So I had this box pouch which my friend got me. The pattern and colour was really interesting and that is what got me into liking this pouch in the first place. The thing is that I didn't need this huge space for my stuffs and the box pouch was hard to zip up and down frequently. So I decided to transform this box pouch into zipper purse.

All I needed was my machine and the lovely seam ripper. With few ripping and stitching , you'll have a beautiful purse. 

Using the seam ripper, rip off every stitches. 

Now sew one side of zip to the fabric with right sides together.

Same goes with the other side. 

Now sew vertically down the ends. 

Now trim diagonally at the end to reduce bulk. 

Turn the purse inside out.

If you feel like I've missed anything, please do leave them in the comments. Please follow me if you like my blog and enjoy The Sew Show.

box pouch bulk reducing seam ripper sewing zipper purse

05:30

 

Pincushion is an essential tool to have when you're sewing. You need them next to your machine so that you won't lose your pins after use. And because of this, your pincushion is most likely to look like a paper between the teeth of a wild dog. For this reason, you need to have more than one pincushion at your disposal. This post will teach you how to make a classic pincushion from scraps of fabric. 

 

Materials Required:

Fabric scraps
Cotton stuffing /sponge stuffing
Scissors
Thick thread
Long needle
Buttons (for classic look)

 

1. Outline on the fabric.
First of all, decide the size you want the pincushion to be. You can draw the circle either by using a compass or by tracing the outline of some round thing.. It doesn't even need to be round; any shape will do the job.
Keep in mind that the size of the pincushion should be appropriate for the amount of stuffing you have. 

2. Cut two fabrics of same size. 

If you are using the same fabric, just pin them together and cut them together. Otherwise if you're using bits and scraps then cut them accordingly.

3. Sew 3/4 with right sides of fabric together. 

Once we've two pieces, place them face to face and sew them all the way leaving one fourth of gap for putting the stuffing. 

Now, pinker all the way through the seam allowance. Be careful not to cut the stitches too.

4. Turn the fabric inside out and start stuffing. 

Now put the stuffing in. Try not to use cloths or fabric scraps for stuffing because it may blunt the pins and also we'll be stuck halfway when we try to create the classic look with the threads later on...trust me.. you don't wanna make the same mistake ;)

5. Seal the opening. 

You can either seal the one fourth of the opening by hand stitching or you can go wild and do a zigzag stitch all over the circle (whatever your shape is) like I did. It is easier (if you're lazy like me) and also makes it more beautiful.

6. Thread and needle work is up next. 

Let's get the thread around the needle and start working on. Try to use thicker thread and appropriate needle. 

Make a knot at the end and push the needle from the bottom towards the centre of the front part. Now pull it out and take it under and out the same holes to bring it back up. Follow the pictures if you're confused. 

7. Add buttons for classic look. 

With the thread and needle out of the front's centre, add the buttons you want for the classy look and also you can show off your vintage button collection. 

There you have it. The perfect pincushion for a few months use ;)

 

If you feel like I've missed anything, please do leave them in the comments. Please follow me if you like my blog and enjoy The Sew Show.

pin cushion pinking pins your own make

03:07

 

A smooth neckline always completes a beautiful dress. If your dress is all perfect and you end up with a not-so-perfect neckline, then it will simply result in you paying a hefty price for your hardwork. In other words - your hardwork goes in vain.

This post is all about creating the perfect neckline. We are going to make the smooth neckline using a lining under our fabric. Follow the steps to a beautiful and clean neckline.
                                            

1. Keep the fabric and the lining in such a manner that once you flip them, you should have the right side of fabric upfront and the lining at the back. Keep the right side of the fabric facing you on the table and on it keep the right side of the lining in such a manner that the right sides of fabric and lining are together.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Pin the fabric and the lining in place with the help of pins. (I really need to buy some glass headed ones, they look so boring) Keep in mind that you must always start pinning from the centre and go all the way to both sides. This evens out the fabric and makes our CENTRE of attention look great (see what I did there...puns for life :))
   
   
   
   
3. Now stitch only the neckline through the stitching line. Now that it's done, it'll look something like this.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Next comes the most important part to have a clean neckline. Get a normal scissors (and a pinking scissors if you have them); or we could just do with the small scissors. So what we need to do is, cut halfway through the lining (note that only lining) and pinker (is that even grammatically correct?) the seam allowance of both the fabric as well as the lining. Pinking is just cutting a V through your fabric so as to reduce the bulk of the fabric.Personally, I feel pinking is such a good technique that every sewer must know. Trust me it's a lifesaver. Pinking not only reduces the bulk but also helps you fold over the fabric without any tension and unevenness.
   
   
   
   



5. Now that you're done with pinking let's flip the lining over the fabric and get the pins up starting at the centre as always and working all the way to both the sides. Now stitch over it and don't forget to remove the pins as you stitch or you'll end up breaking your needle (and I really don't know what that is like... Hopefully, I won't have the chance of finding out what it's like)
   
   
   
   
   

There you have it. A few extra efforts and you have a lovely and perfect neckline. Happy sewing!!

If you feel like I've missed anything, please do leave them in the comments. Please follow me if you like my blog and enjoy The Sew Show.

perfect Neckline pinking sewing smooth neckline

23:07

Today's post is all about how to cut using measurements. Well, this one's a general top instruction so you can try using it with any pattern (with some adjustments of course!). 

STEP 1: Measurements

 So first of all, we need measurements of the following:

• Across shoulder
• Bust / Chest
• Waist
• Hip 
• Length of top

If you don’t know how to take the measurements, then click on this link.

STEP 2: Folding

Fabric should be folded carefully. You need to note the following things:

To cut front bodice and the back bodice, you need to fold the fabric into four layers. Two layers will only give you front bodice. So for front and back bodices, you need to fold it twice to get four layers. The following figure will help you.

• The fabric should be properly aligned end to end and corners to corners.
• Be sure to note the selvedge and raw edge of the fabric.

• The fabric should be laid out smoothly. If you want you can iron the fabric to remove the creases.

STEP 3: Marking 

All the markings are done in the fourth fabric folded form (that's a lot of words starting with 'f').

Now follow the markings accordingly and you'll end up with an outline. The pictures will tell you the measurements and markings. So just follow them.

Now draw a one inch extra on your outline for seam allowance. Cut the fabric through this new outline. There you have it. The cut fabric with your own measurements is at your service. Now all you need to do is stitch these pieces. Happy sewing!!

If you feel like I've missed anything, please do leave them in the comments. Please follow me if you like my blog and enjoy The Sew Show.

cutting fabric folding raw edge selvedge sewing sewing measurements take measurements top

09:00