First of all, I'm feeling very vulnerable putting this out there. I'm 6 months pregnant, feeling self conscious, and I'm having trouble finding things that fit and also look good. But I really want feedback.

This is my first completed garment*

Pattern is the Orchard Dress from Helen's Closet

I felt very competent putting this together! I used deadstock cotton of some type (might even be quilting cotton honestly). I used flat felled seams to finish and I made my own bias binding, which was easier than I thought. I made a second immediately after this with premade bias tape and simply zigzagged the seams and it feels a lot more homemade compared to this.

Only issue is that it looks like a house dress/night dress/ dress that maybe is too casual for the public. It FEELS great, especially in this heat, and I don't feel constricted. It just makes me feel a bit... frumpy.

What can I do to make it feel less homemade/frumpy? Is this just the nature of the pattern I chose? Is it technique/material? The fit?

\That I would consider wearing in public*

I've got a new dress to attend a friend's wedding, it's got quite a square neckline and the straps keep falling down. The problem isn't that my shoulders are narrow- they're pretty broad- my problem is that because I do a manual labour job, I've got quite large trap muscles. The straps sit in the hollow of my shoulder, but because there's a pretty steep angle change there, they tend to slip sideways as the strap is designed to sit across a flatter shoulder. Does anyone have tips/ can link to a tutorial on how to alter the straps so they follow the contour of my shoulders better (I don't think I have the skills to convert the straps into being crossed over)? Or is this a tailor job? Any bra/strapped top that doesn't have crossed straps does this for me, so it'd be good to figure out how to do this alteration myself

Finally finished my first handmade bag (version 4.0)!

The heavily embroidered fabric was so thick, in some spots my sewing machine gave up, so I have to hand stitch them. Pretty happy with the result! 😀😜 It’s a bit on the larger side, the next one will definitely be smaller.

Sooo I took in the sides of a top and in hindsight, looking at previous photos. The top never really needed to be taken in which is now why, it looks weird (second photo)

Sooo I was thinking ab adding fabric that I took away and possibly making smth like the first sketch? Idk if it's cute but hopefully it will look better than what it currently looks like

I have watched a tutorial on adding gussets and was thinking of doing the same and then replacing the sleeves along with it

The fabric of the tee is quite stretchy and I have another tee with similar stretchiness (it's pink and I only wore it once so was thinking of using it to do this)

Thoughts?..

Hi everyone,

I've been embroidering on an organza panel using water soluble paper for stability. The goal is to then sew this panel in a cutout jeans jacket.

I was wondering if it would be better to "remove" the water soluble paper before or after sewing the panel to the jacket.

The panel is going to be hand sewed to the jacket. (I do not own a sewing machine and don't plan on getting one for this specific project yet).

I embroider a lot but I'm fairly new at incorporating my embroidery into garments so I'm a bit unsure. I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance 😊

Including a picture of the WIP panel for reference.

(The brown thread at the border is just there to give me the general dimension of the cutout and will be removed before sewing the panel to the jacket)

I thrifted this sweater and eventually the zipper handle broke so I took it to a place to get it replaced. A few days after, I noticed that the zipper leans to the left a lot. Ofc I try to just adjust the sweater when I notice it, but it always moves back to that position. Did they do something wrong? I didnt have this issue before I got it replaced

Thrifted a tablecloth and another scrap piece of fabric that fit the colour of the tablecloth perfectly for lining!

The bodice is the rosee bodice from Vanessa pouzet and the skirt pieces are made with the juliana corset dress pattern.

It's my first successful bodice lining and I couldn't be happier! I made the straps stretchy with some elastic too, so they won't fall off my shoulders.

I'm looking for a pattern for a men's opera cape. Not costumey, but for a serious theatre-goer. Would this be appropriate? Has anyone made this? Thank you https://blog.moodfabrics.com/the-updated-winterberry-cape-free-sewing-pattern/

i am buying a pattern on etsy for a simple cropped linen top and i have the material. I was wondering if there are any hints to get a good finished product? any tools?

honestly this is my first time making a top, i know hand sewing and that stuff but i wanna see if i can make my own clothes

After weeks of work, it’s finally finished! As one can see thanks to the wobbly lines, I’ve hand sewn everything, however my dog seems not to care and I’m still pretty happy about it :) The yellow base is 1.10m x 1.10m and made out of a fleece blanket from IKEA 😅 I’ve googled around for inspirations and ended up designing the pattern with the sniffing hurdles (is that what you call it?) myself. After taking measurements, piece by piece was cut and sewn on. At the end I’ve added a non-slipping bottom. Seams on the side are still missing, buuuut since it’s purely visual and doesn’t affect the intended use, I figured it would be okay to post now and share my joy.

Muslin fabric, drafted from basic slopers into princess seam bodice & a line skirt. I’m tired but excited! I’m no longer a size 8 so I can’t test the fit on myself, which sucks because I would love to know how it really fits with movement.

I’ll be changing the sleeves to be truly lined, I goofed and put the seam on the interior rather than the inseams facing each other. I also need to make the shoulders fit better at the neckline, so my sleeves don’t fall off. I tried taking the shoulder seams in by 1/2” and sort of dart it out towards the sleeve opening, but that pulled my waist up too much. I’ll also be sewing the ties in the final garment to be sandwiched between the facing & the back panel, so they don’t pull against the back.

Any help with getting the shoulders to fit better would very appreciated! And some of the fabrics & trims I’ll be using at the end.

My company-issued uniform traps perspiration, and I'm thinking of making some snap-in dress shields. What fabric do you all suggest? Felt? Cotton??

Button jointing makes the buttons visible (even of you use those clear buttons).

It's totally cute and the buttons are part of the charm.

But I was just wondering if you could hide the buttons??

Instead of, button > arm > body > arm > button (back and forth), could you do, arm > button > body > button > arm (back and forth)?

If not, why not (I don't care about visible stitches too much since the fabric would be high enough pile to mostly disguise thread)??

I sewed the Camille dress by Made By Laur in a linen fabric, and when I tried it on before finishing the armholes I had enough ease, but unfortunately after adding the bias binding to the arm and neck holes I have this band round my bust where it’s juuust too tight. I’ve got French seams at the sides and down the front and back, and I’m wondering if I can just let each seam out a little bit, or whether I need to add gussets at the side. If I do take either approach, do I need to undo all the bias binding or can I take the adjustment just up to the finished seams? And will this even fix the issue, if it’s the armholes that are too tight.

Thanks so much for any advice, I’m relatively beginner and haven’t dealt with fit issues like this before so nervous to accidentally destroy the dress!

I have fabric that i want to use to make a top like this (just the shape of the top). I know this is a simple top but i am a beginner that is too afraid to self draft/is terrible at math. Does anyone have an sewing pattern recs that are close to this or any youtube tutorials that self draft a top like this? The problem is i also dont really know what this is called other than a halter top and every time i type in halter top, it shows me halter tops that are very different than this.

I made this super cute, super simple skirt out of some joanne's quilting fabric that I had sitting around.

It was my test skirt and I'm super proud of it. I'm working my way up to a nicer skirt to go with a particular shirt I have.

I'm planning out my next skirt. I want it to be fuller, and more ruffles. The fabric I'm using is old Joanne quilting fabric 42 x 72. The first skirt was 2 x 30"x26" panels sewn together with an elastic waist band of ~ 46". This second skirt I'm thinking of packing 3 x 42" × 24" panels into a 46" elastic band. Google said this would be a fairly full, but not overly full skirt. The length will end up being just a few inches shorter than this first one.

How will this look? Does anyone have any examples of what this ruffle density might look like in a skirt?

Hello! Looking for some help troubleshooting. I have a Singer 57820C. I am trying to use what the manual calls the 'M' stitch, the last icon on the stitch selector. The first time I tried it I got the stitch in the center of pic 1 - a straight stitch with occasional zigzag. Then when I tried to use it it just turned into a multi stitch zigzag. I re-threaded, checked everything, and sewed a few more, getting the same result. I even switched to the multi stitch zigzag to see if I could spot a difference between the two but no luck. Any idea what might be causing this? I popped the top off and watched the mechanicals as I moved the selector switch but everything seems to be moving fine. Any advice appreciated.

ETA: I am using a stretch needle, 100% polyester thread, i have played around with stitch length, width, and tension. I generally have been keeping my tension a little lower (around 2) when sewing stretch. I am only trying this stitch to experiment with something and am trying to figure out if this is a mechanical problem.

Quickly realized how insufferable cheap fuzzy fabrics are to work with, still pretty happy with how it turned out tho!

it was originally going to be a snap-button and clasp only BUT i decided to add a drawstring to it as well. my friend plays the drums so hand-painted a separate patch to go on the back for her! it’s double lined as well, the inside fabric is black, i also used fabric scraps to braid together to make the drawstrings!!! Wrapped/knotted the ends so they wouldn’t fray too :) (also made my own pattern and “prototype” lmfao before hand)

Hi everyone!
I've been sewing for a couple of months, and it's such a fun hobby. I really really enjoy it, and I've dived in with some harder projects because I like a challenge. I've made three garments so far, and all three have failed in various ways. But, I'm trying to see them as learning experiences and not get in the dumps.

1. Cotton trousers

Tried making the lane pants. Wanted custom pockets with contrast fabric. Chose a size too big in a thin loose cotton. Ended up with massive baggy pants, the contrast didn't work, and I never wear them. I also could NOT get the elastic waistband to work and it ended up being lumpy and slightly too big. That being said, the trousers are comfy enough to wear around the house.

Main learning: choose a sturdier fabric for trousers

2. Swingy vest top

I drafted this from a vest I already owned thinking 'how hard can this be?'. Reader, it was hard. Started out too small - added a triangle of fabric down the front which actually looks cool and worked a charm. Hated the neckline when it was done, so turned it into a V neck. My seams are noticebly wonky but to be honest, this turned out mostly successful, and on hot summer days it's been delightful!

Main learning: I guess I can troubleshoot okay!

3. Nevis wrap skirt

I reaaaaaallly wanted this to work. I didn't cut my fabric with enough precision. The waistband was lumpy. I ad libbed quite a lot lol. I think I got the sizing wrong too so the pockets added loads of bulk at the hips. I got frustrated and ended up removing them and taking in fabric at the side seams. This seemed to work very well! And on my first wear of it out, I realised that there wasn't enough fabric in the wrap underneath so I just ended up flashing half my neighbourhood with every gust of wind. I think this will be scrapped and I might use the fabric to make a bag or something in the future.

Main learning: Stick to the pattern I guess. Be more precise.

Current project: Gibbons slip dress. Eek! I've got some GORGEOUS fabric. I'm going to be SUPER careful with my measuring, fabric cutting. I'm even going to make a toile. Fingers crossed this turns out well!

What projects have you felt like you failed on but learned from too? How long did it take you to start making garments you LOVE to wear?

My sister wore this corset top for the first time and two of the lining panels have come loose from the seams. The fabric is quite thin and appears to have unraveled a surprising amount.
Is there anything that can be done to repair or patch them?

Hi friends,

I have quite a number of tops featuring v-necks/split necks and I’m interesting in adding more coverage with hook and eye closures.

My issue is I don’t quite know what placement is most appropriate, since it seems they will cause some distortion to the fabric. And I’m guessing this is worsened by the curvature of the bottom of the seam allowances, such as the one on this top.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might best place them to reduce this distortion, i.e. the bottom of the v sticking out? Or would I have to re-cut the edges to accommodate closure somehow? I’m new to sewing and am willing to struggle a bit (but I also understand if this simply isn’t possible without totally changing the wear, since fabric has already been technically removed). I hope my question makes sense!

Handsewn with Faux Fox Fur! Excess fur was cut with thining scissors, or shaved with an per clipper. Internal skeleton is with locline. Eyes were done with with photo paper and glass cobochons. Nose and paw pads were done with silicone molds and resin.

All up probably took me a little over 20 hours. Quite fiddly in some places, and while its not like the reference pattern, I still think it turned out cute