Stretched-out seams, skipped stitches and knits that expand like crazy? We all have these issues when sewing knits. But don’t worry, if you follow these tips you will avoid common problems when working with stretchy fabrics. 1. Picking the wrong fabric Not all knit fabrics are created equal. Things like stretch, recovery, fabric weight and thickness will all affect the result. For instance, don’t use a soft 4-way stretch knit when making more constructed garments like a knit jacket or pants with detailing such as pockets. And if you are sewing a very tight-fitting garment and need to move a ..read more

Fitting clothes can be overwhelming, but some common issues can be solved in just a few minutes. Such as these quick hacks from our book Fit for Knits. Draglines below the bum Problem Diagonal draglines below the bum pointing towards the inner thigh. Solution Pin away extra fabric below the back waist, and pin a deeper crotch too. Result The draglines are gone below the bum. Extra fabric at the front crotch Problem Vertical folds of extra fabric appear at the front crotch. The folds are usually curved, like a bubble. Solution Scoop out the centre front crotch seam to make it deeper. Either ..read more

Want to learn our best tips for sewing awesome clothes? Plus get a candid insight into what it’s really like to run a sewing business. Then I think you’ll enjoy mine and Malena Hjerpe’s new podcast Stitching Tales. Available on all your favourite podcast apps (Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast etc). And on YouTube (with video). Malena is the co-author of Fit for Knits and for two years we had regular Skype meetings about the book project. Those meetings were a wonderful way to connect and discuss everything, not just the book. And when the book was finished, we realised we missed our me ..read more

Use this fail-proof method to construct a curved waistband that looks as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. And it’s all done on the machine, apart from one tiny area where I recommend hand-sewing for an extra beautiful finish. Notions for sewing a curved waistband Fusible medium-weight interfacing. I recommend using Vlieseline H250 (Amazon affiliate link) or a similar medium, but not stiff interfacing. Narrow fusible or woven stay-tape, ideally around 1 cm (3/8″) wide (optional) Wonder-tape, i.e. a double-sided wash-away tape (optional) (Amazon affiliate link) Hand sewing needle for ..read more

I made a new pair of dress pants! The first pair in years, even though pants are probably what I need the most in my wardrobe (and find it pretty much impossible to find well-fitting ones in shops). The pattern I used is from Burdastyle magazine, issue 04-2016-117. I’ve done the same pattern twice before, here is another version which is closer to the original pattern. Making the same pants pattern over and over makes a lot of sense since they are notoriously difficult to fit. So once you have the fit figured out, it’s just so much easier than starting over with a new pattern. Since I could ..read more

Zippers can be intimidating to sew. However, with the right sewing order and techniques, sewing a zipper onto your pants is actually easier than you think. At least if you use the method that is standard practice in the garment industry. So in this tutorial, I’ll walk you through all the steps to properly sew both a lapped pants zipper and add a fly shield, just like a pro. Notions for sewing a fly pant zipper A closed bottom zipper with plastic coils. The zipper should be at least 2.5 cm (1″) longer than the fly opening. I recommend YKK zippers (Amazon affiliate link). Fusible lightweight i ..read more

The great thing about having a line of sewing patterns is that I can create my own dream wardrobe. One of those dream pieces is a structured cardigan that can be worn just like a blazer, but much more comfortable. This is why I created the Eivy cardigan sewing pattern, which is now my best-selling pattern! With the collar and pocket option, it nicely doubles up as a jacket. For winter I wanted to make a nautical version, inspired by both vintage naval pea coats and classic Chanel jackets. Hence the golden anchor buttons. The fabric is a heavier wool rib knit in charcoal grey. I wanted to g ..read more

Some home sewing patterns make sewing the front pockets on pants overly complicated. Instead, I prefer to use a method inspired by a garment industry method that provides a smooth silhouette without gaping or the lining showing through. Plus it´s very easy to sew. Why this method is excellent By combining light lining fabric with small garment fabric extensions and eliminating several seams you’ll achieve a pocket that lies flat even on tighter-fitting pants or if you have a fuller tummy. Note that this tutorial is for slanted pockets, but with some tweaks, it could be done for other pocket t ..read more

I’ve been slowly returning to sewing after a pretty long hiatus after we finished the Fit for Knits book. It’s easy to get a bit burnt out when sewing is also your profession and I’ve been craving to make actual clothes to wear, rather than creating content things for books and such. This pattern is an old Knip Mode Magazine pattern from July 2016 that I’ve made two versions of before. I splurged on the fabric, it’s a double-faced wool knit from Armani (!) that I got from a local store that specialises in high-end designer fabrics from Italian fashion houses (Italienska modetyger). Totally w ..read more

Darts are a wonderful way to add shaping to knit garments. And if you have a fuller bust, they might be crucial for a well-fitting top. However, constructing darts on knits usually requires slightly different techniques than darts on woven fabrics when it comes to both marking and sewing. In this simple step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you how to sew beautiful darts on stretchy fabrics, using some nifty tricks that you might not have tried before. This tutorial contains excerpts from our book Fit for Knits. You’ll need Tailor’s awl (Amazon affiliate link) or a regular sewing pin Sharp pair o ..read more