Sewing Lessons & FAQ

[CherryRed]

Okay.

LD

LOVE IT!!!!:eusa_clap

 

[RaasAlHayya]

That's adorable, LD...you are so talented!

--Leslie

 

[RetroModelSari]

Okay.

LD

so damn cuuuute!!!

 

[LadyDeWinter]

Wow, LadyDay, you are an artist you can not only sew but also draw very good. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[BitterEpiphany]

Wow, LadyDay, you are an artist you can not only sew but also draw very good. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Right! I should send her my measurements and a check

 

[Lady Day]

Hello ladies.

Need an opinion(s).

Im gonna be making this dress.

Aint it just precious!

I want the torso to be a bit taunt so it will be a smooth fit (with proper undergarments of corse )

Im using a nice cotton (med weight) and Im gonna do one in a sheir fabric, with a cotton beneath. Now, would you line the torso with interfacing (bust excluded) and then line the inside of that with a lightweight fabric? Thats the way Im thinking of going.

Thnoughts?
Thanks,
LD

 

[crwritt]

I've found that the easiest way to do a hem on a circle skirt is to stitch completely around the skirt at the line you want for your hem. Fold and pin the raw edge of your skirt to the stitch line at the four points around the skirt. Then halfway between those points. Then halfway between those points, etc until your whole skirt is even.

Then fold up again at the hem line. Repeat process. Press/ steam. Continue Stitching down hem either w/ a blind hem or topstitch.

**Edit: You'll also see I've posted several times on here that I'm a fashion designer/dressmaker. Trust me- a circle skirt can actually be easy. Just keep pinning and keep pressing!! And don't get discouraged!!

This is good advice. It also reminded me to finishe a project. Yesterday we were snowed in, and I spent a couple hours finishing up a circle skirted dress that has been patiently waiting for me since this fall.
I find if I set the machine to a long stitch and set my finger on the fabric just behind the presser foot as I stitch, it gathers the fabric slightly. I stitched like this just 1/4" from the edge, and when I pressed up the narrow hem, (fold, press., fold, and press again), I had no problem with extra fullness. I hand sewed my hem, but could have done it by machine. No pins , even!

 

[hotrod_elf]

I have question

Should I line dresses that doesn't call for linning if I use a cotton fabric?

 

[Elaina]

Underlining is just a personal choice. There's advantges to it, like the drape of the material changes, and often helps inprove the shape and fit. If it's a fabric you like/love, lining can prolong it's life for the seams don't take the brunt of the wear (the lining does) and you can replace the lining instead of tossing the entire garment. The inside looks less homemade, and some of the most expensive garments are lined. Lining also removes the need for a slip.

There's a downside to it too: washing it becomes an adventure, and pressing even more so. If you don't tack the lining down really well, it can pull from the hem, causing it to have to be repaired. It's also time consuming, and the best tailored garment has many, many points of attachment (hem, seamlines) to make sure the lining moves with the garment and doesn't bunch or twist later.

So you just have to decide if you want the extra work.

 

[Lady Day]

I line just about everything. And Elaina made all the key pros and cons of the lining debate.

I often line the bodices in all my dresses. I dont like full slips, they ride up too much on me so I just wear a half slip. Most of my tube/pencil skirst, I made the lining right inside to avoid all said ride up. Just about everything I make is a cotton or wool, so there you go

Good luck H-R.

LD

 

[Elaina]

And, I, don't line tops, but line most skirts.

With my corset, it's cheaper to make/buy a full slip then to replace lining in the tops, and I (this is going to sound weird) safety pin the slip to the garters to keep it down. Of course, I often make combination slips from the 20's to avoid it completely (camisole/slip sets...2 pieces to avoid that whole mess).

 

[hotrod_elf]

I did line my daughters dress, but I think I might do the lining thing after I have a little more experince. I'm not feminen enough for slips. (not yet) The forum is slowly changing my persicptive on that whole idea. Or it's just old age coming in and making me more feminen.

 

[Lady Day]

And, I, don't line tops, but line most skirts.

lol oh yeah, I dont line tops eihter (thats a lot of fabric). *chuckles to self envisioning a lined oxford*

Let me rephrase:
I line bodices in most dresses, or the whold dress, pencil skirts, and super light (near sheer cottons). Im not a fan of slips, so I try to avoid them.

LD

 

[Elaina]

I knew what you meant, to be honest. But even in dresses, I don't line the bodices. I HATE lining, to be perfectly honest, because I hate, hate, hate hand sewing and I seem to have to pick them to get them to lay right. (I'm teaching my nearly 8 year old how to pick stuff, so he can do it. Yay.)

But I have a question for you all (if you don't sew, it's not a tech question, it's a styling one.)


I've been making this coat:

for a while, it's my project when I'm bored.

Well, I got to the cuff part, and another thing I dislike is pleating. I don't like doing it myself (although I can) and either I have to find a professional pleater in the DFW area, or I need to change the look of the cuff.

To that end, ladies, what do you think? Go with the pleating, as pictured in the pic, make a french cuff and add cufflinks, go with the cuff like it is, but not pleated (ala fluting of a sort) or something else? Any ideas? Since the sleeves are humongous, and the ruffle is just as large (and will cover my stumpy little hands) I have to adjust it anyway, and I'm not using the fabric for the coat, but the organza that's lining it (to reduce bulk, cause it's huge). Well, I was thinking it anyway. If I go with cuffs, obviously, it'll be the same material. So the question is: what will ultimately look better for this coat?

Thanks!

 

[Lady Day]

Rick Rack!

Just kidding. Id do the coat as it is described in the pattern. I hate pleating too, but this coat is a LOT of fabric, and time and craftsmanship. Do it the by the book way, then switch up the next one.

Thats my two cents.

LD

 

[Lauren]

I agree- though I think cuffs would look just as nice, especially if you got smaller frogs to match as closures.

 

[Lauren]

Should I line dresses that doesn't call for linning if I use a cotton fabric?

Nah, too much work. I only really line dresses if they're really constructed, call for lining, or I make them out of a wool or scratchy fabric. If it's neccessary to have more body and you want it smoother with no wrinkles if it's really form fitting, I'd interline it with a cotton or muslin. But if it's an everyday wash and wear dress I'd skip the lining unless you did it in a thin washable cotton.

 

[hotrod_elf]

Thank you Lauren and everyone

I'm almost finished with the dress and did not put a lining in it. The dress is an everyday wear cotton dress. Nothing fancy.

 

[GoldLeaf]

The post by NicolettaRose about her dress fit got me thinking.

I know that when reading the measurements for a garment (on ebay for example) and it says "36 inch bust" it would be most suited for a lady with a 34-35 inch bust so that it isn't super tight and uncomfortable.

However, with a pattern for a 36 inch bust, is it refering to the lady's measurements, or to the finished garment, which would most likely be larger than 36 inches?

I always assumed it was for a lady with a 36 inch bust with a finished size slightly larger.

 

[Elaina]

If you read the patterns, they show the finished measurements.

I have a pattern that says a 14 measurement is 36-29-38, BODY measurements, which measn if you have these measurements, then this is what size you make, the finished measurement is 39-30-40 according to the pattern. Ease is usually built in, unless they specify.

It's why you need to alter patterns to fit sometimes.