Sewing Lessons & FAQ

[KittyT]

I'd suggest this for sundresses or evening wear, with dresses you most likely
would be happier wearing without a bra. It helps to have a lining to sew the pads to, but with something unlined, it may be possible to tack them to the dart
or seam.

Or use fashion tape! lol

 

[SugarKitten]

So bias tape and I are enemies, I think that's all there is to it. I've got a house dress for my mom about 2/3s together, started bias taping and bam broke a needle. Replaced it with a needle of the same size, and sewing stops working.

I test on a piece of scrap and it works, I try doing just a plain old seam (interior, thankfully, at least) and this is what I get:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q98/EJM_AEA/IRL/Iphone124.jpg

Any idea? that's the underside, so it looks like it's fine, but that's happening on the backside until the excess thread jams the needle.

I swear I am a one-woman boon to the needle-making industry.

Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

[crwritt]

Sugarkitten, sometimes you just have to completely unthread the machine, remove the needle, dust the bobbin case, oil where needed, and put it all back together. Be sure you're not missing any thread guides, and that there's no stray thread getting down inside. Also be sure your needle is properly positioned, all the way up inside the clamp, and you have tightened the screw.
Loops on the back side of the fabric means your top tension is loose, so check that the thread is properly going through the tension device.
Modern packaged bias tape is usually made of cotton poly blend fabric, and it has sizing or starch on it. This can cause skipped stitches and other problems.
If you run a damp sponge over your bias tape and press it with the iron you can get some of the starch out of it.

 

[KittyT]

Machine darning

I just picked up a reprint of a book called "101 Things For The Housewife To Do - 1949" by Lillie B. and Arthur C. Horth at the Vermont Country Store. It's also available on Amazon and contains a ton of tips for things you would expect, but also a lot for things that you would not expect a housewife to do, like refinish a floor, mend electric cords or build a medicine cabinet.

I'll be posting tidbits around the Lounge in various threads!

 

[Tourbillion]

sugarkitten:

Loops on the bottom are usually a result of lack of thread tension (possibly because it is threaded incorrectly). You should make sure there isn't any thread or lint stuck anywhere in your machine too.

If you did everything that crwitt said (good advice btw) and it still does that then try tightening the tension. You could also have a worn out bobbin, if it has a nick replace it. If it is still uncooperative then the problem may be a broken tension disk (it is usually a spring, and it can become unsprung with time).

Here is a pretty good troubleshooting list: http://www.sewingsupport.com/sewing-machine-troubleshooting-guide-title-page.html

 

[KittyT]

Sugarkitten, awhile back I was also having this issue. Getting my machine tuned up fixed the problem.

 

[SheBear74]

I haven't started this one yet, but wanted to see if anyone has some tips on sewing a swimsuit. Joann's has some swimsuit fabric which is what I had planned on using. I notice there is a zipper in the back of this suit. Could I leave that off since the fabric will be stretchy?

 

[kamikat]

Yes, I have sewn several swimsuits. You need to first make a muslin in a stretchy fabric before cutting into your expensive fashion fabric. Modern swimsuit patterns are design with lots of negative ease because modern suit fabrics are stretchy. Early suits were designed for cottons and nylons with little or no stretch. I haven't made a 60's suit, so double check the recommended fabrics. If the patterns suggests stretchy fabrics, then it will be easy to convert to lycra fabrics. If it suggests fabrics with no stretch, you need to make the pattern smaller to accommodate the stretch.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Oooo, oooo! I, too, am thinking of making a swim suit. I have an early 60s pattern, and it calls for cottons, but has a nylon lining in the bottoms. We only have a Hobby Lobby in town, and they don't have anything remotely close to swim suit lining material.

My 9-year-old daughter actually suggested I just get some nylon undies that fit right, and use them for the lining. Thoughts and suggestions on that idea? Even though it's made of cotton, the suit bottoms are only elasticized and have no zipper or buttons. The top buttons in the back.

 

[Sickofitcindy]

I've just finished my fourth swimsuit. I second what Kamikat said and wanted to mention that you should use polyester thread and swimsuit elastic as they will last longer.

 

[SheBear74]

Thanks for the tips! The instructions recommend cotton so I will need to make a test one first.

 

[SheBear74]

As I was thinking about this more another question popped to mind. If you where to make this would you use swimsuit fabric or the recommended fabric. I do want to use it and I have never worn a suit that wasn't swim fabric. How would cotton and a zipper hold up to salt water?

 

[kamikat]

Honestly, I don't think I'd make one from cotton. The cotton would hold water and not dry as quickly and you'd be walking around the pool with a saggy bum until it dried.

 

[SayCici]

Is there any type of jersey similar to what was used um, back then? There's rayon jersey on sale at JoAnn's and I like their colors, but it looks very lightweight, like uber.

 

[kamikat]

Is there any type of jersey similar to what was used um, back then? There's rayon jersey on sale at JoAnn's and I like their colors, but it looks very lightweight, like uber.

Wool jersey, or possibly doubleknit would have been used as swimsuits. Today, wool jersey and wool doubleknit is typically only found in very high end independent fabric stores and online. Wool doubleknit is a dream to work with, very stable, and can be used with most patterns that call for a woven fabric.

 

[SayCici]

Ooookay. I need to line a sleeveless bodice for a dress I'm making, and there are a lot of different guides/tutorials online but none with pictures and they're so confusing! I just tried to hash it out by myself and um.. had to leave it alone and go away for a while. Any tips ya'll can offer?

 

[Lauren]

I guess it just depends on how fast you want it or how tailored... Threads tutorial looks good.
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4971/a-shortcut-to-great-linings
Pretty much the fastest way I've found is to assemble all but the sideseams, then do those last. The key, I've found, to linings keeping their place is to stitch all the seam allowance at the neck and underarm towards the lining piece- using a 1/8" topstitch... like they say. Makes that edge crisper somehow so it doesn't keep peeking out, or at least it helps.
Gosh, I'm such a visual learner it's hard for me to explain online, too.
Ah ha! This is what I meant... look at the slideshow on this:
http://danvillegirl.blogspot.com/2007/12/sleeveless-dress-with-lining.html

 

[Lady Day]

Cut the bodice, then cut the lining from the same pieces. Match them up on the inside by seams/darts, etc, and tack them together. On the outer seams, fold the lining in slightly more than the outer fabric so the outer fabric is visible, and hand sew it all in using a blind hem stitch.

Thats how I do all of my linings. These are full linings, some things Ive seen have partial linings, but thats way over my head

LD

 

[Lady Day]

Okay, I could use some opinions.
The dresses that Ive recently made, Im pretty happy with, but the back is just one long gather across the waist line and creates a boxy shape. At first I was okay with it, but the more I look at it, the more I wonder if it would be worth it to shape it up some.

Im not talking taking the dress apart (WHATEVER) but perhaps a second row of gathers, creating a shirring effect in a way? I have a few patterns that do that and it might be an interesting treatment an inch or so above the belt.

Thoughts?

LD

 

[GoddessMama]

I think two evenly spaced box pleats on the top would look lovely on the back and it wouldn't affect the over all fit while giving more shape to the back.