Dressed in a Dress - The Sewing Journal

Sometimes, even with the right fabric and construction, a design needs a touch of hidden support to achieve its intended shape. When richly gathered sleeve caps don’t hold the sculpted volume you envisioned, a simple couture-inspired detail—the sleeve booster—can make all the difference. This illustrated tutorial shows how to sew and attach it for a perfectly balanced, voluminous sleeve silhouette.

I was midway through figuring out the Sienna blouse when I realised the collar-sewing method I’d been using for years wasn’t giving me the finish I wanted. The edges weren’t as smooth, always threatening to unravel, the roll not quite intentional. So I stepped back, pulled out my sewing books, and relearned the process from the beginning. What came out of that is the method in this illustrated step-by-step tutorial—a straightforward way to sew a pointed collar that turns cleanly and sits neatly on the neckline.

For years, the lack of matching ribbing for the neckline stopped me from sewing a tee myself. Then, at some point, I realized I could make the neckline band out of self-fabric. The process seems to be tricky initially: you need to stretch the fabric and then do wonders with steam pressing, but fear not. I prepared this detailed illustrated tutorial, which will explain how to sew a crew neckband for your T-shirt.

Bow collars pop up in the first row of a fashion scene relatively often. They are loved and presented by luxury brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent. The bow collar can look modest, but it also may be seductive revealing that tiny bit of a collarbone. Feminine and luxurious it brings ’70-s vibes to one's favourite blouse pattern. And this illustrated tutorial will show how to add a bow collar to one's design.

Peau d’ange, Chantilly, Alençon lace and many-many other lace types exist there. Unfortunately, there are no certain rules for every exact lace because everything depends on the tread type, the background and overall quality, but there are some common guides for pattern choice, fabric preparation and sewing techniques for all laces.

This is the final and the shortest part of my yet longest trilogy. If you’ve just joined, feel free to start with Part 1, which tells about inspiration and preparatory process, and Part 2 – there you can read about patterns and samples. And here I write some cutting tips down and ponder about sewing. And as I promised, there is the final summary of this long story, which I sincerely hope you read.