Sewing new tweeds

First of all, what is the mix? Type of other fiber and proportion?? (Yes, it makes a difference.)

With all wool or nearly all wool - pressing, pressing, pressing.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

I think it's 40% wool and the rest is synthetics.

It was in a sale and I'm not sure exactly what the other fibers were.

Does that help?

Susan

Yeah that helps. Since it has such a high poly content, you want to treat it more like that than wool. It may still shrink though if washed later on. (I normally wash my wool blends if the wool is less than 50%.) Preshrink now if you intend on washing it later. If you intend to dry clean (the toss in the dryer sheets work pretty well) then you will want to press and STEAM it---Use a press cloth!!

Do not get the iron too hot. You will have an unsalvageable mess on your hands if you do. The wool will get shiny and the poly will scorch. Ick. So just be aware of that. Any extreme pressing you need to do, use a low temp but longer pressing time and a pressing cloth.

As for getting the seams to lie flat, shouldn't be a problem. Do you have a serger? You can use that to overcast the edges. You could do Hong Kong finish if you really want it spiffy. But mostly what you need to do to get really fabulous looking seams is to press each one as you stitch it. Press it with steam as you sewed it. That sets the stitches. Then press it open if you like. Shouldn't be a major problem...

I have NEVER come across a situation where it was better to sew from the hem to the waist on a skirt. Not once in 20 years. I know there are some out there who suggest sewing from the bottom up. I personally think they're nuttier than a fruitcake. It's more important that the garment be properly aligned at the top...true for a blouse, true for a skirt, true for pants, etc. It's also always easier to even things out at the hem if you have one piece end up slightly longer than another. You are going to cut some off the hem anyway.

Sharon

(it's early sorry if I'm grumpy)

Thanks for replying. Not grumpy at all !!

Unfortunately not. Though I wouldn't say no if I was offered one :))

I shall try that then.

the hem if you have one

That's what I thought but I've had problems with various fabrics going wavy or bumpy at the seams that I thought I'd better check.

Any special needle?

Thanks

Susan

Oh good. Glad I wasn't grumpy. lol Fell asleep around 7:30 last night woke up at 3:00 this morning gave up on going back to sleep around 4:00.

*sigh* Should be an interesting day! lol

lol I understand completely. ;) I almost never say to use these, but if you have pinking shears, use them to trim the edge of the seam allowance. That will limit raveling inside there. If you really want to make the seam allowances beautiful on the inside (and this has more to do with making it a Fabulously Made skirt than seams laying flat) go ahead and do Hong Kong finish. That's where you put bias tape over the edge of each side of the seam allowance. It looks beautiful and will really make the skirt wear well. All in what you want to put in it.

This is a good link to explain a lot of seam finishes.

OK! This gives me more to work with also. ;) First the best kind of needle is a New needle. ;) I would think a medium weight, universal needle would do you. Like a Schmetz 80. (my preferred brand. Easy to find and works in all sorts of machines.)

The wavy and bumpy you've gotten in the past may have to do with a couple things. First off...if you've not changed your needle recently. This may shock you, it sends some people into fits, but it's really best to change the needle for each garment you make. Now, if all you do is a hem or mend a small tear, it's fine to still use that needle. If you make an entire garment change it. Ron has had this on his website a long time:

Good, graphic demonstration ofwhy to change them frequently huh? ;)Ok. Now the other frequent cause for wavy seams is how you are holding thefabric as you sew. For most things, you want to try Taut Sewing. Thatmeans you hold in front of and behind the needle. Right hand in front, lefthand behind. (Even if you're a leftie, it's how the machine is shaped thatcounts here.) You want Equal grip on both sides. The idea is to keep thefabric taut, but Not to stretch it in either direction. Too remember you arenot pulling the fabric through the machine, the machine is pulling thefabric through the machine. ;) See if those two things help. And let me know how the skirt goes!!!

Sharon

Try this variant of pressing then... turn the steam on your iron off. Get something you can use for a dabber... a piece of sponge, a rolled up strip of wool, a paintbrush. Dab the seamline with water, let it soak in for a few seconds, and then press it dry. Clap the seam, and let it cool before moving. Too much steam and then not redrying the fabric before moving it can give some waviness to fabric adjoining the seam line -- dabbing just the portion being pressed helps quite a bit. And I prefer to use a presscloth on wool blends.

If you have problems with two pieces coming out at different lengths when you sew, I highly recommend getting hold of one of Margaret Islander's videos, and watching how she uses her hand position to control the feed of the fabric and gets it to come out even. The video she spends most time with this technique is, I believe, "Industrial Shortcuts", and you can probably borrow it on interlibrary loan -- but I think she goes over the basics of "pinless sewing" on every video I've seen. Very useful technique.

You raised a timely suggest for me. I've been thinking about buying the Islander 4 DVD set and was wondering if I should get the Industrial Shortcuts too. Are you happy with the system? Do you use the instructions often?

Liz W

Dear Liz

I have used variations of the Islander System for years. She is my hero. And Sharon, I'm nuttier than a fruitcake; I sew in both directions, and NEVER have uneven or bumpy or wavy seams. I taught hundreds of students to sew in the same way. If the two pieces being sewn together are held at the very end throughout the seam, with frequent stops and lifting of the pieces from the bed of the machine, they ALWAYS come out even, even if there is a bias piece that has five inches to ease. There are many different ways to accomplish the same end, and in my book, if the technique works, it's right.

Teri

Teri,

After you responded to my message that the three little words "ease in fullness" strike terror in my heart, I followed the advice you reiterated in this thread. It works! I still might find a full five inches somewhat daunting but it works with such smaller bits as sleeves. Thanks for the lesson.

Max

Thanks for your help.

I decided just to oversew the edges with a 3 point zigzag. This I then pressed again and the seams seam ( :)) ) to be lying nice and flat.

I used an 80 sharp in the end and that was OK.

I do try and change the needle at the beginning of each garment.

This could well be something to do with it.

The skirt is now finished and has worked quite well. Much better than the biased version which I attempted first and hung all wrong and went even worse when I did the hem.

Just as well this was sale fabric and the lady was very generous in her measuring. It was actually sample fabric the company, Penny Plain, had had made up for their own outfits. A couple of times a year they have a sale of sample garments and fabrics at their Newcastle (UK) main branch. Great bargains in good quality fabrics. Their normal stock is quite pricey so It's even more of a bargain to get this material for less than £5 a metre!

Thanks again.

Susan

Thanks for your help.

I shall have to try this next time.

Has she written any books? I prefer to learn that way as I don't have a video player.

Come to think of it there was a Threads article about pinless sewing in one of their mags or books. I must have a look.

Thanks again

Susan

Sorry to follow my own post - I found the article :)

It's in the Threads book "Beyond the Pattern" and is by Carol Adney. Having glanced at it quickly, it seems to use the technique Teri talks about of making sure the ends of the seam are held together.

How do you manage to do this with very long seams? My arms aren't very long :))

Susan

Dear Susan,

For very long seams, you can notch the two pieces before you begin sewing, and hold it together at the notches until it's of a length that you can manage.

I remember that article. I had been doing that for years before it was prescribed in Threads. Whenever you seen the term "ease in fullness," one of the pieces i.e. sleeves, is going to be larger than the other. Put the larger piece (sleeve) next to the machine, and it will ease itself in.

Teri

Hi Teri

How do you manage to do that without stretching the fabric?

Sounds like magic !! Do you use no pins then and the machine does it itself?

Thanks

Susan

At least order it on interlibrary loan. It's a sane method of sewing, and a lot of things that home sewing instructions send you all around Robin Hood's barn to do, can be done so much more easily and straightforwardly, and with good result.

Had I been taught to sew this way, I undoubtedly would have enjoyed it much, much more over the years.

Kay

Yay!!! I'm so glad it turned out well and you are happy with it. :) Glad to be of any help.

There are several tricks to bias skirts. You need to remember to cut one (say the front) on the bias with it tilting to the right. Then cut the back with it tilting in the opposite direction. This eliminates the skirt twisting around your body when you wear it. (I think Kate has a page on her site about this. If you have her site bookmarked, poke around and see if you can find it. She's such a great teacher!) Also, you want to let the garment hang for at least 24 hours, longer if you can before you hem it. That way if it's going to stretch (and they almost always do!) as the bias relaxes you won't get an uneven hem. Then again, there are just some fabrics that don't do well in bias garments. Unfortunately, that last part is mostly trial and error....as a rule you don't want to use loosely woven fabrics. They Really stretch on the bias. So think tightly woven fabrics, and the next time you want to try a bias skirt, go for a solid color. That way all you have to do is concentrate on constructing something bias cut, and not matching plaids or stripes, etc. :)

Remember too sometimes the best learning opportunities are postmortem examinations of garments that Don't Work for whatever reason. So just look at the bias skirt in that light. ;)

Oooooh!!!! Really great fabric On Sale!!!! Yay!!! That's always the very best. :)

Sharon

LOL!!!!! Teri, you're a gem. ;)

and NEVER have uneven or bumpy or wavy seams. I taught

Sewing from the top to the bottom has never really been a wavy seam issue for me. It's an alignment issue. Especially in flat garment construction. Everything that needs to be Precisely aligned is almost always at the top. So it makes a whole lot more sense to me to start there and work the way down. As far as getting things to come out the same length, I agree with you. However, the other thing that has to be stressed (here where so many different skill levels read the group) is to always measure the pattern pieces and make sure they are the same length. I have found fronts and backs off by as much as 1" numerous times in commercial patterns. It's very easy, even for those of us who know better, to get in a hurry and not check that measurement, just hit the really important ones...bust, hip, etc. And sometimes even though you can ease the difference in, you shouldn't. Sometimes it just needs to be corrected so that they are the same length to start with. Then held carefully so they stay that way while stitching.

There are many different ways to accomplish the same

Yep. I agree completely. The trick is in finding the technique that fits each person.

Sharon

There's one; it's gotten very mixed reviews. The Threads article by Jeffry Diduch in #87 would probably be your easiest access to the fabric handling method, or probably anyone who's sewn in a factory.

Thanks - I'll see if I can get hold of that.

Susan