Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Barb made this fantastic shorts with the Pietra pants pattern and a cotton Tilda print. They're so cheerful and just perfect for the end of summer!
Want more project inspiration? Check out the #mytreadlemake tag on Instagram!
The State Fair is on now and the Creative Activities results are in!! Find all the winners here!
Did you enter something this year, and did you earn a ribbon? Let us know!
Today's Creative Activities building was built in the 1970s, which is glaringly obvious from its architectural style, but the original building was SO MUCH prettier.
It was also, unfortunately, called the "Woman's Building." I think Creative Activities is a much more accurate and inclusive term!
The MN State Fair website gives us a brief history of the buildings here through the years:
The first building on this site was erected in 1904 to serve as the Manufacturer’s Building. After a few years, the name was changed to the Woman’s Building. In 1911, a fine arts annex was built onto the Woman’s Building and formed a link to the Schools Exhibits Building. The Woman’s Building changed its name to Home Activities in 1952 and was razed in 1970. With the new structure in 1971 came a new name of Creative Activities to more accurately reflect its diversity of exhibits and exhibitors.
Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!
Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Bug has been a student at Treadle for years! She recently spent the week in our Kids Summer Sewing Camp and sewed this adorable summer pajama set!
Check out the details! Piped armholes, perfect gathers, and lace at the hem. What a beautiful project! Way to go, Bug!
After last week's fun fact on sewing buttons properly, I wanted to address a question I often get in class: how to position your buttons and buttonholes.
First, decide how many buttons to use. The quantity on the pattern is just a suggestion - and so is the size! I like to lay out the buttons and try out different quantities to see what I think looks best. It's okay if the buttons aren't perfectly spaced, we're just estimating to get an idea.
Generally, if you're using smaller buttons, use more. If you're using larger buttons, use fewer. Odd numbers tend to look more pleasing but there's no hard and fast rule.
Next, position your top and bottom buttonhole. The top one is generally on the collar stand or the very top of the placket, not more than 1" down. The bottom button doesn't have to be right at the lower edge; it can be several inches up.
Then, to position all the buttons evenly, we're gonna do a lil math. Don't worry, it's gonna be okay, I'm here for you. Plus we're using a calculator, I'm not a monster.
Measure the distance between the top and bottom and divide by the number of spaces between the buttons (not the number of buttons!). The answer you get is how much to measure between each button.
So I've got 8 buttons, and 15 inches between my markings. I'll divide 15 by 7 (the number of spaces!) to get 2.14, which is about 2 1/8".
Grab your seam gauge and chalk mark each position, starting from the top. It's okay if your bottom one has shifted a bit - we really just want every mark to be the same distance. Now you're ready to sew your buttonholes!
As to the buttonhole sewing, all machines vary, so it's hard to give specific tips. One thing is universal, though: always sew a few test buttonholes! Use scraps of the actual garment fabric plus any interfacing you used in the garment. Practice until the buttonholes are the right size (test the button!) and the stitches look good.
Then sew your buttons - check last week's Friday Fun Fact for tips!
Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Carla finished these Pietra pants in a recent Weekend Sewing Marathon class!
She started with a handwoven fabric from Guatamala and worked to position the embroidered stripes to best effect.
Carla had originally planned to add a cuff of the embroidered section to the bottom, but decided the unbroken vertical line was a better look.
What a great addition to her handmade wardrobe!
See more makes on Insta under the tag #mytreadlemake
We're going back to basics here today - sewing a button on!
I recently made this shirt for my kiddo and it was a great opportunity to show them - and all of you! - how to sew buttons on the best way.
You'll need your buttons, needles, scissors, pins, beeswax, and thread. Cotton thread is always easier to handsew with as it doesn't shred and tangle. Why beeswax? Read more here!
I always use a single thread while sewing, except when attaching buttons. Use a doubled thread here to make it go faster!
Run your thread through the beeswax and then scrape it with your fingernail to smooth it out. The beeswax helps the thread stay tangle-free, and makes it easier to thread your needle!
Secure your thread and come up where you want your button to be.
Here's the part that's often overlooked: hold a pin or other spacer on top of the button and sew over it. This creates space in the stitches that keep the button from puckering and give it room to lie flat.
Match the spacer to the fabric - for a thin shirting cotton like this, a small pin is enough. For a thick wool coat, use a knitting needle, wooden match, or even a chopstick.
Stitch through each pair of holes 4-6 times.
Then come up under your button, remove the spacer, and use the working thread to wrap the thread stem under the button a few times.
After that, you can secure with a knot and bury your thread tail. Admire your perfectly sewn buttons!
Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!
Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Jen recently finished this stylish shirtdress in class!
Using black linen and the Matilda pattern from Megan Neilsen, Jen's new dress is a wardrobe staple!
Jen spent a couple Weekend Sewing Marathon classes working on this project, spending time on muslin mock-ups to tweak the fit and trying lots of new techniques.
The final element was choosing buttons, and we got the whole class to weigh in. Jen went with these deep red shinies for an elegant contrast.
Hey everyone, we just finished a session of corset class at Treadle and I thought it would be a good time to talk to you about corset shapes, plus a little corset mythbusting!
There have been many, many trends in corsetry in the last 500 years, but I tend to group them into a few main styles: the cone, the Regency, the hourglass, and the down low.
The Cone shape is seen from around 1550-1795. This silhouette flattens the bust and torso into a smooth line with a defined waist. Check out the first two images from 1598 and c. 1780. These garments were called stays or a pair of bodies (like a pair of pants! Get it?)
Here's a dress that would have been worn with the stays above.
A high, uplifted bust shape defines The Regency silhouette. Named for a historical era, this shape is seen from the late 1790s through the 1830s. When dresses became influenced by ancient Greek statues and everyone was wearing wispy tissue fabrics, these were worn to create the uplifted empire-waist look. At this time, people were generally still using the term "stays."
From around 1845 to 1909, we've got The Hourglass. Now we're using the word corset, and this is what most people tend to think of when they hear "corset," but note that the orange example c. 1870s is much more curvy than modern styles. It also has a much shorter waist, as the low bust and natural waist were popular at the time.
The Down Low style is seen from about 1910-1970. In the teens and 20s the ideal shape was long and lean, so this corset eliminated the waist and contained the hips and backside. It's not even supporting the bust anymore and this corset (a.k.a. girdle) was worn with a brassiere.
Ok, let's address some of the most common questions.
Did they hurt? Generally, NO. Not if they fit you properly. The corset is a supportive garment, and like a bra that fits, it shouldn't hurt at all.
In the late 19th century, there was a huge fad for "health corsets" or "corset substitutes" that were worn for sports, exercise, by dress reformers*, and people who wanted to be a little more comfy and didn't care as much about fashion.
Did everyone wear one? Yeah, pretty much! Only the bedridden would cast them off completely. Think of it like we think of bras now: without one, most of us don't feel entirely dressed.
Did people have 18" waists? This was definitely not the norm. Possibly some young rich girls had waists this small, but it's pretty much a fantasy. I blame Gone With the Wind.
A wealthy idler with the leisure to sit around all day and do nothing would lace tighter, but most women worked, took care of children, scrubbed floors, ate meals, breathed, and lived their normal lives in corsets.
Are corsets hard to sew? They can be quite involved projects, but with a good pattern and a little know-how, they're quite do-able!
Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!
Have a request for a Fun Fact? Want a sewing mystery solved? Let me know! I'd love to answer your burning questions.
*I'm definitely going to want to ramble to you guys about that sometime!
Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Monique has been working on these amazing 18th century stays for months, and completed them in a recent Continuing On class!
She sewed these stays almost entirely by hand!
This gorgeous foundation garment is part of an entirely hand-sewn historical ensemble that Monique is making. We can't wait to share the end result!
