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

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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 →

Sana's first draping project at tchad workrooms

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In: 1st Projects, Basic, Draping, General, Intermediate, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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Sana came to the States having worked under a designer before and wanting to know more.  Over the course of the class, she draped this multi-sized grey floor length dress in georgette.     And then once she was done, she got a model to go out for a late-Winter photoshoot:  You can follow her on Instagram and watch her go go go!Read More →

Laura models off her shift that she made in the tchad workrooms!

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In: 1st Projects, Basic, General, Patterns used in class, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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Laura worked up this cute shift, New Look 6261 view B, as her first project.  It is always nice when we don’t have to do much fitting, even if her shape and how fast she took the project on makes for less reading for you guys! She did a great job with the finishes and the whole thing looks great!Read More →

Ada Shows off the flared skirt she drafted in her 2nd class at Tchad's Workrooms

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In: Basic, Drafting, General, Intermediate, Intermediate Projects, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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Ada wanted something special for her second class and had just bought a few meters of gilded cut cotton velvet.  We already had a basic straight skirt and a couple of tunics, so we drafted this flared skirt from the sloper. With the extra yardage, we sewed it together and she made this matching gele!     It can be hard to get the flare positioned properly on these skirts – you want to start the flare just below the knee and then bring it out from there based on how full you want it to be. We’ll be putting together a brief tutorial onRead More →

Finished smocking on Duree's final dress at tchad workrooms

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In: 1st Projects, Basic, General, Patterns used in class, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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When we get beginner folks up here who want to start off with something other than a basic pattern for themselves, we give a couple of caveats about technique and fabric.  Sometimes the things you will learn from a project that is slightly outside of the main will be SO specific that you don’t ultimately get what you need. Duree came to us wanting to work up a smocked pattern from a children’s pattern book and, with the caveats that we always give, we went ahead. She was working from the Girl’s Style Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori. We reviewed it over here. Japanese sewing booksRead More →

Girls Style Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori

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We recently had a student use Girls Style Book by: Yoshiko Tsukiori in class and thought we’d offer up a review. Amazon says of it: Sew cute and original clothes for your little girl with this stylish sewing book. Popular Japanese author and designer Yoshiko Tsukiori brings unique new designs and style to the do-it-yourself sewist that make it easy to create the kind of clothes little girls adore. Japanese Sewing book Girls Style Book (in English) offers 24 full-sized patterns in five sizes for some of the cutest dresses, tops, outfits and accessories for girls from ages 4-10. Already loved by aficionados of JapaneseRead More →

Tchad's buttonhole template with notes for placement.

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In: Advanced, Basic, General, Intermediate, Machines, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks

If you have a pattern you make a lot and you already know the ins-and-outs of the general sewing but always drag your feet when it comes to making the final marks for buttonholes and other finishing details, make a template to keep with the pattern.  Also be sure to note any of the regular measurements you use.  We find that a 3.5″ buttonhole spacing is perfect for dress shirts, so that is the spacing we use on ALL dress shirts or garments that are in the dress-shirt-adjacent family.  Just make a template and a note about details and off you go. We use aRead More →

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In: Basic, General, Intermediate, Intermediate Projects, Sewing classes (general), Student Projects
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Verena wanted to work up some simple modern clothes for the baby she’s expecting but wanted something gender neutral and clean. She found a copy of Esprit Kimono pour les Petits and, as a palate cleanser between all of the high-end and beadwork she’s gotten herself into lately, ran out some ADORABLE baby kimono tops in cotton prints.  These will make even the grumpiest grump smile.Read More →

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We purchased Handsewn: The Essential Techniques for Tailoring and Embellishment by Margaret Rowan to help give some direction to students who were learning hand sewing and tailoring. We needed something that was comprehensive but wasn’t an embroidery book specifically. Amazon says of it:  “Take handsewing to the next level! Sewists are developing increasing interest in heritage handsewing techniques that add beautiful or couturelike finishing touches to the final project. Small handfinished details can quickly become a testament to the style, creativity, and skill of the sewist. Handsewn offers step-by-step instructions for a comprehensive collection of hand-finishing and embellishing techniques, including hems, edges, buttonholes, cuffs, tacking layersRead More →