As promised in my buttonholes post a couple weeks ago-- here she is, the finished couture tailored cape coat!

Made this frog purse for a friend to wear to ren faire! Now that he’s arrived at his destination I can post pictures. I’m SO incredibly happy with how it turned out!

Made from quilting cotton with a thrifted zipper I ripped out of a goodwill purse. He’s fully lined with a funky green print I got in a fat quarter stack and wasn’t sure how to use in a quilt. Feet are embroidered with a tight zigzag stitch for the details.

The feet are convertible straps - they can either clip around a belt for a more whimsical belt bag look, or they can open up and clip onto a longer strap for an everyday crossbody look!

Edit: this is a self-drafted pattern! He’s loosely based on a free fanny pack pattern I found online, but there’s a LOT of modifications. I might make a tutorial later if others want to make a little friend too :)

I was wondering if anyone knows how I can reduce how wrinkly it gets around the corners of the opening?

Hi, all! This is my daughter’s graduation dress, which I finished on Sunday for the ceremony on Monday. Part of the reason for the short deadline was that the design kept changing, and the other issue is that she lives abroad and was not available for fittings.

(Reposting as my previous post got removed)
Just finished my sister’s dress for the Jane Austen festival! The dress is supposed to be regency inspired, and I used Kitty J Berry’s pattern! I’ve previously posted my first project here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/s/FPnA16KGrM

I feel like I’ve learned so much already, and it shows as the second dress was so much easier to sew, and turned out so darling! I’m curious to hear which dress you think is cuter! We’ll wear them together so I tried to make them look like sisters too :D

The fabrics used are polyester crepe de chine for the base fabric and embroidered tulle for the overlay.

Seems all I do is sew things for my wife lately 🤣 She sent me a link to an Amazon bag she was wanting but it was too small. Being me I thought "I can make that". Final dimensions expanded are 12"x12" x6"

I've never made anything like this and took a lot of YouTube tutorials of similar bags before settling on exactly how I wanted to make it.

Self drafted following this how-to: https://youtu.be/1kFk2Ei49Iw?is=piFlccFi7vSzuyJY

Fabric: Cotton https://a.co/d/0eyyJQrH Lining: Nylon Ripstop

My sister asked for a passport holder for an upcoming trip, so I used Passport Wallet by TeethyMcGeeDigitals on Etsy to make this mockup that I will probably use for myself as I’ve had the same boring passport wallet since 2009.

The wallet has two passport pockets, a zipper pouch, and two card slots. It closes with elastic. I opted not to stitch around the edges because all of the pockets sewn together add a lot of layers and I thought it would look a bit unprofessional. The card pockets are a little dicey—I don’t really like how the cards hang over the pocket and they are a little loose for comfort.

I used leftover quilt cotton (Bella Firenze by Art Gallery Fabrics! Truly, this fabric was made to be a passport cover and it makes me want to go to Florence soon) and foldover elastic because it was the only elastic I have that isn’t white, and cut a zipper to size after sewing it on.

I like that it has a sleek profile, but it is pretty floppy with nothing inside it. Only the main piece has interfacing, and i worry that with all the layers, adding additional interfacing might make it more difficult to work with. It would be interesting to make this with thicker fabric and see if the added bulkiness would be worth it.

The version for my sister will feature Princess Mononoke fabric :)

Overall, this was a relatively quick evening project and a naturally stunning result with the fabric choice!

I’m super happy with how this dressed turned out! I think it’s perfect for a holiday, it’s so much fun to spin in!

The pattern I used is the McCalls M8036 in style A, I just followed the pattern instructions and didn’t need to seek any additional help. If I was to make this again, I would add some extra inches to the front of the skirt where it crosses over as it’s a bit risqué(hence why I made the shorts). The fabric I used is a poly cotton duvet set I got on sale from Asda, the white fabric is one side and the green is the other, I think they go really well together!

The shorts are made from the same fabric and I used a free pattern by Sewing With Max, they’re the DIY beginner friendly shorts without the additional ruffle on the bottom. The pattern is super easy to make as there is a YouTube tutorial, I’ve made 4 pairs of them now!

My next project is a tomato hat to match!

Photo credit to the talented @mrarcadra.

Pattern was Butterick B4254 for the bodice and Angela Clayton's M7885 for the skirt, however this dress has a heavy amount of alterations, deviations, and self drafting from said patterns to accomodate the fabric patterns and desired shape of the butterfly bodice. I added extra panels for the bodice that were hand stitched down.

The skirt was made with cartridge pleats, which I am the most proud of, as it took the better part of three days to complete. The underskirt is a massive amount of tulle on a petticoat, edged with a wide band of horsehair, however, it still falls flat on itself so I will be creating a new cage skirt. I won't go back to tulle only after this dress, sturdy cages are much better and easier to walk in.

Fabric is synthetic curtain fabric from a double wide bolt, no information on fibre tipe is available.

🦋 Wilhelmina Hollin, or Mina for short, is the Fey Princess of the Autumn Court. She loves insects, but has a particular fondness for butterflies and luna moths.

I love this character so much and am very happy to have finished her Autumn Court coronation gown. I've also made her daily court wear that I'll share in the future!

Hi, very exciting to be posting these trousers that i made. I don't currently own a sewing machine so I had to sew them by hand. These are the first garment I have made in over 7 years and the very first pair of trousers (with a fly and everything!!!)

They are the burda polyester cargo trouser pattern 114 https://www.burdastyle.uk/polyester-trousers-114-burda-style-09-25-pdf-pattern sewn with a navy cotton drill and cute little bit of pink cotton poplin. Though the fabric choice may not have been the best as it doesn't hold the pleat.

I know the fit around the back of the thighs is also not the best but the smallest size in the pattern was 2 sizes too big so I think overall the fit is okay.

What do you think?

Hey sewing community! I got a great deal on this adjustable dress form recently after searching for ages to find one that wasn’t going to cost beaucoup bucks. But in my excitement of finding it at the thrift, i completely forgot to consider the material this thing is made out of.

it’s basically a plastic sheet formed to fit the shape of a woman, so no way to pin it to hold fabric to it… i can’t even get a straight pin to stay in place through the thin fabric already covering it 😣 so i’m hoping to ask for some help or thoughts: what should i add to this dress form to give me the ability to pin garments to it? basically how to i get this dress form to behave like a dress form 😅

some initial thoughts/ideas:

IDEA #1: i was thinking i could try to find some sort of magnetic tape or something to line the inside of it so i could use magnets to hold the fabric up, then hopefully as i pin material together it would just hold on its own from tension…???? feels like a way dumber idea now that i’ve written it out though, LOL.

IDEA #2: i also have a good amount of aida fabric that i found thrown out behind a michaels, and that would hold pins well but doesnt want to conform to the shape of the mold at all. i could cut them into strips though, which might make shaping a bit easier.

IDEA #3: i could use very thin foam sheets? like a sew-in foam sheet like you might use for stabilizing a bag or something you might get in a pack for other crafts. i do need to add an inch to the butt lol so this could be a good fit.

maybe a combo of 2/3?? have any of you run into a situation like this before?? please lend me your wisdom 😭😭😭

I started drafting my dress last year and then had to put it down for a bit. I began with draping muslin on my form and then used a polyester crepe. There was some flat pattern drafting involved for the train godet. I’ve come back to it and after 5-6 toiles I’m finally happy with the fit. The 4-ply silk crepe is a dream to work and I can’t wait to get this under dress finished. There will be a layer of tulle with lace motifs that have hand embroidered beading (also by me) on top. So far I’ve spent about 900 hours on this project.

Briar Pants by Daughter Judy Patterns
Vest by Kiana Bonollo on Etsy

I'm obsessed with this jacket, I would love to recreate this!

However I'm a bit confused about the fabric used here;

Looks like sherpa for the body.

Then the bright stripes look like ripstop fabric.

What about the patterned fabric though??

I see it's quilted and it's some kind of synthetic fabric, but I would appreciate any recommendations. What kind of fabric would work the best with fleece and also ripstop and have a good variety of prints to choose from?

I'm not sure if it's a ripstop as well, it doesn't really look like one to me or maybe it is, idk.

Would appreciate any help/thoughts

Thanks!

Been making lots of purses and bags lately, here are a couple I’ve made in the last month or so.

All are made up of faux leather and cotton ribbed fabric and lined with suede.

I just moved and have a sewing room all to myself. What you use for storage? I’ve tried thrifting for organizing drawers but haven’t really found anything, it’s either too small or too big. Im fine just keeping fabric in boxes but digging through a box with all sewing supplies all mixed up is driving me insane. Also im very much on a budget so please don’t suggest anything too too expensive

Hi everyone! I’m currently making a new evening gown for an event. I’m really happy with the corset so far, but I’m not happy with my first attempt at pinning the skirt.
The fabric is a jacquard with a vertical pattern, so cutting it as a circle skirt isn’t really an option because I want to keep the pattern running vertically.
I’d love to create symmetrical pleats, but obviously that leaves me with a lot of excess fabric at the waist since I have about 4.3 yards of fabric for the skirt.
How would you approach this? Would you simply cut away some fabric at the top between/around the pleats to reduce the waist circumference and create a smaller radius? I really love how the fabric falls at the bottom right now, so I’d like to keep that fullness and drape if possible.
I’ve looked at examples online using the same fabric, but I don’t really like how they handled the skirt because the pleats aren’t symmetrical.
What would you do?

My waist is only about 72 cm (28.3”), but with all 4.3 yards of fabric pleated directly into the waist, it visually adds what feels like 50 kg to my waist 😅 There’s just way too much bulk at the top.

Looking for a dress pattern like the one Dita has. I had this pattern (vogue 8280) but it’s been out of print and sizes I had is a max of 8, and I’m a 12(bust) 16/18 hips. Etsy has is for $55(mind blown) and I just can’t justify spending that much.

Any recommendations for a current in print style that’s the same/similar pattern?

My sister in law likes clowns so for her birthday I made her a clown doll. I have started making handmade gifts instead of buying things for my loved ones recently, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I lost my grandmother in November 2024. She was ready to leave us, but we weren’t ready to say goodbye. I fell pregnant with my daughter just one month later. We named her after my grandma and I know she would have adored her. I hold onto a lot of my grandma’s possessions because I’m still not truly ready to let go, but repurposing this one felt right. It currently lives on a shelf in my daughter’s room because there wasn’t any way I could attach those eyes that would I feel confident giving to a toddler.

Puppy toy made with Simplicity S9837, using fabric cut from the dress in the last image. Used wooden buttons for eyes, attached with Gutermann sulky cotton 12 thread. Ribbon is also sewn together and then sewn to the toy. The fabric is an unidentified soft fabric, similar to brushed cotton (the tags were all removed so I can’t be more specific sorry).

1# Where do you all get official Juki presser feet for that machine in the US?
2# Avoid CKPSMS bran presser feet being sold as a replacement for the DNU-1541.

You can't adjust the inner presser foot independently of the needle on the horizontal, you can only adjust on the vertical. Meaning that if the needle hole is not machined in the correct position on the inner foot, you can't do anything about it. For example in my photo you can see the needle is too far to the back of the whole, there is nothing that I can do to move the inner foot back to center the needle in the hole. The issue here is if that needle has any play in it at all (and it does) it could have a needle strike on the foot throwing your machine out of time if you don't have a clutch like the DNU-1541S. Even still that's really bad for all the other reasons too.

All of my CKPSMS feet that I ordered that had be advertised as being replacement feet for the DNU-1541 have bad hole position and will cause needle strikes on the foot. I would avoid this.

Now its possible that I maybe wrong about not being able to adjust the horizontal position but all my research says that's the case. So if I am wrong please by all means call it out as I would love to fix this.

So that leads me back to the first point. Where do you all get your presser feet from?

Hey there! I’m looking for some pattern-making advice, especially if you guys have experience with hats or pet accessories

I’m trying to make a small baseball cap for dogs and cats that looks as close as possible to a real human baseball cap :) especially the relatively high front shape

I started from an existing pet-cap (the yellow cap I bought, image 2) and modified it to get a pattern (image 3)… but the problem is that every version I make still looks very flat compared with a normal baseball cap

the animal’s head obviously has a very different shape from a human head, so I know I probably can’t reproduce a human cap pattern exactly, but I’m tryin to can get very close to it

So far, I’ve tried:

• shortening the back pieces to leave more volume toward the front
• changing the shape of the front and side pattern pieces
• adding darts to create more volume
• experimenting with a homemade internal “shoulder”/support piece to hold the front up
• making several mock-ups with different proportions (see image 4)

The main problem is always the same: once the cap is worn/tightened around the animal’s head, the crown tends to collapse or flatten instead of keeping that higher, boxier baseball-cap silhouette.

I’m gonna test Decovil/interfacing on the front panels to see how much of the problem is simply a lack of structure in the fabric

would you approach this by changing the pattern itself, adding internal structure, changing the panel construction, or a combination of those?

I’d especially love advice on what you would change in the front/side pattern pieces to create more height and prevent the crown from collapsing

I’m be super happy to redraw the pattern completely if my current construction is working against me lol

Please help meee <3

I saw the polka dot bag on insta and the creator doesn’t have a pattern yet but I’m obsessed and literally itching to make the bag.🫣🤣 the baggu shoulder bag shape looks almost identical. I was thinking about buying one second hand and seam ripping it apart to then trace on my own fabric???? Is that even possible? 😅