Sewing Lessons

Sewing Lessons 

Introducing techniques based, individualised sewing lessons.

For complete beginners to intermediates who would like to improve on their current skill set.

I can teach you a range of skills and how they can be applied in a range of different projects. I can guide you at your pace and give you a selection of techniques that you can use to achieve the results that suit you.

Contact me to arrange lessons at a time that suits you and cover skills you would like to learn.

 

Price and Location

$35 per hour (Recommend at least 2 hours at a time)

$100 for 3 hours

Held at my home studio in Bundall on the Gold Coast.

Contact me via social media or email bycatdesign72@gmail.com to organise a time or ask further questions.

Suggested Lesson Topics

Introduction to sewing and sewing machine basics

Basic tools and notions

Fabric selection and preparation

Getting to know your machine (stitches, feet, attachments)

Understanding commercial patterns

Pattern modification

Working with downloadable pdf patterns

Garment construction basics, collars, cuffs, curved seams, fastenings, pockets, waistbands, gathering, pleating, facings, hems and more.

Introduction to working with knit fabric (with and without an overlocker)

Basics of mending and alterations

Do you have a project you are stuck on and need some assistance to move forward?

Wanting to start a big project but need some help getting started?

About Me

I started sewing at a very early age and like most country girls my first teachers were my Mother and Grandmother. I loved clothes but because we had no close shops I turned to sewing as a way of exploring this interest. My first formal sewing lessons were in high school but I was more focused on science and sewing was just a hobby for many years. I continued to sew for myself and family for quite a number of years but got frustrated with my stagnating skill set. I decided to do a formal sewing course to sharpen my skills and learn new techniques.

I completed a certificate II in Garment Construction at The Academy of Design on the Gold Coast. I have continued to add to my skill set with online courses and the use of my increasing sewing reference library.

You can see my work on the following platforms

Facebook By Cat Design 72

Instagram @bycatdesign72

Etsy ByCatDesignByCatDesign

Begining Again

Welcome back!

I decided that I should brush the dust off this old blog and see what I can do with it.

I've updated some of the information and added links to my Etsy store and my Facebook page.

I thought that rather than fill up my personal Facebook page with long posts I might throw my progress and random thoughts back on this site. I will also be able to link to it then you can read in more detail if you want to.

Feel free to check out my old posts, some are cute, most are long winded and boring. I am not blessed with the ability to tell stories. Though I do like to be reminded of my sewing history, it makes me happy to see what I have achieved.

I Have My Sewing Mojo Back!

(At least for now!)


I made some more stuff today. Including a red cami and undies set.
And PJ bottoms to match the robe:

Feeling happy and productive!

Summer Robe

New Look 6657



I have been wanting a new Summer Robe for a while and have just got my hands on quite a few metres of this fabulous tropical cotton. I needed to try out this pattern from New Look. I felt that a red contrast would make the print pop. I am quite happy with the final result. I made the medium size, long length, short sleeve with pockets.

This is the pocket detail with some ribbon trim.

Back:
Side:
Front:

Patchwork Baby Skirt

For My Niece.


I saw this fun patchwork skirt that vegbee had posted on her blog (justtutes)and had wanted to make one. A while ago Spotlight had a sale on fat quarters and I had picked up 10 different pinks with this project in mind. Each square is 5 inches, the first tier is 10 squares, the second is 20 squares and the third tier is 40 squares. Quite a full skirt by the end.

Here it is modeled by teddy:

Again by Teddy Standing:



And Laid Flat:


Will try to get it in the post over the next few days.

Retro Apron

Simplicity 4282



I had bought these patterns a while ago and finally got around to making one. View A, size large. The fabric is a furnishing fabric remnant bought for 50c per metre with gold satin bias binding. I have wanted a red apron for a while and finally got around to making one.


Front:



Side:
Back:
I decided to cross the back straps because I felt they would always fall off my shoulders. I also sewed them in place rather than using buttons.

More Dresses for Very Little Girls

I made all this from New Look 6794. The above shot is of view C over view B. This is all made from printed cotton and eyelet lace. Overall I am quite happy with this pattern but I think it is quite a bit bigger than I thought it would be.

This is view B on its own.

View C on its own. I liked the method of covering the collar seam with bias binding, it gives a very neat finish.

This is view C over view D with view B next to it. I think this is a really cute look too.



This is view D, the bloomers. I didn't have enough eyelet lace left to go around the legs of the bloomers so decided to gather some of the striped fabric so there was a combination of the same fabrics in these as well. Apart from the size being quite a bit larger than I thought it would be I think it all turned out rather well. Hope SIL likes it too.

Sewing for my Niece

I had a couple of nieces born this year and have decided that I should make a few really cute stuff for them. I have seen some really cute panties for girls who are just starting to crawl that had ruffles across the backside and decided to try to make some. I found this old Butterick 3949 pattern which had a pattern for a jumper style dress and some panties. I sorted though my stash and found this printed cotton remnant orange gingham with diasies. I made the jumper then made the panties and added eyelet lace to create the ruffles on the back. Overall it was quite quick and easy to make, hopefully my SIL likes it.

Top and Pants for Mum

Here is a top and pants I made for mum.


The top is made from cotton and is using Simplicity 4165 from the Khaliah Ali Collection.
I really liked the pleating detail and the shaped yoke. I could only make the short flutter sleeves because of a lack of fabric.




Top Front:Top Back:



The pants are made from a linen fabric using Simplicity 4193.



Pants Front:

Mum wearing the top and pants:

Clothes for Mum

I wanted to make Mum some new clothes and had recently bought some new patterns including Simplicity 4193. I seemed to have some very good basics, including a 6 gore skirt. I had some printed linen which I felt would make a fabulous skirt and I know she loves natural fibres.


I did a pocket modification to the pattern so there are pockets on the front side sections.




Skirt Front:
Side Pockets:

I added some name tags to the side seams:

Mum in the skirt:

Spotty Red Dress

I recently bought some spotty border print cotton fabric and wanted to make a cute summer dress using this fabric. I looked at lots of patterns and browsed through my stash of patterns and decided to do a bit of a mix and match design. I used the top part of a princess seam dress to make the top of the dress then used the 4 metre length of the border print gathered at the waist for the skirt. I used some left over as a sash.


This is the result.

Dress Front:

Dress Side:




Dress Back:

Maybe a Manbag?

I recently signed up to the Burdastyle community because they had some interesting looking free patterns.

I saw this simple messenger bag pattern and thought it would be a quick project to use up some of my stash scraps.


The pattern is a simple messenger bag, so I needed to think about how many extra pockets I would need to add and where, making the project take much longer than necessary to create.


I used left over chocolate corduroy with a cotton lining. I had some striped webbing which I used for the strap. The hardware was from a local building supplies shop called "Nuts and Bolts", I hope it gives the bag a more robust look.


I added a few internal pockets, for mobile, glasses some pen loops and the clip from a spare lanyard to hold keys an internal zippered pocket.

There is also a pocket on the outside under the flap.

Overall this is a useful pattern a good size (I can fit DH's 12" laptop in it), with reasonably simple instructions.

Better Late than Never.

Eight weeks ago I had another nephew born, so I needed to make another bear. As I had not started before the baby was born I asked if they had any requests. The only request was the bear had to have a growler.

I also decided it was time I tried making a fully jointed bear. This is the result. He is very large, standing at about 70cm (28 inches). He is made from a dark chocolate corduroy. He is quite fat, has a slightly sad face, a large hump on his back but is quite cuddly. He has kept me company on a long drive (about 900km round trip) out to see my sick Grandmother. I did the hand stitching to close his limbs while I was sitting in her hospital room. So I have grown rather attached to him. Just as well I haven't had to send him too far away to live.

He needed a classic Hawaiian Shirt as his wardrobe which meant I had to find an appropriate pattern and fabric, then match the pattern across the front opening of the shirt. It is not perfect but I had to accept that it was close enough and it would have to do.
Close up of his face, this was also a first attempt at using glass bear eyes instead of buttons.


Side back view with mood lighting:

I will have to try making a furry bear soon. My DH says I should sell them, but I don't think I'm that good at all.

Here I go again!

This is another version of the Simplicity Shift Dress, this time out of a really soft wool blend. It is a dark charcoal with a very slight shimmer too it.

Front:


Back:

With a purple satin shirt and coloured tights. I have worn this to work and got some great complements. I was very unsure about the coloured tights because of the chunkiness of my legs but my lovely work colleagues assured me it was a good look.

With a black and white striped blouse with a tie. I really am not a bow around the neck kind of person so I decided to wear it in a loose approximation of a men's tie, it makes me think of the pictures on patterns from the '70s.

Simplicity 4118 Red Linen

I guess this has become a bit of a TAT (tried and true) pattern for me. I made it first time over a year ago and have become more comfortable with using this dress as a jumper style which I feel suits my body shape much better.

Anyway a while ago I was in a smaller independent fabric shop, they are rare here on the Gold Coast and had to buy so fabric. One of the thing in their sale bin was this red linen with lycra. I have a weakness for linen, I love it , love the look, love the feel and even though I hate ironing I will iron linen. Unfortunately they only had about 1.4 metres of it so thats all I got.

This red linen has sat in my stash for a while before I decided what it should become. There wasn't enough for a pair of trousers, I thought about a skirt but felt I would be wasting it, then after coming home from dinner one night and having had a bit to drink decided that it would look great as a red shift style dress. I pulled out this pattern and the fabric, fit the pattern on it somehow and thankfully left it there and slept on it.

I had originally thought I would do a real quickie job and simply use bias around the neck and armholes and skip the lining altogether. Thankfully after sleeping on it I saw sense and made it up with facings and fully lined it.


Front view:

The lining fabric was some weird cotton that I found in my stash which must have survived from the 80's. I knew I would not be using it for any thing else so it became my lining fabric.

Please excuse the weird stance. It can be challenging to get a good photo when the camera is balanced on a stack of books and you are using the timer.

This is I guess how I would wear this in spring and autumn. I have found that I really like the look of the shirt underneath, it hides my chubby upper arms and seems to show off the dress better. I find that if I wear a belt a bit above my natural waist it help to disguise just how short my legs really are.

This is probably how I will wear it at work over the winter months here. I thing the tan of the belt and boots help tone down the redness of the dress and make it a little more suitable for work.

Simplicity 4041

I read a review for this pattern a while ago and thought I should give it a go. After checking my measurements I decided that I needed to make a size 18 view F. I modified it by adding piping between the waistband and skirt and adding inseam side pockets. I used a grey suiting fabric and lined it with poly lining fabric.

Overall I am please with my construction, even though I unpicked it before adding the waist band because I thought it was too big, changed my mind and resewed it back the way it was. I forgot I was going to add piping and had to unpick and redo the waist as well.


Front View:

Back View: I did a centered zipper application and was happy to see my piping lined up neatly.

In Seam Side Pockets:


Unfortunately I don't think this is a flattering style for me. It is a little too big in the waist and simply makes me look quite dumpy. But it moves beautifully when I walk, is super comfortable and the side pockets are really practical so I wear it to work regardless. I really must have a go at view B from this pattern, I do like how the bias pockets on the check fabric.

First Attempt at Quilting

Front View:

Detail:
More Detail:

This was my first attempt at patchwork and quilting. It was made from some pieces I had picked up from spotlight. There were 10 green tone and 10 brown tone pieces, I trimmed them to be the same size as the smallest piece, then stitched the scraps together along their long edges, cut them in strips and sewed them together to form 2 long patchwork strips. These formed the slim columns down the quilt.

After I put the patchwork top together I put different coloured bias binding over it to see what looked best. I really liked how the dark red picked up the small flecks of red in the prints.

In hindsight I don't think I have the best arrangement of the fabrics looking at the scale, detail and depth of colour. It is a bit wonky in places and the border is not quite even, but I think it is ok for a first attempt which happened in a very unplanned manner. The finished size is 88x108cm (35"x42"), really only big enough for a baby

The quilting stitching was done on my machine and seems to be ok, I got better at staying in the ditch as I went along. It is bound by bringing the back over the front and slip stitching.

I plan to give it to any member of my family who actually likes it.