Wednesday 26 August 2015

Sewing Tip 7: Embroidered Dog Pocket Tutorial

Perfect Twirling Nightie with embroidered, cheetah fleece, boxer dog pockets

One of the required elements of my daughter's Perfect Twirling Nightie was "something doggish". Another was the inclusion of a small piece of soft, cheetah print fleece. "Boxters" are her favourite dog; how about um... cheetah print, boxer dog pockets...? It was a stretch, but nothing else came to mind!

Not knowing much about what dogs really look like, I searched the web for a picture to use as reference, sketched it to size on two sheets of tracing paper and went to work. Briefly considered hand embroidering the motif, but I really enjoy freehand machine embroidery, so that is what I did.

Thread, stitching test sample
Hunted in my thread drawer for something appropriate, and came up with a mystery spool of bulky, silver-wrapped polyester (?), origin unknown, marked only "Made in Taiwan". At this point I did a test sample and chose to ignore the warning signs. My trusty machine was not amused: the tension could not be properly adjusted; the thread shredded and broke in any needle I tried, including a big-holed topstitching needle and a heavy jeans needle. I spent so much time re-threading the machine it would have been faster - and far more relaxing - to do the embroidery by hand. And when it was all over the silver barely showed. Back to the thread drawer... 

This time I came up with three oldish spools of Coats coral-pink cotton - one for the bobbin thread, one for the stitching, and one just in case. My machine was pleased. Stitching the pink over the silver was easy and fun.

Here are the fine points of making this pocket:
Fleece, silk organza, fleece, tracing paper, Solvy, diagonal basting. Sweet woodruff

Silk organza supplies stability between the 2 layers of fleece, which are diagonally basted together. Fusible interfacing would work, too, but I didn't want to squash the fleece. The design, sketched onto tracing paper, is diagonally basted on top of the sandwich. Finally, a layer of water-soluble Solvy is (yes, diagonally) basted over the whole thing. The outline of the pockets is cut after the embroidery is completed. For freehand embroidery basics click here.
The right side, embroidery finished, prior to clipping thread tails

After stitching the motif, remove most of the Solvy by ripping it off like a Bandaid: bravely and quickly. Remove the shards of tracing paper and Solvy bits with tweezers. 

If you do not want any thread tails to show on the right side, do the following: clip the centres of the thread tails and pull through to the back by gently tugging on the bobbin thread tailsAvoid the temptation to trim the threads close to the fabric: they will fray and show on the right side. A pin or slim scissor point can help coax the threads through to the back.
The wrong side, all the threads pulled through

Leave thread tails about 1cm long and they will be more likely to stay at the back, where they belong. Short-trimmed threads will "un-sew" themselves, showing up again on the front of the work. Consider tying reef knots before trimming, if the tails are long enough. For extra security, a tiny dot of Fray Check will keep them in place, though I've rarely bothered.
Pocket opening finished, ready to be attached to garment. Solvy sheet extends onto garment

To finish the pocket opening, zigzag with Solvy folded over the edge. The Solvy will keep the stitching flat and not warble the fabric. Hide thread tails on wrong side of pocket.
Reinforce ends of stitching with circles of fabric on back. Tie off ends
Place pocket on garment, pin in place, then diagonally baste yet another sheet of Solvy on top, extending onto the garment. Remove pins. 

To reinforce the garment at the opening of the pocket, on the back place a loony-sized circle of fabric to be caught in the stitches. I used fleece. Baste - or pin, if you will remember to feel under the work with your fingers to make sure the circle does not flip over while stitching.

Use a zigzag foot for best accuracy, but a regular foot will do the trick, too. Zigzag from the right side through all layers, overlapping stitches at the pocket opening, and being careful to keep the zigs and zags centred - just barely going off the edge of the fleece onto the garment. 

Remove Solvy. Pull thread tails to back and tie off. Press, using a pressing cloth, just in case. Any excess Solvy will disappear with the first wash.








Monday 24 August 2015

Garment 14: Perfect Nightie

The perfect twirling nightie - in theory
Raw materials, before editing
The nightie is finished. Or so I thought. It is perfect - or so I thought. It has all the requirements set out by my daughter when we began the project, three months ago: it is made from fabric she tie-dyed last summer at day camp. It has maximum swirl and length, elasticized wrists, cheetah print fleece and something doggish.

So why won't she wear it? She likes it alright, despite the pink stitching on the dog pockets. (Why did you put pink? Grey would have been better.) That it's itchy is all she will tell me - but she won't keep it on long enough for me to figure out how to fix it!

"Boxter" dog pocket tutorial here
(Freehand embroidery, silk organza and lots of Solvy)
Are the raglan sleeves too high? Do they cut into her pits? I could sew in a gusset. Perhaps the wrist elastic is too tight - an easy fix. Maybe it's the surface design: fine, meandering soutache anchored by loose, invisible stitching. That stuff can poke like fishing line. A cotton lining might take care of it, or the soutache could be removed completely - a big, boring job, just right for bus rides.

If the itchiness could just be pinpointed, this project could be checked off my list and I could get on to the other two biggies: Blossom's corset, and the Humatrope collar. Then start the next thing - a presentation for the BCPWS conference in October: My Holland: Projects Inspired by My Children's Special Needs. (Iffy about the title...)

Sigh. Silly me to think I was finished.

********************

Two days later - tonight she is wearing the nightie for the first time. Fingers crossed, I wait, wondering if the source of the itchiness will be revealed. She yells down the stairs: Mom! It is absolutely comfy!

Joy! It would seem time heals all itches, too. Corset, here I come!

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Sewing Tip 6: Rick Rack (Puzzle 5/5)

I like rick rack for its homey, happy look. It's a must for aprons, adorable on children's clothing, and - used judiciously - playful on grown-up wear, too. It's sweet sewn flat, but especially charming turned so the scallop shows from beyond the edge of the garment. Here are some pointers for rick rack in general, and a scalloped edge in particular:
Scalloped, circular edges - from front and back.
Joins blend smoothly. Trim tails after topstitching (not shown)

  • Cotton rick rack will shrink and possibly bleed, so remove it from the package, zip it into a lingerie bag and run it through the washer and dryer with a load of like-coloured laundry. Use water hotter than you intend to use for washing the finished garment. Resist the temptation to skip this step: a puckered garment is not charming.
  • Synthetic rick rack should not shrink or bleed, but it could. Pre-shrink or live dangerously - up to you.
  • After washing and drying, the rick rack will likely be warbly, tangled and curled up. Take a breath, gently tease it apart (it won't be as hard as it looks), give it a press with hot iron and steam, and you're ready for the fun part.
  • When applying rick rack to a circle (e.g. neckline, armhole, skirt hem), bend the cut edges into the seam allowance, overlapping the beginning and ending of the length of trim like an X. The join will be hard to find from the right side. Expect the cut edge to fray slightly when washed. This is part of the charm.
Diagonal baste before stitching, for best control.
Stitch along centre of trim for even scallops
  • Rick rack tends to move around while stitching. To best hold it in place, pin, then diagonal baste rick rack to the garment, right sides together. Remove the pins as you baste.
  • Sew by machine, keeping eye - and therefore stitching - focused on the very centre of the rick rack, slightly ahead of the needle. This is the secret for even scallops. Don't let the waviness make you drive off the edge! Keep looking where you want to go and that is where you will sew - just like driving.
  • Press flat from the wrong side to set the stitches, then turn the raw edges under, and edgestitch to secure. If you sewed straight down the middle, just the scalloped edge will peek out. Charming.
Puzzle Top, made of scraps and old rick rack
  • This method works well with stable, non-fraying, slightly stretchy fabrics, like the polyester double-knit of the Puzzle Top. For a more attractive, finished interior, serge the raw edge, leaving up to a 1cm seam allowance, before applying the rick rack along the seam line. Be sure the centre of the rick rack does not touch the serging threads, or they will show after turning: not charming. Note: rick rack is not stretchy; be sure the garment will fit easily over your head.
  • Firmly woven fabrics, since they have no stretch, will not lie flat when curved edges are finished by turning and topstitching this way. Use a facing, instead. First, stitch the centre of the rick rack along the seamline, as above. Next, apply the facing, right sides together. Sew from the garment side, following exactly the stitching line from the rick rack. Clip the curve so it will lie flat when turned. Do not clip the rick rack - it bends. Charming, and a clean finish on the inside, too.
I'd been waiting a long time to use the hand-me-down, muted, soft, cotton rick rack from my stash. It seemed a perfect match for the Puzzle Top - a riff on my grandmother's rick rack-trimmed housedress - and adds a charming touch, if I say so myself.

Puzzle 1 Button Tutorial
Puzzle 2 Blatant Advertising
Puzzle 3 What and Why
Puzzle 4 Puzzle Top Tutorial

Thursday 6 August 2015

Sewing Tip 4: Puzzle Top How-To (4/5)

Fun to make, and used up a whole whack of useless stuff
The Puzzle Top consumed three riveting weeks of spare time and brain-power. Here are all the nerdy construction details.

Since I like the fit of the Garden Gnome Top, I started with a copy of that flat pattern - minus the sleeves - placed on the mannequin to get a good look. Snip, slash, spread, trim - after adjusting the length, width, neckline and armholes, the new pattern was trued, marked with grainline, and traced. Full front and back pieces were taped together at one side seam and placed on a padded table. The scraps were then arranged - held in place while working by loosely pinning into the padding. There were two rules:

No Cutting Allowed

Grainline Must be Maintained

What I envisioned as a 20-minute frolic of deftly flinging and rearranging scraps into place, took 3 painstaking days. There were plenty of cuttings to choose from, but most of them were the wrong shape, wrong colour (too much red!), or on the wrong grain.

Once the placement was finalized, I held my breath and removed the pins. A layer of lightweight, water-soluble Solvy was laid over the work, pinned, then diagonally basted with cotton thread to each scrap along each join.
Full back and front pattern pieces, abutted at one side seam, scraps placed, covered with Solvy and diagonal basted.
The red plaid, with narrow "bridge", is my favourite: such a useless snippet
Have you discovered Solvy yet? Solvy is a nifty, plastic film-like stabilizer commonly used for appliqué or machine embroidery. It comes in different degrees of stiffness, and in different manners of disappearing: by water, heat or tearing. I use it often, mostly to prevent distortion when sewing tricky fabrics or doing freehand machine embroidery. In this case, the Solvy held the puzzle pieces in their correct alignment during the machining - a triple zigzag along each join.

The stitching was mindless fun. I chose second-hand, silver, cotton thread from my stash, and had almost enough, with only a little cheating near the end with mismatched bobbin thread.

Next, the pattern was laid on top once again, and the edges were marked all around with a running stitch*. To form the flat puzzle into a 3D garment, the scraps at the remaining side and shoulder areas were overlapped exactly the right amount, and in the correct orientation, by matching these running stitches. The scrap-flaps were diagonally basted in place then checked on the mannequin before zigzagging.
*Super-Sewing-Geek note: a couture pattern has no seam allowances. When the pieces are laid on the fabric, the edge of each pattern piece (i.e. the seamline!) is marked on the fabric with a short-short-long running stitch, before it is cut - with seam allowances gauged by eye. In couture sewing the seamlines are matched, rather than the edges of the seam allowances.
Would-be shoulder seamline, marked with pink running stitch
Rick rack holds bust shaping in place after easing,
and delineates the neckline and armhole
From the inside: raw edges at the underarm: no cutting!
The plaid patch hides the button stabilizer behind the pocket
At this point the garment was rigid from all the Solvy, so it was sent through the washer and dryer to remove the stabilizer before the Moment of Truth: the first fitting.

Since the original, unaltered shape of the scraps dictate the curve of the neckline and armhole, I planned to leave the wonky, raw edges unfinished to celebrate this feat. However, once it was washed, I didn't care for the fit of the armhole at the bust. To fix this, a row of basting stitches was run along the baggy areas. With the garment on the mannequin, the thread was pulled up to ease the gaping, creating bust shaping, which was then held in place by some lovely, hand-me-down, cotton rick rack. The rick rack was turned under and topstitched, so only the points are seen. The uneven fabric edges no longer showed, but rule #2 decreed the urge to trim them must be resisted, so they were left to tell the tale.


Lastly: the pocket, made from a buttonhole test, was attached with the triple zigzag. The button was given a sturdy shank using silk buttonhole thread, anchored from the wrong side with a folded square of silk organza, so it can't pull through. This is hidden by another scrap, hand-sewn with herringbone stitch using the rest of the thread left in the needle after applying the button. The hand sewing wasn't entirely necessary; the thread was so smooth and lovely to sew with, I just didn't want to stop.

An ode to the importance of grain, I'm happy with how the Puzzle Top turned out. It reminds me of my grandmother and namesake, whom I remember in her rick rack-trimmed housedress, making heavenly bierock, cinnamon buns, and doughnuts. She grew fragrant sweet peas in her garden, and kept a vaseful on the table. This is my housedress, in memory of her.

Puzzle 1: Button Sewing Tutorial
Puzzle 2: Blatant Advertising
Puzzle 3: What and Why
Puzzle 5: Rick Rack Tutorial

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Garment 13: Estate Donation 3: Puzzle (3/5)


Polyester double-knit: all the optimism of the hippy movement, in easy-care wash-and-wear

Background

Twiggy - swinging girl

Here's a puzzle: what to do with a large garbage-bag full of too-small-to-bother scraps of Early Space-Age textiles. None big enough to be a pocket: they should have been chucked when all the pieces of the A-Line Twiggy dresses - and later, the plaid, Mary Tyler Moore pant suits - had been cut. But they weren't, and here they were, 50 years later, in a black plastic bag between my knees, as I sorted donations at Our Social Fabric. An estate donation - I didn't know we had received it, so there hadn't been a chance to thank the donor, or ask my usual questions: who was she? What did she sew, and for whom?

I had only the clues in the one bag, and I wasn't learning much: she sewed. A lot. She liked colour, texture, plaid. She was fashionable, and - despite the unrestrictive fashions of the time - no doubt usually uncomfortable: nearly every scrap was 100%, non-breathing, abrasive-textured, double-knit polyester. She must have been perpetually chafed and sweaty. But she looked good. If not a little pilly.

Mary Tyler Moore - working girl


I wondered: was she on the bus? Did she work? Did she love the Beatles? And why did she save those scraps? What was it about the pieces - too useless, even, for the OSF Free Bin - that caused her to keep them all, and for so long? Too small for garments, not absorbent enough for rags. Not for patches... polyester doesn't wear out. What was she expecting to do with them? I took them home to see if they could tell me their purpose. If not, I would have to throw them out.

It seemed wrong to chuck such hopeful fabric, when it had waited so long: hopeful colours, hopeful patterns, hope for equality, for love, peace and change. Hope for the future. With all that hope, could the pieces really be so hopeless? But there is nothing at all useful about a massive bagful of dinky, ugly, non-absorbent, abrasive, polyester off-cuts... except maybe to piece together like some wash-and-wear, perma-press, crazy quilt. Or something more useful... like a housedress... Or an apron... Or a pop-over! Well! What else could I do?
The back - what a load of scraps!

No scrap was altered in the making of this utilitarian, pull-over pinafore. What you see is exactly what I found in the bag: strange, jagged cuts; long, narrow strips; tapering slivers of psychedelic colours - the negative shapes that remained from making all those fabulous outfits. Three days' sifting produced the right interlocking pieces to accommodate the curved edge of the neckline, armholes and hem. Good thing I like puzzles.

Grain, the Music and Being on the Bus

But wait: there's more! The hang of a garment depends (almost) entirely upon the grain of the fabric, which, in the case of double-knit polyester, should run perpendicular to the floor. This made for tricky scraps placement. Not only did they need to conform to the outline of the pattern, but each piece had to be on grain to prevent wobble and twist. Luckily, there were lots to choose from, and I had Jake Bugg to keep me company!

Jake Bugg
Jake Bugg: the young English singer who caused me to realize we may not be going to Hell in a hand basket, after all. What a relief.

Instead, we are riding the same wave of hope the Beatles rode with everybody else who was on the bus - the Beatles so far in front they seemed to be pulling the wave. They channelled the zeitgeist of the time, providing a sound track to social change that was rooted in hope. That wave crashed, but now is cresting again, and with the aid of information technology it's many times more powerful. Artists like Jake Bugg and movements like Our Social Fabric are riding along with it. These are very hopeful times; we might just yet clean up the mess we're in.

Who is Jake Bugg? He is not his influences: the Beatles, the Everly's, Don McLean, Johnny Cash, Donovan, Neil Young or Hendrix. He is not Dylan, though I see the comparison. But he is special like them. He intrigues me for his honesty, modesty, sharp commentary on his own experiences, and his indifference to public opinion. Like the Beatles, the important thing is the music.
Read the Rolling Stone review of Jake Bugg's first album
Listen to a song: Broken (start at 53sec)

Pattern and Sewing

Solvy, diagonal basting, on freehand embroidery sample
The design was done the usual way, by altering a flat-drafted pattern on a mannequin until it looked just right. However, the sewing is unconventional. There are none of the usual seams. The scraps fit together to form the 3-D shape, sewn edge to edge, without seam allowances. A whole lot of Solvy and diagonal basting* was employed in the construction, as well as some old, abandoned rick rack, which provides the bust shaping and delineates the neckline and armholes. For sewing nerd details, click here.
*You might be wondering: what is diagonal basting? It's a revelation, that's what: the best stitch ever for holding pieces exactly where you want them, prior to machining. It is also quick, and uniquely satisfying.

Pocket and Button

"Buttonhole test" pocket
The hip pocket is made of a buttonhole test, found with the scraps. (What did she save that for?!) The cheap-ola, plastic button - original dingy thread intact - came from a garment discarded decades ago. A new shank was created with special thread from a flight attendant - a friend of a friend - who flew in the days when stewardesses were required to be trained nurses and wore high heels and pillbox hats. On layovers she bought sewing goodies: silk buttonhole thread - lustrous and delightful for hand sewing. Some of the tiny spools are now mine.

Sewing the button on this top caused me to ponder two ways to sew on buttons. One results in a tiny, recurrent thrill, and utilises a toothpick. The other is nifty and quick. Which one did I use?
Spot the two fabrics not from the scrap bag. 
Hint: Cygnet and Authorship

Note to Jake

Thanks for reviving my optimism and for helping me finish this puzzle. More music please! I'll keep checking to see what you come up with next.


Size S-M. Available
For a hand-copied pattern, please contact me.
Good photography by Jeff Minuk www.lostinkits.com

Puzzle 1: Buttons Two Ways - Tutorial
Puzzle 2: Blatant Advertising
Puzzle 4: Puzzle Top Tutorial
Puzzle 5: Rick Rack Tutorial

Tuesday 4 August 2015

Puzzle 2/5



A New Garment

and

Sewing Nerd Details

Coming Soon

Featuring such riveting topics as:

Problems with Early Space-Age textiles
Being on the bus
Pattern-making and draping
Rules of engagement

Rick rack
Grain
An introduction to Solvy

Thread tracing couture patterns
Things that don't work

Grandma's baking

And more...

Check back soon, or be the first on your block to subscribe* to Enough Stuff
*scroll to bottom of Home Page, click "Subscribe"

(Thanks for reading!)

Puzzle 1: Buttons, Sewn by Hand or Machine
Puzzle 3: The Garment, Itself
Puzzle 4: Puzzle Top Tutorial
Puzzle 5: Rick Rack Tutorial

Monday 3 August 2015

Sewing Tip 5: Buttons - By Hand or Machine (Puzzle 1/5)

The intensely satisfying thread shank button - this one is especially stiff
I like a firm, meaty shank - the hand-sewn thread post that enables the button and buttonhole to fit together the way they were intended. Without one, the fabric under the button is strained - jammed up against the buttonhole, spreading it, causing the fabric around it to buckle and bulge, and the button itself to potentially pop off. A shank eliminates the strain, allowing the button and hole to work together to achieve their mutual goal.

Creating a shank is slightly more involved than other button application methods - but the hardest part is locating a smooth, round, wooden toothpick for use as a spacer between the button and the fabric. Keep one in the tool compartment of your sewing machine, and experience the recurrent thrill of satisfaction every time you button.


Hand Sewn, with Shank

The buttonhole easily straddles the button's shank
Here's how to do it:
Toothpick nestles between fabric and button,
leaving room to create the shank
  • with the toothpick inserted between the button and the garment, sew four or so passes through each set of holes.  Thicker fabric at the buttonhole needs a longer shank - loosen your sewing tension accordingly.
  • Remove the toothpick, resulting in slack thread and a toothpick's diameter of space between the now-wobbly button and the garment. 
  • Bring the needle up into that space.
  • Holding the button away from the garment by pinching the loose threads, wrap the thread tail several times around them, forming the shank. More wraps and thicker thread produce a more erect shank.
  • Finish off by passing the needle under the thread tail for the last two or three more wraps, forming overhand knots. Bury the thread between the layers of fabric and clip.


By Machine

Or do it cheap and easy - with your zigzag machine. This method is adequate for lesser garments and Halloween costumes, or for those who hate hand sewing more than they love a good shank.
Machine-sewn, no-shank button. Note humped fabric and diagonal thread between the sets of holes.
Unattractive from the front and the back.

    The position: medium zigzag
  • Drop the feed dogs so there's no traction when stitching. 
  • Set the machine to the medium zigzag, or "button" setting. 
  • Mark the garment exactly where the centre of each button should go.
  • Place the 2 or 4-holed button on top of the mark. Keep in position with a length of scotch tape* from above. This is important so the button doesn't shift, causing the placket to go out of whack.
  • Set the whole thing under the presser foot so the needle is exactly above a hole. Lower the presser foot.
  • Start slow. Hand-crank the first stitch. Once the needle is inside the hole, and you're sure the next stitch is going to zig, not zag, use the foot pedal.
  • Do 6 or 8 stitches. Some stop at this point, simply clipping the threads. The button will eventually loosen, and fall off.
  • Go all the way: leave 3 or so inches when snipping the tail. Tug gently on the bobbin thread to pull both tails through to the wrong side. Tie a reef knot: right over left and under, left over right and under.** Done.
    *personally, I would rather do the whole thing by hand than pick off tape shards afterwards and not even have a shank to show for it
    **learned that in Brownies
"Be Prepared" 
Brownie uniform buttons, c. 1973, 

A quicky with your machine will do the trick, but a leisurely shank-making session is a thing of beauty: be prepared with your toothpick handy in case the need should arise.
Three-way. Not sure where to put the toothpick...

Puzzle 2: Blatant Advertising
Puzzle 3: The Item, Itself
Puzzle 4: Puzzle Top Tutorial
Puzzle 5: Rick Rack Tutorial