The Sewing Garden

Sew Many Projects, Sew Little Time

By: Linda December 2, 2010February 22, 2018

homewareChristmas presents, fabric, how to catch up on sewing projects, sewing projects, stash, unfinished objects and sewing projects6 Comments

I am working on a few detailed alteration posts which I hope to print soon, but in the meantime, I thought I’d get this off my mind…. I counted up my UFO’s (unfinished objects) today and there are over 30! Isn’t that pathetic? I can’t believe how far behind I get. It was only four…

Hem Stays

By: Linda November 12, 2010February 25, 2023

HemsChristmas, dress pants, dress slacks, How do you make a hem stay in place?, How to make hem stays, lining, What is a hem stay?8 Comments

For a long time, I used a six strand cord of embroidery floss to make my hem stays. Is that what they are called? Hem stays? I couldn’t think of a better term for them. They are the cords that keep the hem of dress pants and its lining from straying too far from each other.…

How To Put Gussets In a Dress or Top

By: Linda October 7, 2010June 30, 2023

Alterations, BridalDIY adding extra material under the arms, DIY Gussets, formalwear, how to add extra fabric under the arms of a dress, how to add gussets, how to add width to a dress, how to enlarge a garment that is too small, how to let out a dress to make it bigger, how to make a dress bigger, How to make a dress bigger by adding fabric, how to sew in gussets, how to sew in gussets in a strapless dress or gown80 Comments

Update: October 19, 2020 Do you know what a gusset is? It’s an inverted triangular (or diamond shaped) piece of fabric inserted into a garment to make it fit more comfortably. If you’d like to put gussets in pants or a top that has sleeves, look at this post on How To Put Gussets in…

What Brand of Thread Should You Use?

By: Linda September 23, 2010February 13, 2021

AlterationsBernina, Coats and Clark, Gutterman, Mettler, quality thread, what brand of sewing machine thread is best?36 Comments

The topic of thread has been on my mind lately. I just got the annual tune up on my sewing machine and the technician scolded me. Wow, I wasn’t expecting that! She asked what brand of thread I use. When I told her “Sometimes Coats and Clark and sometimes Gutterman”, I got a sharp reprimand.…

How To Sew a Button on By Machine

By: Linda September 15, 2010

Basic Skills, Sew For Doughhand sew, missing button, thread, thread shank5 Comments

Do you know how to sew a button on with your sewing machine? For those of you who don’t know how, or feel a little intimidated in trying, here’s my technique. Find a button for the garment and push the button through the hole to make sure it fits. Place the button over the original…

Are You Overcharging for Alterations?

By: Linda September 3, 2010September 20, 2022

Alterations, Basic SkillsAm I being overcharged for alterations?, Are you paying too much for alterations?, Are you paying too much for sewing projects?, ethics in business, How much are alterations?29 Comments

A college student sat in our kitchen last week and told me of his experience at a local alteration shop. He had needed some sewing done and noticed a shop along the road. He didn’t know to call around and see what the going rate was for what he needed. He needed three repairs done…

How To Fix Boning Issues

By: Linda August 24, 2010June 19, 2023

Alterations, Bridalboning removal, Bridal, corset, homecoming, how to make a dress more rigid, how to put boning in a dress diy, how to stiffen a dress, prom, stiffening11 Comments

I’d like to address how to fix a few problems with the boning in your wedding dress, formal dress, corset, tops or really anything that has boning! Please read to the end because I address more issues other than this one that pertain to other problems you might have with boning. Recently, a customer tried…

pinning up the sides of a jacket, taking in the side seams and facings, 1054

How To Take in Side Seams and Facings

By: Linda August 2, 2010March 25, 2021

Alterations, Basic Skillscoat, facing, facings, how to alter a jacket, how to alter side seams in formal wear or bridal gowns, underarm alteration9 Comments

This is a mother of the bride dress and jacket that a customer brought in. The short jacket needs to be altered at the sides. The jacket does not have lining, but it does have facings. And because of the facings, we will need to alter both. So, let’s learn how to take in side…

How To Alter Tulle or Netting on Your Dress

By: Linda July 24, 2010February 18, 2023

Bridalhow to cut off netting on a dress, how to hem a bridal veil, how to hem a homecoming dress, how to hem a prom dress with netting, how to hem a wedding dress, how to hem a wedding dress made of tulle or netting1 Comment

This is an older post that has some great tips on how to alter tulle or netting on your dress. After reading this post, click on How To Hem a Dress with Tulle or Netting for an updated version. This particular dress, below, had two layers of satin and two outer layers of netting on…

Rolled Hems…..Another Method

By: Linda June 28, 2010February 22, 2021

Basic Skills, Bridal, Hemshow to sew a hem on a bridal gown, how to sew a hem on a formal dress, how to sew a hem on a prom dress, how to sew a hem on a wedding dress, how to sew a hem on sheer fabric, how to sew a narrow hem, how to sew a rolled hem, how to sew a tiny hem, how to sew on see through fabric9 Comments

This is a fast and easy way to make a professional looking rolled hem on your wedding gown, formal dress, blouse or on an accessory like a scarf. In my first post on how to make a rolled hem, I used a rolled hem foot. This method doesn’t use a rolled hem foot. In fact,…