Sewing Techniques for Beginners

with Huskvarna.

See http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/us/3367.htm Sewing Room link on the bottom, and then go to Sewing Techniques.

You will find animated and written step by step clear instructions for:

Zippers

• Fly front zipper
• Centered Zipper
• Invisible Zipper
• Open end Zipper
• Lapped Zipper
• Exposed Zipper

Pockets

• Patch Pocket
• Front-hip Pocket
• Pocket Flap
• Side Seam pocket
• Pocket reinforcements
• Inside pocket with flap

Hems and edge finishes

• Double Hem
• Pant Cuffs
• Blind Hem
• Bias Strips
• Piped Hem
• Mitered corners

Necklines

• Front piece and facing in one piece
• One piece front placket
• Placket band opening
• Shaped neckline
• Bias facing

Collars

• Rolled Collar
• Shirt Collar with a Stand
• Ribbing
• Chinese Collar
• One Piece Collar
• Flat Collar

Buttons and other fasteners

• Sew on Buttons
• Bound Buttonhole
• Placing Buttons
• Hooks and eyes

Darning and Mending

• replacing a zipper
• Mending a small hole
• Patching under a tear
• Patching over a tear
• Repairing a torn belt loop

Waistlines

• Topstitched Waistband
• Straight belt
• Casing
• Belt Loops
• Straight waistband

Ruffles and Gathering

• Gather fabric
• Flounce
• Circular flounces
• Finishing ruffle – tapering ends into seamline
• Finishing ruffle – into cross seams
• Finishing ruffle – narrow hem

Tucks, Pleats and Darts

• Side Pleats for Skirt
• Plain dart
• Tucks
• Side Pleats for Trousers
• Pleat with separate underlay

Sleeves and Cuffs

• One Piece Cuff
• Double Placket opening
• Shirt Cuff with Placket
• Shirt sleeve
• Raglan sleeve
• Set-in sleeve

Yoke

• Shirt Yoke
• Yoke for Skirt

Another tutorial with videos – sewing a men’s sirt: http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/939_sew-mens-shirt.htm

Jeans Jacket with Organza Embroidery

Mirela, originally uploaded by mariuspopovici.

This is my favorite jacket ever!
I have made it based on a La Mia Boutique pattern, I think it was the April issue, 2007, have to check. I like how the patterns in this Italian magazine are perfectly fitted, a lot closer the Burda patterns, this time I wanted to go for the tight fit.

I have chosen this slightly stretch espresso colored jeans fabric from fashion fabrics club, having a jacket in mind at that time, not sure which.
The ribbon is from Ben Raymond’s store in downtown Hollywood. Got it a long time ago, while old Raymond was still there, paid a good 20$ for it, but I had to have it. I was thinking of a silly peasant skirt back then. Unfortunately that little store is closing down, they still have some stuff for sale there, but you have to call ahead of time to see if the seller is there. Raymond has retired, and the owner of the Arts Academy of Hollywood bought some of “If we don;t have it, you don’t need it…” stuff. The number is 954 923 1950, in case anyone would like to call and visit.

My mother got me this La Mia Boutique magazine, I was browsing through it and the perfect project for both my dark brown fabric and my golden organza embroidery was there! Way better then my original ideas!

Since the embroidery was elegant and evening like, it is toned down by the jeans, and the other way around the jeans is lifted up, having a more elegant feel than the worker’s fabric that it is. I guess they even themselves out somehow.
I decided to skip the lining and chose to bind the seams with a silver satin ribbon.

I did the top stitching with a special top stitch thread and special needle with a larger eye.

I attached the embroidery using a gold metallic thread with another special needle, so that was really fast and the seam doesn’t show only if you know about it and you use a magnifying glass.

Hand basted on the sleeves:

These are my first bound buttonholes, against my fearful belief, they are not the difficult to make. I used Vogue sewing book for a guide, they show about 5 kinds of bound buttonholes.
They did not turn out perfect, the kind of opened up too much after hand sewing the facing…maybe next time.

Closed

Open

I’ve put a lot of work into this one. Usually I like fast projects, like those simple jersey tops, stuff that can be made in a day. The jacket took a week, working only in the evening and a weekend, but I like the outcome and have a few more jackets plans in the future.