Techniques

Cutting, joining, pressing and applying bias strips to finish necklines, armholes and raw edges - with strip-width formulas, two application methods, and fixes for rippling and missed stitches.

Choosing boning, building channels, placing bones in a strapless or fitted bodice, cutting and capping them - and why a waist stay, not the boning, is what holds a strapless dress up.

Sizing, placing and sewing machine buttonholes that don't gape or stretch - with a placement diagram, the bust-point rule, cutting them open safely, and what to do when the machine stalls.

How darts turn flat fabric into a shape that fits a curve - the main types, marking, sewing a point without a pucker, pressing, and moving a dart that sits in the wrong place.

The two ways to make a pattern - sculpting fabric on a dress form, or drafting with measurements and rulers on paper - how each works, what each is good at, and how they combine in practice.

The tough, fully enclosed seam used on jeans and work shirts - how to sew it with or without a felling foot, which side the fell goes on, and how to handle curves and thick crossings.

A seam sewn twice so the raw edges end up sealed inside a narrow tube - the cleanest finish for sheers and lightweight fabrics, with step-by-step diagrams, seam allowance maths, and fixes for whiskers and puckers.

Drawing up a long edge to fit a shorter one with soft, even fullness - how much fabric to allow, where to put the gathering rows, the cord method for long or heavy edges, and fixes for snapped threads.

Knife, box and inverted box pleats explained with diagrams - how to work out the fabric you need, mark and press pleats that stay crisp, and fit a pleated skirt at the hip.

How to insert centred, lapped, invisible and exposed zippers - choosing the right zipper and method, stabilising the seam, matching waist seams across the opening, and fixing waves and bubbles.