Helping you sew clothes that are made to be worn and loved
…and what it taught me about sewing stretch fabrics.
I’m not sure if I’ve shared this story before, but I thought it was about time I showed you that everyone and I mean EVERYONE has to start at the beginning. Including me. So enjoy this little tale about the first stretch dress I sewed my daughter, and how she could barely even wear it once…
When I first started sewing with stretch fabrics in 2017, I thought I knew what I was doing.
I’d been sewing for years, mostly with woven fabrics, and felt confident behind a machine. I’d made some BEAUTIFUL clothes, including not 1, but 2 full ball gowns.
But stretch? That was a different story.
Suddenly, I was dealing with necklines that stretched out of shape, hems that flipped after washing, and seams that skipped stitches or tunneled with the twin needle. The fabric curled the moment I tried to cut it… I was starting to get pretty frustrated and disappointed.
I wanted to sew clothes I’d actually wear. Comfortable, everyday things that not only felt good on, but LOOKED good on as well.
One of my early projects has always stuck with me.
It was one of the first stretch garments I’d ever made and it was… a disaster.
I’d been using Tadah Patterns for a lot of the woven projects I’d been sewing and was getting really beautiful results. I decided to try their Jaunty Knit Dress thinking I’d smash out this project and then all of a sudden be able to shop for a whole new type of fabric I’d see on the Facebook groups, knit fabric.
I had no idea about knit fabrics back then, so the fabric I chose didn’t have enough stretch and was super poor quality. When I finished sewing it, we could barely get it over her head. She wore it once. It was super cute, but I was gutted. All that effort, and it wasn’t even wearable.
I even made a cute matching headband!
I remember thinking, Why is this so hard?
That dress was a turning point.
It made me realize that it wasn’t me that was the problem.
I just didn’t have the right knowledge yet.
I hadn’t been taught how to work with these fabrics properly, and I didn’t know what to look for when buying them either.
Once I figured out a few key techniques, how to sew a neckband properly, using the right needles, understanding fabric stretch percentages, everything changed. Stretch sewing started to feel achievable.
Now, it’s second nature.
I can confidently sew things that not only my kids want to wear (and more importantly can comfortably put on 🙈), but the whole family and our friends. Plus, I actually enjoy it.
So if you’re sitting on a pile of stretch fabric, too nervous to cut into it, or if you’ve had one too many makes not turn out the way you hoped… I get it.
I’ve been there.
But I want to tell you, it doesn’t have to stay that way.
I’m here, on the other side, having people tell me there is no way I made that garment cause it looks ‘too professional’.
Or being able to whip up a pair of shorts 15 mins before my daughter had to leave for an event and had no clean shorts (yes, I actually did it in 15 mins. They weren’t hemmed, but I did it! haha)
It’s not about being “good enough” at sewing. It’s about knowing the small things that make a big difference.
Big sewing love,
Megan
👉 If you’re ready to stop guessing and start having more fun with knit fabrics, the Stretch Fabrics 101 course is the best place to begin.
It walks you through exactly what you need to know.
From fabric choice to finishing techniques, so you can sew clothes that fit well, feel good, and actually last.
Enrol in our Conquer Stretch Fabric Sewing Course before 15th April 2024 and you can join our first ever Sewing Bootcamp! Be guided through 4 stretch sewing modules with weekly calls and exclusive online sewing community.
