Make FEWER sewing mistakes! Here's HOW! 4 HOT Tips!!
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- We're never not going to make mistakes when sewing, but wouldn't it be great to NEVER make mistakes on your expensive fabric or on your nearly complete garment? It is possible!!
We'd be kidding ourselves if we said we never made mistakes when sewing, I know I do, but I bet you're much harder on yourself about mistakes than you would be with anyone else or with a sewing friend.
The best time to make mistakes though is BEFORE you cut into that new and amazing fabric you just bought or when you are so close to finishing an otherwise perfect me-made garment!
The key to this is TESTING and I have 4 methods to implement into your sewing process so you'll never need to throw another sewing project straight out the window!
• Toile/mockup for testing fitting
• Testing your stitches
• Test the seam finishes on the fabric you're using
• Practice sewing techniques on your toile
Are you already a tried and true tester? Or what testing step would you never skip?
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// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:
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#sewingforbeginners #learntosew #vintagesewingschool #beginnersewing #garmentsewing #sewingmistakes #sewingtoiles #sewingmockup #sewingpractise #memadeclothes
Let me tell you, my WHOLE IDEA of sewing changed because of Evelyn’s sewing school. All of my projects used to end in frustration. I never would consider a mock up because my sewing time was so limited. I wanted to get right to the fun stuff. But NOW, I would never make anything without doing a mock up first!And I always make a new pattern after all of my adjustments. I LOVE to sew now, and have beautiful clothes, AND custom made patterns for all of them so I can remake them in as many colors and prints as I want! All of the prep work is SO WORTH IT.
Bonnie, thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience. I've been thinking about taking the course online. Could you explain to me how it works in practice? 😊❤
@@MsMonikaBar Sure! Could you please specify if you’re asking about how vintage sewing school works, or how my pattern process works?
True, we forgive others more than we forgive ourselves.
Always test buttonholes on the same fabrics and number of layers as you will be sewing them. ALWAYS! For example, 2 layers of fashion fabric with a layer of the interfacing in between. Please don’t ever skip this and don’t do just one. Do a number. Buttonholes are one of the most unforgiving things to try to unpick.
Thank you Evelyn, what a wonderful video.
I have 100% left the wonky buttonhole in place rather than try to unpick it.
This is so true. I once made the mistake of not even thinking beforehand if this would work on the actual fabric, it was a thick cord fabric with artifical fur on the inside and I had such nice buttons for it. Made a winter jacket for my daughter but when I tried to make the button holes (luckily on a rest of that fabric first) my sewing machine striked. The fabric really was to thick so that the machine hammered on one spot and didn't do anything. As I am really lousy with hand made button holes I ended up with press buttons from Prym for camping stuff (for extra thick fabric), looks good too though but it wasn't what I wanted and it really had angered me. So, lesson learned, always try first if this is working or your machine is capable to do this. Saves you a lot of nerves. 😄
I have definitely had buttonhole issues and have avoided them lately. It has been sad since the muslin I made of a shirt dress fit but it has buttonholes!😂
I might just add on more thing to the "Not making mistakes on your project" list. I forgot to pay attention to my A line skirt in progress. My zipper looked fine, but, hmmm, why did the waistline look so big? Because I installed my zipper going upwards from the hemline. I had to laugh at myself as I unpicked my stitches and started over from the back waist.
I learned a long time time ago - there are no mistakes. Only lessoned learned on what doesn’t work. When you learn that lesson it is actually a success.
I'm a tester, I keep all my old sheets and find them at thrift stores for testing.
Great idea
I allways do a Toille or MockUp before I start on my actual fabric. This spring I made a pair of historical trousers to my husband, (1840s fashion), and he thought I was crazy when I first came with the blue mock-up version, when he knew the fabric was wellow!
But I am glad that I did, so many small steps were included in the process and the actual pair would have been just a big NOPE if I hadn’t made the mock-up,
(And now, because I fixed the Mockup version, he’s got two pair!)
I'm wishing I watched this earlier! I've been sewing for two years and have definitely made some mistakes on some nice fabric I would have liked to avoid 😂
My biggest testers are my kids. If I want to learn a new technique or a new material, I test it first in miniature. My daughter has a woolen coat ba cause I wanted to learn how to work with boiled wool and didn't want to waste too much fabric, my son has lots of shirts each with one or two mistakes and he loves them. The only thing that you can't really practice on kids is fitting - I'm a lot more curvy than a 5 year old 😅
I'm so grateful to have found your channel. You have taught me things I never even considered as a sewist. I am fairly new to sewing... so thank you. I always like to learn from people who know the classic way of doing things like this, I feel as though the modern way doesn't help at all, because they assume you already know certain things as a sewist, but for most that are just starting to learn, we don't know ANYTHING!! So thank you for breaking everything down for us.
Working on my first mock-up because 1) I have heard Evelyn mention it so many times 2) the pattern is my own creation and 3) I don’t want to ruin store-bought fabric. I also take notes in a dedicated notebook so I won’t forget how to go about it when sewing the actual garment.
Oh gosh i love this..im sewing my first.muslin with stretch fabric and i am SO happy that i didnt cut and sew my main fabric...the mistakes ive made on a fairly easy to sew garment 😮😮😮 in the last two hours.
Thanks for the tips! They were very helpful!
If I don't have enough appropriate fabric for a full-sized mock-up, I just choose an 18-inch doll-sized pattern from my stash with all of the same techniques and make that first. It doesn't help with fit, but when that's not an issue, it works just fine.
YOU'RE THE BEST!! Have learned sooooooo much from your excellent videos. THANK YOU!!, BEAUTIFUL LADY.
Until I started watching your videos, I had never made toiles, but now I do for everything.
I enjoy the toile more than the actual fabric because it’s muslin and easier than the fabrics i choose even though i know i shouldn’t (yet) choose them.
Great suggestions! Something else I try to do is to use a toile fabric similar in weight and drape to the fabric I plan to use in the final garment.
Definitely. If not, you won’t have a true idea of how the garment will fit.
@@dale3404 yes I agree I learning that also. I was making a pair of pants from suede cloth and a sheet for mock-up. The suede cloth showed I couldn't get it over my hips but the sheet mock-up didn't.
So buy a little extra of the actual fabric to cut and test. Stitches, button holes, etc. thrift shop finds could be helpful for test fabric
I’ve never made a mock up, but now I’ll never make a new pattern without it. However, I practice buttonholes…sometimes a half dozen, on scrap fabric, before working on the real piece.
Test pieces and mock-ups are necessary for every project or for learning new techniques. This will save you money in the long run, and I learned the hard way.
I took your advice and have been using old bedsheets to make mock ups. Thanks so much!
Such good suggestions. Also once a test piece is done for a particular pattern, you wouldn't have to do another for the next garment you make from that pattern.
I definately test the machine stitching on the fabric first, so many things (thread, needle, tension, stitch type and length) can make the difference between a puckered mess and smooth finish.
I never did a mockup before, but you can be sure I will be doing them now. I have a pattern for a blazer that has built in adjustments for the bust, I want to make one. After going over the instructions I was quite intimidated. I see, now the importance- NECESSITY - of making a mockup if I am going to have a blazer I will be happy to wear in public. I also want to make a pair of slacks and maybe a skirt out of the same fabric for the blazer - MOCKUPS!!
Are you perhaps speaking of Cashmerette's Auburn Blazer? Because that's on my to do list as well 😆
What do you mean by built in adjustments? Is there an elastic in the underbust?
I have been sewing for years but made a Winter coat for the first time recently that had all kinds of new things I had never done. Also, this 30 year old pattern had very basic instructions that I found hard to understand so I really needed to do a test rund, especially for the collar and the pockets to even find out how to make them. I also keep the test-garment for future reference because I intend to make the same pockets on other pieces and I like to look and them for reference since it's always easier for me to understand a process if I can see the finished product.
I use scraps to test stitches, tension, and seam finishes.
When I was learning there was a show on tv. The Sewing Connection with Shirley Adams which is now on CZcams. Anyway she always stressed testing. She would talk through why she choose the interfacing and show the tests. It always made me think. Still does as I’m rewatching them!
So I’ve been testing at least my stitches before sewing on the garment for more years than I like to remember. Of course my kids keep having birthdays so I have to remember how long it’s been! 😂
Making toiles is an eye opener -- I love that I can make mistakes, and go back to figure out where things went wrong. It's a journey. Evelyn's sewing school is a goldmine of videos showing how to learn sewing techniques. There is a lot there, I highly recommend signing up.
So I did testing on pillows and stuffies for the kids. That helped me
It’s very important to test the serger before starting a seam. The threading can be just a little off and make a big mess. On another subject, I am a bit behind, just watched the video on beginner fabric selection. I find it’s a lot easier to work with fabric that has a clear right and wrong side. That way you know how to layout and where to mark.
I always make a muslin. Even by the same pattern designer. In the very best situation I will only need to shorten the bodice and narrow the shoulders. Used sheets are my friend. This is also a major reason why I trace the patterns. Adjustment is always in the process.
It’s funny, when I was learning to knit, it was easy to forgive myself for making mistakes, yet with sewing I get so frustrated when I can’t figure something out right away. I recently made a mock up shirt for my partner, and made so many mistakes and unpicked so many seams that I ran out of thread and have to buy more before I make the “real” garment. I’m super grateful that I was given a bunch of old fabric to use for practice and went to the trouble of making a mock up because I learned a lot along the way. I’m also grateful videos like yours exist. They can be a real lifesaver when I get stuck on a pattern.
At the very beginning of my sewing journey, I was not aware how important it was to test the fit. It became so frustrating as things didn't fit, I was going to almost stop sewing completely. I thought I would never be able to figure out how to fit things. I don't know what I was thinking when cutting beautiful fabrics blindly and hoping that they fit in the end. 😅 As much as I didn't believe at the beginning, it's amazing that fitting can be learned and improved. For me the life changing finding was Palmer Pletsch' tissue fitting method. I am loving this technique. Since then, I realize that every time I make a new garment, it is fitting better and better. If I am making a very complicated garment or using a very precious fabric, I would still do a mock up. But for most of the cases tissue fitting really helps...
I found a pattern to make a shirt and it was by Palmer Pletsch who I had never heard of. The pattern instructions came with a separate sheet on how to do many adjustments and the order of them. The pattern was also marked with where the adjustment lines were. Amazing! Also the first time I am testing the fitting (as a new sewist) thanks to Evelyn's wonderful videos!
After making a couple of unwearable garments, I now test and tweak each pattern - purchased or self drafted!
I test by using a fabric I like - but don't LOVE - for the first one. This way if it comes out okay, I can still wear it - and this happens! But if it's a real fail, I don't feel super sad for having wasted money on an expensive fabric out of the gate. This happened recently to me with a wrap dress. I measured and remeasured myself, and I modified the pattern pieces to accommodate MY measurements.... and it FIT, but I didn't love the way it sat on my body. It would have languished in the closet. So I ended up taking it apart, and the pieces are in the scrap basket now. But it's ok, because it was quilting cotton I had bought on clearance; the fabric will certainly find its way into a scrap quilt eventually!
Such a helpful and informative video! Thank you!
I am totally a tester! If I'm making a dress out of a semi-sheer fabric, a lot of times I'll use the mockup as the lining. (I'm OK with the lining looking wonky - I'm the only one who will see it.) My current project is my first time using elastic thread. Yes, I am practicing that before using it on my pretty double gauze!
I will definitely have to remember this when I do button holes. I have never done one before and they look so intimidating.
Buttonholes can be tricky. I practiced mine on same fabric plus interfacing. Everything went smoothly. What I didn’t understand (never having done buttonholes before) was that the buttonhole foot would stop sewing the buttonhole if it wasn’t perfectly flat. It would sew in the same position and not move. What caused it to not be flat? A waist seam on a shirt dress. Right where you’d definitely want a button. Another example is the hem edge and binding edge on a sweater. Where these two come together can be bulky. Now I analyze carefully the construction and often make my buttonholes before some of those other elements. It’s a bit of work to figure out the exact placement because I have to factor in those seams to come later. But I’d rather do that than have a disaster of buttonholes at the very end of sewing a beautiful garment.
10:05 Hi, I was terrified of doing buttonholes and always did press studs instead, but recently made a shirt for my little grandson and they were not difficult at all. I did do a few test runs though.
Excellent advice as always
When at last I began testing the various thread tensions 1st , and discovered I could spend 1 minute trying out say 3 tensions, I had to stop and laugh at myself. I had been guessing guessing!!which tension worked with which fabric forever. No longer! I refashion garments frequently and always find a handy scrap available.
I have made muslins when making prom dresses or bride maIds dresses for my daughters. I always sew a test line or two when I change thread and begin a new garment.
I’m a tester but I still try to test with things that I can use wear so wearable mock ups. The amount of PJ shorts I have right now is probably more than I’ve ever owned because I’ve used fabric that’s a little… see through. So while experimenting with elastic/half elastic back on pants.
I’m planning on doing the same thing with the top I’m making. Find a sheet cut it out and if it’s comfy it’s a PJ shirt. And I can move on to some better fabric. If it’s way to big I can do adjustments on it and seam rip it to copy the changes to my pattern and then go again from there.
Sadly I’m a perfectionist! Your tips are great for people like myself who want their garments to look as good as possible. It’s the zipper that gets me every time. Never thought of trying it on the mockup first!! Thank you for that great tip.
I used to HATE zippers. But then I started making it the FIRST thing I did when possible. It was so much easier to do with flat fabric then a tube
My youngest daughter refashioned her grandmother’s old floor length dress into a jumpsuit for Prom and we were shocked that the zipper was not sewn in it was only topstitched.
The only try outs I made sofar are on a tall doll. (She is a little below 1 meter/1 yard tall). I make it with the fabric I want to use, just a smaller version, to find how to do it. I sew by hand, no machine, the idea of making a mock up first... it would take me forever, and then start on the real one... but if it is something complicated I will try that anyways. You make sense, if the fabric is expensive! 🤗❤ The size remains a problem for me. I don't know how I do it, but if I measure the same thing 5 times, I get 5 different measurements.. so the size, I kind of wing it. Therefor I make mainly the cloth from the Celts, Vikings, and people in those days, tunics, hoods, chemises, if I name those right. Not so fitting. I will learn somewhere! 😁 Thank you! 🤗❤
Such good tips and these have really helped me to understand sewing & getting the fit right . I would throw in 2 more things that Evelyn has talked about in other videos. Having a good mirror or two setup & really taking the time to study how the toile looks on you. Also taking pictures of yourself in the toile with your phone. Do many positions & even do a movie camera version one to see how you & the toile move. I have really benefited from this one. I can do a slew of pictures then come & study each one for a length of time.
Definitely a mockup first, when starting out sewing it seems like a waste but there’s so much information to be gained from them. I even get at least a quarter yard more of the finished material to apply what I learned with the mockup and practice areas I may have had problems and set the machine I’m to sew the final piece with. I even bought some nice muslin to make a cool summer shirt because I like how the practice garment turned out.
Thank you for this video because it seems obvious but apparently it is not. I learned with time to test my serger every toile on a scrap of the fabric single or double depending on what is required in the garment…button holes are very tricky so I test it as well. And also I try once or twice the collars and cuffs. This saved me a lot of disappointment and frustration in time.
Great suggestions Evelyn! I do a test garment for most new patterns before I make them. If I’ve made a pattern from a company several times I might not but measure carefully and take ease into account. But a new company, every time!
Hello Ms. Evelyn, I hope this finds you well and strong. I've finally come to the point where I accept that mock-ups are part of the process. Because, oh my lord, the mistakes I've made. Take care.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Excellent perspective. Eye opening and realism
I was taught by my mom, grandma, and home economics teachers in the 1960s to test out new techniques and always to test stitch settings on the project fabric. But I don’t recall any toiles or muslins. Now I rely on them for my many fitting challenges. So I’m definitely a tester-most of the time 😊
Hello, Evelyn! Will you still be making refashioning and monday mending videos like you used to? I've learned (and used) so many helpful things from those.
Thank you!Thanks to you I've learned about mockups!I'm moving very slow,but I'm trying!😍
You caught me, I was watching as I prep for my first garment project but you're too right about making a practice garment 😅
Was this navy shirt the shirt you were demonstrating as the result of LOTS of testing a few months back? I spent most of this video admiring the stitching along the collar-was that hand embroidered, with embroidery floss? I love it!
Can you explain how to measure the proper length on a finished dress from a dressform, how to establish the position of the hem line front back sides. Thanks.
Hello! I'm so thankful I came across your videos and found them so very useful that I signed up for your Vintage Sewing School. The skills that you've added to my skill set have put me so far ahead of where I was! Worth every penny! Thank you Evelyn!
I did a costume piece. Thanks to Evelyn, I constructed a test piece first. The final piece was done in a woven, heavy fabric with metallic threads woven into it. EEP. First, it was a new pattern. Second, I had never done an invisible zip. Third, I was going to have to figure out how to finish seams so that the costume wasn't scratchy to wear. The mock-up piece saved me a lot of headache on the zip. The fit wasn't perfect (which I am still considering) and the seam finish on the final piece required a little research. Ultimately, it turned out to be a pretty good costume piece I can use.
I seem to find myself forgetting to mirror pattern pieces at times and that can be so devastating. Measure twice and cut once always look at the pattern pieces to ensure you know what to cut before cutting. I also tend to forget to adjust my stitches after I've basted but that one is luckily an easy fix.
I already test.
I've noticed on the more historical sewing patterns(modern patterns based on original historical garments) the instructions are quite brief. There's plenty of room on the page for fuller instructions!! I actually ended up studying photos of extant garments last week to work out what to do with a pattern.
This is really a big help tip for me as a beginner in sewing thank you Evelyn
I’m currently making a muslin fitted sheet. The last three sets I have purchased they have all torn and I have patched them and they keep tearing so I decided to try some of the 108 wide fabrics but as you said didn’t want to ruin the expensive fabric so I bought some muslin knowing I could always use it for a quilt project if it doesn’t work. Now to figure out what is wrong with my bobbin case!
Do you, or someone you recommend have videos on how to thread a 90s babylock? I think it's 90s anyway.
I have never done a test garment but I am going to.
A mock-up garment could also be known as a ghost garment
Hi Evelyn,
I'm in a bit of a tough spot trying to decide whether it would be worth it to go to school for fashion design -- it would be a little tough financially and for other personal reasons. If I did, I would be going to my state University, not an out-of-state fashion school. I'm wanting to be thoroughly competent in pattern-making and garment construction, to confidently and comfortably be able to make my own clothes and have my own brand one day.
My question to you is (assuming you went to school for fashion), do you think a person can learn those things as well as they would at school, with CZcams, books, and other online resources that we have these days? If yes, do you think it would be at a terribly slower pace, or about the same? I think that's my biggest anxiety -- not knowing if all of my trial and errors, and stresses of learning are similar for everyone in this field, or if they would be much less and go smoother and faster, if I were at University, under the guidance of a teacher.
Thanks,
Your viewer
I'm a tester already.
I bought a bed sheet set and got like 6 yards of fabric for like 1.50 per yrd!!!! What do you recommend for jean fabric mockups?
please I want a name of a book teaching the dress of brom sewing
generally no lol, but within the last few years i have if there a particular type of outfit
Not a mistake, but does anyone know the difference, tailoring wise, between putting a zipper on the side or the back?
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Test, test, test.
Tester