Dressmaking with sheer fabrics.
jaxs
everywhere and close together on edges and use weights. But the
fabrics still move around when cutting.
I don't want to use a stiffening spray if I can help it. Would it
help if I lay the fabric over material like a blanket or something
else that is smooth - like felt - that the pattern pieces might sort
of stick to better?
I have some problems with slippage when sewing also. I use a very
fine needle (60/8). I sew seams very slowly before I serge them (no
problems serging these sheers once the machine seam is sewn).
I'd be grateful for any help.
Jaxie
"Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it." - HORACE
Welmoed Sisson
commercial secret if you use scissors: lay a sheet of newsprint down
on the cutting table, put the fabric over that, then put down the
pattern. Cut through ALL layers (no, it won't hurt the scissors). Much
less shifting of fabric.
When sewing, use a single-hole plate, sometimes called a straight
stitch plate. This will keep the fabric from being sucked down into
the throat of the machine.
--Welmoed
On Sat, 19 Jan 2002 21:02:13 GMT, Jax...@dontgotmail.com (jaxs) made
the following pronouncement:
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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Larisa Vann
tablecloth. The lady that gave me this advice said to lay the
tablecloth vinyl side down, and then place the fabric on the "wrong"
(the flannel) side, then in the pattern pieces. Of course, you wouldn't
want to pin the pattern/fabric to the tablecloth, but it would help with
slippage.
I haven't tried this yet, since I don't sew with much slippery fabric.
Larisa
jaxs wrote:
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To reply, remove: ha...@theplanet.com
Kate Dicey
many. Weight the fabric down at the edges , then lay out the pattern:
you can use some of that temporary spray glue that the quilters go for
to do this, as it vanishes of its own accord in a day or two. TEST
FIRST! You don't want to spoil the whole thing for the sake of a little
glue in the wrong place! Use a rotary cutter for everything you can,
and try cutting one layer at a time. Don't forget to turn the pattern
pieces over for the second cut, or you may end up with two left sleeves
and two right fronts!
I pin at right angles to the seam and sew over the pins, but with really
awkward stuff it's worth hand tacking/basting: keep the bits as flat as
you can on the table as you work. You should then be able to serge the
thing without the extra line of machine stitches.
Best of luck,
Kate XXXXXX
Faye
>Does anyone have any advice for cutting sheer fabrics please? I pin
> everywhere and close together on edges and use weights. But the
> fabrics still move around when cutting.
>
Faye
Kay Lancaster
> Does anyone have any advice for cutting sheer fabrics please? I pin
> everywhere and close together on edges and use weights. But the
> fabrics still move around when cutting.
Cut on paper. See Connie Amaden Crawford's article on laying out and cutting
accurately in the Oct/Noc 2001 Threads, #97. It works beautifully.
> I have some problems with slippage when sewing also. I use a very
> fine needle (60/8). I sew seams very slowly before I serge them (no
> problems serging these sheers once the machine seam is sewn).
Hand baste or double pin or pin on both sides of the stitching line.
My preference is for hand basting.
Kay Lancaster k...@fern.com
jaxs
>On Sat, 19 Jan 2002 21:02:13 GMT, jaxs <Jax...@dontgotmail.com> wrote:
>> Does anyone have any advice for cutting sheer fabrics please? I pin
>> everywhere and close together on edges and use weights. But the
>> fabrics still move around when cutting.
>
>Cut on paper. See Connie Amaden Crawford's article on laying out and cutting
>accurately in the Oct/Noc 2001 Threads, #97. It works beautifully.
Hello Kay and thanks for your reply. I live in New Zealand and don't
know about the magazine Threads. If you could give me the publisher
and address for this, I would gladly subscribe.
>
>> I have some problems with slippage when sewing also. I use a very
>> fine needle (60/8). I sew seams very slowly before I serge them (no
>> problems serging these sheers once the machine seam is sewn).
>
>Hand baste or double pin or pin on both sides of the stitching line.
>My preference is for hand basting.
Yes I do hand baste as a last resort. And I just might have to do
that with fine sheer fabrics in future. I like the draping effect of
sheers - esp. chiffon. But oh, dear, the drama!
>
>Kay Lancaster k...@fern.com
jaxs
I'll give anything a go - so hairspray it will be next time! Thanks.
Kitty Bouquet
> >Faye
>
> I'll give anything a go - so hairspray it will be next time! Thanks.
I've used spray starch for chiffons. If you intend to use hairspray, test it
on a scrap before spraying for fabric.
Claudia
visit my gorgeous cats online:
http://www.twentypaws.com/index.html
remove the ".nospam" to reply
Angela
Jax...@dontgotmail.com wrote:
> I live in New Zealand and don't know about the magazine Threads.
> If you could give me the publisher and address for this, I would
> gladly subscribe.
i've learned *so* much from this magazine!
angela
Faye
<6vA28.171$Wu1....@news02.optonline.net>:
> I've used spray starch for chiffons. If you intend to use hairspray,
> test it on a scrap before spraying for fabric.
>
I don't like to use spray starch because you have to wash it out. I always
test on a scrap. I've never found anything that hair spray affected.
Remember the hair spray companies spent a lot of time testing. Have you
every heard of anyone spraying their hair and messing up their outfit? It
will mess up natural pearls.
Faye
Kate Dicey
one of those areas where only practice will improve things, I'm afraid!
I hadn't thought of hair spray, possibly because I only ever use it on
actors!
Kate XXXXXX
Joanne
Joanne in Reno
--
Joanne <mailto:joa...@singerlady.reno.nv.us>
Visit here today: http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Kay Lancaster
>>
>>Cut on paper. See Connie Amaden Crawford's article on laying out and cutting
>>accurately in the Oct/Noc 2001 Threads, #97. It works beautifully.
>
> Hello Kay and thanks for your reply. I live in New Zealand and don't
> know about the magazine Threads. If you could give me the publisher
> and address for this, I would gladly subscribe.
You can get a taste of it online at http://www.threadsmagazine.com --
subscription information is there too.
As for cutting on paper, here's a snip of an old article I wrote-- I learned
to cut on paper from Connie Crawford, and she does a much better explanation
in Threads than this, but the bit below may give you enough to go on with:
From: Kay Lancaster (k...@hub.fern.com)
Subject: Re: sheer fabric and twin topstitching
Newsgroups: alt.sewing
Date: 2001-06-04 00:53:21 PST
On Sun, 03 Jun 2001 12:43:54 GMT, Kitty Bouquet <sar...@optonline.net> wrote:
>>1) Are there any ways to help sew chiffon. I tried one shirt and it was
>>impossible to work with because it kept sliding around .
>
>Starch it before cutting and sewing. I use spray starch and apply it
>generously on while ironing the yardage. It makes it stiffer and a little
>more managable. I find chiffon very difficult to lay out on grain. This
>helps some.
I can retain at least some sanity when cutting chiffon by cutting it on paper.
Find some wide, plain paper with a bit of "tooth" (not glazed smooth) -- I use
newsprint, but the back of cheap christmas paper often works well. Pin the
chiffon selvages to the edge of the newsprint, and then grab something light
and flexible... the 3x18" C-thru quilting rulers that are thinner than a credit
card work well... so does a nylon pancake turner from the kitchen. "Fluff" the
non-pinned edge of the chiffon into the air, then pat it out flat with the ruler
or pancake turner, just bouncing it gently on the fabric. If you get folds or
offgrain pulling starting, just fluff that section again and re-pat... as you
get one section done, you can start pinning your pattern pieces on (makes it
easy when you just have to measure over from the edge of the paper to line
up the grain markings on the pattern pieces!). After you get a pattern
section pinned, you can roll up the pattern/fabric/paper sandwich and pat out
a new section -- you can work on table size sections this way easily.
Cut pattern/fabric/paper all together -- your cuts will be very precise and
non-wandery. If you leave everything pinned together until you're ready to
work with that piece, you'll also find that your pieces don't fray or wrinkle
or distort.
I use the "cut on paper" method for just about any fabric that isn't as stable
and sturdy as a piece of canvas, and I can see the difference it's made
in my cutting (and therefore sewing) accuracy.
Kay Lancaster k...@fern.com
Kate Dicey
Kate XXXXXX
Joanne
Joanne
Kate Dicey wrote:
>
> Turns them into stiffs, I suppose! ;D
>
> Kate XXXXXX
--
Jen Stosser
shopping centre. It cost $16.22 so I flipped through it and put it back.
It looks very similar in content and style to a magazine I've bought in the
past here called Stitches, which I think is Aussie, so may be available more
easily in NZ.
HTH
Jen
--
Correct email address to reply to is
jenerators-AT-optushome-DOT-com-DOT-au
"jaxs" <Jax...@dontgotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3c4a692...@news.akl.ihug.co.nz...
Raelynn V. Richardson
: Does anyone have any advice for cutting sheer fabrics please? I pin
: everywhere and close together on edges and use weights. But the
: fabrics still move around when cutting.
I just did my wedding dress the beginning of this month. It had a sheer
embroidered organza over skirt. I also helped my Maid of Honor, with her
lace sleeves and chiffon overlays.(Which was kinda stiffer that other
chiffon I've
Worked with before). What seemed to work well with us was laying the
pattern down on the cutting board and then the fabric on top. Even the
Cranberry one was still sheer enough to see the pattern. I then weighted
the fabric down with cat food cans. (Tuna or other similar weighted
items would work...I've used CD and DVD cases before, besides i think it
might of made the cat feel like he was helping...instead hindering the
project.)
I could then cut in between the cans over the pattern lines.
Mostly I used this in the skirt patterns, but it allowed for us to be
instantly aware if the fabric shifted, instead of a little pucker being
hidden under the pattern peice, and not found until the peice was cut
off-grain. For this particular project, I did not have much "extra"
fabric so a miscut could have been tramautic. (I purchased the fabric 8
months ago and 300 miles away...)
I also cut the peices and took them straight to the sewing machine
to do the staystitching and attaching as soon as possible. It didn't take
that much longer than puting the fabric aside, and I knew it would not
mysteriously "grow", which has happened when I set chiffon aside..(Ok, so
it was thrown aside and left sort of hanging in places...I recieved a call
a family member was in the hospital...it sat half set, half draped for
over a week.I also didn't use any paper on the bottom, used pins that
puckered and cut through two layers of fabric at a time with not so
sharp scissors...I had to recut up to an inch, in "growth" in
places...that skirt never quite got over that poor cutting job.
I've since adjusted my
methods for cutting chiffon and haven't had a problem since.
It is sort of similar to other advice I saw on here, it allows the
fabric to be over paper, making it less shifty, and also be sure to turn
pattern peices over since you are only cutting through one layer at a time
and don't want two left sides. Oh...and nice sharp scissors are important,
it makes life so much easier.
Good Luck
Raelynn
jaxs
<chrisi...@nospamhotmail.com> wrote:
>jaxs, Threads is well worth finding. The exchange rate is a killer, but
>worth every cent. My newsagent used to order it in for me until I bit the
>bullet last year and subscribed.
>
>Chris
Yes, thanks for that. I will talk to the newsagent about ordering it
first off. I might find a website with an order form. The exchange
rate from NZ to USA is just awful right now - more than double! But
if its worth it, its worth it.
jaxs
Richardson) wrote:
How did u get on with the sewing part? How do u deal with chiffon? I
use a very fine 6/80 needle but it still slides all over the place.
Do u ever use tissue as well?
Thanks for the other info. I shall try that next time. I really
never considered weighting with food cans. I generally simply use CD
cases, tape cases, small wooden or plastic bowls.
Someone suggested using a felt-backed vinyl table underlay. I just
happened to have one of those which remained after we sold the table
and bought a very very old polished hardwood one (which I cut out
on!). There are so many suggestions. I am grateful to everyone.
Kate Dicey
subscription: the more years you buy in one go, the cheaper it gets - by
quite a lot!
Kate XXXXXX