7 Everyday Sewing Tips from Couture Sewing School

I just returned from a blissful week of sewing at Susan Khalje's Couture Sewing School. After 6 1/2 days of sewing all day, every day, I had the hardest time going back to work. I thought I worked in a couture house! What a dream.

I can't recommend the class highly enough. If you have an interest in couture, or just like hand sewing, it's a wonderful investment in your sewing education, and a lovely week of sewing and learning. Susan is an exceptional teacher - she is so relaxed and positive that you'll find you can conquer anything with a needle and thread!

Here's Susan and I when we were doing my first pin fitting. Eeee! This is the best dress ever. Seriously. I can't wait to show you!

So lots of details and photos of the finished project coming soon, but in the meantime, I thought I would share some tips that I learned in the class that apply to any type of sewing.

1. You want your gathers to stand up like little soldiers. 

Getting consistent gathers is tough, and the pattern I was working with had a very full skirt (Are you surprised? It's from the 1950s!). First, you should sew three rows of basting stitches, instead of the typical two. That extra row really helps to firmly hold them in place.

Then distribute them, placing pins at even intervals. Then press the gathers in place. When you press, the gathers should be standing up straight, like little soldiers, rather than all wonky. This last step is a crucial one I had never heard before, and it worked like a dream!

2. Sew from the wide to the narrow. 

I've read bits and pieces about directional sewing before, which is this idea that you should sew like seams the same way every time. I've never been entirely sure about it, but sewing from the wide to the narrow makes perfect sense to me. Susan showed me how much more stretch you'll get on a skirt seam, which can cause rippling, if you start at the narrow and work your way down. 

3. Don't baste in space. 

This was Susan's way of saying that you should put your basting on the table while you're working. It's hard to get the accuracy and control you need when it's sitting in your lap. Things definitely went faster when I moved it to the table! Here I've marked all the seam lines and darts with a basting stitch. As Susan says, "Now you have all the information you need on here to sew." 

4. Two tricks for untwisting thread. 

Have you ever been hand stitching, and your thread starts to get all tangled? This is likely because it got twisted, and you've got two options to fix it. 

• The next time you insert your needle into the fabric, give it a little twist. 
• Let your needle and thread hang off the edge of the table, and it will spin itself back into place. 

5. Thread has a nap. 

This is another reason your thread can get twisted and angry. I had no idea thread had a nap! You should put the end you take off the spool into the needle first to keep it as smooth as possible.

6. Use Beeswax on your thread for stitching that needs extra reinforcement. 

In areas like the hook and eye, snaps, buttons, and the zipper, if you're handstitching them, you'll need a little extra reinforcement. Beeswax helps to do that (mine is from Susan's shop). Just run your thread against the beeswax, and then iron it. Ironing it seals the beeswax to the thread so that it doesn't all come out the minute you put in your first stitch. 

7. Different types of thread should be put on your machine differently. 

I actually learned this one from a woman in the class who works in a Bernina shop. She said that thread that is criss-crossed on the spool, like Gutterman, should be placed on it's side. Thread that runs evenly across the spool, like Coats and Clark, should be placed up and down. Apparently they're designed that way to come off the spool more easily. 

Pretty neat, huh? I always thought couture would be extremely complex, but in reality, it's just the opposite. It's finding the most elegant and practical solution to whatever it is your working on. It's time intensive, to be sure, but the techniques are very simple. I just loved it! 

If you're interested in seeing all my snaps from the week, hop on over to my Instagram account. I tried to document every day in the couture house!