Using Two Threads as an Alternative to Top Stitch Thread

The fantastic Sophie of Ada Spragg posted in her Instagram stories last year about using two threads as an alternative to top stitching thread. I’ve employed the trick on a few pairs of pants since and have been delighted with the results.

Simply thread the machine as normal and put both threads through the needle. If you don’t have two spools of the same color thread, you can wind two bobbins and use one of them in place of the second spool.

Play around with the tension and stitch length on some scrap fabric until the stitches are just right.

8 Denim Jean Jacket Sewing Patterns

Ever since sewing my orange Persephone Pants, I’ve wanted to make a bright orange jean jacket. If you’re wanting to make a jean jacket too, here are 8 pattern ideas and some color block denim inspo at the end.

Both the titles and photos have active links to where you purchase each pattern and read more about them.

1) Hampton Jean Jacket by Alina Design Co.

There are lots more great photos of this jacket on the Instagram hashtag #hamptionjeanjacket

2) Stevie Jean Jacket by Style Arc

3) Mimi G Style Simplicity Sewing Pattern S8845 

This is a unisex pattern!

4) Cropped Denim Jacket by Burda Style 

5) Denim Jacket by Dressy Talk Patterns

6) Denim Jacket by Jalie Sewing Patterns

7) Women's Jean Jacket McCall's M4385 - (Appears to be out of print but still available through Ebay and Etsy.)

8) Denim Jacket McCalls M7729

INSPO

Since first conceiving of the idea to make a bright orange jacket, I’ve collected more denim jacket inspo. Here are some favorites. To see more, I have a whole Pinterest board!

4 Free Underwear Patterns

Into having an abundance of comfortable, cotton undies? Yeah, me too. I scoured the internet to find the best free undies patterns and narrowed it down to these four. This year I want to get more comfortable sewing knits (if you haven’t noticed I tend to gravitate toward thick, woven fabrics around here haha). Undies seem like a good place to start, so if you’re also wanting experiment with sewing knits more, we can work on these undie patterns together!

1) The Acadia Underwear by Megan Nielsen Patterns.

2) The Stevie Knickers by Paper Theory Patterns.

3) Maxine High Waist Panties by Evie la Luve.

4) The Rosy Ladyshorts by Cloth Habit.

How to Make Easy Fabric Pouch Packs for Travel, Storage, and Organization

These little pouch packs are ideal for storing and organizing flat things like clothes. They can be made in any size, but the small ones make excellent usage of fabric scraps.

Simple and quick to make. Here’s how to do it:

(PS - Yes, a PS in the middle of a blog post! These pouch packs are great for flat things, but if you’re looking for pouches for non-flat things, check out my free Boxy Pouch Pattern Calculator and instructions and Pear Pouch Pattern.)

1) Cut fabric to your chosen length and width. (Details and instructions on how to get the right measurements for any object at the bottom of the post!)

2) Hem the top and bottom with a double rolled hem 1/4” (or more) wide.

3) Fold the bottom up so it covers the entire length of the object for which the pouch pack is being made. Fold with wrong sides together.

4) Fold the top flap down over top.

5) Sew up both sides with a 3/8” seam allowance.

6) Fold the pouch pack inside out.

7) With the pouch pack inside out and right sides together, sew up the same sides again with a 1/2” seam allowance, being sure to totally encase the raw edges within the new seam.

You can use different seam allowances than what I used in step 5 & 7. Just be sure the allowance you use in the initial seam is smaller than allowance you use in the second seam. That way the raw edges are sure to be encased.

8) Turn the pouch pack right side out and it’s done!

How to Measure the Fabric

These pouch packs can be made in any size! To fit the pouches to a specific object, here’s how to do it.

1) Measure the length and width of the object (note these pouches do work best with relatively flat things like folded clothes, etc.). The width of the fabric should be the width of the object, plus some wiggle room, plus the seam allowance for French seams. I recommend 1 3/4” so you can use 3/8” seam allowance on the first seam and 1/2” allowance on the second seam.

2) Measure the length of the object. Multiply the length by 2, plus 1/3 the length of the object for the top flap to overlap, plus the hem allowance. In this illustration I made the double rolled hem allowance 1/4”, but obviously you could make it larger than that if you wish.

Here’s an example:

The object I want to make the pouch pack for is 5” wide and 10” tall.

The width of the fabric should be 5” + 2” (for wiggle room) + 1 3/4” = 8 3/4”

The length of the fabric should be (10)2 + 10/3 + 1” = 24.33 => 24 3/8”

One Thing Every Sewing Table Needs

It’s commonly known that sewing is messy business. It’s also commonly known that people generally think more clearly and are more productive in a non-messy environment. The little threads and fabric snips that get scattered everywhere are what bog me down the most. They make my sewing environment feel unorganized. But a solution presented itself unexpectedly two years ago.

Vivian Shao Chen and I somehow became Instagram friends and I got my hands on one of her little creamers through a giveaway. When I unwrapped the package, it filled my heart as much with joy as it filled my hands with it’s weighty clay. I loved it so much I wanted to employ its usefulness in a way I could see it and use it on a daily basis.

It’s been sitting near my sewing table, collecting all the threads and fabric snips from sewing projects since. I empty it out when a project is finished, or when it gets too full, and set it back where it belongs - ready to collect threads from my next project. It has helped me maintain a level of neatness in my sewing area so I can concentrate on the important things with minimal distractions.

I’ve been thinking about the importance of surrounding ourselves with high quality things lately. That’s partly why I made the Black Walnut Point Turners a few weeks ago. I feel like a better quality person and feel motivated to do better quality work when I surround myself with good quality things. I’m so delighted to have Vivian’s little creamer on my sewing table, catching all my loose threads and keeping me tidy. Her high quality little ceramic creamer helps me make high quality things with my sewing machine.

Vivian makes limited edition ceramic pieces and recently opened up an online shop if you’re in the market for your own sewing table thread container. She also has a beautiful Instagram account and posts interesting stories about the process if you like beautiful photography and ceramics.

Website: vivianshaochen.com

Instagram: @vivianshaochen