Garment Construction Fundamentals

When first learning to sew, we usually play around with fabric getting our feet wet laying out our pattern in the most logical way we can think possible, optimizing our fabric use and using our best judgement. This can work out just fine for many in early sewing projects, but as you get more invested in sewing your own clothing may feel like your clothes are looking a tad funny, or hanging crooked (this absolutely happened to me). In order to troubleshoot some of these concerns (and before we get into laying out your pattern correctly, learning how to orient...

So you made sure your fabric is cut on grain, now it is time to make sure the fabric is oriented "on grain".  When your fabric is oriented on grain they fibers will be running perpendicular to each other at a 90 degree angle. When you need to correct a warped textile oriented at a slight angle as picture above, it  is called “Blocking”. This is important to make sure the fibers are running in the proper direction on your finished garment. If your horizontal grain is not oriented at a 90 degree angle to your lengthwise grain, your garment...

IMPORTANT TAKE-AWAYS There are a couple important things to know when you lay out your pattern. You will want to maximize your fabric usage (follow the recommended pattern layout below), as well as lay your pattern pieces on grain. These instructions are based on fabric folded in half, selvages pinned together. *Sewing selvages together also works too! MAXIMIZE FABRIC USAGE Your pattern will give you a guide to lay out your fabric optimizing your fabric. This will help you . The tricky part is, fabric comes in a multitude of different widths on the crosswise grain, so sometimes you will...

There are two separate fundamentals of making sure your fabric is "on grain." First, your fabric needs to be cut or torn on grain, and two your fabric needs be oriented on grain, or "blocked" (read tutorial on "Blocking Your Fabric"). For all of this to really make sense, you will want to understand concepts of warp, weft, and selvage (for that go "becoming oriented with your fabric: warp, weft, and selvage).  The first step of the two to get your fabric "on grain" and ready to be cut into pattern pieces, is making sure you have a perfect rectangle in...