<![CDATA[Doina Alexei

<![CDATA[Doina Alexei - Blog]]>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:41:56 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[How To Sew A Skirt/Dress Vent]]>Fri, 22 Nov 2019 01:05:09 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/how-to-sew-a-skirtdress-ventWhen I first started sewing, I felt quite intimidated by skirt vents. Over time, I’ve learned that a classic skirt vent looks a lot more complicated to sew than it actually is. For those that don’t know, a vent is a type of slit usually added to the back of a non-stretch (woven) skirt or dress in order to add flexibility when walking or sitting.

Although they can alter a garment aesthetically, vents have a mostly functional use. They are necessary for skirt/dress bottoms that are more form fitted with fabrics that do not provide enough stretch for movement. Vents are usually understated and tend to blend into seams- conventionally added to center back seams. Given that they have a purely functional purpose, they should stay closed and blend into the garment’s design when stationary and separate slightly to allow for the necessary amount of flexibility when moving. Unlike a slit, it is rare to find a skirt or dress vent designed to stand out aesthetically; however, a vent is visually a somewhat tailoring staple thus its absence can sometimes signal a lesser quality tailored item.

Regardless of whether you’ve attempted to sew a vent before, like a sleeve cuff, this is one of those elements that is bound to come up at one point or another. When it does come up, your sewing patterns will dictate the technique to use for the garment’s vent construction. For the most part, a seam that houses a vent will usually have an outwards extension at the bottom where the vent is located. This extension expands away from the seam allowance and can measure anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches depending on the fabric, vent's clean finishing techniques and the rests of the seam that houses it.

Given this option, the transition from the regular seam allowance at the top to the extension at the bottom, can be a small curve or sharp straight edge. The tricky part is often clean finishing this transitional edge, especially when featuring a sharp inward corner. For that reason, today I’ll show you the easiest of the two: the curved transition. Regardless of what your vent sewing patterns look like (and whether the extension has a sharp corner or curved edge), you can adapt the technique I’ll show you below to sew any style vent. If you follow all the steps consecutively, you’ll learn how to sew a skirt vent in just a matter of minutes!

As I walk you through the sewing process below, I’ll point out elements that are important to take into account when sewing skirt/dress vents.

For a better visual, I laid out my vent fabric pieces on the table and marked all the seamlines and hemlines using a ruler and fabric pencil. The seam itself has ½” seam allowance while the extension measures 1.5” in width. The length of the extension determines how long the opening of the vent will be plus 1” to allow for clean finishing.

My vent opening will be 5” long thus my actual extension measures 6” in length. By the way, if you look at the actual seamline, you’ll see a horizontal dash intersecting it at about 1” down from the extension transition. This dash marks where the seam stitch should stop and the vent should open. That being said, you will learn most from going through the process so let’s get started!

1. Clean finish the lengthwise edge on each extension. I did a double fold and top stitch finish for mine. My fabric allows me to do a very small fold, thus I folded the edge in at 1/8”, ironed, then folded again at 1/8” to enclose the fabric raw edge. You may insert a few pins to stabilize the foldline for the machine stitching process.

2. Topstitch the folded edge on each extension using the inner fold line as a guide. Press the finished edges.

3. Next, let’s do a little work on the hem before actually sewing the skirt seam. Fold the bottom edge of both fabric pieces in towards the wrong side of the fabric and press to crease the fold as shown.

4. Next, grab the right fabric piece and fold it over down the extension seamline (vertical marked line) such that the hemline (horizontal line) overlaps and the fabric’s face side is touching. Insert pins to hold this position in place

Leave the other fabric piece as is for now.

6. Starting at one end, stitch the two layers together down the marked hemline as shown.

Backstitch at both beginning and end of the stitch.

7. Turn the fabric back on its right side and you should have a clean, straight corner.

This finished edge will correspond to the top layer of the vent. I promise the next few steps will put everything into perspective!

8. It is at this point that you can finally stitch the rest of the seam housing the vent. Pin the two fabric layers together such that the extensions match up and the lengthwise edges align perfectly as shown. The fabric face sides should be touching. Pin perpendicular to the edge up to the marked horizontal dash line (1’’ below the start of the extension). This is where the seam stitch will end and the vent will open.

9. Stitch from the marked dash line (or 1” below the extension) to the top following the designated seam allowance. I highly recommend that you backstitch the beginning of your stitch to reinforce. Vents get pulled a lot during wear thus the opening should always be reinforced for added durability.

10. We’ve almost arrived at the fun part- watching the vent come together. Before moving on however, clean finish the seam allowance together using a serging or zig zag stitch or any other finish of your choice. Be careful to maintain the smoothness of the curve at the extension transition point.

11. Next, turn the vent seam on its face side and iron the seam with the seam allowance towards the side that correspond to the clean finished hem corner. In the process, you will also be ironing the top layer of the vent opening which naturally becomes the continuation of the seam at the top.

Last but not least, complete the hemline. In this tutorial, I went for a top stitched finish. Conventionally, vent hemlines as such are finished using a blind stitch for a clean, no-stitch look on the face of the garment. I’ve been doing so much blind stitching lately that I decided to go for top stitching instead. It is really up to you what technique you choose to apply on your vent.

12. Fold the bottom edge of the under layer up such that both top and under layer hemlines align as shown.

13. Iron the folded edges to keep them in place during machine stitching.

Insert pins through the hemline, perpendicular to the folded edges as shown.

14. Next, follow the top fold line as a guide and topstitch the hemline on both fabric pieces separately as shown. You can substitute top stitching for a blind stitch here if you wish.

15. Last but not least, apply a diagonal topstitch from the opening of the vent at the top slanting down to the end of the extension width.

This diagonal stitch not only provides added durability and reinforcement it also keeps the two overlapping vent layers in place, perfectly aligned to the seamline at the top.

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]]><![CDATA[Sewing A Surplice Summer Ruffle Dress: Part 1]]>Tue, 12 Nov 2019 15:31:22 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/sewing-a-surplice-summer-ruffle-dress-part-1In today’s tutorial I will show you how to sew something a bit more complicated- A surplice style summer floral dress with front and hemline lined ruffles. Due to the dress’ extensive construction steps, I’ve divided the tutorial in two parts. Today will cover Part 1 which includes fusing the interfacing pieces, pinning and sewing the darts, aligning and sewing the preliminary seams, sewing the individual ruffles, aligning the surplice front pieces, sewing the top ruffle to the dress’ front opening edge, and sewing and clean finishing the all-in-one facing. That’s certainly enough information to take in for one tutorial!

What makes this dress design special is its cross between a casual style and a more tailored structure. The ruffles are fully lined with a contrast color silk fabric. For that reason, they have nice body while remaining draped and feminine. My favorite design element is of course, the surplice cut which I find is always flattering.

I drafted the sewing patterns using my basic dress blocks. Although I did not cover the entire pattern drafting process in a tutorial, I did capture the detailed steps for drafting the circle ruffle sewing pattern used in this dress design. If patternmaking sparks your interest, you can check out the full tutorial here: How To Make A Pattern For A Circle Ruffle.

The resulting patterns for this dress are uniquely shaped and include both full and cut on fold style. For a tutorial on how to cut these pattern pieces efficiently, saving fabric and eliminating waste, check out these useful tips: Cutting Sewing Patterns To Optimize Fabric Efficiency.

Now that the dress patterns are cut and all markings are transferred onto each fabric piece, let’s get started on the fun part: Sewing the summer ruffle dress!

1. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the front and back facing pieces.
You can insert some temporary pins to keep the interfacing in place during this process. However, make sure to remove the pins as you approach the pinned areas with the iron.

Use a cloth in the fusing process not only to protect your iron but also help it glide smoother across the fabric.

2. Be sure to trim any interfacing that pokes out from the edges.

3. As a first step in the sewing process, pin all the darts with the marked dart legs overlapping and the excess corresponding to the wrong side of the fabric as shown. Iron each dart fold line to provide more stability during the stitching process.

You may also choose to hand baste the darts in place if you’re not quite comfortable using pins alone. My dress has single pointed darts on the front and back including horizontal bust darts on both front surplice pieces. All will need to be stitched and ironed prior to sewing the dress seams.

4. Stitch from the wider portion of the dart towards the dart vanishing point. You may gently backstitch at the end of the vanishing point but proceed with caution- you want to keep this transition point as smooth as possible. If you don’t backstitch, I suggest you tie the loose threads together to prevent the stitch from unraveling during wear.

5. Iron the darts from the face side with the excess pointing to the center of the dress for all vertical darts and towards the bottom for the horizontal bust darts.

Next, let’s get some of the details out of the way:
6. Align the two front bottom pieces on top of each other. The top layer has an asymmetric curved hem while the bottom layer stops short on one end where it won’t actually be sewn into a seam. For that reason, we need to clean finish this vertical edge prior to continuing.

7. Double fold and iron to stabilize the folded edge. Insert pins to keep the folds in place during the stitching process.

8. Top stitch the double folded edge using the top fold line as a guide.

Next, let’s work on the top and bottom circle ruffle pieces. My top ruffle will be sewn into the front surplice layer along its very top faced edge. You can follow the detailed process of sewing this entire lined ruffle in this tutorial: How To Sew A Lined Ruffle Into A Facing Edge.

Oh yes, did I mention my ruffles are fully lined? Don’t let this intimidate you- it is actually fairly simple to do.

9. Let’s start with the shorter top ruffle. Pin the lining layer to the self ruffle layer along the bottom and side edges as shown. Stitch down one side and along the bottom edge of the ruffle at the designated seam allowance.

The hemline ruffle will be made from multiple identical circle ruffle pieces sewn together into a continuous ruffle. For that reason, you will need to pin and sew the side edges first before pinning and sewing the lining and self layers together.

Last but not least, align, pin and stitch the front and back shoulder seams on the all-in-one facing.

Similarly, align, pin, and stitch the front and back dress pieces at the shoulder seams. For both dress and facing, the face of the fabric should be touching during this process.

Time for some ironing! Remember, we don’t wait until the very end to iron seams. Each seam is pressed as soon as it is completed.

10. Iron the top ruffle’s finished bottom edge as shown.

With the ruffle on its face side, pin through the two layers of the opening edge to keep the raw edges closed and aligned to each other.

Add a stabilizing stitch to keep the lining and ruffle layers in place during the remainder sewing steps. This stabilizing stitch should be located below the actual seamline as it is invisible on the face side of the finished garment.

11. Iron all shoulder seams, both on the facing piece and dress itself, with the seam allowance open as shown.

12. Lets bounce back to the continuous hemline ruffle for a moment. Iron the seams connecting each ruffle portion with the seam allowance open (as shown).

Place the lining piece on top of the self-ruffle piece such that all vertical seamlines are matching, and the fabric face sides are touching. Pin the two layers together along the entire bottom edge.

Stitch the two layers (lining and self) along the entire bottom edge at the designated seam allowance. Mine is ¼”- yours should be identical if not even smaller.

13. Align the bottom front dress layers on top of each other as they would be in the finished dress. The asymmetric layer is on top while the layer with the topstitched finished edge is aligned underneath. Match each corresponding darts and the waistline edges. Insert pins perpendicular to the edge to keep this alignment in place.

14. Stitch a little below the seamline (less than the seam allowance) to keep the two layers aligned in place. This is a stabilizing stitch to aid in the sewing process and will not actually show on the finished garment.

15. Next align the bottom back dress piece to the top back piece at the waistline, matching the waist darts perfectly in the process. Make sure the fabric face sides are touching and pin perpendicular to the edge as shown.

16. Stitch the pinned waist seam following the correct seam allowance. Mine is ½” as always.

When you look on the face side of the stitched seam, the top and bottom darts should align perfectly forming a continuous line as shown. This is a bit tricky to achieve as a sewing beginner but once you get more comfortable with your sewing machine, you’ll get this to work every time!

17. Clean finish the seam allowance on both waist seams using the method of your choice. As always, I used a serging stitch but you may use a zig zag stitch on your home sewing machine (or any other technique of your choice).

18. Iron the waist seam on back dress portion with the seam allowance pointing down.

19. Iron the hem ruffle (long) in its finished position. The easiest way to do this is to iron the seam allowance towards the facing then iron the finished edge of the ruffle as shown.

20. Pin the open edge of the ruffle matching up the lining and self edges in the process.

We will need to add another stabilizing stitch to felicitate the remainder steps below.

21. Align and pin the shorter ruffle to the top edge of the surplice dress portion housing it. The lining of the ruffle should be touching the face of the dress. Stitch together at a little less than the seam allowance. This again is a stabilizing stitch to aid in the construction process.

22. Next align the all-in-one facing to the dress matching the front and back neck edges as shown. The ruffle should be sandwiched in between. Pin perpendicular to the edge.

23. Stitch at the designated seam allowance (1/4” for me)

24. Iron the seam allowance towards the facing layer as shown.

25. Understitch the facing next to the seam as shown.

26. Bring the facing inwards and iron the finished neckline edge as shown.

Now, let’s sew the armhole facing edges. This may seem a bit tricky at first but it’s fairly straight forward if you take it one step at a time.

At this point, only the neckline facing should be finished. The armhole edges and the facing are not connected, and neither are the dress side seams.

27. At the bottom armhole opening, pull the facing and dress edges out such that the fabric face sides touch and the edges align.

Start pinning from the bottom opening towards the shoulder seam as far as you can go.

28. Stitch at the designated seam allowance (1/4 “ in this tutorial) as close to the shoulder seam as you can while maintaining a smooth, even stitch.

Repeat on the rest of the armhole sides.

29. Once complete, the facing should be enclosed along the armhole edges with only an open gap at the shoulder seam.

To close it, iron the raw fabric edges in and blind stitch both fold lines together to seal (as shown).

Press the finished armhole facing for a clean, professional finish.

This concludes our Part 1 of sewing this summer ruffle dress! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up next week!

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]]><![CDATA[How To Sew A Lined Ruffle Into A Faced Edge]]>Thu, 07 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/how-to-sew-a-lined-ruffle-into-a-faced-edgeLast week I showed you how to draft a sewing pattern for a circle ruffle; Today, I’ll walk you through the process of actually sewing it! The ruffle style described below is part of a summer dress featuring a draped floral fabric and surplice structure on both top and bottom portions (full sewalong to come!).

I’ve had a bit of an obsession with ruffles this summer but courtesy of a hectic schedule, I never actually got around to sewing this bright floral dress. Here I am, beginning of November and I’m determined to finalize it at all cost! From a design standpoint, what makes this summery dress extra special are the asymmetrically positioned circle ruffles. To take it just a step further, the ruffles are fully lined for a higher quality, cleaner finish.

Circle ruffle edges can be finished a number of different ways although the chosen technique is limited by their pronounced curved edges. To give you a comparison- gathered ruffles have straight edges thus are much easier to handle in the sewing process. Vise versa, circle ruffles are only able to withstand a limited amount of finishes.

Regardless of the technique used, a circle ruffle’s lengthwise edges should always have a small seam allowance. Due to how curved these edges are, a short seam allowance provides more control and flexibility. Conventionally, the seam allowance for top and bottom edges is ¼” or less. If the ruffles are not finished with lining, the outer edges (bottom of the ruffle) are usually double folded and stitched in a baby hem. For a less expensive option, they can also be serged, folded once and top-stitched.

Lining circle ruffles on the other hand, provides a more tailored, high quality finish. I personally find it to be the easier option even though it does require an additional lining layer. Lining also provides some nice design flexibility. You can use contrast color/print fabric (like I did in the steps below) to add more visual 3-dimensionality and uniqueness to your garment.

Lining a ruffle can also provide a way to control structure. If you want a stiffer, more structured drape you can use a thicker lining fabric. Vice versa, for a more draped, flexible look, line the ruffle with a lightweight, thin fabric. I used a (gray) silk crepe de chine for mine thus maintaining the ruffle’s lightness and flexibility.

The circle ruffle in today’s tutorial will be sewn into a faced seam. Not only will the facing provide a higher-quality finish, you’ll find that it's also fairly simple to sew!

Before getting started, isolate all the ruffle pieces and align them next to each other. Make sure you understand which edges will be sewn into the garment’s seam and which correspond to the ruffles’ bottom.

Spotting the difference should be fairly easy: The edge corresponding to the seam is always the inner short one; Conversely, the ruffle's bottom edge is longer and more curved. The lining layer should be identical to the ruffle with the fabric face sides mirroring each other.

Last but not least, make sure you identify the garment’s seam which will house the lined ruffle. Mine is the very top edge of the front surplice layer. The lined ruffle is self-finished on one end and sewn into the dress side seam on the other (more on this below). Needless to say, understanding how all the pieces fit together is much easier in the sewing process so let’s get started!

1. Place the ruffle and the lining layers on top of each other such that all matching edges align and the fabric face sides are touching.

2. Insert pins through both fabric layers, along the bottom and side edges. Leave the ruffle’s inner edge unpinned- this edge will get sewn into the garment seam.

3. Starting at one of the ruffle ends, stitch at the designated seam allowance along the entire bottom edge until you arrive at the other end.

Stop when you reach the seamline (at the second end) then turn the direction of the needle and continue stitching up to the very top of the fabric edge as shown above. By the way, my ruffles have a side seam allowance of ½” while both top and bottom lengthwise edges are ¼”.

4. Next, turn the ruffle on its right side through the unstitched edge. Doing so will enclose all raw edges on the inside. The ruffle’s self-finished corner should have straight edges and lay flat as shown.

5. Iron the ruffle’s finished edges. The easiest way to do this is to first iron the seam allowance towards the lining then iron the ruffle in its finished position to complete the process as shown in the image below.

Ironing the seam allowance to one side first will direct the seamed edge outwards thus making it much easier to iron smoothly.

The key to smooth, flat edges is a good quality iron. One of the most important requirements in dressmaking is ironing every seam and edge during the construction process and not only when the entire garment is complete. For that reason, you'll find yourself doing lots of ironing! A few years ago I decided to invest in a higher grade iron which as you might have guessed, has since significantly improved my sewing speed (and enjoyment)! If you're still searching for a longer lasting iron, you can get the identical version I have from Amazon below:

6. The ruffle is almost ready to be sewn into the garment seam; however, to facilitate this process, pin and stitch the open edges of the ruffle together first. This stitch won’t be visible on the outside of the dress thus it should be positioned at a shorter distance from the raw edges.

Adding this stabilizing stitch will facilitate the rest of the construction process.

7. The ruffle is now ready to be sewn into the dress! Align the ruffle’s raw edge to that on the garment making sure the garment and ruffle's right sides are touching. Pin these layers together perpendicular to the edge as shown.

Place pins as densely as necessary in order to keep the ruffle evenly distributed and the raw edges aligned perfectly to one another.

8. Stitch the ruffle to the garment edge at a little less than the seam allowance. My seam allowance is ¼” so I stitched at 1/8” distance from the edges. Again, this is a stabilizing stitch- it will assist in the construction process but will not be visible on the face of the garment. Be careful along the corners of the ruffle and make sure that these areas remain aligned with the edge of the garment during the stitching process.

9. The facing is now ready to be attached! Align the corresponding edge of the facing to the garment edge housing the ruffle such that all raw edges align and the ruffle is sandwiched in between. Pin perpendicular to the edge for easy removal during machine stitching.

10. Stitch at the designated seam allowance. ¼” in my case.

The ruffle is now permanently sewn between the garment and facing layers.

11. Iron the seam allowance towards the facing as shown.

12. Understitch at a short distance from the seamline (1/16” to 1/8”) through the facing and seam allowance underneath. Understitching keeps the facing flat and prevents it from rolling towards the outside.

13. Place the facing inward and iron the finished edge. Be careful as you iron on top of the ruffled edge- press just the edge maintaining the actual ruffle as flat as possible in the process.

All done! The lined circle ruffle has all its raw edges enclosed on the inside of the garment draping naturally along the dress' top edge.

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]]><![CDATA[Cutting Sewing Patterns To Optimize Fabric Efficiency]]>Mon, 04 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/cutting-sewing-patterns-to-optimize-fabric-efficiencyOptimizing your fabric surface area during the cutting process is perhaps one of the most important concepts in garment manufacturing. We may not worry much about it when sewing at home, but the truth is, using the least amount of fabric will not only save money but will also minimize waste. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t optimize my pattern alignment for least amount of fabric use, I end up with awkwardly shaped remnants that usually find their way into the trash bin. Every little bit contributes to more waste and more money down the drain.

Luckily, there are techniques to habitually introduce at home which will allow you not only to cut down on the yardage purchased but also minimize the amount of unusable pieces left after the sewing patterns have been fully cut. These are concepts used on the manufacturing level and should technically be considered official rules for cutting and aligning fabric in the dressmaking process.

Correct pattern alignment is dependent on two important factors: selvage edge and the patterns’ grainline. These two elements work together to guide in the proper alignment scheme. Your critical thinking comes into play when putting all the pattern pieces next to each other such that they:

1. Are as close as possible to the selvage edge.

2. Are aligned as close as possible to one another in accordance with the patterns’ grainline.

3. For cut on fold type patterns, the fabric is folded just enough to account for the sewing pattern width (edge to edge) and not more.

If you enjoy puzzles, you will definitely love the pattern cutting portion of the sewing process. In the example below, I will demonstrate each one of the three concepts described above using a set of surplice style dress patterns. By the way, a full sewing tutorial on this surplice ruffle dress will be up on the blog soon!

This dress style is a great example to use as it incorporates both cut on fold pattern pieces and full sewing patterns. It also includes oddly shaped patterns like those of a circle ruffle and all-in-one facing. As noted, all of these pieces should be aligned and cut in concordance with the grainlines regardless of what shapes they are. Everything will be much clearer as we go through the steps below so let’s get started!

As mentioned above, my set of patterns includes both cut on fold and full patterns. It is really up to you which ones to start with. I personally always like to cut my full patterns first.

First, align your fabric such that the selvage edge is laying parallel to the length of your table.

Find the pattern that has the straightest edges and align it into the right-most fabric corner as shown above.

The pattern’s vertical side edge closest to you should be as close as possible to the selvage edge. The pattern’s top should align as close as possible to the fabric’s top edge. You also need to keep into account the fabric’s grainline in relation to the selvage edge. The rule is that a lengthwise (vertical) grain should be perfectly parallel to the selvage edge while a crosswise grain (horizontal) should be positioned perpendicular to the selvage.

My patterns only have lengthwise grain lines thus all of them should be positioned perfectly parallel to the fabric's selvage.

Use a ruler or measuring tape to position the grainline in relation to the selvage edge as shown.

I like to use my 18-inch clear plastic ruler for this step as it allows me the transparency and precision I need in the process. If you don’t have one of these rulers, I suggest you get one!

They are perfect for pattern drafting providing lightness and flexibility for a convenient way to quickly measure edges in the cutting and sewing process.

Ok, now that your first pattern is perfectly aligned in the corner, pin it along the seam allowance edges.

Now that you set the wheels in motion, use the bottom edge of the first pattern as a guide to align the next full pattern piece. For fabric efficiency, align the second pattern’s top edge right below the horizontal hemline of the first pattern as shown above.

Of course, you have to make sure the grainline is perfectly parallel to the selvage edge, while the pattern itself is as close as possible to the selvage itself. As you did for the first pattern, use a ruler to correctly position the pattern.

Pin the second pattern along the seam allowance edges.

Start cutting your patterns carefully using your fabric scissors.

The bottom edge of my second pattern is asymmetric; thus once cut, it will leave a jagged cut edge in the remaining fabric piece. As you’ll see below, you can use this triangular shape to cut the additional patterns that fit within that shape. I encourage you to do so anytime you can- not only will you save fabric, you’ll also be able to use up awkwardly shaped fabric extensions which would otherwise most likely end up in the trash.

Before removing the pins, don’t forget to transfer all notches and additional pattern markings (such as darts) onto the fabric.

Moving on, the same concepts described above apply to cutting cut on fold style patterns. Fold the fabric parallel to the selvage edge, but only enough to account for the width of the pattern- not more. The biggest downfall of cutting a half pattern is folding the fabric too much. Once cut, you will end up with an extra strip of fabric that can’t really be used for anything else but adding to the waste issue.

Align the sewing pattern to the fabric's fold and carefully cut through both fabric layers as shown.

Instead of starting below my previously cut patterns, I went back to the top and used the remainder of the fabric’s width to cut these fold patterns. Since I positioned my full patterns so close to the edges, I had just enough fabric to use for cutting the rest of the fold patterns. Had I not cut the first two patterns efficiently, I would not have had enough to account for this remainder.

I saved the fun for last by leaving the most uniquely shaped, smaller patterns to be cut at the end. This is the instance where you can use the fabric’s remaining jagged edges to accommodate the unique shapes of your remaining patterns.

I used the fabric portion featuring the angular extension to cut the front surplice pieces. I folded this angular edge over such that the fabric face sides are touching and aligned both the surplice pattern piece and its corresponding facing to fit within the shape of the fabric. By the way, the reason the fabric is folded is because I need two identical, mirror images of each pattern piece.

Again, even when aligning these patterns with the angular shaped fabric layers, you still have to account for grainline. Thus, if the shapes of the patterns match up when arranged edge to edge, they will still not be properly cut if the grainlines are not actually parallel to the selvage edge.

Once you have the patterns arranged most efficiently taking into account the grain lines and selvage factor, pin and cut the fabric pieces carefully.

To cut my circle ruffle pattern and the cut on fold back facing, I used the other end of my fabric featuring another uneven edge. Fitting within this uniquely shaped portion, the curved patterns can be cut to save as much fabric as possible!

A few notes on actually cutting the fabric pieces:
- Cut as smoothly and as close to the pattern edge as possible. Being careful during the cutting process will ensure a much easier sewing process with all seam edges matching perfectly.

Cutting sewing patterns is especially difficult along very curved edges (such as my circle ruffle pattern shown above). I suggest you invest in a good pair of fabric scissors! I find that having a good set of working scissors can make the sewing process so much more enjoyable. I’ve tried dozens of different fabric scissors and finally settled for this pair:

They have lasted quite a long time and are very comfortable to use on a variety of different fabrics.

- Pinning the patterns along the edge, within the seam allowance, will not only ensure the patterns lay flatter during the cutting process but will also protect the fabric surface that is visible on the face of the garment from potential pin damage.

- Carefully shift the pinned pattern and fabric if needed in the cutting process. You’ll find that especially with larger pattern pieces, you may need to shift the entire fabric position to get a better cutting angle.

If you get into the habit of efficiently cutting your sewing patterns, you’ll find that not only will you be saving money you will also become more environmentally conscious contributing less waste in the long run!

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]]><![CDATA[How To Cut And Sew Decorative Appliques By Hand]]>Thu, 31 Oct 2019 19:19:08 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/how-to-cut-and-sew-decorative-appliques-by-handThere are many instances in dressmaking when you’ll be forced to replace that convenient machine sewing needle with a much slower hand sewing one. In the case of sewing decorative appliques, you may be asking yourself- why would I ever need to attach them by hand when I can easily topstitch them on the sewing machine? When it comes to decorative garment applications, things are not always as simple as they appear.

In many instances, the only way to safely sew an applique is by hand using a sort of modified slip stitch method. In some scenarios, you may even save some time by opting for hand stitching in lieu of machine stitching altogether. Here are some situations when hand sewing appliques is not only recommended but also essential to the structure, finish and look of a garment:

When adding appliques to fine, silk fabrics which can easily be damaged by machine topstitching.
When the edge of the applique is jagged or has a multitude of uneven corners. Appliques are usually stitched along their outer edges thus you’ll find that if your applique has a variety of unevenly shaped edges, machine stitching will be time consuming. It will also require lots of care and effort to continuously turn the direction of the fabric following the jagged edges.
When the machine stitch risks being noticeable on top of the applique thus undesirable alter the applique look and design.
When adding appliques to areas of a finished garment that are difficult to reach or handle under the machine needle. This often happens with evening wear and more voluminous wedding dresses.
When the appliques include beading, metal decorations and/or sequins that are difficult to navigate around on the sewing machine. These decorative pieces can also accidentally break your machine needle if you make the wrong turn. An instance as such is almost always applicable to bridal and evening wear.

In today’s tutorial, I’ll go a step further by showing you how to actually extract an applique from a lace or ornamental fabric and hand stitch it to the surface of a silk crepe de chine. The need for this comes up quite often when you can’t find the right pre-cut appliques on the market. In that case, it is totally acceptable to cut your own from a suitable fabric. I’ll show you this simple process below.

1. Cut out the desired applique portion from your fabric carefully following its edges.

You want to be close to the applique outer lines but not cut so close that you actually weaken the applique weaving.

2. Choose the desired location of the applique on the garment, and pin it in place in the desired position and orientation.

3. At this point, I suggest hand basting it to the garment as doing so will provide a lot more control and stability in the hand stitching process to follow.

4. Lastly, use thread that matches the applique’s edges and hand stitch through the very outer edge of the applique to the fabric surface underneath. I used a sort of slip stitch style but since my applique is heavier than my fabric, I caught about 2-3 mm of the fabric for increased stability. With a conventional slip stitch, you usually only catch 1-2 threads such that the stitches remain invisible on the other side- mine is just one step more durable.

Note: If you are sewing an applique to a garment that has already been lined, only hand stitch through the top garment layer avoiding the lining underneath. Your goal is to hide as much of the hand stitch on the inside of the garment as possible.

Continue hand stitching until the entire applique is attached as desired.

In most cases, you do not need to iron the finished applique. Especially in instances of working with decorative lace appliques or heat-sensitive fabrics, avoid pressing the application altogether.

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]]><![CDATA[How To Make A Sewing Pattern For A Circle Ruffle]]>Wed, 30 Oct 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.doinaalexei.com/beginnersewingtutorialblog/how-to-make-a-sewing-pattern-for-a-circle-ruffleWhen it comes to clothing design, there’s nothing more feminine and playful than a ruffle. Ruffles are very simple design elements yet can completely shift the mood and style of a garment. I touched a bit on ruffles months ago, yet I still haven’t shown you the patterning side. For those that are interested in learning more pattern drafting techniques, today’s tutorial will cover another application of my all-time favorite technique: the slash and spread method. In the steps to follow, I’ll show you a simple way to draft a circle ruffle from scratch at the desired width and length.

There are two main types of ruffles: gathered ruffles and circle ruffles. They look and drape very differently not to mention the sewing techniques used to apply them vary greatly. A gathered ruffle as you might have guessed, is first gathered to create the ruffle flounce, after which the gathered edge is sewn into the correspond seam. A circle ruffle on the other hand, has flounces that are localized, applied individually on the sewing pattern depending on the desired ruffle density. The patterning process for the latter ruffle style is what we’ll discuss today! As opposed to a gathered ruffle, a circle ruffle has a smoother, more flexible quality.

Design wise, a circle ruffle is more feminine, with softer, flowey curves. The ruffle’s fullness and shape of the seam edge is what directs its drape. In this tutorial you will learn how to control the desired fullness on each ruffle mound, as well as adjust the ruffle’s density and width. Applying the slash and spread technique will naturally shape the edge that will be sewn into the garment inwards, and the bottom/outer curved edge of the ruffle outwards. You will then easily be able to complete the curved pattern lines using a simple french curve. All of this will be generated from a simple rectangle! Are you excited to get started? Let's do it.

By the way, I am using tracing paper as a substitute for pattern paper. Tracing paper is lightweight, easy to work with and its transparency provides a big advantage. I like this one from Amazon:

1. Measure the edge you’d like to add ruffles to. My circle ruffles will be located along the top edge of a surplice style dress. By the way, a full sewalong on this dress is coming soon!

On a piece of pattern (or tracing) paper, draw a long straight line using your ruler.

Measure the length from Step 1 on the straight line, and mark this location with your pencil on both ends.

2. Draw the rest of the rectangle with the width measuring the same as the desired width of the ruffle. Mine is 2".

3. At this stage, decide the desired ruffle density. In other words, how many flounces you'd like the circle ruffle to have. The length of my ruffle is 20 inches and I'm adding a ruffle mound every 5 inches. This will result in ruffles that are less dense, however, I'll be adding lots of depth in the steps below.

Measure and draw straight vertical lines along the rectangle at each desired flounce location as shown.
The bottom edge of the rectangle will become the outer ruffle edge. The top rectangle line will become the seam edge which will eventually be sewn to the garment.

4. Cut down each straight line starting at the bottom edge and moving up to the top edge. Cut to but not through the top line.

Next, cut through the paper at the top of the rectangle to the same point where the bottom cut stopped. Leave about 1 mm of paper still connected at this point. The paper pieces should be be moving back and forth while still remaining flat.

5. Expand the bottom opening and align another piece of pattern paper underneath to close the gap as shown.

Measure the bottom opening of the slit at the desired depth of the ruffles. Each ruffle flounce will correspond to each one of the cut vertical lines. This measurement will basically decide how deep and voluminous the ruffles will be. In this tutorial, I opened up each ruffle mound at a 1 1/2" distance.

Last but not least, use invisible scotch tape to seal each cut edge to the added paper underneath.

6. Repeat the slash and spread method on the rest of the vertical lines. Keep the opening of each ruffle mound even (1 1/2" for me).

7. Smooth out the final bottom edge of the ruffle by rounding out each slit opening as shown. I sketched out my curves with dash lines first just to get an idea of the final curved edge.

Next, use a french curve or a hip curve to smooth out the dashed lines into even, solid lines a shown above. This final curved edge marks the ruffle's hemline or outer edge.

Last but not least, use your french curve to smooth out the corners on the top edge as shown. This inner curved edge corresponds to the ruffle seamline which will eventually be sewn into the garment's seam.

8. Use your clear marked ruler to add seam allowance along all edges. Due to the sharply curved edge, the top seam allowance should have a smaller width. I recommend 1/4". A small seam allowance along curved edges will eliminate tension and be much easier to sew.

Don't forget to add seam allowance along the bottom edge as well. The seam allowance length should be decided based on what sort of finish the ruffle's bottom will receive. Whether it's a fully lined finish or a baby hem (double folded and topstitched), keep the seam allowance as short as you can- this will give you a lot more control and tension release in the sewing process.

Of course, don't forget to add seam allowance to both side edges as well. They will most likely be sewn into corresponding seams on the garment and for that reason, should have the same allowance as those seams.

Don't forget to trim the excess paper from the additional pieces taped to the pattern's back. This will keep your final pattern clean and light.

9. As a final step, cut the final circle ruffle pattern along the outer seam allowance edges as shown.

Keep the edges as smooth and even as you can in the cutting process.

All done! Stay tuned for the fabric cutting and sewing steps to come in next week's set of sewing tutorials.

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