What is a sewalong, I hear you ask? We pride ourselves on creating clear, comprehensive and inspiring instructions - but we have a limited word and picture count in our instruction booklets. In a sewalong we can take you through each step in more depth, offering extra tips and tricks, and showing more photos - and a video! - of each step to help you on your way. And of course, we'll provide you with a big dose of sewing cheerleading :)
The idea of sewing a pair of shorts or trousers can seem a little intimidating if you haven't done it before, but we're here to show you how, every step of the way.
Joining a sewalong is a great way to stay motivated in completing your project as you will be sewing as part of a group of likeminded people, sewing the same steps at the same time. And let's not forget, sewing people really are the best people.
If it's your first time sewing trousers or shorts and you'd like a bit of extra hand-holding but can't get to a sewing class, joining a sewalong is a great way of getting the extra resources you need so you can complete your project with confidence. And, if you've got lots of sewing experience, it's a perfect opportunity to learn new approaches and sewing tricks, such as a different way of constructing a zip fly.
We will cover the following topics over the coming weeks...
1st August - Fitting the Jessa trousers and shorts
5th August - Cutting, marking and preparing your fabric
8th August - Prepping the pieces and sewing darts
12th August - Making the pockets and flaps
15th August - Sewing the zip fly
19th August - Sewing the legs
21st August - Constructing and attaching the waistband
23rd August - Fastenings and hem
All of these posts will be saved to our Jessa sewalong page so you can check back whenever you need to.
Don't forget to share your gorgeous Jessa trousers and shorts by tagging us @TillyButtons and using the hashtag #SewingJessa so everyone can find them. We can't wait to see your progress shots and your final makes!
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Photos: Jane Looker
Models: Suzanna Hopkins and Alice Irvine
Pink and white denim: Higgs and Higgs
Teal corduroy: Like Sew Amazing
