Treadlette Tuesday: Marina's new skirt!

 It's Treadlette Tuesday, when we share projects, inspiration, and ideas for you from our lovely Treadle Yard Goods employees, The Treadlettes!

Check out Marina's new skirt!

She made this in a cute cotton broadcloth from her custom Elizabeth's Favorite Skirt pattern. With an invisible zipper and simple, streamlined finishing, this skirt is a new go-to!

And she's already chosen fabric for her next one!

Friday Fun Fact: Grading Seams

Are you grading your seam allowances?

Often patterns will tell you to "trim seam," but what does that mean?

If your seam will be enclosed, like a facing edge, collar, or cuff, you should grade - simply put, trim in stair-steps, so that each layer is a little shorter than the next.

It might feel a little tedious, but it's SO important. Grading reduces bulk and makes the seam allowance ridge less abrupt. It's sometimes called layering seams.

Generally, your longest layer should be the fashion fabric or outer fabric, and the shortest should be the facing or lining. Grade to as many levels as needed!

Treadlette Tuesday: Melissa's linen dress

It's Treadlette Tuesday, when we share projects, inspiration, and ideas for you from our lovely Treadle Yard Goods employees, The Treadlettes!

Have you seen this sweet linen dress made by Melissa? 

The pattern is Vogue 1102, and the cover illustration shows it made up in a very dressy fabric, but this linen works just as well! She made this a few years ago (so we no longer have this exact fabric) but it's back in the store for display!

We really love the big bow, such a fun element!

This is a great reminder not to feel limited by the fashion photo!

Friday Fun Fact: Flat-felled seams

Let's talk about one of my favorite seam finishes, the flat-felled seam!

Flat-felled seams were the typical choice throughout history for underwear and shirts, for good reasons:

Flat-felled seams are smooth - there's no raw edges or bumpy seams to chafe against the skin.

They're durable - with no raw fabric to fray, they help a garment withstand constant laundering and wear.

These days, well-made shirts still use flat-felled seams, but mostly you'll see them on jeans.

To sew a flat-felled seam:

- Sew the seam as usual.
- Trim away half of one seam allowance.
- Wrap the untrimmed seam around the trimmed one.
- Press flat to the side.
- Stitch through all the layers, close to the fold.

You can learn more about how to make flat-felled seams and more in our Beautiful Seams and Hems class! 

Treadlette Tuesday: Laura's Pietra Pants

It's Treadlette Tuesday, when we share projects, inspiration, and ideas for you from our lovely Treadle Yard Goods employees, The Treadlettes!

Check out Laura's trio of Pietra pants! She has all three on display in the store right now, so stop by and check out the details!

We are working on getting this pattern back in stock! Soon, we hope! 

Friday Fun Fact - 1930s Shorts

Summer is here, so let's talk about shorts!

Ladies, it hasn't been very long since shorts came into fashion for us. The 1930s saw women's shorts fashionable in public for the first time, generally with a full, pleated silhouette and a high waist.

Coming from centuries of long dresses, some people were shocked by the sight of human women's legs - several municipalities tried to ban shorts for women. (Read more about that at NPR)

This wasn't the first time legs were on display - short swimsuits had been around since at least 1910 - but the setting made a difference.

You might have seen the above photo online - it's often captioned as "Women cause car wreck by wearing shorts," but let's get real, it's pretty obviously staged*. Newspapers loved shock then as much as they do now! 

1930s shorts panic is a great reminder that in summer or any time, everybody should wear whatever the heck they want. Let's celebrate feeling comfortable with our bodies and dressing as we please!**

Do you think this cute 1930s shorts style should make a comeback?

* Not to mention, if that really was a car wreck, it would be better captioned "Careless driver crashes car ogling some women who were minding their own business."
** And looking the other way instead of judging others!

New Sewing Classes!

We've just released new dates for July-August sewing classes at Treadle!

See them all and register here!

Friday Fun Fact: Tension

This is a topic we get asked about all the time: Sewing Machine Tension Troubleshooting!

Do your stitches look uneven? Do you notice lumps of thread poking through between stitches?



First off, bad stitch tension is NOT usually the fault of the setting on the tension dial.

Follow these steps in order to perfect your machine's stitch tension.

1.) Re-thread the top thread. Many machines have a delicate tension assembly. If the thread isn't just right, it won't stitch well.

2.) Re-thread the bobbin. Make sure the bobbin is turning the correct way. For horizontal drop-in bobbins, make sure you can see the thread across the top left side of the bobbin.

3.) Change your needle. It may be old, bent, dull, or simply the wrong size.

4.) Try a new thread. Avoid thread that's cheap, old, or low-quality. Use cotton thread for silk and poly for knits.

5.) Clean your machine. Lint build-up, especially around the feed dogs, can affect stitch tension.

6.) Adjust the tension dial. After you've tried everything else, it's time to adjust the tension dial! Go gently; the springs can wear out with overuse. Adjust a half-number at a time.