I’m thrilled to announce that I will be coming to Europe in June-July 2019 to teach several sessions of my sought-after dressmaking workshops. Berlin (Poppy Ray Vintage) Elberfelder Str. 3, 10555 Berlin ONE SPOT NOW OPEN! First session: June 13-14 (Thursday & Friday), 10:00 am to 6:00 pm SOLD OUT! Second session: June 15-16 (Saturday […]
What: A long weekend (Friday through Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm each day) devoted to dressmaking techniques in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley Where: Beetle and Fred, an all-new spacious and fully-stocked sewing boutique in the heart of Beacon, New York. Located on Main Street in the midst of the galleries, vintage shopping, boutiques, […]
Big news! To celebrate the release of the Night and Day Dress, I’m running a design contest with a fabulous prize. As you may know, this pattern is a mix-and-match extravaganza with 72 potential designs. Where does one even start with that many options?! To help get your creative sewing ideas flowing, I’m having a […]
Our final post! Believe it or not, we’ll be finishing the dress in the next few steps. First, we’ll do the lapped zipper. Start by pressing in the seam allowances on the back zipper opening. The left side (as you’re looking at the dress, right side out) should be turned in the full 5/8″ seam […]
Today we’re going to sew the skirt and attach it to the bodice! Before we do any sewing, and before removing the tissue from your skirt, I recommend marking your pleats by clipping. I know there are lots of complicated-looking pleat markings, and I always ignore those. The pleats in this skirt are soft box […]
And we’re back! It’s time to set in the sleeves for view B. I’m going to show you some prep steps, and then I’ve made a video to help you through the process of pinning in the sleeves, since I know it can be a little tricky. The last step you completed was understitching your […]
Okay, time to actually sew! We’re going to do steps 1-12 today, meaning we’ll get through the sleeveless (View A) bodice finishing. I use a very different method for the armholes than what you see in the instructions, so please check it out. I’ll be back soon with View B bodice sleeves and finishing. Make […]
Ready to cut your fabric? Before you do, one last word of advice: if you made any fitting changes that effect the neckline of the bodice, remember that you’ll need to make the same changes to your interfacing pieces (pieces 2 and 4). Because I did an FBA, I laid my piece 2 on top […]
Hi everyone! I’m currently looking for a group of sewists to pattern test a new Charm Patterns design. Please read below and if you are interested, fill out this form. Here’s what I’m looking for: People whose body measurements are relatively close to a standard size on the Charm Patterns size chart (see below). It’s […]
Hey, sew-alongers! There are over 900 of us in the Facebook group now, and it’s bustling in there. Okay, we’re moving on to a super important step: making a bodice muslin! It doesn’t take long, and it will give you crucial information about the fit of your dress before you cut out your good fabric. […]