Knit top neckline December 21, 2007

I made a long sleeve knit top and used fiberfill to make a stuffed neckband to finish the neckline.

The band is a rectangle shape cut on the crosswise grain, sewed together but leaving two small openings for stuffing.I did use the end of a wooden spoon to push the fiberfill inside the band and closed the two openings by some hand-stitches.

 

Basted the band at the neck-opening and used a zipper foot to sew a hairline away from the previous stitching line at the neck line.  

I top-stitched around the neckline from the right side ( one feet away) to keep the seam allowance to the inside.

 

Alternative for real buttons December 20, 2007

Last week my mother asked me to shorten a RTW blouse. This blouse had an unusual closure which I think is worth to share. The “buttons” were made from bias cut fabric and shaped like small flowers. The flower “buttons” were closed by fabric loops  and the edge where the buttons are attached had a cut on underlay extension.

 

    

   

   

                                                                      

Color can make a difference October 18, 2007

Yesterday my son’s girlfriend showed me her new bought winter coat. It is a nice wool black coat with large black buttons and a funky woven belt.

In my view there was missing something, so I suggested that I could sew the buttons back on but with a matching green from the belt, instead of the original black thread they were sewed on.

Girlfriend thought it was a good idea and see what a different color thread can do.

 

                                                                                           

Sewing machine feet October 14, 2007

Last week I found a very informative UK website which shows a lot of different machine feet not only in text but also via a video-clip for each feet. 

I think it is worthwhile sharing this website with you . Maybe your machine feet looks a bit different due to another brand sewing machine but still it can be helpful if you know how to use the feet you own or want to purchase.

Enjoy this learning opportunity from the UK website, click at the link beneath and scroll down a bit till you see the long list of the feet.

Learning how to use these feet is just one click away.

Sewing machine video tutorials and short movies to help demonstrate sewing accessories

Knitting necklaces August 23, 2007

I bought a fantasy yarn in Denmark two years ago and received some fun fantasy ribbon yarns from my friend Annika from the US and they were still waiting to be used. Since the yarns were not enough to knit a shawl they were in my stash because I did not know what to do with it. 

Some time ago the light bulb went on in my head when I wanted to see a movie on tv but felt the urge to do something with my hands while watching tv.I knitted some necklaces. Easy and fun to do it does not take a long time and the result is a colourful fantasy necklace with little effort to make.

The first one I knitted was just a long narrow piece from the fantasy yarn. I used large knitting needles size 9.I knitted a so-called straight stitch on every row till I used all the yarn, joining the short edges was all what I did since the yarn is curly enough so I can wear it just as that. It matches a kiwi green knit short sleeve top. 

The others I made from a USA Ribbon Yarn called “Incredible.

Casting on 8 or 10 stitches wide the first row knit stitches and on the reverse side purl stitches this is called stocking stitches. I did cast off the stitches when the piece was long enough land sewed both short ends together using a large embroidery needle and continue with joining the long edges.

  

For the next 2, I used knit stitches, which is called garter stitches.

The pink one I also started with 8 stitches and I Increased some stitches so the rectangle piece begins narrow and widen towards halve of the desired length than do the reverse for the other half decrease the stitches, joining the short and long edges.

Enjoy all the novelty yarn that is now available.

Sewing a French dart June 18, 2007

A French dart is a bust dart coming from the side seam pointing upwards, it is not a straight dart but it is shaped one.

This is an example of a French dart sewn in a linen blouse.( you see the inside of course)

Sewing a French dart is not difficult but needs a bit of extra care due to the way the dart is placed because the dart is not on the straight of grain lengthwise or crosswise, it can stretch during sewing and handling like pressing. The dart needs a reinforcing to stay in shape.

A way to prevent stretching this French dart out of shape is to add a lightweight piece of stay-tape to the stitch line.

 If you do not have the light weight polyester stay-tape you can also use a piece of lining cut at the cross or lengthwise grain or cut a bias cut piece of lining which you steam press and stretch during the pressing so it will not grow anymore.The advantage of using a bias cut lining it will not fray, like a crosswise or straight of grain will do.

Place the tape for reinforcing the dart at one of the dart stitching lines and sew the dart from the widest point (side seam) towards the end.I did placed the stay tape at the seam allowance which is the one heading towards the center front.

The next step is pressing the dart open till about ½ inch (1 cm) from the top, the point can be pressed open by using a toothpick which you can insert at the point, press the last ½ inch with the toothpick inside the point over a pressing ham or the end of the ironing board.

 It will depend if the garment will be lined or not and what kind of fabric you use to decide how the seams are going to be finished.

For example if your garment is a blouse or dress and will be unlined and your fabric is a light to medium weight you can finish the seams by serging both seam allowances together.Press the dart downwards.

If your garment will be lined no finishing is needed, or if your fabric does fray easy using your pinking shears to stop the fraying.

               

  

 

Circular ruffle neckline finish May 4, 2007

 Some of you will remember that I made a skirt with inset godets for my mother which I did a post on this blog.

 I made a blouse from the same fabric and finished the neckline with a circular ruffle.

 I used the instructions how to measure and draft a pattern for a circular ruffle from the book

 “Couture the Art of Fine Sewing” by Roberta Carr.

 I used 3 circular ruffles for the neckline and because I did not want to finish the outer-edge with a serger.

 I doubled the patterns ( cut 6 circular patterns) and lined the collar with the same fabric for a neat finish.

 Anybody who have used a circular ruffle on a garment knows that if you want to use a facing the ruffle   tend to turn upwards toward the neck and that was not my goal, so I needed to cheat a little or used  common sense, because I was planning to use a facing instead of a bias binding.

 A ruffle which is bind with a bias binding will fall towards the garment.

The ruffle is sewn at the neckline and I did sew a hairline away from the stitching line around the neckline. I pinned the facing on top of the ruffle matching seam allowances and turned the garment inside out so I had a stitching guide from the first stitching of the ruffle  I sewed the facing a hairline inside the previous stitching.

Grade, clipped and pressed the seam allowances from the blouse, ruffle and facing.

Turned the facing to the inside but not all of it , I left a 1/4 inch (5 mm) visible on the outside which looks and act as a binding .The facing is sewed by hand in the ditch with tiny invisible stitches .The wide of the finished ruffle is 1 3/8 inch ( 3,5 cm)

Detail ruffle collar ,

The finished skirt and blouse,

Leather drawstring bag April 17, 2007

Vogue pattern 7703  view D was used to make this drawstring bag in butter soft blue leather.

I used 2 pieces of soft leather, one hide was 5 foot and the other was 7 foot .

Three different fusible interfacings to add some strength and add some body to the bag because the leather was too soft to become a bag on its own.

On top the extra heavy woven, middle the non woven, at the bottom hansel. These interfacings are special made to use with leather, because you can fuse the interfacing with the iron on a warm setting.

The non-woven interfacing was fused on all the pattern parts except the drawstring as an underlay for the woven leather interfacing Hansel which is a bit rough and I did not want to change the hand of the leather.

The extra heavy interfacing is added to the bottom part on top of the previous two interfacings, the leather facing parts and the shoulder strap.

Dupioni silk fabric was used for the lining, front pocket lining and the interior pocket.

I made some pattern and design changes. The backside of the bag is sewn with a center seam because I had not enough leather to cut that pattern without a seam. It was an easy alteration, just double half of the center backside pattern and add seam allowances. I topstitched the s.a. on both sides of the center back seam.

The front pocket was too wide to my taste so I stitched a line at the center of the pocket, now there are 2 separate pockets.

The pattern instructions suggest to use cardboard for the bottom part. I was not satisfied with the result it was too stiff so I used a remnant piece of upholstery leather which I glued to the bottom part.

Also skipped one of the shoulder straps because I find it annoying that wearing a shoulder bag which has 2 long shoulder straps , one of the shoulder straps is always falling down .

I used only one shoulder strap (the length of the pattern strap is  21,5 inch /55 cm while I used a 38,5 inch/ 98 cm length) which I sewed diagonal at the front and at the back side of the bag.

The instructions for sewing the lining bag was different than what I did. I sewed the side seams of the lining but left one piece open for turning after I attached the lining at the leather facing and sewed the bottom part. The last step for sewing the lining part was to sew the left open part by hand.

I noticed too late that the placement of the interior pocket was too high placed, so if you want to make this bag be aware of this. It will be more convenient if the posket is placed lower on the pattern an adding a snap would be handy too.

Bag faux leather April 8, 2007

I made this bag last year when I could download  the pattern for this Nairobi bag from the Hotpatterns newsletter in October 2006,

 I used a faux printed green leather to make this bag with some modifications.

 The size of the bag I made is 15½ x 11 x 2 inch (39 x 28 x 5 cm)

The pattern came with sewing instructions but I did not follow them because I made some alterations on the pattern so I used the common sense attitude.

I used green faux printed leather, a woven interfacing to support the faux leather, 2 metal teeth zippers, rigilene boning, lining which I interfaced with a fusible stretch interfacing, double sided fusible craft tape, 2 silver metal D-rings with screws, a bag stop and a key ring  all from my stash.

I made some minor design changes. First I like my bags with a zipper closure so I redraw the opening for the bag in a more fluent shape so I could attach a zipper to close the bag, see the red lines for the new shape opening.

 

 I also did cut a longer shoulder strap.

To attach the bottom side part I used 3/8 inch (1 cm) seam-allowance instead of the 5/8 inch (1,5cm). This will result in a bit wider/deeper bottom/side part as well as  the bag itself.

I wanted to keep the shape of the bag and prevent my bag to collapse , so I used rigilene boning .

I glued the boning all away around the bag between the seam allowances of the bottom/side part start and finish about 5/8 inch ( 1,5cm) from the opening .

Used a double sided fusible tape and fused this tape ( using a Teflon sheet to protect the faux leather) next to the bottom seams, glued the rigilene boning to the tape and top-stitched the seam allowance from the right side . The first stitching line is close to the seam and the next stitching line a bit farther away. 

I  

 The zipper closure is made of 2 rectangle pieces of fabric and lining the same  wide as the upper side opening.

 

  For the closure of the bag I sewed the lining (facing) at the zipper tape next to    the teeth, fold the lining away and sewed the zipper at the fabric, pinned the lining  bag  at the bag opening and sewed the closure/opening part at the bag opening, pivoting at the corners on which I already basted the shoulder strap loops.

Double sided fusible tape is also fused at the seam allowances of both the bag upper part and the part where the zipper was stitched, top-stitched those seams from the outside, fused the tape also at the zipper tape next to the lining and folding the lining over it and hand stitched the facing lining at the bag lining part. This way the top-stitching is only visible from the outside and invisible from the lining part.

 The fabric loops for the D-rings are made to measure.
The faux leather fabric is interlined with a woven fusible interfacing , the lining with a stretch fusible interfacing and I did the zipper pocket my way, also placed the pocket lower than the pattern marks. The pattern for the cell phone pocket was too narrow for my cell phone so I adjusted that and skipped the other small pocket. Sewed the cell phone pocket at one side of the bottom side part and added a key ring to the other side which in this picture is not visible.

For both the pockets I used the lining fabric double to add some strength .
For the shoulder strap I did not want to add bulk by using seam allowances on the long sides so I did some testing to get the least bulk at the seams.

 I sewed the strap wrong sites together in half with a loose tension large zigzag stitch but only ½ of the zigzag stitch catches the fabric, pulled those two edges from each other and the result was a non bulk shoulder strap.

 I wove a piece of cotton twill tape through the shoulder strap with the help of a  safety pin and top-stitched the strap along both edges.
The finishing touch was attaching a bag-stop,

Which I glue on every shoulder strap of my bags rtw or self made,to prevent sliding from my shoulder.

Bound Buttonhole Triangular Shape March 29, 2007

 

I learned about this triangular shaped bound buttonhole in 1993 when I bought the book

  Couture the art of fine sewing  by Roberta Carr. I have made these kind of triangular buttonholes several times , the one above was done in a raincoat .

 I made an example to show you the steps  how to make such a triangular buttonhole and kept my text to a minimum because of copyright issue. 

   Step 1, measure the button length and space between the edge and the buttonhole.

 Step 2, mark and transfer the lines ( horizontal and wide) on the interfaced fabric .

Step 3, thread trace the buttonhole length and wide on the patch.

 

Step 4, draw the triangular button lines.

Step 5, stitch using a tiny stitch length start anywhere on one of the long lines  and stitch 2 diagonal stitches at the corners and at the point, overlap the beginning of the stitches with a few more stitches. I used a red thread for easy viewing.

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 Step 6, draw lines so you can slash the patch in 3 sections . The lines of the patch marked in red, cutting lines inside the buttonhole in black. 

                 

  Step 7, turn patch section 1 to the inside and press .

Step 8, press patch section 2  along the stitching line.

   Step 9, do the same with patch section 3 as above.

Step 10, wrap patch section 2 and 3 around the horizontal slit edges on the inside and press from the inside .

 Step 11, stitch the triangular tab to the patch through all the layers so it will be permanently attached.

Step 12, cut away excess fabric of the patch.

Done.