Leave me a comment, which made the biggest difference do you think? 😀 And will you try fixing a garment you have? Join me at Vintage Sewing School to learn even more and really get better at sewing and refashioning! www.vintagesewingschool.com/
Never "hard press" a lapel or jacket hem or sleeve hem. By that, I mean don't rest the iron on the fabric. Hold the iron an inch or 2 away and use the steam. That way you won't have a hard edge or see the seam allowance, especially on jackets with little or no interfacing. I'm sure the pressing video goes over this but some viewers might go straight to pressing after this video. I agree the shoulders and hem and rolling of the front edge were the most unsightly.
I can certainly understand your frustration at garments that are "Fast Fashion" & made very poorly - it frustrates me too. I have worked as a Clothing Machinist in a factory (many years ago) & unfortunately, having a Supervisor coming & pressuring you to have so many bundles of "piece work" done in a certain amount of time can make a person feel anxious & tense & very concerned about keeping their job. Unfortunately, the Manufacturing Company I worked at, was more concerned with the quantity of the Clothing produced than they were with the quality of the work; which was really sad because I took pride in my work. Also, the people who were supposed to be our "Quality Control" Team, were a bunch of young teenagers who were more concerned with their social lives than their work ethics. So, even though some Clothing Machinists try to do the right thing & provide quality work, not everyone thinks the same way. I love watching your videos; they are very informative & your enthusiasm always shines through & your videos are inspirational. Thank You for showing me that I'm never too old to learn something new. Warm Regards, Zoe'🙂
Aww Zoe thankyou! ❤ And yes, it absolutly goes without saying that it is not the skill or care of the maker that has made the garment this way, it is fash fashion, it is the company that made it like this. I'm so glad you get learn some new things from me! I plan to always keep learning too! X
Some of the cheap internet bridesmaids gowns are the worst for this! Unfortunately altering them to look better can often cost more than the dress did which makes customers very unhappy. One has to manage expectations on these pretty big time! I always do that shut the lining seam inside the sleeve as it ends up much neater than a more visible seam.
My mom never taught me to sew although she was a master at it. She felt it was now cheaper to buy than to make. But now I find myself looking at garments and not understanding what good quality looks like.
Well it's true, it is cheaper to buy than make these days...but the cost is that they're sold so cheap because the people making the clothing are wildly underpaid
@@n.m.8728 I remember when it was cheaper to make than buy because most clothes weren't made in the third world and the workers were unionised. It's better to make your clothes as then you have more control over fabric. Often I like a design of something ready made but not the colour or fabric.
@@lemsip207 problem is that by now western made clothes are by now such a rarity, that they put a "not cheaply made" bonus on top, and normal earners just cannot afford it anymore.
What a great idea to show everyone how to fix the problems. My mom taught me how to sew when I was 12 yrs old. One of the many things she taught me was when you are sewing, the ironing board is out. I see people who make things and it is obvious that they haven't pressed the seams or the hem. It is always a dead give away that something is hand made.
I think the hem, the shoulders and fixing the rolled facing on the lapels made the biggest differences for me. Those were the most glaring issues, and the ones that just screamed "shoddy construction." Shame nothing can be done about the collar. :-(
First time watcher. Well explained, thorough, nicely presented and stressing the importance of pressing, 100% agree, perfect. Thank you. Never too old to learn , subscribed. 👍
One of my favorite videos by any sewing. I'm getting into sewing and it's so priceless to find someone who does tutorial not only how to but why the skills and time matters. If we're doing something handmade and giving that time, might as well do it for quality!
It is real joy to go through your videos, Evelyn. The jacket improved tremendously, but I still don't like the finish on the hem. Even the finest stitches show through on the front, and detract from the overall look of the garment. A better way to fix the hemline would have been to open the seam holding the shell and lining together at the hem, and then fold or trim the length of the lining to just an inch or so above the edge of the jacket. Once you sew the jacket and lining back together again, the hem of shell will hang from the lining. To further stabilize the hang of the jacket, the lining could then be hand-basted to the shoulder seam of the shell.
Oh the irony of seeing an H&M ad just at the end of your video 🙃 little do they know I'm much more interested in learning how to fix their low craftsmanship (due to greed. I'm sure the poor garment workers they're abusing actually know the PROPER way to sew, but anyway, I digress). Thank you, Evelyn, for sharing your knowledge! Great video!
My art teacher (who was also a bass singer in a hit country group!) really stressed starting at the top and working down. He even made a song about it i STILL remember it and sing it to myself 🤣
Great video showing all these little issues with fast fashion. Unfortunately, I've seen these kinds of basic mistakes on fairly expensive clothing too which is just sad. You pay more and expect it to be quality. I hated pressing when I started sewing but after making my first garment and it looking crappybecause I didn't press as I went along I learned to make friends with my iron.
This is so satisfying to watch - it's wonderful to see how these changes completely transform the garment into something much smarter. I'll definitely be keeping these tips in mind the next time I'm able to bring home some op shopped clothes.
It would have been nice to see a before and after photo at the end, Each element was important and I bet that Jacket looked so much better overall, I am learning so much thank you.
Wow, this video was so fascinating :). I'm new to sewing and am starting out with pouches and stuff that I don't wear because then I don't have to be so precise, but I love your refashioning videos, they teach so much about how garments are constructed! An amazing learning resource :)!
I love the sleeveless wrap top on the body form just to your left in the video. Simply great and if you can offer a sew-along at some point, that would be wonderful. And as I work towards a greater slow-fashion lifestyle, videos like these are wonderful. Thank you.
This was excellent! My only further request would have been to see the jacket modeled on a person or even a dress form for the visual satisfaction of seeing a ‘before and after’ of how it looked! I’m going searching your channel for lessons on jacket shoulders now! Probably you’ve covered how to reduce and fit armholes after removing shoulder pads or putting in smaller ones? (sometimes they are just outdated-too-big but now some of my favorite jackets are I’m-older-and-my-shoulders-shrunk-too-big!). 💚💙 XOjennyinseattle
I am positively shook at the difference pressing alone is able to make. I definitely never thought you can just?? Open up a seam to help that?? So that is a game-changer. Also, I really need to learn to iron properly.
Another great video. Thank you xxI get a lot of satisfaction from making clothing better. It’s also a great learning curve for me probably one of my biggest.
I'm new to sewing and upcycling, and I'm finding all of your video's very interesting. Can you explain how to do an under stitch, and how it differs from a top stitch? I found it amazing how much just ironing properly could make such a difference!
Would you ever consider just doing a decorative stitch line at the line in the lapel where the fabrics are of different thickness? It seems that would create the illusion that the difference is intentional. 🙂
My mom always says you should buy bigger clothes, because there will always be fit problems and it is not strange that the clothes are made with poor quality fabrics or poor seams or that they hardly have a seam allowance. so buying bigger clothes helps to solve that problem in the most successful way.
Thank you so much for posting a follow up to the other one - both were so enjoyable! Now I seriously regret all the items I've ended up chucking out (donating) because I just didn't know how to fix them. Next time!
Could you make a video on how to taper existing pant legs? The current tutorials on youtube are conflicting and unclear. I thrifted a bunch of wide leg pants, but I'm too nervous to get started!
Such a great video! Probably a silly question - how did you do the under-stitching at the front, without taking the garment apart? Did you sort of turn it inside out through that inside seam that you ripped open?
I got a used blazer and trousers front he thrift shop a while back, and this will be so helpful in fixing the blazer up a bit!! :D The trousers though.. has an invisible zipper at the front center, and the fabric on top is kinda rolling back exposing the zipper. No idea how to fix it! ;(
Wow! To be honest I don't think I've ever seen trousers wuth a front invisible zip! Sounds like to might just need to be stitched closer to the zip teeth. You could try just re sewing with an invisible zip foot to get really close!
@@Evelyn__Wood Thanks for the reply! :D I'll try sewing closer to the sipper by hand then, also might close it up from the bottom so the zipper doesn't go as low, I think it got a little unstitched down there lol. I got my sewing machine second hand from an estate sale, so no zipper foot 😢 (but it's the cutest sewing machine, I think 1970s, brother mademoiselle 320). Hoping to get a new one soon though, once they come back in stock!
Hi Evelyn. I love your videos. I have a question about the hem line repair in this video. Opening up the lining to sew the edge to the front of the fabric with a whip stitch seems like a of work and is intimidating to me as a beginner. I would be tempted to take the lazy way by not opening the lining and instead just sewing the inside of the jacket to the outside with a blind stitch. Are there any cases when you think it would be okay to take the lazy way? When would it be okay?
This was very informative. I'm not sure I was looking at it right but when you fixed the lining, were you sewing the lining to the back? I couldn't really tell what was being sewed where. Sorry but I'm very new to this so maybe you can explain.
Oh why weren't you here in the 80s, when every jacket had power shoulders, and so many not terribly well sewn! Good job, I hope your relative was happy with your repairs.
Thanks for the great video, Evelyn! This is super helpful, as I'm a beginner-ish sewist (I call myself a lazy intermediate sewist, lol) and often find thrift items that have these issues that I'm not sure how to fix without super involved interventions. Unrelated- but I've been wanting to ask you- Where did you get the gorgeous accordion-style sewing box that sits behind you in every video?? Is it vintage and custom re-finished, or is it new? :) I've been poking around Etsy for something similar, and none are quite as gorgeous as yours!
This video was very helpful for me as I am mostly learning sewing through intuition and observing the construction of existing garments (most of which I cannot take apart a bit as you have done here) so I found this super helpful :) Just a quick question, with the understitching of the centre-front facing, how did you do that so it didn’t show through to the front of the garment? I hope this isn’t as silly question, I am just relatively new to all these small details that go into the construction of a garment
I love the content in this channel but I just can't focus with how often she repeats herself and the huge number of uhm and ahs. It can be helped with a little bit of scriptwriting and better editing and would keep videos more clear and informative. I love her personality and the info is great. But it feels like a chore to watch.
I'm awful for picking things up in charity shops that "I can sort that easy"... that go straight to the "to do" pile and live there forever. Watching this while Adding a zipper to my favourite jackets pocket : )
Wowie! You must like this family member a lot given the amount of work you put in. But jacket was a great example b/c our jackets often have these probs. Great helpful video.
I love doing garment archaeology, especially on thrifted items. You can learn so much about the construction and life of a garment. I would suspect that you spent more time fixing this jacket than the time it took the original manufacturer to sew. Fast fashion is poorly sewn because of time constraints. As home sewers, we can spend the time to finish a garment well, and achieve a bespoke appearance.
Thank you so much. Not just for this video but all the others I have watched. I have been sewing for 50 years but learn so much from you and your videos. I am very grateful
Great video! Just a quick idea I would love to see a video on different fabrics such as velvet, corduroy, silk, and wool. How they differ in terms of sewing, which one is most difficult to work with and the quality to look for.
My mother is a seamstress so I really appreciate your videos! She's retired, but it brings back memories of her staying up all night making out easter suits, hemming our pants, making robes for Pastors around Boston, Prom dresses, wedding dresses, hats, etc.
I'm a new subscriber and I have to say you are such an inspiration, I am définitelly considering garment renovation for my own clothes. You are so positive, I watch all your videos systematically now and your positivity is radiating!!!
Thank you for your video. I just subscribed. I'm retired now but did alterations for years. I too start at the top of the garment. It's because that's where the actual fit begins. Some changes if made below will in turn change the fit at top and can twist the garment for instance. Btw I think correct pressing makes the biggest difference. Sometimes it's all that's needed.
This was great and so informative, thanks! 🖤 I think the lapel fix (besides the pressing) really helped the garment. I used to have a jacket similar to that one and I had the same problem after I washed it. For the life of me I could Not press the ripples permanently flat...
Unless you get inside like I did, it would be near impossible on this garment too! Thanks so much for watching! And you need one of those pressing hams 😉😉
There are 2 big takeaways that I took away from this video: 1) It's okay to open up the garment and tweak from the inside. Not sure why it felt almost "taboo" before. lol 2) Those items that you fixed are also good lessons learned for making a garment from scratch: press and don't skip steps. ;) I think that what I would try in the future would be the reposition/rework shoulder pads. I generally hate having them but it's inevitable on jackets. And it often feels like, on fast fashion garments, they never sit right and are always sort of shoddy. So I'll definitely remember that I can do something about it, even if there is a lining. (I've certainly fixed shoulder pads when there was no lining.)
This is the work that we’ll need to do as a planet. First we will have to abolish fast fashion and then we will have to fix the clothes that were made poorly to minimize waste.
New to your channel and LOVING all of this information! You have such a professional video AND you know what you’re talking about which can be such a rare find. Absolutely delightful to watch and I’m so excited to learn more!
Thank you for this; it was really helpful and I have realized that I've been underestimating the need for good pressings! I do minor repairs on clothes like that jacket for free for family and friends because I love to give new life to "broken" clothes and household goods. I always feel bad when my meager skills aren't quite up to the task but at least I try!
Very interesting, I have always brought rack clothing that never fits me, this video gave me alot of insight into how I may adjust my clothes for a more crisp look, like you have achieved. Wow, thank you Evelyn.
