A simple way to make suspenders with seven items, in only eight easy steps.

What You Will Need

1. Elastic (no wider than 1")

2. 4 Straight Pins

3. Needle and Thread

4. One 1" Metal Back Patch

5. 1 Garment Tape Measure

6. Scissors

7. Four 1" Grips With Brackets

STEP 1: With the tape measure, measure from 1 inch below your left front pant loop, bring the tape measure over your left shoulder and down to 1 inch below and to the right of your center pant loop, or 1 inch below your right back pant loop. This is the length of elastic you will need. Be sure to cut 2 strips of the elastic in this length.

STEP 2: With the scissors, cut 2 straps from the elastic in the length you measured in step 1.

STEP 3: Use the straight pins to pin a horizontal line to hold the elastic end around the grip, making sure that when the grips are clipped onto your

pants, the elastic is snug but comfortable.

STEP 4: Hand sew the end of the elastic so that it's around one of the grip ends. (This will be the back right end)

STEP 5: Take the end of the elastic that is not yet sewn, and put it through the metal back patch, so that the point of the triangle is facing up.

STEP 6: Sew the unfinished side so that it's around a second grip end.

STEP 7: Take the second strap of elastic and repeat steps 3-5, making sure both straps of elastic form an overlapping X.

STEP 8: Trim off most of the excess elastic that remains, clip on all 4 grips.

Hello everyone!  It’s Tori again from One Eleven Studio and I’m back with another tutorial!  This time I’ll be teaching you how to make a foldover clutch with an emphasis on how to install a zipper.  Now, I know zippers can be very intimidating, but I assure you it’s not bad at all.  There are a few different ways to install zippers into bags but I find this way to be very simple, and because I produce bags in bigger quantities, installing a zipper this way helps me cut back on time.  I love a good print so for this project I used a beautiful Woven Ikat Striped Cotton fabric and for the lining I used this extremely soft Reversible Two-Toned Rose and Chocolate Cotton Twill fabric.  That being said, let’s get started! Continue Reading

Our retro queen Guest Blogger Laura Mae of Lilacs & Lace has a fabulous project in store for us. There are so many details to this gala outfit that we have decided to break down the process into many fabulous technique-rich posts. Be sure to check out Part 1, which offers tons of pattern handling tips & tricks,  Part 2, an exceptionally thorough bound buttonhole tutorial and Part 3, a reinforced gusset tutorial. — [Britex has generously provided the fabric and sewing supplies for a dress I will be wearing to a formal event in October. I will be sharing some of the steps and construction techniques with you as I work on this project over the next couple of months.]   Continue Reading

Our retro queen Guest Blogger Laura Mae of Lilacs & Lace has a fabulous project in store for us. There are so many details to this gala outfit that we have decided to break down the process into many fabulous technique-rich posts. Be sure to check out Part 1, which offers tons of pattern handling tips & tricks and Part 2, an exceptionally thorough bound buttonhole tutorial. --- [Britex has generously provided the fabric and sewing supplies for a dress I will be wearing to a formal event in October. I will be sharing some of the steps and construction techniques with you as I work on this project over the next couple of months.]   Continue Reading

Here's a quick holiday gift idea from the GDS Cloth Goods workshop across the bay. It’s a burlap mini wall planter perfect for your green thumbed friends. Pack this little guy with succulents and it's a great gift for your not-so-green-thumbed friends as well. The supplies listed below are for making one mini planter, but keep in mind that you’ll be able to get 4-6 planters (depending on fabric width) from one 1/4 yard cutting of fabric. All materials can be found at Britex except for the mallet, which can be found at any hardware store. Continue Reading

Hi, I'm Britex Guest Blogger Kristin from skirt as top, and today I'm back to share a dress I made using Britex's Smoke & Coffee Stretch Cotton, which I reeeally loved working with. This dress is actually a remix of my favorite dress pattern, Made by Rae's Washi Dress, and though as I sewed it I was calling it "Frankenwashi," I came up with a prettier moniker now that it's all done.  Named after one of our favorite coffee shops and alluding to the rich and complex color of the fabric---I'm calling it the Ristretto Dress!

My favorite sewing challenge is to take a proven, great-fitting, well-written pattern and modify it into something new.  I do it when I sew for my kids all the time, but haven't ventured into doing it for myself too often yet.

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I’m excited to join Britex Fabrics as a guest blogger starting this summer. As a San Francisco native, I’ve been shopping at Britex ever since middle school - even before I could sew - and I also had my West Coast book launch party there last December.

In addition to being a fashion designer, I also teach sewing, patternmaking, and draping classes in New York and beyond. I often run across students who are intimidated to sew with silk (and I don’t blame them!). In my inaugural post, I’m going to share some tips on working with silk as I walk you through the process of creating one of my dress designs - a lightweight draped cocoon dress that works great for hot New York summers, but that can also be paired with opaque tights when the temperature drops. Continue Reading

Meet our first four guest bloggers; Kristin, Nicole, Laura Mae and Jen! They will be contributing tips, tutorials and loads of inspiration on projects for the home, wardrobe, little ones and more. Meet our guest bloggers and let us know what projects would inspire you most by leaving a comment below.

Want to see what our guest bloggers have contributed so far? Look HERE.

They each contribute a unique perspective to sewing and the Britex Blog. Get to know them HERE.

Hi, I’m Jen from Grainline Studio and I’m super excited to present my first project in collaboration with Britex Fabrics, a tutorial to make this super cute polka dot chiffon scarf with tassels! This scarf is the perfect thing to throw on with your sweaters this winter, it dresses things up a bit and also adds a new texture to a typically knit heavy season. The silk was a dream to work with, softer and silkier than any chiffon I’ve worked with before and with a most beautiful sheen. Also can we talk about the color and print? It’s not just ivory, it has a subtle blush hint to it that makes it super flattering on everyone who’s tried it on so far and I’m a huge fan of the scattered polka dot. It’s a perfect way to throw an updated polkadot into your wardrobe. This was actually my first time working with silk thread (other than needle turned applique) and it really added a subtle polish that probably only I will notice, but isn’t that the best kind really? I think so. Make this scarf with or without the tassels, I think they’re pretty fun but unfortunately so does my cat who tried to steal one right before we took these finished project photos. You can follow the instructions below to make your own, click on the project supplies to order your own scarf materials!

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