Happy sewing,

Emily
 

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• Making a plan for the year / quarter. Issue 4 of the Q & A series can be found here. 

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P.S. Thank you for all the lovely emails in response to my last email about the Australian bushfires. For those of you who are still looking to help, recently I have seen some really interesting initiatives created to assist with the recovery effort in areas that fires have passed through. 

• It's my Shout

• Spend with Them

• Shop My Town

• You can also donate directly to families impacted by the bushfires on Go Fund Me - one such campaign here

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P.P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 13 - Alternative seam finishes for the Collins top

THE Q & A SERIES - ALTERNATE SEAM FINISHES FOR THE COLLINS TOP

Hi Emily!

I just have a quick question about the Collins Top! I’ve just started sewing with French seams because my fabric is pretty lightweight.. but struggling to work out how to do the middle back seam leaving the opening for the button. Do you have any tips?

- Polly

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Hi Polly,

How exciting! I am thrilled to hear you are making the Collins top!

I'd say that your options are:

1. Finish the edges of the centre back with bias binding. This one might not be ideal if your fabric is too lightweight. The photo above is from the Flynn jacket - but should give you a good idea of what this finish looks like!

2. Finish the centre back seam allowances with a double turn and stitch (almost like a rolled hem). You can find instructions on how to do this in the Little Book of Seam Finishes (a free e-book that you can download), along with the other finishes mentioned in this email (and many more).

3. Stitch the centre back seam closed with a French seam. You can actually get the Collins on and off without the button closure, so if you’re not too attached to the idea of having the opening this option could be a good one. You can find a tutorial in the Rushcutter sew-along here (pictured above).

Happy sewing,

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• The Collins top sewing pattern. Pattern can be found here.

• The Flynn jacket sewing pattern. Pattern can be found here.

• The Little Book of Seam Finishes e-book can be downloaded for free here.

• Sewing French seams (from the Rushcutter dress sew-along). Tutorial can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series