Category Archives: SEWING ESSENTIALS

Today’s tutorial is a quick tip on how to finish the hem of a curved edge (a circle skirt or a rounded bottom hem of a shirt, for example). Since the curved raw edge is fuller than what you are trying to hem it into, the standard turned up twice technique is not ideal for…

A yoke is the upper part of a garment that fits the shoulder area. It consists of two separate pieces of fabric (an inside and an outside yoke) that are attached to the front and the back of the garment. Since all the raw edges are concealed within the two yoke pieces, you get a…

Today we wanted to show you how to sew another type of a sleeve placket – a continuous bound placket. It is called like this because it’s made from one piece of fabric that is used to bind a slash opening in the sleeve. This method is much easier than the traditional shirt sleeve and…

A sleeve placket is an opening at the end of a sleeve that allows your hand to fit through a narrow space easily. It’s most often seen on shirts or blouses and is generally finished with a cuff. Not only it is functional, it can also be used as a design detail. At first glance,…

In one of our recent posts we have showed you how to draft and sew button bands the classic, shirtmaking way. So now that you got the hang of the basic techniques, we thought we’d take you step farther and show you how to make a concealed button band. As its name suggests, a concealed…

The partial placket, also known as a button placket, is basically an opening in clothes that allows you to easily put and remove your clothes and is a great design feature. As its name suggests, the partial placket will only go down a short distance instead of the full length of the garment. Sewing a…

Peter Pan collar is a flat collar with rounded ends that meet at the front. Women have worn this classic design staple since the early 20th century and it has made a major comeback during these last years. It seems to be popping up a lot in stores and around necks, but why buy one…

If you are looking to take your sewing skills to a new level, you’ll appreciate this tutorial on how to sew the button bands the shirtmaking way – when one front side is simply folded twice and stitched in place, while the other has a separate, sew-on front band where the buttonholes go. Even though…

Adding or changing collar designs is one of the easiest ways to vary a style of your homemade garments. This fine detail adds character and frames the face, offering a more tailored look to an outfit. But there’s nothing more homemade looking than a poorly sewn collar. Luckily, with this easy-to-follow detailed tutorial and some…

There are two styles of pockets that are most commonly used in clothing construction: inseam pockets and patch pockets. We have previously showed you how to sew inseam pockets, so this week we are going to talk about patch pockets. Patch pockets are shaped pieces of fabric that are finished on all sides and then…

In our previous tutorials we showed you how to sew inseam pockets and flat-felled seams. These two skills are very useful to know and are often used in garment making. So today we decided to take you one step further and combine the two by showing you how to add an inseam pocket to a…

A flat-felled seam is an easy and useful technique to master if you are looking for a sturdy seam finish and a neat, professional look. Just like with French seams, the raw edges are completely enclosed within the seam with the wrong side looking as good as the right side. The flat-felled seam is commonly…

One of the easiest ways to play around with your favorite patterns is by altering the sleeves. There are several possible sleeve variations and today we are going to show you how to add fullness to a standard set-in sleeve and transform it into a gathered sleeve. You’ll see that after changing the design a…

Pockets are a vital addition to any garment. Not only they are practical but can also act as a beautiful design detail. In this tutorial we are going to show you how to sew Cargo patch pockets. They look a lot like inset pockets but are external and topstitched onto a garment. And they most…

A Mandarin collar is a type of stand-up collar with Asian influence that is often used in shirt or dress making. This simple patternmaking staple can add a completely different, more sophisticated look to your outfits. With this tutorial, we are going to show you how to draft and sew a Mandarin collar to your…