Support us on Patreon! Love to Sew Podcast

Follow Helen! Blog: Helen’s  Closet Patterns, Instagram: @helens__closet

Follow Caroline! Shop: Blackbird Fabrics, Instagram: @blackbirdfabrics

Follow the Podcast! Instagram: @lovetosew.podcast, Facebook: /LovetoSewPod

Leave us a voicemail with your questions, comments, and feedback: 1-844-SEW-WHAT (1-844-739-9428)

E-mail us: hello@lovetosewpodcast.com

Sign up for our newsletter to get weekly episode updates, special news, and even some exclusive content that you won’t find anywhere else.

Leave us a review! It will help other sewists discover us.

---

Transcript:

Caroline:  We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love To Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: Sewing for a Changing Body.

Caroline: Helen, are we gonna have to change our intro?

Helen: Maybe. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: Ah! Oh, my gosh! Congratulations!

Helen: Thank you! Yes! It may be old news at this point because we mentioned it about a week ago on all our social media channels, but in case you missed it, I am launching a line of quilt patterns under the brand name Cedar Quilt Co.

And you can follow along with me on social media tomorrow, when this episode comes out tomorrow, we are launching our free pattern for our newsletter subscribers, and that’s gonna be a really great introductory pattern for beginner quilters or people who have never quilted before, so I’m so excited to share that. I definitely wanna bring some of our garment sewing listeners into the quilting world with me and have fun.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited for you. I know you’ve been working on this for a really long time.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: So it must feel so good to have it out in the world.

Helen: It really does. I’ve been just, like, itching to share more. I’ve been designing quilts and making quilts and, kind of, keeping it all under wraps and, like, lurking in the quilting community.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: And I knew that I wanted to keep it a little bit as a surprise and just announce it when I felt ready to announce it. And I’m ready now. So here we are.

Caroline: Ready? Check. Announce? Check.

Helen: Yeah. And we have some, like, exciting patterns, like, already lined up, so it’s just gonna be really fun over the next few months to share more.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I can’t wait. Okay. I wanna know the significance behind the name.

Helen: Ooh, good question. Well, I live in the Pacific Northwest on Vancouver Island, as many of you know, and there are a lot of cedar trees. In fact, on my property where I live, we have 16 full size trees, and by full size I mean, like, 50 to 80 feet, and they’re a mix of Douglas fir and cedar. So outside all of our windows, you can see cedar trees. It’s just a big part of our daily life looking at the trees and the wind hits them. It’s so beautiful.

And the woods behind our house is also full of cedar trees, and we walk there every day. And yeah, I mean, I just love the smell. I love the look of them, and it was very inspiring to me thinking about how I could tie in the west coast nature and landscape into my quilt pattern design. So you’ll notice that a lot of them are inspired by nature, so I really like the idea of having a natural element in the brand name. And then also I think it’s really cool that there’s a tie-in where, like, people make cedar chest to keep their keepsakes in…

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: …so that moths don’t eat them. And often those keepsakes include things like quilts. So I like that tie in as well, where it’s, like, something special that you put a lot of effort into and that you keep safe.

Caroline: Aw…

Helen: And that often involves, yeah, cedar as well. So there you go.

Caroline: I love names with, like, a double meaning like that.

Helen: Yeah. Me, too. It feels like the right name. And then I put “Co.” on the end ‘cause it sounded cool.

Caroline: Yeah. Obviously.

Helen: For no other reason.

Caroline: Oh, it feels so fitting too because I feel like since you’ve moved to the Island, you’ve connected a lot more with nature.

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: Like you and Sam spend so much time outside, and you go on long walks with Emma, and it feels like it’s a big part of your identity now. So to have it tie in with this project that you’ve been so passionate about, like, it just feels really fitting.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I feel the same way. And it’s gonna be so fun to share. Yeah. Our designs, a lot of which have those natural elements, not only just the forest, but also the flora and fauna and the beach, of course.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: You know, I love the beach.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: The water.

Caroline: Love the beach.

Helen: Yeah. The rain, I mean all that, all that west coast goodness.

Caroline: Oh, so wonderful. Well, congratulations again.

Helen: Thank you!

Caroline: Everybody go follow Cedar Quilt Co., and check out the patterns.

Helen: Yeah, and I don’t want anyone to panic. I’m still gonna make garment patterns. I love garments. That has not stopped. We have so much exciting stuff coming down the pipeline for Helen’s Closet this year, too. So I’m just gonna be doing both, and I will be sharing about that here on the podcast if you’re interested in hearing how that goes.

Caroline: Absolutely.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I know I am.

Helen: It’s gonna be an interesting year.

Caroline: Okay. Should we kick this episode off with a question?

Helen: Yes! I love this question. Beth from Kentucky wrote, “I’ve seen so many ‘easy to sew’ patterns and ‘easy’ and ‘intermediate’ patterns – I’m curious: what is advanced? What is the most difficult pattern you’ve attempted? What techniques are the most difficult to master? I’d love a few examples of pretty advanced patterns as a reference and… Maybe a challenge!”

Caroline: Ooh, thanks so much for your question, Beth. I think one reason why there are not as many patterns labelled advanced is because even an advanced sewist can do a beginner pattern, but it doesn’t usually go the other way. So beginner and intermediate patterns naturally have more potential customers, there’re just more of them out there.

I also think that some patterns that are labelled intermediate can become advanced by choosing a tricky fabric. The same pattern made in cotton lawn and silk charmeuse is going to be a totally different difficulty level.

Helen: Yes! And pattern makers like myself also want to be encouraging when they’re labelling the skill level of their patterns. Intermediate sewists who like a challenge can probably get great results from an advanced pattern. Or even beginner sewists who are totally new to sewing can often sew intermediate patterns. It’s a series of steps, so we want to believe that you can do it and encourage you that you can do it. And we wanna list the lowest level who could succeed at the pattern so that sewists know that they can do it. So yeah, oftentimes things I think are under labelled maybe a little bit.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Helen: That’s why there’s so many advanced beginner patterns ‘cause us pattern designers never wanna put that intermediate label on things, scare people away.

Caroline: Advanced beginner. I love it.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: But with that said, there are advanced patterns out there. So a tailored blazer is one of the garments I think of when I think advanced. There are a lot of fiddly techniques involved, like welt pockets, vents, and collars. Plus, tailoring a blazer to fit beautifully involves small adjustments across several seams. We recommend the Jasika Blazer by Closet Core. This one is labelled as “Advanced.”

Helen: Ooh, yes! And they have, like, a great video tutorial series, too, if you wanna follow along and get extra tips as you go.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: One pattern company that’s been going around social media lately is Roberts Wood Design Studio. They have the Elysia Dress, and it’s a patchwork dress that looks like lots of little bows. The curved seams and patchwork really up the difficulty level, but it becomes truly advanced when you make it with sheer fabric like voile or organza. We love the look of the Flower Patchwork Dress, too. Lots of, like, quilty inspiration in these patterns, I think.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. And I love that they shoot them, like, against a window so you can see the light coming through, and you can really see all of the details of the patchwork.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: It’s so beautiful and intricate.

Helen: So cool.

Caroline: I also think making your own underwire bras is totally a level up. The Willowdale Bra by Cashmerette is a good one, especially in lace. Gowns that have an internal structure, like a bustier underneath the outer layer, definitely qualify as advanced. In fact, gowns, in general, are pretty advanced. Even if they’re simple looking, they often require fabrics that are tricky to handle.

Helen: Yeah, that’s true. Fabrics that you don’t get to work with on a regular basis…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …which is also really fun. Of the big 4, Vogue is known for their advanced patterns. They have more minimal instructions, unexpected shapes, and lots of details. On their website, you can actually refine the pattern search by the difficulty level, so you can actually just look at the advanced ones. And for their winter releases, we’re seeing, like, tailored blazers and coats, gowns, tops with unusual collars and necklines, but there’s definitely lots to explore there for sure.

Caroline: Yes! Okay. Can you think of any advanced patterns or difficult patterns that you’ve attempted, Helen?

Helen: I wish I had a good answer for this. You know, Caroline and I don’t really sew super advanced patterns a lot. We love a quick sew. I love super wearable stuff on the day-to-day. Like, I want clothes that I’m just gonna wanna put on in the morning and wear throughout my day. So I don’t sew a lot of more advanced projects, but probably the Kelly Anorak was one of my most difficult patterns.

Caroline: Oh, yeah.

Helen: Especially at the time, I hadn’t been sewing for very long, so that felt like a real challenge. And then the first time I sewed jeans also felt like, wow, like this is, this is definitely outside my comfort zone.

Caroline: Yeah. And it’s not even that, like, jeans are necessarily advanced. Like, you’re learning all these new techniques, right?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Like, attaching hardware, a front fly, and I, I think, like, advanced pattern to some people might feel easy and vice versa. Like, a pattern that’s intermediate might feel really hard for some people, so…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …it’s all about, like, your own experience level, too.

Helen: Totally. How about you?

Caroline: Okay, so I was thinking about previous patterns I made. Way back, like, maybe 10 years ago, I made the Sewaholic Robson Coat, which is, like, a trench coat pattern. It has, you know, like, the trench collar and the storm flaps and whatever you call that flap in the back and all the tabs and things. And I think I even drafted a vent at the back to add, and it’s all finished with binding on the inside. And I did, like, my own binding, and I went back and looked at the difficulty level of that one, like, how it was rated on the website, and it is advanced.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: So I would put that one on the list. I remember it took a long time, and it was challenging at the time.

And then I would say underwire bras, like, I’ve done underwire brass many times. Especially at the beginning when I first started making them, they felt quite advanced. I also made the Sophie Swimsuit by Closet Core, which has underwires and padding and all sorts of things that felt complicated.

And then I do love making, like, a dress to wear to a special occasion. And most recently, the Closet Core Pauline Dress that I made for my best friend’s wedding. I was the maid of honour. It was pretty complicated. I, you probably remember, Helen, me cursing the pattern ‘cause I was like, why are there so many darts?! These are unnecessary.

Helen: Because it’s beautiful.

Caroline: But yeah, that one is also labelled as advanced. And if you are looking for a beautiful dress that has some fun techniques and interesting style lines, which I think is what Closet Core is known for, is there are interesting design choices and…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …they like to make a challenging pattern.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: The Pauline Dress, I would totally recommend it. I absolutely love that dress. I have two of them ‘cause I made a wearable muslin, and then, I made the final one out of, like, a satiny fabric, which was definitely more difficult to sew.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: So those would be the ones that come to mind for me. In school, I’ve made blazers. Those were hard.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I’d love to make another blazer sometimes.

Helen: And I mean, advanced can be definitely just in relation to your current skill level.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So depending on where you’re at, you don’t need to jump all the way to an advanced pattern. Just if you wanna level up, you know, try a zipper fly, try a button placket.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Try things that you haven’t done before or use fabrics you haven’t used before and all of that stuff is gonna make you a more advanced sewist. I think it’s a funny name for a category because I don’t think there are a lot of people who consider themselves experts…

Caroline: Yeah!

Helen: …or advanced, you know? So it’s, kind of, hard for us to put ourselves in that category I think sometimes, even though I…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …I’m sure a ton of our listeners are advanced experts in sewing. Like, come on, we’re great at this.

Caroline: Absolutely. It’s, like, so easy to undersell yourself, right?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I don’t wanna name myself advanced ‘cause then people are gonna expect too much from me. Intermediate is safer.

Helen: Yeah. Novice. Novice.

Caroline: Novice. Confident. Beginner. Oh, it’s so true though, challenging yourself can be so rewarding. You learn new skills, you can overcome difficulties, and you get that super shocked look when people find out you made what you’re wearing. So let us know what you end up making, Beth. We can’t wait to hear.

Helen: Yeah. I wanna make these Roberts Wood Design Studio patterns now. This is so cool.

Caroline: Yes! I know. It’s such a nice marriage of, like, quilting, or piecing, and…

Helen: Piecing, yeah.

Caroline: …garment sewing. And I think it would be such a fun scrap busting project…

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: …to use a bunch of scraps to make a patchwork dress.

Okay. Should we get to today’s topic, Helen?

Helen: Yes. Today’s topic is all about how to sew clothes for yourself if your body is changing. And this can happen for all sorts of reasons. If you have a body, it’s gonna go through changes. So this episode could be helpful to you if maybe your body has changed and your clothes don’t fit anymore.

Caroline: And maybe if you expect your body to change over an upcoming period of time.

Helen: Or for example, your size fluctuates throughout the month or the year, such as over the course of a menstrual cycle or due to other health circumstances.

Caroline: And we’re not gonna talk specifically about maternity sewing in this episode. You can check out episode 80 if you wanna hear more on that topic. But with that said, ideas from this episode could totally work for you if you’re pregnant or post-pregnancy, and you don’t wanna make maternity specific clothes.

Helen: Yes, definitely. But before we get to the practical stuff, as in how to actually sew for a changing body, we have something to say.

Caroline: Yes, we do.

Helen: Everyone deserves to have clothing that fits and makes them feel good.

Caroline: Yes! One of the reasons it can be difficult to go through body changes is that some people feel like they can comment on it, and it’s so rude to bring up other people’s bodies and make assumptions about why changes have happened. Bodies are so complex, and you can never know why someone’s weight is changing. It’s no one’s business but your own. So do not feel bad about shutting down comments from others. This is a pet peeve of mine, and…

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: …it’s hard to say something, but if you can muster the confidence, put that person in their place.

Helen: Yes, exactly. And sometimes the judgments are coming from inside the house.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: We can be our own worst critics. So of course, we wanna reiterate as always on the show, be kind to yourself. Try your best to steer clear of that negative self-talk or feelings of guilt when things don’t fit anymore. You are your amazing beautiful self at any size, at any shape, and clothes are there to support and enhance your beauty.

So if a garment is making you feel icky, you can certainly try to refashion it, alter it, make it fit. We’re gonna talk about that today. But if all that fails, you’re absolutely allowed to make new things. You’re absolutely allowed to move on from those garments. You deserve to have clothes that fit and clothes that you love at every size.

Caroline: A hundred percent. For the rest of this episode, we’re gonna discuss strategies for making clothes that will look great over multiple sizes and altering clothes you already have to fit your current size. Our first strategy is pretty simple. You wanna choose garment types that can change with you.

Helen: Yeah, and there are some obvious choices here like boxier fit garments, loose dresses, boxy tops, elastic waist pants. The more closely fitted a garment is to the body, the more it will need to be altered as your body changes, whereas you can look fabulous in a spaghetti strap swing dress on several sizes.

Caroline: Yes. Can I call out the Orchard Dress because I absolutely love it? And it’s a free pattern!

Helen: Free pattern! I know. I love it when you just wear things for years and years and years because they always work even though you’re a different size. It’s just, kind of, like, magic.

Caroline: Or, like, one summer nonstop until it’s threadbare. Sorry. It’s definitely not me.

Helen: You need to make an Orchard every summer, just, like, every June. Mark the calendar.

Caroline: Okay, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re stuck with shapeless garments if that isn’t your style. You can cinch tops and dresses at the waist by adding an elastic casing or some rows of shirring or throw on a belt.

Helen: Throw on a belt. Yeah. If the elastic waist in your garment gets too tight or too loose, you can adjust it by taking it in or letting it out. Speaking of the elastic, in this case, as the time goes on, so you can either add a bit of extra length in the elastic when you first make it, so there’s some wiggle room in there, or you can actually just attach a small piece of elastic later on, or put a whole new piece of elastic in there.

Casings are gonna be a little bit more adjustable, a lot a bit more adjustable than shirring. Because shirring is just a lot of stitches, so it’s definitely not gonna be something you’re gonna wanna unpick. Whereas with a casing, it can be pretty easy to get that elastic out and replace it. If you think you might want to do this, skip that waistband top stitching, because you’re not gonna wanna unpick that either. It’s doable, but it’s annoying.

An alternative is to sew some vertical lines of stitching at, like, centre front, centre back and side seams, or even more of them if you want. Like, just space them a little bit….

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: …around your body, kinda like belt loops. And that will stop the elastic inside from twisting, but it’s easier to unpick when you need to.

Caroline: Yeah. And don’t forget about drawstrings. They can be sporty if you choose a thick drawstring with a cord stop. Or they can be quite pretty in self fabric tied into a bow. It doesn’t have to be, like, an athletic or athleisure look, and that’s gonna help you with the adjustability of a garment. So even if an elastic becomes loose on you, if you have a drawstring, you can tighten it up.

Helen: That’s true. Yeah. Wrap dresses and tops have built-in adjustability. Make sure to make them with ties instead of buttons so that you have those extra inches to play with.

Caroline: And knit garments are great, too. Knit fabrics can give you a close fit if that’s what you want. And the stretch is gonna accommodate a range of measurements. There’s the classic choices of leggings, joggers, sweatpants, tees, and sweatshirts. But you’re not limited to athleisure or loungewear. There are some great knit patterns out there with a more dressed up or even professional look.

Helen: Yeah. For example, Christine Johnson has several classic trouser patterns that are designed for stable knits like ponte or double knit. Stable knits are a great choice if you’re making bottoms ‘cause they’re a little bit heavier. We also recommend getting a fabric with lycra blended into it. This will keep your pants from bagging out at the butt and the knee.

We love the look of Itch to Stitch’s Coimbra Wrap Top. Knits and wrap tops are both friendly to changing bodies, and when you put them together, it’s, like, the best of both worlds. This top also has a pointed collar, which makes it look even more polished. It’s pretty cute. It feels, kind of, I don’t know, like, nineties, maybe?

Helen: Yeah, but in a cute way. Like, you can imagine a blazer over this…

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: Yeah. You’re, you’re in office wear territory.

Caroline: Absolutely.

Helen: Deer + Doe has several dressy options for knits. We love the look of the Orage Dress. Did I say that right, Caroline?

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Resident French expert . This is the one with the mock neck option, and it has this, like, sexy keyhole detail across the chest that’s really cool. They also have the Sirocco Jumpsuit, which is such a cool wrap top and pleated trousers combination. Definitely looks elevated, elegant, fancy, even. But imagine how comfortable you would be.

Caroline: I love a knit jumpsuit that doesn’t look like a knit jumpsuit.

Helen: Yeah. Yeah. That, that’s not giving you diaper realness.

Caroline: Yeah. And if you don’t like knits, you can try stretch wovens. They’re not gonna provide as much stretch as knits, but they’re gonna accommodate smaller changes in your body and they, kind of, mould to your shape. Make sure to choose a pattern designed for either stretch wovens or non-stretch wovens. And patterns designed for knits are not gonna have enough ease, so that won’t work for a stretch woven.

Helen: Yeah, and if you’re using a pattern that’s designed for stretch woven fabrics, you don’t have to think as hard about choosing your size. You just wanna choose based on your measurements, and you’re good to go. Whereas if you’re using a pattern that’s designed for regular wovens, you might want to size down.

Seamwork recommends checking the pattern’s ease. If it has three inches or less of ease, then you can choose the size based on your measurements. And if it has more than that, you’re probably gonna wanna size down so that it doesn’t look loosey-goosey.

This is, like, our Yanta Overalls is a good example because it’s designed for regular wovens, and it has a lot of ease in it. They’re, like, relaxed fit, but you can make it out of stretch denim or stretch corduroy. But I do recommend sizing down because, yeah, with that stretch in the fabric, you want something a little bit tighter, and you can move in it, so it works really well.

Caroline: Yeah, and don’t forget to find the direction of greatest stretch before you put down your pattern pieces and cut out. You want that to go across the body or perpendicular to the grainline. I almost forgot the word grainline. What’s wrong with me?

Helen: You got there. You got there. And also use stitches that stretch with the fabric, like a shallow zigzag or triple stitch. The triple stitch looks especially nice on hems, and to finish your seams, you can serge or use a zigzag.

Caroline: Okay, so here’s another tip. Patterns that are simply constructed are easier to alter. Mind blowing.

Helen: Yeah. So for example, like, a knit tee can be taken in by simply sewing up the side seam, even pivoting into the underarm if necessary, and sewing down the sleeve. In contrast, a woven top with lots of panels like princess seams or different panels on the front may need to be taken in at several different points to look right. You can’t just cinch it in at the side seam. It’s still doable, but it’s just harder.

Caroline: Yeah, and with that said, it is totally possible to alter garments with great details and cool seam lines if your body’s changing. It’s just gonna mean a little more work when you do.

Helen: And another type of garment to consider is outerwear that’s worn open at the front or closed with, like, a tie belt, quilted, jackets and vests, oversized coats, coatigans. Cardigans will work great for several sizes. And in lighter weights, they make great layering pieces as well.

Caroline: I love an oversized quilted jacket. Just saying.

Helen: Me, too.

Caroline: Our next strategy is to customise your seam allowance. So if your weight tends to fluctuate, you can add more seam allowance to your pattern pieces. And this is gonna allow you to let things out as you change size. Just make sure to check how much seam allowance is already on your pattern so you have a clear idea of how much to add.

Helen: Yeah, you can redraw your seam allowance on your paper patterns or on your traced pieces. The classic way to do this is to use a long, clear grid ruler, like the ones that us quilters use, and the grid makes it really easy to see how much you’re adding.

For straight lines, it’s super easy ‘cause you can lay the ruler over the cut line of the pattern and just line it up so you’re adding an even amount of seam allowance. Run your pencil along the edge.

But for curves, it can be a bit trickier, but not too bad. You just line up your ruler so it’s perpendicular to the cut line and mark a small dash, and then, move over an inch or so down the curve, realign your ruler, and then mark another dash, and just keep going along that curve. And when you’re finished, you’re gonna have this dashed or dotted line that you can connect into a nice, smooth curve and you can freehand that curve or use a French curve or flexible ruler to draw it.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. This technique is really magical. I remember, like, learning it in school and I was like, it works so well, and it looks really fun to do…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …when you’re, like, just, sort of, like, running the ruler along, dash, dash, dash, and then, it makes a line, and it’s like magic.

Helen: Yeah, it feels good.

Caroline: Yeah, if you wanna feel like a pattern drafter, just adjust your seam allowance.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: And there are tools that you can use to add seam allowance as well outside of just a ruler and a pencil. So a pattern marking ruler, which is also called a pattern master, or a pattern maker, is a clear ruler that has lines marking out different seam allowance. And it also has 45 and 90 degree marks and a curved edge. It’s pretty handy.

Helen: There’s also adjustable tracing wheels. This has two wheels that can be adjusted to different widths. So you roll it along the cut line of your pattern, and it will make a little perforated line at the new cut line at the same time, and you, then, you can darken that line with a pencil if you want to after. Or you can use dressmaker’s carbon paper and roll the lines right onto your fabric as you’re doing this.

Caroline: And here’s a cool trick to make your own seam allowance adding tool. If you take two sharp pencils and tape them together, the distance between the marks will be about a quarter inch. Three pencils make half inch. And traditional pencils with flat sides work better than brown pencils for this. You can also add extra stuff like cardboard, flat dowels, or fabric to space the pencils at the distance you want. That’s pretty cool.

Helen: Ooh, I love that.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Then you can just draw along the edge. So cool.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: Another cool trick that lets you skip marking the pattern at all is to add small magnets to the outer edge of your scissors as a, kind of, spacer so that you can cut at a uniform distance from your pattern piece. There’s a TikTok by @ByCarlaValcarcel that shows you how to do this, so we’ll link it for you in the show notes. It’s really genius. The thing about this is that you’re cutting, so there’s room for error.

Caroline: Like, if a magnet pops off and then all of a sudden you’re cutting at a smaller seam…

Helen: Or you just wobble. You forget. I don’t know.

Caroline: And if you’re leaving longer seam allowances, it’s a good idea to finish your seams separately so that they’re easy to open later on.

Helen: Yes, that’s a good point. One of our patrons Sanj told us this, “Tailors in India regularly leave a larger seam allowance. My tailor would even sew multiple rows of side seams within the seam allowance so that letting a garment out is trivial. You just unpick the innermost rows.”

This totally blows my mind. I love this little trick. Imagine you’re like, oh, I just need to let it out a little bit. Boop, boop, boop. Done.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. It’s really cool. And then you would just, like, press your seam allowance either to the back or front instead of open, right?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: ‘Cause it also wouldn’t work, but I think it’s really great idea.

Helen: And if you’re messing with your seam allowance, it’s a good idea to make a note of what you’re doing somewhere so you can reference it or even mark your seam line, the line you’re gonna sew on, so that when you get to your sewing machine, you can just sew on that line and you don’t need to actually worry about what the seam allowance is. That can be a good way to go about it, but yeah, definitely make note ‘cause you’ll forget.

Caroline: Yes. Okay. And our next strategy is to change your order of construction so that alteration is easier. Typically, sewing patterns for pants are gonna tell you to sew the front and back legs together, sew the crotch seam, and then attach the waistband.

A lot of ready to wear men’s trousers are constructed in a different order. The fronts and backs of the legs are sewn together, and then half of the waistband is attached to each leg. The crotch seam is sewn last, going all the way up the back waistband.

And this gives you a centre back seam that you can take in or let out later on without having to mess with the rest of the garment. Might be hard to picture, but if you have a pair of tailored men’s, like, dress pants, take a look at the back waistband and you’ll see what I mean.

This is also a detail that I’ve always loved about the Sewaholic Thurlow Trousers because they use this technique, and it makes them super adjustable, and it’s just a really cool way to add that flexibility in the waist fit of a pair of tailored trousers without, like, adding an elastic or something.

Helen: Totally. Yeah, and you can just do this if you wanna do this on pretty much any waistband trim pants pattern. It might take a little pattern adjustment, but I love this idea, especially if you find that pants gape in the back…

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: …in that spot. Even if you do your best to, like, muslin and make fit adjustments, and at the end, you often find they still don’t fit right. Nice to be able to just take it in or let it out if you need to.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: And you could also use this technique on the side seams of sleeveless tops if you attach the binding or facing to the armhole flat, and then sew up the side seams. If you need to let it in or take it out, it’s easier.

Caroline: This next strategy is a fun one. Get creative with add-ons and alterations. Here are some alteration ideas. You can add extra fabric into a side seam, a centre front, or a centre back. If you use contrasting fabric, it can look like a feature. I love seeing a contrasting stripe down the side of jeans. Or you can use scraps of the same fabric to make it almost invisible.

A strip or wedge here and there can give you more room and allow you to wear your me-mades again. Okay, I have to call out Natalie Ebaugh. She’s so creative. She did a pair of jeans recently where I believe she altered them to make them, like, more flared, but she added a quilted panel on the side, so, like, the part that she opened up, she filled in with, like, a tiny piece of fabric with a bunch of scraps, and it looked so cool.

Helen: Oh, my gosh. I’m gonna check it out.

Caroline: There’s so much you can do with adding panels.

Helen: Yeah, so fun. I really love just having a little pop of colour or print in a certain area. And adjusting something that you love to make it wearable again is also just really immensely satisfying, and this is a simple way to do that.

Caroline: Yeah. Absolutely.

Helen: You can also add darts to give a garment more shaping. Just because they weren’t there on the original pattern doesn’t mean you can’t add them. Feel free to pinch your clothes here and there and figure out how to make them fit you better. You are the boss here.

Caroline: You’re the boss, applesauce.

You can add a yoga pants style waistband to many types of pants and skirts, even woven ones. Here’s how you would do that. First, cut off the waistband of your pants or skirt. You can go as far as the hip line if you need to. Make a circle of knit fabric that’s twice as wide as you want it to be, plus seam allowance. It should have enough negative ease so that it fits tightly around your middle.

Ribbing can be nice to use since it’s super stretchy, just make sure it has good recovery ‘cause some ribbing is just meant for like cuffs and stuff. You wanna look for something that’s, has really good recovery. Mark the knit fabric band and the raw edge of the garment at the quarter points, and then fold the band in half and pin it to the raw edge of the garment matching the marks.

Sew the band to the garment, stretching the waistband as you go so that the garment fabric is taut. And if you want, you can press the seam allowance toward the garment and top stitch it down. These are gonna be super comfy to wear, and you can hide the waistband under a longer top or tunic if you’d rather not see it.

This is a really popular, like, maternity hack, I feel…

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: …but I think it could work for anything.

Helen: Oh. For sure.

Caroline: If you just want a comfier waistband, it does not have to be for maternity.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I think this works really well.

Helen: This is a cool place where you could mix knits and wovens, too. Like, if you have an elastic waist pair of pants that you enjoy wearing, instead of putting an elasticated waistband casing at the top of those pants, you could put a knit band. It’s definitely possible to mix and match.

And do you remember in, like, the early aughties when those, like, kind of, culotte/gaucho-style pants were really popular, and they had this, like, big waistband at the top that you would fold over? I…

Caroline: Uh, those are back by the way.

Helen: Oh, great! ‘Cause I love them. They’re so, they’re, they were the most comfortable pants I’ve ever worn.

Caroline: Yeah. That, like, fold-over waistband, like, that is totally back.

Helen: Oh, okay. Future pattern alert. Coming your way. I’m, I’m all over it. Okay. One last note about alterations: they usually involve a fair amount of seam ripping, which is not the most fun thing to do. We do love pairing slow activities like this with a TV show or podcast so that you have something fun to distract you as you carefully pick out all those tiny threads. And I personally think the key to successful seam ripping is good lighting.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: Because eye strain makes the whole process so much more frustrating. And if you can just properly see what you’re doing, I guarantee you it will be easier.

Caroline: Yeah. So don’t, like, watch a movie with the lights low while you’re unpicking.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You need a little task light for your unpicking zone.

Helen: A headlamp, even. Like…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …gets a really direct light on that thing. Oh, my gosh. I’m sure people do use them. It seems like such a great idea. Maybe I’ll keep one in my sewing room.

Caroline: Okay. If you can’t alter a garment to fit, you can also think about refashioning it. Look at the garment with fresh eyes. Pretend you found it in a thrift store. Could you use the fabric to make something else? Could you combine it with another garment to make a better cooler Franken garment?

Helen: It’s alive…! Yeah, I love this idea. Of course, you know I love refashioning. Here’s a few refashioning ideas to spark your creativity. A tiered dress that’s maybe too tight in the bodice can transform into a beautiful elastic waist skirt. Just chop that bodice off and throw a waistband on there.

Caroline: Yeah. Two tops in amazing fabrics combine to make a bigger colour blocked top.

Helen: Ooh. A linen skirt and a linen top that no longer fit can get patchworked and made into gorgeous quilted coat of some kind.

Caroline: Canvas pants can become kids shorts.

Helen: Jeans can become jorts with little extra strips down the sides.

Caroline: A cotton print button up becomes quilted oven mitts for a birthday gift.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: Love that. That’s good.

Helen: Yeah. I mean, the fabric is still good on a lot of the garments, so there’s literally just so many things you can do. We have a few episodes that will link in the show notes for refashion inspiration. The only limit here is just your creativity and your desire to do this.

Caroline: Yeah. Here’s a quick fix idea. You can play with styling a garment in a different way. So let’s say you have a button up shirt that doesn’t close around your hips anymore, you could wear it open and layered over a t-shirt or open and tied at the waist, or you can shorten it to a cropped length.

Helen: Ooh. Yeah. And if you really don’t feel like dealing with clothes sewing and fitting right now, you can lean into other types of sewing. What other types of sewing are there, Caroline, that don’t involve…

Caroline: I don’t know.

Helen: …bodies?

Caroline: Maybe quilting.

Helen: Quilting! Yes! You can definitely focus on doing things like quilting or making accessories or home decor during your sewing time. You don’t always need to be sewing garments, and that way you won’t feel pressured to make a whole new wardrobe in a short period of time. Or if you’re just feeling overwhelmed at the thought of fitting things, that’s totally cool. You’re still a sewist, and you can still sew.

Caroline: Yeah. It’s okay to shop ready to wear if you have a changing body…

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: …and you don’t feel like sewing.

Helen: Ready to wear, that is a great idea.

Caroline: You don’t have to sew everything. Didn’t we have an episode about that?

Helen: Yes. It’s called, you don’t have to sew everything, right?

Caroline: Oh, okay. That’s an early one, I think.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Speaking of sewjo, if a garment doesn’t fit you anymore, set it aside. Don’t let it get you down. If it’s too tough emotionally to rework a garment right now, you can save it for when it feels exciting and doable.

Helen: Yeah, and giving away our selling items is always an option, too. You could list them on Buy Sell Trade Handmade on Instagram or Facebook Marketplace. You could donate them to thrift stores or charity shops. If you do donate, sew in the little tag that says the size on it, that’s really helpful. Some thrift stores won’t take clothing that doesn’t have that information, so that can be good.

Clothing swaps are also really fun if you wanna make sure that the garment will get worn, you could check if one of your friends wants it or family members. There’s lots of options here. You can also just put it away for another time. I do that. I’m like, this doesn’t fit, but I still like it. I’ll just put it in the storage box for now and see what happens.

Caroline: Yeah, and that’s okay. You can also feel free to keep precious items just for memory sake or for future recipient. Maybe, you know, you can’t wear it, but you really love it. It’s okay to hang on to that precious me-made as just a keepsake.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Maybe it’ll even find a new home one day with somebody in your family or a friend. Try taking these items out of your closet or dresser and storing them somewhere else so they aren’t getting in the way of you getting dressed. We’ve definitely swapped clothes before, Helen, right?

Helen: Yes. Yeah. It’s great. I mean, I do love doing clothing swaps, specifically with sewing friends…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …because that way you’re guaranteed that people will appreciate all your hard work…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …which is always nice.

Caroline: Yeah. I love coming to your house and once in a while you’ll be like, I have this thing that doesn’t fit me anymore…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …but I think it would fit you. Do you want it?

Helen: Yeah. I give a lot of stuff to my sister too ‘cause we’re a similar size so it’s easy to just give things to her. And she hates shopping, and she doesn’t sew that much, so…

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: …she’s always game.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: At the end of this episode, we just wanna say that bodies change. It’s what they do. And I hope that if you are going through some changes or fluctuations, you have lots more ideas for how to make your wardrobe work after listening to this episode. And if you have any more tips or ideas or thoughts that we haven’t covered, please share them with us. We would love to hear from you.

Caroline: Yeah.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at BlackbirdFabrics.com and Helen at HelensClosetPatterns.com. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.

Caroline: If you love Love To Sew and want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of the Pod Cabin is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Bye.

And that is that everyone deserves to have closing. I can do it.

Caroline: What is it, Helen?

Helen: I can nail this. I can nail this.

 

Related Episodes