Sewing Lessons & FAQ

[MarieAnne]

Is the dress sleevless? What kind of skirt does the dress have? If you take in the bust at the side seam, and the skirt has sleeves, you would have to take them out and alter them slightly as well. If the skirt is fitted you might be able to get away with simply taking in the side seam. If the skirt is gathered you should take it off first and then take in the waist at the darts and side seam. And then alter the skirt to fit the new waistline.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

Hi MarieAnne & thanks for your reply I thought it might be easier if you could see what i'm talking about so if you could take a look here i would be most grateful
http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.165651404.jpg

 

[BoPeep]

Mrs Cleaver, I agree with MarieAnne, you'd have to take off the skirt to do your alterations. Once separate the bodice could be taken in on the side seams and darts. The skirt would have to be adjusted as it has pleats and not simply a gathered waist. You may be able to deepen only the pleats that line up with the side seams and front darts though. Sadly, not a fun job.

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

Thanku Bo peep & Marie anne i appreciate your input.It sounds a bit much for a hopeless beginner like me & in reality i'd have to pay someone to do it so i decided to invest in a swirl instead Which is usually a little out of my budget but after buying my others i had to have more so i have been scrimping money away in case i found another that wasn't priced too highly, which i did ,yay (sorry for the slight topic diversion there)

 

[palespider]

hey ladies, i need some help. I JUST got some really cute fabric and think it would look great in a 1940s style dress pattern i have but the fabric i have is a bit sheer. I was wondering what would be the better and or authentic option to make up the dress, either to had a lining to it or have a slip under it or does it depend on the dress or where sheer dress not in fashion at all?

I dont have a picture of the pattern but i do have a picture of the fabric. any advice would be welcomed.

 

[Marla]

hey ladies, i need some help. I JUST got some really cute fabric and think it would look great in a 1940s style dress pattern i have but the fabric i have is a bit sheer. I was wondering what would be the better and or authentic option to make up the dress, either to had a lining to it or have a slip under it or does it depend on the dress or where sheer dress not in fashion at all?

I dont have a picture of the pattern but i do have a picture of the fabric. any advice would be welcomed.

Is the fabric cotton? If so, then it would have been used only for a house dress, and house dresses are never lined. It's much easier to slip on a slip! As a general rule (then and now), only "dressy" clothes are lined.

 

[Lady Day]

You dont have to line it. Make the sheer dress, just wear an underdress with it. Sheer dresses were pretty big in the 30s and 40s. An underdress is really just a heavier slip without the lace.

LD

 

[palespider]

thank you both! anot sure what it is, found it in the scrap bin at a flea market. couldnt pass it up.

 

[retrogirl1941]

Is the fabric cotton? If so, then it would have been used only for a house dress, and house dresses are never lined. It's much easier to slip on a slip! As a general rule (then and now), only "dressy" clothes are lined.

Actually......I own a 1940s cotton sheer dress and it is not a house dress. I have seen many cotton dresses that are not house dresses. Sundress and sheer dresses are what seemes to be made out of cotton most of the time becouse its hot in the summer and you want to be comforatble cottons is the best way to do that. There are always exceptions.


Samantha

 

[Lauren]

Ditto what the other gals say.. don't bother lining it unless you want to. I'd wager that unlined dresses were more common, especially during wartime with fabric shortages.

 

[Marla]

Actually......I own a 1940s cotton sheer dress and it is not a house dress. I have seen many cotton dresses that are not house dresses. Sundress and sheer dresses are what seemes to be made out of cotton most of the time becouse its hot in the summer and you want to be comforatble cottons is the best way to do that. There are always exceptions.


Samantha

Agreed, by the late 40s, and definitely in the 50s, cotton became an acceptable fabric for afternoon dresses. Before that it was mostly relegated to beach/play outfits rather than 'about town' dresses.

 

[retrogirl1941]

Agreed, by the late 40s, and definitely in the 50s, cotton became an acceptable fabric for afternoon dresses. Before that it was mostly relegated to beach/play outfits rather than 'about town' dresses.

Actually if you look at catalogs from the 1920s through the 50s you will see that sheer sotton and cotton sateen was very acceptale for afternoon dresses and out on hte town wear. Sheer cotton makes a wonderful afternoon dress fro summer when one wishes to be cool and pretty!

Samantha

 

[Lauren]

Agreed. They make really nice and cool dresses for all about town, especially when made up in lightweight batiste, or even eyelet.
In the 30s and 40s cotton was even used for summer eveningwear. I've got a few dresses like this.
I think it mostly depends on the drape of the fabric. It's not the heavier cottons like you see now in quilting cotton or was popular in the 1950s for dresses. It's generally harder to find cottons with a good drape at standard fabric chains, though sometimes I've had luck at Joann. I've used cotton shirtings for 30s frocks. Sometimes the sizing washes out and makes it have a better drape, but the quilting cottons don't hang as well for the afternoon dresses and do better for day/morning frocks.

 

[Lottie]

Hello Ladies, this might seem like a trivial question, but I really need your help..
I've got this somewhat shimmery, not too flimsy fabric I'm planning to make a 30s "evening" dress with... But y machine just won't sew it. Every time I try, this (or worse):

happens.
The needle just won't grab the bottom thread. I've tried every Needle thread tension, presser foot pressure and two needle sizes (14 and 10) but the best result I've been able to receive is what's pictured above.
The fabric is polyester, I think ( I know, I know.. But I couldn't afford splurging on 14€/meter fabric when I was going to need at least 3.5 metres of it ) and when I was pinning the pattern on it, I noticed that it was pretty hard to ove the needle through, if that's any help.

Please, please help a desperate seamstress who has to have a dress by saturday

 

[Lady Day]

Did you try a silk needle? I loath sewing on flimsy fabric, but you might need a tiny needle to work with the polly.

Also try completely re-threading the machine. See if that helps.

You *might* be able to use a stabilizer underneath the fabric, such as paper. Sew on that than pull it off, but for the whole garment, that would drive me crazy!

LD

 

[Tourbillion]

Hello Ladies, this might seem like a trivial question, but I really need your help..
I've got this somewhat shimmery, not too flimsy fabric I'm planning to make a 30s "evening" dress with... But y machine just won't sew it. Every time I try, this (or worse):

happens.
The needle just won't grab the bottom thread. I've tried every Needle thread tension, presser foot pressure and two needle sizes (14 and 10) but the best result I've been able to receive is what's pictured above.
The fabric is polyester, I think ( I know, I know.. But I couldn't afford splurging on 14€/meter fabric when I was going to need at least 3.5 metres of it ) and when I was pinning the pattern on it, I noticed that it was pretty hard to ove the needle through, if that's any help.

Please, please help a desperate seamstress who has to have a dress by saturday

Here is a checklist I found with problems and solutions:

Skipped stitches.

Thread tension is too tight.
Needle is bent or blunt.
Needle is wrong size.
Needle and thread does not match.
Thread take-up lever has not been threaded.
Light pressure on presser foot.
Incorrect setting of needle.

Correct thread tension.
Replace needle.
Replace needle with correct size.
Use proper thread or needle.
Check threading order.
Increase pressure on presser foot.
Reset needle.

http://sewandserge.com/tshoot.asp

You said your fabric was shimmery? Does this mean metallic? Metallics are difficult sometimes. Coated metallic Halloween knits are the worst offenders that I have worked with. The problems with skipped stitches I've had with metallics and knits that went away when I switched to metallic or knit needles. However, usually I find that with regular fabrics a new needle will solve the problem.

Needles can wear out really quickly, especially if you sew with synthetics. I end up buying a lot of different kinds, universal, microtex sharp, knit/ball point, metallic, leather, etc.

I've used paper like Lady Day suggests for an entire garment before too.

 

[Tenuki]

I agree with tourbillion's assesement and Lady Day on the stabilizer. Metallic poly is a bear to sew. I change needles each time I start a project. You didn't mention if you were working on the garment or a piece of fabric, but I would add that you work out the tension and needle issue on a sample.

On a completely different subject, I wrote a blog post about how I added the contrast trim to my NL6774 dress http://tenukihandcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/08/applying-contrast-trim.html

 

[Lottie]

Oh my, I totally forgot to thank you ladies for the advice! In the end, I sewed the whole thing with a newspaper underneath. The seams were still somewhat wacky, but at least I had something to wear
(pics will follow in a couple of days..)

I'm back with a new question, though- I just saw this dress:

And would like to sew a dress with a similar cutout dot detail (not going that far down, though )- but I have no idea how to face the cout outs properly (so that i'll end up with perfect cirles and not bumpy.. thingies.).
Are there any techniques for this?

 

[MarieAnne]

I'm not sure those cutouts are faced. It looks like the fabric may be a synthetic non-woven which wouldn't require finished edges. The cutouts are so crisp and smooth. Have you every considered radiating cutouts around the front neckline? That wouldn't be too tough to draft and face. I've seen the pattern before, I'll try to find it

 

[Lady Day]

Yeah...Im with MarieAnne. I dont think there is a way to do that with a natural fabric. Sans wonder under.

LD