The sewing thread

[Deleted User] · 21 June 2017 at 3:57PM

thanks Rosie. I`m cream crackered now and oh so hot, so I had to stop and packed all away tidy, only because dd and 2 grandchildren are unexpectedly coming overnight on friday. I`m having to scratch around for food so good old fashioned hm bread and ham will have to do, no travelling this week as all roads are clogged and getting worse, glasto

I did cut out another trapeze, that colourful print has the right weight and I took out 4 lengths of linen all neatly washed ironed and hanging in a wardrobe. I have enough for several garments. I measured each one and put labels on. They are in a pile on a chair. The beige linen is very plentiful and will make idea lightweight tops or more muslins, tbh I want to use it up. I have slightly heavier weight navy, nice for a dress and non see through and a lovely weight of a moss green, again enough for that top and a metre over or a cooler weather dress

I hate having to tidy away and have blown up an aerobed for my sewing room. I can put two up in beds but am expecting three

[Deleted User] · 22 June 2017 at 8:43AM

a good site for pattern reviews.
https://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=1&CompanyID=402

The link is to the reviews of MM patterns at the moment because that is what I was looking at. Looking for hints and tips mainly. The site is worth bookmarking. American and I got the link a long time ago from artisans square

http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php

I cannot get to sew until sunday, visitors tomorrow and a day out on saturday. Frustrating because I am in the mood

fuddle · 22 June 2017 at 12:23PM

kittie wrote: »

I know that linen is the best fabric for conducting heat away, rather than holding it in. Much better than silk, which insulates. So I am now wearing my trapeze dress and can`t believe but I love it. Was perturbed at first to see that the back hem was lower than the front hem but looking on pinterest, that is the way it is meant to be. I`ve got to get out of this mindset of straight lines and even hems

I believe the style is called 'dovetail' kittie. My funeral dress (yes, sorry - I'm a prepper) is the very same. I don't like the front of my knees much and the back even less so it's perfect.

I love that you share all these different patterns. I've tried to find innovative patterns but I just seem to come across the same brands over and over again.

I didn't know that silk insulates so thanks for that too

always learning from you

MandM90 · 22 June 2017 at 1:25PM

I'm hoping it'll cool down soon so I can sew. Right now I can't bear to be in the house.

I've bought a Craftsy class on drafting a top sloper and I want to complete it and make a muslin to use to make a lovely top/dress out of the Liberty fabric I got last month.

I've also got loads of pretty scraps to use up, so will have to figure out what to do with them. Thinking cute makeup pouches etc for gifts?

[Deleted User] · 22 June 2017 at 4:34PM

MandM, I toyed with the idea of making a sloper but have decided not to, measuring myself is far too difficult.

My shape has changed with age and in fact today I decided to research why a couple of my necklines are riding up at the front. They never used to, rounder shoulders and needing a bit more give at the back sleeve armscye. So my linen muslin that I wore yesterday has come into its own and I have unpicked both sleeves and moved the shoulder seam forward 5/8 of an inch. Its all tacked together now and I am wearing it and so far so good. The neckline is staying put. I found a video with easy instructions. Looks as though I will be doing this with every dress and top pattern in future. I wanted to get it perfect as I have received a stunning fabric for top64 today but it was pricey and has to be perfectly made
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/47066/video-adjusting-a-sleeve-for-a-forward-shoulder

Many many of us women develop this forward stance and some need more than the forward shoulder ie additional ease in the back as well.

No real sewing done today as I have had to cook and get beds ready but what I have done this afternoon could be mega. Fingers crossed that all is ok in an hour after walking around

[Deleted User] · 23 June 2017 at 7:35AM

I am watching a craftsy class that I bought 18 months ago in a sale and have never watched and omg it is amazing, so easy to follow. I wish I had watched it before. I did have various measurements in a book that I cannot find but eg I did have one measurement that I took incorrectly ie the back waist measurement, I was one of the ones who took that measurement over the back curves and that was wrong. Doh, don`t you just live and learn

Its Kathleen Cheetham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dr9jHInc9Y

the craftsy class is called `custom fitting back neck and shoulders

I have only watched lesson one but I am going to make notes now. I can take the back waist measurement myself. I`ll put string around my waist and as she explains, I`ll hold the tape slightly away at the neck bone. This measurement is going to make the world of difference to me as many of my tops tend to hang slightly lower at the back, I always thought it was the bust that was lifting the front. How wrong can I get.

Something else I have just discovered, I have a cotton seersucker zipped dressing gown, bought from qvc 15 years ago and I love it so much, have fixed the zip etc. American make. Today I looked at the shoulder fit on myself and it looked perfect, the correct shoulder width and hangs beautifully. Took it off and looked at the shoulder fit, low and behold it is forward by about 5/8 of an inch. So that is my solution. I also measured high bust and full bust again, lost an inch since last time. Measurements are going down in my hardback sewing pad

rosie51 · 23 June 2017 at 5:38PM

Have made a start on a shortening a pair of very heavy curtains which were passed on to me. They are lovely and will be nice for the winter months. Will make a pair of tie backs to match from spare fabric.
Have decided to make a !!!!!cat bow blouse in a light green silky type fabric, never made this type of blouse before and i have sewn for 60 years. I was 5 years old when i made my first attempt at a dress for myself. Seem to remember it only last a short time as it was hand sewn but from then on i was hooked on sewing.
Enjoy the weekend ladies.

:):)

[Deleted User] · 26 June 2017 at 8:08AM

mamouth job, heavy curtains, I don`t envy you Rosie but will be worth doing

I`m tired this morning, went to bed after midnight as I was so engrossed in pattern altering. I had cut out but not sewn the trapeze in a nice colourful fabric, heavier cotton with a sideways stretch, like a ponte and definitely from croft mill, I always buy more fabric than I need in most fabrics, just in case and this time I needed it

I figured that I had made too many neck/shoulder alterations. Bearing in mind that I have never needed to alter this area but I have a changing figure now. I decided to take out the shoulder slope and keep the added back armscye length that I added and the front armscye that I reduced. Having a nice sideways stretch on the fabric, I decided that I would go down a whole pattern size

. I altered a paper copy again and cut the whole lot out of the larger cut fabric pieces, only losing a small bit of overall length

I sewed it, the whole lot and understitched the facing. It gaped front and back neck, arghh, the interfaced facing had to be unpicked. The only way to go now was to alter the shoulders as best I could and that helped but the back still gaped. I lightly gathered the back and put it with the new non-interfaced facing. Very much better. I undersewed again, bearing in mind that the seam allowance from the garment had been almost all trimmed away. Tried it on and was good except that the back top facing tended to roll out a bit, I think because the fabric was too thick. I top stitched all around, a little lower than I normally would. Then I wore the dress all afternoon and by golly it is nice. It is a style that depends on the fabric

I could not leave it at that and decided to do another pattern copy and alter the bodice differently. so
1 I made the back armcye longer and the front shorter, like before so the total armcye length is exactly as in the pattern
2 I made the front neck into a lower more rounded curve
3 I took off some width from the back neck (cutting and pivotting pattern to do it)
4 I took off width from the front neck like above. 1/2 an inch on the pattern, so a total of 1 inch on each side
5 I trued up the shoulders and that involved using a french ruler when it came to the neck

All in all, these pattern alterations are not simple as one change can lead to having to adjust something else. I made a quick bodice muslin from the cheap linen. Cut off the arm and neck seam allowances first, tried it on and wow, at last, perfection

I am very glad that I didn`t alter the actual pattern and that I also keep the marked cutouts on a multi sized pattern. I tape them to the pattern for storage. They were very useful. Today, I will try the muslin on again and if still happy, then I will cut a new bodice and facings from swiss tracing paper and replace the old bodice on my swiss paper pattern. Two things that were most useful, my quilters rulers and my fine point sharpies

Next go will be with a stretch fabric from my stash, that should be interesting. I have to say that I am loving the dress design, it looks like a sack on the pattern envelope but is far from it, it`s a very clever design and supremely comfortable to wear

[Deleted User] · 26 June 2017 at 5:17PM

oops me again, so many words but then again I am in a sewing phase which will soon end and then I`ll be silent

That stretch fabric was the pits to handle, an unknown composition but I think jersey polyester with two way stretch, so me trying trapeze on that dress was just an experiment. Very hard to straighten on the table and very hard to cut out accurately. the type of fabric that should not be dangled over the edge. All cut out and long sleeves this time with two inches to spare.

Next job was to find a stitch that would work with this very difficult fabric and the forward/backward stitch is really good, three forward and one back. It gives a lot of stretch and does not stretch the fabric. On bernina it is number 6

I sewed the sides, back and shoulders and gave it a try and couldn`t believe my eyes, its fab, curves in all the right places, fits my neck beautifully and skims the bits that need skimming and looked great sleeveless, except I haven`t worn sleeveless for many many years.

Facing next, a very light bendy soft interfacing and ironed on between two ironing clothes, dabs with the iron first to stop it moving and only then cut out after sticking. Finished 5/8 from the outside edge with a zig zag with a bit of stretch, then cut close to that for neatness. Facing went on well and that is it for today.

The hem will be very difficult because the fabric moved so much, I may have to use my chalk puffer on a stand, together with my curved edge. The sleeve looks as though it will be a very good length and not hard to do. So tomorrow I will have another dress. Oh my word, I will have to take some stuff to the cs. I am much preferring these indie designs to run of the mill

I bought that fabric over five years ago from croftmill and never thought I would get to use it. I have another length to use, same sort but different colours and pattern. It looks very nice when made up and that will be two big parts of my stash turned into something I will actually wear

PollyWollyDoodle · 26 June 2017 at 5:28PM

My goodness, Kittie you're an inspiration! You've obviously got quit advanced skills because I don't think I'd dare to try altering the armscye or shoulders.

Please may I ask some questions - I've said before that I learned to sew from my mum, growing up in the 1960s and '70s. We used to buy paper patterns and just cut them out, we didn't trace them. What's the benefit of tracing (other than that you're preserving the original). What's best - that paper with dots on, or can you use any paper?

Also, where do you get your interfacing, is there one type that's best to use, and if not how do you know which type to use on a project? I feel a bit at sea with some of these things.

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The sewing thread

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