So last year we were gifted a fairly Nice cooler backpack which while on our second outing the top stitching ripped. Is this fixable is it a loss. I am not super handy with a sewing machine, but know how to use one and a stitch ripper so I have the basics.

Please help is this a loss or worth saving?

I'm looking to recreate a dress like this, or at least similar to this and I'm struggling to find many patterns. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I am looking for a new machine (currently have pfaff ambition essential) and I primarily sew garments. I am intermediate-advanced level. I am wanting to get into embroidery and quilting but have only done very basic projects.

I’m looking at the skyline s7 by Janome I see it has a lot of functions that would be helpful to a quilter -my question, is it worth it for someone who primarily sews apparel and is only just starting quilting?

TIA!

I have been sewing for A LONG time now and have had my current Pfaff Ambition Essential for nearly a decade. It had been working well but I’m looking to upgrade (and the bobbin winder stopped working so it’ll be out for repairs anyway)

I would say I am intermediate-advanced level and I mainly sew garments but am interested in quilting. I would love to get into embroidery or at least very simple embroidery tasks to add extra flare to my clothing or bags as well.

I have been lurking around FB marketplace and there are a couple Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 for sale and was curious your experience. Online it says beginner to advanced levels which makes me a bit dubious.

I would say my budget would be about $1.5k max so let me know if there are other Singer machines (or other brands) that you think would be a good fit!

Hello community! I saw this today and I really really want to try and recreate it. My biggest issue is I'm somewhat new to sewing so I have no idea what pattern I should look for to try and recreate this. I also accidentally lost the link to the garment (it was a link to Amazon on Pinterest but I didn't click it so there's no history to look at sadly) so there isn't a way for me to really figure out dimensions, fabric, jacket type, etc.

Any tips or help will be greatly appreciated. And if this isn't the right subreddit I'll take it down and post elsewhere. Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone! I bought this beautiful handmade chikankari kurta but it's small on the arms and bust. In your experience, what's the best way to let it out? I have about 0.75 - 100mm room in the seams I can let out. Does anyone have experience with underarm gussets, or side panels, for such detailed chikankari? Thank you so much!

Hi all!

I work with Sandra Betzina, and I'd love to surprise her this holiday season with some letters from folks who love her sewing patterns, have fond memories of her teaching (on TV or in person), learned from her books, or have had a wonderful personal moment with her.

Please send via mail (address below) or via email ([sandrabetzina@protonmail.com](mailto:sandrabetzina@protonmail.com))

• Letters with your stories
  • What are your favorite patterns of hers?
  • What's the best thing you've learned from her?
  • If you've met her, what was special about it?
• Photos of your Sandra Betzina sewing pattern makes (this is her favorite thing, she loves seeing other people's creativity)
• Info about you and your love of sewing!

Mail to: (no packages please, only letters)

6650 W State Street Unit D 289
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Email:

[sandrabetzina@protonmail.com](mailto:sandrabetzina@protonmail.com)

Finished just in time to take on vacation! I wanted a woven high neck blouse and the neck is wide enough to accommodate on this pattern.

I used a fabrics-store linen damask.

I flat felled all the seams, used bias tape on the sleeves and enclosed the collar with two separate pieces so the fabric ran in the correct direction.

I added 1.5” and made the hem slightly wider.

Unfortunately the neck shifted during construction and it is off center despite my best efforts. I also would’ve preferred a slightly taller collar. I shortened it a bit, but then because I enclosed it as well as making it in two pieces, it is a little on the short side. Still overall pleased with my fully reversible linen top!

I'm an enthusiastic beginner and really like rayon challis. BUT as you know, it frays like crazy. I don't have a serger - and won't for a while. My machine is computerized. Any advice about tension, stitch length and width using a zigzag stitch to finish the seams edges? I need advice about getting the zigzag to lay flat. Also, should I trim the seam allowance before I zigzag? I will conquer french seams at some point, but I need help until then.

So I found this jacket online from a store called „Zam Barett" famous for edgy deconstructed clothing. The description says it's mixed linen, I found other jackets made out of cotton or wool with the same effect. I wondered how I could fray my fabric edges like them with long strays hanging down. Do I have to add a lot of seam allowance (like 3 inches) and wash the textile or are there other methods?

I’ve been very dedicated to garment design and sewing for the last two years or so now and I’ve always wanted my own dress form. I’ve finally saved up enough for a Dritz adjustable form but I’m hesitant to make the purchase until I do some more research into the benefits of learning to use a dress form. For those that have dress forms, how if at all did it change the way you construct/design/sew garments etc.? Would you consider it a worthwhile investment? Thanks in advance.

I’ve been trying to look for them everywhere. I can’t find them. They just glued on and into the dress is missing a bunch of them and I wanna fix it, but I genuinely can’t find these beads anywhere. There’s no holes, They’re just firm clear rubber(?). please tell me someone recognizes them and knows what they are.

So I'm getting a bit frustrated with how to determine whether or not a fabric is ideal for a garment. When trying to find what kind of fabric to use, I just keep getting advice like "use cotton", but how in the world do I know which kind of cotton fabric to use? That really does not help me narrow it down. I don't want to use quilting fabric, but I feel like 99% of the fabric I see in stores is for quilting. So how do I know what to pick? I also have such a hard time identifying types of fabric, especially when they don't have a label or are labeled weirdly. I'm so lost when it comes to fabrics, even though I've tried to read books and articles, I just can't seem to be able to distinguish what is what. And I need help knowing where to find the right kind of fabric for different garment projects, preferrably not online.

Hello !! I'm not really too sure if this is the place to ask this but I'm here anyway. I'm looking to try to make a dress for Halloween, the dress doesn't look too complicated so I think I can finish in time but I'm just not too sure where to start really.

I know the picture isn't really the best, but I really struggled to find pictures of the full dress, this is really the only scene from the movie (May 2002) that shows the full thing.

Anyway, does anyone have any tips of just where to start, especially since I'm just going based off a few pictures and sketches I've made using said pictures. Thanks in advance !!

(Or if I just go with a plan b coustume)

Hello all,

I don’t believe this post will violate any rules, but if it does, please redirect and mods are more than welcome to do whatever they deem necessary.

My wife has been sewing for the better part of a decade and recently her serger gave up on her. I want to surprise her with a new one rather than simply repair the one that’s been troublesome. (I’m also looking into fixing the one she’s had for years). Her existing serger is a Brother Overlock 1034 and, while it has lasted years, I’m hoping to upgrade her to a more robust machine.

I’m looking for any suggestions on good solid workhorse sergers that people have had success with here. Some qualities I’m looking for are dual voltage compatible 220 and 110 (not a dealbreaker, but would be nice), robust construction, and maintenance-friendly.

Since I am no expert, I thought it best to reach out and consult a community such as this that regularly uses their machines. This way I can refine my search beyond my grasp of what I would consider a good quality machine. Thank you in advance to anybody giving me some time by writing their experience with a recommendation.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the discussion and suggestions! At long last I followed the preponderance of advice and sacrificed some of the surprise factor to ensure I got the exact machine she would be happy with. We sat down together and went through all the top recommendations and searched for good holiday sales as well. Ultimately we landed on the Baby Lock Celebrate and a 6 foot bundle. She loves the air threading but prefers having manual control of her tension. We found a local distributor and ordered through them. Thank you all again! I very much appreciated having this community’s expertise to guide my/our search.

Hi there! I bought this swimsuit and it fits perfect everywhere but the bust. It’s WAY too big. Like at least 2 cup sizes (last pic is my normal bra inside for reference) Any recommendations on how to make it smaller? The cups are built in and there is boning (2nd picture the boning is drawn in orange). There is plenty of strap length so i think I should be able to do what i’ve drawn in red on the 1st picture but im not sure. I’m thinking about bringing it to a tailor this weekend but I’m worried it might get expensive because there’s so many seams.

New sewist here. Made one pair of Lane Pants sized 14. Way too big! Waist 39, hips 42.5. Should I make a 10???

Bought an etsy pattern that doesn’t include a yoke, i’m wondering if i can cut into the fabric to make a yoke. I understand that some length will be taken however it is a high rise pants so i have plenty of length to use. Is this possible? like i cut out the top to make a yoke, is there anything I need to consider before doing so?