Importance of Finishing Touches

This post serves a number of purposes. First, I see a lot of people asking about photography tips and how to get that professional finish to their garments. Second, a lot of people ask about why their finished garments have some wrinkles, waves, etc.

One of my top tips for finishing a garment with a professional feel and look is to PRESS! If it seems like I yelled that, I did! I have a serious pet peeve about unpressed garments. It takes a few seconds and makes a world of a difference in your finished product. I press a LOT - after almost every step in the sewing process. You don't necessarily have to go that far, but at very least, press your finished garment. So go...right now...and press everything!

Now that I got that off my chest, let's discuss photography. So many people ask about what people use to take nice pictures of their garments. Most of us use backdrops - they can be super cheap (a few dollars), or expensive, depending on what you are looking for. I have a few cheap back drops that are basically just paper and they work great for what I need them for. I also really love using cheap fur rugs or dollar store bristol -board. All of these options cost very little and work great.

One of the key elements in getting good pictures is to have good lighting. Outside is always best, but if you have to do indoor photos, make the space/lighting work for you. If you have poor lighting (like I do), move lamps around - heck I've even used the flashlight on my husbands cell phone to add light to something.

Another few more obvious (or, maybe not) things to consider is what you can see in the background, and how the image is framed. Don't be afraid to do some cropping and editing after the fact. One thing I often forget (and my husband is the worst for), is making sure your garment is sitting properly in all the right places - pockets and bindings are sitting right, neck bands are even and not wrinkled, etc. I love SnapSeed for quick and efficient photo editing

Don't be afraid to play around with what works and what doesn't - we all start somewhere, and sometimes it takes dozens (ok, sometimes more), pictures to get the right one. Oh, and DON'T FORGET TO PRESS!on't be afraid to play around with what works and what doesn't - we all start somewhere, and sometimes it takes dozens (ok, sometimes more), pictures to get the right one. Oh, and DON'T FORGET TO PRESS!