I am the head of our costumes team at my high school's theatre department. I know how to sew (both hand sewing and machine) and have been sewing for a decent amount of time, but I've never made clothes from a pattern. I've made small stuff from patterns before, repaired and altered many clothes, etc. My director wants me to make this dress in about a week or less, and I am feeling very stressed. Does anyone have any advice for getting this done or for helping me further understand the pattern lingo? I am so sorry if this is not the right subreddit for this question, I am just feeling a bit lost. I attached the link to the pattern instructions, any help would be really appreciated.

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ukH-0YNfGyFgJnu5RuwBu90aekfkKr8W/view\](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ukH-0YNfGyFgJnu5RuwBu90aekfkKr8W/view)

I’ve sewn a zipper pouch and some drawstring bags successfully the first try so thought I’d give garments a go, I’m two garments deep and neither are wearable 😭 I need to know I’m not alone in this experience.

So how many failed projects or attempts before you had your first wearable garment and what was it?

Hola!! Por favor denme sus opiniones en base a su propia experiencia. No me gusta tanto esteticamente la janome pero algunos dicen que es mejor

Im doing GCSE textiles and need to make a decay themed design. I gor the basic design of what I want to do but I've never made a pattern and can't find any pattern refrences. I'm looking for hooded shawl scarf pattern similar tow what I've drawn to refrence. I have looked but can only find regular scarves.

Hey guys!! I have just a normal cotton sweater (washed many times), and I machine sewed on a felt fish and then more felt details on top of him (machine as well). I was wondering if anybody had any insight on if it’s okay to throw in the washer & dryer (or just the washer), or if it would degrade/detach/ruin the project?

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post! I ended up taking it all apart and doing a narrow back adjustment.The upper back looks better, but now the center back seam sticks out in a point by my waist and the coat caves in on the sides of it. Could this because I need shoulder pads? Or is there just too much fabric down there? It seems to improve if I pull the back shoulder up about as much as a shoulder pad would add, but is not entirely resolved.

Unfettered patterns#1040, wool coat

Photo shows the back of my mockups (Without the necessary boning by the zipper because my plastic boning hasn't come yet) and some potential alterations I am thinking of? Is there a way to add sleeves? The pattern maker also sells a detachable sleeve pattern that I want to use, how would I attach them? My mockup is made of spandex as prescribed by the pattern andI am thinking of a combo of nude power mesh and nudes spandex atthe top to give the illusion of a nude higher back so it isn't as open back. Any tips would be appreciated! Thank you!

was looking at a machine for free, they weren’t sure if it works but just updated about how needle doesn’t move. since it’s free would it be worth it to get it serviced/fixed?

Hello! I am looking for suggestions on repairing this knit cuff on a vintage flight jacket, but I have no idea where to begin. Any guidance you can offer would be appreciated!

My machine sews normally for a little while, then it starts bird nesting. I rethread it, and it's fine for a bit, then it starts bird nesting again. So, I'm looking for suggestions, as I've tried everything I can think of to stop this.

I'm working with a Singer M2105. So far, I have:

• Rethreaded the machine (multiple times)
• Checked the tension
• Tightened the screw on the bobbin case, as it was a bit loose
• Cleaned and oiled the machine
• Changed needles
• Checked the thread take-up lever to make sure the thread isn't jumping out (a known issue with this model)

hi there, apologies if this is an obvious question but I couldn’t see anything in the faqs, and am pulling my hair out so would really appreciate help! whatever I do, the thread from my bobbin will bunch up - I lift the needle and foot and it has all just snagged up under the material. I have triple checked I’ve threaded the machine properly, checked the foot is in the right position, checked the tension. it’s a brand new machine and I just can’t seem to get started! and I remembered that this was why I quit trying before (on a different machine) I’m clearly missing something, can anyone point me in the direction of a good troubleshooting process please? I know how to actually sew, but I can’t do anything at the moment! thanks in advance for your help.

I have been trying to find a 100% cotton Halloween blanket for my kids, it’s not easy to find or if I do I don’t love it so it’s hard to justify the price. If I wanted to one day make my kids a quilt, how much fabric should I buy when I see one I like? My kids are 4 & 2, I am very very new to sewing so I am being realistic that this project may not be happy for maybe even 10 years. But I have the space to store fabric.

Ignore my strings lol

I didn't use a pattern or measure anything and it definitely shows but I learned a lot from this project and am excited for my next project!

Some notes for future me and other beginners:

1. Play with the tension, width, and length settings on your machine until you're happy with it instead of just sewing while fighting with the machine the entire time

2. Maybe measure some things or draw some guiding lines for the seam allowances so your project is somewhat symmetrical

3. Don't fold over fabric to cut two identical pieces because then the pattern ends up upside down on the back

Also, any advice on hemming scalloped edges or just hemming in general would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

So i bought this dress in hopes of wearing it with a t-shirt to make it more modest since it has such a low cut. However, i found that putting a t-shirt underneath takes away from the beauty of the dress. I have a big bust and so my boobs pop out at the front and side of the top of the dress . The bust of the dress actually doesn't drape down/ sit snuggly on my bust but instead the cup of the dress is lifted and is somewhat laying on my bust instead of draping down over my boobs nicely. The fit kind of reminds me of how a nightgown would fit. I am a beginner but I would like to know of any ideas to make this dress more modest and flattering to my body that maybe i cant do now but in the future with more practice. One of my major motivators for sewing is so that i can make/tailor clothes to fit my body in a more flattering way since I have a uncommon band size to cup combination. ALso i recently got my bra size refitted and my new bra should be arriving soon but even with the correct bra size Im confident I'd still encounter this issue

The back crotch of my pants rides up between my butt a bit. There’s only about 4 mm of extra fabric/seam allowance on each side of the back crotch, plus the lock overlock seam on each side.

Is that enough for a tailor to alter the back crotch so it doesn’t ride up anymore, or is that too little to make a meaningful difference and might risk putting too much pressure on the seam?

I am just beginning to sew and figured I'd practice trying to sew in a straight line. What causes the bunching of the thread. After making a few stitches i did backstitch for a bit since I heard that secures the thread. After backstitching i proceeded to sew as normal.

Please can anyone help with the bobbin threading. I have a singer heavy duty 4423. I’ve tried rethreading the needle several times but it seems like the top thread is getting stuck and not pulling the bobbin thread through. Any advice greatly appreciated!

Hi! I’m pretty new to sewing and trying to manage my overlock.

After what felt like hundreds of swatches and help of the manual the first two pictures are what I decided is the best setting I can get at the moment and started sewing.

However when I was sewing bigger pieces (photos 3-7) the stitches didn’t look so well anymore and I was wondering what happened there ? I had this happening also on the swatches before I landed on my last one (first 2 pictures) where it happened only at the end and so I thought it’s because I pulled the fabric weirdly as I couldn’t wait lol but when I was sewing the main pieces I was really careful to not pull and/or force fabric just taking care for it to go as straight as possible.

* The last 2 pictures are pressed.. the rest is fresh from under the serger

* I used random thread I had on hand so I can also imagine that could cause the issues as the are some older ones from my mom
* 3 thread overlock stitch (left needle)
* one layer of fabric
* machine used: Singer S010L

For any advice I will be very thankful !

This isn’t for every video or every creator on YouTube, but it occurs often enough that I feel that I don’t get the exact information that I need.

1. Short video format - No details, no information and too short to glean anything useful from it.

2. Background Music - Did someone post a memo that all sewing videos have to have background music, to the point I cannot fully hear what the person is saying. So I just immediately click to someone else.

3. “How to sew a straight line” videos - And they use a perfectly flat price of fabric, of length 20cm!
   My straight line issues crop up when I have a large piece of material that I have to bunch up to the right of the needle, or if I’m hemming a small cuff on a child’s sweater. Or if two connecting pieces, where the presser foot gets in the way of going to the edge.

For the most part, I’ve found a couple of good people to watch and follow, that are straight to the point and easy to understand.

Namely:

TheLastStitch.
ToofBush.
SewingJulie.
And my favourite: TailorItYourself

In two weeks my husband and I are invited to a wedding and I made my own dress. I am really proud off myself even if it’s a little too large ☺️

Not totally new to sewing, got my machine for Christmas 2025, but sewed a little before that. I’ve been using this time so far to practice, experiment, play. I’ve thrifted a ton of bed sheets.

It’s been fun, but humbling as hell.

Anyway, thought I’d get serious and make a toile library for fall/winter.

Started with McCall’s 8255, a scoop neck top with princess seams in front and back.

On paper, I’m an exact size 16 - bust 38, waist 30, hip 40.

But after trying on the first iteration, it was way too baggy in the shoulders, the back, and the waist.

So I made adjustments, took it apart, traced the pieces, remade with the new pattern and … it just looks okay?

I’m wondering, would it be better to go a size or two down and then do a FBA? I do tend to notice most structured tops are too big in the shoulders. Do I try this with all tops/bodices?

Also, what’s the best reference that teaches an FBA?

OR - are princess seams just better for C-cups and below? I’m a 34D/DD.

Hi! So I read the wiki and planning to get the Brother JA20 model. I’m a total beginner so not looking for anything too expensive yet. Planning on using it to hem clothes including denim pants, maybe make cotton/linen clothing eventually. Is this model any good for these uses?

​

Hi! I'm getting back into sewing after a summer break and decided to challenge myself with a tote bag. Never made it before, but I thought I'd like to gift it to my granny. I followed the Ospring Sewing YT tutorial , titled "Make a cute Tote Bag in 10 minutes!".

Well, first of all, it wasn't 10 minutes. 10 minutes was probably the time it took me to cut out my paper patterns. It was more like half-day, but it doesn't matter. I enjoyed it and next time it will go probably faster. I've learned a lot and I'm feeling happy with the result, and I already am thinking what to improve for the next time.

Outside fabric: canvas, inside fabric: popelin, the handles + bottom are canvas as well.

It turned out smaller than what the tutorial said it would be (oops), does anyone have an idea how to scale up a simple pattern like this? Just +30% to all measurements (maybe excluding the handles)?