Notches?

Dear SML,

You need the notches to help join the pieces together accurately. Please see the thread a ways down on this page entitled notches for explanation.

Teri

Personally I rarely cut notches. I cut the sections out nice and cleanly, and then mark the postion of notches with marker pins edge-on to the fabric IYSWIM before marrying garment pieces together. I have also used a marker pen/pencil or piece of tailor's chalk. Sometimes it can be done with the pattern still pinned to the garment pieces, but quite often I tend to separate out the garment pieces, and then offer them back to the pattern pieces to get the notch positions. Rather depends on how complicated the pattern shape is and whether you're planning to immediately stitch all the seams one after the other.

Once the garment pieces are pinned or tacked together, depending on the intricacy of the shape, you just pull the marker pins out from the edge before stitching up the seam.

Maybe the purists will throw their hands up in horror, but it works for me, and in the end, that's what it's all about.

Dear Richard,

I taught fashion design, and pins are not allowed on the factory floor. In fact, pins hamper accuracy. Haven't you encountered times when you're sewing long seams that humps of fabric appear in front of the pins, and you have to take them out or change their position? Notches, made with tiny snips, make it possible to sew without pins. To sew a seam, the far ends from the needle are held together, and the work is lifted up every three or four inches, still holding the ends. You will get a neat seam every time. The seam too long? Hold the two pieces at the first notch, and when you can easily hold the far end, grasp them. Using this method, I can ease up to five inches of bias into a seam. But with pins, this would be next to impossible.

This method works especially well when installing men's shirt sleeves. The sleeve, which is bigger in the cap than the body of the armscye, is put down next to the machine, and the body is held taut on top, matching notches and ends. Try it. You'll find that you speed up your sewing by all the time it takes to install pins that get in the way.

Teri

Can you explain what you mean by lifting up the work? In small words a beginner would understand?

Thanks to all who replied -- I get it now.

Err, I think perhaps you rather missed the point of my final comment in my earlier post. It works for me.......

I'm definitely in the hobby category and I suspect there are quite a few things I do that wouldn't be allowed on the shop floor. I can afford to take my time to get things right how I want them.

In truth, no, but most of the materials I work with are not heavyweight, the dresses *are* for dolls, and tend to be perhaps more elaborate than everyday wear. I probably end up tacking 50% of what I do, to make the machining easier in the doing.

But pleading ignorance, couldn't that lead to pouching?

We-ell, yes, I guess so, but quite a few of my dresses - I can't believe I just typed that - have had leg of mutton sleeves, where the sleeve material has been extremely full compared to a relatively small opening. No way would I try and tackle that without a considerable amount of pinning first and then tacking.

The Wanderer wrote in news:8bsdeqly5hyu$. snipped-for-privacy@40tude.net:

I use pins sometimes and sometimes not. To the OP, I usually do a clip (not a deep one!) there the notch is. I use notches to match all sorts of things, so I do find them helpful.

The sewing guide on About.com does a pretty good job of explaining those pattern markings, including notches:

Dear Richard,

Now I'm excited. Now that I'm retired, I spend more time making dolls and dolls' clothes than I do making "real" clothing. And I find that I do more hand sewing than machine sewing. Are you familiar with the website Cloth Dollmaking? We'd love to have you as a member so you could show off your dolls. Some members make all cloth dolls; some use polymer for head and hands. Some use paper clay.

Your leg o' mutton sleeves. Did you know that when they were in vogue, the only way to cut them was on the bias--it's they only way they'd fit on the fabric. I've done many for costuming, and they take two yards of fabric!!

When one sews for pleasure, it can take as long as it takes; but I was teaching students how to sew accurately and fast for industry, so they learned all the really fast techniques. But quality was the most important criterion. We didn't give up quality for speed.

Teri

I'm very much into ceramic dolls, primarily lady fashion dolls! Some of them are here:-

get back to clothing a couple of dolls that are finished and waitingtheir dresses. I seem to have 'stuck' at present, and can't somehow bebothered to finish them off - just waiting for the muse to strike again. Ihave one young lady whose been wearing just a pair of knickers for aboutsix months now. :-(

Unfortunately with a major remodelling of the kitchen over the summer, I can't see too much happening until that's finished.....

Richard, Your dolls are stunning. You have an amazing collection. Your work is just beautiful. Juno

I love the dolls, Richard. Emily

Dear Richard,

Thank you for letting us see your dolls--they're beautiful.

Teri

Thank you to all of you who've commented; I can't claim they're all mine, it's half and half with my wife Audrey!

Lovely dolls and costumes, Richard! Working on a small scale and with challenging fabrics takes real skill. Kudos to you and your wife.

Doreen in Alabama