Tip Of The Month

January: If extra body is needed in a sheer or draping fabric, use an extra layer of the same fabric and treat it as a sew-in type of interfacing. The interfacing will match the fabric and therefore not show as a regular interfacing would.

February: When threading a needle, wet the eye of the needle and bring the needle to the thread instead of wetting the thread and bringing the thread to the needle. If you "needle the thread" the moisture on the needle will draw the thread in - if you moisten the thread and "thread the needle" the fibers on the thread will swell and it becomes difficult to push the thread through the eye.

March: When cutting, use a sharp pair of bent handle dressmaker's shears. Reserve your shears for cutting fabric only. Dull or nicked blades can cause uneven cutting, snags, and frustration. Keep the fabric flat on the table when cutting. Cut with long smooth strokes but do not close the shears to the point. Doing this will produce irregular edges.

April: When choosing an interfacing, before buying, make sure that it can be washed or dry cleaned as the rest of the garment, that the weight is appropriate for the fabric (you can check this by placing the interfacing between two layers of your fabric and manipulate the materials so that you can judge the final affect) and that the quality of the interfacing equals the quality of the chosen fabric.