tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13767765370108199782024-02-18T23:07:53.492-08:00Stitching in the DitchA novice seamstress shares what she learns.RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-68887725176828792862014-05-12T07:06:00.001-07:002014-05-12T07:06:09.617-07:00Grumble GrumbleYoutube problems are still a problem.<br />
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My sewing machine needs a tuneup and the place that I took it to last time is closed.<br />
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On the upside, I made this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloK_hCZUt_2-LFS0LVdgbdqNZzDhQWaCKQW6D-N7TxFJ7Wc-HWt7MuL4ohktZ_rVpEpyv0-AoznfXT-n5XQ_ILCUjZ8GnGIgiMsGgVUoooYa_zNpBDKTdFm5VEY9xw3jw-VkzxIXhwPc/s1600/purse_done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloK_hCZUt_2-LFS0LVdgbdqNZzDhQWaCKQW6D-N7TxFJ7Wc-HWt7MuL4ohktZ_rVpEpyv0-AoznfXT-n5XQ_ILCUjZ8GnGIgiMsGgVUoooYa_zNpBDKTdFm5VEY9xw3jw-VkzxIXhwPc/s1600/purse_done.jpg" height="320" width="197" /></a></div>
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It was a ton of fun to make, and I might make another. If I do, I will try to make a post, although it might be photos only, and no videos.RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-22699615568433179832013-08-27T19:16:00.000-07:002013-08-27T19:16:17.984-07:00Technical difficultiesI have a series of posts lined up, more is on the way. Life's been a bit busy of late and I'm having some technical difficulties with Blogger. Coming up are more "Let's make..." articles where we focus on the lower half of the body.RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-89014014574725221432013-08-27T18:19:00.000-07:002013-08-27T18:19:09.450-07:00How to make single-fold bias tapeBias tape comes in a multitude of colors, but sometimes it's hard to find a good match, or your fabric is so busy that a solid color would attract too much attention.<br />
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Fortunately, it's not difficult to make bias tape out of the fabric you're working with. In order to do this, you will need to buy extra fabric -- bias tape cannot be made out of the "scraps" that are left over when you're done cutting out a pattern. Since you want to cut out the fabric at a 45° angle, you want to get as much fabric extra as the fabric is wide. e.g: If your fabric is 60" wide, you will need a full 1⅞ extra yards of fabric to make the bias tape (1½ yds for 45" fabric). Plus, you need to get a few inches extra for shrinking as you will be washing and drying the fabric. Depending on how expensive your fabric is, that could be a serious investment! For your first few rounds of making bias tape, I heartily recommend using clearance/discount fabric.<br />
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When I decided to make bias tape, I invested in a rotary cutter, thinking it would make cutting out a long strip easier. It's basically a fabric pizza cutter -- you squeeze the handle and the blade rolls along the guide. That makes sense when cutting a long, straight line, right?<br />
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The problem with rotary cutters is you can only cut in one direction ... "back and forth" will result in the blade coming away from your guide and generally shredding your fabric and making the bias tape unusable. With some practice, you can master getting enough pressure to cut through both layers without coming away from your guide, but you'll want to practice on some expendable strips before you use one of these for "production."<br />
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The good news is first that your regular sewing shears will do the job just as well, and if you invest in a rotary cutter, that even with 45" wide fabric, you will have plenty of bias tape to finish just about any project after cutting out just 3-4 of your strips, so as long as you get a few of those to come out right, you can use the rest of your fabric to practice for the next time.<br />
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<b>Step 1: Fold your fabric into a right triangle</b><br />
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After you've washed and ironed your fabric (you don't have to fold it in half when you iron like you normally would), lay it out on your work surface. Take the upper corner of one edge and fold it down to the other corner. If the fabric is a little longer than it is wide, fold it so that the raw edge of the corner is laying flush with the selvage on the other side. This will create a right triangle. If you have any fabric left over, you can trim this away. (If your fabric is wider than it is long -- you can still do this, but you'll want to make sure that you still have the fold at a 45° angle).<br />
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<b>Step 2: Mark 1" lengths parallel to your hypotenuse, cut along lines</b><br />
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Once you've got your triangle, you can start marking 1" lengths. From the folded edge (the hypotenuse), start by marking a ½" line parallel to the fold, (since it's on the fold, it will open up to a full inch), and then from there, mark 1" lengths all the way down.<br />
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Cut along these lines, creating long strips of fabric cut on a bias.<br />
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<b>Step 3: Stitch fabric strips together into one long strip</b><br />
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With the right sides together, create a<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html"> plain seam</a> to join the strips into one long strip. You don't need to bind the edges of the strips, they'll be enclosed when you stitch them into the final product.<br />
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If you're using a rotary cutter for the first time, start at the "bottom" (the shortest strips) and practice on those first, cut off 2-3 and see how you do with them before you continue.<br />
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<b>Step 4: Iron the gatefold</b><br />
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Lay the long strip wrong-side-up on your ironing board, use your seam gauge to turn ¼" (5mm) of the long edge over all the way along the strip. Once you've done this edge, turn the other side in until it touches (but doesn't overlap). You can eyeball this to "meet in the middle" to the other side you just ironed, but keep your seam gauge handy, and make sure that fold-to-fold is ½" wide (10mm).<br />
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Done! Your single-fold bias tape is now ready to use!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Related Articles:</span></b><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-single-fold.html">Finishing a raw edge with single-fold bias tape</a><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">Let's make a simple sleeveless top (Simplicity 2262-D)</a><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-sleeveless-sundress.html">Let's make a sleeveless sundress (Simplicity 2938-A)</a>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-59289051606060544202013-07-15T06:07:00.003-07:002013-08-27T19:13:27.660-07:00Putting in a set-in sleeve (version 1)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlPLMQ7T950yxccYbWcGaE4Z5QHI2_IiW8pPYZoTnJJyxfYhJMh4I3TlGp7BNH055A9QFXNIXbcTeI2uaBM06_sp33lr68LizXtEpgmZT56o3N7C9oweZByfyiRM6fy4CM15QL37Qpgs/s1600/green_tunic_sleeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlPLMQ7T950yxccYbWcGaE4Z5QHI2_IiW8pPYZoTnJJyxfYhJMh4I3TlGp7BNH055A9QFXNIXbcTeI2uaBM06_sp33lr68LizXtEpgmZT56o3N7C9oweZByfyiRM6fy4CM15QL37Qpgs/s1600/green_tunic_sleeves.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first fitted sleeve.</td></tr>
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Fitted (set-in) sleeves aren't hard, but they can be a little fussy, and they definitely require patience and a careful hand when sewing in. And it's a great feeling when you turn the sleeve out and see a clean join without puckers or wrinkles.<br />
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<b>Equipment</b><br />
I highly recommend getting a<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/christmas-swag.html"> tailor's ham</a> before you start putting in fitted sleeves -- It's not too much money and it makes the part where you iron the seam flat much, <i>much</i> easier. For most sleeves a proper <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-561-Seam-Roll/dp/B002Z8F6WW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364831330&sr=8-1&keywords=sleeve+roll">sleeve roll</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Collapsible-Sleeve-Board-82450-Size/dp/B008SCFGTW/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1364831362&sr=1-3&keywords=sleeve+board">sleeve board</a> isn't necessary, but I have to admit I do like mine a lot. If you can only get one, definitely get the ham first and get the sleeve roll/board later because the ham will come in handy for many different sewing projects.<br />
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<b>Cutting out</b><br />
When you're cutting out a fitted sleeve, there will be a bell shape where the sleeve will join with the shoulder of the shirt. There will be notches on either side of this curve (and usually a few dots in between) -- one side will have a single notch and one side will have a double notch--these will correspond to single and double notches on the front and back armholes. When you're cutting out the pattern, you definitely want to pay attention to the cutting layout's instructions. If you're not able to fit the sleeve piece on a folded piece of fabric during the cutting layout and you have to cut the sleeve piece out twice, mind your p's and q's about the right/wrong side of both the fabric and the pattern piece, because those notches will tell you which side is the front and the back of the sleeve when you're trying to put it in, and it would be very easy to end up with "two left sleeves" so to speak if you have the notches in the same orientation for both sleeves.<br />
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So far I've run into two ways to put in a fitted sleeve. Version 1 appears to be the more common way. If you did the previous <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/05/lets-make-tunic-with-fitted-sleeves.html">tunic</a> project, you've done this already. This involves stitching the front and back of the shirt together at the side-seams and shoulders, easestitching along the sleeve's shoulder, then stitching and hemming the sleeve arm, then fitting the sleeve into the armhole of the shirt with a slight gather and joining from there.<br />
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Since stitching the garment front-to-back at the side seams and shoulders happens well before you get into "sleeves," (and we've done that a ton of times before in our previous garments), I'll leave that out. Just make sure you press those side seams open! By the time you get to put the sleeves in, you'll have your shirt body done, with some raw-edge armholes. So at this point you will have your garment's body, and then two cut-out pieces of fabric marked as sleeves.<br />
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We're going to assume that there are at least three dots on the sleeve pieces: A large dot at the "top" of the bell curve, then two smaller dots somewhere between the large dot and either notch in the middle of the curve. The notches on the bell curve itself will also be assymetrical: One should be a single-notch and the other side should have a double-notch. These markings may differ slightly from pattern to pattern, but they're basically telling you the same things:<br />
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<li>Where the top of the shoulder is (the large dot in the middle of the bell curve)</li>
<li>The boundaries of any easestitching (the small dots on either side of the large dots)</li>
<li>The notches to match the front of the sleeve to the front of the shirt and the back of the sleeve to the back of the shirt.</li>
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<i>Note:</i> If you're making children's garment or something petite-sized, you might need to reverse steps' 4 and 5, and it's possible you'll need to hand-stitch the sleeve into the shoulder if you can't fit the armhole around the arm of the sewing machine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo0q_VmIhx-NHghomjtY-6pzEbp6j2qCmtq_ajOqzDFXvpWJ2-5_TWIsI63jpYWx70pyMaeUFBPIPJy408_mcdPS1ob4yi6lhczILG_rnpNEcd0dCk2OwPKARP9iRSYopf2yehblOG4c/s1600/sleeve_finish.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo0q_VmIhx-NHghomjtY-6pzEbp6j2qCmtq_ajOqzDFXvpWJ2-5_TWIsI63jpYWx70pyMaeUFBPIPJy408_mcdPS1ob4yi6lhczILG_rnpNEcd0dCk2OwPKARP9iRSYopf2yehblOG4c/s1600/sleeve_finish.png" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish-stitch these sides</td></tr>
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1) <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/overlock.html">Finish-stitch</a> down the sides of the sleeve. You do not need to finish-stitch the shoulder or the armhole edges, and you do not need to bind off an edge that will be finished in a later step.<br />
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2) <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/easestitch.html">Easestitch</a> as indicated between the small dots. As is my usual habit, I do not easestitch <i>along</i> the seamline, but rather just outside of it (closer to the raw edge). This way, my easestitch doesn't peek out from my seam in the final product. I would only increase the standard stitch length by 1 (e.g, if you normally use a stitch length of 2, switch it to a 3 for the easestitch). This ease stitch should not result in a visible gather, and we're going to need a very light touch with this one as we go forward.<br />
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Note: The pattern-indicated dots are probably not the same thing as the notches, check your pattern and instructions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iwl19KHdgQGjjUCBbLRHQ_VNNqMpghE-yBwgg95rLF8suyWUlKXzUQQZjjPK1m5JM0HadNRWtBmEzChtTTHq1PuD9mGwQV0V3kBw_D5BWuJc-XAUpdvkTNFrCRb_2QjCIm2Ni0JYaz0/s1600/sewinsleeve1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iwl19KHdgQGjjUCBbLRHQ_VNNqMpghE-yBwgg95rLF8suyWUlKXzUQQZjjPK1m5JM0HadNRWtBmEzChtTTHq1PuD9mGwQV0V3kBw_D5BWuJc-XAUpdvkTNFrCRb_2QjCIm2Ni0JYaz0/s400/sewinsleeve1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqxGwPf-od_k78aDIQgfIrZ-wlqCNI7qMrsoX4UQp-S1hcO2FA4CEjhBfLD6em-SCqfix69u1zXeT9VhGSOp5cc9FlA5L5Gq2FWjxRtl_tSeayZXWiwSpPQUFvztaGk24rrhIOUgTTWY/s1600/sleeve_v1_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqxGwPf-od_k78aDIQgfIrZ-wlqCNI7qMrsoX4UQp-S1hcO2FA4CEjhBfLD6em-SCqfix69u1zXeT9VhGSOp5cc9FlA5L5Gq2FWjxRtl_tSeayZXWiwSpPQUFvztaGk24rrhIOUgTTWY/s1600/sleeve_v1_0002.jpg" width="78" /></a>3) <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">Stitch sleeve seam</a> and press the seam open. This is fairly straight-forward. Fold the sleeve in half and match the notches. Then make a plain seam up this line, stopping when the scoop starts to come away.<br />
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When you press the seams open, you might end up creasing the sleeves a bit at either side if you don't have a sleeve roll or sleeve board and your sleeve is narrow, this is ok and won't hurt anything, but try not to have the crease go "all the way up" to where the armhole opening is as it might make it tricky to fit the sleeve into the opening properly later.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0p2p-nR-DanaVELcIAJArT3hQUaJ6o-_BgpIQ8DEFEmwonG8GbERTwUdMiTZ2FQj91BfL_ArB3R5UtOTlJLoKNq3ZgLznZDDN3D1FYXutzyZjztlo9ZhZexvFLzBVmNu9DVEGMxCVhE/s1600/ironing_sleeve_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0p2p-nR-DanaVELcIAJArT3hQUaJ6o-_BgpIQ8DEFEmwonG8GbERTwUdMiTZ2FQj91BfL_ArB3R5UtOTlJLoKNq3ZgLznZDDN3D1FYXutzyZjztlo9ZhZexvFLzBVmNu9DVEGMxCVhE/s320/ironing_sleeve_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you iron this seam, a sleeve roll or sleeve board is not usually necessary.<br />
Just take care with the edges.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO7Wl1LW9LlDsPgICb2K0mpeGaY9WYga1TaK1bvr5QT8KV3KZCdXIEPJhP4DO8xtuBNPpbaoU5NktcQt7_S6oaC6J5Z9bZo4LnIZzSVBZapXsTnHBDFIQP8GYffEyvP2KML9OHTQSVjY/s1600/sleeve_v1_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO7Wl1LW9LlDsPgICb2K0mpeGaY9WYga1TaK1bvr5QT8KV3KZCdXIEPJhP4DO8xtuBNPpbaoU5NktcQt7_S6oaC6J5Z9bZo4LnIZzSVBZapXsTnHBDFIQP8GYffEyvP2KML9OHTQSVjY/s1600/sleeve_v1_0003.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
4) <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/hemming.html">Hem</a> as indicated. As I mentioned above, this might be something that has to happen <i>before</i> you stitch the arm together, if you've got a small enough wrist opening you might have trouble fitting it around the arm of your sewing machine, even with the tray off. Of course, if you have a small enough wrist, it isn't a bit deal to just hand-stitch that hem, either. If this is your first trip around the block with fitted sleeves, you might even want to wait and do this step <i>last</i>, once you've finished both sleeves, and make sure that they're even and one sleeve isn't shorter than the other!<br />
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(If you're doing a <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/05/lets-make-tunic-with-fitted-sleeves.html">split-cuff sleeve</a>, obviously, you can skip this step and just follow the pattern instructions for finishing the cuff edge.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEpth9hEPcBOSghk_Tb2QIhXK0aC2k07iwt1_UhZBRUG1ishq3Q-r9M7NU9ylQttjB0Koszqjjwmwf29nRpPNe7e_MR19gweAncBpitbJsVCs1E0Htpvw5O9pr-zfcW7RVNsL5_b_m7Q/s1600/sleeve_v1_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEpth9hEPcBOSghk_Tb2QIhXK0aC2k07iwt1_UhZBRUG1ishq3Q-r9M7NU9ylQttjB0Koszqjjwmwf29nRpPNe7e_MR19gweAncBpitbJsVCs1E0Htpvw5O9pr-zfcW7RVNsL5_b_m7Q/s1600/sleeve_v1_0004.jpg" width="191" /></a>5) Turn garment inside-out and the sleeve right-side out. Feed the sleeve through the garment toward the armhole, so that the right sides are together on the inside. Match the underarm seams and then match the large dot at the top of the bell curve to the shoulder seam of the body of the shirt. Before continuing, make sure that the notches on the sleeve match up against the notches of the shirt: you want the single notch on the sleeve to match against a single notch on the shirt's armhole, and the double-notch to match likewise. If your single-notch is matching to a double-notch, it means this sleeve belongs in the other armhole.<br />
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6) Once you've confirmed that your sleeve on the right side of the shirt, start by pinning your underarm sleeves flush. Then pin your notches to their partner, and then pin the large dot at the top of the bell curve to the shoulder seam. Finally, pin the small dots to their partners on the shirt body. You'll notice that the sleeve does not lay flat between your small dots.<br />
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7) Use the easestitch that is closest to the the raw edge to gather the sleeve between the small dots so that the fabric can lay flat. This isn't tricky, but there are two things to remember here. First, you want to make sure that the gather is very evenly distributed and that you don't have bunches--those are going to translate to unsightly wrinkles and puckers in the final product. Second, you want to transition the gather to your seamline by using your interior easestitch: Gather half as much along this interior line as you did along the exterior line, and your ease stitch will even out at the seamline to a nice, clean line without any folds or puckers.<br />
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8) Put a lot of pins in, and pin against the seamline. I usually put in a pin about every ½-¾" at the easestitch, and every inch for the rest of the sleeve. I try to put them in on the outside, not the inside, but if it's easier to put them in on the inside, do that, and then when you've got it in the way you want, re-pin around the outside and take out the ones on the inside--don't forget you have to take this over....<br />
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9) ....To the sewing machine! Take the tray off the arm of the machine so you can fit the sleeve around the base. Stitch the sleeve to the armhole, but <i>take your time</i> and don't rush. Sleeves are incredibly fussy to get into place--I find they really want to bunch under and pull away as you're working it around the arm, so take it slow, stop and check to make sure you've only got two layers at a time, don't fold under your existing seams, and keep your pins in until the absolute last minute!<br />
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Once you have the first seam in, make a second seam to reinforce about ¼" outside of the first seam (1/4" closer to the raw edge, use the ⅜"/10mm guide on your strike plate). <br />
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10) With both seams in place, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/trim-seam-clip-curves.html">trim down the seam</a>. You do not need to clip the curves. With the seam trimmed, now you want to put in your finishing stitch. The good news is that because the seam will not need to be pressed open, you can finish those two layers together (just zig-zag or overlock through both layers). Stay on the raw-edge side of your seams.<br />
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11) Using your tailor's ham to ease the garment around the curve, and then press the seam toward the sleeve (away from the shirt body).<br />
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11) Do it all again for the other sleeve.<br />
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12) Bask in the glory of having lovely fitted sleeves on your garment!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/05/lets-make-tunic-with-fitted-sleeves.html">Let's make a tunic with fitted sleeves, split cuffs and trim (Butterick 5390 - View C)</a>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-78958556317808921472013-05-28T10:24:00.000-07:002013-06-05T08:12:55.930-07:00Let's make a tunic with fitted sleeves, split cuffs and trim (Butterick 5390 - View C)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Full/B5390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://butterick.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Full/B5390.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View C is the upper-left view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Note: This pattern assumes you have become comfortable with the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">Beginner's Stuff</a>. This might be tricky as a first effort. I will continue to link to related posts.<br />
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One of my absolute favorite patterns out there right now is <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5390-products-10303.php">Butterick 5390</a>, especially view "C" which has a scoop neck with trim, and fitted sleeves with split cuffs. I've made view C once before and it was my first attempt at fitted sleeves and it turned out great. I've also made View A and it's become one of my favorite shirts to wear out.<br />
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While in <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/philadelphias-fabric-row.html">Philadelphia</a>, I picked up some lovely peachskins and I'm going to make view C again, with a royal blue body and light grey cuffs. Definitely not something I should wear while gardening, eating ribs, or cleaning the gutters. I also picked up some 2" trim that I'm going to make a go of, although it might be a little wide for a scoop-neck and not work its way around the corners very well. We'll see!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1upFlY-Cvuz1VgpVVGijQW-qxRszGlKWu27gml7Q4F3Zl0k9BN2XmMnP1h_SIaDgOyZW4TpvB9N53ABpkFryXhKJbdwcXoRreKNZ9jvlWJu87Y57Bo68m1v1NGEJAdT2XuTm5OuSQF1A/s1600/B5390C-Materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1upFlY-Cvuz1VgpVVGijQW-qxRszGlKWu27gml7Q4F3Zl0k9BN2XmMnP1h_SIaDgOyZW4TpvB9N53ABpkFryXhKJbdwcXoRreKNZ9jvlWJu87Y57Bo68m1v1NGEJAdT2XuTm5OuSQF1A/s320/B5390C-Materials.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabric and matching thread, Contrast and matching thread,<br />
Pattern, Trim, and Interfacing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cutting out:</b></span><br />
There are three cutting layouts for this pattern:<br />
<ol>
<li>The shirt body</li>
<li>The contrast for the cuffs</li>
<li>The interfacing</li>
</ol>
One of the cutting layouts (for 60" fabric for a larger size) <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/04/advanced-cutting-layouts-part-1.html">gets a little crazy</a>.<br />
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One thing that's important to remember while you're cutting out the shirt is to mind your p's and q's specifically with the sleeve arms if you're not able to cut both pieces out at once on a fold and you're not using double-sided fabric. The notches on the sleeve will need to line up specifically with the notches on the front and the back pieces--this is how you make sure the sleeve will fit the right way. So if you have to cut the sleeve out twice, you will probably have to do one cut with the pattern right side up, and the other with the pattern right side down. Also, don't forget that notch that's specifically on the cutline for Sleeve C. It can be easy to miss if you're trying to keep the sleeve piece whole for later projects.<br />
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Now, the first few steps of making this shirt (interfacing, stitching the front darts, stitching front to back together at shoulder and side-seams, and putting in the collar) should all be quite familiar if you've done the first three projects.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 1 - </span>Fuse interfacing to wrong side of each matching fabric section, following manufacturer's instructions.</b><br />
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This is fairly <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-fusible-interfacing.html">straightforward</a>: you want to get your collar pieces together. We've done this twice before, so you should be getting to be old hand at it by now.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 2 - </span>Stitch darts in front. Press down.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBxANtKObTOWN3MUhiC7wN5-t7dDxrwEZF-0Ue7kVfGpqtqkxp4mPE3lwvP_0gF9cw_TNCWXS6C5s49rIInoIwvZdIPZoU0mlSefEUn_SG5fkNp0e3ac8m8J8Fg2xd8KHWxa9wpazTO8/s1600/B5390+-+Step+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBxANtKObTOWN3MUhiC7wN5-t7dDxrwEZF-0Ue7kVfGpqtqkxp4mPE3lwvP_0gF9cw_TNCWXS6C5s49rIInoIwvZdIPZoU0mlSefEUn_SG5fkNp0e3ac8m8J8Fg2xd8KHWxa9wpazTO8/s1600/B5390+-+Step+2.png" width="153" /></a></div>
This is more or less how we did the pleat in the back of the jacket in the last project, but you do it at an angle. With the right sides together, bring the broken and solid lines together on each side of the front piece, and then stitch along that line. I recommend starting from the side edge and then stitch right off the fold and then back up and fix your stitch. This will prevent a pucker from forming in the fabric. When you're done with this stitch, press the flap of fabric down away from the shoulders. Do this on both sides.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Steps 3 & 4 are for View D.</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 5 - </span>With right sides together, stitch Back to Front at shoulders. Stitch side seams, leaving open below large circles.</b><br />
This is a <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">plain seam.</a> Then, it's just attach the front to the back like we did in our <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">sleeveless tunic</a> and <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-sleeveless-sundress.html">sundress</a> patterns. You should be old hat at this by now. Make sure you don't stitch the side seams all the way to the bottom edge, use a pin to remind you when to stop at the large dot.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Steps 6-10 </span>are the standard collar interfacing that we did for the sleeveless sundress. For details on how to complete these steps, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-facing-piece.html">see this post</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSlEiLBSknZmXfEL7Q6q42ZbCzBqesyGpRx5sA7sQxVXPtBKuF0gcC1EkQqub8o8FNgpr4Sis05CLEpFI1QJNI270lPRGZWUTkFh_Fq4xivelhn2TntVBigX20h34je1_4shWKu8ofUE/s1600/sleeve_v1_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSlEiLBSknZmXfEL7Q6q42ZbCzBqesyGpRx5sA7sQxVXPtBKuF0gcC1EkQqub8o8FNgpr4Sis05CLEpFI1QJNI270lPRGZWUTkFh_Fq4xivelhn2TntVBigX20h34je1_4shWKu8ofUE/s1600/sleeve_v1_0001.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 11 -</span> Easestitch top of sleeve between small circles</b><br />
This is a straightforward <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/easestitch.html">easestitch</a>, I recommend putting the inner easestitch in at ½ and the outer easestitch in at ¼" -- this way your inner easestitch isn't along your seamline.<br />
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Note, the circles are different than the notches! The dots mark the beginning and end of your easestitch, your notches will be used to match the sleeve to the armholes of the shirt body.<br />
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You might be tempted (I was!) to finish-stitch the raw edge of the shoulder curve -- don't bother, this will be trimmed after seaming. When you see the finish on my pieces, don't feel like you forgot something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11CqCv6I8Uj0hwXwQWNeMsmEuztxqlbOSir3AmY1EWTiKaQCJLN6Bh9N_r3GgivZY6vd6LLYInNH6mLZ2hbvPc2bgBq7cu9m_myW13ZOsd5BGRxZx_OTeqM3zBUrUpGjlnSMugvrWdwg/s1600/sleeve_v1_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11CqCv6I8Uj0hwXwQWNeMsmEuztxqlbOSir3AmY1EWTiKaQCJLN6Bh9N_r3GgivZY6vd6LLYInNH6mLZ2hbvPc2bgBq7cu9m_myW13ZOsd5BGRxZx_OTeqM3zBUrUpGjlnSMugvrWdwg/s1600/sleeve_v1_0002.jpg" width="78" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 12</span> - Stitch sleeve seam</b><br />
This is a <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">plain seam</a>, bringing the sides of your sleeve (piece 5) together, and sew up the side as indicated in the diagram to the left. Press your sleeve seam open. You do not need a sleeve board, if the sides of the sleeve are creased as you open the seams up, it's not the end of the world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 13 is for views A, B, and D (it's the sleeve hem).</b></span><br />
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<i>Note: For these next steps, I have chosen to do Step 18 before Steps 14-17. I would recommend this only to guarantee that you get your sleeves in correctly before you do the labor-intensive slip-stitching, but there is no ease-of-use benefit (or detriment) to doing it this way.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1mFFGI50fErCkEy75YqCFLevVPbaf5dL949hNKpJoOXrERTNW_IYFEWpspL1u153M_41V9pdy2zQ8vNTOEzAKda8soCOS9gnUk5MWgHFZmVf_Xzik6z3099f0MB1cFmJr_jr7DwYeEs/s1600/B5390C_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1mFFGI50fErCkEy75YqCFLevVPbaf5dL949hNKpJoOXrERTNW_IYFEWpspL1u153M_41V9pdy2zQ8vNTOEzAKda8soCOS9gnUk5MWgHFZmVf_Xzik6z3099f0MB1cFmJr_jr7DwYeEs/s200/B5390C_0006.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 14 -</span>Turn in 5/8" (1.5cm) along unnotched edge of sleeve band (piece 9). Press. Trim pressed edge to 3/8" (1cm).</b><br />
Now we're going to take our contrast color sleeve bands (piece 9) and lay it right-side down. Find the long edge that doesn't have the notch and fold it up ⅝" and press. Then, trim ¼" off the raw edge of the folded side (see diagram).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 15</span> - With right sides together, fold sleeve band along foldline. Stitch. Trim. Turn sleeve band right side out; press.</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6F8es4cHWfKsQUaatW4sFZ0C8oYTrPpJ75A0uhY57yMGqVgdaptsZ13FDTlzv_uxmmR3InVsHUYbvoy-HldYUlZS4zZfyH1neRaXg3XOUC2wt4JFFKVkZFS_zFyJdeTqTCStqet4SDQ/s1600/B5390C_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6F8es4cHWfKsQUaatW4sFZ0C8oYTrPpJ75A0uhY57yMGqVgdaptsZ13FDTlzv_uxmmR3InVsHUYbvoy-HldYUlZS4zZfyH1neRaXg3XOUC2wt4JFFKVkZFS_zFyJdeTqTCStqet4SDQ/s200/B5390C_0005.jpg" width="200" /></a>This is basically straightfoward, fold the sleeve band more or less in half along the foldline. You will have a sort of long pocket with one side of the opening folded down and the other still flat. Stitch a regular ⅝" seam along each side, then <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/trim-seam-clip-curves.html">trim that seam</a> down so that the allowance is maybe ⅛-¼" -- be careful not to break your stitching. On the folded edge, go ahead and clip that corner down.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz22QazZLESyc8v9QUbdCLUY5z5e0vjnFZhZWUPFxC7YVyKSsSxCNq3oJwCk6PV71JorbXvVXi7aWBJOyRosBvBo01CGi6r92ndsIyOWkYldL3odIpOBJt4MMZDwerb-2l28HsJgB9T2M/s1600/5390C-SplitCuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz22QazZLESyc8v9QUbdCLUY5z5e0vjnFZhZWUPFxC7YVyKSsSxCNq3oJwCk6PV71JorbXvVXi7aWBJOyRosBvBo01CGi6r92ndsIyOWkYldL3odIpOBJt4MMZDwerb-2l28HsJgB9T2M/s400/5390C-SplitCuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've created a long "pocket" with a single folded-down side.<br />
We'll trim the seam down and clip the corner on the foldline, <br />
and then turn this right-side out and press.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, turn the sleeve right-side out and get those corners to pop out as best you can. Press the fold into place.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 16 </span>- Pin sleeve band to lower edge of sleeve, matching symbols. Stitch, keeping pressed edge free. Turn seam toward sleeve band; press.</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N6tOnTuk1FCGBk2G1coqIJRB-grPpZC_S9MHf2DHNxUdBoqDujqKUaOic6HtCJ-DE7YT45lYpw6ADGXU6qKIaS9cArjO8gt5mzPb4liDl9MG0XgHF9UYgqkzghK_1GtUL96CMgmSz4k/s1600/B5390C_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N6tOnTuk1FCGBk2G1coqIJRB-grPpZC_S9MHf2DHNxUdBoqDujqKUaOic6HtCJ-DE7YT45lYpw6ADGXU6qKIaS9cArjO8gt5mzPb4liDl9MG0XgHF9UYgqkzghK_1GtUL96CMgmSz4k/s200/B5390C_0004.jpg" width="200" /></a>This part might seem tricky but it's not too difficult. Taking the sleeve that you put together in Step 12 and find the notch on the opening edge. Overlay the cuff (sleeve band) around the edge of the sleeve, matching the notch on cuff to the notch on the sleeve. You want the folded side of the cuff to be facing up, and the raw edge of the cuff to match the raw edge of the sleeve. Then, pin into place (do not pin the folded part, just the raw edge). The edges of the cuff should meet at the seam of the sleeve. This step you will be working "under" the folded part for the most part, we don't want to touch that folded edge of the cuff.<br />
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Now, take the sleeve over to the sewing machine and stitch it into place, but <i>just stitch the unfolded part to the sleeve</i> -- don't stitch the folded edge of the cuff down, leave that free. We're going to use that to enclose the raw edge in the next step.<br />
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When you're done stitching, press your seam toward the cuff. Now, turn the sleeve down (away from the shoulder. You'll find that the seam wants to perfectly enclose within that folded edge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FU9uxSn_EV5M2qZVTKQTwCDeBHhD2WQJRrx4T_pm42yDoMmT6F0iLmjnkoIBu46KHeCKlRZeh0UD0fyWvq7YlWZ7FF-21WBaavAwapx1dN5ua5jtdGF-uBKjupOri8k1q_dZeqiWaA0/s1600/B5390C_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FU9uxSn_EV5M2qZVTKQTwCDeBHhD2WQJRrx4T_pm42yDoMmT6F0iLmjnkoIBu46KHeCKlRZeh0UD0fyWvq7YlWZ7FF-21WBaavAwapx1dN5ua5jtdGF-uBKjupOri8k1q_dZeqiWaA0/s200/B5390C_0003.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 17</span> - Slipstitch pressed edge over seam.</b><br />
You have to admit: that seam that joins the sleeve to the cuff is neat as hell, the way the fabric transitions without any visible stitching. We want to keep it that way, and close up that seam so that it finishes those raw edges and keeps them tucked away, but without creating an unsightly stitch line across our cuff. The way we do this is with the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/slipstitch.html">slipstitch</a>. Put the raw edges of the seam from the previous step underneath the folded edge of the cuff so that they are enclosed, and then slip stitch through the raw edges and the fold to seal the cuff without peeking through to the outside of the garment. This will take a while, this is not a small task, I recommend settling in someplace comfy and taking your time with this. If you use your index finger to shift the outside layer of the sleeve cuff behind your needle, you will feel it pull off the end of your needle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlxjzI8xntKhtEOqkq2QKx9CwA-jLv6GCgn1-v0TpkfRxhE0253H7yEiiQFOzyxOHhGhqeJutjoN2w-Eu85Wxn5lfZItLVnt04WQ0OWrQGdSyePNCfSqJIzYRb9NhKqxWftmA3hAWJQ0/s1600/sleeve_v1_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlxjzI8xntKhtEOqkq2QKx9CwA-jLv6GCgn1-v0TpkfRxhE0253H7yEiiQFOzyxOHhGhqeJutjoN2w-Eu85Wxn5lfZItLVnt04WQ0OWrQGdSyePNCfSqJIzYRb9NhKqxWftmA3hAWJQ0/s1600/sleeve_v1_0004.jpg" width="191" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 18</span> - With right sides together, pin sleeve into armhole, placing large circle at shoulder seam. Adjust ease; baste. Stitch. Stitch again 1/4" (6mm) away in seam allowance. Trim close to stitching. Press seam allowances flat. Turn seam toward sleeve.</b><br />
I'm not going to lie to you: Putting a fitted sleeve in is tricky, but it's not impossible and if you're very careful and very patient, you'll probably do fine even on your first time. When I started this, I did a finish-stitch around the armhole one the shirt body, and the shoulder of the sleeve -- this was unnecessary, so don't bother doing that as you'll just trim it away and re-do the finishing stitch at the end of this step.<br />
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Turn your garment body inside out and turn your sleeves right-side out. Then fish the sleeve up through the bottom of the shirt toward the armhole. Start by matching the underarm seam on the sleeve to the underarm seam attaching the front to the back on the shirt body. Pin that into place provisionally, then start to lay the fabric up the side of the sleeve (Note: Put your pins in so that they point to the raw edge, you need to maximize your hold on this), and check that your notches match: If you've got a single notch matching to a double-notch, this sleeve belongs on the other shoulder. Otherwise, pin your notches into place (You want the pins to be on the <i>outside</i> of the garment--you might find it easier to place them on the inside, but once they're placed, switch them to the outside so you'll have access to them while you sew!), then the small dots, and then finally pin the large dot at the top of the shoulder to the shoulder seam on the garment. Use the easestitch to gather the sleeve fabric between the small dots so that it is flush with the garment body: You will want to do all "drastic" gathering on the <i>exterior</i> easestitch and then use the<i> interior</i> ease-stitch to create a smooth transition to the seamline, because you do not want any visible gathers on your shoulder's seamline. Get those gathers as smooth and even as possible, and then put a pin in (point toward the raw edge) at least every ½" and no more than 1" apart. If you put the pin in parallel to the seamline, when you go to take it out at the machine you will lose your form and have to start all over again! Once you've gotten the easestitch into place, throw a few more pins on either side of the notches (it doesn't need as much pinning as the easestitch, but you'll want to hold it into place).<br />
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Next, take it over to the sewing machine and <i>very <b>very</b> </i>slowly and carefully put that seam into place. You're going to need to use your fingers a lot in this step -- you want to feel for folds, creases, and extra layers of fabric. Between the easestitching and the curves on this section, the fabric is going to try <i>very hard</i> to misbehave, and you have to take it easy and make sure it doesn't! Once you're done with the first seam, check how it looks from the right side, if there are any folds, you can usually pop out a few stitches around the fold or pucker and "smooth it out" with a re-stitch.<br />
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Now that you've got the first seam in, it's time to do it again about a ¼" closer to the raw edge. Using the 3/8" guide (10mm) will line this up... this will be much easier but don't floor it, the raw edge and the garment will still want to fold under.<br />
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The next step is to trim the seam. Go ahead and give yourself about 1/8-1/4" from the outer seam.<br />
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At this point, it's a good idea to bind the raw edge, but I don't bother doing the raw edges separately since this seam isn't meant to be pressed open, I just overlock over both layers of the allowance to keep the seams from fraying. Finally, I press the allowance toward the sleeve and away from the body of the shirt.<br />
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Phew! Fitted sleeves are done... and lookin' <i>fierce</i>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRilmgl26joLumyJI5oNQFY7tSxZ9cWmIswYUMOtmvUzMJam4nxDXaBiLJDFZx5iBsvzK7tZPQVpPvzDIu3OSZR3J6byUHmq01kpdyues8CUpFOSHHLtSboCptiYZrpMJvpD-aeCHm280/s1600/B5390C_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRilmgl26joLumyJI5oNQFY7tSxZ9cWmIswYUMOtmvUzMJam4nxDXaBiLJDFZx5iBsvzK7tZPQVpPvzDIu3OSZR3J6byUHmq01kpdyues8CUpFOSHHLtSboCptiYZrpMJvpD-aeCHm280/s320/B5390C_0007.jpg" width="300" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 19 -</span> Turn up 1 1/4" (3.2cm) hem. Baste close to fold. Trim hem to an even width. Finish raw edge. Sew hem in place, easing in fullness if necessary. Baste raw edges together, press.</b><br />
We know how to <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/hemming.html">hem</a> by now. The only difference here is that we have this little split opening at the sides of the shirt, which actually makes the hemming easier, because you're just hemming a straight line across the bottom of the front and back.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 20</span> - Make a 5/8" (1.5cm) Narrow hem at side opening edge, tapering to nothing above large circle. Privot across seam allowance 1/4"(6mm) above large circle, when stitching.</b><br />
This is where we take our hem up that split in the side, it's pretty simple, the hem length will naturally want to decrease as you get toward that dot, so let it do it's thing. Despite the fact that the pivot will not see a lot of wear, I still find that it's not a bad idea to reinforce the stitching when you turn around at the dot.<br />
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With this, your shirt is basically done, you just need to apply the trim to the neckline.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 21 is for View A</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 22</span> - Pin trim to front neck edge, turning under 1/4" (6mm) on ends at shoulder seams, as shown. Stitch close to long edges. Slipstitch ends.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6yLganDp74V04vsGafcogUrzDztQTrX4NcFafKtS_l8p77X23cyrWxbUVBgP-qaPIqVuZsNamEY0vXq3BGv547ZXsTBiaTi9-R2KBpFPzjJoM54aBOxUBUis8w9jou6Jmi3zFiJ7PTg/s1600/B5390C_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6yLganDp74V04vsGafcogUrzDztQTrX4NcFafKtS_l8p77X23cyrWxbUVBgP-qaPIqVuZsNamEY0vXq3BGv547ZXsTBiaTi9-R2KBpFPzjJoM54aBOxUBUis8w9jou6Jmi3zFiJ7PTg/s320/B5390C_0008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The trim is intended to only be on the front of the shirt, if you want the trim to wrap all the way around the collar, you'll (a) need more trim, and (b) probably want to look into having the trim meet in the center of the back of the collar instead of at the shoulders, depending on the trim.<br />
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So it turns out that a 2" trim I got is simply too wide and inflexible to ease around the scooped neck of the collar. I started by pinning my trim into place and found that I was getting weird pleats and gathers underneath, so I've had to set aside this particular ribbon and redouble my efforts. The tricky thing is finding something that will match both the royal blue of the shirt, but also the light gray of the cuffs. Finding a single-sided lace is probably not a bad idea. I ended up getting this weird little lace trim at Albert Zoll while I was in Philadelphia. It's a little more flashy than I usually like in a collar, but I'm going to see if I can't make this work. Because this isn't a solid ribbon, I can't do what the instructions say: If I were to simply stitch along the neckline, it would look weird. So instead, I sat down on the patio with a cup of tea and a needle and I hand-tacked the lace into place every half inch or so, top and bottom. In either instance, it's sort of nice to be able to tack down the collar so that it won't roll open. I still turned under at the shoulder seams and stitched that into place just to keep the edges from raveling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVtjfsmjHP-gnAwvksLGukxhGsTE_Y-qhmWlNKLmxPueQ6hwGti5_gjMZrzPkAaHm9tPOrbA4nzBVrDgblsANmUvKDeLNJTplBMIylk14m1kdpoiOYX7VU4y4xwJB1basdgXMYrs3tqo/s1600/B5390C_Trim.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVtjfsmjHP-gnAwvksLGukxhGsTE_Y-qhmWlNKLmxPueQ6hwGti5_gjMZrzPkAaHm9tPOrbA4nzBVrDgblsANmUvKDeLNJTplBMIylk14m1kdpoiOYX7VU4y4xwJB1basdgXMYrs3tqo/s1600/B5390C_Trim.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The circles are where I hand-tacked the trim to the collar.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 23 (Unlisted) - </span>Clean up your machine, pack up your pattern, trim stray threads.</b><br />
This is our usual "<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html#clean">last step</a>".<br />
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That's it, you're done! Go try on your new shirt!<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-55177093247785305482013-05-03T07:17:00.001-07:002013-05-03T07:17:25.642-07:00IntermissionPlease enjoy this dance number while I get more posts together for you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQSDhyphenhyphen-iSA0R-PuQInAh_G0ShHMnCb_LAjZVMzh6SYdG4vaD3UooZw1Gqo39dXXVEggGHcKrBamji7FXIIfXdWrN9GArPYDXhTRA4NkCrld4YdZDSt6Q81KhkFXx_GjrhvpTMWVFjT00/s1600/qeKLbqy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQSDhyphenhyphen-iSA0R-PuQInAh_G0ShHMnCb_LAjZVMzh6SYdG4vaD3UooZw1Gqo39dXXVEggGHcKrBamji7FXIIfXdWrN9GArPYDXhTRA4NkCrld4YdZDSt6Q81KhkFXx_GjrhvpTMWVFjT00/s1600/qeKLbqy.gif" /></a></div>
<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-56192672716784968012013-04-14T19:05:00.002-07:002013-04-14T19:05:33.573-07:00Oh no...It appears that Jack B. Fabrics, which I had previously raved about in a <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/philadelphias-fabric-row.html">post about Philadelphia's Fabric Row</a>, <a href="http://southstreet.com/fabric-row-fire-relief-information/">suffered a 3-alarm fire earlier this month</a>. Tragically, a veteran firefighter lost his life in the blaze and another was injured.<br />
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I'm just heartbroken. I will be in Philly next weekend and I was looking forward to seeing my friends at that store. Now it's gone.RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-32981102502169784682013-04-01T08:20:00.000-07:002013-04-01T08:20:36.345-07:00Advanced cutting layouts (part 1?)<div>
(If you're new to cutting out patterns, see<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-basics-of-cutting-out-pattern.html"> this post</a> before you tackle what I write below!)</div>
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I'm working on making a favorite shirt of mine (<a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5390-products-10303.php">Butterick 5390</a>, hopefully more of a post to come...) and thanks to the shirt size and the fabric size, this was the cutting layout I was expected to use for the body of the shirt:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whaaaaa?</td></tr>
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As you can see, this is a partial fold layout (there is a single fold line but the selvages are not even), but with a <i>lot</i> of weird stuff going on.</div>
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The * next to pieces 5, 6, and 8 have the following footnote: "Cut piece only once. Cut other pieces first, allowing enough fabric to cut this piece. Open fabric, cut piece on a single layer."</div>
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So that's sort of minimally helpful. Here's how I got these pieces cut out.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Carefully cut out the pattern pieces along the size lines that you will be making and cut into any notches.</span></b></div>
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Normally, for a new pattern, I always say to just cut each piece out "generally," but we need pieces 4, 6, and 8 to be cut out precisely ahead of time. As usual, watch where collar and shoulders might cross cutlines.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Look for the pieces that are cut out entirely on the folded piece and knock those out first.</span></b></div>
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This is just piece 2--that's the only one that fits in its entirety on the fold. So the first thing I did was manage the partial fold so that piece 2 <i>just barely</i> fit between the fold and the selvage area, and I moved the collar (left edge) of the piece as close to the raw edge as humanly possible--because we can't lay out everything before we start cutting, it's important that piece 2 not taking up an inch more material than it needs to. Cut out piece 2 and put it aside.</div>
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Piece 5 could technically be perfectly symmetrical--there was a dot at the top of the curve that could be lined up to the fold, but you have to be dead-even with matching your grainline to the fold. Similarly, piece 5, being a sleeve, will have assymetrical notches so if you decide to do this, don't cut out the notches until you have the piece cut out and you can unfold the fabric to lay flush against the pattern piece and cut out the notches then. Otherwise, you will want to cut out Piece 5 with the rest of the pieces (this is what did).</div>
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Unfold your fabric and smooth it out as best you can.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Sketch the crime scene</span></b></div>
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I started with pieces 4 and 8, the facing pieces. I would start with the "lower" part of piece 8 (pattern piece face down), and line that up against the raw edge and the underarm corner of where you cut out piece 2. Then, with your ruler and some white tailor's chalk, mark where that fold edge is on the piece. From your selvage (the selvage on the side that's on the top of the diagram, since cutting out piece 2 messed up our selvage from the other side), measure that amount and create a short mark along the grainline with your tailor's wax. This will be your "center fold" for this piece. Lay piece 8 back down and match that center fold to your line and make sure it fits and doesn't run off the fabric or into the cutout you did for piece 2. If there's too much room between piece 8 and the cutout for piece 2, you might not have enough room to cutout pieces 4 and 5, so try to close that distance. Pin it into place.</div>
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Then, with your tailor's wax, go ahead and trace, crime-scene-style, piece 8's outline. Mark your dots and notches.</div>
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When you're done, unpin piece 8 and flip it over along that centerfold line, so the pattern piece is now face up, and the center fold line still matches against the wax grainline, but also that the corners of the center fold line match up to the wax outline. Pin it into place again.</div>
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Put down piece 4 in the same way. Keep the ends as close to the raw edge as you can without it running off the side. Rather than hugging piece 8, piece 4 wants to start near the selvage and then work from there, but you'll do the same thing with measuring the grainline and tracing your "fold line," then creating the wax outline of the piece before flipping it over, lining it up, and pinning into place.</div>
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Piece 6 happens much the same way -- obviously, you'll need to draw a much longer grainline to match it's fold edge along, but it's just a larger version of pieces 4 and 8. While you're positioning piece 6, it's not a bad idea to have the piece 5 (the one on the upper half) down on the fabric just to make sure you have enough room for it. You don't have to pin it properly into place until later, you just need it to "guard its territory" while you wrangle piece 6. When you're done, if you didn't cut out the other piece 5 in step 1, go ahead and put piece 5 under piece 6 just to verify that you've got enough room.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Cut out your fold pieces</b></span></div>
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The pieces that you've had to trace can be cut out now. Take it easy, and remember to cut more on the inside of the traced line than on the outside (since that's more where the pattern piece ended) and then around the pattern piece as normal. Don't cut across your grainline marks -- that's your "fold line!" Each piece will cut out as a single piece that should be perfectly symmetrical. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Finalize and cut out remaining pieces</span></b></div>
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At this point, all that's left is to cut out piece 5 at least once (twice if you didn't cut it out in step 1). Remember that you always measure a grainline off a selvage, don't measure off of a cut edge!</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-33387348620475729292013-03-24T10:00:00.000-07:002013-03-25T13:27:23.445-07:00Phew!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I feel a little bit like I've finished a marathon. When I started the blog, I created a bunch of stub posts that I've been gradually filling in, and creating more stubs as I realized I was opening up more and more avenues. These are now all done, and I'm starting to create new stubs. The posts before this cover what I consider to be "<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">beginner's stuff</a>." If you're fresh out of the gate, working on those projects (and ones like it) will get you comfortable with the basics of sewing in no time.<br />
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I'm going to throttle back a little bit on the blogging from here on out--I'm going to start working on intermediate topics, so the posts will come fewer and further between as I try to master them. I'll still post "Let's make..." pattern guides, but they won't be <i>as </i>detailed as those<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html"> first</a><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-sleeveless-sundress.html"> three</a> <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-matching-jacket-simplicity.html">were</a>, and will assume you're comfortable with the basics and focus on the tricks of getting the more nuanced steps figured out. I'll still post instructions for different stitching and assembly techniques as I come across them, but it will definitely be a little quieter. So take advantage of this and go do some sewing!RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-64989102805527590062013-03-23T10:51:00.002-07:002013-07-01T13:09:00.497-07:00Let's make a matching jacket (Simplicity 2938 - View C)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.simplicity.com/images/product/large/2938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.simplicity.com/images/product/large/2938.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-sleeveless-sundress.html">In our last project,</a> we made a sleeveless sundress and a contrast color tie belt. The pattern comes with a little raglan-sleeve cardigan jacket that would be a nice way to finish off the outfit. (View C). So let's make that!<br />
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<i>Confession:</i> While I have made view A a few times, this is actually my first time making view C, so there will be considerable more head-scratching and "this is how I figured this out" in this post. I have made a similar cardigan before, so this isn't completely foreign to me.<br />
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The requirements for view C are fairly simple. You need your fabric and matching thread (naturally), and you need a single ¾" button for the front, and you need a bit of lightweight fusible interfacing. That's it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pattern, fabric, thread, button(s).<br />
<i>Not shown: Interfacing</i></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I actually cut this out when I cut out View A since I wanted that piece 6 for view A (the tie belt) to be in the contrast color like this jacket will be. And like the sundress, the fabric I got for the jacket was "extra-super wide" meaning I was able to economize on how much of the length I used by getting more of the grainline-matched pieces to stack against each other.<br />
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Obligatory posts if this is your first effort (really though, this should probably not be your first effort, I would suggest doing View A or <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">Simplicity 2262 - View D</a> first):<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/11/purchasing-pattern.html#more">Determining which size to make</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/fabric-and-you.html">Buying and preparing your fabric</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-basics-of-cutting-out-pattern.html">Cutting out a pattern</a></li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 1:</span> Stay-stitch front and back neck edges 1/2" (1.3cm) from cut edge in direction of arrows. This stitching stays in permanently and helps prevent stretching on curved edges. Stay-stitching will not be shown in the following illustrations.</b><br />
You're almost old-hat at this by now. Just like we did in the last couple of efforts, you want to sty-stitch those neck edges. Pay attention to the diagram!<br />
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For more on <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/staystitch.html">stay-stitching</a>, see <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">previous</a> projects.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 2: </span>Fold loop in half, lengthwise, with RIGHT sides together. Stitch a scant 1/4" (6mm) from fold edge, stretching loop while stitching. With needle, attach a strong thread to one end of loop.</b><br />
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This step is fairly straightfoward -- you want to fold the loop in half with the wrong side out so that it's long-and-skinny, then stitch as close to the raw edge as you can, pulling on the fabric while you sew (this puts more stitches in the fabric). It's not a bad idea to trim the seam a bit if you've got more than an eighth of an inch allowance.<br />
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For the needle part, you want to put a needle through a single thickness of fabric at the end of one of the openings. By "End" I mean at least a half-inch in, because if you put it too close to the raw edge you risk ripping through during the next step.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 3: </span>Draw needle eye forward, through fold, turning loop RIGHT side out.</b><br />
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This step is tricky just because the opening is so narrow. You're basically going to feed the needle and thread through the loop and then use it to pull the loop right-side-out. It might need a little help "turning in on itself" at first, but once you get it going it will be fairly easy to pull through. When you've managed to do this, you can of course discard the needle and thread, and it's not a bad idea to give it a quick press, making sure that the seam is on the side.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 4:</span> Pin loop to RIGHT front centering ends over small dots. Baste.</b><br />
When you're doing something asymmetrical like this, it's not a bad idea to lay your pieces out so that you're looking at them exactly as the pattern image is telling you to. It's not the end of the world if the button loop is on the wrong side of the jacket, but you might as well get into the habit of double-checking the diagram to make sure you're working on the correct side. With the wrong-sides down (right-side up), lay out each front piece on the table as if you were looking at the finished garment, and then pin according to the diagram.<br />
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This is only tricky in that there is so little purchase for the needle. Go ahead and use a single needle for each end of the loop, and when you baste, <i>use a regular stitch, not a long stitch</i> because the loop is so thin that a baste-stitch will just fall right out at the slightest tug. You don't have to fix the stitch, but start off the loop, stitch across the loops, and then stitch a few stitches off the other side before you cut -- this will keep your loop in place while you put the rest of the garment together. The baste-stitch will probably be covered up in a later step, so it can stay in if it needs to.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 5. </span>To make pleat in back, on INSIDE, bring broken lines together. Stitch along broken lines. Press pleat flat bringing stitching to center. Baste across raw edge.</b><br />
This sounds a lot more difficult than it is. Basically, you want to take piece 8 (the back), and fold it in half so that the wrong side is out. Then, using your pattern, you want to trace where the broken line is down to the dot. Stitch across this line, fixing at the dot.<br />
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Then, take the piece over to the iron, and open it up so that the middle of the piece is sticking up (or flopping to one side) and press it flat so that the pleats form. Finally, along the neckline, about where you did your stay-stitching, you want to baste-stitch along the pleat to hold it in place.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 6:</span> Stitch front to back at side seams.</b><br />
This is where we're going to break out our french seams for the first time. Because this is a jacket, and a might not be completely enclosed, there is a chance that the jacket could "flap open" exposing the unlined interior. If this happens, plain seams will look at bit shabby. A<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/french-seam.html"> french seam</a> will neaten up the inside considerably, giving the jacket a more professional look. So rather than do the usual "put the rights sides together and stitch from to wrong side" we're going to mark our 5/8" seamline on the WRONG side of the edge in a black tailor's wax that won't iron off. Then on the RIGHT side, we'll mark a 3/8" seamline in white tailor's wax. Matching our notches, we'll pin baste the front to the back with the WRONG sides together, and then stitch along the 3/8" line. Then, we trim down the allowance to as close to 1/8" as we can (we don't want our jacket to have a seam-mustache). Iron the trimmed-down allowance to one side and then fold the RIGHT sides together and press again, getting your existing seam on the edge of the fold. Finally, you want to pin-baste and stitch along the black line (this will be about 1/4" but since this is the seamline that counts, we need to use that black line because that's the 5/8" allowance from the original cut the pattern is expecting). Now we've got a nice tidy seam on both the inside and the out.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 7:</span> To form inset and stitch sleeve seam, with RIGHT sides together pin sleeve front to sleeve back matching fold lines and large dots, having raw edges even. Starting at lower edge, machine-baste along fold line to large dot. Stitch seam above large dot; back-stitch at dot to reinforce sea. Press seam and extensions open.</b><br />
For this step we pretty much have to switch back to <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">plain seams</a>, which is ok because this is the top of the sleeves, not the underarm which might be exposed. The other important thing, especially if you're using double-sided fabric, is to lay out both sleeves so that they're facing each other and you know you're not going to end up with "two left sleeves." Start by doing your finishing stitch -- either overlock or zig-zag, and then take the pieces over and arrange them.<br />
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Laying the front and back of each side on top of each other, we're going to pin-baste along the fold line up to the dot, and then continue pin-basting a regular 5/8" seam from there. At the dot, it's not a bad idea to put in a cross-pin.<br />
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When we take this over to the sewing machine, from the bottom (along the fold-line), we're going to baste-stitch up until the dot, at which point we're going to switch over to a regular stitch. Back-stitch at the dot (fix it and then fix it again!) to reinforce so it doesn't pop out, and then do a regular 5/8" seam from there out. Finally, go and press your seam (including the basted part) open like you normally would. This might feel a little tricky at the shoulder curve, but don't sweat it -- at the moment you don't need any special equipment to get that seam open.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 8:</span> On INSIDE, with RIGHT sides together, pin pleat underlay to sleeve extensions matching large dots having raw edges even. Stitch long edges and across upper edge of underlay, breaking and reinforcing stitching at large dot, as shown. Do not press underlay seams open. Remove basting.</b><br />
The pleat underlay will lay across what is basically the allowance of that tabbed area that you just machine-basted. Go ahead and finish the long edges and the "point" of the sleeve underlays, and then take them over and lay them down on top of your sleeves where you basted. It should fit pretty much perfectly. Pin it in place, being careful only to pin through the "allowance" from the basting, don't get the underside of the sleeve in there as well! Then, take it over to the sewing machine and stich it into place, making sure you reinforce your stitching at the point by using the sewing machine's reverse button to back up and re-stitch that area. Make sure you only stitch the allowance from the baste -- don't stitch through the rest of the sleeve. This will take a little extra-effort. For the reinforcement, I just did a short, straight stitch through all the layers at the dot. The underlay seams don't need to be pressed open, but go ahead and break that baste stitch and watch 'em unfurl!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 9:</span> Stitch underarm seam.</b><br />
Now we're going to stitch the underarm part of the sleeve together, creating the "tube." For this, we're going to switch back to French Seams, because if you think about it, when you go to take off a jacket there's usually a "peek" at the underarm area.<br />
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Follow the same steps that you did for Step 6 for this part, making sure before you stitch that all of the seams will be on the inside of the final product.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 10:</span> Press up hem. Clip pleat seams to stitching at top of hem. Press seams open below clips. Press under 1/4" on raw edge. Stitch close to inner pressed edge.</b><br />
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According to the pattern piece, the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/hemming.html">hem</a> allowance is 1¼" with a ¼" underturn. Clipping your seam allowances for the pleat underlays to the stitching at 2½" will allow you to press open the allowances for the hem while leaving the rest of the pleat underlays un-pressed. Otherwise, it's just a regular hem. Because poplin is very fray-happy, I <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/overlock.html">hand-overlocked</a> the exposed edges of the seam allowances in the sleeve after I clipped. <i>Be super-careful when you clip</i> -- if you break the seam, you'll really mess up the sleeve.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 11: </span>Turn sleeve RIGHT side out. Hold garment WRONG side out with armhole toward you. With RIGHT sides together, pin sleeve to armhole edge, matching undearm seams. Stitch. Stitch again 1/4" from first stitching. Trim seam below notches close to stitching.</b><br />
OK this is our first sleeve, and it's not terribly tricky as far as fitted sleeves go because of the way the shoulder sets, but we are going to make it a little bit trickier by doing it "in the french fashion." Again -- no messy plain seams if someone takes the jacket off!<br />
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This is a little tricky on the second seam. I've noticed, first of all, that I was had to basically break my stitch at the underarm seams, and then resume again. I was also getting a little bit of a beard poking out from the allowance at the underarms -- not terribly attractive. I trimmed that down as best I could with a pair of snips, then re-stitched over that part as best I could.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 12:</span> Pin fusible interfacing to WRONG side of front and back facing sections. Cut diagonally across corners that will be enclosed with seams. Fuse in place following manufacturer's directions. Stitch shoulder seams of facing sections. to EDGE FINISH unnotched edge, stitch 1/4" (6mm) from edge, turn under along stitching and stitch OR zig-zag over the edge OR overlock/serge over the edge.</b><br />
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We've done<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-fusible-interfacing.html"> fusible interfacing</a> before in <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-make-sleeveless-sundress.html">view A</a>. Go ahead and snip off the corners of the long pieces just before the scoop, that part will be enclosed and the interfacing will make it too bulky. As usual, make sure you fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the matching piece, and trim down any interfacing that's slipped off the edge of the matching piece when you're done. When you match the front pieces to the back collar piece, make sure you match the notches -- they're going to make sure that the piece attaches to the body of the jacket correctly and you don't end up with backwards-town going on there. It wouldn't be a bad idea to overlock the matching edges before you seam them. After that, it's just the usual 1/4" turn-under that we did in the last interfacing piece.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 13:</span> With RIGHT sides together, pin facing to garment, matching centers back and shoulder seams. Stitch across facing exactly 1-1/4" (3.2cm) above lower edge, then 5/8" (1.5cm) from front and neck edges. Trim facing below stitching. Trim garment to within 5/8" (1.5cm) of inner edge of facing. Trim seam and corners; clip curves.</b><br />
This part's pretty similar to to how we attached the interfacing in the previous project, except we're clipping our corners and the bottom of the front openings. With the garment right-side-out, lay the facing piece so that the interfacing side is facing out and pin it into place, working your way around the collar. I always start by matching my shoulder seams, and then notches, and then ends.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 14:</span> To understitch press facing away from garment; press seam toward facing. Facing side up, stitch close to seam through facing and seam allowances as far as possible</b>.<br />
Again, this is pretty much how we did the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitching</a> on the previous project -- the only difference here is that it gets a little difficult to get the understitching up near the clipped corners. Don't bother getting right up to the edge, just fix your stitch when you feel the fabric trying to pull and bunch in weird ways and break and start after the corner. I ended up with about an inch that wasn't really understitched at each corner, but that's ok. The next step will take care of that.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 15:</span> Turn facing to INSIDE; press, pressing up hem. Press under 1/4" (6mm) on raw edge. Stitch hem in place starting at opening edge. To keep the facing from rolling to OUTSIDE, secure it at the seam allowances by tacking by hand, stitching in the ditch or using a small piece of fusible web.</b><br />
The first time I did this step I was totally stumped. I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to fold the interfacing in so that it would be enclosed. Then a friend showed me that I wasn't folding, I was basically turning the interfacing inside-out at the corners and folding in from there. The 1¼" hem is already started for you when you do this.<br />
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For securing, I would recommend stitching at the ditch in your shoulder seams. Obviously, you can't stitch in the ditch at your pleat. I recommend using the double-sided interfacing (fusible web) for the rest of it but really, with the next step, that's unnecessary.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 16.</span> On OUTSIDE, starting at lower edge, top-stitch 1" (2.5cm) away from front and neck edges. Bring upper edges of front together and sew button to LEFT front under loop.</b><br />
This is a<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/topstitch.html"> topstitch</a> to reinforce the lines of the jacket and give it a nice, finished look I would definitely recommend pressing the centers of the jacket (the openings) to their facing pieces so that edge is nice and clean before you do this, and even pin it into place if you're using a material that's iron-resistent. Otherwise, starting at the bottom of one side of the jacket front, use a bit of tailor's wax to make a 1" mark all the way up to the collar, around the back of the neck, and then back down the other side front of the jacket to the hem. The nice thing about this is that it helps to doubley-secure the facing into place, making extra tacking unnecessary.<br />
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Finally, you have to sew the button on. To do this, just bring the collar openings together where the button loop is and mark where the button loop opening is on the other side. Stitch a button there.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Unofficial Step 17:</span> Clean out your machine, pack up your pattern, trim stray threads.</b><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html#clean">The usual.</a><br />
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That's it! You've made your first jacket. Go try it on!<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-44361578309835450722013-03-14T13:50:00.000-07:002013-06-05T08:14:22.924-07:00Let's make a sleeveless sundress (Simplicity 2938 - View A)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For our second project we're going to go incrementally harder than our first project. <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-1843-misses-plus-size-sportswear.aspx">Simplicity 2938</a> View <b>A</b> will make us a sleeveless sundress (sleeves are on their way, don't worry), that uses interfacing for the collar, and a side-zipper. Like the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">sleeveless tunic</a> we made earlier, the sundress will include a gather around the neckline, however, rather than using an easestitch, we will be working with pleats. It will also include a tie belt. I've made this pattern a few times and it's a great "first effort" pattern: plenty of challenges without being insanely difficult. Now that I've gotten it more or less down, I'm making it this time for a friend who is knitting me a pair of wristies in exchange, and I'll also be making her the matching jacket (view C--next!). Because the jacket and the belt will match, however, I've cut out the jacket and the belt together just to make sure that everything fits on the fabric.<br />
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If this is your first effort, here are a few must-reads for sizing your pattern and purchasing the matierial:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/11/purchasing-pattern.html#more">Determining which size to make</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/fabric-and-you.html">Buying and preparing your fabric</a></li>
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Because the pattern has pleats and some subtle gathers in it, this is not really appropriate for verticle lines--go with a solid color, or an organic or abstract design. No checks or plaids. Also note, the model shows off the dress we're going to make (the larger picture, of course) and the tie belt is in a contrast color. <b>If you make this and you want the tie belt to be a contrast color, you will have to get an additional 1 yard of fabric in that contrast color or print, as it is not indicated on the back of the pattern envelope. </b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGXn0VoCBZTouP4uUX-yHdGOe3MZ8byw1lOvTm6XsVVpk235pRNVaCBEHeg0RvUEEkPEhiGUtI8p2-BSP21YxsXntnUHbra6a7W1cip05i-2mvcquy8IpTitZUAw16_69rK9ZEyH-pP4/s1600/2292A+Material.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGXn0VoCBZTouP4uUX-yHdGOe3MZ8byw1lOvTm6XsVVpk235pRNVaCBEHeg0RvUEEkPEhiGUtI8p2-BSP21YxsXntnUHbra6a7W1cip05i-2mvcquy8IpTitZUAw16_69rK9ZEyH-pP4/s320/2292A+Material.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pattern, fabric, matching thread, bias tape, and zipper<br />
<i>Not shown: contrast fabric and thread for tie belt</i></td></tr>
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Otherwise, make sure you get all of the proper notions: Thread, ½" Wide Single Fold Bias Tape (matched to the color of your dress), and a 12" or 14" zipper (depending on the size you will make. If you're making sizes 10-18, get a 12" zipper, If you're making plus sizes, get a 14" zipper). Again, match the color of the zipper to the dress. Get a regular zipper, not an "invisible" zipper or of course, a jeans zipper. Take your fabric home and prepare it (see the link above) and we're ready to get started! If you're making the belt in a contrast color (or you're planning on making the matching jacket), make sure you get some thread in the contrast color for the belt!<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Cutting Layout</span><br />
In some ways, this layout is a bit more complicated than the cutting layout for the sleeveless tunic, and in some ways it's easier. Unlike the sleeveless tunic, not every piece aligns to the fold line, but most of the cutting layouts can be accommodated by a single-fold and you won't have to re-fold your fabric midway through like you did for the previous project. If you haven't read it already, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-basics-of-cutting-out-pattern.html">here is a detailed post about cutting out patterns</a>.<br />
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A few interesting notes: this pattern does contain "dots" that need to be made after you've cut out--remember, if you're using white tailor's wax, it <i>will</i> come off under the heat and steam of an iron. If you're using black tailor's wax, it won't iron off (it will come out in the wash however). Because you'll be ironing the pieces, it's a good idea to not use white tailor's wax to mark your dots.<br />
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When I made this, I found that the fabric I bought was <i>so wide</i> that I could stack all of the pieces within one fold. So my video is definitely "different" than the cutting layouts presented.<br />
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You might want to trace the pleat lines with your tailor's wax. These pleats are relatively small and we fold them first-thing, so it's not necessary like it might be in a dress with a pleated skirt.<br />
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Note on the facings that where you line up the pattern piece to the fold is going to be determined by the size. Check where the arrows are pointing to on the foldline.<br />
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Don't forget to cut out your interfacing!<br />
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Now that we've cut out our fabric and interfacing, it's time to get going!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 1:</span> To makes pleats in front, on OUTSIDE, fold along solid lines. Bring folds to broken lines; pin. Baste across raw edge.</b><br />
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Unpin and unfold the front center piece from the pattern piece and lay it down right-side-up. If you've traced the lines, fold the broken line toward the solid line (if they're both solid, check the pattern piece -- it goes "outside to inside") and press down. I like to put a pin in it further down the fold so that it keeps its pleat while I'm sewing but won't interfere with my stitching, but of course you'll want to pin close up in order to do your baste-stitch. Do put a pin through the pleat at the edge to secure it in place. Then, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/basting.html#machine">machine-baste</a> across the raw edge to hold the pleat in place while you work on the rest of the garment.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 2:</span> Stay-stitch side front neck edges 1/2" (1.3cm) from cut edge in direction of arrows. This stay-stitching stays in permanently and helps prevent stretching on curved edges. Stay-stitching will not be shown in the following illustrations. To ease side front between notches, stitch along seam line and 1/4" (6mm) INSIDE seam line, using a long machine stitch.</b><br />
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Unpin the front side pieces from their pattern piece and separate them. The armhole is the "big scoop" and then the neck-hole is the "little scoop" on these pieces. Starting at the shoulder edge position your needle at ½" from the raw edge and, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/staystitch.html">stay stitch</a> toward the center raw edge. Do the same thing with the other front side piece (start at the shoulder and stitch toward the center--it's ok to flip the fabric over and work from the other side, just make sure you stitch in the right direction!). Remember, each piece is individually stay-stitched, and this stitch will not join these two pieces of fabric -- the stay stitch is only there to prevent the fabric from pulling and stretching at the collar as you build the garment.<br />
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Similar to the stay-stitch will be the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/easestitch.html">ease-stitch</a> between the two notches on the inside of the side front. This is not unlike the ease-stitch we did in the previous project, but this ease stitch is much more subtle and should not result in a "ruffle" when you're done -- it will simple help to ease in the curve of the bodice.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 3:</span> With RIGHT sides together, pin front to side front. Pull up with ease stitches on side front to fit. Baste. Stitch.</b><br />
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This is a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">plain seam.<span id="goog_1222280683"></span></a> Before you do this step, it's not a bad idea to<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/search/label/finishing"> finish</a> the raw edges of the side front and front where you are about to seam them, unless you plan to finish by <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/pink.html">pinking</a> (in which case you will pink after you've gotten the seam into place. If you're going to finish with a stitch like the zig-zag or <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/overlock.html">overlock</a>, make sure that you don't do the finish stitch over the ease-stitch, or it will prevent you from gathering.<br />
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Use the diagram as a guide -- make sure you match your notches (you'll have a bit of a bulge with your ease-stitching that we'll need to ease in), and then pin baste from there.<br />
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Unlike the ruffle that was created with the ease-stitching in the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">previous project</a>, this is going to be a very subtle gather to pull these two notches into place. When you stitch the pieces into place, use your finger and your presser foot to "flatten out" the easestitch as much as possible, so you don't get a weird crease in the middle of your bustline. You might still see a very subtle gather towards to the center front piece when you're done, but we want this to be very minimal and of course, as symmetrical as possible.<br />
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When you've finished the seam, press them open with your iron. The eased section will want to "puff up" a bit but it shouldn't be such a severe curve as to require a tailor's ham.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 4:</span> Stay-stitch back neck edges 1/2" (1.3cm) from cut edge in direction of arrows. This stitching stays in permanently and helps prevent stretching on curved edges. Stay-stitching will not be shown in the following illustrations. Stitch center back seam.</b><br />
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For the stay-stitching, we're basically doing the same thing we did in step 2 for the back pieces, except we don't need to do any ease-stitching on the back.<br />
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When you're done with that, finish the back panels where you are about to seam and then pin-baste (match the three notches first) and stitch the back panels together down the center seam and iron the seam open. You now have to two primary pieces of the dress, and we're going to put them together in the next step.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 5:</span> FOR VIEW A - Stitch front to back at shoulder seams. Stitch front to back at RIGHT side seam. Stitch LEFT side seam leaving an opening between large dots. Back-stitch at openings to reinforce seam.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Another <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">plain seam</a>. If you're doing a stitch-finish, you can finish between the two dots, it won't wreck anything to have that part finished even if you're not going to seam right through it.<br />
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Put your right sides together -- make sure that the pressed open seam allowances are on the outside on both sides as you put this together.. As you can see from the illustration, we're leaving a bit of a "gap" in one side of the side-stitching. This is where the zipper will go, so we want to leave that open for now, and it's also why we're back-stitching at the dots to reinforce the seam -- because the zipper is going to be where the seams get their stress, the pattern is telling you to use the reverse button to go over your seam for a few stitches to really reinforce the seam.<br />
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This is for View A -- if we were doing View B (the tunic), we would only do the small stitch on the left side and not do the long stitch underneath.<br />
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When you press open the seams, don't bother pressing open the part between the dots that you left un-stitched -- we'll get to that later.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 6 is for View B only, so we're going to skip it.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 7:</span> Apply fusible interfacing to WRONG side of front and back facing sections following manufacturer's directions. Stitch shoulder seams to facing sections. To EDGE FINISH unnotched edge... stitch 1/4" (6mm) from edge, turn under along stitching and stitch OR zig-zag over the edge OR overlock/serge over the edge.</b><br />
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Because putting the facing collar on is pretty much the same for any single-piece collar is fairly standard, I've abstracted out these next few steps to their own posts for references. <b>For more of a detailed, step-by-step guide to putting this interfacing collar together with videos, see the two interfacing posts: <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-fusible-interfacing.html">Working with fusible interfacing</a> and <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-facing-piece.html">Finishing a raw edge with a facing piece</a>.</b><br />
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This is the start of building the interfacing on the collar. There's a lot going on in this step, so let's take it apart step-by-step.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Fuse the interfacing to the WRONG side of your front and back facing sections. With a nice hot iron, lay the "bumpy" side of the interfacing against the wrong side of your facing pieces, match your notches and have the edges as even as you can. Then, firmly press the iron to the interfacing's woven side (do not apply the iron directly to the bumpy side) for a few seconds until the glue melts. Lift the iron, place it on another spot, and press down firmly again. Only after you've done this for all parts can you "push" the iron around -- if you push it before you've fused the glue, you risk having the interfacing slip off of where it's supposed to be. If you have any extra interfacing hanging off of the fabric facing piece when you're done, trim it away.</li>
<li>Put the two facing pieces together (rights sides together, interfacing sides out), match the notches, and then seam them together with a standard seam. </li>
<li>Once the interfacing is adhered to the collar and the collar is stitched together to a single piece, we need to finish the outer edge of the facing. You can follow the turn under instructions (where you turn ¼" of the right side under to the interfacing side along the outer edge and then stitch along this allowance to finish the outer edge), or you can overlock the outer edge. In either event, make sure that you don't crumple the shoulder seams you created in the previous step.</li>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 8: </span>With RIGHT sides together, pin facing to neck edge, matching centers and shoulder seams. Stitch. Trim seam; clip curves.</b><br />
This may seem counter-intuitive, but like the bias tape step in the previous pattern (which is coming up!), the point of this is to finish the neck edge with this facing, and all will be made clear in the next couple of steps. With your dress turned right-side-out, pin the facing around the collar, so that the interfacing side is facing out. Match your shoulder seams and then your notches and then ease the rest of the collar into place, pinning as you go. Then, make a standard ⅝" seam around the opening of the collar.<br />
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Once you've done that, it's time to trim the seam and clip the curves. To trim the seam, cut about half of the seam allowance away, holding your scissors at a 45° bias to help ease the fold. Give yourself at least ¼" of a remaining seam allowance. Then, in the remaining seam allowance, cut notches in at the curves, being careful not to break your seam. This will help ease the fold and prevent bunching.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 9:</span> To understitch press facing away from garment; press seam toward facing. Facing side up, stitch close to seam through facing and seam allowances.</b><br />
This is a little tricky the first time you see it, and I know the first few times I saw the picture I couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but basically, what this is doing is reinforcing how the collar is going to lay. The first thing I like to do is fold the facing piece to the inside of the garment and give it a good press, rolling the seam just under the collar piece so that it isn't visible from the outside. Once you've pressed the collar into place, turn the garment inside-out and lay the collar out flat. The seam allowance (the one you trimmed down and notched at the end of the last step) should want to lay on top of the interfacing collar. You want to do a straight stitch through the seam allowance and collar to create an <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitch</a>. The stitching should NOT go through the outside of the garment.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 10:</span> Turn facing to INSIDE; press. To keep the facing from rolling to OUTSIDE, secure it at the seam allowances by tacking it by hand, stitching in the ditch, or using a small piece of fusible web.</b><br />
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This is the part where we basically tell the collar "stay on the inside and stay put." Give the collar a good press after the understitch to give it a temporary reinforcement of where you want it to lay. Make sure the seam hasn't rolled out anyplace and that when you turn the garment right-side-out everything looks as it should. As you can see, the interfacing is enclosed between the fabric facing piece and the dress itself, and the collar edge is now finished, creating a more permanent stitch to hold your pleats from step 1 in place.<br />
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The collar will still probably want to "pop out" here and there, so we need to secure it into place by <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/stitching-in-ditch.html">stitching in the ditch</a> or creating a few small "tack by hand" stitches. This is a great garment for stitching in the ditch, as you have not only the shoulder seams, but also the back seam and the two seams joining the front center piece to the two front side pieces. Each one of those seams can have a quick stitch-in-the-ditch to keep that collar in place.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 11:</span> Open out one edge of single fold bias tape.</b><br />
Ah, single-fold bias tape. These next few steps are exactly the same as Steps 11, 12, and 13 from our <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">previous project.</a> You can also see a <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-single-fold.html">separate post</a> entirely about finishing a raw edge with single-fold bias tape.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 12:</span> With RIGHT sides together, pin tape to armhole edge having crease 3/8" (1cm) from raw edge, turning under and lapping one end at side seam. Stitch in a 3/8" (1cm) seam. Trim seam; clip curves.</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 13:</span> Turn tape to INSIDE; press. Baste close to inner edge. On OUTSIDE, top-stitch as basted.</b><br />
I generally pin-baste instead of machine-baste, because I don't like stitching over a baste stitch (it makes it harder to remove the baste stitch, and for a visible stitch like this, it looks a little sloppy).<br />
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<i><b>NOTE: </b>It will be necessary to adjust the length of your zipper to the measurement of the side opening between large dots, less 1/4" (6mm). Use an adjustable zipper foot to apply.</i><br />
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This is a warning that sometimes you'll find that you might find yourself with a little more or less room than anticipated when you go to put your zipper on. If you're not making an adjustment to the pattern, this shouldn't be a problem because you will find that the dots fit your zipper. We'll get into adjusting a zipper's length in a later post. To be perfectly honest, at this stage in the game I'm still getting my feet under me with regard to zippers, so I'm not ready to do more hardcore adjusting just yet.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 14:</span> Press under 5/8" (1.5cm) on LEFT front opening edge and 1/2" on LEFT back opening edge. Pin LEFT back edge to zipper tape, placing pressed edge close to zipper teeth and tab end at upper opening. Baste. Pin and baste LEFT front edge to zipper tape, lapping LEFT front 1/8" (3mm) over LEFT back. Stitch as basted, using an adjustable zipper foot.</b><br />
This is a doozy! Basically, we're putting in our first zipper. I have a confession: I still kind of suck at zippers, so don't take this as The Best Way To Do It. I'm hoping to get some better tricks and techniques in the future. But we can muddle through. So let's take this in turn...<br />
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1. Press under 5/8" (1.5cm) on LEFT front opening edge and 1/2" on LEFT back opening edge. This is fairly straight forward. Turn your garment inside-out and take it over to the ironing station. Extending the allowance from where you made the seams into the opening, press down a ⅝" allowance on the <i>front</i> side opening, and a ½" opening on the <i>back</i> side opening.<br />
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2. Pin LEFT back edge to zipper tape, placing pressed edge close to zipper teeth and tab end at upper opening. Baste. Pin and baste LEFT front edge to zipper tape, lapping LEFT front 1/8" (3mm) over LEFT back.<br />
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This is us putting the zipper on. This is where it gets a little bit tricky. Position the zipper against the allowances you just ironed--put the tab of the zipper on the top of the opening facing right-side out. You're going to baste through the right side of the garment, through the ironed allowances, and through the zipper tape, trying to keep the fold you just ironed down in the dead center of the zipper teeth. You might need to re-adjust a few times as you work. I generally pin from the outside, because getting those teeth to line up is such a bear. You might need to unzip the zipper while you work in order to position your hands right -- I find trying to pin a zipper I definitely feel like I'm about 1 hand short of what I need in terms of making sure everything is held in place right! But just be patient with it, make sure you remember the orientation of the sewing machine as you pin, and go all the way around on both sides. At the top of the zipper, I generally fold the top of the zipper tape (the part that extends beyond the top of the zipper) under.<br />
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If you find yourself with extra zipper at the bottom, it's not the end of the world, I had about 2" dangling off the edge from where my zipper hole was. In later projects I hope to show how to trim down a zipper, but for now, we'll leave that as-is and hand-tack it to the allowance later.<br />
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3. Stitch as basted, using an adjustable zipper foot.<br />
Put the zipper foot on your sewing machine and line up to make sure that everything fits and is comfortable. The idea is that the zipper foot should use the zipper teeth as a sort of fence to guide you along. My only complaint is that it seems to want to pull the fold away from the teeth, so I tend to take it slow. If you can move your sewing needle to the side so that it's further away from the zipper teeth, so much the better. Then, just straight-stitch through where you've basted. You might find that you might need to adjust the zipper itself, I generally leave it open for the majority of the stitching, but then when I get down to the bottom, I pause, leave my needle down, lift the presser foot, and zip up, so that the zipper tab doesn't interfere with my presser foot and throw my guide off balance. When you get to the bottom of the zipper, leave your needle down and then lift up your presser foot to pivot on the needle, then march across to the other side of the zipper, then back up and go back to the first side, then stitch again across. This will re-enforce the stitch and help prevent the zipper from accidentally ripping through our seam. Now again, leave your needle down, pivot, and march up the other side of the zipper. At the top you do the same thing you did at the bottom, and you're done.<br />
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If you find you have a little extra zipper hanging down at the bottom, go ahead and hand-tack it to the seam allowances. You don't want that "floating" on its own or it will create a sort of "pull tab" in the laundry and rip your seams right off.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 15: </span>Mark length. Press up hem along marking. Mark depth of hem; trim evenly. Press under 1/4" (6mm) on raw edge. Stitch close to inner pressed edge.</b><br />
This is our hem, same as last time. If you're going to mark your hem, put the dress on, stand on a chair, and have a patient family member put a pin in at the place where you want the hem. Otherwise, you can use the standard 1¼" hem. This is basically the same as hemming the last project. With the garment inside-out, press up your bottom to 1¼", then press under ¼" and baste. Use a straight-stitch along the turned-under part to secure the hem in place.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Steps 16 and 17 is for View B only, so we're going to skip it.</span></b><br />
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At this point, the dress itself is <i>done</i>, now we just need to make the tie belt! If you're doing the tie belt in a contrast color, you might want to give your dress a quick once-over just to make sure you don't need to reinforce a seam or re-do a stitch, otherwise, you can swap out your thread and bobbin with the tie belt contrast color, and we can take it away!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtixbNhPZASfF1SYdi6gDgc2ObZq2dzxSVd3M7CMG2XyGqUwujiJU71NhDQZZfmp5RkRt6Ramjn7EUT5oukZGwv1tjjV0IWjHFmEyyQeggXLGAcq9yoASsGwUt2jllneyPLnvUlmiWjIY/s1600/Simplicity2938A_18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtixbNhPZASfF1SYdi6gDgc2ObZq2dzxSVd3M7CMG2XyGqUwujiJU71NhDQZZfmp5RkRt6Ramjn7EUT5oukZGwv1tjjV0IWjHFmEyyQeggXLGAcq9yoASsGwUt2jllneyPLnvUlmiWjIY/s200/Simplicity2938A_18.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">STEP 18:</span> Stitch notched ends of tie belt sections in 3/8" (1cm) seam. Fold belt in half, lengthwise, with RIGHT sides together. Stitch in 3/8" (1cm) seam, leaving an opening to turn. Trim seam and clip corners.</b><br />
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This is a two-part step. First, with the right sides together and the notches matching, we want to stitch the square ends together, press the seam open, and then fold the belt in half lengthwise, again, wrong side out, give it a press and a pin-baste, and stitch along the outside. In both instances, we're doing a ⅜" seam. Once you've stitched, take your scissors and clip the stitched corners at an angle, getting as close to your seam as possible without breaking the stitch. This will allow you to get those belt corners to pop out and not be mushy.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">STEP 19:</span> Turn belt; press. Slip-stitch opening edges together</b><br />
Now we turn the belt inside out from that center opening. Fish your fingers into those corners to get and puckers out. Then, take the belt over to your iron and give it a good press. At this point, you want to press that opening closed as if it had been stitched -- this will make the slipstitch easier. To do the slipstitch, follow the directions <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/03/slipstitch.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 20 (unlisted): </span>Trim stray threads, clean your machine, pack up your pattern!</b><br />
<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html#clean">Just like last time</a>, we have to get in the habit when we've finished a project to clean up your stray threads, and then to take your cleaning brush and give your sewing maching a quick cleaning to prevent bunny buildup.<br />
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That's it! Go try on your new dress!<br />
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<i>Next:</i> we make the matching jacket that goes with this dress!RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-1012415293074166612013-03-13T10:00:00.000-07:002013-03-13T13:21:49.485-07:00Hemming<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkTeMdG6CGzxYPF1oUK5aZBJW53f83LODPXbooERjXW0HJUQzGnEbTEk9iJrd2fKD3OkDaIW4qLCK94ViMAFu0gFEoSyZBAerhdL9GqRvSHlw-hO-ryPk2nTxzudq4WRr5r4oMlcV6v4/s1600/2262_step20002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkTeMdG6CGzxYPF1oUK5aZBJW53f83LODPXbooERjXW0HJUQzGnEbTEk9iJrd2fKD3OkDaIW4qLCK94ViMAFu0gFEoSyZBAerhdL9GqRvSHlw-hO-ryPk2nTxzudq4WRr5r4oMlcV6v4/s200/2262_step20002.jpg" width="200" /></a>Hemming is generally done at the bottom of a garment's opening: Either the bottom edge of a top or bottom (shirts, skirts, pant legs), or the bottom of a cuff. Hemming is simply put, to fold the fabric onto itself and then stitch around the circumference to prevent the fabric from fraying and unraveling.<br />
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A pattern piece will usually indicate the hem both in the instructions and on the pattern piece itself. Almost every pattern I have done uses a standard 1¼" hem.<br />
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If you are making a more formal dress, skirt, or pair of pants, it's always a good idea to try the garment on before you hem while wearing the shoes you plan to wear with the outfit (for a bottom) or if you're a woman and this is a top, to wear the bra that you plan to wear with the garment (don't make me spell out why), and then determine where you would like your hemline to be. You can mark the hem and press it up, and then stand on a chair and have a friend or family member check to make sure that the hem is even all the way around. You may find that your hem is longer or shorter than the pattern's standard.<br />
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In either event, hemming requires a lot of ironing and pinning.<br />
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With the garment inside-out, you want to fold the raw/unhemmed edge up along your hemline. Start at a seam and match so that your seam allowances are even, and then work your way around the garment, using your seam gauge to make sure your hemline is neat. Wherever you encounter a seam, you want to get your seam allowances folded in on themselves for a nice even look. Press the fold, and then turn the raw edge under at a quarter of an inch so that the raw edge is enclosed on the inside of the hem. Press, and pin this in place.<br />
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Depending on the sort of material you work with, you will do different stitches for the hem. You'll want to stitch along the "top" of the hem to try to get the turned-under part in your stitches. If your fabric is very light--like a chiffon or a very light silk, you might forgo the machine and hand-stitch the hem using a whip-stitch (instructions to follow). Otherwise, depending on the material you're using, you will want to use either a straight- or zig-zag-stitch along the top of the hemline. I find that if I'm using a lightweight cotton, a straight stitch is sufficient. But if I'm using a heavier material, or one that resists ironing, a tight zig-zag stitch is a good idea.<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-53334220240602065522013-03-12T10:00:00.000-07:002013-03-13T05:53:36.068-07:00Finishing show-down -- which is best?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzzywzVVUxMEdUOMxFSF5IWRHtfF8NoAqfV6yG-NZ5pA8HDDjbdRn4NX8n1RDKzx4pJJ-Z2zHQfMZHXEV7n-NFQ6pD_X1EwvGpsSYnANT5-Xv8UpeAJ6VL80YreSiQ-8OGkynMdcYKek/s1600/finish-him.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzzywzVVUxMEdUOMxFSF5IWRHtfF8NoAqfV6yG-NZ5pA8HDDjbdRn4NX8n1RDKzx4pJJ-Z2zHQfMZHXEV7n-NFQ6pD_X1EwvGpsSYnANT5-Xv8UpeAJ6VL80YreSiQ-8OGkynMdcYKek/s200/finish-him.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No "Fraytality" puns, please.</td></tr>
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There are a plethora of <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/search/label/finishing">finishing</a> options out there that we've gone though, but you might wonder which one is "best" in terms of preventing fraying in the long-term. As you create garments that you might want to wear and wash often, durability of your seams might become a concern.<br />
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In order to test the durability of the various raw edge finishing techniques, I've created a test swatch. Each edge of the swatch will use a different finishing technique, and then it will put the swatch through the a machine wash/dry cycle multiple times and track the progress of the raw edge and see how it frays. Of course, I'm only testing raw-edge finishing, not any finishing technique that encloses the raw edge, like <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-single-fold.html">bias tape</a> or <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/french-seam.html"> french seam</a>, as those do not weather in a washing machine quite so badly since the raw edge is not open to the elements.<br />
<a name='more'></a>In order to carry out this experiment, I cut out a 6" square piece from a woven material that will easily fray in the washing machine. Using a permanent marker, I measured a ⅝" line representing the standard seam line inside of each edge, and then applied a different basic finishing technique to each:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTBr4FE9tDBXdPTyYAbfeyV5qpSvNJz5fSOPqKpvyO9MDP2442rOk5QY-PXdKBx8kj5v58xejwQcJl9Ieb5PKUNMbk23ATsmusN0YAr7lMUAplrRuiFZkyo8qhLLbgoUDvkKN_iY0Zgg/s1600/finishing_showdown_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTBr4FE9tDBXdPTyYAbfeyV5qpSvNJz5fSOPqKpvyO9MDP2442rOk5QY-PXdKBx8kj5v58xejwQcJl9Ieb5PKUNMbk23ATsmusN0YAr7lMUAplrRuiFZkyo8qhLLbgoUDvkKN_iY0Zgg/s1600/finishing_showdown_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The contenders:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hp_PFnQV77RVNz4zd5MsF6Lgks6sWVVeaGtK_v6Luj-_hkmwkz2TCAvIf7Fi3OK16tpIzAtuQ3CaX7oaChxfvA9NIoi_w19Dm-QxIchVtLH2JrBx8EVVlIq8VOIbNYUSnI3sntPCocY/s1600/DSC01477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hp_PFnQV77RVNz4zd5MsF6Lgks6sWVVeaGtK_v6Luj-_hkmwkz2TCAvIf7Fi3OK16tpIzAtuQ3CaX7oaChxfvA9NIoi_w19Dm-QxIchVtLH2JrBx8EVVlIq8VOIbNYUSnI3sntPCocY/s1600/DSC01477.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machine Zig-Zag stitch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8OCW83UEAnIzOG7s2VrxcTqXwPruJQktLPNI8-B76iHl3ekYGkTrk9nE4AQuJEAnftLPkJPB2jVTa-JWkN965gubmwu5lzDi8gbSW55LP6mStFG7t6XfpBx0DewW77hKrvc5ryVMltA/s1600/DSC01479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8OCW83UEAnIzOG7s2VrxcTqXwPruJQktLPNI8-B76iHl3ekYGkTrk9nE4AQuJEAnftLPkJPB2jVTa-JWkN965gubmwu5lzDi8gbSW55LP6mStFG7t6XfpBx0DewW77hKrvc5ryVMltA/s1600/DSC01479.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/pink.html">Pinking</a> (apologies for the poor photo quality)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45X45DIQ40NI0khXqB9NEMwy5DmmepukleufAlx5VyO5TPhWbK_MjLpOci8Mf06KFOcpLXl8YRYwuniEEgIP48eTwk7nYy9YCKtVefdmQTUJ7Q_ZwAffiPqjoMDJ0mDygMB1hnvgrlXI/s1600/DSC01478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45X45DIQ40NI0khXqB9NEMwy5DmmepukleufAlx5VyO5TPhWbK_MjLpOci8Mf06KFOcpLXl8YRYwuniEEgIP48eTwk7nYy9YCKtVefdmQTUJ7Q_ZwAffiPqjoMDJ0mDygMB1hnvgrlXI/s1600/DSC01478.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machine Overlock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFgS8CQrjr-nH9hp-kp0-wTqal9RcnTr7jQZupC_jRsHOVup5V3xR-rtwrUUfI_YsAgVY0Z3cBsKmtoL-M0lT0Y27lVGoVMTOyHeSuFg-wK3C_mx60is96G9W1WwD1IgD-R2qv4ekSD0/s1600/DSC01480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFgS8CQrjr-nH9hp-kp0-wTqal9RcnTr7jQZupC_jRsHOVup5V3xR-rtwrUUfI_YsAgVY0Z3cBsKmtoL-M0lT0Y27lVGoVMTOyHeSuFg-wK3C_mx60is96G9W1WwD1IgD-R2qv4ekSD0/s1600/DSC01480.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fray-stopping adhesive</td></tr>
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I then put the square through the washer/dryer cycle several times with regular loads of laundry, without trimming or cleaning up the edges in between. I did iron the swatch so that we can have a clearer picture of what's going on, but that's it. Here are the results after the first, third, and fifth trip through the laundry:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Round 1!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosX3uk4X8AFc4zmyr5WscKWm9Ic8-KHoKIyFi3ScS2jn0fFx2u4bjPWoISkl0kNc7s9mlEP0amyFacaZtFLaVObBIafTDaedWSuD6iYCSV9DDAxrNBRQHHVqV7lmT3JwN5EIi-GdAsn4/s1600/Pink_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosX3uk4X8AFc4zmyr5WscKWm9Ic8-KHoKIyFi3ScS2jn0fFx2u4bjPWoISkl0kNc7s9mlEP0amyFacaZtFLaVObBIafTDaedWSuD6iYCSV9DDAxrNBRQHHVqV7lmT3JwN5EIi-GdAsn4/s1600/Pink_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
(click on any image to enlarge)<br />
Pink suffered right out of the gate -- it appears that while the form of the pink held, the actual cross-threads did come loose, even past the inside of the sawtooth pattern. This does not bode well for pinking in the future. If it holds and doesn't fray past this point, then it could still be something of a low-rent contender for finishing, otherwise, I would only recommend pinking for something that will never see a wash/dry cycle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfN-0eIZoaX67PCE6NDtXsM_qUs2NL63FXkrLcDrv_C3ur8WVKd4eTzoA3Vj-ZBHVyG9WO8j27YzQ5xyojX7AVlT1pkFyDLX7s-EgvsJM1h2jZYx6aUeMO6EoRrF6Rtc6kSQ0P5kAb5P8/s1600/Fray-Away_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfN-0eIZoaX67PCE6NDtXsM_qUs2NL63FXkrLcDrv_C3ur8WVKd4eTzoA3Vj-ZBHVyG9WO8j27YzQ5xyojX7AVlT1pkFyDLX7s-EgvsJM1h2jZYx6aUeMO6EoRrF6Rtc6kSQ0P5kAb5P8/s1600/Fray-Away_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
The fray stop adhesive did exactly what it was supposed to do. Running it through the wash/dry cycle did not seem to compromise the adhesive, and it kept the threads from unraveling. We'll see how it holds up in multiple washes, but even if the adhesive holds strong, it will probably not be a good default solution for garments as it is more expensive than thread, doesn't "neaten up" a cut edge like the other finishing candidates, and you may find it to have a strange tactile quality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6X5Fm1ma9NTQFlwnv5G299RlxJ1eGzonuheh-0CM7j7JeQhPSXYKgje59aXmlgICgOHuKUX2TtfnuQfpfkdtkMUYBEeJz6PTlFXFEDGxAGsvTvlOyeRHacDRPHUvxvScAvwTLX5-nzs/s1600/Zig-Zag_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6X5Fm1ma9NTQFlwnv5G299RlxJ1eGzonuheh-0CM7j7JeQhPSXYKgje59aXmlgICgOHuKUX2TtfnuQfpfkdtkMUYBEeJz6PTlFXFEDGxAGsvTvlOyeRHacDRPHUvxvScAvwTLX5-nzs/s1600/Zig-Zag_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Zig-Zag stitch did admirably as the "beginners finishing stitch," as we saw in the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/fabric-and-you.html">Fabric and You</a> post, using a zig-zag stitch to bind the cut edge of our purchased fabric is good enough for a single wash-dry cycle at the very least. The raw edge <i>did</i> fray up to the zig-zag, but was stopped in its tracks there. How long the zig-zag stitch will continue to hold the fray in check is now the primary concern.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqjTcjv80EJsvF1RDo211nUZfzifwuwEhvhEuTdgpqJl4me8pZSaz7DbYlJJVcIqLrOW738w0wUz8f7KGoDov28N9QL1QZ4uGGMHOKPHBWJKA4MeCxYNKrTUCwGmaje8zY00nFrlvP7A/s1600/Overlock_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqjTcjv80EJsvF1RDo211nUZfzifwuwEhvhEuTdgpqJl4me8pZSaz7DbYlJJVcIqLrOW738w0wUz8f7KGoDov28N9QL1QZ4uGGMHOKPHBWJKA4MeCxYNKrTUCwGmaje8zY00nFrlvP7A/s1600/Overlock_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Next to the fray-stopping adhesive, the Overlock was the clear winner in this round. The thread that locks around the outside of the overlock stitch did exactly what it was supposed to do, and stopped the fabric from even beginning to fray. A few stray threads have escaped here and there, but we're not seeing any of the unraveling that we saw in Zig-Zag or Pink with the Overlock stitch.<br />
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Of course, all this could change with repeat washings. On to...<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Round 3!</span><br />
(wait, what happened to round 2? Oh yeah, I'm only doing odds.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokG6IWOpsCYutNrp3dKoxQbdgIRivZZPQcfniWXehY0hhrs5y4doq6dlxzTDkC8dDQP2T30vUG6954ddYqnoMvFCPtEt2aBqvEVpl3YM20z_XDtEAAUhGr6gX3xPaGssjNgqZIvI22QU/s1600/Pink_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokG6IWOpsCYutNrp3dKoxQbdgIRivZZPQcfniWXehY0hhrs5y4doq6dlxzTDkC8dDQP2T30vUG6954ddYqnoMvFCPtEt2aBqvEVpl3YM20z_XDtEAAUhGr6gX3xPaGssjNgqZIvI22QU/s200/Pink_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hello, thumb shadow.</td></tr>
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Once again, Pink is not looking too hot. The good news is that the fray appears to only have advanced a small amount, but it's still unraveling a bit. As I explained to mom on the phone while I was describing the experiment, I don't know if I'll ever pink on a project again, and she agreed--that with the finishing options on most modern sewing machines, not many people opt to pink for this exact reason. But the important thing is that a) you have it as an option, and b) you know what you're getting into.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A01M0eO3BAINuIUVDQrlxEXzcnNhdFeZ5JiLmElqVyLR1rITXtKWmKzCWO_h-Qxc6r5L5IrEE02DTRdX8a88vmhoi4oakrCVhjoLa_qRbcy9-UhUGrGZdnkFOf4Hu4b3HG28yyu3PHI/s1600/ZigZag_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A01M0eO3BAINuIUVDQrlxEXzcnNhdFeZ5JiLmElqVyLR1rITXtKWmKzCWO_h-Qxc6r5L5IrEE02DTRdX8a88vmhoi4oakrCVhjoLa_qRbcy9-UhUGrGZdnkFOf4Hu4b3HG28yyu3PHI/s200/ZigZag_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The Zig-Zag stitch is holding its own. The fray is definitely "pounding the shoreline" so to speak, but it has not broken through and begun to eat away at the allowance.I think the secret to a good Zig-Zag stitch is getting it as *close* to that raw edge as possible. Yesterday I wore a wrap skirt that was an early effort, and I had a little unintentional fringe going on along my hem because I had the zig-zag too far back and there was a lot of fraying along that edge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXeB0ryJ6o38RfXYi0cTj7U-FDYRiC1VqYh7ciuN84IuTRy0vcyfDAvYWoWz5uF7F_8xn2fugh-WDreKiM9ekI0ubq7ceALMCKNJCbCWa9xWh0v66rhLHxRHpYc4PDRN_e8a15RFaPWc/s1600/Overlock_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXeB0ryJ6o38RfXYi0cTj7U-FDYRiC1VqYh7ciuN84IuTRy0vcyfDAvYWoWz5uF7F_8xn2fugh-WDreKiM9ekI0ubq7ceALMCKNJCbCWa9xWh0v66rhLHxRHpYc4PDRN_e8a15RFaPWc/s200/Overlock_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Overlock is still doing admirably. You can see the fray wanting to start a little bit at the edges, but it's being held pretty firmly in place by that lock thread. We're still seeing a few stray threads here and there, but they're being kept well in place and the finish is holding strong.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHVaU0om71Q5y8uHogGBbmW2ihhs0HXuWSofLPwEkTEFovMOW-0qMhQD9zeds8wr_JtLMUQqM6hyphenhyphenVGuvfpWQOhsczGgnPqOMkVO-6f2kWId6m1XBtPEz5Zr8fb_ucwbLrV9ywAp4-kYs/s1600/FrayAway_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHVaU0om71Q5y8uHogGBbmW2ihhs0HXuWSofLPwEkTEFovMOW-0qMhQD9zeds8wr_JtLMUQqM6hyphenhyphenVGuvfpWQOhsczGgnPqOMkVO-6f2kWId6m1XBtPEz5Zr8fb_ucwbLrV9ywAp4-kYs/s200/FrayAway_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Surprisingly, the fray stop adhesive is starting to show a little bit of a beard. I was expecting the adhesive to be the clear winner in terms of actually preventing fraying, but to be disqualified for general use because it's an adhesive, it's too consumable (you would have to budget for buying more of it every few sewing projects in addition to the thread you would have to buy anyway), and the possible unpleasant tactile feel of the adhesive. But if it's starting to lose its integrity, overlock might run away with this one. We'll name the winner after....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Round 5!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mBE3705SY5I4xdjGIv3vhBPYgZe3SFtqSxqT0DDMmf1NsTVJ_LWaNI1-JJKgG-b7ioiPwGzjGLkydGYpXTXJaySPR1lDbnr52GlgSHPD3g2wPoLBOlQOOh4X4TOtwCjwxGl6KsPn63M/s1600/Pink_5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mBE3705SY5I4xdjGIv3vhBPYgZe3SFtqSxqT0DDMmf1NsTVJ_LWaNI1-JJKgG-b7ioiPwGzjGLkydGYpXTXJaySPR1lDbnr52GlgSHPD3g2wPoLBOlQOOh4X4TOtwCjwxGl6KsPn63M/s200/Pink_5.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>LAST PLACE:</b> Well, we can definitely count Pinking out as a viable form of finishing. Our cute little sawtooth is basically a poor-man's fringe at this point, while the fabric might not be <i>as</i> frayed as fabric that was not pinked, it's certainly not keeping things nice and neat. I was so shocked at how poorly it did I actually worried that I had done it wrong and had to review my technique. My suggestion: Do not spring for a pair of pinking shears, especially if you expect to machine-wash your garments.<br />
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<b>THIRD PLACE:</b> Anti-fray adhesive has started to fall dramatically behind as a means of keeping a raw edge from fraying. Mom suggests using Fray-Away to secure a buttonhole before cutting, but it does not appear to have long-term staying power for raw-edge applications. After the third wash, the adhesive seems to have given up and now the fabric is beginning to fray and unravel normally.<br />
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<b>SECOND PLACE: </b>Our little Zig-Zag stitch! Now, this is with an important caveat: the further away from the raw edge that the zig-zag stitch is, the less effective it will be. If you use a zig-zag stitch, practice to get that sawtooth stitch as close to the raw edge without slipping off that you can. The zig-zag on the test swatch sees a little "fuzz" as the fabric has frayed up to the zig-zag stitch, but has basically stopped it in its tracks, but if you have it more than ⅛" from the raw edge, the unraveling strings are going to create a very messy look, and might even create enough of a purchase while washing to break through the zig-zag.<br />
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<b>FIRST PLACE:</b> <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/overlock.html">Overlock</a> is the clear winner here. You can see the fabric trying to fray in between the locks, but it just can't seem to get going, and it still looks like a nice, clean line even after 5 trips through the laundry. If your machine has an overlock stitch, this is definitely the way to go for having clothes that will last.<br />
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So that completes the raw-edge finishing showdown, if you have any other techniques you would like to compare, let me know in comments!<br />
<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-9261918217696521882013-03-10T18:44:00.001-07:002013-04-08T12:30:45.800-07:00Slipstitch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes, you will find yourself needing to join multiple layers of fabric invisibly without the sort of access to the interior that would make the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitch</a> an option. For example, you're sewing a self-enclosed facing piece to a collar, or you've turned out a tie belt and now you have to close the little bit that you used to pull the belt through with. To do this, you have to use a hand sewing technique called the Slip-Stitch.<br />
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The slipstitch is a <b>hand-stitch that starts from the back (interior) and goes through all the layers of fabric except the frontmost (exterior) layer of fabric, before coming back up through all layers to return to the back.</b> Generally, you want to put your finger behind that last layer of fabric and if you feel the needle prick your finger, you pull back just enough to feel that layer of fabric "slip off" before pushing the needle back towards where you put it in. This means that the stitch remains "invisible" to the outside of the garment. It also means you'll learn the value of "light touch" very quickly or you'll need to get in good with your local blood bank (I've always been an elbow-grease kind of girl myself, this is a new horizon for me).<br />
<a name='more'></a>I recommend using a smaller, thinner needle for this -- a larger, thicker needle is going to be harder for the fabric to slip off of, and will make a bigger hole in your finger if you get carried away.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Practice It...</span></div>
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It's always a good idea to practice the slipstitch before you have to perform it for real--this is a tricky stitch to master! All you need to do is create 3+ layers of fabric to join. You can do this by copying the little pocket I created in the video, or simply by folding some fabric in half and then folding it in half again, and then picking which side you want to be the front and which side you want to be the back.</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-83613793698330463022013-02-25T12:00:00.000-08:002013-03-23T09:45:10.027-07:00French Seam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGyTeUcE5Ee0YNqkzg03tcbvzUrH7mFRKDsX2Hzg30TUOKv0_1YW5v_VCidDaTC24MhufTUhs8ldIYpW_Gb1JxRW6YT_KHGEMc8vmjtMRqhIyVOqwiNVabgc9eqSP74QE-7yp8Gs-if0/s1600/french+seam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGyTeUcE5Ee0YNqkzg03tcbvzUrH7mFRKDsX2Hzg30TUOKv0_1YW5v_VCidDaTC24MhufTUhs8ldIYpW_Gb1JxRW6YT_KHGEMc8vmjtMRqhIyVOqwiNVabgc9eqSP74QE-7yp8Gs-if0/s1600/french+seam.png" width="200" /></a></div>
For the most part, we've been working with the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">Plain Seam</a> for our projects. There are some limitations to the plain seam, however. Because the raw edges are exposed in the seam allowance, it's not the first choice of seam for something like an unlined jacket where the interior of the garment may become visible as the wearer takes the item on or off in public. Similarly, for very lightweight fabrics that fray or ravel very easily, even an <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/overlock.html">overlock</a> might not be enough to keep the raw edge from coming apart. For these scenarios it is recommended that you use a French Seam, which encases the raw edge inside of the seam allowance via a second seam. The French Seam is also the preferred seam method for sewing household projects like pillowcases. It's got a few more steps in it than the plain seam, but it's not tricky and will definitely neaten up your allowance for your garments and create a more professional look.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Equipment:</span><br />
You don't require any special equipment for a french seam, but I heavily recommend you have two kinds of fabric markers: One that <i>will</i> iron off, and one that <i>won't.</i> This is because we will want to clearly mark both seamlines in advance, and in between stitching your seams, you will be ironing and you don't want your second seamline to iron off when you do so.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 1: Mark your seamline and ¼" inside the seamline</span><br />
On the <b>wrong side</b> of your fabric where you are going to make the seam, mark your regular seamline (⅝" unless otherwise specified in the pattern) with some tailor's wax or other marking pen. Then, on the <b>right side</b> of the fabric, mark ¼" closer to the raw edge from your seamline (so for a ⅝" seamline, you would mark a line at ⅜").<br />
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If you're using tailor's wax, make sure that the <i>regular seam line on the wrong side of the fabric </i>is done in non-white tailor's wax, since you don't want it to come off when you iron in step 4.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 2: With the <i>wrong sides</i> together, stitch the exterior (⅜") line</span><br />
For the plain seam, you're used to wrong-sides out, but because the french seam folds back on itself, we actually start wrong-sides together for this first step. Using a regular, straight-stitch, stitch along the exterior line that you made on the right side of the fabric. (Video after step 3)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 3: Trim the seam, clip the curves if necessary</span><br />
Now we trim down the seam allowance to about ⅛". Don't go right up to the seamline, but you want the allowance to be very slim. If you are stitching along a curve, it's not a bad idea to clip those curves. For more on trimming the seam and clipping the curves, see <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/trim-seam-clip-curves.html">this post</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 4: Iron the remaining allowance to one side and then turn the piece inside-out and iron again</span><br />
Take the piece over to your ironing board and open the pieces up like you would a plain seam. However, rather than pressing your seam allowances <i>open,</i> you will take the iron and press the seam to one side. It's not a bad idea to pull the side you're ironing towards tight to make sure that you don't accidentally iron a crease in the piece. Once the seam allowance is flattened to one side, flip the piece inside-out so that the <i>wrong sides are now on the outside</i> and iron again, making sure that the seam that you did in step 2 is on the edge of the fold and hasn't rolled in to one side or the other.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 5: Stitch along the interior seamline</span><br />
Take your piece back to the sewing machine and stitch along the remaining tailor's wax mark -- it should be about a ¼- ⅜" allowance depending on how your ironing turned out. Because this can be a variable number, I highly recommend marking this seamline in step 1, since this is the seam that "counts" on the final product as far as measuring and matching up is concerned.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Step 6: Iron again</span><br />
This is just a good idea--I believe the best way to do this is to iron the french seam to the side, although I know some people prefer to iron it flat. I think it depends on what you're making.<br />
<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-4585974355390943752013-02-24T10:27:00.001-08:002013-03-05T09:01:26.153-08:00OverlockThe overlock stitch is a popular, professional-looking way of finishing your raw edge. It's like a zig-zag stitch except each "zig" and "zag" are multiple stitches, and the exterior point will actually leave the raw edge to create a "lock" on the edge of the fabric. While most people think of Overlocking as something that is done on a serger or other high-end sewing equipment, in truth, if your sewing machine can do a buttonhole and a zipper, it can probably do an overlock.<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Machine</span><br />
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In order to do the overlock stitch on your machine, you need a machine that has the overlock stitch setting, and you need the overlock presser foot. The distinguishing feature of the overlock foot is there will be a very tiny bar running down the middle of the needle's hole near the right side. You want to line this little bar up against the raw edge of the fabric as you feed it through the machine. The needle will actually jump over this bar on it's last stitch on the outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpuKdc_i-CosIXH9VSjaUbR1qHvvXPy9pgvBxWjebwbyfLOStbxsa0uHT66bDawMgtg-cwxpoXojZVW5Hi7kkf1malk_FSKHcmg0Ne-q-hDIjzZgJbSAbalEDSN9q9wVF8cfm-seid1o/s1600/overlock+stitches.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpuKdc_i-CosIXH9VSjaUbR1qHvvXPy9pgvBxWjebwbyfLOStbxsa0uHT66bDawMgtg-cwxpoXojZVW5Hi7kkf1malk_FSKHcmg0Ne-q-hDIjzZgJbSAbalEDSN9q9wVF8cfm-seid1o/s1600/overlock+stitches.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not to scale, obviously</td></tr>
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Different machines will have different stitches for performing the overlock, check your instruction manual and your presser feet options.. The stitches you're looking for will have a zig-zag quality. The idea is that the point of the zig-zag will extend over the raw edge and create a thread lock and prevent fraying.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hand</span><br />
To hand-overlock, come in from the back on one end of your raw edge. After that, you will always put your needle in at the front, but when your needle is still going through the fabric, pause and loop your extra thread behind the needle. When you pull the needle through, it will create a locking thread along the raw edge of the fabric.<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-54045816551147350122013-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:002013-08-27T19:05:27.436-07:00Trim seam, clip curves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My experience is that before doing an <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitch</a> or turning a seam inside-out, there is usually a step that says "Trim seam" and if the seam isn't on a straight bit of fabric, it's followed by "Clip curves." This can be across any number of layers of fabric and/or interfacing. All this means is that you are going to trim down the seam allowance from a previous seam, and then make notches in the curves of the allowance. This will help ease folding the fabric over to prevent wrinkles or bunching.<br />
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When you trim the seam, you basically want to trim it to where there is still a little bit of allowance for you to do your understitch through, so don't take it right to the seam, give yourself about ¼"-⅜" of an allowance, depending on how comfortable you are with your sewing machine--smaller is better. Even if you're not doing an understitch and you're simply turning the seam inside-out, you don't want to clip right up to your seam simply because it will increase the chance of the seam coming undone.<br />
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Furthermore, you want to cut the seam on a bit of a bias to help ease the fold. I usually tilt the scissors away from the seam while I'm cutting, about a 45° angle to help ease the fold under in the later steps.<br />
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After you trim the seam, you want to clip the curves. This means that you create a series of notches around the curved edge of the seam allowance. Do not break the stitch that you did, however. The tighter the curve, the more clips you want to make and the closer together you want them to be, but generally I find every inch or so is fine for most of the notches.<br />
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After you do this, there is usually an ironing step before you stitch. When you iron, pay attention to how the outside of the garment will look. If you can roll the exterior seam to the inside by just a hair, it will usually result in a more attractive garment.<br />
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Finally, you can <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/basting.html#pin">pin-baste</a> (if possible) and <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitch</a> as you would.<br />
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For more on finishing raw edges, see <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-facing-piece.html">Finishing a raw edge with a facing piece</a> and <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/finishing-raw-edge-with-single-fold.html">Finishing a raw edge with single-fold bias tape</a>. Both of these instructions involve trimming seams and clipping curves.RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-11883368352294768832013-02-20T20:41:00.000-08:002013-02-20T20:41:00.567-08:00Pink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the simplest ways to finish a raw edge is by pinking the raw edge. Pinking uses a special pair of equipment (called Pinking Shears) to create a saw-tooth edge to the fabric, which discourages fraying.<br />
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Unlike stitching methods of finishing a raw edge, <b><i>you don't want to pink</i> before<i> you do your seam</i></b>, because doing so might wipe out the notches you cut out and then you won't be able to line up your parts accurately. Instead, pink after you've put the seam into place and the notches are no longer necessary for lining up the pieces.<br />
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To pink, you simply cut along the raw edge with the pinking shears, creating the sawtooth pattern as you go. Try to line up the sawtooth as you go and avoid interrupting a tooth.<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-62034780053712141282013-02-19T19:18:00.003-08:002013-02-19T19:18:49.519-08:00Ironing basics<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man isn't afraid to let loose a blast<br />of steam. It gets the wrinkles out.</td></tr>
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This post is a little late in coming, but it's probably worth it to get out there.<br />
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As mentioned in the <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/11/sewing-basic-equipment.html#iron">basic equipment post</a>, the iron is the most important piece of equipment for successful sewing. Here are the some of the things you will need to iron even as a beginner:<br />
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<li>You fabric after you've washed and dried it, <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/fabric-and-you.html#ironing">before you cut it</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/stitching-seam-basics-plain-seam.html">Plain seams</a> are usually ironed open or in a particular direction. In fact, most seams require ironing in some capacity.</li>
<li>You better believe you need to iron your hems into place.</li>
<li><a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-fusible-interfacing.html">Fusible interfacing uses an iron</a> to melt the glue and join the interfacing to your fabric facing piece.</li>
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So it's safe to say you'll need to be comfortable with your iron. Irons don't have to be fancy, but generally speaking, the heavier the iron, the better it is. Get distilled water to fill your iron with, so that sediment doesn't build up and block your steam vents.</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-24347367523847089992013-02-19T12:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T12:00:05.080-08:00Finishing a raw edge with single-fold bias tape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In our <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-make-simple-sleeveless-top.html">first project</a> we did some work with single-fold bias tape, but here's a separate article on it just for ease-of-reference. Bias tape is a simple way of finishing a raw edge that does not require a seam or a hem, and does not need structural reinforcing through facing. Armholes on a sleevless shirt are a good example of when to use single-fold bias tape.<br />
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Bias tape is, simply put, a thin tape made out of fabric that has been cut on a bias (45° from the selvage). It is then folded and pressed in a gatefold with the "wrong side in." You can make this yourself if you have enough extra fabric from your project (post on its way), or you can purchase bias tape from the notions section of your local fabric store (Note, there are many different varieties of bias tape: for most beginning garment projects, you want <b>½" wide single fold </b>bias tape -- check your notions on the pattern). Try to get bias tape that matches your fabric's design or color as closely as possible.<br />
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You're going to see "stock instructions" every time your finish an edge with single-fold bias tape because it follows the same basic 3 steps, so here's what they mean:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Purchased bias tape is usually double-sided, meaning that the interior of the bias tape is indistinguishable from the exterior. The instructions will refer to the RIGHT and WRONG sides of the bias tape, however. The side that is on the <i>inside</i> of the fold is always the WRONG side of the bias tape, whereas the outside of the fold is always the RIGHT side.<br />
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The first instruction is to usually open up one of the sides of the tape. Even though it's named "single fold" bias tape, bias tape does in fact have two folds on it. It doesn't matter which side you unfold, but this side becomes the "crease" (the crease of the opened fold), while the remaining folded in side becomes the "fold."<br />
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Obviously, the tape is going to be a long, rather unruly strip to work with. So don't worry about unfolding the entirety, just get a couple of inches open and then continue to unfold ahead as you work. Similarly, you might be tempted to pre-measure the amount of tape you'll need and then cut so you don't have the whole spool to wrangle with -- I would highly recommend <i>against</i> this as, if you mis-measure, you will end up wasting a good deal of tape. Just be patient and don't try to do it all at once.<br />
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The next step contains a series of parts to it and it starts with pin-basting the bias tape to the outside of your garment's raw edge. We're going to want to lap our ends of the bias tape, so start at a seam and lay one end about an inch behind the seam as your work away from it. You'll place the RIGHT side of the bias tape (the flat side, not the side opposite the left side) against the RIGHT side of your raw edge (the outside of the garment), using your seam gauge and measuring so that the <i>crease</i> from unfolding on side in the previous step is ⅜" (1cm) from the raw edge and the fold is on the outside from the raw edge (double-check your pattern instructions to verify this allowance. Obviously, if the pattern says to use a difference allowance, use that!). Because the allowance from the crease to the edge of the bias tape is only ¼", this means that there will be some of your fabric peeking out from between the edge of the bias tape and the edge of the fabric. This is fine. <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/basting.html#pin">Pin-baste</a> the tape into place along the crease. If the bias tape folds in after you've pinned, that's ok, just flatten it back out as you stitch later on. Work your way around, carefully checking with your seam gauge to make sure that the crease stays ⅜" from the raw edge, until you return to where you started. At this point, you want to overlap the existing bias tape by about an inch, and then cut it. Now, with the overlap, you want to fold the the top piece under (it still want to overlap the flat piece) and then pin it into place.<br />
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Now, take it over to the sewing machine and do a simple straight stitch along your crease line (<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/fixing-your-stitch.html">fix both ends</a>).<br />
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Next, you want to trim the seam and clip any curves. I recommend shaving off the ⅛" allowance between the end of the edge of the bias tape and the raw edge. If you want to trim off the bias tape, I wouldn't recommend trimming off more than ⅛" of that, just to prevent yourself from nicking your seam. For clipping the curve, you want to create a notch or two in the curved parts to help prevent bunching when you fold the tape over. Remember: Don't break your stitch!<br />
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With your curves clipped, you're now going to flip the bias tape over to the inside along the seam you just created and pin-baste it into place. At this point, both folds will now be enclosed between the fabric and the bias tape, if the tape is single-sided, the "right side" will be all that shows, and the raw edge of your end will be neatly enclosed in the lap.<br />
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When you stitch, you'll want to stitch through the remaining fold so that it doesn't unfold and peek out. Remember, the bias tape is ½" wide, and the fold is about ¼" on the inside, so if you stitch ⅜" from the raw edge, you should neatly lock up the fold without slipping off of one side or the other. I generally do this as a top-stitch from the outside, but if you're still getting comfortable with precision-stitching, you might want to do it from the underside so you can keep better track of your allowance. Sometimes, the instructions will tell you to baste before you do the topstitch, I'm not overly-fond of topstitching over a baste-stitch (it creates ratty stray threads that are a pain to clean up), so I just use a pin-baste for this. If you aren't comfortable with pin-basting, do a hand-baste at the absolute edge of the inside of the bias tape, and then machine-stitch just inside the hand baste, then remove the hand-baste.<br />
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-80325509555478235692013-02-18T12:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T19:08:30.979-08:00Finishing a raw edge with a facing piece <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHDetcs-6tReeUzm-zyKhAtn4UDOXwZWcI0u3xEpynVpALjNk6rnAq0lPLhBNJMzl2aTrKbsPGtMzUGhKRiEr6QJpGoMveDevv-iLNjBPjrox7ztZxvDp3dnu6rzBzisNMmoVOJOucUY/s1600/Simplicity2938A_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Sometimes, you will have a collar or armhole that requires finishing with a facing piece that is <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/working-with-fusible-interfacing.html">backed with fusible interfacing</a>. For beginner's patterns, these steps generally follow a set procedure. Working with fusible interfacing (as opposed to finishing with bias tape or other method) gives a collar structure and form, but does require several steps to see through. Fortunately, this a fairly simple procedure, as long as you take each step carefully, you will have it down in no time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHDetcs-6tReeUzm-zyKhAtn4UDOXwZWcI0u3xEpynVpALjNk6rnAq0lPLhBNJMzl2aTrKbsPGtMzUGhKRiEr6QJpGoMveDevv-iLNjBPjrox7ztZxvDp3dnu6rzBzisNMmoVOJOucUY/s1600/Simplicity2938A_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHDetcs-6tReeUzm-zyKhAtn4UDOXwZWcI0u3xEpynVpALjNk6rnAq0lPLhBNJMzl2aTrKbsPGtMzUGhKRiEr6QJpGoMveDevv-iLNjBPjrox7ztZxvDp3dnu6rzBzisNMmoVOJOucUY/s1600/Simplicity2938A_0006.jpg" /></a>The first part is, obviously, is to fuse the interfacing piece to the wrong side of your matching fabric piece. Follow the link above for more information on how to do this. Once you've backed your fabric piece with interfacing, put the RIGHT sides of the pieces together as indicated in the diagram, matching notches where applicable, and then stitch them together with a regular ⅝" (15mm) seam or whatever is indicated in the pattern. Press your seams open, and then turn the right side under ¼" on the interfacing side to finish the outside edge. Stitch it in place-- most patterns use a straight-stitch, I prefer a zig-zag for this particular application.<br />
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Now that you've gotten your facing piece cleaned up, it's time to attach it to the garment. Turn your garment <i>right side out</i> and then pin the right side of the facing to the garment as indicated in the pattern instructions (obviously, if it's a collar interfacing, pin it to the neckhole, if it's an armhole facing, pin it to the armhole). You want the RIGHT SIDE (fabric side) of the interfacing pinned to the RIGHT SIDE (outside) of the garment. It will create the seam when we turn the facing piece to the inside, see. When you've pinned it, do a regular ⅝" seam (or whatever is indicated on the pattern) around the neckline/armhole.<br />
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After you've gotten the stitching in, you want to "trim seams/clip curves." What this means is you trim down the allowance between the raw edge and your new seam, you want to do it at about a 45° bias (if you are able) to help ease the fold. Generally, I trim between ¼"-⅜" from the allowance. You don't want to trim right up to the edge of the seam, because that will make the next step more difficult than it needs to be. When you're done trimming the seam, you "clip the curves," which means clipping notches into the curved edges of your allowances. <i>Don't break your seam when you cut the notches in!</i> Get those notches as close to the seam as you're comfortable with but don't break that stitch! You want notches every inch or so, depending on the severity of the curve.<br />
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Once you've finished trimming the seam and clipping the curves, fold the interfacing under so that the interfacing itself is enclosed between the fabric facing side and the interior of the garment. Press it into place, rolling the seam just to the interior of the garment so that it's not visible to the outside.<br />
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Then, unfold the facing piece again, and press the allowance towards the fold. Take this over to the sewing machine and stitch along the remaining allowance, through the interfacing piece, getting as close to your original seam as you can without intersecting with it. This <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/understitch.html">understitch</a> will help keep the interfacing piece in the right spot, without creating a visible topstitch around your collar edge which might roll forward and look funny.<br />
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Watch the below video if this instruction seems a little funny--I find the picture that comes with the pattern to be a little confusing.<br />
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Finally, you want to prevent the collar piece from rolling or popping out by securing it. You can do this two different ways: first by "<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/02/stitching-in-ditch.html">stitching in the ditch</a> " (which is a straight stitch through an existing seam), and second by tacking by hand along a curve. I would recommend stitching in the ditch first, and then tacking by hand as necessary. If you are making a garment that is a solid color, do not tack by hand unless your thread matches <i>perfectly,</i> otherwise, the stitch will stand out. But to tack by hand is just to make a couple of tiny little hand-stitches that will secure the collar into place.<br />
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Your facing piece is now in place!RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-50667895811936179322013-02-17T19:39:00.001-08:002013-02-17T19:39:34.244-08:00Working with fusible interfacing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many patterns will require interfacing to reinforce a particular panel or structure in the pattern--think of it as hairspray for fabric. Collars and lapels are popular candidates for interfacing for the new seamster. For our purposes early on, we will always be working with <i>fusible</i> interfacing, which is applied to the fabric with an iron. Interfacing comes in a variety of weights, most of my early projects have focused on using <i>lightweight</i> interfacing.<br />
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It's not a bad idea to just have a few yards of<b> lightweight fusible interfacing</b> on hand for your sewing projects, rather than buying it on a per-project basis, but of course, your patterns will tell you how much you need so it's hardly a requirement, and sometimes the amount of interfacing your need and the pieces are so small that you can use scraps from a previous project. You don't need to worry about finding "the grain" of the fabric with interfacing.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Fusible interfacing is a woven material on one side, and then a heat-activated glue on the other. because of this <i>you do not want to pre-wash your interfacing when you pre-wash your other fabric. </i>You will also want to avoid ironing your interfacing until you are ready to apply it.</div>
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You will be able to determine the glue-side fairly easily simply by touch. The fabric side of the interfacing will be smooth, whereas the glue side will be a little bumpy. If you examine it carefully, you will be able to see the little beads of glue as well. </div>
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<b>Always iron on the fabric side of the interfacing, do not iron the glue directly or you will have a mess to clean up!</b></div>
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Typically, interfacing is cut out using an existing pattern piece, so that it will have a "mate" with the cut-out fabric. You will want to follow the instructions on the pattern's <a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-basics-of-cutting-out-pattern.html#interfacing">cutting layout for the interfacing</a>. Sometimes, you will need to review interfacing instructions as interfacing will only use a portion of a fabric piece, but this will be indicated on the pattern and the cutting layout.</div>
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Interfacing is an invisible feature of the garment. Sometimes it is fully-enclosed by fabric (for example, most lapels) and sometimes it is folded under the interior of a a garment (for example, a front collar). In either event, unless the pattern specifies otherwise (and I have never seen one do so), you will match the interfacing to the fabric, laying the <i>glue-side</i> of the interfacing against the <i>wrong side</i> of the fabric. Make sure you match notches and dots just like you would when piecing together any other part of your pattern.</div>
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If the interfacing is going to be fully-enclosed, the pattern will usually tell you to clip the corners of the interfacing to better turn out the corners when it comes time to turn your collar or lapel (etc) inside-out.<br />
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Once the interfacing is in place, take a nice hot iron and lay it on the woven side of the interfacing, pressing down firmly to help form a bond. Let it sit for a couple of seconds to melt the glue to the fabric (bearing in mind not to burn the fabric if you have a more delicate fabric), and then lift the iron and place it on another part of the piece. Continue doing this until you have covered the entire piece. <i>Do not push the iron around or you might accidentally nudge the interfacing off of its fabric mate before the glue has set</i>. Once you have secured the interfacing with the glue, you can iron normally.<br />
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Now that you're done, you should have one "right side" of the fabric, and then one "facing side" which is the woven side of the interfacing. This piece is now called the facing piece. </div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-55995067173373957962013-02-10T07:46:00.003-08:002013-02-10T07:46:39.761-08:00Stitching in the DitchIn order to secure a under-laying piece in place and keep it from shifting or unfolding, sometimes a pattern will instruct you to "stitch in the ditch." What this means is that you will perform a <b>straight-line<a href="http://ditchstitcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/topstitch.html"> topstitch</a><i>, </i>regular-length stitch<i> </i>right down an existing seam line.</b> This helps to hide the stitch on the finished garment.<br />
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Before you start stitching, I would line up the needle using the manual knob on your sewing machine so that it will go right into the "ditch" created by the existing seam.<br />
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Video below the fold...<br />
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<b>Practice It...</b><br />
In order to practice stitching in the ditch, take a practice simple seam, iron open the allowances, and then, with the wrong side on the inside, fold the seam onto itself (as shown in the video).RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-886833121229696652013-01-21T08:10:00.000-08:002013-01-21T08:10:10.614-08:00How it works<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also: Magic</td></tr>
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<br />RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376776537010819978.post-22173328528995695982013-01-19T13:00:00.000-08:002013-04-15T07:05:15.168-07:00Philadelphia's Fabric RowMy work takes me back to Philadelphia (which I called home for several years) regularly if not frequently. At least every three months I head down, see my friends at the office, and check in with old friends that I made while I was living in the City of Brotherly Love. There are also a few shopping trips I try to make while I'm back in my old stomping ground, and with the exception of the occasional grocery from the Reading Terminal Market, I find that almost all of my "must haves" are on 4th street just south of South street. Of course, the House of Tea is on my to-do list, but for sheer "I'm going to get in a ton of trouble now" you can't beat Fabric Row.<br />
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If you start at Jim's Steaks at the corner of 4th and South (which is, frankly, not a bad place at all to start), you can walk south. As you filter past the body-modification shops and used record stores, you'll find yourself increasingly surrounded by a bunch of small, independently-owned fabric stores that specialize in high-quality, low-priced fabric. Some of them, like B. Wilke, focus on upholstry and decorating fabrics. Some stores specialize in bridal and special occasion fabrics. Further south are my two favorite all-purpose stores: Jack B. Fabrics and Maxie's Daughter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack B.</td></tr>
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You know how in some movies, a book-lover will enter an old book shop or library and find themselves in a sort of sanctum of tomes, where the ceilings are 15 feet high and the shelves reach all the way up, and the stacks are so close together that you have to walk through them sideways? This is what Jack B is to Fabrics. They carry all sorts, from heavyweight upholstery fabrics to draping sheers to poplins to embroidered silks. The fabric shelves are so tight together you will literally have to squeeze through them to get to the linens on the far wall, or point to one of the employees in the hopes that they know a trick to getting to it, and they stretch high above your head. The fabrics wind through the back of the store, and it's thanks to them that I made a little notebook for myself to keep in my purse that has the various patterns I have, the fabrics they use, and the amount of fabric for each pattern I need, because while you're browsing, it's easy to realize "oh! I could make a skirt out of that!" or "hey, this would make a great jacket!" The staff are a hoot, they go after one another mercilessly (highly entertaining) but are very helpful and know their way around. While I was there today I got some poplins for $5-6/yd, and then a faux-linen for about $8/yd. <b>Update:</b> On April 6 2013, a 3-alarm fire engulfed Jack B. Fabrics. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxie's Daughter</td></tr>
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Maxie's Daughter is a block north of Jack B. This place is a little smaller, not quite as cramped, but has some very impressive stuff. They guy who runs it is a sweetheart and sold me everything for just $8/yd. This included a nice black stretch knit, some peachskins, some stretch denim (requested by mom), and a fabulous border-print stretch knit that I'm going to make a skirt out of. He had heavy houndstooth wool (which I would go for if I didn't have an allergy), and beautiful soft cashmere. While his selection isn't as broad as Jack B, he really pays attention to particulars and will offer breadth of options for a particular fabric. The staff will happily search the stacks with you looking for just the right fabric to match your current project. He specializes in vintage fabrics and draperies, but he's worth a quick browse if you have any sewing projects or "favorite patterns" that you would like to revisit with a different fabric.</div>
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There are a lot of great things about fabric row: The organized chaos, the inescapable feeling like you're treasure-hunting, the hysterical ball-busting that goes on between employees. But I think my favorite thing about fabric row is that the merchants don't squabble and poach from one another like you might expect. You would think that in a close environment like that, Store Y would try to prevent their customers from even going to Store Z by trash-talking Store Z's selection or quality. But this doesn't happen. The staff at B. Wilke will happily point you to Jack B. or Adler Fabrics if you're not finding what you need at their store, and vice versa. Each store is confident enough in its own selection and understands that the customer will buy what they like wherever they find it that they don't feel threatened by each other. As the woman who was helping me at Maxie's Daughter said as I mentioned I was going to check in at Jack B, "We're all family."</div>
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So here's the thing: Philadelphia is worth a visit on its own merit. It's got fantastic restaurants (where, unlike New York City, you can eat one of the best meals of your life without having to dip into your retirement savings), and some great museums, an arts district, and of course there's history out the yin-yang. So even if you can't just head out to Philadelphia for a day, the city has plenty to entice you to stay for a long weekend. But if you're out there and you're at all into sewing, you must take a few hours to enjoy fabric row. </div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10728313067721133184noreply@blogger.com0