Helpful Links for the April Blouse Boxes

Hi Everyone!

At this point in the week, many of you have gotten your April boxes and some of you should be getting them very soon. 

With that in mind, I wanted to share some helpful links which will help you make the most of your fabric and pattern. 

First up, the beauty of independent pattern companies is there ability to post sewalongs for their patterns. This is a great way to visualize some tricky steps as well as learn new techniques. Follow the links for your pattern here:

• Sewaholic Patterns - Alma Blouse
• Tilly and the Buttons - Orla Top
• Sew Over It - Pussy Bow Blouse

Secondly, this box has some fine fabrics with lovely fluid drape. However, this type of slippery fabric can be a pain to sew. There are several ways to handle the fabric, and you can use these links to figure out what is right for you.

• The gelatin method - Recommended by Lauren over at Lladybird, this method uses a soak in gelatin to firm up your fabric. The best part? It all rinses away once you're done sewing. This is great for silks which you don't want to starch.
• The tissue paper method - This is a great tip for cutting slippery fabric. I've used it and I can attest that it works. The rougher texture of the paper (or you could use muslin too) holds the temperamental fabric in place so you can cut it accurately. Another tip, a rotary cutter works best for this too.
• General Tips - There are a lot of helpful blog posts out there with some more tips and tricks. I've linked one from By Hand London and Tilly and the Buttons. 

I hope that helps everyone. I can't wait to see what you make with these boxes!!

Happy Sewing!

Mary