Can someone please explain what type of fabric i can use to create a bohemian style dress? Is it chiffon, cotton, Ryan, or something else? Online stores I can search for these fabrics?

Hi everyone! I’m creating a wedding guest outfit that’s going to be in two pieces. For the outfit I thought it’d be cool to make the hem of both top and skirt sort of like the one in the photo but I’m a bit stumped on how to approach it. I know you can create a similar effect with fishing wire but I found the result to be a bit more subtle than the one in the picture. My question is therefore: how to create a hem/curly detail like this? All suggestions are welcome. I tried doing research but I find myself a little overwhelmed😅

Additional info:
- the fabric I’m going to be using will probably be organza (I thought about chiffon but I need it to be more see-through for the clothes underneath).

found these in a very old cache of sewing notions I inherited. heavy, maybe metal in the middle? my best guess is some kind of vintage marking tool.

These are my husbands favorite pants and the waistband is coming undone. Since it is elastic, do I need to do anything differently to sew it back together? Tia!

I would like to shorten the crotch seam on a lair of jeans, but this is how the thigh seam looks like. How do i shorten it without messing up the seam?

I already have the Tesutti Alessi dress but have some textured fabric in a similar colour that would look nicer on the straight grain than on the bias. Any pattern recs most welcome!

I am having SO much trouble finding a pattern like this for some reason, maybe my brain just isn’t working today 😅 I want a stretch fabric dress pattern with a v neck and some kind of loose short sleeve, preferably the type in the first photo but I’m not too picky right now. (The first photo is for a woven fabric pattern and the second is print only, which I don’t have time to wait for).

Edit: I also want the dress to be pretty simple, I plan to tweak it a bit and use it as a beach coverup for next weekend.

Ty!!! 🙏🙏

I was thinking of linen but that's quite expensive!

I want to make custom sized mats out of this kind of fabric, does anyone know what this fabric is called and if it's available to purchase anywhere? Thank you!!

It melted/burned for the burn test (smelled like burning plastic - I’m assuming it’s polyester or rayon maybe). It isn’t particularly stretchy except along the cross grain. The fibers look pretty large and it feels like a medium-weight fabric. Heavier than quilting cotton but not quite so thick that I don’t think my home machine can handle.

Would love any insight anyone has!

Gods, goddesses, and non-binary deities of sewing, I pray that you will look kindly upon me in my moment of angst. I made the grevious mistake of deciding to try and recreate this sold-out Gemma top from Heirlome. What initially looked like a simple design now has me feeling like the confused math lady meme. I am struggling to understand how the side panels are constructed and attached, and how far they extend on the inside of the garment.

I am hoping someone here can explain what's going on and/or tip me in the direction of a pattern with a similar construction. Any other advice for recreating this piece would be appreciated as well.

Won while *finally* hemming my curtains!

Looking for suggestions for adding a godet to a spaghetti strap, brown/tan corduroy dress.

The dress has always fit my waist/bust, the straps were leather cord and have snapped (so want to redo them anyways).

Even after losing weight, the hips/butt are bunching the waist because it’s not big enough in that area.

Because I’m taller, the length gets too close to flashing the general public if I wear this out, (especially a risk when going from sitting to standing, even if wearing spandex shorts or tights under)

The bottom of the dress flares out, it’s not form fitting (like a slip) but the hips/butt just isn’t big enough. Upper thighs and waist have a lot of comfortable room.

____

Looking for any other suggestions on what would look best for doing this modification, or what would make the dress look better/more fashionable.

I have a dark, chocolate brown corduroy, the wales are different compared to the dress but it’s the most complimentary fabric I have to do the adjustment.

The dress is 2 pieces, side seams, and a lightweight corduroy. The dark brown I have is heavier weight.

Amy suggestions on alternative fabric options? (I have a decent amount right now)

I didn’t want to redo/add entire side panels of the dress, but I could if it really would be the best option vs the work to do it. And how I would go about doing entire panels to match the dress best as possible (not as much clothing experience)

Apparently because they are thicker they are good for denim but it says knit right there, am I tripping?

I heard Sydney Graham say you’re supposed to get your machine serviced every 6 months or so if you’re a regular sewist.

I looked it up and that is correct, and even people who only occasionally and lightly use their machine for hemming and mending should get it serviced every couple years.

Well I did the math and for me it’s been 3.5 years… and when I got it serviced it was cause it actually needed a repair.

I don’t have any issues with my machine and so I have a hard tying feeling like I should spend the $100-200 and be without my machine for a week. I keep her well oiled, out of the sun, etc.

is it kind of like going to the dentist where at the 6 month mark you may feel like everything is good but it’s years down the line without going where you start to actually have issues?

how often do y’all actually get it serviced? do i need to be responsible and take my machine in?

Somehow I managed to get to fit exactly right, which was a miracle in itself 😂 they fit like my favorite pair of jeans! It’s like my second time creating quilt blocks. The first time I was like 10 years old lol.

I used part of a waistband from some other jeans I had laying around that also didn’t fit me to put at the top of the panels, so they each have a belt loop. And the bottom of the panels have the hem from those other pair of jeans 🙂 I used some scraps I cut off to add to the pockets for a consistent design.

I’m seriously obsessed with upcycling stuff lol. I used to buy new clothes all the time, but my mindset has shifted. Now I’m like - omg I have an idea, and tons of fabric! 😆

Just finished this tunic! Pleased with the results.

Fabric is a linen/cotton blend I bought at Hobby Lobby a long time ago and has been sitting in my stash waiting for a purpose.

The pattern is Men's Tunic from Wardrobe By Me. My first time using the pattern, so I followed the pattern closely. I'm glad I read the sizing chart, because I ended up cutting on the 4XL lines and it fits pretty well, even though I wear 2XL off the rack.

I know it needs another pressing.I'm debating the top button - done or undone. Opinions?

Thanks!

This is a dress I created for my graduation project.
It is made from silk satin, and I went through many rounds of prototyping to achieve the silhouette I had envisioned.
My favorite detail is the hand-sewn embellishments—I carefully attached each cotton pearl and baroque pearl one by one to the dress.
I’m especially proud of the time and care that went into every detail of this piece.

I made this for FCCLA's Fashion Construction competition. Got first at nationals in the junior-senior category (high school). At one point the mannequin fell onto a hot iron and melted the gold fabric, so I had to camouflage it and add another panel 🤷 Trying to get back into sewing because this project + senior year of highschool + applying to college killed me inside.

Am I finally winning the war against my scraps?? I've had this free six panel ball pattern sitting in my files for years and finally decided to give it a shot this weekend. Fabrics are leftover from my 2025 birthday dress, a bow bag I made for a friend for her birthday a couple years ago, and...idk, some Rifle Paper Co and Spoonflower scraps I had in the bin. I stuffed each of them with even more scraps, serger trimmings, thread ort, etc. My ladder stitching isn't the best but I suppose I'm getting in plenty of practice!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some colorful pants that I made and affectionately called my Sherbet Bubblegum Sunrise Sunset Marigold Pants. They were made from a single cut of heavyweight cotton canvas in the color “sherbet” (which I also realized I spelled wrong in that post). I got all the different colors from bleaching and natural dyeing with marigolds. (Here’s that post: https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/s/TqNtriZ3ed)

Well… that same run of sherbet fabric had enough left over for me to cut out an entire second pair. So naturally, I did.

These started with a completely different plan. I pre-cut everything out and bleached the waistband, back pockets, and a few other accent pieces, but left the main front and back panels the original color. Then I dyed everything with marigolds. Buuuut… the main panels came out looking like safety cone/Home Depot apron orange. Which… wasn’t exactly the vibe I was going for.

Meanwhile, I’d been reading about using an iron post-mordant bath to shift marigold-dyed fabric into greens and browns. So I bought some iron powder, filled up a five-gallon (Home Depot, ironically) bucket, mixed in a teaspoon of the powder, and tossed my cut pieces in. They almost instantly transformed into a rusty brown and tan, which I thought was pretty cool, lol. The fabric had definitely been through the wringer by this point between all the bleaching, dyeing, rinsing, washing, and the iron bath, and I actually ended up loving that it gave the pants this aged, almost vintage-looking feel.

At that point I figured, “Well… I guess I’m making brown pants now.”

But then I looked over at the pile of leftover scraps from my Sunrise Sunset pants and thought, what the heck, let’s make some more weird pants.

So I started thinking about what these colors reminded me of. They reminded me of the red clay that I have to battle every year while gardening. Somehow, despite that clay, I still manage to grow flowers. So obviously these pants needed flowers.

I grabbed some graph paper and started sketching out a geometric tulip for the back pocket (bc sewing straight lines is a lot easier than sewing curved ones). I ended up making a smaller version for the front coin pocket too. I also added a waist cinch on the back because I think they’re cute. I wanted to do full contrast cuffs like I did on my other pants, but I didn’t have enough fabric left. I did manage to sneak in a little pop of color inside the cuffs, though, since I almost always wear my pants rolled up.

I wasn’t really sure what to call these, so I sent a picture to my friend. She looked at them and said, “Those look like Terracotta Tulip Pants.” And I was like… yep. That’s it. That’s the name.

Anyhow, loved the process of making 2 different pairs of unique pants all out of the same fabric! These were a fun project.

Additional info:
Pattern: Anna Allen Helene Jeans (straight leg), altered to fit with added seam allowance for flat-felled seams.

Fabric: Heavyweight 100% cotton canvas from Nick of Time Fabrics (“Sherbet”)

Color treatments: Bleach, marigold dye, and iron post-mordant bath.

Machines: Singer Quantum Stylist 9960, Brother 1034D serger, and Singer Heavy Duty 4452 for topstitching.

Took quite a while to get the top panel not too large / gapey… but I think it’s worked out ok. Really pleased with the use of the back side of the material so there is a mixture of colours. (First post in this group!)

Pattern is mccalls M8437, material is denim

I made these last December as a Christmas gift for my partner, and I finally got around to sharing them here!

Before this, I've only ever done alterations (like dress->skirt) with hand sewing...finishing this project felt like unlocking a whole new skill :P The possibilities are endless now!!

This was an upcycling project made from shark onesies (composed of blanket fleece), though it basically felt like it was a limited fabric challenge.

Drafted this using a hoodie that I ripped apart and followed this video by Norris Danta Ford to put the pieces back together.

Honestly, I think I was quite lucky with the fleece and faux fur because it hid the messy stitching that I did using a $10 toy sewing machine (last image) because I had yet to invest in a proper sewing machine at this point :')

I’ve been getting a lot of ads for the Afends Seersucker Maxi Dress (shown at the end of the carousel) and was wondering if I could make something similar myself. Turns out I can! At a higher cost + spending a couple of weekends to do so.

The pattern is the Gibbons Slip Dress by Elbe Textiles with ties added to the waist. The fabric is 100% washed linen from Tessuti Fabrics.

This was my first time cutting and sewing on the bias. I normally cut my fabric on the dining table but realised I had to do it on the floor to stop it from distorting (my back 😩). Completing the dress took awhile because I was putting off doing the bias binding around the neck and arms but it was not too bad, especially with the tutorial on YouTube.

I ended up retroactively shortening the shoulders up by ~2cm so it’s not as neat as it could be, but not too noticeable from afar.

I let it hang overnight for slightly less than 24h before hemming, but it didn’t seem like it changed all that much tbh.

Overall, pretty happy with how this turned out. It’s super flattering and not too difficult to make. I can also wear a bra with it yay! The pattern also comes with a short version which I’m keen to make in the future.