bias cutting?

"ml" wrote

Bias cuts are a lot easier to do if you cut the pieces on full as it stops mistakes like this happening.

Kate Dicey recently wrote of a disaster repair story involving bias cut dresses and it had heaps of good tips on bias sewing. The url is here:

you will probably have to cut and paste it.

Ouch - tricky fabric to start bias cutting with!

I would put your poly away for now and practice with a crisp, light cotton such as a batik - it's a lot more forgiving.

Kate is right - duplicate the other half of the pattern, so you can do it in full (yes- it slipped).

OR, introduce a centre seam, adding seam allowances, and re-lay the fabric. I can't really describe this layout, but you'll see what I mean from the article Bias 101 on the Threads site

It should be in the archive, but if you can't find it, post on here and I'll send it to you. If you lay your bias pieces in this way, they don't 'walk' around your body so much. Bias cuts have a tendency to twist when you wear them if you only have side seams.

I sew bias garments with a very slight zigzag, and finish with bias binding, usually contrast. And they go on over my head - no zips or closures. My bible for this is Lingerie Secrets by Jan Bones - I now make all my camisoles, slips, etc on the bias from instructions in this book.

HTH anyway :) Trish

Look at my web site (URL below) and take a look at the How to rescue a bias cut disaster! page in Kate's Sewing Room: while this is the story of what NOT to do, there are plenty of tips about what to do when looking at bias cut things. feel free to ask me anything more that this doesn't help with.

The bridesmaid dresses were poly satin, a fabric I am very familiar with... There are no secrets, but the combination of bias cut and a fabric that moves when you aren't looking and likes to live on the floor is not one I'd usually feed a novice sewing person! And I'm not sure what you mean about flipping the pattern over... If you tell me which pattern, I can try to find it and have a look.

Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

on Kate's Pages and explore!

I agree, put away the poly for now and practice with a nice cotton. No, it won't have the same hand as what you want your finished product to have. However, you need to think of this as a practice piece. :) A cotton batiste will have really obvious grain lines too. That makes it a great fabric to learn about bias.

Here's a link to the article Trish was telling you about:

Trish---threads.com opens a link to what looks like a thread shop. ;) And it's always great to have another one of those in the favorites file. ;)

Sharon

Thanks for all the replies, i feel a bit better now knowing i picked a tough one to start with so it wasn't just me! :-)

The pattern is one i traced from the Kwik-Sew book "Sewing Beautiful Lingerie" and it's just a simple chemise. It shows it on the fold so i laid it with the fold line on the bias, fabric flat, and cut it up to the fold, then picked up the pattern and turned it over the opposite for the other side, but the two sides didn't come out the same.

I'll put that away and rescue it some other time. It's still a good hunk of fabric to do something else with.

If anyone has an idea for pretty padded hangers or something, i'd appreciate that. Thanks. I really do need to stick with real simple patterns for now.

Padded hangers are the easiest. Start with wooden hangers without a rod across. Make tubes of satin type fabric, about twice the length of each half of the hanger and about twice as big around. Wrap the hanger with thin quilt batting, then slip a tube onto each end, letting it gather, then hand sew together under the hook. You can cover that seam with a bit of lace, ribbon, or any handy trim. A bow, and you're done. You can put a drop of scented oil on the batting before you cover it.

Start with wooden hangers

Very nice - might try some of these for Christmas.

:) Trish

Ooh, err, you're quite right.

Where is my head?

I think I meant

...it must be the drink.

:) Trish

I know someone who uses the remnants from each garment she makes to create a matching hanger. She sells a lot of the things she produces, though. But it's a nice idea.