Don't get rid of your shoulder pads. Sew portable slip covered custom shoulder pads and look really smart. Shoulder pads seem to go in and out of style, but you really ought to consider stitching them in all of your garments. Check your pattern envelopes for recommended sizes of pads for garments or adjust your sewing patterns accordingly. You may not need or want big, thick pads, but you will most likely look better with some padding on your shoulders even if it is just a small pad to smooth out your shoulder line. Shoulder pads really do help to balance out your hips and visually create a slimmer looking figure. We all want that! Slip cover your shoulder pads to make them removable for easy cleaning and laundering. Use your garment or lining fabric to make the pad slip covers for a custom quality look. By making your pads portable or removable, you can use one set of pads for all of your garments. This is a great idea when you travel a lot. When you stitch your shoulder pad into your garment, catch only the cover. Then you can slip the pads in and out whenever you want. You can easily add additional padding on one side if you have one shoulder lower than the other. That really helps to level your shoulders and gives you an overall better image if you are a lopsided person. How To Make A Shoulder Pad Slip Cover 1. Trace the outline of your shoulder pad onto a piece of tissue or pattern paper. 2. Add a 1/2" seam allowance all around the pad. This is your pattern for the top of the pad slip cover that will be attached to the garment shoulder seam. 3. Cut one of these for each pad or 2 for each garment. 4. Make a copy of the above pattern on a separate piece of paper. 5. Draw a line through the center lengthwise. 6. Add 1" seam allowance at the line drawn through the center. This half pattern with the additional 1" center seam allowance is the pattern for the bottom of the pad slip cover. 7. Cut 2 of these for each pad or 4 for 2 pads. 8. On the 2 half triangle shapes, turn under the straight edge 1/2" and stitch. 9. Overlap the stitched edges of the 2 half triangles(right side to wrong side) and position them over the top full pad cover. 10. Stitch a 1/2" seam around the outside edge. Press and trim to 1/4" seam. You may serge this seam if you prefer. 11. Turn right side out. 12. Attach the top of the slip cover to your garment shoulder seam. 13. Slip the shoulder pad into the cover. Voila! Portable slip covered custom shoulder pads! How smart! It just makes sense! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |
