Just some of the cleaning sullies we use at the Chicago sewing workrooms

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In: Advanced, Basic, Intermediate, Sewing classes (general), Tips & Tricks, Workroom
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COVID-19 has changed everything. We are doing our best to adapt so that you stay safe! One of the things that is really important as we are all opened up is doing it as cautiously, safely, and smartly as possible.  Some of the procedures we’ve established may be overkill, some of them extreme, and all of them would have raised an eyebrow or two just a year ago and put us into Howard Hughes territory. In helping build and develop the sewing community in Chicago the past 20 years, we also see it as our role to protect it.  It does no one any goodRead More →

Sewing classes in Chicago: Tchad: Workroom: Sewing Studio: Antique Button: Button Plackets: Vintage Buttons: Reuse: Buttons

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If you are sewing for yourself, you have a chance to do something really special: You have the ability to put things together in a way that may be well above your means, but you have to do it smartly.Read More →

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

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

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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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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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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: drafting: label and date patterns: workroom: project

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Whether you are altering a pattern and retracing it or making a new pattern from scratch, we cannot stress this enough: Label and date your patterns. Label and date your patterns. Label and date your patterns. Ok, got it? The thing is that as you work, you are going to be developing patterns and shapes and then forget their contexts.  You don’t think you will, but then 2 years have passed and you pick up that pair of pants you started and… where was I again? If you label and date your patterns you will find that you will have an easier time picking thingsRead More →