Hi, I'm Toni! Welcome to Sew Sew Lounge, a place where creativity and self-expression come together through fabric and design.
I created this channel to inspire you to start or get back into sewing. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, I'm here to help you explore your passion for this amazing craft.
As an avid sewer myself, I love nothing more than sharing my monthly makes, fabric hauls, and my love of colorful fabric.
I'm based in Houston, Texas, and I'm always down to connect, answer questions, and talk sewing with other like-minded individuals.
Sew Sew Lounge is more than just a channel, it's a community of people who share a love for sewing and creativity.
So come hang out and let's create something beautiful together!
If you have any questions or just want to connect, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]
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Happy Sewing!
Toni.
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Your video might very well be the most relatable sewing video I've seen on all of youtube. Or as my aunt (who is an absolute godess behind her sewing machines) put it: "The seam ripper is our most important tool, and more often than not, we ushe it even more than our sewing machines." I feel your pain in having to start over. In fact, I can't remember the last time I made a piece of clothing without making a mock up first.
I live half an hour away from Libertys in London
If I ever win the lottery then I would buy so much Liberty fabric!
I think you put too much emphasis in finishing the garment in 2 hours. That why it didn’t come out like you wont. But the fabric is lovely so I would just start again. Don’t worry about the time. I would still like to see the finished garment.
Well done
Thank you! That pattern was more challenging than I thought it would be 😉
@@SewSewLounge at least you could work it out. You’re very talented.
I took home ec in the late ‘60’s. My paternal Grandmother was a professional seamstress and I had been sewing my own clothes for years, I knew what size pattern I needed and it fit perfectly with no adjustments. The teacher of course had her lesson plans to follow and one of the things we were to learn was to make adjustments to a pattern. I tried to explain that I didn’t need to make alterations blah, blah…That skirt never fit and I never did wear it. My Grandmother taught me to make alterations. She had worked for a large department store doing alterations for men’s suits and ladies fancy dresses. I still have and use her sewing machine.
That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing the story of your grandmother. I wish I’d learned alterations! I worked for a tailor during college with the hopes of learning alterations and tailoring. It turned out they just wanted free labor to hem pants 🙄
Lovely dress
Thank you ❤️
You done really well. I have a problem just cutting out a pattern 😢
Baby steps. One thing at a time. You can do it! ❤️
Hi Toni, Hope your power is restored soon. Used to live in Texas and in Alabama, so I feel your pain. The infrastructure in certain regions can be a challenge! I saw the video where you sewed this dress and one thing I have noticed is that for most commercial patterns the sizing is off--if I choose a size based on my measurements it's almost always too big. I try to go by finished garment measurements if they are included. Also, I kind of hate facings. If possible I try to use bias binding or a lining to finish necklines and armholes. Kudos to you for ripping out your dress. In my house it would end up in a pile in my attic, though sometimes I do return to it later after I am no longer so frustrated!
Thankfully the power has been restored and I’m back at home. Apparently they did a patch job on the lines after the ice storm a few years ago and were supposed to fix the lines permanently, which never happened. I did look at the finished measurements and decided they were going to be tight. I should have just made it up as is!
YOU are a STITCH!! I LOVE your honesty. It's so refreshing and fun. Just like my own sewing experiences. THANK YOU!
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching Cathy ❤️
Thank you! I was trying to make this skirt and was ready to throw it in the trash - the instructions are terrible! I love your presentation style and I'll definitely be watching your other videos!
Awe thank you! I thought the directions were difficult to understand too. Glad that my video helped you finish your skirt!
Hoping your power is restored soon! I started sewing a top yesterday and went in thinking that I'm not going to make any mistakes. LOL!! Yeah, no...🙄
The power is on and I’m back home! Yeah, I’ve given up not trying to make mistakes-something always happens 🤣
@@SewSewLounge Yay, you're home!!!!😃
I just made this dress. I don’t sew very fast but I really loved this pattern
I’m liking it enough to try again! It’s such a classic style .
I HATE INVISIBLE ZIPPERS, I BROUGHT BUTTERICK, TAKE UP SIDE SEAMS
I love invisible zippers! They are so much easier than regular ones 😉
Hi from Puerto Rico
Hi! Thank you for watching ☺️
Is it possible the super soft material is working against the constrction of the dress?
I don’t think so. The problems were all caused by me 🤣
Toni it’s obvious you are losing weight. Looking even more beautiful than ever.
Aww thank you. I’m working on it. It’s been a little rough to stick to a diet away from home. But I’ll be back on track soon!
I have lived in south Louisiana most of my life, so I feel your pain. I hope everyone is doing well!
You know hurricanes! I have family in Louisiana so I’ve heard the stories. We are all good here; the power came back on Sunday night and I’m back home.
I'm pretty sure I made this dress in 1969 from navy blue crepe. It was stunning.
It’s such a great style. I can’t wait to remake it 😉
I had to use a simplicity pattern for a jumper in home ec. I knew what size pattern i needed but the reacher made us take out measurements and by the corresponding size. I knew i was going to be huge and it was. Thats one of the reasons that i i dont see the armhole facing in a circle and attach. If you see facing and all in one long seam down the side it is much easier to alter the sides if needed. You dont have to rip out facing. I took my jumper home and altered it to fit bby taking it up on bote sidea out an 1 1/2 inches on each side. So that was an additional 3/4 inch seam on both sides. Total of 3 inchs. Thats how too big it was. It didn't alter the shoulders or neckline.
Good to know! Unfortunately I added seam allowance to the shoulder seams (I have not idea why) so I’ve ripped them out to correct the size.
Adjust it on the sides take it in. If you can do long fitting darts in the back. My suggestion is on the front darts pin you darts on the pattern and hold it up and see where the end up. Take the dart and change the angle on the pattern then pin and see if the angle is correct. I used to see in the 60s/70s alot and i cant say that i noticed the darts being out of position. We wear different foundations now and that could be part of the problem. Yep simplicity always runs large. Also dresses back then were not worn super fitted.
Good tips, thank you!
Toni, I’m late catching this and fingers crossed your power’s back on and no longer enduring long commutes. Thanks for trying to keep to your live stream schedule, but give yourself some grace if you need to postpone. Sometimes life just throws us curves, and we need to put both hands on the wheel. You’ve got a lot going on, but we all will be here if you need more time. Bet the pets love the cabin!
Aww thank you. The power came on late Sunday and I’m back home now. No more commuting!!
You dont have to rip out the armhole second stitch. Just clip to it not cuting the second stich. It will be ok
Good idea!
You dont have to rip out the armhole second stitch. Just clip to it not cuting the second stich. It will be ok
It will be ok, eventually 😉
I dont have a surger but found that a zigzag can do the same thing
I never have much luck with a zig zag stitch holding up in the wash.
With the darts when you start go back and forth and the same at the point with back and forth with your last 4 stitches on the point
I’ll try that on the re-do!
Its going to take more than 2 hours with all the tying darts and trimming and pressing
When I’m on my sewing game I think it would have been close to two hours 😉
Its much easier to sew that way
Good to know!
I alway sew on the armhole facing first then sew the side seam one line down including the facing
I’ll have to try that
Fabric is beautiful
Thanks. I’m loving it too 😍
I have found that simplicity was always 2 sized to big. 8 darts side seams and facings. Easy peasy. I never followed the directions.
I’ve never had a size problem with simplicity. This is a first for me!
I cannot tell you how many times I adjusted a pattern to make it bigger and then it ended up being too big! Solidarity! I need to do a better job of looking at the "finished garment" measurements (if they are there!) and realizing that pattern designers put in ease (but how much!?). So so many questions. 😂
Some days it’s just so complicated-why?!? 🤣 Solidarity now!
I have a ribbed net dress i sewed before summertime and I couldn't get the sleeves right they were to tight i really don't know how to fix them it's just not comfortable. ❤ ive been loving your simple style dresses 🎉.
Can you make it sleeveless? The use a piece of the knit to bind the armhole opening. That’s what I’d do! Good luck 😉
Actually it is sleeveless it just has binding that is to tight
I love seeing your mistakes! Thanks for being willing to share. It’s actually a normal part of learning. I appreciate your humility and being down to earth. You have made beautiful clothing!
Thank you for your comment. It’s nice to get such positive feedback ☺️
I have a friend in Sugar Land who apparently has power but no internet/phone. Glad you had someplace to go... (Laughed at your reference to UT Austin - my son just graduated from there with his Ph.D. - in paleontology, not fashion design. As far as I know, none of the books his profs used were just actively wrong. He's back in California now, thank goodness. No hurricanes, no humidity.)
Power is slowing coming back in various parts of town. Mine came on late Sunday night. I’m pretty sure the palaeontology dept at UT is far better than the textile and apparel department 🤣
My sewing teacher advised us to buy some cheap fabric to make a sample garment before cutting into the good stuff. Why not buy some old sheets at the thrift store just for this purpose? BTW that fabric is gorgeous!
Love that for getting inspiration for a piece of fabric.
I love fabric. It inspires me when I don’t have any specific plans at purchase.
I taught myself to sew with Jiffy patterns in the 60’s. They were great!
I’m enjoying this one. I’ve got a few others to try out.
why does it have to be a marathon? it isn't a race. it would be helpful to know this stat: of all people who start a sewing project, what is the number or percentage who failed to complete the project. this dress pattern is for those people. the pattern diagrams of the finished garment make it obvious it's a simple design - the whole point of these patterns IMHO is to instill confidence in people with minimal sewing, and likely poor time management skills.
This particular video is a SEWING CHALLENGE to see if I can sew it in the time limit based on my skills. It’s just for fun. I have plenty of other videos that are sew alongs which go through patterns step-by-step in detail for as long as it takes to make the garment.
This was intriguing to watch because I've totally " been there done that", trying to adjust a pattern is not easy. And ripping it all out can be discouraging ! However .... how else do we learn?? I love that you persevered and am looking forward to the " new version " after the remake !
Oh geez… what a way to improvise! I’m glad you are safe and cool!
Yes! I’m glad I had some sewing things to work on.
Cute cabin! I do find seam ripping relaxing. Really any opportunity to play with fabric... but ripping has its special zen qualities for sure. Hope life gets back to "normal" soon, but at least you have a temperature-controlled place to be, with family!
I’m glad to know that you find zen in seam ripping too. My power came back on at 5pm yesterday and we drove back home last night. So I slept in my bed last night and that was awesome ❤️
@@SewSewLounge to an earlier group conversation about what we can do when we're too tired from the workday to do anything too intense or requiring brainpower to avoid mistakes, seam ripping is one of these things I do. Or the continual re-org of my office/sewing room. There's no place like home!
I partially take that back. I have stupidly ripped open the wrong seams before :)
Happy you’re safe and have a place to stay! It looks very comfortable! I make more mistakes than I like to admit! I’m wondering. How did you go from fashion to the law? 🤗 Take care, Toni!
Thanks Nancy! Being a lawyer was plan B when fashion design didn’t work out. Design and sewing was my true love and I’m glad to be able to share my projects and adventures on KZread.
Thanks for sharing your sewing challenges! 🥰
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching ❤️
In my early days of learning how to sew my Mother used to call me "Angela the Ripper". 🤣😂😅😆
That’s very funny 🤣🤣🤣
So glad that you're ok ..a little inconvenience is ok every now and then be safe
It could have been much worse than 6 days without power! But I’m glad it’s back on and that I’m home again.
@@SewSewLounge awesome so glad
I have always seen people clip around curves after stitching together. What do you mean under stitching? Maybe I am not understanding.
You fold in the seam allowance and sew close on the inside of the seam on top through all 3 pieces interfacing plus the 2 pieces of seam allowance
Understitching catches the facing, interfacing, and seam allowance against the facing so everything rolls to the inside of the garment.
Ma'am, you are a godsend.
You’re welcome!! Glad this video helped you ❤️
I just watched a woman put a zipper in this way!
Omg wonder tape is magic!!
I wear a CuddlDud undershirt under my fleece.
Nice!
So a fourteen size pattern, is that equivalent to a size 8 store-bought dress?
Yes! And interestingly UK RTW size 14 is the same as pattern sizes.