I’m a contestant in a local sewing competition, Project Runway style. Our prompt for the unconventional materials week was to create a costume using non traditional sewing materials. I cut down the maiden grass seed heads from our yard, sewed it onto some old craft paper I had saved, and secured the reverse side with brown duct tape. The head dress was constructed out of cardboard, an egg carton, and more maiden grass. The grass got progressively fluffier throughout the week and o really loved the texture it gave!

I’ve been sewing on and off since 2009, mostly making simple unlined knit dresses or pajamas. This project is my most challenging yet, and I’m very proud of it. I chose the Closet Core Patterns Kelly Anorak because it’s a popular pattern with plenty of resources available. I initially planned to make it for myself in green British Millerain Waxed Cotton, interlined with recycled wool, and lined in silk twill. However, I knew the cost would be much higher than buying the Barbour jacket I wanted, so I decided to test it on cheap fabric from a bargain bin. My 10-year-old daughter had outgrown her fall jacket, so I bought what I thought was basic 10oz. cotton canvas from an online retailer, which turned out to be LL Bean deadstock with a DWR finish. She chose the color and lining fabric, a cotton/viscose blend, which isn’t interlined for warmth since she prefers layering a sweatshirt or sweater on cold days.
The trickiest part was getting that tiny sleeve onto my machine arm so it would attach to the body. I also had a bit of trouble with the flat felled seam on the second sleeve seams. The sleeve was just too small, and the fabric was too thick, so I only managed to do the flat felled sleeve on the most noticeable one.
It took me about 10 days to complete, and sourcing all the notions was a bit difficult, but I feel ready to make it for myself now. I sewed her a women’s size “0” and didn’t shorten it because she’s tall and thin, so she’ll likely grow taller before wider, allowing her to wear the jacket for a couple of years.

Made my first pair of overalls!

I bought a pair at a market in France and absolutely loved them, but after wearing them throughout my pregnancy, the seams started coming apart. So I took them apart and used them as a pattern.

So pleased with how they turned out! Just sad that I have to wait until next summer to wear them 🥲

While I technically have made garments before, this is the first time in nearly 20 years I’ve made anything to wear and decided to draft this here tomato costume for Halloween after struggling to find one to buy.

My partner is going as Denethor from Return of the King. IYKYK.

Got my machine serviced a few months ago after decades of disuse, got her all tuned up, and have been taking classes.

The front and back are just two ovals and two tapered 6” gussets with a neckline. Cut a 5” slit in the back I taught myself how to sew a continuous placket on (she’s ugly, but she’s finished, lol). Sort of free formed the collar, then taught myself how to make bias tape to finish the neckline. After realizing that bias tape really does mean you have to cut it on the bias (lol), I decided to buy bias tape for the hem. We won’t talk about how that went, just don’t look too close.

Hook and eye in the back because I misread my collar measurement by a bit. I still put a button in the spot where the collar gaps just for fun (yes, it is a tomato button).

I used only quilting cotton, thick fusible interfacing for the body, and thin for the collar. I thought about lining it and decided there were already enough new lessons in this project, lol.

100% cotton fabric using Spaghetti Western Henrietta Skirt.

This is a super quick and easy sew, the size chart was spot on and its easy to make simple changes and hacks.

I added interest by cutting the yoke fabric running side ways instead of up and down like the rest and I think its so fun.

Im wearing it with the yoke to the front/back but in all their images its usually on the sides, I just like it better my way.

Ill definitely be making this again and trying a few hacks

Does anyone here know what specific type of needle this is (see photos of both the needle alone and the card it was on), or any search terms I could use to find another? I'm desperate because I love it, and if I ever should lose it, I don't even know what to call it to try to find another.

It's a large, thick, curved needle, dual-end-point. It doesn't have quite an even curved perfect C-shape, either; rather, it is almost a J-shape, with one side being ever so slightly less curved than the other. The hole is moved up the shaft a bit and recessed along the one end, which is a bit thicker than the opposite point.

It was in a vintage, guessing 1950s-ish set of Singer hand-sewing needles left to me by my grandmother years ago (who famously hated sewing, lol). In the card that thankfully was included, it is stated as simply "Curved Needle - for repairing upholstery in chairs, car seats, mattresses, etc.", as stated on the card. But if I search for a curved needle, I get the ones you would expect: Single point, hole at the end of the shaft, just a standard c-chaped sewing needle. If I search dual-end-point or dual-pointed curved needle, I get the huge right-angle ones used for knitting. If I search dual-pointed curved upholstery needle, I just get the regular, SINGLE point c-shaped curved needles.

Please, does anyone know what the exact name of this type of needle is? Do they even make them anymore? I've never seen anything like it, and I hate to think it is solely a relic of a single run of 1950s hand sewing needles Singer made once upon a time. Thank you in advance for any insight! ❤️

I made a quilted tote bag with a waterbottle compartment and compartments for a sketchbook and my writing utensils. The best part of making your own bags is that you can customize it however you want!

Self drafted and first time sewing a structured bodice, strapless dress, horsehair hem.

Made for my wife to be ahead of our wedding in a months time.

As with any project, it could be neater. But she’s very happy and looks beautiful in the try on.

I posted previously about the horsehair hem (wasn’t a fan of it showing in the hem) but decided to leave it. Think it looks fine once it’s on.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Mikado. Steel boning. Taffeta lining. Self drafted using Clo3d and a months of research on how these types of garments are constructed (very much an amateur)

It's my daughter's first Halloween! Despite everyone asking if she's gonna be an Ewok or Grogu or something more aligned with my fandom identity, she is going to be Hornet from Hollow Knight/Silksong! I made the Ellie and Mac Nightfall Cape (retired pattern) but did a collar stand instead of the hood. Outer fabric is a pretty red brocade I got from a friend in our craft supplies swap, and the lining is from an old flannel sheet. My husband 3D printed the mask!

I embroidered the cute bunnies on white fabric and couldn’t decide what to do with them. Found this fabric and it said apron to me.

Hi! I am trying to find this type of plaid that kind of fades out into stripes, and I haven’t had much luck. I am unsure if I’m looking using the wrong keywords or if there’s another name for it?? Would appreciate any help!!

Construction comment:
Pattern: Suit Vest thing: inspiration was Butterick 5384.
I also used a suit jacket and vest from men’s warehouse and took it apart and traced pieces I wanted, like the lapel. Other pieces like the back piece , I drew a piece that fit the side pieces and did mock ups until it all fit together and fit him. I am not a professional so I really don’t know how to fully describe what I did.

Train/skirt and draped sleeve pattern: a large /long circle skirt.

Lace Sleeve: I used the men’s leotard pattern from Rayena on Etsy.

Fabric: main white fabric: white charmeuse from Pacific fabrics in Seattle.
Lace sleeve : silk tulle from Mood fabrics
Lace design appliqués on lace sleeve: fabric for less, Renton ,WA
Lace for train: LaceUSA
Notions:
Crystal appliqués and buttons: Etsy
Buttons to make the train detachable: Etsy.
Swarovski glass pearls: Annie’s beads

So we began this project together last year with an idea and a dream. I had never sewn anything men’s clothing wise so I learned a lot during this process. We flew to Seattle for fabric since we literally have no apparel fabric shops up here in Alaska.
At the time we had all the fabric we needed for this design. However , this design changed as we did mock ups and his preferences changed. I ended up needed more fabric and mood and lace USA saved me.
I started with the suit jacket which I mentioned above how I put it all together. I took a lot of trial and error but with 3 mock ups I was able to make a pattern.
I hand sewed all of the appliqués and crystal bits as well.
The lace sleeve was the hard part. I was searching for lace that wasn’t warm or itchy since sensory issues were a concern. I found silk tulle on mood and it was a dream to work with. I then hand sewed all the appliqués where he wanted them while he was wearing it.

The train is just a large and long circle skirt. I sewed four buttons onto it and four buttons onto the top of his pants so that he could detached the train when he wanted to.
All in all it took me 10 months to complete this.

I was so honored when he asked me to make this for him and I’m grateful I got to go to the wedding and celebrate with them.

I made the Madrone Pants by Sew Liberated as an absolute beginner and I'm really proud about how they turned out.

I used Nylon and I love the way they sit. They're super comfortable and lightweight.

The instructions really had me questioning myself sometimes and If I look close enough I can definitely see all the mistakes I made, but it's really cool to know that no one else has these exact pants.

I love the cut of the dress but struggle to find patterns where the waist is this small and the skirt flairs like this. other a line skirts/dresses usually fit my waist and hug my hips too much. not sure if i’m searching the wrong terms for the look/style I want? I know I could trace this dress to make a pattern but I am not confident enough to do that. any advice is appreciated, thank you.

I was watching a k-drama and the female lead has this laptop cover and I love it!

If you look at it it's more than a standard sleeve it's more like a quilted fabric cover? I think it has something that holds it to the top like maybe elastic straps on each side? I'm honestly not sure. At first I thought that it encases the entire laptop and wrapped around the bottom too but now I'm not sure. And it has a really cute...pocket? On the front? Not a pocket?🤷🏾‍♀️

Is there a pattern out there for something like this?

I’m starting on Christmas presents and here is a scarf I made for a relatives son! He likes cars! Woven cotton fabric with a fleece inner layer to keep him warm.

Name courtesy of my 3 year old!

Simplicity Crafts 7542. Year 1997

I found the pattern for this frog at a thrift store and couldn't stop laughing. Their eyes are just ridiculous. Why are they so long? Who decided this was a pattern we needed in the 90s? I had to make one.

I learned a lot from making this frog, such as:

1) when making plushies it's very important that cutting is correct and seam allowances are even so the seams line up.

2) how to line up curved edges and sew them

3) how to hand embroider eyes for a toy

It's for my son, so he won't mind the imperfections where I forced the seams or trimmed them to make it all fit together. The tongue was his added request at the end, and I did not have it in me to open the mouth seams to hide the end. He keeps asking for teeth too, but that's NOT happening.

I hope you enjoy Froggy the Long Frog!

I have pants, well a onesie really, that has a strip of stretch fabric (the dark brown) running up the inseam off both legs and through the crotch. The pants are well more than large enough. I want to rip out the strip of stretch fabric and then resew the inseams. I've never done anything like this before so I'm wondering if this might have any effects that I'll regret later. Thanks!

Does this match ok or should I try to find a different thread? Sorry, I am new to sewing. I ordered both online. Is there a system you use to buy matching thread?

Winter is coming and some jackets need zipper replacement. Unfortunately, the zipper replacement I bought didn‘t mention if it’s prewashed. The Jacket is made of synthetic material, not sure if that would matter.

Also, do you prewash other fabric-y attachments as well like laces etc?

Please share your go to zipper repair tutorials especially for a 2-way zipper. I only have experience replacing a regular zipper and i don’t habe any budget to get it repaired by a pro.

I got a free motion embroidery foot for my Brother XM3700 machine and I’ve been playing around with it. It’s much harder than I thought and I found that my cotton poly fabric is bunching up a lot. Is this something that will get better with practice or do I need to change the tension? It’s set to 3 now

Hello, I am new to sewing. I found a pattern for a coat I like online, and I have taken some measurements of my body. I have the pattern as a vector file. I know I can print it out and manually adjust lines, but it seems like it would be harder to do for curved lines like arm holes, since you can't control arc length as easily. I've worked with some vector editing programs before where you can adjust the length of curves and stuff, so I'm wondering if there's a good program specifically for pattern adjusting?

I just made the Madswick ginkgo pinafore dress, I really really liked how detailed and clear the pattern instructions were. It was so easy to follow and she even had a sew along for the dress on YouTube that was extremely helpful for some parts. I also really like the idea of supporting a small creator rather than a big business. I’m looking for recommendations for patterns/creators that offer similar things.