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PVC Clear Vinyl Zipper Pouch: Zipper Hack

by | Aug 29, 2022 | Tutorials, Zips

Our love affair with these decorative star zippers continues… We're not sure if we love the zip star pull more or the star cut-outs on the tape! Inserting these decorative exposed zips has a different construction method to regular zips so we've hacked our original Clear Vinyl Zipper Pouch Tutorial and replaced the continuous zipper tape […]

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How to Enlarge A Collar With A Collar Expander – No Sew! Care & Repair Series #4

How to Enlarge A Collar With A Collar Expander – No Sew! Care & Repair Series #4

by | Aug 21, 2022 | Product Guides, Sustainable Sewing, Tutorials

 

Welcome to post number 4 in our Care & Repair Series! Today we’re offering a solution to an annoying problem – how to enlarge a collar that is too tight… without any sewing! We’re going to be talking about how to use use a collar expander in this quick product guide.

We wanted to bring these little wonder products to your attention – who knew they were even a thing?!

These nifty little extenders are NO SEW and a great little temporary fix that can even be switched between garments.

With this series of Care & Repair blogs we really want to bring into focus all sorts of different ways in which we can all reuse, repurpose, repair and rejuvenate the clothes that we already own.

A shocking 300,000 tonnes of discarded clothing goes to landfill every year in the UK. according to Wrap, the waste charity, this is up 5% of the UK’s carbon and water footprint. And small things like this can really add up.

Being able to adjust the size of a collar that’s snug can help give a shirt a longer life. These collar expanders can also be used on skirt or trouser waistbands too!

Expanders aren’t permanent fixtures to your garments so they can easily be switched between different shirts – just make sure you take them out before your shirt goes in the wash!

The collar expanders come in a variety of sizes and finishes…. make sure you select the best match for your garment, although it’s unlikely you will see it if you’re wearing a tie, you do need to make sure the collar expander will fit through your garment’s existing buttonhole

These plastic collar extenders will increase the neck size of a shirt by half a collar size and do not stretch.

The other metal extenders do stretch and come in a variety of sizes

How to Enlarge A Collar With A Collar Expander

      1. Choose the collar extender that best matches your garment
    1.  Take the white disc in your fingers and feed the loop through the buttonhole.
    1. Loop the band over the existing button on the collar.
    1. Alternatively you can start by looping the loop around the existing button and then feeding the white disc through the buttonhole.
    1. This is what the collar extenders look like when used correctly.

    6. The larger collar extenders can also be used for waistbands. You need to match the size of the disc on the Expanders as closely as possible to the original button.

    And that’s it! It really couldn’t be more simple, could it?

    Check out Hemline’s video for a demo of the metal variety, which are stretchy, rather than fixed like this one

    Thank you for supporting our online shop with your sewing shopping… It means the world to us & enables us to keep putting out FREE content like this for you to make & create ❤️

    Linking Collar or Waist Expanders Together

    Should you need greater ease at the waistband or collar, the expanders can be looped together to create a larger stretch like this.

    So you can see how easy it is to prolong the life of your garment if it’s become a bit snug.

    Stay tuned for more posts in our Care & Repair series

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    Free Peg Bag Pattern & Sewing Tutorial

    Free Peg Bag Pattern & Sewing Tutorial

    by | May 30, 2022 | Project Ideas, Sustainable Sewing, Tutorials

    Our "Free Peg Bag Pattern & Sewing Tutorial" provides a detailed guide to crafting a practical and stylish peg bag. Designed for confident beginners, this project takes approximately an hour to complete and results in a 30cm x 30cm bag (excluding the coat hanger). The tutorial includes a free downloadable pattern, a list of required materials—such as 40cm of cotton fabric for both the exterior and lining, 1m of 25mm bias binding, and an optional ODIF Odicoat fabric coating gel for water resistance—and step-by-step instructions. By following this guide, you can create a functional accessory to keep your clothespins organized, making laundry tasks more efficient and enjoyable.

    This post will be updated soon, please check back shortly

    How to repair a trouser pocket: Care & Repair Series #3

    How to repair a trouser pocket: Care & Repair Series #3

    by | May 19, 2022 | Care and Repair, Haberdashery, Haberdashery Guides, Product Guides, Sustainable Sewing, Tutorials

    Welcome to post number 3 in our Care & Repair Series! Hand up if you love a pocket?! 🙋‍♀️ Pockets are a complete joy to dressmakers everywhere… but what if your pocket wears out? In this post we’re going to walk you through how to repair a pocket. This method can be used for trousers or skirts.

    You can also use this method to repair a pocket in a shop bought garment if the pockets are too small for your needs. The joys of sewing, eh?!

    Read on to learn how to repair a pocket… it’s easier than you think. We’ve even got a no sew option for you…

    Pockets are great for keeping all kinds of useful stuff…  from your phone, to loose change, even the occasional biscuit! Because pockets are so well used, they come under huge amounts of wear & tear.

    Pocket bags are usually made from a thinner fabric than the outer trousers or skirt and so holes can be commonplace. And instead of outing a garment and sending it to landfill just because your keys are falling through a pocket hole you can learn to replace the pockets instead. It’s a win for the planet!

    Soap box alert! When it comes to pockets in girls’ and women’s clothing. As a general rule of thumb, female fashions have sported pockets that are for purely fashion reasons rather than practical ones.

    This certainly annoys my daughter who feels the need to fill her pockets with stones and twigs at every given opportunity. So here I am repairing a hole in her jeans pocket but also extending the pocket bags for her.

    In this post we’re going to walk you though

    • How to replace a pocket bag using sewing
    • How to replace a pocket without sewing
    • Create larger pocket bags for your garments

    Tutorial: How To Replace A Trouser Pocket

    Skill level required: Beginner Friendly

    Some important notes about replacement pocket products

    • Replacement pockets come as whole pockets. You can cut them down to the size you require or use them to replace the whole pocket if needed.
    • We are concentrating on trouser pockets here but the same method, and replacement pockets, can be used to repair pockets in trousers, skirts, jeans, dresses, jackets and more. Just check the pocket sizes against your garment as each one differs.
    • In this post we are using two different products, a sew-in version and an iron-on version. It is up to you to choose which is the most suitable for your needs.
    • The sew in pockets are trickier to use and require some sewing knowledge but they will last a very long time.
    • The iron on pockets are far simpler to use and don’t require any sewing at all but the repair may not last as long as sewn in pockets.
    • These pockets are are suitable to replace cotton, nylon, or polyester pockets.

      You Will Need:

      How to replace a pocket : The Sew In Method

       

       

      • Identify where the hole is in your pocket.
        • Draw a line in a washable fabric pen just above the damage.
        • If the pocket flap is stitched into the side seam, cut along this edge 1cm.
      •  Trim the damaged part of the pocket away along the line you have drawn.

      Trim the damaged part of the pocket away along the line you have drawn.

      • To mark the new pocket:
        • Lay the replacement pocket underneath the original pocket, lining up the edges. 
        • Make sure the folded edge is lined up with the folded edge of the original pocket and the seamed edge with the side seam. 
        • Allow for as much additional pocket bag as you wish to add.
        • Pin the two pockets together
        • Using the fabric marker, trace the edge of the original pocket onto the replacement pocket. 
      • Turn the raw edges outwards and line them up so that the new pocket and original line up. 
      • Stitch along the circumference to join the two pockets together using a 1cm seam allowance. 
      • Finish the raw edges in your preferred way, either pinking, zigzag stitch, overcasting stitch, or overlocker, to prevent fraying. 
      • Press the seam
      • Top stitch the side edge back to the side seam of the trousers to finish your mending project.

      If you would like to repair your pocket by hand sewing then check out Hemline’s video here

      How to replace a pocket : The Iron On  Method

      1. Start in the same way as you did with the sew in pocket.
      • Mark a line above where the damage is and cut along this line.
      • If your pocket is sewn into the side seam, cut along this edge approx. 1.5cm.
      1. Insert the bottom edge of the pocket into the replacement pocket, making sure the adhesive tape covers the pocket fabric.
      • Pin it in place.
      • Using a hot iron and a damp cloth press the adhesive tape pressing firmly
      1. Repeat the pressing on both sides of the pocket making sure to heat all of the tape.
      • Leave the pocket to cool for 10-20 minutes before moving it, allowing the adhesive to bond properly.

      Your pocket repair is complete!

       

      You can also check out Hemline’s video on how to use this product here

      We hope you found that helpful! Do let us know how you get on if you repair a pocket

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