What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

For our final video in our Intro to Garment Sewing series we wanted to have a little show and tell so you can get some ideas of garments you can make from quilting cotton.

The Stephanie’s are joined by Courtney Berry, our video editor, and we take turns showing off the projects we’ve made over the years with quilting cotton.

There are lots of little girl dresses, tunics, skirts, dresses and even a western-inspired men’s vest. We hope you enjoy seeing our projects and get inspired to make something yourself.

Check out our garment patterns and book ...

Hopefully this series will just be the start of your journey into garment sewing. In today’s video both of the Stephanie’s go over some additional resources you may want to check out to expand your sewing skill set.

We talk about pattern companies we like, books that can be helpful when you get stuck and projects you may want to try next.

We have stocked some of the patterns and books over on our website. Make sure to check out this link to get inspired for your next make: https://shop.quiltaddictsanonymous.com/product-category/patterns/apparel-patterns-patterns/

Make sure ...

In this video we’re going to wrap up the Simple A-Line Skirt series with a video on sewing a double-fold hem.

We’ve already covered this technique in our Simple Pull-On Skirt segment, but we are taking it a step up in this video by covering how to make adjustments if your waist to knee measurement is different in the front and back of your body.

Stephanie Brennan will talk you through how to mark both measurements on your skirt so the hem will be parallel to the ground when you are wearing it.

While this is the last ...

We are almost done with the Simple A-Line Skirt! In today’s video Stephanie Brennan will show you how to attach the lining.

The lining will help conceal the raw edges of the waistband and add an extra layer of opaqueness so you can’t see the outline of your legs when the sun shines through.

We used a lightweight solid quilting cotton for our lining, but you could search for a solid cotton lawn or voile as well.

Just make sure you have followed along with the pattern so you know what steps need to be completed to the ...

In today’s video we are going to join our front and back panels with a French seam.

I feel like whenever you say the words “French seam” people just cringe and think it’s going to be fancy and hard, but it is really very simple.

You are just going to sew the seam twice, first with the wrong sides of the fabric together with a 1/4-inch seam. Then trim the seam to an 1/8-inch and sew a second time with the right sides together at 3/8-inch seam.

The two seams added together give you the ...

In today’s video we’re going to show you how to attach the waistband to the skirt panels.

We’re going to do this in two steps to make it easy, first attaching the flat front waistband to the front of the skirt, then making the elastic casing for the skirt back, threading the elastic through and securing the ends.

In the next video we’ll sew the side seams up with a French seam to enclose all of the raw edges for a nice professional looking finish.

Make sure you grab one or both of the skirt patterns ...

In today’s video we’re going to show you how to prep the waistband for the Simple A-Line Skirt.

Stephanie Brennan will walk you through attaching fusible interfacing to the front waistband. This will give the fabric extra stability and help it look nice when worn.

Each fusible interfacing will come with its own set of instructions, but they all are pretty similar in how they are applied and how to tell which side has fusible applied to it. Stephanie will make sure you know exactly what you’re doing so you don’t accidentally attach it to your ...

In today’s video we’re going to teach you how to mark and sew darts.

If you haven’t sewn darts before, they are often found on skirt and pant front and backs as well as on bustlines to create shaping. Basically darts are what makes the flat fabric round around the curves of the body.

Stephanie Brennan will show you how to accurately mark, pin and sew darts so they create the curves where they are supposed to be so your garments will be flattering on your body.

In the Simple A-Line skirt pattern, you will only be ...

In today’s video we’re going to teach you how to cut out garment patterns so you have accurately sized pieces that fit your body perfectly.

Stephanie Brennan will take you through her process of pinning the pattern pieces to the fabric, explain what the markings on the pattern pieces mean and talk about why the scissors you use matter.

When you’re done you’ll be ready to cut out any garment pattern so that it follows the grainline properly and hangs the right way on your body when the clothing is finished.

Make sure you grab one ...

We’re back with the second half of our Intro to Garment Sewing course! In this series we’ll be making a Simple Pull-On A-Line Skirt.

The pattern, designed by our very own Stephanie Brennan, features a flat front waistband with simple darts for a more professional look, and an elastic back waistband so there are no buttons or zippers to deal with. It also makes it super forgiving if you gain or lose a few pounds.

To follow along, just download one or both of the skirt patterns, and we’ll send you all of the FREE video tutorials ...

We’re finally ready to finish our Simple Pull-On Skirt with a double hem!

This hemming technique is very popular because it is a very easy way to conceal all the raw edges to create a strong hem with no fraying edges.

It’s also pretty simple because you just need to turn and press the hem under twice, then topstitch and you’re done!

Next up we are going to work on the Simple A-line Skirt. This pattern introduces some new techniques like following a pattern, sewing darts and using interfacing to create a flat-front waistband.

If you’re ...

In today’s video we will be attaching the lining to the skirt and sewing a casing to fit in the elastic waistband.

The way Stephanie Brennan has chosen to attach the lining is super simple and the elastic casing will also close in all the raw edges, so there won’t be any stray threads poking out with wear or washing.

If you haven’t gotten your lining yet any lightweight woven cotton will work. We suggest this solid from Paintbrush Studio. It is extra drapey and very smooth to touch: https://shop.quiltaddictsanonymous.com/product/painters-palette-rice-paper-for-paintbrush-studio-fabrics/

For the ...

In today’s video you will be learning how to sew a French seam. I know the word “French” immediately makes it sound intimidating, but I promise it’s super easy.

A French seam is basically a seam that you sew twice to enclose all of the raw edges. It’s a great way to create professional looking finish and a strong seam that will hold up to multiple washings.

Plus, it means that there will be no frayed edges even if you don’t have a serger. And it looks a lot nicer than pinking the edges.

Make sure ...

In today’s video we’re going to cover how to cut the skirt panels for the Simple Pull-On Skirt using the measurements we got in our previous video Transferring the Body Measurements to the Fabric.

Make sure you watch that video and our video on How to Measure a Body for Clothing here before you start cutting: https://www.quiltaddictsanonymous.com/introtogarmentsewing/

The skirt Stephanie Brennan is making on camera is for my daughter, so we only need one panel for her skirt. But most adults will need two to three panels depending on your hip width, so make ...

It’s time to start working on our first garment, the Simple Pull-on Skirt! This is a very easy garment pattern with no templates or curves. We’re just going to cut a rectangle or three depending on your hip measurement and start sewing.

Stephanie Brennan is going to show you how to use your body measurements to figure out how wide and long your skirt panels need to be to create skirt that is 1.5 times your hip measurement around.

There is a little bit of math involved, but nothing too complicated. Plus we give you all the ...

The last skillset you absolutely have to have to make garments is learning how to measure a body. We’re going to show you how in this video demonstrating the techniques on three different body types so you have the knowledge you need to get the correct measurements on yourself.

Starting with accurate measurements that were taken correctly, and in the right spot, are very important in creating a garment that fits you perfectly.

Accurate measurements also help you determine which size to make. Like pants at the department store, there is no standard sizes for garment patterns.

You need ...

Figuring out which fabric to use for your garment project is more complicated than finding a print you like. You can to make sure the fabric substrate is suitable for the pattern you want to make.

In today’s video we’ll talk about the difference between quilting and garment fabric, let you know which fabric manufacturers’ substrates, or base cotton, would work for the skirt patterns in this course and introduce you to cotton lawn, which can be used in quilts or garments.

We also cover which fabrics absolutely will not work for the Intro to Garment Sewing course ...