Sewing

A new pair of drawstring trousers

Finished things 9 July 2017
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A few years ago, I made a pair of yoga trousers using a pattern from SEW Everything Workshop. I’ve worn them a lot and they’ve started to get rather faded. The final straw came a few weeks ago when I tore a hole in one of the legs while climbing over a fence. I sewed […]

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Getting started with Japanese sewing patterns

How to... 29 September 2016
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There are loads of great Japanese sewing pattern books with amazing designs. Some of them have been translated into English and some are only available in Japanese. Almost all the books are organised in the same way: pictures of the clothes first, followed by diagrams and instructions for each project and, finally, a full-size pattern […]

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Trousers that fit (or not)

Design & ideas 11 November 2011
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I haven’t done much dressmaking lately as I’ve been conducting an experiment to find out just how long one person can take to make a pair of curtains. The curtains are finally finished (making the second one was much, much quicker than making the first) so I thought I’d turn my attention to my trouser […]

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Hong Kong finish for seams

How to... 15 August 2011
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This method for dealing with seam edges gives a very neat finish. It’s more time-consuming than some of the other methods as you need to cut bias strips of fabric, there are two lines of stitching for each seam and a lot of pressing but it does look nice… To start, cut 2.5cm-wide bias strips […]

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Drawstring cargo skirt

Finished things 31 July 2011
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This is a casual skirt that I made from olive-green chino fabric as an alternative to wearing shorts in the summer. The measurements for the skirt are based on some drawstring trousers from SEW Everything Workshop and a concealed zip A-line skirt that I made. I wanted to make the skirt quickly so just used a […]

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