In addition to using silk for my handmade work blouses, I also made my wedding dress out of silk! The dress has a princess-seamed bodice and a three-layer circle skirt made from hand-dyed silk satin, chiffon, and gauze. Each type of silk required a slightly different treatment, as will the fabric you’re sewing with – … Read more
I’ve been dyeing fabric for over a decade. I even dyed my handmade silk wedding dress! Here are 4 ways to dye silk fabric, how to choose the right method for your project, and step-by-step instructions. Contents list: What’s the best way to dye silk? Can you dye silk dresses, clothes, curtains, etc? My fabric … Read more
Wool is one of my absolute favorite fibers to work with. I’ve sewn many trousers, shirts, coats, and jackets using different types of wool. It’s generally a hard-wearing, hard-to-soil fabric, with great temperature-controlling properties (meaning it will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer). If you’re in a rush, here’s a … Read more
Natural dyes can be an amazing way to add eco-friendly color to silk fabric, and a perfect opportunity to learn more about the plants that grow in your area. There’s a huge amount of variation in natural dyeing recipes and each one produces a different result. This is an overview of the most common techniques. … Read more
What’s the difference between velvet, velveteen, and velour? Velvet, velveteen, and velour are all textured fabrics with a pile (meaning they’re made from cut loops). Velvet has a high pile and luxurious shine. It’s drapey. It has no stretch. Velveteen has a short pile, no shine, no stretch, and no drape. Velour has a medium … Read more
I spoke to Linton Tweeds to learn about tweed fabric. They’re been designing and manufacturing couture fabrics since 1912. In fact, they were the original Chanel fabric makers! They’ve also worked with Burberry, YSL, Balmain, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, and many other luxury brands. What is Tweed Fabric? And what is it made from? “Tweed … Read more
I wanted to learn the best way to make oven mitts and gloves, so I headed to big department stores to see exactly how professionals make them. I compared cheap $7 oven mitts and pricier $33 ones. I learned that the best fabric for the outer layer is thick cotton, so it’s harder to burn … Read more
How much fabric you need for 2 square ‘throw’ pillows… (Click a link to skip to the visual chart below) 12″ x 12″ = 0.5 – 0.9 yards (0.5 – 0.9 meters) 14″ x 14″ = 1 yard (1 meter) 16″ x 16″ = 1.1 yards (1 meter) 18″ x 18″ = 1.2 yards (1.1 … Read more
To make 2 pillowcases, you need: 2 yards (1.9 meters) of fabric for standard & queen size pillowcases (20″ x 30″). 2.5 yards (2.3 meters) of fabric for king size pillowcases (20″ x 40″). I recommend buying at least 10% more. This is because when you pre-wash and dry your materials, they might shrink. Fabric … Read more
Cotton is a fiber that’s woven, knitted, or felted to create a big range of fabrics. This is part 2 of my cotton exploration (part 1 covers all the major cotton types). In this post, I’m going to focus on 18 types of cotton fabric that are often used for shirts (defined as tops with … Read more