williamsews

Please like and visit my site at  william -sews.com I've been sorting fabrics and found a few combinations which will work as shirts, I buy fabric from charity shops and they're sometimes too short for a long-sleeved shirt but mixing them with other shorter pieces I should have enough for shirts.  These are three combinations I've chosen so far. Looking forward to working with these fabrics. I'm finishing a shirt today, the fabric was half a metre short so have had to use a contrasting colour.

Please visit my site at; William-sews.com My new sewing machine is heavy duty, big and powerful and I love it but it only has a thin plastic cover which attracts dust - so I made a new cover for it, I usually only sew clothes so this was going to be different. I had plain , medium-weight off-white fabric and plenty of other fabric for piping, I bought wadding because I couldn't find the stash I had somewhere (I found it today... too late).  The part I dislike when quilting is the 'sandwiching' but decided that it's just a small amount for this project and good practice.  I cut the pieces into a rectangle the right size for two sides, two outsides and one of wadding.  I used a polyester wadding which is a bit  creepy to handle; I don't like synthetics. The sandwich. I pinned it, ready to mark the pattern with a heat sensitive pen. I marked it in a diaper pattern.  And sewed it, two sides, the top is in one piece, a ver...

Please like and visit my site: william -sews.com I've finished a shirt and am pleased with the results, it's not for me which is a pity because I do like gingham. Next item will be a cover for my sewing machine. Regards, Will.

Please like and visit my site at  william -sews.com Way back in the 1970s, Grandpa shirts were popular, with or without collars. I wanted to make one but haven't been able to find a pattern new or vintage so I made an adaptation for my block shirt.  This is the pattern, it is just a different front section to my block shirt, Simplicity 8711 published in 1979.  It's the same as making a polo shirt, I cut the front and added the plackets.  Attaching the right and left plackets sewing and then cutting, it's the same process as a shirt sleeve placket.  The two plackets cross over, left over right.   The bottom of the placket may be sewn in an 'X' or square. This is the finished front - I made it longer than the original pattern to make it easier to put on and take off. It's something a little different. Regards, Will.

Please visit my site at  william -sews.com When attaching collars and cuffs I have always done the usual, sewing from one end to the other and backstitching at each end - this never looked right or very professional. I thought I'd try starting in the centre, working outwards and not backstitching but knotting and hand sewing the threads afterwards. This work very well and the finish is neater. This is the finished collar.  The finished cuff.  Sewing outwards, leaving the threads, tying off and then weaving the ends into the inside or back so they don't show.  Same with the collar. It's more work but it's so long since I have done any hand sewing, it was a pleasant task I saved for the evening whilst relaxing. This is well worth the little extra effort it takes. Regards, Will

I have more tutorials and discussions about sewing on my website: william -sews.com  Please join me there. I've had a glue stick lying around for over a year and never considered using it but I had a fiddly bit of bias binding to add to the front placket of a shirt, it was a great help and I will use it again. It helped to keep the binding in place and the needle is fine; it doesn't clog up. I also tried it on the sleeve plackets, the first fold is barely 0.50cm and never presses well but the glue keeps it in place, same for the rest of the placket, it's great for the 'tower' part at the top. I used a  sewline  glue stick, it obviously  lasts because I bought it so long ago and it works well. I also have a reel of Wash Away Wonder Tape, I'll try that next - but it'll need  to be good to beat the glue. Those are my thoughts for the day... back to sewing. Regards, Will.

Mark the area to be cut on the top layer of the collar.  Cut the corner piece. Cut the contrast piece, running the grain of the fabric the same way as the collar. Stitch across the corner on the wrong side. Use the collar pattern piece to mark the cutting line. Press the contrast piece into place. Add fusible interfacing and press. Add under collar to the top and stitch around. Press and attach to stand. Please visit my blog: william -sews.com