Sew a cozy sweatshirt this fall for FREE!

Get your Free Pattern

April Discoveries

Shirring, embroidery, and other fun details to add to your garments.

Posted in: Sewing Patterns • March 31, 2019

Don’t be Afraid to Shirr

This month’s Carter pattern is designed with elastic shirring, which might seem intimidating, but it’s not.





To learn how to get the best elastic shirring, don’t miss Hannah’s article in this month’s issue. Hannah sews all our photo samples, so she’s made the Carter dress dozens of times. She spent hours making swatches to get the perfect tension and pattern for elastic shirring, and she has some tips to encourage you to get experimental with your sewing in order to grow your skills.



Embellish It!






If shirring still has you intimidated, we have a user-friendly guide to elastic shirring here.





Create a vintage-inspired hemstitch with this tutorial, from one of the first issues of Seamwork. This delicate detail will make your handmade garment look totally heirloom.






A simple, modern addition to a dress is a faced split hem. This detail is ideal for a dress like Carter because it adds a little bit of interest without a bunch of effort.



Related Articles
Introducing the Opal Sewing Pattern
Get the best fabric recommendations, fitting tutorials, and styling ideas for this feminine blouson cardigan.
Introducing the Grove Sewing Pattern
Get the best fabric recommendations, fitting tutorials, and styling ideas for this classic menswear-inspired button-up.
How to Build a Fall Sewing Wardrobe Around One Color Palette
Five colors, four handmade projects, and the closet-first method that makes fall sewing actually wearable
I Built a 4-Piece Summer Capsule Wardrobe — Here's How It Held Up for a Full Week
A practical, mix-and-match capsule designed for real summer life: gardening, hiking, dog walks, and everything in between.

Join the Snippets Newsletter

And Get the Hansie Woven T-Shirt Pattern for Free!

(Plus a new free pattern every season.)

Get these free patterns instantly when you join over 300,000 readers who get clever sewing ideas in their inbox each week.

Want to comment on this article?

Sign in or become a Seamwork member to comment on this article.

Sign in            Learn More