Guest expert Mary Dobson shares some of her tricks of the trade to help give your DIY projects a polished flair.

1. Use a good pair of shears; keep them sharp and only cut fabric with them.

2. Press all seams as you go.

3. Use lining to build in body and protect drapes from fading.

4. Trim off the selvage edge of fabric, whether it is printed or plain.

5. Turn a double 1 inch hem on all side edges.

6. Trim seam allowance to ¼ inch and overcast.

7. Don’t press seams open when joining fabric panels together. Press to one side only.

8. If machine stitching side hems, use a fine stitch and work as close to the inside edge as possible.

9. Did I say press?

10. Never rip your fabric.

11. Avoid laundering finished goods.

12. Allow extra fabric to match patterns.

Tips for matching patterns:

– Allow extra fabric.

– Carefully lay out 2 pieces on a flat surface to “find the match”, overlapping one on the other.

– Turn the matched edge of the piece to the point where the pattern aligns perfectly and pin that fold to secure. One spot is fine.

– Measure how far you have folded the edge in. Turn the selvage edge to the back that distance and finger press or very lightly iron to create a line.

– Working back at your flat surface, overlap the turned under edge bottom piece of fabric. Find the match.

Place pins carefully through all layers at the seam fold, keeping the pins parallel to the fold and ensuring that the match does not shift. (Every 6 inches)

– Fold the two pieces so the right sides are together and place pins horizontally into the seam allowance every four inches.

– Carefully remove the first vertical row of pins and check again that your pattern is still aligned.

– Machine stitch exactly in the finger pressed line, the whole length of the panel.

– Trim seams, overcast and did I say press?