DIY Bikini Top – Review of the Seamwork Maggie sewing pattern

DIY Bikini Top – Review of the Seamwork Maggie sewing pattern

Today's make is the Maggie swim top by Seamwork. I know, it's not exactly "in season" for November (in the Northern Hemisphere) but I needed to share it before I forgot all the details. I made this swim top last month to take on a trip to Hawaii. The trip was lovely, very covid safe (thank you vaccines!) and this swim top was a favorite. I've made a fair number of swimsuits over the years and probably have a 50/50 success rate. So, I was really glad that this one works. Read on for all the details, and at the end of the post I share my top five tips for sewing swimwear.

How to draft a hem facing (on paper and digitally)

How to draft a hem facing (on paper and digitally)

In today’s video, I’m sharing how to draft a hem facing. A hem facing is an alternative finish to the traditional fold and stitch. Hem facings are especially useful when sewing a curved hem or a hem with a special shape like scallops. In the video, I show how to draft the hem facing using a printed pattern and how to do it digitally in Adobe Illustrator. I hope you enjoy it!

How to sew gathers - Video tutorial

How to sew gathers - Video tutorial

This week's video tutorial teaches how to sew gathers. I've heard that sewists are sometimes intimidated by gathers, so I'm sharing my favorite methods for sewing stress-free, evenly spaced gathers.

Gathers are a common design detail found in a variety of garments. Most often, you’ll find them in skirts or sleeves. For my Miri dress hack, I made a simple gathered skirt using rectangles of fabric. It's a really easy way to add a skirt or peplum and is zero-waste friendly.

I’m sharing the traditional method of sewing lines of basting stitches with thread. There are other ways to do it but I’ve always had success with my tried-and-true methods. Scroll on to watch the video and read the written instructions. Happy sewing!