How to Make Professional Binding

I love the look of binding on the edge of a garment. (Not Fold-over Elastic, but proper double folded fabric binding) When I make my own knit tops, I almost always use binding on the neckline. Why? Because I have a lovely industrial cover stitch…
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How to Sew Bras with your Feet

How to Sew bras with your feet Did the Title of this post, How to sew bras with your feet, catch your attention? I was hoping it would! Well, did you know that National Sewing Machine Day was June 13?  Can you believe it's been nearly 200…

And now for something completely different…

And now for something completely different... I remember I used to watch Monty Python (what a hoot!) They had this series of skits called...and now for something completely different! So to steal a line from British comedy, this latest post…

Continuous Bias Strips

Continuous Bias Strips This is not a technique that is strictly bra-related however every now and then you might have a use for making miles of continuous bias strips (think decorative bias trim on corsets, perhaps or in home dec such as upholstery,…

How to remove a serged seam

How to remove a serged seam I've been sewing for over 50 years (gasp!) and I have ripped out more, I dare say, than my fair share of sewn seams. Particularly vexing to sewists of all ages is the thought of ripping out a seam made with a serger.…

Fabric Printing Magic

Fabric Magic - Trick 1 Have I got a neat trick to share with you! It's like fabric printing MAGIC! PROBLEM: Duoplex, our go-to main bra-making fabric is plain-Jane  fabric, even though the colours are gorgeous when made up. I wanted pattern,…
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Nifty Notions – the Sewing Edge

Nifty Notions - the Sewing Edge I like to borrow nifty notions from our quilting sisters - today, it's a great little gadget called the Sewing Edge. It is used by quilters to keep that 1/4" seam allowance. Well, guess what? Bra-makers can…

Day 2 – Nina’s Arrival

Nina's Arrival Back in the fall of 2013, I got a call from Margaret, of Bras Bold & Beautiful, asking if I still wanted a Bernina 930. Apparently she was teaching bra-making in Edmonton at Central Sewing Machines and one had just come in…

Re-purpose a Nifty Notion

Re-purpose a Nifty Notion If you own a cover stitch machine, you may be aware that it can do some amazing things. One of the things it can do is to make 3/4" (18 mm) strapping for bathing suits, sundresses etc. A smaller version in a 3/8"…

Lock Stitches, not Horns

Lock stitches, not horns In my cover stitch class, I often hear women say they have owned a machine for years, but it hasn't been out of the box! Are we intimidated by this funny looking machine? Often, we don't get lessons on the machine when…

Magic from your Sewing Machine

Magic from your Sewing Machine I often issue a ‘ready-to-wear” challenge to the students in my professional bra-making classes. The assignment is to duplicate the look and styling of a ready-to-wear bra. Marsha Barr of Bra-voh Custom Bras…