Obviously there are the usual hand-finished hems using slip hemming stitch or herringbone stitch for example, which I use a lot too, but I thought I’d share a few alternatives which you might not know, or haven’t used for a while. Eventually I made 10 sets, I believe they were headed to a maternity department in a London hospital. What it strictly means, though, I'm not sure… one of my recent RTW dresses has beautiful bound buttonholes, which were sewn entirely by machine.

This can be a beautifully neat finish on a curve, it gives some ‘weight’ and crispness to the hem too and makes it less likely to curl upwards on blouses for example. I'm sure even tailors are debating what comprises bespoke techniques, what with padstitching machines and all! To me, couture means “lots and lots of thought and a careful process that respects both fabric and wearer to create a whole garment that belongs on the person like a second skin. It has an almost invisible side zip and some poppers on the underarm seam of the corresponding sleeve to allow me to get in and out of it. No piece was ever cut on a fold, we always used a whole front or a whole back, sleeves, bodice pieces or skirt panels could be ‘flipped’ though to fit them in.As it happened my letter was passed to Caroline who was the production manager for David in the evening wear workroom and she had done the same course as me a year earlier so she had a fair idea of what I was potentially capable of. I then stitched one side of the leather to one side of the seam, 5/8″ away from the edge, along the 5/8″ seam allowance of the leather – along the chalk line below. This entry was posted in Books, Resources and tagged Books, Claire B Shaeffer, Claire Shaeffer, Couture, couture sewing, Couture Sewing Techniques, Inspiration, Sewing Book, Sewing Books on June 22, 2017 by Amelia Wray. Some of them worked in their own homes and didn’t make a massive quantity of garments, and a couple had set up their own workrooms where they then employed a few extra machinists so they could make larger quantities, we are still only talking about several dozen garments per week though, not hundreds or thousands. Thankfully I’d opted to make a toile of the bodice which I’d fitted just before lockdown kicked off so I managed to get the dress to a good stage of completion.

Then I sewed the actual seam of the 2 pattern pieces, which brought the 2 edges of the leather together, but not overlapping, reducing the potential bulk at the seam. hehe, those French words you mention are ingrained into English now, just shows how language does change!It is interesting this couture sewing – I am a good sewer, able to construct anything, but I can be slapdash and lazy, and I love your blog Sherry as you admit to some of my failings as well.

When they were happy I would be given the pattern along with all the fabrics and instructions for the new sample. I would strongly advise you to try a few samples first so that you have the version which looks best for your particular garment. I’m working on my own pattern which I’ve self-drafted so hopefully that will be something positive for the new year but I need occasional assistance from more expert friends and that’s making it a drawn-out process which would have been so much more fun person-to-person. I prefer to tack the tape to the seam allowance at this point but you could use Wonder Tape if you have it.There are some out there in the blogosphere that have made it sound like, if you didn't go the Nth degree then your garment is somehow lessened or beneath wearing. Personally I’m a long way down the list for it but that’s absolutely fine, we must protect the most vulnerable first. The Online Weekender also raised a significant amount of money which was divided between 4 charities.