Sewing Tips

prep

• wash fabrics in hot water to preshrink before cutting
• it might be a good idea to make a muslin (practice garment) out of paper towels

cutting out

• line up the arrow on the pattern piece with the grain of the fabric (grain = parallel line to selvage, the finished edges of the fabric)

finishing seams

• after sewing a seam, trim the extra bits down to 1/8" to reduce bulk. (the patterns are made with 1/4" seam allowances to make things easier to sew)
• when you sew a curved seam, you'll want to cut small notches in the seam allowance to help the seam lie flat.
• similarly for corners, clip off the corner in the seam allowance to reduce bulk when you turn it right side out
• also, after sewing a seam, you'll want to press it open to give the garment a nice crisp look.
• to prevent unravelling, just machine zig-zag or hand overcast-stitch the seam edges. you don't really have to though, since momoko doesn't give her clothes a lot of wear and tear.