Sewing classes in chicago: tchad: omoleye: skirt: copy : knit: pattern making

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In: 1st Projects, Basic, Drafting, General, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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Omoleye came to us with a basic sense of sewing and wanted to work up a duplicate of a knit skirt she already had – so we dove in and ended up with both the hard pattern for a mid-thigh knit skirt with a waistband and exposed zipper as well as the skirt itself! We don’t always start with these duplication projects, but if you keep it simple and take your time, it almost always works out great!  Read More →

Sewing classes at tchad: workroom: studio: draping: Joy: dressform: sweater: 2

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In: Draping, General, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks
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If you are draping a garment like coat or jacket, it is easy to over-fit it as you drape against the dress form.  To keep the garment from being too tight and needing alteration right off the bat, pad the dress form with a heavy sweater, jacket, or coat.   This will give you the extra volume you need to play around on the dress form and give you a better result without having to figure the ease geometrically after the garment is draped and you are correcting the pattern. As a side note, remember as you are fitting the sample on the person toRead More →

sewing classes: workroom: tchad: tools: iron: sealing iron: thunder tiger

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In: General, Tools
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Usually used in packing and shipping operations, a sealing iron can be a nifty tool to keep on hand in a sewing and design workroom too.  It is a little larger than the miniature irons sold in fabric and craft stores – making it easier to use and handle – but not nearly as cumbersome as a regular iron. Around here, we’ve got this little guy: Introducing the Thunder Tiger Sealing irons come in a number of shapes and sizes.  You want one that has a point and a rheostat, is preferably teflon coated, and has a slight convex curve to the sole plate. ItRead More →

Tchad: corset: decima: workroom: sewing classes

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In: Fun & Random Stuff, General
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We usually don’t do corsets up here – the corsets we talk about for strapless dresses are really more rigid long-line girdles, but that’s such an old lady word, right? – there are better places in Chicago to take corset making classes than here.  Look, we’re honest about our strong points. But if they aren’t in season… And we like you as a person… And you are good at arm-twisting… And then… we guess you get what you want. The thing is that if you have finished a corset and you have never worn a corset before… It is great!  All of the sudden youRead More →

Sewing classes in chicago: tchad: workroom: stdio: christen: sequins: bodice: blouse: darts

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In: General, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks
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Sequined fabrics come up a lot in classes – from Indian to more Western pavé yardage and everything in between. Sometimes the conversation about them revolves around how hard on the machine and how uncomfortable they can be to wear.  This tells us that these people have only been wearing clothes with the sequins sewn into the seam.  To make the piece less scratchy and irritating, and to give it literally a seamless look, remove the sequins from the seam allowances, saving them to fill in the voids once you are done.  It takes longer, but it is entirely worth it – especially when youRead More →

sewing classes in chicago: tchad: workroom: studio: netta: pattern placement: lace: under

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In: General, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks
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A quick tip if you are either having trouble placing you pattern on top of a lace or sheer or you want to be able to mirror or otherwise position the pattern on the piece nicely: Put the pattern itself under the fabric you are using and then either gingerly cut from there or throw a few pins in to keep it from sliding.  If you cover the table with a flannel or textured fabric that contrasts to the fabric you are cutting, even better to see what you are doing.  We use this all the time – especially for decorative placement.Read More →

sewing classes in chicago: tchad: workroom: studio: sylvia: wrap dress: front

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In: General, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks
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Learning how to sew and think about sewing doesn’t just make you able to build things from scratch and take them out into the world, it can also make you a better shopper for ready to wear in that you will know what to look for.  In a lot of ways, even if you never sew another stitch after a sewing class, you should end up being more informed generally about construction and design. This wrap dress Sylvia wore in is a good example.  We initially thought it was something about the level of Banana Republic or maybe something she had made outside of classRead More →

sewing classes in chicago: tchad: workroom: studio: tichel: mitpachat: knit

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In: Fun & Random Stuff, General, Sewing classes (general)
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Or perhaps a better title would be… “Tichel, you’re fancy!” So a student shows up to class looking a little down and wearing a plain tichel. She grabs a fancy knit scrap from the knit remnants, and 15 minutes later after some trimming and edging…   …and then we went on with the day. Because sometimes you just need a little something… more to get going…Read More →