Zipper replacement

A good friend of mine needed the zipper replaced on her beloved Eddie Bauer jacket that she had purchased 26 years ago. The jacket is still in a good shape, so it makes sense to prolong its life by replacing the zipper.

She took out the old broken zipper (which she said took hours). So, I only had to sew in the new zipper! 

I forgot to take the before photo in which the seams were all open with no zipper. 

Here is a photo of the zipper pinned in (below).

Then the next step is to baste the zipper in. This is an important step. When the fabric has filling, the thickness can shift where you are stitching on the sewing machine. Basting can prevent this error. 

After the basting is done, I stitched two lines where the original stitches were. Once both lines of the stitches are sewn in, I had to take out the basting. Basting can sometimes be skipped, but with this kind of work, it is a lifesaver.  

In the middle of the front is the new zipper installed. I hope this helps my friend enjoy her jacket longer. 

Notice

I am taking orders for sewing/mending and accepting students for sewing lessons. 

Please read detail on the following pages: 

• Custom sewing/mending info
• Sewing lesson info

Please email me at yukarimeldrum★gmail.com (Please replace ★ with @). 

If you prefer a phone call, please email me your phone number and we will set up a time for me to call you (or for you to call me). I am really sorry for this arrangement, but I am getting tired of too many scam calls... 

Memory blanket

A mom wanted to give a special blanket to her beloved daughter. She kept all the pyjamas that her daughter wore over the years, and she wanted me to make a patchwork blanket using the fabric from the pyjamas. What a wonderful gift idea. 

Here is the picture of the pyjamas. 

 I had to cut them up!

The pyjamas were made into two sizes of squares. 

Here are the squares all being sewn together. 

The fabric is fleece fabrics - all fluffy and warm. 

Here is the photo of the finished patchwork blanket. I hope this blanket is keeping her daughter warm while she sleeps. 

Pattern links

I've compiled a list of my favourite links for sewing patterns. 

Many sites provide tutorials and resources. If you're learning to sew, they can be very helpful. When you have a moment to explore, I encourage you to do so with a cup of tea or coffee of your choice. Enjoy! 

Simplicity, MacCall's, Butterick, Vogue, Know Me, NewLook, Burda - This is the website with the most famous commercial sewing patterns. (printed and/or digital patterns)

Core Fabrics - It's an online fabric store, but they have lots of good patterns, too. The link is for their pattern site. They would help you pick the perfect fabrics for the pattern you choose because sometimes if you choose a wrong fabric, the garment wouldn't turn out right. (digital and printing options)

Schultz Apparel - Pretty dresses, skirts, and tops, etc. (digital patterns) 

Wild Flower Design - Another feminine of pieces by this brand. The Coquelicot Skirt (split side skirt) is my favourite.  There are instructions on how to print out and assemble the patterns or how to use the layer option to single out a size. (digital patterns) 

Sew Liberated - Comfy, everyday pieces of clothing (digital patterns) 

Love Notions - So much to choose from for women, girls, men, and boys (digital patterns) 

Love & Lace - Many lingerie, loungewear & swimwear patterns (digital patterns) 

Forget-me-not patterns - Feminine dresses, skirts, tops, etc. (digital patterns) 

Sarah Kirsten - Simple and essentials for women, bags, etc. (digital patterns) 

Gina Renee Designs - Feminine but more active women's tops, bottoms, outers, hats, etc. If you sew, her fitting book is a huge help in making the ready-made pattern fit you. I've learned a lot from her book. (digital patterns) 

Jalie - Sports wear, everyday wear, underwear, outerwear, etc. For those who sew, they have a tutorial link to how to assemble a PDF pattern, and how to print out one size at a time, too. (digital patterns) 

style ARC - Patterns for women, teens, and children, etc. There's a beginners pattern section. What I like about this page is that they specify what kind of fabric the pattern is meant for on the pattern icon. (printed and/or digital patterns)

Lekala - LOTS of patterns for women, men, girls, boys, babies, etc. There are free patterns, too. They assume a certain level of sewing knowledge in their instructions, so if you are a total beginner, it may be better to look for other beginner-friendly patterns elsewhere. There's an option to add seam allowance. (digital patterns) 

Sew Into That - A nice site to find fun to wear sophisticated feminine pieces of garments. The Valencia Flouncy Skirt is very pretty. The instructions that come with the pattern were very clear. (digital patterns) 

The Fold Line - Various sewing pattern brands are represented in this one place. They have a service to print out your digital pattern, and they ship worldwide from the UK. (printed or digital patterns)　

Usako's sewing studio (うさこの洋裁工房) - This site is in Japanese and is for anyone who wants to sew, especially for cosplay. There is an "English" option in the top menu bar, which shows basic English versions of this site.  

The Wolf and the Tree - Patterns for children to adult. I found their socks and underwear selection amazing. I have to try making my own socks... (digital patterns) 

Glory Allan - His patterns include T-shirt, hoodies, pants, shorts, bags, and my favourite is his bucket hat (the PDF pattern is free). This site is beginner friendly, and you can buy DIY kits so you can get all you need to start sewing. (printed or digital patterns)

Thread Theory Designs - Many patterns are "rugged, menswear-inspired" garments that anyone can appreciate. Tops, bottoms, bags, accessories, etc. Representing indie pattern makers. (printed and/or digital patterns) 

Mending of fabric with check patterns

Continuing on the topic of mending from last week. Here are some repair of holes made at the bottom of the pockets in shirt pockets. 

The pocket seam had to be picked open, and I had to mend it using the thread colours similar to the background colours.  

One can still see the repairs; however, the pockets now do not have holes. 

If this was my shirt pocket, I would have used embroidery threads to add a flower or something to make it fun.