Difficult Fabrics – Working With Pleated Fabrics
Have you ever had to work with difficult fabrics? If you've been sewing for any length of time, you probably have. You know the ones. The slippery fabrics that move around the table by themselves. Or the loosely woven fabrics that begin to fray the moment you begin cutting. Or fabrics with a nap, such as velvet, where special [...]
What’s your learning style?
If there's one thing I've figured out from teaching it's that each person has a different way of learning. Some prefer reading to learn a new technique. Others prefer hands on in order to learn to do something. And still others want to watch the instructor give a demonstration and explain how to do something. [...]
How to sew a interlock stitch in drapery panels
When making multi width drapery panels, adding an interlock stitch at the seams will help keep the seams lined up as they hang. Without this stitch the fabric layers may shift making the draperies look untidy or messy. Sewing the interlock stitch is quick and easy when using your thumb to pinky measurement. Here are [...]
Fabric Check-In Process
Fabric arriving at Designs by Donna is checked in and inspected as soon as it arrives. Doing so may avoid delays with the project if any flaws, inconsistencies in the repeat, or wrong yardage amounts are found upon inspection. And the same is true for drapery hardware received. Check-in fabric and hardware as soon as it arrives. [...]
Mistakes and how I turned a big one into a success
Mistakes. We all make them, don't we? Well, I know I do. Some are big and some are small. But I've found one thing to be true. It's what we do after we make a mistake that turns it into either a success or a failure. Here's how I turned a big, expensive mistake into a [...]
Three quick sewing tips for efficiency in the workroom.
Today I have three sewing tips for you to use for more efficiency in the workroom. First of all you'll need a few simple things in order to use the tips I'm sharing. 1. A thumbnail; 2. Blue painters tape; and 3. A magnet. Oh, and as these are sewing tips, you will also need [...]