by lareine

I have only really been sewing clothes for myself for the last two years, and I’m self-taught, so I don’t always understand why certain things are done in a particular way. My attitude was this: if I could take a shortcut or omit a step with no obvious repercussions, then why not do so?

Well, I learned my lesson about shortcuts with my first zippered skirt. I inserted the zip according to the instructions, but I was in a hurry and wanted to wear the skirt straight away, so I didn’t bother with the hook and eye at the top. How important could a hook and eye be? With great fanfare, I put on my new skirt and went out for dinner with my husband and a couple of friends to a local Mexican restaurant, which just happened to be up a set of stairs from the street. We enjoyed a delicious meal, I angled for and got some compliments on my newly-acquired sewing skills, and everybody was in good form when we paid up and left. I was the last of our group to exit and, as I was making my way down the stairs, I got the distinct feeling that something was not quite how it should be with regards to my waist area. As I stepped down from the bottom step to street level, there was a rustle of fabric and my skirt dropped straight off my hips and landed around my ankles.

I didn’t have any chance to grab at any part of the skirt before it reached the ground, and there was no graceful way to put it back on once it had made its descent, so all I could do was step out of it. Thankfully, this happened during a cold snap of winter weather and I had a knee-length coat on. Otherwise, my dignity would not have survived. As it was, I was laughing so hard that I drew attention to myself anyway, but at least I wasn’t standing on the street in my knickers! With head held high, I walked bare-legged to the car, and most people were none the wiser, but I was certainly very careful to hold my coat closed.

Needless to say, that was the last time I took a shortcut and didn’t use a proper fastener at a waistband. Zips are great, but sometimes they need a little enhancement to keep them from purring open at inopportune moments. No matter how tempting it may seem to leave out one little step – don’t!

Do you have a funny story for "In Stitches"?

If so, post it here to the Message Board forum "In Stitches". Stories should be between 350 and 500 words in length.

If we select your story to be published, you'll receive a Friends of PatternReview membership (or an extension to your current membership).

Keep us in stitches!

When I find a pattern that I really like and want to use over and over again, I trace it onto a piece of poster board, use a paper punch to punch a hole in it, and set a grommet into the hole. Then I can hang it on a cup hook on the wall for easy access.

The stiff cardboard makes it easy to weight and cut out with a rotary cutter, the grommet keeps the hole from tearing, and I can just lift down my favorite patterns instead of having to unfold (and maybe even iron) them.

Submitted by xenophea

This tip is from 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips.

Download a full chapter.

Royalties from 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips go toward breast cancer research. Read about our latest donation (thanks to you!).

Order it now, signed by Deepika!

Or, order from Amazon.

There's something really wholesome about working with and wearing natural fabrics, don't you think? Just like it's nice knowing where your food comes from, it's nice knowing where your fabric comes from, be it critter or plant. And wearing a wonderful natural fabric can be a whole new experience in pleasure! The quality can be fabulous, because people have been working with these materials for gazillions of years and have the process down pat.

In this all-natural contest, the entrants could only use 100% natural materials. What a palette! No blends allowed... And any wearable items were acceptable. See the rules for more information.

Take a look at what members entered! Wouldn't you love to have all of them in your closet?

Congratulations to all on their great garments!

Now let's meet the winners!

Pictured at left: MarinaVK's BurdaStyle Downloadable: 05-2012-107C Panel Dress 05/2012 #107C

MarinaVK made a couture version of a BurdaStyle Panel Dress, a pattern for a straight linen dress with a contrast curved panel.

Because she was making a couture version of the dress, she didn't follow the instructions. When she glanced at them, though, she thought that they should be a little more detailed for beginners.

She used 100% linen for the dress, silk organza for the underlining and silk crepe-de-chine for the lining.The pattern as designed did not include a lining, so she added a lining for two reasons: first, because linen can be transparent in white and second, because a lining reduces the effect of the heat and moisture that encourage the natural wrinkling tendency of linen.

She chose silk organza for underlining because she likes its crispness and its tendency to spring back into shape. The underlining also concealed the inner construction features.

One of several interesting techniques that she used in creating this dress is round-clipping her seam allowances to achieve flatter and neater seams on the curved contrasting panel on the front of the dress. She also catch-stitched all the seam allowances to the underlining to keep them flat and to reduce raveling.  And she added bra carriers and substituted a lapped zipper for the original invisible zipper.

She will not sew the pattern again, not because she doesn't love it, but because her wardrobe needs only one dress in this style. She highly recommends it to everyone, including beginning sewers.

Congratulations, MarinaVK!

Tied for Second Prize (By Member Vote): marthamyers for Cutting Line Designs: 11226 The Blouse Perfected

Pictured at left: marthamyers' Cutting Line Designs: 11226 The Blouse Perfected

Congratulations, marthamyers!

Tied for Second Prize (By Member Vote): hpsauce for McCall's 6171 Misses' Lined Jackets

Pictured at left: hpsauce's McCall's 6171 Misses' Lined Jackets

Congratulations, hpsauce!

We thank PR member velosewer for managing this contest.

Chat with other members about this contest.

Look at all the contest entries.

Never entered a contest before? It's easy! Our contest tutorial will show you how to enter.

Check out the current contests.

Going on now: Why not enter?

Plan ahead! Check out the 2012 contests.

100+ members gathered in New York City on May 18th, 2012, for our 10th annual PR Weekend.

photo credit Kyle
Photo credit Megan
This year PR Weekend HQ was at the Four Points Hotel in Chelsea, NY. With its open patio, abundance of restaurants, flea markets and quaint shops, this was just the kind of setting we wanted.

And because all the stars lined up for this weekend, we had the most perfect weather all three days!

photo credit Kyle

Some of us reached early in the afternoon on Thursday to scope out the fabric stores and catch up with old friends.

Our festivities began at 7 PM on Thursday when a line of PR Weekend attendees was formed right in the hotel lobby while our volunteers expertly welcomed everyone.

Visit Mary's studio online at SilkandClay.com.

Shopping began bright and early on Friday morning as some of us formed groups and others headed to Simplicity Studio for a private tour (thank you, Simplicity!) At Simplicity, Deborah Kreiling, Design Development Director, explained the process from concept to design to sketch and finally to production.

She briefed us on some of the current trends which Simplicity is following. Finally she led us to the workroom where the magic happens.
Lots of industrial sewing machines, dress forms, testers... It was all very fascinating and we appreciated the time she made for us! We received a warm welcome at all the Fabric Stores we visited.
I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.
photo credit Jacqui



photo credit Kyle

photo credit Sabrina
photo credit Megan

After Kenneth's presentation we asked the Show your PR Love Tote bag contestants to come up and tell us more about their bags so we could vote for our favorite!

At lunch some of us explored the nearby stores while others took in the NY sights. But wait... I almost forgot to tell you about our Pattern Swap. Check this out.  
Photo credit Megan

This was more of a Q&A session, which was a first for us, and it was wonderful. We asked and Diana answered.

After her book signing, we took a short break and got ready for our last speaker of the day - Jill Ralston. Founder of Fabulous Fit, A patented fitting system which allows anyone to pad out a dress form to their own size and shape.

Jill opened her talk by encouraging us to take a second look at our closets and find a few inspiration pieces which will then lead to a wearable wardrobe so all the pieces are used. I got some very helpful tips there. She then demonstrated the Fabulous Fit system which was really a treat for all of us.

All 100 of us gathered in the restaurant where a delicious 3 course dinner was made especially for us!
photo credit Megan

To make the night even more fun, we held lots of raffles and gave away a lot of the prizes sponsored by the local stores and the lovely Emilie from Jalie patterns. We ended the night with announcing the winners of the tote bag contest and crowning the Fabric Queen. Curious as to how much fabric we bought? Here we go...

over 1,200 YARDS!

The Saturday night dinner is my favorite part of the whole weekend but I leave with mixed feelings. It is also the time to say goodbye... until next YEAR! 

PR Weekend 2012 was possible because of the expert leadership and coordination of these two lovely ladies Connie BJ and Bonnie D

With help from our volunteers.

Save the date for our next PR Weekend in San Francisco on April 26th - 28th, 2013. Our guest speaker next year is none other than Sandra Betzina!

See more photos in our Flickr Group.

To keep a collar point or similar element from getting hung up when you pivot while topstitching, try this technique:

• Keep a hand-sewing needle threaded with a doubled thread about 6" (15.2 cm) long by the sewing machine (don't knot the thread).
• As you approach the corner when stitching, run the hand needle through the very tip of the corner, pull the thread about halfway through, and just leave it there.
• When you are ready to pivot at the corner, grab both sets of thread tails (the needle end and the free end) and tug them gently to put some tension on the point; this will keep it moving through the machine.
• Once the presser foot is well past the corner, the needle and thread can just be pulled out and stuck back in the pincushion until you've another corner to topstitch.

Submitted by Lisa Laree.

This tip is from 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips.

Download a full chapter.

Royalties from 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips go toward breast cancer research. Read about our latest donation (thanks to you!).

Order it now, signed by Deepika!

Or, order from Amazon.

Lucky you! The "Natural Fibers" Contest has finished, and you get to vote on which of the 66 contestants should take home First and Second Prizes!

In this all-natural contest, the entrants could only use 100% silk, wool, cotton, linen, hemp or bamboo as garment fabric. Are you up to the challenge of picking 5 favorites? Sure you are!

Here are the rules.

You can see all the entries here in the Contest Gallery.

See the Contest Report and other important links here.

Voting closes on June 9.

We won't keep you any longer, because we can see you want to vote!

Every New Year brings more than the usual excitement to PatternReview... That's when members vote on the Best Patterns of the year from the top-reviewed patterns on PatternReview.

But things don't stop there. Members use the Best Patterns as a guide of what to add to their wardrobes. So...why not make a contest of it, right?

The 57 contestants participants in this contest could enter only garments sewn from the top 30 patterns identified as Best Patterns for 2009, 2010 and 2011. Contestants could submit multiple entries but only one entry per pattern.

The garments had to match the pattern...no freestyling here...but alterations for fit, hem or sleeve length and other minor details were allowed. Contestants could also "chop down" or "lengthen" a pattern. For example, they could alter a pants pattern to shorts and a dress to a top, but they couldn't use a jacket pattern to make a cape or use a sleeve from another pattern. See more rules.

Tops, cardis, dresses, pants...all were represented! See the Contest Gallery for an overview.

Congratulations to all on their great garments!

Now let's meet the winners.

Pictured at left: Lori V's McCall's: 5525 Trench Coat

Lori V sewed McCall's: 5525 Trench Coat for her oldest daughter. For fabric, she used a leopard print cotton twill with splashes of metallic from Fabric Mart and a gold China silk lining from fabric.com.

She found the instructions quite good and the steps in a nice order. Many of the basic sewing steps were included and the instructions for the side front pockets were easy-to-follow with nice diagrams.

Her daughter is tall and has long arms, so she made her a size 10 and added 3 inches for the sleeves. She used the medium-length view to keep the sleeves in proportion, and she lowered the belt holders.

She loves this pattern classics and stylish lines and says that there are many design options you can use to make this coat your own.

She has sewn this coat twice before and will sew it again to make a coat for herself. Her conclusion: "One of the best garments I have made..."

Congratulations, Lori V!

Second Prize (By Member Vote): jenleeC for Vogue Patterns: 1247 Rachel Comey Top, a Best Pattern of 2011

Pictured at left: jenleeC's Vogue Patterns: 1247 Rachel Comey Top

Congratulations, jenleeC!

We thank PR member Sew Ducky for managing this contest.

Chat with other members about this contest.

Look at all the contest entries.

Never entered a contest before? It's easy! Our contest tutorial will show you how to enter.

Check out the current contests.

Going on now: Why not enter?

Plan ahead! Check out the 2012 contests.

By Noelle Mac

Pictured at left: Butterick 5790 Misses' Wrap, Cover-Up and Poncho

I recently went on a cruise to Bermuda and everyone on the boat was wearing a cover-up like this. I saw some really gorgeous ones with beaded embellishments and sequined banding.

This fabric from Girl Charlee would be lovely:

Or these from the Cloth Merchants:

Pictured at left: Butterick 5796 Misses' Maternity Top and Pants

We rarely see maternity patterns which look stylish and comfortable, so I thought we should feature this new offering from Butterick which seems to do both.

There are sleeveless options for summertime and long-sleeve choices for fall. The pants come in two lengths and feature tummy panels for comfort.

This fabric from Girl Charlee would be a fun to use for a top:

Or this beautiful teal print from Plush Cat Designs:

Pictured at left: Butterick 5795 Women's Cover-Up, Top, Swimdress, Swimsuit, Skirt and Briefs

What I really like about this pattern is the many options available.

There is a traditional tank suit, a swim dress, separates and even a stylish and flattering cover-up! The pattern provides separate pattern pieces for different cup sizes so you will be able to get a perfect fit.

I like this fabric from fabric fabric for the swim dress:

Or, for the cover-up, this fabric from Plush Cat Designs:

Shop now!  See all the new Butterick patterns!