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Sewing with stripes 101

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Sewing with stripes might seem like a scary thing to learn however with a few industry tricks you will master stripes in no time! When sewing with stripes the preparation of your pattern and fabric is just as important as the sewing technique. Below we have used our Clara Dolman Top pattern to create a chevron style top. Our Clara Dolman Top PDF Patterns is available on Etsy [esty.com/shop/Michellepdfpatterns] Pattern preparation To ensure a stripe match in the cutting and sewing stages it is important to mark a reference line for our stripe. As we have created a chevron style with the stripes, we have added a seam allowance to the centre front and back to allow for seams. Mark 7mm (1/4 inch) from the centre front and back at the neckline and hemline. Join the markings with a line and extend the cut lines for the neckline and hemline. Marking the reference line To mark our reference line we have measured 10cm up from a page join and 10cm in along the page join on the fron...
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Block Fusing - the technique you never knew you needed

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Block fusing is a technique used in style sampling and mass production where the entire pattern piece requires a fusible interfacing. Think neck facings, waistbands, cuffs and collars. There are some great perks to using this method for your interfaced pieces and is a much-loved technique by our team.   What is block fusing? Block fusing is where a piece of fabric is cut and a slightly smaller piece of fusible interfacing is cut to fit. The interfacing is then fused to the wrong side of the fabric and you can cut your pattern piece from the fused ‘block’. This method is used in mass production of garments. It enables the factory to fuse the interfacing and fabric together prior to cutting to save production time for fusing each piece individually. Instead of the factory having to individually fuse each piece they are able to fuse several metres at once with a machine and then cut the pre-fused pieces in one go.   Why do we love block fusing? We love block fusing ...
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Sewing with knits 101 - a crash course

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Sewers seem to have a love-hate relationship with knits. I will admit when I first started sewing I avoided knits as everyone told me they were hard to sew with and I didn’t think I was ready. I started sewing when I was 10 years old. My mum was a home sewer and taught me to sew on her old Janome sewing machine. I was immediately hooked and have been sewing ever since both professional and for myself. It was a few years before I attempted to sew with knits and once I did I was surprised at how simple it was to sew with knits. Anyway I got side-tracked, lets get back to some tips on sewing with knits.   Knits are amazing to sew with. They are easier to fit than woven and are a lot more forgiving too. There is such a variety in weights, fabric construction, composition and prints that they are really amazing to sew with. We will start out with tips on setting your machine up to best handle knits and then move onto some techniques for sewing. For first time sewers of knits sel...
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