Table of contents for SewStylish Spring Fashion 2014 in Threads Magazine

For this issue, we asked our featured contributors to share early sewing experiences. Although Rhonda, Angela, and Dana learned to sew in di≠erent settings, their responses, on page 8, shared a key element: At some point, they each saw sewing’s creative potential. The enthusiasm that comes with realizing what’s possible doesn’t always come with the first project you sew. It is from being exposed to something fun, unexpected, and achievable. Fashion is a fabulous inspiration for sewers, and SewStylish explains the skills to sew the fashions you want to wear. We work with the pattern designers at Simplicity to come up with a chic new pattern to accompany each issue. Simplicity Sew-Stylish 1467, available now, is an ensemble pattern that’s perfect for creating a spring wardrobe, with jacket, top, skirt,…

DO YOU WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH KARL LAGERFELD and Marc Jacobs? This spring, bring the garden inside with gorgeous, three-dimensional blooms. For their respective Chanel and Louis Vuitton collections, both designers showed garments with amazing textured fabrics. It’s a look you can emulate with an at-home technique. Sew spiral blossoms in layered fabrics on an embroidery machine in a hoop or by transferring the design directly to the fabric and free-motion stitching with your sewing machine. Either way, you can grow these flowers with a basic straight stitch. To make them bloom, just trim the top layer of fabric along the stitching line to create the petals’ outer edges. Here, we used the fabric to make a dress and a tunic, but this technique looks great on…

Those of us who sew are always on the lookout for ways to improve our garment sewing. We want our finished product to look like an expensive designer garment. Sometimes, the simplest technique will make that happen. Beautiful, even hand stitches that look remarkable; buttonholes that blend well with the fabric, circular stitching that doesn’t wobble, and smooth curves and seams are just a few of the sewing techniques that set a garment apart. Here, you’ll find nine fabulous tips from Threads readers that take your machine and hand stitches to a new level of perfection. Hand-Stitching Guide My sewing machine provides valuable hand-sewing assistance. When I want to sew evenly spaced hand stitches, I machine-baste a stitch guide. I adjust the stitch length to the hand stitch I plan…

FINISH GARMENTS WITH A VISIBLE STITCHING LINE that adds a decorative element, and flattens and smooths the garment edges for a professional look. This important step should not be a sewing afterthought—it deserves to be as carefully planned and sewn as all the other seams on your garment. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know to sew precise and even topstitching. Let’s cover the basics, from what exactly topstitching is, to how to decide where to place it, and what to do when the inevitable skipped stitch happens. With these instructions and practice, you’ll soon be topstitching with confidence and skill. Secure the Perimeter Topstitching, in essence, is a row of straight stitches visible on the right side of a garment. It is most commonly aligned along an edge…

Angela Wolf (“Spring Fashion Forward,” page 32) “I used to love watching my mom sew; she always let me help out with hand sewing. I graduated to the sewing machine right around 6 years old, sewing a red and white polka-dotted bandana. I made my first outfit at 11—a cute green skirt and vest that I wore everywhere. It was kind of hilarious, considering I was a 100-percent tomboy!” Angela Wolf is a fashion designer, instructor, author, and patternmaker. Her new DVD, One Pattern, Many Ways, is available from the Threads store. Learn more at AngelaWolf.com. Rhonda Buss (“Spring Fashion Forward,” page 32) “I was 5 years old when my grandmother taught me how to make a handkerchief on her treadle sewing machine. Once the edges were finished, she taught…

SINCE WINNING PROJECT RUNWAY ALL STARS SEASON 2, Anthony Ryan Auld has made big strides in the fashion industry. In addition to becoming a Brother sewing machine spokesman, he’s creating a capsule collection for Nine West, collaborating on designs with fellow Project Runway cast members, and worked on an exhibition for the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Originally featured in Season 9, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident ended up in seventh place with just one win under his belt. Anthony Ryan wasn’t ready to give up just yet, however. After hearing that the All Stars casting directors were considering him for the show, he jumped at the opportunity. Initially a graphic design student at Louisiana State University, Anthony Ryan had no idea he wanted to pursue a career in fashion.…

Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper that has been used for centuries in ceremonial and decorative art. More recently, fashion designers have used it on runways. You can use the same folding techniques on fabric and ribbon to create stunning garments and trims. Textile origami can be created a few ways, but pleating was the method used on the skirt, blouse, and dress on these pages. Using pleating, rather than following traditional origami patterns, keeps the door open to creative interpretation while maintaining the essence of origami. The creases and crisp folds necessary in paper origami are more difficult to create and maintain in fabric and ribbon. Cotton, wool, synthetic, and synthetic blends retain creases well, but you can use interfacing on light or fluid materials to create…

Here’s your go-to top for spring and summer. It’s a classic, relaxed peasant-style blouse that is comfortable to lounge around in when the weather’s warm. It’s easy to design and sew but is also rich in casual bohemian style. An added bonus is that this top has cut-on sleeves and a drawstring closure, so it is super easy to make. On the following pages, you’ll learn how to draft a pattern for and sew the blouse. Plus, you’ll get great ideas for embellishing the top when it’s finished. Shopping List: • 1 to 1 ½ yards fabric (depending on pattern measurements and fabric width) • Thread to match Optional: • Single-fold bias tape (for neck facings) • 2 yards ribbon, twill tape, or other trim for drawstring • Embroidery floss…

REVERSE PRINTING AND COLOR printing are fun, easy ways to spruce up an old pair of jeans. Try patterns that are whimsical, tribal, geometric, or naturalistic. Place them all over or in just a few spots, such as along a side seam or on the back pockets. You can add printed designs to your denim jeans, skirts, and jackets with very little effort and a lot of creativity. All you need are paintbrushes, stencils, or stamps, and a discharge paste such as deColourant or deColourant Plus. When applied to fabric, plain discharge paste removes color from the fibers it touches, creating a unique reverse-printed surface pattern in a paler shade of the fabric’s dyed color. Colored discharge paste, such as deColourant Plus, works in one step by exchanging the fabric’s…

APPLIQUÉ—A surface embellishment that is made by stitching fabric or lace pieces to another fabric. ARMSCYE—Armhole. ASYMMETRICAL ELEMENT—A feature or detail that is not mirrored bilaterally on a garment. BACKSTITCH—A strong, hand-worked stitch that doubles back on the previous stitch. BACK-TACK—To sew a few stitches back and forth to anchor a seam’s beginning or end. BASTE—To temporarily join fabric pieces with large, easily removable hand or machine stitches. BIAS—Any line diagonal to the crosswise and lengthwise grains. “True bias” is on a 45-degree angle to the selvage, and allows for the most stretch in wovens. BIAS TAPE—A fabric strip cut along the fabric’s true bias; often used for binding. Also referred to as a “bias strip.” BINDING—A fabric strip used to cover or enclose raw edges.  BLANKET STITCH—A hand stitch…

Get all this and more when you subscribe to Threads! MORE trusted advice, techniques to improve your sewing skills, and tips for fitting garments perfectly. MORE in-depth pattern reviews, fabric information, product and equipment reviews, and how-to advice so you get the most from your sewing room. MORE ways to enjoy Threads when you subscribe: Subscribe today at ThreadsMagazine.com/SIP35 Or call 800-888-8286, Code M3800122. M-F 9 am-9 pm ET, Sat. 9 am-5 pm ET…

More Exciting Projects & Techniques Visit our website for more fabulous spring projects: Transform a no-frills tank into a showstopping top by adding lace trim; create a stylish denim fold-over bag; or sew a sweet cummerbund. Also, watch our new video series, Threads Essential Techniques. You’ll learn how to sew various seam finishes, identify fabrics, and create a beautiful beaded motif. Extra! Extra! Find bonus content from this issue when you log on to SewStylish.com. If you love the spiked tote bag on page 64, check out more spike placement templates. Get additional tips for perfect stitching, and even learn how to submit your own to Threads magazine, in an extra from “Terrific Stitches” (page 72). Join Today! Go to SewStylish.com and create your profile to: • Ask our experts a…

IN BRIGHT, FRESH HUES AND LACY LASER-CUT VERSIONS, SUEDE stalked the spring runways. The material is perfect for the temperate weather in this season—not too heavy, but not too light, either. Faux or real, suede is ideal for fun, fashionable garments and accessories. SUEDE HISTORY From the beginnings of civilization, humans have turned to animal fur, wool, or hide for clothing. In suede’s case, the material comes from the underside of the skin (with the outside intact, the material is considered leather). A process of tanning and sanding creates suede’s classic buttery-soft nap. Suede gained popularity during the Renaissance when gloves made of the material became a sought-after export of Sweden (hence the term “suede,” which is the French word for Sweden). Man-made suede-like materials were developed in the 1970s…

SMALL-SCALE, DAINTY RIBBON EMBROIDERY is sweet, but big is just as beautiful and makes a dramatic statement. Wide ribbon creates a dramatic effect on a garment, especially when applied using techniques typically used with narrow ribbon. You can adapt ribbon embroidery stitches for wide ribbon, or you can appliqué wide ribbon flat to the fabric in interesting motifs. Use either method to create an all-over design or a single eye-catching focal point. Unlike embroidery floss or narrow ribbon, working wide ribbons through fabric without damaging the trims or the material requires special care. But a few simple tips and techniques will have you planning and stitching beautiful designs with 1 ⁄2-inch- to 1 1 ⁄2-inch-wide ribbon. Creating large-scale floral or other motifs using these flat and dimensional ribbon embroidery techniques…

Although beautiful fabric can always stand alone, sometimes it’s fun to play with it and create an entirely new surface. For Spring 2014, many designers showed garments with dimensional details: textiles manipulated by pleating or other techniques for contemporary texture. One way to achieve this on-trend result is a variation on what quilters call strip piecing. It looks complex, but it’s very easy, and it produces effects you just can’t get by simply pleating fabric. With this technique, fabric strips are sewn to each other and a foundation fabric. Then you press the strips in one direction at the top and in the opposite direction at the bottom to add a twist and create a sense of movement. You can use this technique to push the design envelope on even…

With bright pinks, corals, oranges, and yellows lining the runway this spring, there’s no better time than the present to make the ultimate “candied” tote. Complete with chain straps, dual inner pockets, and a zippered pouch, this bag has it all. Simply swing it over your shoulder on your way to the store or for a night out with friends, and you’ll be sure to make a statement. While we made ours with faux leather and a cotton lining, this pattern can be applied to a number of fabrics, such as denim, gabardine, and quilted textiles. You might even consider adding a different-colored band around the bottom edge for a more dynamic effect. Bright spikes are a great detail to make your bag stand out. Apply them using your fabric’s…

WE’RE ALWAYS BUSY COMING UP WITH WAYS to excite our fellow sewers by providing high-quality information in a variety of media. Here are two upcoming products you won’t want to miss! With the Designer Techniques issue, you’ll glean loads of advice and instruction directly from the design houses we all adore. And in the One Pattern, Many Ways Vol. II DVD, you’ll be inspired to create one garment after another with the guidance of the dynamic designer Angela Wolf. Pick up one (or both!) of these and your wardrobe will surely grow. Designer Techniques On sale, April 2014 In this packed special issue, discover classic couture techniques from top designers. You’ll get behind-thescenes stories on fashion icons like Armani, Dior, Akira, and Valentina, plus insight into their strategies, secrets, and…