hi everyone... yesterday i recieved a great package from kate...the patterns to make the dress and jacket that she made herself for christmas. now, i will say, i was hoping (lol) that she would just take pity on me and send the dress....
kate...you are awsome!!!!! i am planning on going through and having the DH make copies at work (he has a blueprint sized copier) and will return to you!!! any suggestions for fabric? i've never worked with stretch velvet (remember, i love to quilt...not sew clothing!)...how hard is it to work with?
betsey betsey "we do not inherit the earth, we caretake it for our children"
Panne velvet is NOT hard to sew! Just make sure of a few simple things:
Use poly thread!
Make sure the pile is all going the same way - DOWN the dress is best! OK, this is the opposite way from standard velvet, but the pile is linger and less comfortable to wear the other way up, and it sticks to things a lot more! It doesn't need lining, usually, but if you DO line it, a stretch nylon like underwear nylon is best... Be prepared for sparks!
If you don't have a serger, worry not! I have sewn this stuff successfully on my spinning Jenny 'forward only' hand cranked singer
66K! HOWEVER, having a zigzag is a real improvement! Sew it with a small narrow zigzag (like the one I used on the bias cut disaster bridesmaid dresses... ), and use 'taut sewing' - that is, stretch the fabric a little as it goes under the needle... being VERY careful not to pull the fabric through the needle! Pull the fabric taut and let the feed dogs pull it through the machine. Use a walking foot if you have one, or a roller foot. You don't need to worry about raw edges ravelling on this stuff - they don't! For the sake of neatness, you might want to zigzag the seam allowances together and trim them. There's a page about seam finishes with this on it on to go on my web site for anyone not familiar with this seam finish. It'll be up soon! Meanwhile, just ask... I finished the hems and the cuffs with the 6mm twin needle. On this soft stuff with the twin needle, I bypass the bobbin tension - an easy technique with a drop in bobbin, but not so easy with a vertical bobbin in a removable case.
For the jacket, I just cut one copy of the fabric from the sari, and one from the lining, leaving out the front band on the lining version... I sewed them both up with a plain flat seam presses open, basted the band on, put them right sides together, and sewed the seam round the band... I flipped it all right way out and sewed the cuff and the hems together with a straight stitch! There is NOT hand sewing on the jacket (the pattern is such that the stitching doesn't show unless you nose is REALLY up against it!), and it was all done on my Singer 15-88 treadle!
Hmph! I feel left out!! Kate, I will be going through my patterns again for cleaning out soon...anything you want me to set aside for you? Also, have you been able to use any of those "retro" patterns that I sent off??
The retro patterns are carefully stashed away for 'next time', but have already provided ideas and a sleeve for something... Any more you have will always find a good home here!
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