Jennie Kermode What makes the difference between a stylish garment and an ordinary one? Ultimately, you will have to develop your own sense of style, but understanding some of the underlying principles of design will help you with this. Unlike fashion, style is something that remains consistent over time, so stylish clothes …
Great for seating, games, toys or even soothing away your aches and pains, beanbags have dozens of uses around the home. They’re easy to make and are a great choice of project for beginners. They also make great gifts and are especially popular with children. For most beanbag projects you …
Thanks to the success of the Twilight books and films, werewolf and vampire costumes are enormously popular with children and teenagers. They’re always a good bet for fancy dress parties and they can be fun to wear for adults too. If made well, they can last a long time and …
There are a few things more frustrating than discovering that one of your favorite pieces of clothing has been chewed by your pet – or even by your child! Fortunately, if you know what to do, you can still rescue such items most of the time. You will need to …
Whether you’re working to an existing pattern or designing a new one, understanding how fabric hangs will make you better able to translate between the pattern and the finished garment. To choose the right fabric for any pattern, you need to be able to picture it in your head and …
There’s nothing like a bit of sparkle to add glamour to a garment! Sewing with sequins is always fun, and it can add that little something extra to your home furnishings too. It can be tricky, however, so it’s important to know what you’re doing. With the right technique you …
When you’re first learning to make your own clothes it’s easy to mess up the seams. You might not even notice until you’ve finished, at which point it’s frustrating to face unpicking the whole thing. Fortunately there are practical solutions you can apply. These will also help when you buy …
If you have a damaged dress, which is damaged below the waist, or that simply doesn’t flatter you the way it used to, cutting it down into a top can be a practical alternative to throwing it away. This doesn’t work with every dress, but most will only need a …
Lining stretchy fabric such as Velour is always difficult. The trick is to find a backing fabric that stretches in the same directions and to about the same extent. Because velour is a woven material and stretches in all directions, you need to choose something with a similar weave. These …
To make smart, stylish long-sleeved garments, it’s important to know how to sew cuffs. There are several ways to approach making cuffs depending on the style of the garment you’re making and the fabric you’re using. You may need a bit of practice to get the hang of them, but …
