How to print and assemble a PDF sewing pattern

It still surprises me sometimes to discover that many people have never used (or even heard of) a PDF sewing pattern. Occasionally I'll get an email from someone who has...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraAugust 4, 2017emerald, beatrix, luna, gemma Comments

How to take body measurements

The very first thing that every single person should do before they sew a piece a piece of clothing for themselves is take out a tape measure and get some...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraJuly 19, 2017emerald Comments

Selecting fabrics for Gemma

Gemma tanks are a great summer staple, and we at MBR have been been putting ours into heavy rotation now that the weather's warming up. Jess has easily made more Gemmas than I have, and...

building a handmade wa..., jessRae HoekstraJune 14, 2017gemma Comments

How to trace a pattern

Recently I received an email from someone who had purchased Beatrix in print from a shop and had accidentally cut her pattern pieces out and then discovered that there were pattern pieces printed...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraApril 17, 2017emerald Comments

Staystitching is Important

Attention, everyone, this is a sewing PSA. Staystitching is a garment-sewing technique that is really important. I am sharing this with you because when I started sewing, many years ago,...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraNovember 18, 2016emerald, gemma Comments

How to use a copy shop file

All of my PDF sewing patterns for women's garments are now available in print-at-home and large-scale format for printing at a copy shop. I haven't seen much discussion or explanation about copy...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraOctober 3, 2016copy shop Comments

Blush + bronze

I bought some dusty-blush colored rayon tencel twill from IndieSew a couple months ago (it's out of stock now, womp womp) and immediately started seeing the color everywhere. I think...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraOctober 1, 2016 Comments

Bias Binding Tutorial (french method)

This is the third and final tutorial in my bias binding series. Many of my women's sewing patterns, including the Gemma tank shown in this post, use bias binding to finish the neckline and armholes. There...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraSeptember 8, 2016gemma, josephine, ruby Comments

Bias Binding Tutorial (topstitch method)

This is the second tutorial in my bias binding series. Many of my women's sewing patterns, including the Gemma tank shown in this post, use bias binding to finish the neckline and armholes. There are...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraSeptember 6, 2016gemma, josephine, ruby

Bias Binding Tutorial (traditional method)

I've been excited to share a few bias binding tutorials with you ever since I released my Gemma tank sewing pattern (which also happens to be the tank shown in these...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraAugust 31, 2016gemma, josephine, ruby Comments

How to make bias binding

Making your own bias binding is something that is so easy to do! A number of my sewing patterns, including Washi, Ruby, Josephine, and my most recent pattern, Gemma, use bias binding to finish...

building a handmade wa..., tutorialRae HoekstraAugust 24, 2016gemma, josephine, ruby Comments

Planning a handmade wardrobe

How do you decide what you are going to sew? It seems I always have a million ideas for the clothing I want to make for myself, and until fairly recently I...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraMay 19, 2016 Comments

Check, please!

I'm falling hard for checks, gingham, and plaids right now y'all. It really puts me in the Christmas spirit! Green, black, red!!! The images here are screenshots from my newest...

building a handmade wa...Rae HoekstraDecember 12, 2014 Comments

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