I have to hand stitch a yoke facing on a man's shirt. What stitch should I use? Hand stitching is NOT my strong suit!! But I've googled and found a couple of you tube type videos that show me how to do it. I just need to know which stitch would be best to use.
Thanks for any info offer.
TammyM
Why does this have to be hand stitched?
I don't have any suggestions but wish you luck with your project,
Judie
Is this the outer surface or the facing? If the facing, you can probably just use small slip stitches.
I tend to use a slip stitch so the stitching is invisible.
Is this a shirt for historical re-enactment? Or is this a modern shirt? And is the purpose of the hand stitching just construction, or decoration?
I'd probably use running and backstitch or just backstitch on a re=enactment costume, if those are period appropriate. For a modern shirt, just for construction, hand stitching is doing it the hard way. What pattern are you using, and we'll try to find you some better instructions. Or take a look at David Coffin's book Shirtmaking, or Margaret Islander's video called Shirts, Etc.
If it's a decorative hand stitching, use whatever stitch you're comfortable with.
Kay
>
The instructions say to hand stitch it. I should've said this from the get-go: the shirt is the McCall's "Classic Fit 3-Hour shirt" with a band collar. I'm toying with the idea of trying to "stitch in the ditch" by machine, but I'm not a terribly experienced sewer, and haven't sewn anything in a heckuva long time. Having said that, I took the work in progress to my office and received lots of oooooos and ahhhhhhs over the quality of the shirt thus far.
TammyM
Oh, I have a very nice Viking machine (and a Juki surger). The instructions are calling for the hand stitching. I've gone through the whole pattern and can only assume the hand stitching is suggested because it will show on the shoulder seam. Now here's the deal: the fabric is a very elegant patterned black and the stiching is very hard to see. Trust me, I've had to rip out one seam already, and these almost 50-year old eyes of mine just ain't what they used to be. I'm sorely tempted to try this by machine but if I mess up, I'm totally scrooooed as I can't obtain any more of the fabric. Of course, this is a last minute endeavor. I'm a truly crapper hand stitcher, but these resources you've presented will help hugely.
TammyM
If I go with hand stitching, I'm thinking of this or a prick stitch. See? I've already learned more about hand stitching than I've evern known :-)
TammyM (youse guys are GREAT, btw!)
It's a fairly ordinary man's shirt although the fabric totally makes it. It's for construction (durable), not decorative. Love the sound of the resources you've suggested, THANK YOU!
TammyM
I did these two totally by machine:
e> It's a fairly ordinary man's shirt although the fabric totally makes it.
TammyM, Sacramento, California
OK, rudely following up on my own post. As posted further in this thread, I did one shoulder with a slip stitch. Not satisfactory AT ALL. Must practice. Did the other shoulder by machine, stitching in the ditch. Turned out beautifully.
Note to self: GO WITH YOUR FIRST INSTINCT!!!
Thanks to all, you offered some great resources. I'm sure I'll be back asking for more help on this project, the collar's coming up soon :-)
TammyM
Tammy we're hoping for pictures of the completed project. This is a great group. I've learned so much from the people here and I can see you have too. Persistence is the name of the game with sewing and you have it.You are pushing me back to my sewing machine. I haven't touched it in a month and it's crying it's little heart out. Juno
I will definitely try to post a pic - my dig cam might be up to the task! So far, it's back on track and I think I'm a better stitcher than I give myself credit for. The tale will be told shortly as the collar has to go in, and then the sleeves =:-o Like the camp shirt lady, I'm trying to take my time and, in my case, not get too freaked out. I've made a shirt like this before a couple of times, but it's been ages. I find that I have more patience now to take time and care which will hopefully ultimately result in a better product. I'm determined to "nail" this particular project, so there will be more shirts in my future. If this one doesn't photograph well (remember, it's black), the next one will.
Thanks again, all, TammyM
That's very cool! It also helps one's confidence to get positive feedback. To stitch in the ditch, do some practice runs on scrap, and slow your machine down so that you are completely in control. Many sewing machines have a built-in speed control that helps with that.
Don't be. It's just practice: I do this sort of thing for customers. On Monday & Tuesday alone this week, I spent 29 hours sewing!!
Wait until I start on a new suit for the hubby... Moths got both the one I made a few years back and the one he had for our wedding! THAT may well be a thing of beauty.
better with a vigorous ironing
BTDT! I wasn't ready for this afternoon's waistcoat customer 'cos I got in a rush and bogged something up and had to rip it out and do it again, at which point I managed to make a snarl in my Lily bobbin case - which is almost unheard of as it has a tangle-free bobbin!
Thank you again. And yes, I think he's pretty cute too, even after almost 30 years together, and 26 of that married! :D
The instructions below are going to sound very complex, but they really aren't.... the worst part of the job is in preparing a home sewing pattern for factory construction methods, which these are.
I'm also not going to mention how to do sleeve plackets, because everyone has their own methods. I happen to think the funny placket with the "house" shape in Coffin's book goes together beautifully, and recommend you read those pages and give it a try -- I think it starts about p. 60:
KEEP ALL THE NOTCH MARKINGS! Just draw a line perpendicular to the cut line through the center of the notches, about 1/2" long, toward the body of the shirt, then cut off the 1/4" to leave you with 3/8" seam allowance. You're going to mark the notches when you cut out by making a 1/8" deep straight snip into the cut edge of the fabric. (And I usually "reinforce" that mark with a quick line of chalk, for easier spotting.)
3) Fold two sheets of paper in half and cut out the collar and collar band on the fold, so you've got two complete collars, two complete collar band patterns, with the notches and grainlines copied. Mark one of the collar pieces "upper collar -- cut one" and one "under collar --cut one". Ditto "outer collar band -- cut one" and inner collar band --cut one" Also cut a duplicate copy of the cuff. Mark one "outer cuff -- cut two" and one "inner cuff --cut two". 4) Pull out the outer cuff pattern, inner collar band pattern and under collar pattern you've just made. Trim a further 1/8" off the outside edges of the cuff (the part that doesn't get sewn directly to the sleeve), the outer edges of the collar (the diagonal bits and the outside edge). Take a 1/8" tuck in the middle of the inner collar band. All of these pieces wind up being on the inside of curves, and that smidge off helps you roll the seam to the underside slightly and maintain the curve without buckling. 5) Lay out your pattern, and if at all possible, keep enough fabric together in one area to lay out the pieces from #4 properly. If so, you can just cut out that piece that's big enough for those pieces and "block fuse" -- fuse interfacing to the whole piece of fabric, THEN cut it out. Again, saves time, improves accuracy. 6) Cut out your fabric, stabilizing it with paper (improves cutting accuracy, which makes sewing easier). Make sure the grainlines are correct and don't forget to mark all the notches. 7) Fuse the front bands, as directed in my other post; turn and sew them.8) Pockets can be made and sewn on now.
9) At this point, you can do a number of operations -- the whole idea is to keep the major pattern pieces flat as long as you can, so at this point, what I do is to construct the collar and set it into the band; construct the cuffs, and press. If you want to leave 'em till later, fine.10) Baste or press the pleats into the back body piece. Sandwich the back body piece between the bottom edges of the yoke pieces; sew. Press the yoke pieces upward into wearing position, and topstitch... you now have the back seam sandwiched between the yoke pieces.
11) Training wheels time: Machine baste the inside yoke at the shoulder seam to the front shoulder area of the shirt front. The trick now is to get the outside yoke piece attached, no? What you're going to do is finger press 3/8" seam allowance under on the back yoke shoulder seam of the outside piece, and place it over the shirt front, as if it was sewn down. Just hold it there and look at it. Do you see how, if you reached in through the through the armhole areas, you could pin just the seam allowance you finger pressed under to the basted area, in proper sewing position? Do so! You'll just pull that seam area out through the armscye area and stitch it. -->When you figure out how this works, you don't need to do the first basting, nor the fingerpressing... just put the front shoulder seam allowance between the two yoke allowances, sort of shove that seam allowance toward the outside world and stitch.
If you do it by machine, you can stitch-in-the-ditch very carefully one stitch at a time, even doing it by manually turning the wheel, and you will still be ahead of where you would be if you did it manually. I started out doing stitch-in-the-ditch that way and now I am good enough to do it slowly by machine. The fact that the stitches are basically hard to see in the first place will work in your favor.
For black fabric and older eyes, brighter lighting helps tons. Ask me how I know. :)
Very good points. I was able to do the stitch in the ditch slowly by machine flawlessly on the black fabric - I know not how. Then I did it on the 2nd shirt, a pretty coral/red flowers on white Hawaiian print. Not so flawlessly, but I made it work anyway. Next time, I'll employ your suggestion and turn the wheel until I get good enough to do it to my satisfaction. I think I see a lot of practicing on scraps in my future!
Oh yes indeed. I had to move my sewing machine into the dining room because of the light issue. I am going to ask Santa for one of those fancy craft lights, possibly an adjustable standing one so I can also use it for my needlepoint. I have a tendency to go for highly detailed needlepoint projects which is probably why I'm half-blind now!
all the best, TammyM in Sacramento, California (where it's so foggy I can't see across the street!)
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