Power Sewing » Sandra Betzina

Uneven Skirt Hemline

Sandra Betzina — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:00:17 +0000

I find skirts a lot more comfortable and feminine than pants. However, certain figures have difficulty getting a skirt to hang properly causing the skirt to hike up or hang long in the center back.

To solve either one of these problems once and…

Power of Princess Seams

Sandra Betzina — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:00:24 +0000

While we’ve all heard that you get a better fit with princess seams, few garment sewers ever take advantage of just how great the fit could be.

For example, full high hips in back or butt would be camouflaged considerably by…

60-Minute Pant Pretest

Sandra Betzina — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:00:09 +0000

Before you make that next pair of pants, spending just an hour on a pretest will save you twice that much time ripping out seams later and will result in a pair of pants that is not only comfortable, but…

Freehand Embroidery

Sandra Betzina — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:03:34 +0000

Freehand embroidery can make stunning accents on collars, pocket flaps, cuffs and lapels or can be used to create a very wearable jacket or vest.

Instead of a layer of batting between layers, I prefer one layer of baby-weight cotton flannel…

Perfect Seaming

Sandra Betzina — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:45:43 +0000

Puckered seams can be caused by sewing with the wrong needle for your fabric, wrong thread for your fabric or a combination of the two.

That being said, your problem may have originated before the garment was even cut out. Many…

Fabric Stores In Berlin And London

Sandra Betzina — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:46:48 +0000

I had the opportunity to take an amazing trip to St. Petersburg, London and Berlin last year.

Since I had plenty of time to explore everywhere I went, I found myself searching out button, trim and fabric stores.

I found none of these in…

Clean Finish For Zippers

Sandra Betzina — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:24:41 +0000

The first stage in my life of sewing, between the ages of 15 – 35, was all about FAST SEWING and trying out lots of new outfits that I wanted to wear as soon as possible.

My next phase of sewing,…

Hand-Picked Embellishments

Sandra Betzina — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:00:49 +0000

Hand picking is a beautiful finish along the front edges, collar, cuffs and pockets of a coat or blouse. I have even seen it used on a waistband.

Stitches are 1/2-inch apart on a coat and positioned 1/2-inch from the edge…

The T-Shirt Story

Sandra Betzina — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:00:54 +0000

T-shirts have become a staple in every woman’s wardrobe, but these are not the baggy T-shirts of yesterday. Today’s T-shirts fit closer to the body, are made in lighter weight drapey knits and sport styling details such as ruching, wraps, ties etc.

The…

Ribbon Insert

Sandra Betzina — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:00:13 +0000

Try ribbon inserting technique and you’ll love the results!

NOTE: It only works on a straight seam since the ribbon will not follow a curved seam smoothly.

-Position 1/8-inch wide ribbon on the right side of the fabric with the edge of the ribbon falling a small…