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Sewing Tips and Techniques
This week's vlog is all about you! Just before Christmas we invited you to ask us any burning questions and we promised to answer them in the New Year. So here are the answers and thank you for some really interesting questions. Also please do join in the fun with what will become a regular feature on the vlog and leave any questions you have in the comments below.
Hi and welcome to the Sew Essential vlog. I hope you're all well and managing to do lots of sewing. Before Christmas we ran our first Q&A vlog - an opportunity for you to ask us for tips and advice on sewing. Today I'm here to answer the questions from last time and also to welcome more questions. Q&A sessions will be a regular feature on our vlog so please keep the questions coming and we will be happy to answer them. Any products or blog posts I refer to in answer to your questions can be found on our website and blog and the links are below.
So the first question I have is from Kathleen Meadows. Kathleen would like to know how you finish a neckline using clear elastic and whether you would ever do that.
Funnily enough this very topic featured in last week's blog post about sewing with knit and jersey fabrics Kathleen. Yes you can use clear elastic to finish a neckline and it is particularly useful in the case of wrap dresses or tops. Line the clear elastic up with the raw edge of the fabric and gently stretch the fabric as you sew the elastic into place using a zig zag stitch. Alternatively, if you have an overlocker, you may be able to thread the elastic through the foot then sew it into place. Again make sure you stretch it slightly as you sew. You can then press the hem into place and finish with your preferred method. This is a really good tip for avoiding gaping necklines.
Ebany Smallwood wanted to know how to secure her stitching at the beginning and end when using her walking foot.
Ebany you mention that your machine does not allow back stitching with the walking foot, however, all machines should allow you to reverse stitch when using a walking foot. Our advice would be to check you have attached the walking foot correctly. If you are still having trouble you could use a fix stitch which sews two or three stitches in the same place. If your machine doesn't have the facility to do one of these you could try holding the fabric still and sewing a few stitches to create the same effect. As always test on scraps of fabric first to make sure you are happy with the results. The final and most simple method would be to leave long threads and tie them.
In relation to sewing machines and accessories we have a wide range of all the top brands available on our website. We also have compatibility charts for all the feet so you can check they are compatible with your machine. If you have any queries or need any advice you can call us or email us for support - you'll find all of our contact details on our website, the link is below.
Bill Parsons asked whether we could help with an easy to follow method for sewing a zipper into men's trousers or jeans.
Bill you're in luck because we wrote a blog post on 'how to sew a fly front zip' with step by step instructions and photos. I've put the link to the blog post in the transcript notes for this vlog here. If you go to our blog (see the link below) and go to the most recent blog post you will be able to click on the link and go through to the relevant article. Alternatively you can go to the blog and select 'how to sewing guides' and you will find all of our 'how to' articles in one place.
We also stock a good range of trouser zips on our website, see the link below.
Ameliaranne Stiggins asked how to do simple pattern alterations. In particular you mentioned when I say 'I took the shoulders in a bit'. You asked what it means and at what point to do it. You also say that generally you want to work on a better fit.
Ok there's a lot to answer in this question Ameliaranne. The first thing I think it is important to say is that pattern alterations and fitting adjustments don't need to be intimidating. There are some fantastic resources out there and if you are prepared to spend some time experimenting and researching you can get great results. It is most definitely a process of trial and error, but if you can manage to look at it as a fun learning experience and you are prepared to take the time to play around you will get there eventually. I'm currently working my way through my first pair of fitted trousers. I have already made a few adjustments and they still don't fit, but I'm prepared to persevere until they do. Making a toile is an important part of this process. As you become more experienced you may be able to skip this step for more simple garments.
Secondly you need to understand what your fitting issues are and how you want your clothes to fit. Are there annoying drag lines appearing somewhere? By drag lines I mean creases or lines in the fabric. Are garments always too big on the hips, but fit well on the waist?
Once you've identified where your problems lie you can start to address them. As you mention the number of resources out there can be overwhelming. The one I go back to time and time again is 'A Fit for Real People', which is a Palmer and Pletsch publication. It really is a fantastic book and goes through common fitting problems giving clear step by step instructions on how to correct them. Sadly this book has gone to reprint so copies aren't currently available in the UK. However, we will be receiving copies from the first shipment to the UK, hopefully in March, and you can pre order your copy on our website. The book also advises you in which order to make pattern adjustments, which answers another one of your questions.
You need to make some adjustments to the pattern pieces before cutting your fabric. For example I have to make a high round back adjustment and I wrote a blog post all about how to make one here. I followed the advice in the book I mentioned and now make this to every dress and top I make. Most of the time you are either adding extra in to the pattern piece or taking some out. For the high round back I add a piece of tissue paper in to create extra room across my back. However, if I have a neckline that gapes I might pinch the pattern piece to take some of the fullness out. In this second example I would only know this by making a toile. In both cases I then lie the pattern piece flat on the fabric to cut it out.
Other fitting adjustments can be made to the garment itself. For example you may decide to take the side seams in to create a snug fit on a skirt. This would mean trying it on then deciding you want it tighter. You could then work out how much excess fabric you needed to remove and move the seamline accordingly. darts.
When I talked about taking the shoulders in I actually meant the neckline (sorry about that). This was just a matter of preference, like the snug fitting skirt example. I probably felt the neckline was wider than I wanted it. To rectify this I took the pattern piece and added some tissue paper on to move it across and create a new neckline.
When making adjustments and alterations there are a few tools which can be really helpful. Tailors chalk or chaco pens and tissue paper are very useful. You can use the tailors chalk to draw on your toile or even your real garment on the inside. This can be useful for drawing new seamlines for example. Tissue paper is great for tracing your pattern pieces if you don't want to alter your actual pattern. It is also great for adding in extra space where you need to as described earlier. A curved ruler is also very useful for drawing new lines.
Jim Star asked a very interesting question about sewing padded sportswear. Jim wants to sew foam protection pieces onto sports Tshirts and asked which machine we would recommend for this.
We would recommend a coverstitch machine such as the Brother CV3550 double sided coverstitch machine. Alternatively the Brother CV3440 would also be a good option. Both are available on our website see the link below. The double sided machine will give you more options with stitches. You can get the same effect on the wrong side and the right side of the garment with this machine. They are both ideal for working with those types of fabrics.
We also stock some really fun colours in woolly nylon and overlocker thread, which you could use to add fun and interesting details to your creations.
As always experimentation is key, try on scraps of fabric first.
Have fun sewing!
Lucy
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