Blog Index

About the author 
1: First post
48: Why I Wrote My Books
176: Award Winners
175: When Work Disappears
174: Award Outfit
173: TV Show Wins National Media Award
146: PhillyCAM Ensemble
182: Copying a Man’s Shirt – 5 Star Review

Armhole problems
35: Home Sewing Pattern’s Sleeve Cap/Armhole Problem

Blouses
79: How Shirts Differ from Blouses

Books: fashion/business
32: About Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts
40: Grading Home-Sewing Patterns to Fit
103: Fashions from Lady’s Godey Book, 1858
104: MORE Lady Godey’s Book Fashions – May 1878
110: FASHION BOOKS for design and business
152: Just Published! Copying a Man’s Shirt 
150: Just Published Jacket Books
168: Creative Leaps Needed to Solve World Problems
182: Copying a Man’s Shirt – 5 Star Review

Books: sustainability/business
102: Sustainable Fashion – Small is Beautiful
166: Dealing with Rejection
168: Creative Leaps Needed to Solve World Problems

Business 
33: Starting a Clothing Factory 
62: Pricing
107: Grading – How Fit and Sizing are Achieved
138: How to Start a Fashion Line
149: How to Run a Successful Vendor Fair Booth on a Budget
153: Have You Thought About Turning Your Hobby Into a Business?
155: You’re the Designer of Your Own Future
156: The Fashion Industry – Myths & Truths157: Turning Your Creative Passion Into a Career
158: Preparing to Market Your Line
160: Pre-Move Checklist: Relocate for a Job
161: 5 Reasons Philadelphia Is a Great Place to Start a Fashion Business
165: Testimonials-Computer & Sewing Machine Specialists
166: Dealing with Rejection
171: Counterfeiting’s Effects
172: Home-sewing procedures don’t work

Bust fit
67: Choosing your bra size
77: Moving the Bust Area

Caring for clothing & fabric
93: Washing Tips

Children’s clothing
58: Designing and Sewing a Little Girl’s Dress and Bonnet
78: Making a Child’s Dress from a Home Sewing Pattern
90: Anything that can go wrong, will – Murphy’s Law
91: Sewing a Baby Boy’s Hat with a Matching Band

Classes  
40: Grading Home-Sewing Patterns to Fit
45: Independent Study Classes   
54: Private Lessons   
121: The Skirt Course

Color
98: Planning Your Spring Wardrobe with Professional Color Techniques

Copying Ready-Made Garments and other items
6: Copying an Evening Bag

Costuming
42: Preview – Downton Abbey Visit
51: Winterthur’s Downton Abbey Clothing Exhibit
52: More Downton Abbey Clothing From the Exhibit 
61: Mummers’ Costumes
66: Belly dancing attire

Shira demonstrates professional
right-to-left cutting, as done in industry.

Cutting
4: Cutting A Cover Up
9: Cutting a Blouse 
59: Shira Cuts 
84: Sewing for Entrepreneurs – Cutting to Match 
87: Custom Couture – Cutting to Match
128: High-end Cutting Tips
132: How to Make Hand-Rolled Scarves
147: Cutting a Jacket

Design – Personal
16: Designing a VERY Special Dress
26: Personal Designing & Shopping
44: Beauty Secrets
67: Choosing your bra size
77: Moving the Bust Area 
80: How to Choose the Right Size Sewing Pattern 
82: Professional procedure for Designing & Sewing Personal Clothing
98: Planning Your Spring Wardrobe with Professional Color Techniques 
105: High-fashion wigs and other items 
113: Career Dressing – Presidential Candidate Wardrobe Considerations
119: Christine Lagarde, A World Leader’s Wardrobe
120: Designing a Practical Wardrobe 
135: How to Use a Dress Form
137-why-home-sewing-patterns-dont-fit  
144-gift-of-the-magi
145: 6 Ways to Improve How You Look and Feel During the Pandemic
148: Creating Ensembles
167: Take Control of Your Midlife Crisis and Reclaim Your Life
169: Focus on Wellness to Overcome Busy Routines
174: Award Outfit
178: You Can Help the Environment by Practicing Personal Wardrobe Sustainability
179: Personal Sustainability: Reference Books
180: The Ultimate Guide to Self-Improvement
183: Elevating Women Creatives: A Realistic Roadmap to Visibility and Success

Doll Clothes 
43: Barbie’s Prom Gown
46: Doll Clothes
96: Historical Doll Clothes ALSO on Display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
125: A Christmas Story

Drafting
23: Drafting Accurately
30: Why Copy?
32: About Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts
77: Moving the Bust Area 
86: Professional Drafting and Sewing Techniques
137: Why Home Sewing Patterns Don’t Fit

Draping/Dress forms
34: Dress Form Usage 
135: How to use a dress form

Dressy clothing 
66: Belly dancing attire 
70: The Prom Dress
174: Award Outfit

Education
13: Drexel University URBN Center
36: Why better fashion instruction isn’t available
139: Problems with Fashion Education
140: Contemporary Fashion Education’s program
144: Gift of the Magi
150: Just Published Jacket Books
152: Just Published! Copying a Man’s Shirt 
154: Three-day Master Class: High-End Jacket, Dress, Slacks Production (spring 2022)
159: The Fashion Certificate Program
163: Learning to Sew Helps Save the Planet
172: Home-sewing procedures don’t work

Fitting
32: About Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts
39: Sizing 
40: Grading Home-Sewing Patterns to Fit 
74: How to Measure Crotch Depth
77: Moving the Bust Area
80: How to Choose the Right Size Sewing Pattern
107: Grading – How Fit and Sizing are Achieved 
112: Fitting Pants
137-why-home-sewing-patterns-dont-fit
143: Fitting Patterns class description, plus information about achieving good fit
162: Are you choosing your best pattern size?
163: Cheryl Grades to Fit

Grading 
65: Scanning for fit
107: Grading – How Fit and Sizing are Achieved
163: Cheryl Grades to Fit

Hair
24: Hair

Hats 
91: Sewing a Baby Boy’s Hat with a Matching Band

Hemming
88: Hemming Pants

Henna
22: Henna – Muslim Wedding Fashions

History of Fashion 
63: Fashions in the Thirties
175: When Work Disappears

Home sewing vs industrial/sample making
109: Home Sewing Instructions – why they lag behind industrial methods
177: Sample Making/Home Sewing
172: Home-sewing procedures don’t work
141: Commercial Home Sewing Patterns’ Problems
190-problems-with-home-sewing/

Knitting
58: Designing and Sewing a Little Girl’s Dress and Bonnet
118: Liberty Bell Knitting Guild

Machinery
21: Sewing on Gauge, Feet & Plates
49: Safety-Stitch Problems
57: Fabric Jams
60: Winding Bobbins While Sewing
73: Efficient Feed Dog Usage

Make up 
44: BEAUTY SECRETS

Manufacturing 
33: Starting a Clothing Factory
41: From Conception to Production 
71: Producing a Fashion Line in America 
102: Sustainable Fashion – Small is Beautiful
123: High-end vs. Mass-produced
138: How to Start a Fashion Line
156: The Fashion Industry – Myths & Truths
171: Counterfeiting’s Effects
172: Home-sewing procedures don’t work
175: When Work Disappears
177: Sample Making/Home Sewing

Manufacturing – History 
106: The Development of Modern Apparel Manufacturing Methods 
117: USA Fashion’s Fight for Better Working Conditions and Wages
175: When Work Disappears

Masks
130: CoverAidPHL Fabric mask v1 Production
131: Tips for Mass-Producing CoverAidPHL Fabric mask 
132: How to Make Hand-Rolled Scarves 
133: How to Hand-Sew a Mask
134: How to Make a Mask Without Sewing

Measuring
67: Choosing your bra size 
74: How to Measure Crotch Depth   
107: Grading-How Fit and Sizing are Achieved
112: Fitting Pants
137: Why Home Sewing Patterns Don’t Fit

Men’s Clothing. See Pants
29: Moose Pajamas

Movies 
126: Bombshell – movie review

Pants
32: About Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts 
74: How to Measure Crotch Depth 
75: Preparing to Sew Pants 
76: Sewing Pants 
88: Hemming Pants
112: Fitting Pants
181: Sewing Shorts

Patterns
19: PDF Patterns vs Printed Patterns
35: Home Sewing Pattern’s Sleeve Cap/Armhole Problem

Pricing 
62: Pricing

Quilting  
47: Quilt 
50: Readers’ Quilts

Recipes 
95: Decadent Cherry Chocolate Chip Valentine’s Day Cake

Sample making (Sewing)
14: Buttons & Snaps
15: Trimming Cuffs
18: Reducing Seam Allowances
20: High-end Industrial Couture Procedures
21: Sewing on Gauge, Feet & Plates
25: Muslins
27: Sample Making
31: Sample Making Defined
35: Home Sewing Pattern’s Sleeve Cap/Armhole Problem
49: Safety-Stitch Seam Problems
69: Why learn sample making – sewing as done in industry?
75: Preparing to Sew Pants
76: Sewing Pants
83: Sewing for Entrepreneurs
84: Sewing for Entrepreneurs – Cutting to Match 
86: Professional Drafting and Sewing Techniques
90: Anything that can go wrong, will – Murphy’s Law
99: Sample Making Process 
100: Couture Sewing defined
101: Finishing Seams
116: Basic High-End Sewing Procedures Everyone Needs to Know
122: Professional, High-end Tips to Speed Your Sewing
135: How to Use a Dress Form
136: How to Use Directional Sewing
181: Sewing Shorts
177: Sample Making/Home Sewing
174: Award Outfit
163: Learning to Sew Helps Save the Planet
151: About Knits

Sample making vs home sewing
35: Home Sewing Pattern’s Sleeve Cap/Armhole Problem   
36: Why better fashion instruction isn’t available
124: Sample making vs. Home sewing
172: Home-sewing procedures don’t work
177: Sample Making/Home Sewing

Scanning 
65: Scanning for fit 

Schools – fashion schools 
37: Jenna is back from India
64: NYC Fashion Schools

Sewing, see Sample Making

Sewing Machines
8: Shopping for a Sewing Machine
10: The Bernina 350PE
11: The Juki Ecceed HZL-F400

Shirts
79: How Shirts Differ from Blouses

Shopping
108: Fabulous Shopping in Cape May

Shows
17: American Sewing Guild’s Fashion Show
38: Patrick Kelly Exhibit
42: Interview, Also, Preview of Downton Abbey Visit 
51: Winterthur’s Downton Abbey Clothing Exhibit 
52: More Downton Abbey Clothing From the Exhibit
53: Winners – Clothing/Textiles at the PA Farm Show 
56: African Fashion on a Global Stage 
68: Philadelphia Flower Show – 2018
92: Texworld Trade Show Visit 
94: Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now 
96: Historical Doll Clothes ALSO on Display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
97: Flower Power – PHS Philadelphia Flower Show
176: Award Winners
170: Philly 2023 Flower Show

Sizing

12: Bra Size
39: Pattern and Clothing Sizing. See also Grading
80: How to Choose the Right Size Sewing Pattern 
107: Grading – How Fit and Sizing are Achieved
162: Are you choosing your best pattern size?

Skirts
2: Cutting and Sewing a One-Piece Skirt
5: Drafting and Sewing Pants and Skirts
32: About Drafting & Fitting Pants and Skirts

Sleeves 
35: Home Sewing Pattern’s Sleeve Cap/Armhole Problem

Student work
28: Fabric Internship In India
37: Jenna is back from her internship in India
85: Students display professional skills

Sustainability 
102: Sustainable Fashion – Small is Beautiful  http://localhost/cfashion/
114: Texworld USA Trade Show, Upcycling, Summer 2019
179: Personal Sustainability: Reference Books
178: You Can Help the Environment by Practicing Personal Wardrobe Sustainability
163: Learning to Sew Helps Save the Planet
142: Industry is moving toward more sustainability
187: Responsible Consumer Sustainability
188-industrys-developing-sustainability-fibers/

Teaching Styles
55: Styles and Methods of Teaching Sewing


Trade shows 
115: US Trade Policy – Seminar at Texworld Trade Show – July 2019

Trends – fashion trends 
81: California Fashions

Wardrobing 
82: Professional procedure for Designing & Sewing Personal Clothing 
98: Planning Your Spring Wardrobe with Professional Color Techniques
105: High-fashion wigs and other items 
113: Career Dressing – Presidential Candidate Wardrobe Considerations
119: Christine Lagarde, A World Leader’s Wardrobe 
120: Designing a Practical Wardrobe
146: PhillyCAM Ensemble
148: Creating Ensembles
179: Personal Sustainability: Reference Books

Wedding Fashions
3: Designing My Daughter’s Outfit
7: Pakistani Wedding Clothes
22: Henna – Muslim Wedding Fashions

Wigs 
105: High-fashion wigs and other items

Zippers 
89: Setting a Zipper in a Lapped Seam

215 884 7065

© Laurel Hoffmann, 2023.