simplicity pattern

I have used a good-quality cotton, polyester lining fabric, and silk on various projects. All worked. DM used to use rayon taffeta or satin (whatever scraps she had left from a Sunday dress she had made me).

Jean

For cap sleeves, I always cut four and use two as facings. I do this even with knits. If the fabric is too heavy for that, then a rolled hem but I never do that because it tends to stretch too much and a cap sleeve should be roundy and semi-fitted so that it forms a cap and not a flounce. But if you're doing wool, then you need to cut two sleeves out of a coordinating lightweight silk as a facing. I make lots of jumpers and "rompers" for my daughter and I never, ever use facings or bias on them. Bias looks like an afterthought and those little facings tend to flip out where they cannot be anchored. I always line the tops and straps or cap sleeves with a nice cotton print (or solid) from my quilt stash or some silk or silkie.

Phae

Remember, bias doesn't ravel, so you don't need to fold it under a la purchased bias bindings. So you probably could use wool. Me, I'd use a lining fabric for binding, or I'd line the garment.

I try to match care characteristics... wool and silk like similar conditions; cotton, linen, rayon and tencel like conditions similar to each other and different from wool and silk. Polyester is pretty hardy stuff and can be mixed with either wool and silk or the cellulosics, at least in my view of how fibers should be mixed in a garment. So no, I wouldn't mix cotton and wool in a garment.

Facings, especially the 2" wide, separate armhole and neckline facings of my youth, are pretty much a dead giveaway of a home-sewn garment. They can get pretty lumpy, too, and show through to the public side of the garment. Good RTW would probably use bias binding, lining or half-lining, or all-in- one facings for this sort of thing, and now the pattern manufacturers are starting to catch up to RTW.

Kay

Hi Vikki, I have used a bias facing many times in that situation. If properly applied, it looks much better than those facings that shift and stick out. It is also easier fo rthe kids to wear. It sounds very cute.

Kirsten Sollie

oh what a great idea include the neck facing and just have one facing. thx

Thanks for all your help. I really do like the idea about cutting the cap sleeves. That would look so much better. Even though this is a jumper I will be making more of the little dresses.

You do have to sew the inner edge of a bias facing down by hand, but on a child-sized garment that isn't much trouble. I would definitely use silk bias if I could get my hands on it. (Luckily, I have two yards of black china silk with one corner cut off hanging in the closet in case of just such an emergency.)

The last child's dress I made had the entire bodice lined instead of facings -- two whole bodices sewn together at the neck and armholes. This simplified construction considerably.

Since the fabric was sheer, I also underlined it -- which entailed piecing the lining, since the mother of the bride had purchased exactly enough fabric to make the flower-girl dress as written.

It's astounding how much fabric can be put into a size-six dress: there was more fabric in the skirt than I'd use in a skirt for big fat me!

Joy Beeson