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.

                               

                 

  

Godet skirt in semi sheer fabric March 24, 2007

I sewed the previous post godet 6 panel skirt pattern for my mother. The fabric she bought is a semi sheer stretch seersucker. I used some silk organza pieces to reinforce the fabric on some stress points and thought it would be helpful if I share this fabric sewing process.

The lining skirt prevents see-thru.

 

A three thread serged seam finish on all the seams of the panels and godets except the godet hems and waist seam allowance was done prior the actualy sewing . I used Serafil thread 120/2 which is a German brand thread to use on the serger or blind hemming machine , it is very expensive about US $ 16.00 per cone of 5000 meter but well known in Europe for its outstanding quality. 

I used a size 60 sewing machine needle and  alterfil thread which prevents puckering seams because this thread is covered with a special coating.

The next step in sewing was hemming the godets; I pressed the 2 cm (⅜ inch) hem allowance and stitched with a long stitch and a loose tension close to the edge about 3 mm ( ⅛ inch) a helping stitch guideline only..

Cutting off the excess hem allowance with an appliqué scissor. And fold the hem 3 mm (  ⅛ inch) in once more and used a silk thread to stitch the final stitch line.

 

I removed the first stitching line because it was a only a help line. to sew the tiny baby hem.

Prior of sewing  the panel seams till the beginning of the godet inset mark, I pinned a small piece of silk organza at the end of the stitching line overlapping the beginning of the godet inset line. This to prevent a stress point. I marked this piece on the picture with a yellow line. Because I wanted the sheer stripes to match on the panels I pinned the seams using the sheer stripes as a guideline .

   

The small organza piece is hardly visable on the skirt fabric (so I put pins to show you the location).

Another piece of silk organza also cut on the grain, but with finished serged edges is used to reinforce the zipper opening for the invisible zipper.  

 

Matching seams on the panels parts.

Panel hem 4 cm ( 1 ⅝ inch) and godet hem 5 mm ( ¼  inch).

Godet inset in skirt, to keep the top of the godet seam allowances attached to the panel seams I fused a tiny piece of fusible sheer hem tape on the horizontal seam allowance.

 

The panel hem is 4 cm wide and stitched by hand using a size 12 needle, the tiny size needle helps to do an invisible hem stitch, just passing one or two threads from the  right side fabric.I sewed the hem by folding the allowance for 5 mm (¼1inch) backwards so the stitches are covered by the hem allowance.

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Detail view of the skirt.

Draft a Skirt with Godets March 21, 2007

 If you want to make a 6 panel skirt with godets but do not have a pattern, you can use your straight skirt pattern to make a new pattern.

For example I drafted a straight skirt with a side zipper. This skirt pattern example is 70 cm ( 27,5 inches) long and I want to add godets with a length of 35 cm ( about 14 inches) and a hem wide of 20 cm ( 8 inches).

You should trace your straight skirt pattern and divide the skirt front and back pattern by 3, marking a line 1/3 the width away from the center front and center back panels on your pattern (see the drawing below).

Mark the desired godet length on the panels and side seams.

Move the waist darts towards the panel seams.

Mark on the pattern: center front on fold, center back on fold, side front part and back side part . This will help you to see which is which if you cut the pattern pieces. You can use scotch tape and label each cut piece.

The new panel skirt pattern looks like this example,

The new panel skirt pattern parts,

Drafting a godet is easy.

Start with a vertical line which indicates the length of the godet. The length I used here is 35 cm ( about 14 inches) Mark the beginning and end of the length.

I used a width of 20 cm( ( 8 inches) so I marked 10 cm ( 4 inches) to the left and 10 cm ( 4 inches) to the right from the base line length.

From the start of the baseline which is on top, measure the length you want I used 35 cm ( nearly 14 inches) and draw a new diagonal line towards the marking 1/2 width point  at 10 cm (4 inches). Do the same for the other side. Now you need to mark the hemline which is not a straight one. You can use your measuring tape and hold it steady at the top and move the tape between the lines marking dots every 2,5 cm.( 1 inch) which you then connect .

If you want to sew the godets as insets then you can use the finished draft godet and cut this 6 times because it should be sewn at the panel seams.( front side , side and back side)

If you want to line your skirt you can use the same pattern but with some minor changes ( it is not necessary to use all the godets, a few will do to give your lining skirt enough walking ease)  Since I am making this skirt from a semi sheer fabric I used the same traced pattern but I do not want to sew the panels to avoid see-through from the panel seams. I connected the traced skirt patterns next to each other and added only a half godet ( folded on the grain line) at the side seam at front and back pattern.I redrew a bit of the side seam just above the half godet for a more fluid line. 

 

The only thing that needs to be done now is adding seam allowances to the pattern parts and you can make your 6 panel godet skirt. Another option is to make the skirt with cut-on godets instead of the separate godets.

Add seam allowances and you are done.

Enjoy your new pattern.

Adjusting for a Full Bust on a Wrap Top March 9, 2007

If you’re like many women, the standard B-cup of most commercial patterns isn’t enough to, ah, cover your bits without unsightly pulls and wrinkles. But with the popularity of wrap tops and DVF-style wrap dresses, there are some small but significant pattern changes you need to make so your entire bodice fits well. Let’s have a look.

The other day, I made Simplicity’s top, 4076. It has a great mock wrap with ruching at the side. In order to fit properly, you have to adjust for a full bust, not only on the actual bustline of each front pattern piece, but also on the wrap piece that extends under the bust on the other side. This is a fairly straightforward change, but it’s one that many people leave off, giving a happy-hands-at-home look to their garments.

The first thing you need to do is your standard full-bust-adjustment, or FBA. There are many excellent tutorials for how to adjust a pattern out there. Sewing Diva Gigi has a great one on her blog. I won’t bother to repeat what has already been said so well.

This will leave you with enough room over your bust on the primary side of your pattern piece. However, if you look at the picture of the un-adjusted pattern piece (on the left), laid on top of the adjusted pattern piece, you’ll see that the side seams don’t match:

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Even if you do a FBA on both sides, when you line up the center fronts, you’ll find that the side seams are out of alignment, and this will cause distortion when you wear it. To fix this, lay your pattern pieces over one another, lining the center fronts up. Using a clear gridded ruler, trace a line over the slash line for your FB adjusted pattern piece, as shown:



Slash your pattern piece along that line, all the way from the top to, but not through, the bottom. Spread it so that it matches the spread on your FBA adjusted piece:

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Repeat this whole process on the other side. Once you are done, you will have two pattern pieces that have two sets of slashes for the bust, and your top will fit great!

The finished result will be free of unsightly pulls and gaps, and will fall gracefully across the body.
I used this method on my Simplicity wrap top with great results.

Happy sewing!

Centered Zipper Application - One Method February 5, 2007

I was working on my bias shirt today, installing the zipper in the back. It’s a centered application, which I actually like, but it can have disastrous results if not done properly. So I thought, “Hmmm, maybe there’s a tutorial here that might help some folks. So here you go. This way works for me; hopefully it can help you too.

Step 1 - Sew the Seam
You have to start somewhere, and the seam is a logical place, right? Sew your seam up to the point at which your zipper starts, or ends, or both:

Baste the remainder of the seam closed, and press the seam allowances open.

Step 2 - Hand Baste the Zipper Into Place
This is probably the most critical part of the whole operation. In most commercial patterns, the instructions tell you to machine baste the zipper in place, then sew in place. The problem is that with most fabrics, machine basting will cause slippage, and then when you sew the zipper, you will get bubbles and puckers, the hallmarks of “Happy Hands at Home” syndrome.

Instead, try this. Place the zipper at your markings, open it completely. Then starting at the top of the zipper, hand baste in place using long running stitches:

Notice something in the picture. The zipper teeth are set very slightly back from the basted seam, probably a scant 1/16th of an inch. This will keep you from getting “zipper gaposis”.

Next, close the zipper and baste the other side. Here again, you will want to pull the zipper toward the raw edge of the seam as you baste so that, when opened, the teeth are ever so slightly offset from the folded over seam allowance to keep the gaposis at bay.

Step 3 - Sew on the Outside
Once you have your zipper basted in place, sew down one side of it using your zipper foot on your sewing machine.

There is only one tricky part to this operation. To keep from getting a stitch “bubble” around the zipper pull, open the zipper before starting sewing. Once you get about half way down the zipper, drop the needle into the fabric, lift the presser foot, and carefully close the zipper (you’ll be working from the underside of the fabric). Once the zipper is closed, lower the presser foot and continue sewing. Pivot at the bottom of the zipper, and sew to, but not all the way across, the zipper, avoiding the metal zipper stop.

Repeat this step on the other side. Here’s the other important part: To avoid needless bubbles and distortion, start at the same place, but on the other side of the zipper, so you sew both sides in the same direction.

Step 4 - Finishing
Once you have the zipper sewn in place, remove all the basting and press carefully. Voila - a perfectly placed zipper with no bubbles!

Raglan Sleeve Cap Height Alteration Tutorial January 19, 2007

Some readers have asked how to make the alteration to a raglan sleeve that needs more cap height.

I used the sleeve from Vogue pattern 8146 that Mary Beth used in Critique by Els Muslin by Mary Beth

If a raglan sleeve shows diagonal wrinkles it needs more cap height. You can alter the pattern and add the amount you need to fill up this shortage of length which causes the diagonal wrinkles.

To measure how much sleeve cap height you need to add,(see diagonal sleeve wrinkles) undo the basting from the underarm sleeve and move the sleeve upwards with one hand ( higher at armpit) until you notice that the diagonal wrinkles are gone. Measure the amount you moved the sleeve upwards, from the stitch line at armpit towards the stitch line at sleeve underarm.

Mary Beth sent me a picture of the sleeve pattern she used,

I traced the pattern picture to use as an example for the alteration and marked the seam allowances,

Draw a line from the notch at the front and back sleeve arm scye towards the shoulder stitch line notch which indicates the end of the shoulder. Removed the seam allowances at the upper part of the sleeve pattern .

Slash the line from the shoulder notch towards the notch at arm scye back and front and add the amount you need,

You can see how the added length for the sleeve cap height differs from the original used pattern.

The red line shows the new altered raglan sleeve pattern, the blue line is the original one. The straight of grain needs to be lenghtened for the upper part as well as adding the seam allowances back on.

Bobby Breslau bag November 21, 2006

 By Diva Els

I wanted to make a copy of this unusual shaped bag after reading about this bag at
Kathleen Fasanella’s website And reading more about the bag that Gigi is making
I had hopes to find the pattern but no luck . Gigi was kind enough to lend me the pattern .

 

Items I used for this bag:
The leather bag is sewn with a home machine Pfaff 1467, I used a regular sewing foot on which I glued a piece of Teflon under the foot. Stitch length 3.5, needle size 90 and regular Gütermann thread. Leather glue, small piece of lining leather and a hammer to pound the seams flat. I had a large piece of leather about 32 square foot in my stash and it was enough for making this huge bag, although I had to cut the front pocket with a center seam. Fusible hair canvas for leather in two different weights and a soft non woven fusible special for leather.


I also used fusible woven tape for leather at the front opening and the inside pockets for stabilising, as well as 2 pieces of rigilene boning (6 and 12 mm)

Detail rigilene boning,

The wider one 12 mm which I stitched at the inside of the flap at the spot where the back parts ends and the flap starts.

The other piece of rigilene boning (6 mm ) I glued between the facing and the upper part of the front and topstitched from the right side of the bag.

The most heavy haircanvas is fused at the back, side parts and the shoulder straps ( without seam allowances), the other pattern parts are interfaced with the lighter weight canvas while the nonwoven interfacing is fused at the flap facing, the inside pocket, and the shoulder strap facing part.
The pockets are lined except the cell phone pocket. To further strenghten the straps I decided to use a bit more interfacing so I fused a second layer of the heavy hair canvas to these.
The magnetic closure at the front is stabilized with a piece of leather lining at the inside and I also glued a piece of the leather lining on top of it so the metal part is covered and can not damage the leather.


I added a cell phone pocket and a key ring at the side part.
The straps were cut longer and were not tied in a knot (in contrast to the Pattern example), but they were sewed together as one. I like the longer shoulder strap so I can wear the bag crossed over the shoulder.
I added a Vogue American Designer Original label inside the back pocket,

The unusual shape of the bag bottom,

The sizes of the bag I made are:
width 16 inch ( 41 cm)
depth side 9,5 inch ( 24 cm)
height 12 inch ( 30 cm
Shoulder strap length 53 inch ( 134 cm)

Els

 

Sewing Invisible Zipper November 8, 2006

By Diva Els 

I prefer to sew the zipper after the seam underneath the zipper opening is closed. I use a longer zipper for example the zipper opening is 12 inch my zipper is at least 13 inch. A too long zipper can be cut of with a pinking shear from the bottom after the zipper is sewn. If your garment will be lined a couple of stitches over the coil will do to stop the zipper from separating .For an unlined garment it is a neat way to finish the end of the tape by covering it with a piece of lining or a satin tape.
The opening is stabilized with fusible interfacing .

I find it easy to have a mark on my fabric where the zipper needs to be stitched ,that’s why I start sewing the zipper opening with a large stitch and a loose tension. sew the seam beneath the zipper opening as usual.
Press the seam open and remove the stitches of the zipper opening seam. The pressed seam for the opening has now a fold which acts as a guideline.
I sew on a Pfaff with snap on feet and do not use the plastic invisible zipper foot which has to be screw on. I use the normal zipper foot,

Press the seam open and remove the stitches of the zipper opening seam. The pressed seam for the opening has now a fold which acts as a guideline.
I sew on a Pfaff with snap on feet and do not use the plastic invisible zipper foot which has to be screw on. I use the normal Pfaff zipper foot.

I need to press the zipper coil flat so I can sew with my usual zipper foot.

Here you can see the difference of the flat pressed coil with the not yet pressed coil.

The zipper coil is placed over the pressed fold, you can pin the zipper in first to check if you are on the right spot.

If you want to be sure you can baste the zipper tape (in this example the left side because that is the one which will be sewn first) Using a non perfectly match color thread in the spool will be handy if you need to rip the stitching in case it went bad. Think black thread on a black zipper you can use dark grey or dark blue which is easier to see if you need the seam ripper.

I start sewing the zipper from the top down ( I sew the left side of the tape first) with a few backstitches and the last stitch is at the end of the opening I don’t backstitch here but I sew backwards.

The next step is sewing the zipper from the top down ( I sew the left side of the tape first) with a few backstitches and the last stitch is at the end of the opening I don’t backstitch here but I sew backwards in a diagonal line for about 1 inch towards the outer edge of the zipper tape.

Close the zipper and pin / baste stitch the other side of the zipper at the fold line sewing from the bottom towards the top. Do not backstitch at the beginning this can be done later when you have checked if the zipper is sewed perfect without bumps.

Close the zipper the full length again to check if the zipper is sewed perfect
Because the zipper is longer than sewed the pull is now at the loos end of the zipper .

The last inch gentle pulling the zipper pull from the inside.

A few backstitches by hand with the upper thread pulled down .

Zipper is done, view from inside.

And ouside.

posted by Els | 9:19 AM   

14 Comments:

Gorgeous Things said…

Els, what a great tutorial, thank you! I have always sewn my invisible zippers on before closing up the seam, and I always have a fight with my garment to avoid any bubbles at the zipper bottom. This method looks like it will eliminate that problem. Thank you!

11:50 AM  

Lorna said…

Thanks, els! I have also sewn these in before sewing the seams. I don’t use the invisible zipper foot either as it does not fit my machine. I usually just use the machine zipper foot as I cannot adjust the needle position on my machine. Do you switch the needle over when sewing in the zips?

1:37 PM  

Abi said…

Thank you very much for the visual tutorial.Almost exactly what I do except I use the Viking invisible zipper foot and leave a 5cm gap unsewn.I then try to fudge a bubble free end.All I need is to use a longer zipper.
Excellent.

2:09 PM  

Anonymous said…

Els, thank you very much. I hate fighting that little bubble at the end of the invisible zipper. I’m going to have to give this a try. It looks like a very sleek method.Jodi

2:29 PM  

hjm said…

Thanks. I use invisible zippers a lot but have never produced one that I really liked. You have several tips here that I will try!
hjm

2:52 PM  

Mary Beth said…

Great tutorial, Els. Thanks!

4:51 PM  

Gigi said…

That’s great, Els! I’ve always inserted mine into an open seam but I’m excited to try your method.

4:51 PM  

Anonymous said…

Thanks for this. I’m going to print and follow on my next invisible.
Betty Fleet

4:59 PM  

Phyllis said…

T%his is great! Very thorough and easy to understand. I’ve been wanting to improve my invisible zipper sewing for a while now.

6:30 PM  

Lisette said…

Very good timing! I have a bunch of stuff that needs Invisible zips and the ones I’ve done I haven’t liked much. Thanks so much for this!

6:21 AM  

Cindy said…

Els, Thank you! Great tutorial! I cannot wait to try this method on my next invisible zipper.

8:03 AM  

Anonymous said…

Somehow these pics remind me of another example in one of Threads Magazine’s tutorial. The colors you chose are very difficult to show details just as that of the Threads tutorial. Invisible zippers are easy and fun once you know how but can be daunting for a beginner. I personally prefer to use the special invisible zipper foot but I have also used the same foot/machine brand like you did successfully. I would finally like to add that Pfaff did make an invisible zipper foot (metal) which has the same part number as the one you used, however it cannot be used with the IDT.
Signed: Aging Eyes

9:24 AM  

Anonymous said…

Els,This is a great tutorial! I wish more people knew how to put in an invisible zipper. It looks so much more professional! In fact, I only ever use a fly front or invisible zipper application, so I can’t wait to try your method. I, like others use the open seam method.

3:44 PM  

Anonymous said…

Thanks Els for this tutorial! Always try to finesse that little bubble at the bottom with tiny handstitch. But I’ll try your method - that diagonal stitching on bottom intrigues me. I’ll be off to the machine to try this. Thanks again! UTZ

3:12 AM  

Rolled hem feet October 19, 2006

After I posted my tutorial on machine rolled hems, I was asked about sizes of hemming feet. This photo shows some of the feet from my collection. From the left, they are: a straight-stitch hemmer and four various zigzag or shell hemmers (don’t feel bad, I’ve never been able to tell a difference between the two). Personally, I think the straight-stitch hemmer is not really necessary - I’ve actually never used it. The narrower zigzag hemmers are handy for very fine fabrics such as silk chiffon *but* this is not my preferred method so, again, I rarely use these hemmers. The ones that I actually use the most are the two on the far right. The narrower one is great for making shell and lettuce hems on fine knits and lingerie and the wider one is perfect for napkins and shirts. If I had to choose just one, I’d choose the wider one as I think it’s the most useful all around.

Tutorial - Rolled Hem Foot October 16, 2006

Using the rolled hem foot is easy as pie - with just a little practice. You can’t beat this foot for a quick, neat hem on lightweight fabrics!

Step 1: Using the size of your foot as a guide, turn and finger-press a double hem at the edge (or your starting point if you’re hemming in the round)

Step 2: Without putting the hem into the scroll of the foot, sew your hem for about a half-inch, just enough to anchor it. Stop with the needle down.

Step 3: Using an awl or your seam ripper, guide the fabric into the scroll.

Step 4: While keeping your edge straight and feeding the fabric evenly into the scroll, complete your hem.

If you are making napkins or a similar project where you’ll have to hem over a previously hemmed area, do the same as before. Simply finger press the starting point and stitch well past the bulky area before feeding the fabric into the scroll. Before you reach the other hemmed end (I hem north and south, then east and west) stop, remove the fabric from the scroll, finger press and resume stitching.

TIPS:

*If you are working in the round, stop a couple of inches before you reach your starting point, remove the fabric from the scroll, finger press your hem and finish your stitching.

*When approaching bulky seams, it will often be necessary to remove the fabric from the scroll, stitch past the bulk and then reinsert the fabric. Leaving the needle in the fabric while you do this will keep everything in place.

*If I’m making napkins, I hem all the way across the width of my fabric (top and bottom) before cutting it apart into individual napkins. This is faster since it eliminates a lot of starting and stopping. For instance, if I’m making 18″ napkins I cut my fabric into 19″ pieces across the width before hemming the long edges. Afterward, I cut the strips into 19″ pieces and hem the short ends.