Techniques Turn Me On

As I was pressing down a hem on a dress, I was thrilled by the technique that I had used to hem the dress. I didn't use the standard fold up a certain amount, press and hem technique. I used a Cynthia Guffy hemming technique on this garment that gave it a couture finish.

www.dictionary.com - defines couture as:
1. The business of designing, making, and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made clothing for women.

2. high fashion designing and dressmaking

and dressmaking as the craft of making dresses.

That is how I feel about the CG hem technique. It is a custom-made technique that sets my garments apart from regular run of the mill RTW. And it is the sum of different techniques that I use that make sewing so much fun.

We all know that you can purchase a pattern, some fabric, the notions and follow the pattern instructions and turn out a wearable garment, most times. But what makes sewing fun, challenging and fulfilling for me is the techniques used while making the garment. It is the techniques that "up the ante" on the finished garment. It is the techniques that differentiate my custom made piece from a RTW piece ~ sometimes even a designer RTW piece.

Its things like hong kong finishes instead of a serger or zigzag finish. Or adding a rayon hem tape to the bottom of the hem to clean finish it and give it a better appearance. It is adding fusible interfacing to the zipper seam to prevent the zipper from rippling after its inserted. Underlining in the best fabric available, interfacing (testing to make sure that the interfacing provides the hand that you want in the finished garment!) Techniques! Techniques that give you a wonderfully well crafted garment when its finished.

Yeah, techniques turn me on. And I am always searching for and trying to learn a new one that will take my sewing to its next level! So how about you? What techniques really float your boat? What techniques can't you do without? Or has your sewing progressed to the point where you understand the need for more advanced techniques than the pattern instructions provide?

Do sewing techniques turn you on?