Heirloom sewing guides

Heirloom sewing is the fine-craft tradition of French hand sewing, lace insertion, smocking, and embroidery. Here's how to start.

Heirloom sewing combines fine fabrics, lace, smocking, and embroidery into garments meant to last generations. Here's how to start.

French hand sewing is the connective tissue of heirloom garments. Here are the core techniques and where they belong.

You only need a handful of stitches to embroider an heirloom gown. Here's how each one works and where to use it.

Shadow work is heirloom embroidery's secret weapon — worked on the back, showing through the front. Here's how to do it.

The most memorable heirloom pieces mix smocking and embroidery on the same yoke. Here's how to plan and execute the combination.

A christening gown is the pinnacle heirloom project. Here's the full plan from fabric selection to the last hem stitch.