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Sewing Tidbits is the sewing blog written since 2013 by Delphine, the co-founder of Just Patterns.
Filtering by Tag: sewalong
I got a couple of questions on the construction of the welt pockets of the Veronica Vest, and it reminded me that I had taken pictures of my construction in preparation for a tutorial, but then I completely forgot about them! All this to say that if you have a question, do reach out. I really appreciate it! Let’s get started….
Read MoreBefore I start today’s post, I wanted to let you know that I’m thinking a lot these days about how I can engage better with you and address your fitting and sewing questions about my patterns in real time. I’m thinking of using my newsletter to share behind the scenes and potentially starting a discord channel. If you are not a newsletter subscriber, you can sign up here. It’s going to be fun!
Read MoreDear readers,
The Tatjana Trousers have stayed seriously on trend since their launch in December 2020, and since I know that many of you plan to sew a pair with the newly released Veronica Vest, I thought it would be a good time to finally publish a long-delayed tutorial for the slant pockets.
Read MoreThe Alek Rib Top is really fun and easy to sew but the neckline construction is a little unusual and that can make it a bit of a head-scratcher when sewing or when trying to figure out how to alter the pattern to get more/less coverage. This is what I will be covering today, in addition to a sewalong of the neckline construction.
Read MoreWelcome to the fourth and last tutorial (for now 😅) of the Helena Wrap Dress. Today, I’m showing you how to attach the skirt to the waistband and finish the waistband. It corresponds to steps 20 to 24 in the instructions. My hope with these tutorials is to make the sewing of Helena more accessible, but I also took the opportunity to re-work the instructions based on the feedback I received. To celebrate, I have a surprise discount for you at the end of this post
Read MoreI’m back with the third tutorial for the Helena wrap dress: the optional in-seam pockets. The pattern includes both the option of patch or in-seam pockets, and while researching the finishings of this dress, I came upon a construction more suitable for french seams.
Read MoreI’m back with the second and most requested tutorial for the Helena wrap dress : the waistband construction. In the previous one we covered the neckband construction, and this time we are going to go over step 13 to 16. First, it’s helpful to understand the structure of waistband.
Read MoreDear readers,
I’m planning three tutorials for Helena: the neckband, the already infamous waistband and the in-seam pockets. Today, we are starting with the shoulder/neckband construction, which is a key feature of this pattern. It corresponds to step 2 to 7 in the instructions.
Read MoreHello and welcome to a new installment of the Stephanie Skirt sewalong!
Today I’ll be showing you the preparation of the pleats and how to insert a perfect and pucker-free invisible zipper at center back. I know that zippers, and in particular invisible zippers are still a source of stress for many sewists but they really don’t have to be!
Read MoreWelcome back for the third part of the Stephanie Sewalong! In my previous posts, I covered inspiration and fabric choices and cutting the fabric, so it’s time to start sewing!
The updated version of the Stephanie Skirt pattern now includes fully illustrated step-by-step instructions. I decided to use alternative construction options so that it’s less redundant. If you follow the pattern instructions, the seams are simple and seam allowances are either serged (or zig-zagged) or bound. In this post, I’ll be showing you how to sew the side seams and the in-seam pockets with french seams.
Read MoreWelcome to the second part of the Stephanie Sewalong!
I hope that my previous post inspired you and help you pick your fabric! Remember that you only have until tomorrow to enjoy 20% off a selection of fabric from Selvedge and Bolts (check out the blog post for more details). Today we will start slowly by preparing the pattern and cutting fabric and the fusible interfacing.
Read MoreTo celebrate the re-release of the Stephanie Skirt with an improved size range and illustrated instructions, I am hosting Just Patterns’ very first sew-along! I hope that it can help beginner sewists to feel more confident and encourage more experienced makers to try new techniques. Don’t forget to grab your pattern in the shop and let’s start look at some inspiration to help you choose your fabric. I’m very happy to be collaborating with my friends Dibs, who just launched her online fabric store Selvedge and Bolts, and she is generously offering 20% a selection of fabric that would be amazing to sew Stephanie, check out the code at the bottom of this post!
Read More
As you may have noticed, I'm not very good when it comes to following a sew-along (hum hum, bra-making... *shame*). But this time I really want to do it!! Let's pretend I don't have a bad record in this matter...When I saw the super nice 2 pairs of shorts made by Four Square Walls, I could hear the voice of The Old Man (who is actually my boyfriend, not my dad ;-) ) complaining about the fact that this sewing hobby of mine was not bringing anything good his way... So here we go !
I already downloaded the pattern and I plan on getting one of his favorite pair of shorts to compared final measurements to pick the closest size. I hope that the fabric store will be open on thursday so I can make him choose the fabric (he's picky). Also, I had a look at the instructions and they look great!!
Starting to write this post, I just realized that I think it is the first time that I actually sew a pattern from an independent sewing pattern company. I have been obsessed with them, mostly because this is something I have been thinking about doing since I was 14, but I never was fully into the styles and if I tempted the sizings are usually to big. In particular, I remember emailing one about there smallest bust measurement (maybe you can guess with one I'm talking about...) saying that it was a pity their smallest size was so big. I got a reply saying that I should do an SBA (Small Bust Adjustment). I was very disappointed because to me it felt like they did not understand their customers. Petite and Small in measurements women are always thought to be shapeless by the "curvier" people out there. I'm probably not going to make a lot of friends here but I never thought that curves were about measurements. Leaving in 4 different countries and continent in the last 4 years, I've seen shapes and shapelessness in every size and at every age !Anyway... Maybe one day I'll write the whole body image mandatory blogpost...Going back to this pattern, I've been following Grainline Studio with a particular interest. I like a lot of things about Jen, her patterns and her designs and I was not disappointed making this one.
This scout woven tee was made out of quilt cotton (GASP!) I bought 2 years ago when visiting Philadelphia. I know that a lot have been said about sewing with quilt cotton. I'm not one who would normally do it, it does not fit my wardrobe or my lifestyle. But once in a while, for a cute print, I allow myself to slip.... That same day in Philadelphia, I bought another piece of fabric that I used as soon as I was back in New York. TOTAL disaster!! I never wore it... Maybe one day I'll show it on the blog and ask for advice on what I should do with it.
With all the silk things, the leather and the coat making, sometimes I forget about how enjoyable it can be to make a SIMPLE pattern in an EASY fabric. The whole thing from taping the pattern to putting the final result on Instagram took me less than 3 hours!
I made size 0 with no alterations and I was extremely pleased with the instructions : concise, clear and efficient. I serged the inside to practice my serging abilities (still VERY limited, I'm embarrassed to admit...).I found the motivation to make it for the kollabora sewalong. I'm completely new to the kollabora community but it looks nice. However, I'm a bit hesitant to start uploading there as I am already struggling to find the time for the blog, Burdastyle and Pattern Review...
I've seen some very nice knit versions here and there and I'm willing to try (more practice with the serger...). I think I would change a few things to the pattern. First, the shoulder seam is funny, maybe you can see what I mean on this picture :
And for a knit, I would remove the ease of the sleeve and lengthen the bodice maybe 2 inches. What do you think ? Are you tired of the view of my balcony already ?
So I got a bit disappointed when I read over at Cloth Habit that rigid cups may not be covered in the sew-along because I never wear soft cup bras. When I say never, I mean it : NEVER EVER EVER ! (Except a journelle bralette, but that's for those open back shirts in the summer). Anyway, I decided to give it a go even though I may fail miserably... I found a pattern that is my style and it's Amelie 2 from Sewy. Of course, Sewy is a german only website and I don't speak a single word of german. Thanks to google translate I managed to order a kit of black blue lace
And the pattern looks actually quite similar to what I would wear :
I expect the instructions to be in German only so it's the beginning of a long and probably painful journey.... I already can't get a word of my confirmation email!In other news I have two coats to show this week (when I have time to go out and take pictures) and a Breakfast at Tiffany's sleeping mask so stay tuned!
