Sussex Seamstress Sewing Blog
How To Sew A Rouleau Loop
This tutorial shows you how to sew Rouleau loops (those little loops you pop buttons through), using a Rouleau Turner.
How To Sew An In-Seam Pocket
Learn how to add in-seam pockets to the garment of your choice! With a free in-seam pocket pattern.
How To Lengthen A Skirt Pattern
In this post I’ll show you how to lengthen a skirt pattern, using the Boxgrove skirt as an example. The principal can be used on other skirts or even dresses.
How To Make A Pleated Patch Pocket
In this tutorial I show you how to make a pleated patch pocket that can be added to lots of different sewing patterns.
How To Make An A-Line Skirt
In this new beginner’s tutorial, we take you through all the construction steps of making a classic A-Line Skirt.
Should I Buy An Overlocker (Serger)?
An overlocker (aka a serger) is a type of sewing machine specifically designed for finishing seams. They produce better, faster results than a traditional sewing machine - but should you buy one? Is an overlocker/serger worth the money? Well, it depends - let’s discuss…
How to Sew a Shirred Cuff
Let me show you how to sew a shirred cuff using shirring elastic…
10 Fascinating Facts and Statistics about Sewing
Here’s 10 Fascinating Facts and Statistics about Sewing.
How to Print and Assemble PDF Sewing Patterns
Read & watch our guide to printing and assembling PDF sewing patterns. If you’ve not tried it before, this guide is for you!
Basic Stitch Types and Their Uses
Which sewing machine stitches do you actually need, and what are they for? Despite the dizzying array of stitch types on many machines, there’s only really a handful of stitch types that you’ll need for dressmaking, others are nice to have, but these are the basic types you’ll find on all sewing machines and will allow you to make any garment you wish.
Sleeves - The Basic Types
With so many different types, sleeves can be daunting for the beginner. Let’s take a look at the basics…
A Tour of My Vintage Industrial Sewing Machine
Come see my Vintage Brother BD2-B755-3B industrial sewing machine! This old workhorse has been going for years and still works fine despite the odd bit of rust here and there. Let’s take a tour of all it’s bits and pieces and show you how an old industrial sewing machine works.
Sewing machine needles - types and uses
There are lots of sewing machine needle types & sizes. Here’s a quick guide to what they are all for.
6 Common seams and how to sew them
Whether it’s the workhorse plain seam, a fancy top stitched seam or a slinky French seam, there’s a simple way to stitch all of them. Let’s look at six of the most common seams used in dressmaking, including a downloadable seams chart with cross sectional diagrams for the ultimate seams cheat-sheet.
What is Fabric Grain and Why is it Important?
What is grain in a woven fabric? What’s the grain line & why is it important? Understanding fabric grain and grain lines when laying out and cutting out your dressmaking pattern is vital to getting a good make, and ensuring the strength and stretch of your fabric is aligning with the length and width of your garment. Let’s look at how to understand your fabric and ensure you don’t end up with misshapen clothes.
How to choose the correct fabric for your make
Let’s talk about different fabric types & what they are best for.
