Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!
Treadle student Fay made this perfectly finished pajama set for her granddaughter! Fay used the Jalie Jeanne pattern paired with soft knits, and stitched it all impeccably on her serger.
You may have noticed it's wool sewing season! Here are some tips on how to sew and care for one of our favorite fibers.
Wool is generally considered to be sheep's fleece, though many animals also produce hair suitable for textile use. Alpacas, llamas, goats, rabbits, and yaks are also raised for fiber, but we typically see these fibers referred to by the specific animal they came from. If something is simply labeled "wool," it's probably sheep's wool.
For the purposes of sewing and care, however, treat any of the above animal fibers with the wool tips below.
First up: pre-treating. Yes, you can wash wools!
Hand-wash wool to pre-treat: use cold water, mild soap, and let it soak a bit (avoiding agitating) then squeeze the extra water out.
If you can set your washing machine to spin only, then put your wet wool in for a spin to remove all the excess water. If not, roll it up in some big fluffy towels. Then air-dry your wool, supporting it well to prevent sagging.
Your other option is to have it steamed at a dry cleaner. You can do this if you plan to dry-clean the finished garment.
Next up, sewing! Wool is so incredibly forgiving to sew. The fibers are soft and bouncy and have a slight natural stretch. This makes it really easy to ease sleeve caps and steam darts into shape.
Stitches sink into wool's texture and can virtually disappear. A blind hem stitch can be quite invisible!
Edge finish seam allowances on wool with a serger or zig-zag stitch - or try a bias bound Hong Kong finish if you want to be fancy!
To line or not? Wool garments don't have to be lined! A lining can provide support, structure, and a smooth inside, but it's not crucial to success. Many wools have unbelievable next-to-skin softness. Others can be fully lined, partly lined, or worn with layers - a light slip or blouse is perfect under a wool dress, skirt, or vest!
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!
Cynthia sent us photos of this adorable skirt she made!
She used Butterick 4686, which she's had in her pattern stash for awhile, paired with cute cotton prints to make a unique and pretty skirt with matching belt!
It's spooky season! Halloween is right around the corner. Personally I love dressing up in costumes, and costumed parties were popular in the olden times too!
In the 19th century, costume parties were popular for Halloween, New Year's Eve, or any time! What's interesting is seeing how the costumes of the day still reflected the fashionable sihouette of the time. Check out the fashion plates of "fancy dress," the Victorian term for dress-up costumes.
In the 1920s, Halloween's popularity boomed, and we have lots of pictures to show us what kinds of costumes folks were wearing! See even more at the blog post!
Are you dressing up this year? Did you sew any costumes? Let us know - or better yet, send us a picture!
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!
Dana came in last week wearing her cute new echinacea dress!
This pattern from Dottie Angel (Simplicity 1080) is a super popular and simple pullover dress that's great for showcasing prints.
Dana had been in the store a few weeks previously, wearing another version of this pattern, and loved it so much she bought these bright florals for her second one!
Today we're doing a little vintage button mythbusting.
Everyone loves seeing the gorgeous vintage buttons at Treadle, but we find that a lot of folks are reluctant to use them in a project, for fear of cost, breakage, or that they're just too fancy!
So today I want to set your mind at ease and tell you how easy it is to use vintage buttons!
Myth #1: Vintage buttons are too expensive
While a super-fancy giant rhinestone clasp might set you back a bit, there's definitely a range of options!
We're more used to seeing buttons individually priced at Treadle, and anywhere from $2 to $8 per button is pretty common.
It's common to get a little sticker shock when you see a card of buttons for $24, but for 8 buttons, that's still only $3 each!
Some of our vintage china and bone buttons in tubes are as little as 35 cents each!
Myth #2: You can't wash vintage buttons
Not so! We often hear fears of having to remove the buttons before laundering your garment, but in 98% of cases, that's simply unnecessary!
Water won't damage china, ceramic, bone, shell, mother-of-pearl, glass, and other natural materials.
The only concern with shell and glass might be breakage, so try this tip: button up the garment, turn it inside out, and wash and dry inside a garment bag.
All of us at Treadle have had great success for years with this method! And remember - these buttons have survived for decades already - they're stronger than you think!
Myth #3: Vintage buttons are just too fancy for my project
Not every vintage button is encrusted with glitter! There are so many options in mother-of-pearl, glass, ceramic, Bakelite, metal, vegetable ivory, shell, and more.
Take a look - you might find that perfect addition to your project! Becky refreshes the vintage button selection about every 6 weeks, so there's always something new to see!
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!
Today we're highlighting some of the work done by students in our Kids Sewing Classes!
Mary, our kids class teacher, provides an amazing environment for creativity and learning. But it's the kids who really shine! Every session we are blown away by the work these kids are doing - and the fun they're having!
We have loads of kids classes open for registration now - see them all here!
Today we're talking about shoulder pads!
Ok, I know the term "shoulder pads" can conjure up horrific images of the 1980s, but don't let that put you off! Shoulder pads are an essential component of any jacket or coat.
It doesn't have to look like this:
Shoulder pads build shape into your garment and help a jacket hold its structure. Without a shoulder pad, a jacket or coat looks floppy and without substance.
The pad doesn't have to be big! A thin 1/4" or 1/2" pad is plenty to support your garment's shape.
Check out these examples of shoulder pads in action! First up is a Doctor Who cosplay I made for my kiddo. I will tell you, the construction of this coat is... not great. I took A LOT of shortcuts. But I made sure to properly pad the shoulder and it really makes a difference in how finished and structured the coat looks!
Here's the last coat I made for myself. The pad is pretty thin but you can really see how it supports the shape!
Sewing tips for shoulder pads:
Most shoulder pads are not symmetrical. Place the longer point in the front.
Shoulder pads need to be hand-sewn in, but it doesn't take much: hand-tack them to the armscye seam and the shoulder seam.
Make sure you pin the shoulder pads into the muslin mockup during your fitting process.
You can combine a shoulder pad with a sleeve header: a narrow strip of flannel or batting that helps support the shoulder seam.
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!
Barb made this gorgeous blouse in sewing class with us!
She used the Regalia Blouse by Sew House Seven paired with our fantastic Aboriginal rayon print. She decided to turn the collar around to make the blouse open in front instead of in back - a fairly simple pattern hack when you are as experienced as Barb!
