RED FLAGS OF A POOR QUALITY GARMENT - Get better at sewing by looking at garment construction!
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Let me show you all the things I found on the fast fashion garment that tell me, it is a poorly constructed garment. Many corners have been cut while sewing it, and it shows! Learn to notice what skipping steps looks like, so you can improve your own sewing!
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// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:
Part 2 -
FIXING FAST FASHION - What can, and can't, be fixed on the pink jacket? Learn garment construction!
• FIXING FAST FASHION - ...
How to DESIGN AND PLAN YOUR BEST SEWING SPACE, using the space you have!-Get 'Sew Organized' Phase 1
• How to DESIGN AND PLAN...
The best way to SORT AND ORGANIZE YOUR SEWING supplies! Get Sew Organized Phase 2!
• The best way to SORT A...
How to STORE AND DECORATE YOUR SEWING supplies for your ultimate sewing space! Sew Organized Phase 3
• How to STORE AND DECOR...
TOP 5 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN LEARNING TO SEW // Advice to my beginner sewer self!
• TOP 5 MISTAKES TO AVOI...
TO PRE-WASH OR NOT TO PRE-WASH YOUR FABRIC BEFORE SEWING??? Why do I have to pre-wash fabric anyway?
• TO PRE-WASH OR NOT TO ...
#1 WAY TO MAKE YOUR SEWING LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL... plus (spoiler!) 3 tips on pressing and ironing!
• #1 WAY TO MAKE YOUR SE...
5 good sewing habits you need
• 5 GOOD Sewing Habits Y...
3 quick fix refashions
• 3 quick fix (ok, one n...
HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOU CAN ADJUST? 5 things I use to evaluate clothing for refashioning and altering!
• HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOU C...
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Evelyn
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Very helpful- so many things to look for.
It's also important to acknowledge that the seamstresses who create these garments are not necessarily careless. They are forced to produce cheap garments as fast as possible for an extremely low wage. Often they are literal or virtual slaves. The ones at fault here are the companies that create them and put us all in this situation for more money than most of us could even understand.
Absolutely! They are just making to specifications given, and the quality control, all laid out by their employer. And at least 10 different people likely worked on it, all a separate seam each (which is one reason the contruction has to change to allow for this kind of process). You are correct, the quality of this garment is definitely a reflection of the company, not the makers ❤
I'm glad you made this comment. All the points in the video were so informative, but it really bugged me that the tone of the video was about poor sewing "choices" when it's really about what a company can get away with. The sewers have no choice if they want to keep their jobs.
Robin A. I didn’t get that from Evelyn’s/the video’s tone at all. It’s pretty clear to anyone who’s aware of the harms of fast fashion, that it’s the fault of the company and their poor practices in worker pay, garment design, quotas/goals, working conditions, the list goes on. I agree it’s not the workers’ “choices”, it’s the natural & direct outcome of the systems the company has put in place. But I also don’t think Evelyn meant to sound critical of the workers - it was a fair and unbiased criticism of the garment.
@@robina.9402 some of the wording used stood out to me too. I tried to take in the info all the same but the delivery wasn't sitting right in places though I think it was accidental. I'm glad to see Evelyn's comment here acknowledging the topic so elegantly. The most valuable info was all the ways the stretch knit was wrong for the construction and why it was causing issues everywhere, and I'm glad she spent most of her time on that because the other details were likely just the inevitable result of whoever sewed it only having a minute or two to spend, which isn't a problem for most of us watching. We can take several minutes lining up our fabric under the presser foot if we need to....(yep, I struggle, very new to the game, not very bright :D)
This should've been addressed in the video.
I think...we are so accustomed to seeing these lower quality items that we forget how its supposed to look like.
I agree!!!
Plus like,, if its actually being worn, most of these mistakes are probably not even really visible, especially not to thr untrained eye or in busy places or dark spaces.
Once I started buying & wearing vintage, the poor quality of modern clothes became even more obvious. These new garments aren’t going to last for five years, much less 50+ years.
pvanpelt1 And they’re not expected to last. I prefer classic styles that last forever. Most modern fashions are short-term.
So true
As a beginner sewer I would love to see two similar garments. One done well and one done poorly so you can show us this is bad and this is how it is done well.
I was just now gonna comment asking her to make a video on how she’s remake this jacket. It would help me really visualize and fully understand these techniques
She did one very recently ! ( I know I am late to the party haha)
For the complete novice, showing how you would have created these areas the right way would be very helpful. Like that bottom hem, showing how that seam should have been made would be a great video.
Evelyn is so precious, it feels like she's an old friend of yours which you can ask for sewing tips
Tho not related to this particular jacket, what drives me crazy are plaids and also stripes that don't match where they should. I see that on higher priced clothing and not just FF.
Yes. Too often the only difference in FF and high priced is the price, and perhaps the label.
Yes!
Oh yes, it drives me nuts. I’d never buy a garment when the stripes, checks and even patterns don’t match.
My girls do not sew and I grit my teeth when I see them wearing clothing that was just slapped together ----- and it's all the time. I haven't bought ready made since retiring and refused to buy plaids because they never match. A lot happier with my handcrafted clothing although I do choose the wrong type of fabric at times.
This is my pet peeve as well It's so noticeable even from a long distance when the pattern does not match up. Some of the details she describes here, you need to look very closely to see them but a mismatched plaid is visible across the room. Especially plaid pants which have been trending the past year or two, if the left front and right front do not match it just looks so bad! And many so called fashion channels on youtube will do 'hauls' with mismatched plaids (not just a little bit off but like, 5 or 6 inches off!) and they don't even mention it in their review. Commenters will mention it and the youtuber says "I didn't even notice". How can you not notice! I feel like many fashion channels do not know how to judge quality, they have probably never seen or worn a quality garment,
so when they review any garment the only thing they can think of to say about 'quality' is whether the fabric is soft or if there are any unclipped threads. I don't really mind an unclipped thread because I can fix that in a second. A mismatched plaid cannot be fixed.
I think it was made by some poor, overworked woman, somewhere in Indonesia or Bangladesh, they have to work really fast. it's just my opinion, all fast fashion rely on cheap workers.
Exploited women, but bargain price is hard to resist. Most folks don't know what the workers are living, and don't know quality either. Take care of elders, we have skills and knowledge 👵🏼🐞
And this poor quality fabric and construction is seen on fairly expensive clothing too (bridal wear!) Terrible. Unless people sew or are used to seeing high quality clothing they don't even realize they are paying tons for garbage clothing!
Many years ago there was an exhibition of the costumes for the singer Kylie Minogue, many, if not all, were couture items and they were finished so poorly, many seams weren’t finished and things were left as bare fabric and not hemmed.
Definitely an eye-opener! I’ve no idea how they were washed, but they would have needed washing frequently as she is an energetic soul!
@@billiebluesheepie2907 That's interesting, wonder what Kylie thought about that, did you know Kylie is also a sewer? She would definitely notice bad seams 😂😂
ms guinevere - so sad. It used to be wedding gowns were passed down for generations, fitted and refitted for each new bride. I guess that wouldn’t happen so much anymore. It wouldn’t have been an option for me because of the circumstances of my mother. She was married during wartime in her country and a traditional wedding dress wasn’t possible in that place or at that time, but I would have loved something like that. Now we lose something rather precious because the gown itself wouldn’t be something worth passing on. And what we lose- to me- is something far more important and far more valuable than just the dress itself. I guess I’m feeling just a bit nostalgic today...🙏
Most people do not even know what quality is, they have never seen it or worn it. They would probably think this is better quality just because it has a lining at ALL or it has actual functional pockets instead of just decorative pocket flaps.
I once went to Taylor a bridal gown, but the way the seams were finished in such a way that the whole garment would have fallen apart if I had
Great video! What peeves me the most is when expensive brands that are essentially just bought for the logo, but if you actually look at the garments there are many flaws, but people seem to think they're better because of the brand 😂🤔
Yes, probably made in the same place as 'economy' garments. When you pay a lot of money for a branded garment it is reasonable to expect superior quality but, sadly, this is not always the case. They are just after our money.
I have a habit where I leave the price tag/label on new clothes for a while even whilst wearing them (I have a 6year old handbag that still has the Cath Kidston label on it) and my friends often make comments (and strangers try to pull off the tag in the street to 'help' me. I patiently explain that the clothes/item probably cost £2.50 to make but the name on the tag cost me £25, so why would I take off the most expensive part? (Looks innocent) (fails) 🤣
I bought a Michael Kors wool coat, where I had to replace the lining after the first season. The lining was of poor quality and tore at the shoulder when it arrived by mail to me. I swear K-mart (and similar quality stores) has better quality linings in their off brand coats!
If you don’t sew, how can you know good clothes from garbage?
@@ellenrittgers990 That's what this video is telling you. But, in reality, few of us can afford quality clothes, and even quality clothes are made fast and poorly with few exceptions. The garment industry is near the top for environmental waste and contamination, horrid working conditions all for us to have a $15 t-shirt which paid the worker pennies. There are so many middlemen between the garment fabrication and the time you see it on a hanger in the store. Everyone gets to add on their cost. I've read several articles showing most people wear an item less than 6 times before it gets shoved in the back of the closet and forgotten.
I have striped dress at home and the stripes on the zipper do not match, at all. It annoys me to no end. It's not some complicated pattern where it is hard to match fabric or something floral where it won't be noticed.
I'm a complete begginer but when I was making a skirt out of checkered fabic I took A LOT of time to line up the pattern. I even made bell hoops so they match the fabric of the waistband underneath (at this point my mum concluded I'm just a tad crazy). She had her doubts ever since I came from a second hand shop with a new waistcoat and was geeking out about how the pattern matches almost perfectly!
🤣 I would have geeked out with you! And not matching stripes is a pet hate of mine too! You must habe a natural eye for dressmaking if were able to match up patterns on a skirt already! 😄
A sure sign of good or bad quality: Whether the stripes align. I just found a man's shirt at a thrift store where they all DO align--I'm saving that refashion until I'm more sure of myself on refashioning men's shirts, because I don't want to mess up that one!
This is so useful. I never knew why the hems came down on my winter coats, I thought I'd done something wrong in my garment care, now happily preparing to fix them.
Oh my god. I don't know her but when she said it was lovely to see 'all our smiling faces' I instantly smiled. For the first time in weeks.
I feel this problem is also created in the fashion industry because the designers are so far from the production process. Designers sometimes don't even know how to sew. How can you design something properly, when you don't even know how to construct a garment?
Fashion Designers must know how to make patterns, but not necessarily how to thread a sewing machine
That is true for really massive fast fashion companies like Inditex or SheIn that relly on many different manufacturers sometimes in foreign countries, that sometimes the design team have never been to or have never seen which definetly influence the poor quality but its important to know that when you design for that type of companies a lot is expected from you in very limited time and you work highly monitored by the expectations of the market , you have to deliver what they want, when you design for that type of company and market you have to know what you get into and know they expect you to know where to cut corners, the same is expected from the pattern maker in case those are two positions but more and more companies are looking for designers who can also pattern and grade (digitally or manually) which limits your time even more, a fashion designer employed in the garment industry very rarely is in charge of just designing, they have to be involved in sales, sourcing, marketing and production, the job has become even more demanding and less well payed, all that has been reevaluated thanks to the quarantine. I don't how it works everywhere but in Mexico (where I'm from and work) in really big Mexican fast fashion companies design comes from corporate (that is usually not to far) but there is also a design department in factory to process tech packs and work samples and all, while other medium and small companies usually have the design department right in the floor next to the manufacturing area (or maquila) and the finishing area so we could identify and fix any issue. It's true some designers can't sew but let me tell you in the maquilas you can't earn the respect and trust of the seamstresses without knowing and knowing a lot, they expect you to be able to fix any issues. This in not the case for all fashion designers but for countries like mine that are known to manufacture the bachelor in fashion is focused on the industrial processes so we must know how to sew and to how to sew big quantities and make it cost effective, so I think this issues with quality are not really mistakes of some few poorly trained designers but just the way time is handled and the expectations that the company that hires you have, you can rarely go into a company and present a great collection and expect them to up quality and lower margins because of that. No intention to offend but it's most likely the system rather that a couple bad apples, the companies are fully consumer oriented rather than quality oriented. Hope this little insight helps. We are also overworked and under paid.
A few days ago I found myself in my closet just examining my clothes, while binge watching one of your series. Started pulling clothes off the hangers, and created a 'Renovating' pile. Oh Boy! 3/4 of my closet was on the floor.
Welp, I'll be busy for days to come.
Your videos are great, Thank you for putting in your time to help us beginners out.
Your most welcome!! And how exciting! What fun you have in front of you! 😄😄
3 years later.......how many did you get done??? I'm dying to know😂. I have projects from 10 years ago that I still haven't finished 😮😂😂
I'm nodding along and tsking - but honestly if you asked me to point out what was wrong I'd have no idea at all. :)
Total beginner here but all these things are why I usually don't feel comfortable or put together in fast fashion jackets and blazers.
I am the same. The darts are always in the wrong place and they have probably been cut badly. The trouble is that the pieces are cut by different people and then sent to the sewing room where they just sew together what they are given and don't make any attempt to correct any errors! Or aren't allowed to as this takes time and, for these workers, time is money.
@@lunasmum6869 Yes true, but they probably have to finish a certain number each day, so don't have time to fix.
@@hiwall4883 Exactly. No work, no pay!
As someone with absolutely NO knoweldge about sewing, (expect, weirdly, to always choose the right fabric for the pattern you're sewing) this is such an eye opener. I had no idea how intricate, and, scientific even, sewing could be. This is amazing.
Fast fashion is one reason that vintage is preferred. I've had many of the same issues on garments I've owned. These days manufacturers don't care about making garments well. Too often store-bought clothing may fit but seldom flatters because of the modern styles, but it's all that is available for ready to wear. Thanks for doing this particular video. It tells us to look even closer at what we buy.
I love this video! My mother and grandmother used to go shopping and only on occasion would get a store-bought garment. If it passed their inspection, they still would usually change the buttons and reinforce the underarm seams, etc. I'd love to see you make a video where you rehabilitate this poor jacket! If that's possible, of course!🧵 I just got to the end of the video and will be trotting off to find your follow-up. Thank you so much for this!
This is an interesting and well done video, the things you mention are definitely something to watch for. I'm not really sure thought that they are a sign of bad craftsmanship; most of the stretching and pulling looks like a result of washing in a home washing machine. The lack of topstitching and understitching are, on the other hand, more likely a "designer" choice mean to give a seamless finish, not a something an actual experienced constructor would plan. It pains me to paint fast fashion workers as bad sewists, while they are simply following someone's orders the best they can.
Your point about it being washed in home washing machine was my first thought, too. I have seen so many garments that are to be 'dry cleaned only' ruined like this.
I love how you pointed out all the “fast fashion” foibles. This is why I love vintage and vintage fabric. This is also why I want to make vintage more accessible to everyone! The quality is so much better.
I confess I have never prewashed my fabrics. I am making clothes for my niece and nephew today, but first I'm going to prewash their fabric! I love your channel and am learning so much!
This is so good! I point these things out to my teenage girls all the time when they fall in love with a piece of fast fashion. "You can make it...better!" (PS - YT keeps unsubscribing me from your channel, but I'm trying again!)
Arhhh CZcams..... I find that too! But right!! When you start to notice garment construction and what is like in fast fashion, there's no going back!
For quite a while I was thinking you look like some combination of Betty Boop and Snow White. I figured it was just because they are from the same decade. Recently I found out that the original illustrator for Betty Boop is the same person that illustrated Snow White.
She really does resemble them. It’s a lovely style.
Wonderful video! Though I'm sure your level of sewing is far beyond mine, my mother was an expert tailor and fashion designer for men's wear for Poland's biggest fashion house before we emigrated to Canada and she taught me a lot of what you are pointing out here (as well, many lessons you teach in your other videos). While trying to learn from my mother as a teen I just thought she was extreme, fanatical and too critical (when she'd take me clothes shopping for a special dress, blazer, etc.) of most ready made clothing. Only as I grew up and learned more and more, did I understand all the lessons my mother tried to teach me. The single biggest pet peeve I picked up from my mom was: uneven back hems on skirts - especially short (mini skirts) and narrow skirts. Fast fashion never seems to take into account the fact that your bum makes the back of a skirt "stick out" or rise up a bit in height from the floor, thus making the front of the dress or skirt look longer than the back. To this day, this is my worst peeve because it is so visually, immediately noticeable. As a child, I would watch as my dad crawled around on the floor, pin cushion and yard stick in hand, as my mom stood (in very high heals of course) wearing a dress she was working on. My dad would circle the hem of her dress, measuring from the floor up, and pinning as he went around the bottom of my mom's dress, so that her hem would be absolutely level and even. As a child, I thought, "What the heck are these two crazy adults doing?" Of course, it all made sense years later. One other related pet peeve: Seeing women going out to try on formal dresses/gowns that are intended for wear with high heels, but not trying said dresses on with high heels - ugh! The minute you put on high heels, they immediately change your posture and stance, thus altering how the back hem of a dress or skirt sits. There is nothing more painful for me to see, than a bride trying on wedding dresses in bare feet or flats, not having brought some kind of high heeled shoes with her. Sheer crazy making. Another lesson instilled by my mom (as she sewed many an evening gown and altered many a bride's made dress for me).
I still have my favourite childhood dress, that I inherited from my cousin circa 1975 (it dates back to the mid 1960s). I didn't just wear the dress, I ran around in it, I sat on the floor in it, I played in it (as did my cousin before me), and apart from one small patch of barely noticeable fabric thinning & a few minor stains, that I'm sure could be gotten out with a professional dry clean, it is still in wearable condition & certainly doesn't look like it's 50+ years old. In contrast the fast fashion clothes, that I now highly regret buying, are already looking worn out after only a couple of years.
And Fast Fashion is often expencive fashion. I remarked it last year when I looked for a coat. At least found one in a thriftstore: high quality from the nineties.
My pet peeve is leggings or pajama pants where the stripes don’t patch by 8 or more inches!!! They didn’t even make an attempt! Then they take a picture and post it on their online catalog.
Yes, I think the cutting room has a lot to answer! Even in fairly expensive clothing you can often see it has been cut slightly on the bias when it should be straight or vice versa then, when the garment is washed, the bad cutting rears it's ugly head and looks awful. No wonder so many people want to make their own clothing. Buttons falling off, kinks in the seams. Like Evelyn, I could go on for ever at the stuff people are paying hard earned money for.
You see, it drives me more nuts when the stripes are just a bit off. When it's very off, you can believe that's what they were going for.
Next video we fix it!
With petrol and matches!
😂😂😂😂😂 Perhaps! Let's see what a needle and thread can first.... but keep the matches close by, you know, just in case!
@@Evelyn__Wood lol
Even though I'm a fashion student and I don't really have much experience working with knit fabric, but I can tell its really tricky to sew knit fabric..
By how its woven, it can lose its shape overtime when it's pinned horizontally. Basically, it's not gonna look flattering on body if the materials itself somehow not been taken cared of properly.
Holy cow! These probs you pointed out are SO prevalent. Thank you very much for pointing them out and how it could have been done differently. As usual, perfect, on-point video.
This is so interesting Evelyn. It certainly reminds you to look out or this kind of thing. You get them home and then wonder why you never wear them ! Thankyou for sharing your knowledge, most welcome.
Thanks Jean! I'm glad you found it as interesting as me! I love looking at the insides of garments and seeing how it's made, it makes you a better sewer for sure! 😄
What an awesome video, and the tiniest of details, oh wowwww. I learnt how to stitch I think I was 8 or 9? These tiny things were taught & I never realised till now. I do observe this little things on garments but never realised why. It's because I was taught the neatness of a stitch and how the fabric should look, I hated ironing and never understood till a lot later in life, why garments are ironed during stitching as well. I loved this video. Thanks for all the tiny details that you have pointed out.
My mother was an amazing seamstress & created most of our clothing as we grew up. Although I am quite an older person myself now, I cannot part with the handful of items that I still have and which she made for me when I was in my late teens/early 20s. They are beautifully made & are a testament to her amazing skills. And of course, her lovely embroidery and knitting handwork are heirlooms and priceless to me, especially those items she made for my sons when they were babies.
My mother made loose covers and curtains for hotels but didn't like dressmaking. However, she did make clothes for us. The buttons would never have fallen off and the seams and finishing were perfect. All this on a Singer treadle machine! I wish I still had some of those clothes. When I was at school I was told off for the way I finished seams on the machine by backstitching and sometimes tieing the threads all depending on the fabric and the part I was sewing. but I carried on my way as I felt my mother's knowledge of sewing was superior to that teacher's!! We had to start with an apron but I was already making my own dresses at home! Mum didn't like knitting either but I love it and spin my own yarn.
Maggie Knight Thank you for sharing about your mother’s beautiful legacy...I think our moms/mums would have enjoyed each other’s company & talking about their sewing and the families they loved.
You're a mind reader. I just had a discussion of what makes good construction in shoes. I was amazed at the differences in quality. This is perfect for us beginners. Love the hat pin, by the way. Once the basics are established, it's all in the details.
what drew you to the jacket originally, before finding all the flaws?
Maybe she purchased it to make a video about what poor quality sewn garments look like.
I forgot to mention that in the video! I was mending the buttons on this one for a family member! So it's not mine. And now I turned it into a video... and I'm not giving it until the next video where I fix it properly! 🤣
@@Evelyn__Wood I knew it wasn't yours. I can't imagine you wearing a jacket like that. :)
@@Evelyn__Wood Hooray sharing skills!
i was wondering that too! Why did she buy that jacket?
Very good points, most people wouldn’t ever notice but sewers do!
What a wonderful project idea for upper level sewing classes in high school: Find a garment you like at a thrift shop, identify construction weaknesses and which are worth fixing, then fixing those!
It's so helpful, can't wait to see fixing. I don't wear jackets but it can be helpful with other clothes too. Could you do whole series about wrong sewn clothes and how to fix it?
I'd love more like this. So useful.
I would have not noticed, thanks for doing this. There's a need for videos like this as part of the anti fast fashion movement, so to speak. Perhaps you'll do more. Xx
Your channel is fabulous. So much to learn and your videos are most helpful!
Aww I'm so happy to hear that! Thankyou for watching! 😄
Love this video as you point out what happens when a certain something is not done, and as a beginner, you highlight the points that we as beginners may miss doing on a garment . Thankyou so very much. Can’t wait for next video now xx
My 93 year old grandmother who is an extraordinary lifelong seamstress was known to go into high end stores looking for a garment for this wedding or that event; however she would find a lovely looking garment, only to be horrified by the poor craftsmanship upon closer inspection. 'You don't expect me to pay $X for this do you? Look here at this seam', she'd exclaim to the bemused sales girl, pointing out the shabby sewing. Of course, she would return home to her sewing room and sew the garment herself. And it would last a bloody LIFETIME to boot!
Since bridal dresses are usually only worn once and for a very short period of time, the factories skimp on everything. To get an heirloom-quality bridal dress that will be handed down for generations, it should be custom made.
@@BonnieLeeTexGirl Yes, that makes sense. Although my Grandmother's keen eye included everything from Hermes to Bridal to Myer! I really envy those old school sewing chops.
There's a popular brand of work shirt that's finished but not all the way if that makes sense. So when I get one it's easy to fix. When shopping for a garment I look to see how it's made and more often than not what it's going to take to fix it. Pretty sad actually. But sometimes if the price is right it's fun to see what can be done.
I wish you had a well structured coat as comparison to really show the difference in putting an effort in creating pieces of clothing.
This is what I really need to learn: how to find quality clothing items and how to fix any mending or adjustments they need as I buy mostly thrifted clothing.
Yes, do as Patti suggests and ignore any glares from the staff! I can't wait for Evelyn's next video where she puts those awful errors right. There is a lot to learn! Edited to correct spelling!
I’ve spent the last couple hours watching your videos because I was taught to sew as a kid, but had given up on it in recent years because nothing ever seemed to work out right and look nice. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s to not skip steps! Watching this I don’t know why I was surprised that my projects never turned out. I skipped pre washing, I didn’t pin properly, I skipped pressing lots of times, I didn’t pay attention to the types of fabric I used.... the list goes on. There are also things (like adjusting patterns and fit) that I have yet to learn, but I’m feeling encouraged to try sewing again with a new commitment to sew the way my mother taught me and to not cut corners and perhaps the end garment will at least be useable
Please talk about the shank buttons and how to attach them so they dont flop everywhere
If you put enough stitches through the loop, they will fill it enough that the button won't move as easily.
Like ghost said- just sew them on. You should go through any fast fashion item that has buttons to secure them yourself because they're always barely attached. It takes 3-4 passes to get a minimum of stability and factory workers barely have time to do 1. The single hole type is extra easy since there's no worry about the best crossing pattern like on a 4-hole button. There are plenty of tutorials online already if you don't know how to get the spacing right, or you could wing it as buttons are pretty forgiving about tightness so long as you line them up with the holes.
Oh, this is why i don't like FF jackets! they're wavy/stretched, bubbly like that, uneven... and let's not forget the fabric they use for them: polyester!
Always polyester!!!!
Just watching that jacket made me all itchy and sweaty.
Thank you so much! This will help when I sew and shop.
Thanks for watching! I'm really glad it will help you out!
My grandma told me she was sorry she lived so far away, but if I practiced enough and followed directions closely I could learn to sew as well as she. That garment reminds me of an early attempt at doing the best I could.
What a shame!! It`s such a beautiful color!!!
This helped me so much. I own a small business making accessories for pups. As strange as it sounds this video was so helpful not only examining my competition but also helping me improve my product especially since I pride myself in quality. Thank you, I definintly picked up a few tricks.
Thank you. Now I know just how horrible my sewing is. I hope to find the follow-up video and see how to improve.
I know many people who wear expensive clothes, top designer brands that charge a fortune for one shirt. But I still find evidence of sewing shortcuts on them and it makes me give up on finding anything nice in my price range. I have no problem with someone paying decent money for quality fabric garments, but when they seem to be made just as cheaply as other fast fashion brands then you know that extra money is just going into the brand's coffers, not in paying decent sewers to do quality work.
Wow some of this stuff I just wave my hand at when I buy clothes because it’s all I’ve ever known. Thank you for this video!
Also stitch length! There are so many clothes with 4-5mm long stitches just waiting to fall apart at the seams 😬 I prefer to sew with 1mm length - stays strong and last long :)
Ms. Wood , this is Exactly what I am looking for!! (I and my wife hope to start an apparel business. I am the designer but we need to learn the basics! ) Perhaps, you could do another show that would show techniques used in coulture or very high-end garments Thank you so very much!
Very helpful. Thank you. I’m so very glad I’ve begun sewing again. And this time I’m learning to slow down and do it right!
True . Finishing is all what a nice neat garment is all about.
I can't believe I've just found your channel! Love this! Thanks so much. Fast fashion is such a problem for so many reasons. Probably the least is that people's standards are lowered.
Watch Part 2 - czcams.com/video/yOS1fYx1BUQ/video.html
Would you have noticed these things? Or will you now? 😀 Part 2 will be next week, what other questions you have about fixing these??
Want to earn more? Join me at Vintage Sewing School - www.vintagesewingschool.com/
Thank you for this interesting vid! How do you do your fusible interfacing not bubble like that? I always prewash and I press it thoroughly but it still pulls away and makes those bubbles...
Thanks for watchibg! In that case, I'd say it the fusing. Either poor quality or wrong type for the fabric.
Wow you are so inspiring!! As a newbie I would be overjoyed if you would consider doing a vid walking through a simple pattern from start to finish. I want to learn the right way. I'm in UK so not always easy to watch you live. I 💖 your styling too!
The main reasons the back collar is wavy are 1) the top collar is larger or the same size as the undercollar. 2) it has been made 'on the flat'. 3) it is not bias cut. Stretching shouldn't be much of an issue because those fast-fashion folks fuse all the pieces before working with them. Since the stand and the fall are separate, there may have been poor cutting.
The fact the collar sits square shows it was made on the flat, as so many are in both mass production and the bottom level of home sewing (it wasn't always so in home sewing).
The lapels may well have been badly made, but I suspect someone washed the jacket and then did a bad pressing job at home. I agree about the front edge seams (lazy finishing) and the buttons; though the pocket jets look reasonable to me, just pressed out of shape. They were probably done on a jetted pocket making machine anyway. As for the hem, the way coats have the linings bagged means hems are hardly ever fastened, if at all.
I do notice things like these. I'm bad because I sometimes buy things, second hand, I mean, Only because they are well made. They never fit me, but I can't stand the thought of of them being unappreciated. I always think I will do something with them, but often do not as I then start thinking, along the lines of the garment being a piece of history.
Thanks for sharing! Im obsessed with examining construction when purchasing stuff.
I always find it surprising when fast fashion items show signs of poor quality that point to not having used the correct equipment. That neckline would easily have been managed without stretching by simply using a walking foot which is more common in industrial machines than home ones. I also feel like a lot of hem problems come from slack in the lining (apart from not prewashing fabrics, use of incompatible inner and outer fabrics, or not hanging the garment prior to hemming, of course). Working in the Costume Design Center at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, we did almost all of our coat Gemma in the machine-only manner, but the lining was trimmed and sewn in such a way as not to wind up having excess that is pressed down over the hem seam line and we never had any problems with the outer fabric sinking like in your demonstration jacket. All they had to do was cut the lining piece one little inch shorter, but they had no time even for that. But when you're paid by the piece and not the hour... the companies just want quantity over quality. And if you get too fast at a particular piece, they'll often swap you too a new one you're least familiar with and practiced at to slow you down and thereby pay you less. (I worked with a woman who had previously been a factory seamstress and oh boy did she have stories to tell!) We need more than just an increase in sustainable fabrics and eco-friendly dye processes, etc - we need to also be working toward sustainable practices like talking time to create better quality garments that will last longer so that fewer clothing items are thrown out, but with that costs would go up and wet all need to realize that in the long run, it's worth it and works out to be able the same or cheaper than constantly replacing work out items.
Love your vids! Can you recovery an item that interfacing was ironed too hot and has an adhesive look in the fabric now? And I also have questions about interfacing: proper weight to use, too cold ironing, too hot, proper interface weight to fabric weight, etc. Is it possible to do a video about interfacing or add into another video? Thank you so much for your time and sharing your knowledge.
Sensational Evelyn, love your passion ☺
My mom knows how to sew, she worked in many factories and big name brands, when we went shopping for clothes she always 'inspected' everything and will not buy things that "will not last" "bad quality" "not worth the money" "will only last two washes" at the time it was very annoying because most of the "trendy stuff" is fast fashion, but now that I'm older I'm grateful because I have pieces from 5-7 years who with proper treatment, still look amazing!
I find this video so helpful!
Major puckering on the whole garment because somebody didn't know how to sew on the bias, of a knit, without stretching it. Am i right or am i right? ;-)
This is very helpful for also us who buy our clothes and don't make them.;)
It isn't just fast fashion, it's all modern clothing, which is just a microcosm of modernity. Cheap, flimsy, disposable -- everything that life has become in this age of Amazon and instant gratification. Unless you are able to pay exorbitant prices or make your own clothing, nothing that can be obtained in a store or online can be discussed in terms of quality.
Hi Evelyn
I'm new too sewing...although I don't particularly do vintage sewing. Your videos are extremely helpful and beginners friendly
I want to become a excellent at sewing and want my items too look professional , so I just had to subscribe. Viewing all the way from the United States in Chicago, Illinois.
Could you please compare and show a poorly and well made piece of garnment. It would really help to learn to see quality. It would also help to see the sewing done for that particular part of the garnment to understand why it turned out poorly or well. Thank you for your videos, they inspire me so much. Also absolutely love your style, so rare these days!
I love this video and the part two too! It's very informative because I often buy thrift clothes and when I take them to my seamstress to get the flaws fixed, she often tells me "this is made poorly" or "it's not worth fixing" etc. :(
Now I know what to look for when I am shopping! Can you perhaps do something similar but for trousers?
Thank you for sharing this! This will help me select items at the thrift store and help me learn to sew!
Thank you for sharing these things to lok for. Won't keep us from buyinmg stupid things we 'fall in love' with at the time, tho. Could you please do a video on how to put the INSIDE pocket on a jacket or vest. /Stay safe, we value your exprtise.
Great content 👍. Unfortunately I have bought a couple of designer jackets and after a wash the lining seems to hang and shows hanging below the hemline !!
I have a fear of sewing with Jersey or knits ( tips would be appreciated pls ) I am NOW scrutinizing all my jersey tops checking out the construction....Thanks to you !
I learned that although they might be the same style they are not all sewn the same method 🤪... !!!
Thanks for yr lovely vlogs .
Greetings from Europe.
Yes so true! They might look the same from the outside, but the inside can bee quite different! Jackets and linings are the worst! You can, usually, do a fairly easy fix on this!
I personally don't wash designer jackets at home i take them to the professionals. I'm not willing to pay so much money on a garment and have it ruined in the washer. only recently i fond some designer jackets at the thrift store, and even those i took to the professionals to make them look brand new.
What happened to you points to the fact that the designer didn't pre-wash the fabric. :( unfortunately,not all designers make quality clothes. You gotta learn about where are the designers making their items, by whom and in which conditions. there are several sweat shops in Italy alone, all used by various designers. Only handbags, shoes, and certain embroideries are made entirely by hand, in Europe in decent working conditions.
Sapphire Camui I would never put them in the washer ! 😂 thought that would be obvious!
Yes even after dry clean it happens .
Sew jersey and knits with either a stretch stitch if your machine has one, or a zig zag stitch if it hasn’t. On seams with wear or weight, like collars and shoulders, use some thin tape on the seams to stop them stretching out of place. Jersey is mostly forgiving and is easier to sew than slippery fabric, feels nice and comfy to wear, and the seems don’t fray!
...and like anything new, it doesn’t hurt to go slow to begin with!
Thanks so much! I always have trouble finding clothes that will last long, but was too uneducated to know so. Thanks so much!!!
Oops I accidentally repeated myself
Omg that garment is just sad. 😂 Ugh! I wish we would go back to buying a few pieces but high quality
With the current state of the economy, this video has given me the tools to select better quality garments. Thanks!
I have seen this kind of thing on fancy brands my sister buys. I try to make these points to her, but all she cares about is the label
Love the wrap top on the dress dummy. 😁
Thanks Evelyn - Great tips on what to look for in a well-made garment.
I want to know about that FABULOUS pin cushion bracelet!
Isnt it funny, when you start sewing and you notice all this stuff when you are shopping. It's also when you look at seams and the pattern not lining up.
It is like when you are in a queue and the person in front is wearing a lovely hand knitted cardigan. You follow the pattern and instantly notice where a mistake was made!! And they thought it wouldn't be noticed!!
Sewing made me much fussier about ready-to-wear! And it’s all polyester now. I’ve made things out of silk, with better sewing, for less than what a lot of stores are charging for polyester.
I would love to see videos when you produce something like a shirt parallel two times. One time how it should be (high quality) and one time by taking all possible corners or just make bad decissions so a quality like you have shown us in the video would come out of it. In the end we could see what difference it really makes.
I also would like to see how to know if a button is a bad quality it self and how to see that the sewing of the button is bad quality when the button is not falling off so easyli.
thank you so much for the interessting video
I expect it could be difficult for Evelyn to sew badly! I like the idea though.
I went to my wardrobe and pulled out a handful of garments to check the quality, looked under one neck facing and exclaimed “dreadful” then realised it was one I made 😨lesson learned.
Haya. Hope all is good with you? It is always so disappointing seeing lower quality rtw clothing & how to the un trained eye most do not even realize how clothes are supposed to be constructed. Thanku for sharing. x
This is a great instructional vid! Thank you! Now I am very much looking forward to instruction on how to rectify these issues, if possible. And if these issues cannot be fixed, then i will know to leave the item in the store.
i ENJOY DETAIL WORK.
I love this video. I would love to see more of this critique type education.
Arwh, poor little jacket! 😆
I have one of those ‚jersey jackets‘ and I gotta say, they are soooo comfortable to wear. Mine is in blue animal print though...it was never intended to look ‚high end‘, lol. Weirdly enough, I tend to get compliments, when I wear it...who would have thought?
I‘m curious...do you think, that a carefully constructed jersey jacket could look ‚high end‘? I like wearing mine so much, I‘ve been considering making one for more formal occasions. I‘m just not sure, if the material in itself will always make it look less chic, than a tailored jacket.
There is difference between jersey and jersey. My experience is that you can't buy such low quality material (or it is really hard) from what storebought pieces are made. The brands orders it in bulk, for really cheap price, a better quality fabric shop would never have such low quality and cheap fabrics. If you make it by yourself and keep the keypoints of jacket making you will end up with a much better quality product. It will never look like a jacket well tailored from a woven fabric, but it will look much more e better than a fast fashion piece. Also I suggest that if you use jersey than use the ironed in interfacing which is knit based (woven based will detach because it is not stretchy)
I would be interested to see how you deal with the hem, I assume hand stitching, yet even the smallest stitches can show through the front, spoiling that smooth look, or would you top sew with machine using matching thread, hmm, I'll be watching.
I always try to take a close look at seams. And the amount of times I found items that were nice enough, but had cheap and ugly bottoms, which I would replace. The same goes for lining. That is to say my dislike for it and how it never seems to match or fit well. But I still haven't been brave enough to replace any lining and I have a few jackets that I would love to fix!
would like to know more about tailoring a neckline.. love all the info you talked about. i will be waiting for the next video. ❤
Very useful content. Thanks.
Thanks for a great lesson. I'm wondering if it would have helped to interface the hem allowances.
Hi, I sympathize with you, and I understand why you would be seething about this piece of gar...ment. I just want to raise the other side of the garment point of view, so to speak. I'm not on the other side o the sewing machine by the way, just a casual passer by, used to see both sides of everything, really. One of the hazards coming with my education and nationality, so nothing major or new.
I'm thinking that on the other side of the sewing machine sits a person that would love to have the time to do things right and would be seething too, if they just had the time and energy to do so. Someone that need to do this shoddy work just to earn an income to feed their family. Probably not a living wage, but at least something to try to ward off starvation of their family. Someone working in bad light and even worse air quality. Someone with a projected lifespan of about 40 years, and have at least one child dying before reaching the age of five.
I'm so glad that you are training people to expect more from their garments than what fast fashion can give, and to fix up thrifted fast fashion to a standard that we all would want. And maybe in the longer perspective give the person on the other side of the sewing machine a living wage and job satisfaction. That'll be something to hope for.
Thank you for taking the time to teach us these things. Yours, Ann
I have found myself looking for those things after finding a name brand dress cut unevenly and stitched together! Makes you feel sorry for the fabric! I have since ripped out the label and removed notions for an architectural refashion!
😂😂😂 I'm going to use that one... "makes you feel sorry for the fabric!" At least you could salvage parts!
You should do one on high end fashion no being so high end. Dior made the fast fashion list and that is sad!
Interesting idea!! 🤔😄