Have you ever sewn with twin needles? They are awesome! Schmetz makes several different kinds. This is one of them: You can find them at Joann Fabrics. Schmetz makes twin needles where the needles are different widths apart, which is really nice. Do you see the numbers at the bottom of the package of twin…
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Hemming With Twin Needles
Alterations With a Challenge Attached
I’d like to walk you through how to address an alteration that has a challenge to it. Most alterations are straight forward. You have a correction to make and there is an solution that suits it best. Along the way to getting that alteration done, many people have come up with solutions that offer efficiency…
Read MoreHow To Shorten Shoulder Straps on Your Dress or Top
When your dress or top needs to be taken up at the shoulders, the process is not difficult. Often, my customers will tell me to just stitch across the strap and cut off the excess. Yes, you can do a version of that, but it leaves a very large lump that doesn’t always lay flat,…
Read MoreHow To Add a Corset Back to Your Wedding Dress
Have you found the perfect dress, but it won’t zip up in back? It looks and fits great everywhere else, but you just can’t zip it up? Well, here’s an alteration you can do to fix that problem. I’ll show you how to add a corset back to your wedding dress (or any dress) and…
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Hem…Using the Inseam Measurement
Several of my customers leave their pants to be hemmed on my porch without ever coming inside. It’s because I hem their pants using their inseam measurement. The inseam is the seam on the inner leg that runs from the crotch area to the hem edge of the pants. Once I know what their inseam measurement is,…
Read MoreTaking In A Dress That’s 5 Sizes Too Big
I haven’t written in almost a month. Not because I didn’t want to. I was preoccupied with altering a bridal gown. I should have known that taking in 8 inches at the bust was going to prove to be difficult. Isn’t there an unwritten rule that you shouldn’t take in more than like three inches…
Read MoreHow To Mark Your Pants For Hemming…One Method
There are several ways to mark a pair of pants in order to hem them. I have used the same method for years. It is so easy that your kids, husband, neighbor, or friend could do it easily. And so can you! First, I make sure the customer has on a pair of shoes that…
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How to Sew Beads onto a Wedding Dress or Formal Gown
What do you do if you have to alter a wedding or formal dress (for a customer or for yourself) and the dress has beads on it? (Or maybe, you are making a dress and you want to add beads to it). It looks intimidating, doesn’t it? Well, I’m here to show you how easy…
Read MoreFrench Bustles…Making Them Even Easier Than Before!
A big thanks to Christy, at Alterations By Christy, for telling me about an even easier way to put French bustles in your gown! Many of you have seen the post I wrote on How To Put Bustles on Your Wedding Gown. Christy saw it too and wrote to tell me about a step in the…
Read MoreTaking in the Waist and Center Back on Denim Pants and Skirts
One of the more common alterations I do is taking in the waist and center back on pants, jeans and skirts. Most people try and solve this problem by just making a dart or two in the back of the pants. That doesn’t work too well if your pants or skirt is made of thick fabric…
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The Sewing Garden 