Sewing on buttons and hemming jeans

A Jaycotts post

We all need some very basic sewing skills so I want to show you how to do two of them - how to sew a button on and how to shorten jeans.

Let's start with buttons.

Usually when you buy a garment there will be a spare button included. If it is a shirt button you need they are readily available , if it's something like a coat button you may need to replace them all of you cannot find the spare.
But how to sew the button on? A lot of people can't do it so you are not alone.
You need buttons. You may have a box full or you may need to buy a new set.
Jaycotts have a great selection Buttons from Jaycotts

HOW TO SEW AN ALL IN ONE FACING ON A 1960's SHIFT DRESS AND MAKE A MATCHING JACKET

Vintage sewing, the late 1960's. 

This is a post from  three years ago but I want you to see it as the technique of finishing the neckline is so very useful

This is an iconic style of the 1960s, it was the first time in history that teenagers had their own style and the shift dress was certainly one of them. Made in heavy fabric so that it hung straight on the body it was short  bright and fun to wear.

For fabrics look at MinervaCrafts Cotton dress fabrics as they have an almost endless choice 

Perhaps one of the most daunting challenges is when you choose a pattern only to find that it has an all in one facing which encloses the neck and armhole edges both at the same time. But don't worry, it's simple when you know how. I am using New look patterns. Both available from Jaycotts.co.uk. But there are plenty of similar patterns, just look for a sleeveless shift dress

There are many methods but this one is in my opinion the neatest and the easiest. So, choose a pattern for either a shell top or a sleeveless dress which includes an all in one facing.