Every garment needs seam allowance—it’s a crucial part of garment construction. Sometimes it’s already included in the pattern; other times, it may need to be added, especially when working with a self-drafted pattern or after making adjustments. Seam allowance is the extra fabric added around the edges of a pattern piece. It creates space between…
Understanding Seam Allowance: A Simple Guide
A shirt dress is a style that looks beautiful on any figure. Wear it with comfortable shoes and get ready for the weekend. Under the blazer and get a set for the office. Bright sandals and accessories for a night look. Sneakers- and you’re ready for a walk with your kids. When I saw the…
Summer of 2012. I’m on vacation with my family in Bodrum, Turkey. We take a stroll in one of the night markets after dinner, walking by piles and piles of beautiful traditional Turkish towels – peshtemals. We come across one particular shop where the owner’s wife takes your peshtemals of choice and crafts them into…
Fashion during the High and Late European Renaissance was a true lesson in opulence, with exaggerated silhouettes that accentuated the human form, along with indulgent, luxurious fabrics adorned with sequins, embroidery and precious stones. Italy led the way during the early 16th century, shaping and influencing much of what was worn throughout Europe, leading to…
Buying fabric online can be overwhelming. You can’t feel the texture, see how it drapes, or know if it will work for your project until it arrives. I’ve been there—staring at endless fabric choices, wondering if I’m making the right decision. That’s why I want to help you visualize IL019 All-Purpose Midweight linen so you…
The great flourishing of arts and culture that took place during the European Renaissance inevitably made its way into the realms of fashion and textiles, shaping and informing the way people across Europe would dress for centuries to come. But with few surviving artefacts of clothing from this era, art has much to tell us…
Now in her 93rd year, Colombian contemporary fibre artist Olga de Amaral makes woven textile art that is reliant on a slow, structured approach, one that results in striking, monumental woven wall hangings and installations that are deeply embedded with exquisite craftsmanship. Yet she also relies on spontaneity and intuition, choosing to forgo pre-planned ideas…
As someone who mostly sews garments for herself, I have for years now been in dire need of making myself a robe. The Capucine bathrobe not only fills this need for me, but it also offers the perfect combination of comfort and style, making it a versatile addition to my loungewear collection. I’m a big…
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into sewing? I have a background in fine arts and consider myself an artist and maker. For work, I’m a full-time project manager for a remote team of educators. I live with my husband and two cats, and we’re all in the process…
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into sewing? I have a strong family history with sewing–my mom, grandmother, and aunt are incredibly skilled–but I didn’t learn how to sew until after I turned 30. I was in school studying to be a Speech Language Pathologist, and sort of struggling…
The airy, breezy shade of LIGHT BLUE fabric made its way into many of Claude Monet’s most celebrated paintings, describing the soaring, luminescent skies of spring and summer in his native France. In particular, the colour came to play a key role in Monet’s famed ‘Poplars’ series, made from spring to autumn 1891. In total…
Innovation was at the heart of Ruth Adler Schnee’s design practice, which encompassed radical, modernist building interiors and woven textiles throughout the mid-century modernist era. After fleeing to the United States in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime, she went on to forge a monumentally successful career at a time when opportunities for women and…
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into sewing? Hey! My name is Krissie, I’m 31, and I live in Oklahoma with my husband, and our two little girls. Before I became full time as a stay at home parent, I was photographing weddings. I’ve always had my hands in…
Dart manipulation is a pattern making technique used to reposition a dart on a garment without altering or adjusting its overall fit. Essentially, it’s a way to move the shaping in your pattern to a new location. Dart manipulation lets you customise a sewing pattern to suit your design preferences. Whether you want to move…
American contemporary artist Janet Echelman makes vast, diaphanous sculptures that mimic the flowing patterns of nature, resembling air, water, wind and light. Made from colossal nets and strands of rope, her awe-inspiring aerial constructions merge aspects of fibre art with architecture, landscaping, and engineering, a fusion that has allowed her to entirely transform a vast…
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