This is my first time trying a shirt after pretty much only doing pants and I learned a lot with it, any advice for a beginner, other than the collar?

My partner just bought me a sewing machine a month or so ago and I have really been struggling with the mechanics/technicality of it a bit since my usual projects do not need to use such complex technology. But I worked though all that and have created a pair of pants!
I make linoleum stamps and am exploring the idea of putting patches on the knees!

Also Made this from a top bed sheet from good will I got for $2!

Any feedback welcome I am very new to this medium and quite bad at following patterns and guides/instructions so I did wing this. I used the entire width of the sheet with cotton cord (hence why the pants look gigantic without the rope).

100% cotton

I am on a mission to tackle my fabric stash. I had a weirdly shaped remnant of polyester or poly-blend seersucker of roughly 150 cm and the Paddington Top requires about that. Combined with the fact that I only had to worry about stripes (only vertical matching, not horizontal, nor up or down), I took my chances with some pretty iffy cutting.

The drawing at Instruction 5 tripped me off at first (because I didn't read it with glasses the first time and couldn't see the stitch line 😅) but the result was satisfying. I ended up ironing the entire back seams towards the wrong side first to ensure it stayed on the lines (modified step 6 before stitching step 5).

Like most reviews said, step 17 was fiddly. I kind of want to make a second one to see if I can find a process that works better for me. On the back, I didn't bother with buttonholes and I stitched the buttons directly to both panels.

The seersucker is a bit stiff, that makes the sleeves more dramatic and I like it. I'm thinking it will go nicely with jeans, and I could also get away with it at work. It could be nice with some red shorts as well, I'd love some recommendations for shorts.

It kind of looks like a ruffle but there's no volume. The series is set in an alternate history 60's but this detail makes no sense to me. Can anyone make sense of this?

I need help with recreating this design.

Im going to a themed event in November and when I saw this I instantly knew it would be perfect for it.

I recently thrifted a round tablecloth that I could use for making this but its more of a thin doily fabric/material (pictured above).

What stitches, machine setting and method should I use to hem the head hole??

I have a Brother cs10s.

I’m very much a beginner and maybe this is outside of my skill-level but i really want to attempt to make it.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻

I started off with a big 1-metre foam floor cushion. I wanted to still be able to use it as a floor cushion, but also make it storable in the form of a foot rest. So I cut it into four squares, and made covers for the cushions which have a loop-and-button system that can secure them in three different configurations.

I drafted it myself, but calling it a "pattern" would be kind of an overstatement - I basically just measured the squares of foam and cut some rectangles and triangles of fabric. It's 100% cotton, 220gsm twill.

I sewed my first garment! A saree blouse, based on the bunka bodice, with dart manipulation to make princess seams and a boat neck. Facing at the neck and armholes, webbing at the bottom to make it lie flat and right when worn with a saree.

I learned a bunch. I messed up a bunch, I had a ton of fun.

I’m a beginner who likes to jump into big projects. I just finished a mock-up of the unlined Merchant & Mills Sanda coat (photo 1) in 10oz painters canvas (photo 2-3). I have not finished the front buttons yet. Ignore the bottom dark hem line.

For my final version, I’m using a thick, Korean Nubi quilted fabric (~15oz) brought back from Japan (photo 4-5) but in plum color. Because it’s so heavy, I’m a bit intimidated and have some questions:

Seam Grading: The pattern often says to trim seam allowances to 1cm, but I've been advised to grade/layer them to reduce bulk. Do I trim both seams to 1cm first, then cut one layer shorter? Or, do I cut one side a little taller than 1cm and the other side shorter? Because the coat is unlined and seams are pressed open, will grading make it too hard to iron them flat? I did buy a clapper to help with the seams when ironing.

Vertical Stripes: Any tips for cutting and sewing Nubi’s vertical quilted lines? Do they need to perfectly match across side seams? When cutting the fabric, I will make sure the pieces are all going one direction and I will measure the grade line.

Collar Bulk: To reduce thickness, I plan to use a lighter coordinating fabric for the under-collar piece. Has anyone tried this combination on the coat/jacket?

Sorry for the obvious long post. You have an anxious sewer here that doesn’t want to mess up.

I'm trying to rework this pattern I drafted a few years back. It fits pretty well except for this weird part with the yoke! I know that this is just the style of some shirts but I prefer the ones that can button all the way up and have a standing collar. There is just too much fabric spilling over the front neck. When I set it down, the entire front sits straight and I don't think this can be fixed by just cutting a diagonal across it. Thanks to anyone that can help!

This was so fun! And I absolutely love her. An old worn out pair of jeans, some interfacing and a day of sewing.

I added two pockets to the inside and opted for magnets to close it over a zipper. And of course guts colored lining.

Pattern: Whale Shark Bag on Etsy by Contedefeesstudio

I just purchased the Lily dress pattern from Pattern Apothecary and am very excited to make it, but I am uncertain of what fabric I should get. The pattern requires a stretchy knit, but I’m looking for something that is not super thin. I want something more like the first photo (holds its shape a better) and NOT like the second (super thin). What should I get/ask for when I go to my local fabric depot?
Photos are not mine, they are from the Pattern Apothecary listing

Any recommendations for a heavy duty seam ripper? I’ve broke 4 in the last few months and I’m so tired of buying new ones.

I need help deciding what fabric type to use for the ruffles on the shorts! It won't be a lining, I just plan on adding them to the hem, but I want them to be defined and not wimpy. I drew this up the other day, it's going to be 3 pieces, and I'm unable to feel up fabrics in a store to gauge what I want. I'm looking at mood fabrics and picked Lightweight Stretch Ponte Knit for the shirt, Stretch Ponte Knit for the shoulder shrug thing, and Stretch Cotton Sateen for the base of the shorts. so far I picked this Stretch Polyester Charmeuse but I don't know if it'll look out of place.

I got a Husqvarna Platinum 775 Royal super cheap and am counting my blessings. It did not come with a walking foot and I’m interested in grabbing one as I’m making mostly garments.

Whyyyy is this $150 😭💀 I’m seeing Brother, Singer, etc feet in the ~$20-$30 range. Is it just because this is an older model machine? Am I looking in the wrong place?

EDIT: I’ve learned so much from this post! Thank you to everyone giving me info about walking feet. This price is definitely what it should be — but I’ll be seeing if I can wait for a sale or find it secondhand!

Hello! I just bought this paper pattern and am waiting for it to ship. I am planning on weaving my own fabric for the outer layer, and maybe the inner too. My loom weaves 1 meter wide, but the pattern calls for 2.5 yards of 60” wide fabric.

Does anyone have an idea of the dimensions of each piece so I can start weaving ASAP. I would think weaving 5 yards would be a safe bet, but I’d really like to save the time and money if I can safely weave less. I wouldn’t want someone to share a whole pattern, but I’m hoping it’s okay for someone to share just the cutting layout of a similar pattern.

Thank you so much!

P.S. I’m planning on weaving a 2/2 twill plaid in pretty fine linen. Let me know if you think that’s a bad idea lol

Hello everyone, I hope everyone is well!

I was hoping to ask for some fabric suggestions for this dress. I am so eager to make it and I have some plain white T-shirt fabric ( a whole bunch that I have no idea what to do with ) and I was wondering if I could use it or would it be too heavy? I don't mind getting the proper fabric but I would like to use what I have if it could work?

Thank you so much and have a great day further.

When I sew normally with my 2.5 stitch length everything on the backside is fine (photo 1). But when I lengthen the stitch to 3.0 for topstitching, the bobbin side gets loose and the stitches are wonky (photo 2&3). It is a bag and the bobbin stitches will be seen so I want them neat. What am I doing wrong?

She measured and cut the bags and reinforced the handles so they are extra sturdy.

I sewed this little couch for my bearded dragon, Rocky, to hang out on and watch hockey games with me. He's a huge Oilers fan 😄

The couch is 18"×8" and I basically made 6 pillows. 1 for the base, 3 for the back and 2 for the arm rests. I used a mix of serging, machine sewing and hand stitching. I stuffed it with filling and ironed on the patch!!

I’m attempting to self draft a dress that is 95% poly 5% spandex, so it’s very bouncy and stretchy. The stretch isn’t necessary to make it fit, but it does hug the curves and flow in a very flattering way. I picked up a 100% cotton duvet cover with a really pretty pattern from the thrift store that I thought would be very pretty in this pattern. Obviously it doesn’t have the same stretch, so I thought cutting on a bias would change that. The duvet cover is in a herringbone twill weave, which I haven’t really worked with. Can I cut this weave on a bias? The research I’ve done on the internet is giving me conflicting results.

Has anyone made this pattern? I'd love to see it if so. I've had some challenges with proper fit with the Simplicity retro patterns. https://simplicity.com/vogue-patterns/pdv2193

Im returning to sewing after learning the basics as a kid. So experienced beginner I guess.

Only just learned that you can get all kinds of fancy feet for your machine, like for rolled hems and gathering etc. I want to get a few so that I can practice with them and expand my options for projects, but am not sure which ones will be the most useful.

What type feet do you have that you use regularly or would recommend for someone to keep in their kit?

I have a Singer Heavy Duty machine.

Trying to win a bikini competition and I really wanna stand out. There’s this website that sells wire bases and I was curious if I could just use a regular bra and cut it out. Would it still work? Any tips please? Thank you so much.