If you’ve been wrestling with a pants‑fitting project—pinning, tweaking, second‑guessing, and wondering why that one wrinkle will not disappear—you’re not alone. Pants fitting is one of the most challenging (and most rewarding!) skills in garment sewing. And when you finally get a pair of pants that fits beautifully? It changes everything. Check out the …
3-Day Pants Fitting in Lansing MI – July 17-19, 2026
My next 3‑Day Pants Fitting Workshop is happening in Lansing, MI on July 17–19, 2026, and it’s already shaping up to be something truly special. Check out all the fun… and if you’re interested in joining us, this workshop is filling up FAST, there are only two spaces left! You might be wondering… Why Lansing? …
Updated Efficient Work Flow for Bodice Fitting and More!!
Hey Everyone,Over the past two months, I’ve taken a deep, immersive dive into bodice drafting and fitting. I’ve been reviewing multiple drafting methods, creating new bodice and torso slopers, and teaching a mix of in‑person and Zoom bodice fitting classes. All of that hands‑on work has sparked a handful of real epiphanies—time‑saving strategies, smarter ways …
The J Stern Designs YouTube Insider Club
Master Your Fit & Elevate Your Sewing.Join the YouTube Insiders Club for expert fitting tutorials, live monthly meetups, and lifetime access to a beautifully organized learning catalog—so you can sew with confidence every time. I created the J Stern Designs YouTube Insider Club to make it easier for you to find the exact tutorial you …
What’s Up This Week at J Stern Designs: Stitches’ Events Were Not Just For Fiber Artists… They Were For Sewers Too
Hi Everyone, This week I have a pretty heavy topic to share with you. On Monday, Stitches Events announced that they were going out of business and filing for bankruptcy. Their official statement was; “The company is officially in the process of being dissolved,” the statement says. “Per our bankruptcy lawyer’s instructions, all our accounts …
What’s Up This Week at J Stern Designs: Meet My Little Friend… the 3-Thread Super Stretch Stitch
Hi Everyone, I was super busy this past weekend teaching “Round Out Your Wardrobe with a Skort” for Stitches Events… And preparing for my upcoming zoom class with Pattern Review tomorrow. I had a lot of fun doing both things. I ended up with a new skort to add to my collection & I freshened …
What’s Up This Week at J Stern Designs: I’m Rebranding My Patterns… But I want to share my new hobby too!
Hi Everyone, You know when you try something new… and you love it? I finally got around to learning how to crochet. I’ve had it in my head that I want to learn how to do granny squares so I can combine them with knit fabric to make garments. So, I watched a few granny …
What’s Up This Week at J Stern Designs: I authored an article in Threads Magazine!
Hi Everyone! I had some time this week to sit down and read the article I authored in the Summer Issue of Threads Magazine. The topic?? One of my favorites… pants fitting! In this article, titled Key Measurements for Making Pants, I took a look at the range of pants styles and the different kind of …
Last Week at J Stern Designs – August 21, 2019
You may have noticed that I don’t write much… This is mostly because I was struggling to come up with another unique topic or project that I could squeeze into my busy schedule. No time for that… So, I’ve decided to take you behind the scenes… Last Week at J Stern Designs is a recap …
Website Spring Cleaning!
Hi Everyone. I was poking around my website and I realized that it’s a little dusty… After the unfortunate crash (of my site last January), I lost almost all of by blog content and other things. It was a huge project to start from scratch and put everything I had left back together. I …