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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – hemming with crinoline

Felixstowe Sewing School www.felixstowesewingschool.co.uk Mrs Bowden’s top tip – horsehair One of the reasons we often are drawn to Vintage fashion is the lovely silhouette often seen on dresses from the 1950’s.  There is no better feeling, in my opinion, than swirling about in a full skirted dress.  I think we sometimes overlook the foundation…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – mending a pocket

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – mending a pocket The gutwrenching sound of fabric and stitches ripping as you damage a pocket is so unwelcome! This week’s top tip takes you through mending the pocket – it’s a technique that can be applied to many emergency mending situations. Apply an egg shaped piece of fusible interfacing…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – velvet comfort

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – velvet ribbon waistband This is just a little tip as we are rather busy at Felixstowe Sewing School preparing for the Big 4th Birthday Bash Charity Sewathon. It made me realise the importance of comfortable clothing when one is up against it and jolly busy.  So here is this week’s…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – using a tailor’s ham

How to use your tailor’s ham   This time last year I blogged about making your own Tailor’s Ham – a very useful piece of equipment in the armoury of any dressmaker.  I thought it would be useful to give you some ideas for how to use the item when you are making your garments.…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – adding embroidery

How to plan embroidery ….     There are so many lovely ways we can augment our clothes and embroidery can feature beautifully by using cloth which is embroidered to add texture and interest.  Or, we can add our own embroidered motifs and/or designs.  I love adding embroidery to garments and find it extremely therapeutic.…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – upper arm adjustments

How to avoid unpleasant pinching across your upper arm! This is Rosie the Riveter, an American cultural icon from the Second World War.  Rosie represented women who worked in factories and shipyards throughout the states, many producing arms and munitions. Rosie is the epitome of strength and style from this period.  I dare say she also…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – is your machine haunted?

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – is your machine haunted? Have you ever though devilment and mischief is at play and that your sewing machine might be haunted?   Has your sewing machine ever wailed or moaned over a bulging seam? Has your bobbin ever run out at a critical point – as if it knew…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – right side, wrong side

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – right side, wrong side Right side, wrong side; essential to know when cutting and working with fabric for dressmaking – as we would aspire to avoid a ‘two left feet’ situation when constructing our garments by accidentally switching around the sides of our fabric. Here is a battered and much…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – unpicking

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – unpicking stitches Occasionally we have to unpick our work…the stress this can induce is formidable so this week’s top tip deals with how to unpick successfully. When unpicking lots of people like to use a seam ripper which are jolly useful.  You can use the lid to extend the handle…
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Mrs Bowden’s top tip – being an awful dressmaker

Mrs Bowden’s top tip – being an awful dressmaker I am very lucky that the lovely people that come to my classes often bring me gifts or bits of sewing history that will be of interest to me.  On Monday this week a lady brought me a book that had belonged to her Grandmother entitled…
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