My mother taught me how to sew, and her mother taught her. We have a rich family history of sewing and I couldn't be more thankful for the mentor-ship of my mom and her sister Karen.
This year I had the opportunity to tackle a sewing project with the help of both my mom and Aunt Karen and captured some of their advice along the way. I wanted to share their nuggets of gold with you; I hope you find them as helpful as I do!
Tips from Aunt Karen included, "before you cut anything out, treat your fabric like you would the garment. Every fabric, every time." This tip allows a sewer to avoid shrinking of finished garments, dye bleeding, and other potential fabric laundering issues. She also suggested it was best to adhere interfacing to the inside (toward your skin) when possible in case it wrinkles. For example, she would suggest that I adhere fusible interfacing to the interior collar stand instead of the exterior panel of a collared shirt.
My mom, quoting her mother, told me the best way to decide on button placement is to always start with a button in the place with the greatest pull (across the bust or hips) and to place the rest of your buttons evenly from there. What an amazing tip! She also taught me that to set my stitches and make a crisp seam I could spray water (from a separate spray bottle) to steam my garment without burning my fingers.
I've learned a lot about sewing this year, spending intentional time watching, reading, and practicing my craft. With advice like that of my mom and Aunt Karen I can create better garments than I could purchase. I'm so incredibly thankful for the advice of my mom and Aunt Karen any time I have difficulty interpreting a pattern or deciding on an appropriate fabric. Now to enact their advice on my next project!
What tips have you learned from your sewing mentors?
Photography by K.Willerick Photography. Go check out her site!
