Janet Likes To Sew

19/08/2020

Handy tip!

Brocade or Jacquard?⁠
⁠Sewers want to know exactly what they’re buying when they purchase fabrics. However, the difference between jacquard and brocade is not always explained, and the terms can be used interchangeably by fabric sellers. A glance at the wrong side can help tell them apart, but there is more to know about these fabrics!
⁠http://ow.ly/uKS450B3HZZ

27/01/2020

A new chapter for Janet, who likes to sew!

A new chapter has begun for me, as Steven and I have made the move to Canberra. We have moved to a beautiful place right by a lake and with lots of wildlife. Pics attached.

So firstly I would like to thank all my many students with whom I’ve worked over the last ten years. It has been a joy and a pleasure to get to know you all. I’ve had a wonderful time and thank you for your support and friendship.

So, what’s ahead? I will continue to teach but with a different focus. As many of you know, I represent Connie Crawford here in Australia. As I have done over the past few years, I will continue to run workshops and seminars sharing Connie Crawford’s simple techniques for achieving a beautiful fit in all your garments. I will also offer personal classes tailored to your needs.

Also, at the request of my most recent students in Sydney, I will be offering monthly workshops for all of my past students in the Southern Highlands (half way between Sydney and Canberra) where you can receive guidance and support with your ongoing sewing projects. Details are yet to be finalized so stay tuned!

Frodo and Cooper have settled in well and Frodo particularly misses all your cuddles, pats and attention.

Lastly, if any of you need any help with your sewing please feel free to ask me here or you can pm me.

18/12/2019

If you think time flies (and who doesn’t) read this interesting post about how sewing has changed over the last 10 years! Great post.

Before we slide into 2020, this post analyses the trends and movements that have shaped the home sewing world featuring the rise of sewing podcasts and more

13/12/2016

Connie Crawford Webinar
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you know about a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of the best teachers in the sewing universe. Connie Crawford is offering a sewing industry tips and techniques webinar.

It will cover such things as:

sewing construction order

interfacings

working with tricky fabrics

sewing darts

perfect topstitching

plus much more!
While the webinar is live and filmed in the USA on 15 December, once you've registered for the course you can watch it at any time that suits you in the next 30 days.
You can get more information here.

You can register here.

I'll be participating - hope you will too!

05/12/2016

Looks girls! Casper is famous! But no scenes from the studio.... a little disappointing.

11/11/2016

Chloe's latest achievements
Hi all,
As many of my students, colleagues and friends know, I have been privileged to work with an amazing young lady named Chloe who came to me when she was 14 years old. We worked together on her Year 10, 11 and 12 major works and her entries in the Australian Teen Fashion Awards. (BTW Chloe won the state titles for all her entries!)After finishing high school last year, Chloe enrolled at a Sydney based design college - the Karl von Busse Institute of Design (KVB). It has been an incredibly busy year for Chloe at college but, as always (!), Chloe blitzed all her classes and has created some lovely designs. If you can't already tell, I am very proud of Chloe! I think you will agree Chloe has a great talent.

Chloe's first project - a "simple" shirt dress

Chloe doesn't know the word simple. But she still topped the class!

Chloe's swimwear

Chloe lurves flounces!

27/10/2016

My First Group Fitting Day!

Hi all,
As many of you know I am associated with the very talented and well known pattern designer Connie Crawford. I have been learning Connie's art for a couple of years now and a couple of weeks ago I held my first group fitting day with my ASG Neighbourhood Group - Sew and Reap at My Sewing Supplies.
The unique thing about Connie Crawford's patterns is that she doesn't just promise an excellent fit, she will fit you into one of her 52 different sized shell tops to prove it!I have been beavering away making my own set of shell tops to fit my students and any other interested ladies.
The day went well and I was able to fit everyone in our group. Only a few small alterations are necessary to get a perfect fit, as you will see with Anne's personalised shell.

Anne's finished shell

Anne's first fitting

I also shared with the girls what to do once you have the fitted blouse block. Everyone was very excited to explore the various options you have, once you have the perfect fit.
I am available now for any other groups or individuals who would like to learn more about Connie's fabulous fitting patterns!

27/10/2016

Just wanted to show you the super cool, super hero outfit Tracey made in class for her daughter and dolly. How cute is that! Especially like the personalised superman logo. It's also reversible - purple with a pink logo or pink with a purple logo. Great work Tracey!

01/09/2016

A croquis! - a great way to see if a style will suit you.
Hi everyone,
Have you ever heard of a croquis? A croquis is a sketch of a proposed garment.
A great way to personalise a croquis is to create a drawing of your figure in silhouette and then you overlay sketches of garments you are considering, to see if they will suit you. That way you can avoid expensive and time consuming mistakes creating a garment that really isn't you.
I have been wanting to use this technique for ages, but never really knew how. Then recently I saw a short video on the Threads Magazine website. You will need to subscribe to the Insider Content to see it, so for those who don't have that, I will try to explain how to do it.
First of all you take a photo (or get a trusted friend to do it for you) of yourself in your un**es or a tight fitting leotard. Put your hands on your hips so you get a clear view of your side shape. This will show your silhouette. Print the photo and using thickish tracing paper draw the outline of your shape with a pencil. Once you are happy with the results (of the drawing, not your figure!) then use a marker pen to make the drawing permanent.
Then you can either draw your own designs in pencil over the croquis or, as I do, test some pattern pictures to see how I will look in them.
As you know, pattern pics are of tall skinny models and the artistic drawings are even worse! So this is a great way to see how they will really look on YOU.
So how do you translate the tall, skinny version onto your croquis?
Firstly, you'll need to scale the pattern picture to match your croquis size. So if your croquis is say 20cm tall then you have to make the pattern pic 20cm as well. You will make an enlarged photocopy. The percentage increase is simple to calculate:

Say the pattern pic is 9cm tall and the croquis is 20cm.

Just divide 20 by 9 and you get 2.22.

Multiply that by 100 and you get 222.

That is the enlargement percentage you will use on the photocopier - 222%.

Now you have the pic and the croquis the same size.
The next thing to do is to trace the pattern outline onto your silhouette. You do this by dividing the pattern image into 4 sections: the upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left. You trace the outline of the pattern to match your silhouette at the shoulders and the waist and hip area. You'll have to make a few adjustments for your own figure and then you just fill in the gaps.

Here is one I did from a Marfy pattern. You can see how the dress changed proportions to show how it would look on me. I still like it so it will get made (one day!).

This one is a Burda dress. I like the style but thought the neckline was wrong for me, so I tinkered with it and I'm happy with the new design.

Try doing your own croquis - it's great fun! Let me know how you get on and please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

25/07/2016

Seam Allowance Guide - one of the best sewing gadgets https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9pXY-tIrlc/V5WNY11iXoI/AAAAAAAAAU8/gzfpsgGxRao-G6vH5Se2seI--kNjoBI6wCLcB/s320/IMG_4606.JPG Hi all,
I thought it was time for another of my favourite sewing gadgets - the Seam Allowance Guide. This would be my second favourite gadget, outside the essential sewing tools.
So what is this gadget? It allows you to add or subtract to any pattern that needs adjusting. You just set it to the required width and by following the black ring instead of your scissor blades and you are automatically cutting the extra you need.
This tool enables you to add to side seams if you need some extra room, add longer hems, or seam allowances to patterns that don't have them included. It is also great for adding seam allowances when you draft your own patterns. Very quick and accurate!
Another of my favourite uses for this gadget is when a pattern only includes 6mm or 9mm seams. I'm not a fan of those narrow seams as there is no room to adjust the garment after it is constructed. I prefer 15mm seam allowances which are more forgiving. Especially handy when wardrobe shrinkage occurs between seasons ;-)Another nice feature is that the Seam Allowance Guide is Australian made.
If you want one of these super handy little tools you can get them here:seamallowanceguide.com
Enjoy!

23/06/2016

Scissors ain't Scissors Sol! https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b3OBy0lSwuU/V2x0_EdGUyI/AAAAAAAAAT8/3Ltdut53kaA1Kokr1s9OkeWIel3cn8apACKgB/s400/IMG_4579.JPG Those of us "of a certain age" will remember the old motor oil ad which immortalised the saying "oils ain't oils, Sol!" The same goes for scissors. And that's important for your sewing!
Scissors are some of your most important tools in your sewing kit, so you need to have the right sort of scissors and make sure you buy good ones.
As a minimum, you should have 2 pairs of scissors - one pair of dressmakers shears (around 8" long) for cutting out your fabric and a smaller pair (around 5" long) for all your trimming and clipping. The smaller pair are much easier to handle and you are less likely to slip and overcut something.
You should buy the best scissors you can afford and test them before you buy them. A good pair will cut smoothly and right up to the very tip. Fortunately, these days an excellent pair of 8" dressmakers shears can be bought for around $60.
There are also various styles of scissor handles available from the old style metal handles to various moulded plastic styles. This comes down to personal preference and comfort.
My personal preference in scissors is for Ginghers. They are Italian made and beautiful to work with. Gingher make a wide range of styles so there are plenty of shapes to suit any task.

Two pairs of my Gingher scissors

The other brand I find is popular with my students is Kai. They are Japanese and have a plastic type handle. The handle seems to suit ladies who have small hands better.

My Kai scissors

You will, no doubt, have heard that using your sewing scissors to cut paper will blunt them. That isn't really true as paper is no worse than fabric. While I certainly advocate that you should only use your sewing scissors for fabric, the way I see it, your scissors have a certain number of cuts in them and you just don't want to waste those cuts on paper.What's your preference in scissors? If you have any questions about scissors please feel free to ask!

22/05/2016

An Interesting Exhibition https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o4aWLQn9TRw/V0I7OuIc9zI/AAAAAAAAARE/ZrQY5C_i17MYky4QLGcBtV1Lp-oVSrrGgCLcB/s320/26320502543_edf0a412fb_o.jpg Hi all,
Just wanted to share some photos I took at an exhibition we visited during our trip to Washington State to visit Connie Crawford. It was a display of contemporary Salish wool weavings at the Suquamish Museum. The Suquamish are the local indigenous tribe. The lady who produced the weavings is Danielle Morsette.
I think you will agree they are beautiful and exquisitely woven. Enjoy!

This garment is made with plant material as well as wool

15/02/2016

Sewing Tip - Hat Elastic Can Cure Gaposis http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Hi everyone,
I want to share one of my favourite fixes with you.
Ever made a top or dress thinking all was good with the fit, only to find the neckline or armholes gape? There is plenty of advice out there on ways to avoid the problem before you cut the pattern, but none tells you how to fix it after you've made the garment! You don't want to waste all your good work but how can you fix the problem?
Hat elastic is the answer! Hat elastic is a single core elastic - only one strand of rubber (or whatever they use these days). You thread a piece of hat elastic though the channel of the neckline or armhole seam and gently ease it in until the gaposis is gone. Tie off the elastic with a reef knot when you have the easing just right. A reef knot should not come undone - a granny knot would not stay tight. If you don't know what a reef knot is, have a look here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuNwp_Pi33s
You want it to pull in the excess fabric, but not so much that you cause the neckline to gather up. it is quite surprising how much you can reduce the size without seeing any gathers.
This technique works really well with ready-to-wear too. Often RTW garments don't have darts where they should and that can make the armhole gape. It's also great for jumpers, if you feel the neckline is unflatteringly low or wide.

02/02/2016

http://blog.janetlikestosew.com.au/2016/02/im-back.html

22/08/2015

What a great idea! Thank you Marcy Tilton!

Have you thought of using darts when refashioning a T-shirt? I decided the neck on this purchased T-shirt was too wide, so I stitched random length sunburst darts to make it a more flattering shape. I wanted a random look, but worked out the math carefully. Note that the width of the darts is approximately the same. This little tweak actually upscaled the look and fit to that of an expensive French T-shirt. http://www.marcytilton.com/

22/08/2015

Hi everyone,
Over the past 3 years I have been working with a wonderful young lady, Chloe on some amazing projects. Here is her latest effort! I think you'll agree it is a beautiful outfit.

24/04/2015

New Connie Crawford dress pattern http://ift.tt/1DFNA0D Hi all,
Just wanted to show you one of Connie Crawford's new patterns. A very pretty dress that will be getting a lot of work in my wardrobe! This pattern will be coming out in May this year.

I love wearing dresses in the summer - so cool and easy to wear. I think this one would look nice using some mesh fabric as the overlay. I have a few pieces of mesh in the stash and can never decide what to do with it!
How would you use this pattern?

15/03/2015

Time with Connie Crawford:

Steven and I have just returned from a trip to Seattle USA where I was very fortunate to spend 10 days working with fashion designer and pattern maker Connie Crawford. For those of you who don't know Connie's work, Connie is a highly respected figure in the home sewing arena. Connie designs patterns for Butterick and has her own pattern line as well.

To read more please click on the picture below.

http://blog.janetlikestosew.com.au/2015/03/time-with-connie-crawford.html

12/03/2015

Hi everyone,
Here is a link to Connie Crawford's page. There is news of her latest patterns (which, of course I recommend to everyone) plus links to some very helpful youtube videos, and some photos of Connie's amazing studio. Enjoy!

Fashion Patterns by Coni is an independent pattern company featuring couture draped patterns, instru

02/03/2015

Hi everyone!

I've been quiet lately because life has been sooo busy. The most exciting part is that I am in the USA with my lovely husband Steven attending the Puyallup craft fair. I was given the amazing opportunity to work with one of the best people in the sewing industry - Connie Crawford. Connie is an expert pattern maker and fitter. I have been here learning her methods with the plan to bring them to Australia. Connie has visited us in Aus a couple of times but I will be able to help fit ladies on an ongoing basis. Stay tuned for further details on that new aspect to my business. Here are a couple of photos from the trip.

21/12/2014

http://blog.janetlikestosew.com.au/2014/12/christmas-greetings-2014.html

13/09/2014

Woohoo!!! My gorgeous student Chloe has just won both her categories and Designer of the Year at the Australian Teen Fashion Awards! I'm sooo proud.

12/07/2014

Steven and me on our wedding day!

01/05/2014

Well! Imagine my surprise when I saw this article in the Australian Sewing Guild Inc newsletter. I'd forgotten Sue Neall was writing an article about last year's convention (including my work) but what an honour to be on the cover! — feeling excited.

01/05/2014

Well! Imagine my surprise when I saw this article in the Australian Sewing Guild Inc newsletter. I'd forgotten Sue Neall was writing an article about last year's convention (including my work) but what an honour to be on the cover! — feeling excited.