Shape Up Your Waistbands

find out more

Sewing guru Sarah Greeff on perfect waist shapers. The first clothes I ever made for myself (back in the 1980s!) were full, gathered skirts, which are back in fashion at the moment – super easy to make, with no pattern needed. Admittedly, the temptation w

Measure your waist and cut the shaper 4cm longer for the overlap. Iron on to your chosen waistband fabric and trim. This stops the material fraying and means the straight lines are ready for you to cut.
Take your skirt and carefully pin, wrong sides together, matching the raw edges along the top and making sure any construction is above the stitching line. Straight-sew all the way around, following the line.
Trim the excess, fold up the waistband and check it is neat on the right side. You can pin the waistband and top-stitch it, but this is often fraught with unpicking, so it’s best to go for invisible hand sewing. Add a fastening to finish.

More Helpful Tips...

Shape Up Your Sleeves

Give extra shape to frocks and tops with this handy sleeve enhancement. You can easily add interest to the head of the sleeve, and how it travels over the top of the arm, simply by using tucks, gathers, pleats and darts. Each of these will require a sligh

Improve Your Rolled Hems

Guarantee flowing hemlines that hang like a dream. Keen dressmaker Sarah Greeff has colourful memories of her first attempts at making a rolled hem. “I was first asked to make rolled hems for a colleague at Fenwick of Bond Street"

Perfect Your Piping

Know Your Overlocking

Get to grips with the best overlocking finishes for everyday stitching. The overlocker has a different feel to a regular sewing machine. The trick is to let the feed dog guide the fabric. Use your right hand to support the edge of the material, taking car

Master French Seams

Get to grips with a clever seam favourite for a continental finish! French seams are common in clothes for children, where the skin is extra sensitive, as the inside is completely smooth.

Fix a Frayed Pocket

A quick fashion fix with Amanda Bowden's classic miracle mend. The dread of torn stitching can be traumatic. Pockets are a common site of injury for catching on things, to say nothing of natural wear and tear as hands go in and out, and even the continued