Author: Olga Balasa

Hi, I am Olga. I'm passionate about sewing, quilting, and embroidery, and I want to share my knowledge and enthusiasm with others who are interested in learning how to sew. Thank you for making me part of your day - I'm so very excited to have friends like you by my side. Feel free to comment or reach out with any questions - my email is [email protected] If you want more information about me or my site please visit my About page

  • How to sew a dress without a pattern {make this stylish, flattering, and fun dress in 30 minutes}

    ByOlga Balasa

    Do you like fun, easy and fast sewing projects? Then this tutorial is for you so you can enjoy the creative part of sewing without all the hard work of cutting the pattern, fitting the pattern, sewing collars, hems, zippers, buttonholes, whatever…
    All you have to do to make this stylish flattering dress is cut the fabric – one square and one rectangle and sew only one seam. No pattern required, we will mark all necessary lines right on the fabric. Super simple. You could literally make this dress in 30 minutes. And the best part is that the dress is ideal for all figure types and you don’t need to spend time fitting or tailoring it.

  • Time-saving gadgets that will make sewing better, smarter and faster than ever

    ByOlga Balasa

    There are so many great new tools, notions, services and various modern technology you can use for sewing, but sometimes we don’t even know they exist. How do you choose the tool if you never heard about it? So I created this guide to help you cut through the noise, by listing some of top-rated…

  • DIY iPad case

    ByOlga Balasa

    Would you like to make your own stylish case/cover for your iPad or Kindle? Yes? Good! Let me show you how to make the tablet case. This is going to be a really easy sewing project (if you can sew, of course).
    I bought a new tablet (with 10.1 screen!) and after using it for a few days I decided to make my own cover for it to protect the tablet from scratches, to be able to hold it more comfortable in my hands and carry it around in style. Of course, there are plenty of tablet covers for sale but I like to make one-of-a-kind things.
    My case is made from cork fabric (which was a little bit tricky), fastened with Velcro flap and reinforced with plastic inserts. I don’t have to open the case to charge the tablet. I added some embroidery also. You could do this so many different ways too.

  • Top 20 simple (and not so simple) ways to sew a curved hem

    ByOlga Balasa

    There are many different ways to sew a curved hem. It depends
     on the fabric you use for the project (for example, for chiffon it will not be the same as for denim)
     on the type of the curved edge ( if it is a full curve like a circle skirt, or just a slight curve)
     on the types of sewing machines and their accessories you have ( do you have a serger? a coverstitch machine? a blind stitch foot? etc.)
     on the design you have in mind ( do you want a narrow hem? a standard hem? a decorated hem?)
     and on your sewing experience also (if you are a beginner sewist you probably shouldn’t use all those specific presser feet available now)
    But no matter what fabric or design you use you have to finish the hem beautifully. A well finished hem is a very important sewing operation and adds a professional touch to any garment.
    Choose one of the techniques below that best suits you.

  • How to make a winter coat

    ByOlga Balasa

    There are so many details in sewing a coat and it feels sometimes a little intimidating but once you start it is not as bad as you thought it is going to be. If you know basic sewing techniques and have some sewing skills you will get it right. Sewing a coat is not very different from a jacket but be ready to laboriously work on your masterpiece.
    A real fashionista must certainly have several different coats. It makes winter more interesting if you have a few coats to choose from. I don’t want to take outerwear only as something created for the sake of keeping me warm in cold weather. I want to look stylish always.

  • How to dress well: flattering clothes that hide figure flaws

    ByOlga Balasa

    I’m at Joann Fabric looking at the new pattern catalogs – Vogue, McCalls, Simplicity. So many interesting new patterns! I love them all, really. But I know not all of them will be suitable for my body type, which is far from a model’s. I am petite (so I guess one third of these patterns go right out the window), my top is one size smaller than my bottom (so I need both sizes included in the envelope, which doesn’t always happen), and I really need dresses that hide a belly bulge (how did that happen to me? I didn’t have a tummy when I was younger!).

    So, the question is: how to choose a pattern that will fit your body? And not only fit, but also hide your flaws. Do you have the same problems?