Category Archives: TUTORIALS

Teaching your kids and teenagers to sew is an admirable achievement, yet instilling the confidence to use the skills they’ve learned to go off on their own and make something independently is a gift for life. Having taught children and teenagers to sew for almost a decade, I would love to share how to encourage…

I have been on the hunt for a classic white shirt for years. Since starting a capsule wardrobe, or well-worn wardrobe as I like to call it, this closet staple has been on my project list. I finally found the style I was looking for in the Cameron Blouse pattern and recently spent a Saturday…

Natural dyes have been with us since the dawn of civilisation & before the creation of synthetic dyes they were the sole source of colour for the fabrics, fibres and textiles of our lives. They have a rich and fascinating history, valued, traded and transported throughout the ancient world. It always fascinates me to learn…

The whole sewing community has been going crazy about Anna Allen’s Persephone Pants and Shorts pattern since its release in 2018. If you’ve been following some sewing blogs or makers on Instagram, chances are that you’ve already seen versions of it in your feed. It’s been so popular online that we just had to try…

Adaptive layering is something we feel can be practiced all year round. If you are looking for something light to throw on, or feel you need to add a little flair and colour to your warmer layers but still look effortlessly chic, then you probably need a duster! What exactly is a duster you might…

“The best of these designs are so eye-poppingly gorgeous that it’s hard to know how to begin to account for them. But then, good art can never be fully accounted for, just described…” Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 2002 Brilliantly eccentric and ludicrously inventive, the multi-generational quilts emerging from Boykin, colloquially known as Gee’s Bend,…

It is not a secret that we here at the Thread just love a good linen shirt in all its airy, free-flowing splendor! There is something so effortlessly chic about a crisp linen shirt on a sunny day. This is why when we find a pattern we like, we just need to share it with…

The 90s trends are making a major fashion comeback to the catwalks around the globe and back into our wardrobes. We seem to be combining some of our favorite old-school styles for a look that’s vintage, plain and simple. Fortunately, the Etoile Dress pattern by the French designer French Poetry checks all the boxes! The…

Even though hot sunny days are over, we thought we would share with you this great shorts pattern called the Orion Shorts by the French designer French Poetry. What makes this pattern so special you might ask? Well, the answer is simple: the perfect blend of comfort and elegance. The Orion shorts are a great…

Do you need some additional help putting together our LILY Pattern? This sewalong will take you through the pattern construction with step-by-step photographs and in-depth instructions. You’ll find loads of helpful tips and extra details beyond the instructions provided in the booklet. We hope that with this little extra guidance the sewing process will be…

Today I am practicing a basic heirloom technique known as “Drawn” or “Pulled” thread work embroidery. This type of embroidery is achieved by gently pulling out individual thread along the grain line to create a small gap in the fabric. A combination of hand stitches is then used to create simple to elaborate designs within…

Knowing how to care for your clothing is a big component of creating a well-loved wardrobe that will last. The same is true for textiles in your home.  Linen is an incredible fabric for many reasons. It is natural, strong, and high quality. Its durability, breathability, and resistance to bacteria sets linen apart from other…

I know what you are thinking…do we really need another mask tutorial? The short answer is no. But for those facing similar struggles as I have with the fit of most masks, I am here to share a possible solution.  At the start of this pandemic, I found the available mask patterns out there leaving…

In the last article, I spoke about expanding your colour palette by using modifiers to change the colours of natural dyes. One modifier that I am particularly fond of is Iron. Often described as saddening or dulling colours, it can be used to darker tones, changing yellow to green, beige to grey and pinks or…

It’s 5:30 in the morning. My alarm sounds as I pull back my linen sheets, slip on my leather slides, and walk to the other side of my tiny apartment to start the coffee. It’s summertime on my brother and sis-in-law’s Wisconsin farm, the place I call home, and projects are waiting to be checked…