Everything you didn’t know you needed to hear about sewing!
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When you learn something new you will undoubtedly come across terms and concepts that you’ve never seen before or may have heard of before but never really understood. Learning to sew is no different! There’s tons of new vocabulary to learn and that’s why we are here. We really hope this series of tips give you beginner sewists some confidence to start your first project or keep plugging away at that new thing you are tackling. This week we discuss the term “seam allowance” and why it is important for sewing success!
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If you are just getting into sewing you may have seen the term “grainline” floating around and showing up on almost every pattern piece you work with. It is typically marked by a long straight line with an arrow on each end. The grainline indicates how you should position the pattern piece on the fabric. For pattern pieces cut on the fold the grainline is the “cut on fold” line with arrows indicating which edge is placed on the fold. If you are new to this term and aren’t sure why grainlines are important then read on, my friend.
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We’ve got another quick scrap busting project for you! Make use of those smaller scraps to make any size of bookmark you like! This is a fairly simple project that could be hand sewn as well. Or, get your kid involved and they can make their own teacher gifts this year. How great would that be!?
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Colourful fabrics are produced in a myriad of ways; from traditional piece dyeing to yarn dyeing, block printing and batik to name a few. Some of our favourite fabrics in the shop are yarn-dyed and we love them for their unique variation, beautiful drape and soft hand feel. You may be wondering what yarn dyed fabrics are and how they differ from other types of dyed fabrics and you wouldn’t be alone!
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Here at WS we want to be thoughtful about our fabric scraps, how they are used and where they go at the end of the day. Sadly, the options for textile recycling in our city are virtually non-existent so we have to get creative with how we reuse our scraps or where we send them to get a second life.
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We are continuing our scrap busting/gifting series today with a fun little project that can be machine or hand sewn. I had this idea to use up my scraps as filling for some festive ornaments or a garland and this is what I came up with. If you have kids in your life and they are into sewing (and decorating) this could be a great project for them too! If you like gifting ornaments or adding a crafty touch to a wrapped gift, these could make a sweet gift tag as well.
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“Stretch percentage” in sewing is typically associated with knit fabrics (there are stretch wovens too!) and refers to the amount of stretch the fabric has, either vertical stretch or horizontal stretch. Vertical stretch refers to the amount of stretch along the grainline (parallel to the selvedge) and horizontal stretch refers to the amount of stretch along the crosswise grain (perpendicular to the selvedge).
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I was approximately today year’s old (give or take a few months) when I learned this trick. At the time, my mind was blown. How could I not know about this? That secret compartment was just there...the WHOLE TIME and I didn’t know. Well, you don’t know what you don’t know, right?! That is why we share these kinds of tips sometimes even if it’s not new for everyone and it’s not a long, detailed blog post. It’s always worth sharing, even for just that one person who says, “why didn’t anyone tell me!?”.
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So what is bamboo, really? We know it as that extremely versatile fabric that has a beautiful drape and luxurious hand feel but is it really the more sustainable choice when it comes to eco-friendly fabrics?
We don’t have all the answers but definitely some food for thought.
Bamboo is a versatile raw material and increasingly recognizable as a sustainable alternative to plastic used in construction, home decor, personal hygiene items, kitchen utensils and even reusable coffee cups.
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It’s been a year of gathered dresses and statement sleeves! Whether you have been eyeing the newly released #romygatherdress or the timeless #waikeriedress or have a pattern hack with gathers in mind, we have you covered. We may be late to the game with this tip but we also know that there might be someone out there who is new to sewing and this is just the type of post they need to get inspired! We love that and if that is YOU, we are so glad you found us!
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You can’t beat this look when it comes to classic jeans or a denim jacket! It may seem complicated but fear not. We have simplified it for you and this quick instructional video will have you rolling out flat felled seams like it’s your job.
We know there are several ways to sew a flat felled seam. This is by no means “The Only Way” but we like it because it’s quick and it does the job well. These seams are durable and strong, making your clothes last and hopefully reducing the amount of pants in your mending pile.
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There are many methods out there for how to make continuous bias tape binding in a few simple steps. This is by far our favourite method and it only uses a square of fabric!
No more wasteful diagonal cuts, hooray!
It’s a time saver and uses scraps of fabric in an economical way so those larger offcuts are put to good use and your fabric dollars go much further. Win win.
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Tencel™ and lyocell fabrics are gaining rapid popularity in the sewing world and they often come with the “more sustainable option” tag line but you may be wondering, what does “more sustainable” actually mean. Let us break it down for you!
The terms Tencel™ and lyocell are often used interchangeably, bringing about some confusion. Tencel™ is the registered name for the fabric lyocell, made and trademarked by the Austrian company, Lenzing. Lenzing is world renowned for their closed loop production system which recycles over 99% of the non-toxic solvents they use to produce lyocell fibres. They are a trusted partner in sustainable forestry practices, renewable energy and eco-friendly manufacturing processes.
Hemp is a strong fibre from a plant that uses the land well, providing more fiber per acre than cotton or flax. As a robust annual crop, it grows quickly and successfully in many different climates and requires significantly less water than crops like cotton. The plant itself replenishes the soil around it with minerals while also cleaning toxins from the ground and acting as a natural weed suppressor. For this reason, hemp is considered a carbon-negative crop meaning it removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it adds, reducing its carbon footprint to less than neutral. How cool is that?!
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This is a technique I (Hali) learned in a sewing workshop a few years back and it forever changed how I sew. Chain piecing is typically used in quilting but can also be applied to garment sewing. We often talk about “batch sewing” or batch cutting, which is sewing or cutting out multiple of the same garment at one time. In theory, this makes things more efficient but for some sewists it can be overwhelming to manage all those pattern pieces. Chain piecing is another way to increase efficiency and speed up certain sewing tasks while being able to focus on just one garment. And think of the thread you will save by not having to start and stop so often!
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