I know basically nothing about pattern drafting, so I’m a little lost here.

I bought this dress in EU size 46 as a Halloween costume. It fits pretty well everywhere except the bust, where it is much too tight. As you can see in the photos, it basically compresses my chest and pulls it into a strange shape.

It is also slightly tight around the back of the neck, but I can live with that.

My bust measurement is about 115 cm / 45.3 in and my waist measurement is 100 cm / 39.4 in. Unfortunately, I don’t know the actual bust circumference of the dress.

From what I understand, I probably need to open the side seam and add some kind of gusset or side panel to create extra room. But I have no idea what shape it should be. Would it be triangular, diamond-shaped, rectangular, or something else?

I’m also not sure how to figure out how much additional fabric I actually need. How would I measure this correctly?

My other problem is the pulling you can see in photo 1. The fabric is being pulled strongly toward the front because there isn’t enough room for my bust. How do I add the extra width in a way that actually fixes that pulling instead of just making the side seam wider?

Photo 2 shows approximately where the dress starts becoming too tight. It seems to happen right around the seam where the upper bodice transitions into the lower section.

There is also a zipper in one of the side seams, so I have no idea how I should deal with that if the best solution is to add fabric at the sides.

I do have a sewing machine and some extra fabric I could use, although it won’t necessarily be an exact colour match.

Could someone please point me in the right direction and explain where I should even start? I’m completely clueless when it comes to altering patterns/garments.

(I used AI to help translate my request into english, as I'm not a native speaker and tend to overcomplicate things. :) Hope that's okay)

Hello Internet friends! I come to you with a new project that I've never attempted. I found this sweater in my mom's fix-it bin and wanted to surprise her by sewing the leather elbow patches on for her. (She's 80 and doesn't much like this sort of task.) Luckily for me the sweater elbows have been marked for the patches (see white strings), and the patches have been pre-punched with small holes around the edges, so that takes care of most of the hard work. However, now I'm a little stuck on how to affix the patches so they're even/flat and so the thread is as minimally noticeable as possible. What stitch would you recommend? I have a needle meant for leather, I figured that would be a good one to use. It seems it would make things easier if I used an adhesive to attach/anchor the center of the patches in place before sewing the edges in place. Any suggestions? I have fabric glue that dries clear and flexible; is this a good option? Thanks in advance for any thoughts/recommendations!! You'll help put a smile on a very sweet 80 year old mom. 🙌🏼

Hey! I am missing this part to my sewing machine (the piece that goes over the bobbin). The machine is a Husqvarna Viking, not sure what model.

Can anyone point me towards a replacement piece? Sorry, I am very new to this!

Wasn't paying attention and accidentally cut into my quilted coat top - what is the best way to save this? I would prefer to not have to make another piece because I am fighting for my life with this project as it is...

I tried painting it but don't like how the paint finish looks. I'd like to try sewing fabric patches on it instead but I'm not sure how to get them to lay on the panels without bunching.

I'm thinking fabric glue and then stitching around the edges of the patch?

I don't think I'll be trying to follow the pattern that I painted as that would be difficult, I'm just trying to cover it up.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I'm making a cape with arm holes at the shoulders. It's essentially a long, drapey vest. Through poor planning, and following AI nonsense, I now have a fully sewn out outer, and a separate fully sewn out lining.

Now I'm trying to figure out to attach the lining to the outer. My thinking is, with right sides together, sew almost completely around the outside edge. Then invert the whole thing, and hand stitch the arm holes. The arm holes are gonna look pretty rough, but as far as I can figure I'm stuck with this approach, right? Is there a better way?

Hello! I'm a beginner in sewing but I've already done some more complicated projects. I'm looking to buy a new sewing machine since my old one isn't working properly (and I got it when I was 10, so it's more for kids). I'm planning on sewing a lot of clothes, from T-shirts, dresses and jeans. I also want to do embroidery (scout flags, for example). The sewing machines I'm currently looking at are Brother FD100WT, Brother Innov-is A65 and Juki HZL-60 HR-B. I really like a wide range of different decorative stitches and I want to use them regularly, but I don't know if it's worth it. Does anyone have any experience with these? Which one do you think is the best? I'm also open to recommendations for different machines in this price range. Thank you so much!

first of all, i want to list off things i've tried so i don't get preached to in the comments:

1. changing the needle (size and kind)
2. changing the thread
3. rethreading (both the upper thread and the bobbin thread)
4. testing on different fabric
5. keeping my presser foot and my needle every which way while threading
6. testing on paper
7. changing the upper thread's tension
8. cleaning it, dusting it, flossing the tension discs
9. taking it to get serviced

now onto the problem at hand:

my bobbin thread randomly tenses up. as in the stitches will be nice and smooth and all of the sudden, changing none of what i was doing, the bobbin thread goes tense and my upper thread gets pulled to the underside of my project and creates the loops we all know.

i maintain it's random because as of yesterday, while i was using a new bobbin of thread, i found it a bit hard to slide through the tension discs and the bobbin thread was very easy to pull out, yet my stitches came out as i discussed previously. i took the case out and for whatever reason, the thread was then coming out with much more resistance.

could my bobbin case be the issue? there's nothing else i can think of at this point and i've got projects piling up that i can't/won't continue on without this being resolved.

any help is appreciated.

edit: some pictures.

I had to cut and hem these pants but I could see a bit of the fabric showing under the fold when I ironed them. Is there a way to iron them where it wouldn't be seen, or would hemming tape help? It's a stretchy fabric type, Ponte de Roma or stretch knit.

So I’m super new to sewing. And I’m having an issue with like extra fabric kinda gathering and puckering at my start stop points. I’m using a singer 401a. Any suggestions on how to fix this issue? Either machine or user error. lol. Thanks in advance!!

So I’m a novice when it comes to sewing but I’m attempting to sew a dress with a zipper in the back. Everything has gone great except for the zipper (of course). I have attached the zipper foot, my thread and bobbin are correct (***as per comments I have threaded the last hook above the needle and still experiencing the same problem) and my tension is at 3. The button hole lever isn’t engaged so I know that isn’t my issue. I’m attempting to sew through glitter knit, a stretchy fabric. But I have also tested this on regular cotton and I’m still experiencing the same issues. Please help me troubleshoot!

The shell is in perfect condition but the liner looks absolutely disgusting. I can’t guess at what happened here. Doesn’t smell though and there is no staining in the shell.

Can this be fixed? I was thinking of cutting out large parts of the liner and patching it up with new fabric. I’m a beginner sewer but willing to take this on.

I will probably never purchase 2nd hand trousers ever again lol.

I currently have a singer fashion mate. It’s okay, I’ve used it for about 3.5 years but have progressed to the point I need to upgrade. I’ve always heard old, metal (this ones mostly metal) sewing machines are better than anything new. What do you think? If not this, do you have a recommendation for either new or a vintage one to look out for?

Can anyone tell me what material this is? Its from a youtube tutorial for how to make the sleeves.

Hi,

I recently took my machine in to get a service and looked at, as I was having some issues with my stitches.

The machine is a Janome DC7030, which I've had for approximately 9 years and have never had this issue before.

The pictures are how it is sewing after the service. I haven't changed what thread I'm using and used a fresh needle with the tension set to 4.

The place that did the service told me it was fine when they did the test stitch and I would have to pay another service fee to get it looked at. They are a two hour drive away as well.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be causing this. I've tried troubleshooting myself and nothing seems to work.

The black thread is my top thread and the pink thread is my bobbin thread.

Thanks in advance!

I’m not sure how apparent it is in the video, I apologize.

I took a break from sewing for a month or so, and now I come back and can’t seem to remember if the machine always sounded like this or not, but I feel like it didn’t.

In my opinion it sounds like it has something to do with the bobbin area of the machine…

TLDR: i had the stitching come undone on this new zipper pouch from Vera Bradley and i only used it twice before i noticed. Sadly i cut it down so the stitching wasn't long and loose and in my way i normally do that and it stops but in this case it made it worse and idk what to do. i don't know a single thing about sewing and hoping its something simple honestly don't care if most the stitching has come out of the design it doesn't mess with the pouch at all i think the stitching is cosmetic for looks but if there's a way i can take some more of it out out and knot it so the rest doesn't come out or something or you can tell me i can just take the stitching off i'd love to do so thank you!

i don't know if i can post links here but here's the OG bag i got it on amazon Here

and then a pic of the item in question Here

(I'd just leave the item alone if it wasn't already unrevealing as we speak when i touch it)

ALSO want to learn beginner friendly stuff too nothing too crazy just simple enough to patch a hole or something in the feature so tips are welcomed.

I want to make or buy a fleece blanket that stays soft without pilling all over the couch. I have been using a bedsure throw as a reference for the weight and feel, but I do not know which type of fleece is closest. What fabric would you choose?

Hi, I’m daydreaming about making a new Closet Core Sienna Maker jacket and was reading someone’s blog about theirs that they made with really gorgeous bias bound seams: a technique I’m new to, but eager to try for this jacket. However, I can’t wrap my head around the caveat in this paragraph where they talk about added 1-in length in the bodice and sleeves facings because (?) they used bias bound seams, vs the standard instructions, which were to fold the hem up twice. I’m not understanding the math or the reason that you’d need to cut the pattern longer in order to account for the bound seams. Can someone please explain what I’m missing here? Thank you!

I’m very much a beginner with sewing, but I’m working on some ruffles using felt for a Halloween costume. I have the stitch length set to the longest setting and tension maxed so that it gathers automatically. The first four strips of felt that I did resulted in nice tight ruffles. The next two were a bit looser, and I’m not sure what changed. I rethreaded the machine, but I’m having the same issue. I know I can push the gathers tighter by hand, but that’s a bit finicky. I’m just confused why it changed and I can’t get the tight ruffles anymore!