I recently did a survey of my email list asking three simple questions:

• Do you own a custom dress form?
• What kind do you have?
• What do you struggle with when using your form?

For those that didn't have a dress form and had no desire for one, I asked why and received a flood of responses that revealed a lot of misconceptions about the value of using a dress form as a fitting tool.

If you're interested in what I learned from the survey and want some clarifying information about dress forms in general, watch the video. I'm going to clear up some of those misconceptions and, for those of you lucky enough to own a custom dress form that is a replica of your body, I've got a special announcement for you.

Let's start with those that own a dress form.
These were the 5 main dress form types used by those that responded to the survey:

• Beatrice Forms
• Ditto Form
• Mimiquins
• Bootstrap
• Adjustoform

There were 12 other dress form companies mentioned but these were the most commonly re...

You’ve reflected, dreamed, and planned on what you'd like to learn and accomplish this year—now it’s time to turn those sewing goals into reality! The best way to achieve your creative vision is to take focused, intentional action, one project at a time.

Whether you want to master a new skill, create a handmade wardrobe, or simply enjoy your sewing hobby more, the next step is all about making your plans tangible.

Key Highlights from This Week’s Video

Here’s what you’ll take away from this week’s video:

• How to identify your highest priority goal and align it with secondary goals
• The step-by-step process to move from idea to execution
• How to use The Sewing Project Planner to map out individual sewing projects
• Ways to stay organized, inspired, and on track all year long

My Example

In order put your goals into action, start with your highest priority goal and break it down into smaller, more manageable steps.

For example, my highest priority goal is to sew more knit garm...

Have you ever felt frustrated after spending hours sewing a garment, only to realize you’ll never wear it? Or wished you had a better plan to make sure every project was worth your time and effort?

You’re not alone. I’ve been there too, and this year I’m focusing on choosing my sewing projects with greater intention. If that sounds like something you want to do too, keep reading because we’re going to map out a sewing year you’ll be proud of.

Key Highlights from This Week’s Video

Here’s what you’ll take away from this week’s video:

• The one question to ask yourself that will guide your sewing year.
• Tips for choosing what to focus on and how to block off time in your calendar.
• How to align your projects with the skills you want to develop and the events you want to participate in.

A Personal Reflection

As I reflected on my own sewing journey, I realized that I need to focus on creating more knit garments this year. Not only will this give me the opportunity to use my cove...

This is the year of wisdom, elegance, and transformation—the perfect time for creativity and growth. Let’s embrace it by planning your best sewing year yet!

Reflecting on past sewing projects is key to creating garments you’ll love in the future. Whether you want to improve your sewing skills, sew with more purpose, or build your dream wardrobe, this week’s video will guide you to plan a year full of intentional and inspired projects.

Key Highlights from This Week’s Video

• In this week’s video, you’ll discover:

  • Why reflecting on your past sewing projects is the first step to setting meaningful goals.
  • How to identify the garments that bring you the most joy and confidence.
  • A simple method to prioritize sewing projects that align with your personal style.

Lessons Learned: How Reflection Guides Future Goals

When I looked back at my sewing projects from the past year—I realized that I mainly sew during the summer months and my favourite garments tend to be knit...

As sewists, we pour our creativity and energy into every single project, but have you ever found yourself uninspired or, dare I say, disappointed in the final result?

When you look back on the garments you've made, are they the garments you reach for or do they hang in your closet mostly unworn?

Would you like to sew with more intention and purpose so that your limited sewing time is used on making garments you'll actually wear?

If you'd like to improve your skills, make better use of your sewing time, and focus on making garments you'll reach for each day, I have created a free tool that will help you sew with more confidence, intention, and joy.

The Sewing Project Planner will help you plan a year of inspired and intentional sewing.

What Is The Sewing Project Planner?

The Sewing Project Planner is more than just a workbook. It’s your personal sewing assistant, designed to help you:

• Reflect on past projects to learn what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve.
• Set sewing
...

Today I am sharing an edited version of a workshop I did a few years ago that shared some really good advice on how to prepare yourself for fitting.

Everything I share in this presentation is perfect for you if you’re new to garment sewing and are beginning to struggle with fitting, or if you’ve come back from a long break from sewing for yourself and have discovered that patterns just don’t fit like they used to. If you’re an experienced sewer and an accomplished fitter, you’ll likely find these secrets, not so secret, but a good overview of the basics.

The video is just over 20 minutes long so settle in with a glass or orange juice, a cup of tea or a glass of wine. The pace is perfect for a little break from whatever you were doing and might spark and solution to a fitting issue you may be facing.

For more information on the process of fitting, pull out The Perfect Fit Guide. If you don't have it on hand, you can sign up to receive it HERE.

You can learn more about the course Fit...

I'd like to show you the broad or narrow back pattern adjustment.

You will know if you need this pattern correction if, for instance, the mid-back area of your garment feels really tight, while the front fits okay. You will only feel this tightness across the back of your garment, especially when you have a sleeve in; that’s when you'll really notice if you need to do a broad back correction. If you need to do a narrow back correction, you’re going to see some vertical drag lines that indicate excess width across your back area.

Watch the video now for the step by step tutorial on making this adjustment to your pattern.

Enjoy!

All My Best,
Alexandra

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about fitting the back.

Last week I demonstrated how to assess the muslin and adjust your pattern for a rounded back fitting issue.

This week I want to show you how to adjust for a prominent shoulder blade. I thought it important to cover this fit issue because it seems most people use the rounded back pattern adjustment to solve a prominent shoulder blade issue. While the rounded back adjustment will work to some extent, you may find it will cause another fitting issue.

Watch the video to find out why and what to do instead.

Resources mentioned in this video:

Three Ways to Manage the Back Shoulder Dart

How to True Darts and Manage Dart Volume

I hope you enjoyed this video! If you found it helpful share it with a friend!

All My Best,
Alexandra

Last week that we talked about fitting the back and I demonstrated a little draping lesson to show you how important the back shoulder dart is to achieving a good fit.

This week, I want to continue the conversation about fitting the back by talking about what most people call the rounded back adjustment. I’m going to use my lovely assistant Marjie to demonstrate what how to recognize this fit issue in your sample and then how to adjust your pattern to correct it.

Next week I'll cover another common back fitting issue. I hope you'll tune in!

Resources mentioned in this video:

Three Ways to Manage the Back Shoulder Dart

How to True Darts and Manage Dart Volume

 Enjoy!

All My Best,
Alexandra

This week, I wanted to concentrate specifically on the back bodice fitting. The back of the body is obviously challenging due to the fact that we simply can't see what's going on back there. When you twist to view the back or even move your arms, you automatically change the way the garment hangs. So, what are you to do? Well, I have a couple of suggestions.

First of all, have your body measurements handy.

Of course, you'll need help to take your back body measurements, but these don't change by very much over time, so one good measurement session should be valid for quite a while. You'll need your shoulder width, your across back, and your center back neck-to-waist measurements to get you started. You're going to use these body measurements to guide you in choosing a pattern in the correct size and assessing the pattern for fit. To learn more about how to do that, you can grab your copy of the Perfect Fit Guide and watch the Fitting Fundamentals video series.

Secondly, take some fi...