Pin It Forward- UK Edition

You might have noticed that there have been a lot of Pinterest-related blog posts in the UK blogging scene recently. Despite being active for a good number of years now, Pinterest is formally celebrating in the UK this month with their Pin It Forward UK Campaign. In the unlikely event that you are unfamiliar with the site (is there a craft-based blog who isn'?!), Pinterest is a place where you can collect, curate, and share things that interest you.   Prior to its advent, I bookmarked sites for reference but without a thumbnail or annotation it was difficult for me to find links at a later date.  Being a visual person, the pictures on Pinterest help me find what I'm looking for and the community aspect of following and collaborating on group boards means that not only do you see your pins, but also the pins of other people with similar interests.

When I was invited to partake in Pin It Forward UK, I was asked to choose one of my boards as the most important to me.  To the surprise of everyone, I didn't choose the board where I collect pictures of people I have crushes on, but a board that's even closer to my heart..

Nary a day goes by when I'm not contacted by someone asking for advice about sewing with knits; I have spent a lot of time sharing information on my blog as I really, really want to alleviate the intimidation factor for beginners to knit-sewing.  But the wonder of Pinterest means that not only can you find my tutorials, but all of the tutorials I've come across about sewing with knits!  If you don't follow my board already, you can find it here or by clicking on the picture above.

If you're interested in the next stop on the Pin It Forward UK campaign, tomorrow it mosies along to  crocheter-extraordinaire, Sarah, who blogs from Annaboo's House.

Pin It

Tweet

Dolmaniacs Sew-along: Sewing up a basic Dolman top

Now that we feel a bit more confident about sewing knits, have printed and assembled our pattern pieces, decided on our first rendition, and cut our fabric, let fire up our machines! Starting with the iron....

**These instructions are an abbreviated form of the tutorial file.  If you are confused about anything, please refer back to the file as the directions are longer and there are more pictures**

Wrong sides facing, iron all bands in half lengthwise to press in a crease. Fold all bands in half vertically and place a pin to mark centre.

 

If you have chosen a waistband and / or armbands this step if for you.  If you're hemming sleeve and waist please skip ahead one step.  No matter who you are, don't this to the neckband pretty please!  Unfold a band and match up the short raw edges, right sides facing. Sew along this line. Repeat for all bands (except neckband of course) and place to the side for later.

Welcome back, hemmers :)  Right sides facing, match the shoulder seam of the front and back pieces on one side. Pin and stitch. Don't you dare do it to the other side, we need it open for the next step.

With the raw edges all facing to the top (band is still folded), pin one end of the neckband to the open front corner, the other end of the neckband to the open back corner.  The pin that you placed at the centre of the neckband goes one inch along from the shoulder seam on the front side.  Being deeper and more curved, the front neckline needs and deserves more of the band.  Holding on to two of the pins, gently stretch so the band matches the neckline in between and do some more pinning.  Repeat until you're happy that the band is evenly distributed.

Starting at one end, sew the band to the neckline. As you are sewing, stretch the band so it is laying flat against the main fabric and all three raw edges are aligned.  Don't stretch the whole neckline, just the band.  Pulling just at the pins (where the band is already where it belongs) is a good idea; stop stitching when you get to the pin and restretch from the next one.  Even though necklines are curved, as you are sewing the stretching makes them appear straighter.

When you have finished, press really well with the iron so the seam allowance is flat against the main fabric.  Then, set your stitch length a bit longer (I use 3.5) and carefully topstitch just under 1/4" away from the band.  This keeps your seam allowance from popping over.

Now sew the other shoulder seam together as above.  Pay particular attention to making sure the bands at the neckline are even as this will be the final neck edge on show.  I tack them together on my regular machine first so they don't shift out of place when serging.

Arm-edge hemmers, now is your chance to shine.  Everyone else skip the next two steps...  Open the shirt out and press up the raw sleeve edges by 2cm.

Using your choosen manner of hemming (refer back to my suggested options if you need to) hem both sleeve edges.

All together again... Right sides facing, match the side seams of the front and back and pin in place.  Sew along this seam, and then the other side.  As you approach the arm curve pull gently so it resembles more of a straight line.  Those of you who hemmed your sleeves (as above about the neckband) take extra special care that the sleeve edges are even as this is your finished sleeve.

And now you have this!  Except for Arm-hemmers, who have an even more advanced version.

If you are a smug arm-hemmer, skip two steps if you are planning a waistband or four steps if you are hemming the bottom edge too.  You're almost done.  Fold the arm cuff on the original fold line and slip it over the sleeve with the raw edges all together.  The seam of the band matches the side seam of the top, the needle marking centre matches the shoulder seam.  Continue all the way around the sleeve matching up the band with the sleeve and pinning.

Sew all the way around, ensuring that all the edges are still where they are supposed to be.  Repeat for other sleeve.

Only for waist-banders, hemmers two steps forward.  Fold the waistband on the original fold line and slip it over the bottom of the top with the raw edges all together.  The seam of the band matches the side seam of the top, the needle marking centre matches the other side seam.  Continue all the way around the sleeve matching up the band with the top and pinning.

Sew all the way around, ensuring that all the edges are still where they are supposed to be.

Hemmers, back to you.  Press the bottom edge up an even one inch all the way around.  And then hem all the way round using your choosen manner of stitching (refer back to my suggested options if you need to).

And now everyone finishes together... Turn inside out and (if applicable) press the seam allowances of the arm and waist bands towards the main fabric.  Press the shoulder seam that includes the neckband to the back.  If you hemmed the sleeves, also press the underarm seams to the back.

On the right side of the band front and back stitch several times to secure the seam allowance in the flat position.  Repeat the same treatment to the the underarm seams if you hemmed them.

From the right side, the tacked down seam allowance will look like this.

*Optional: Topstitch the seam allowances of the arm and waistbands to the main fabric the same way you did the neckband. This will stop them flipping.*
 
And now you're done!  Make sure that you post your creations to The Dolmaniacs Flickr group that I never told you about . 

_________________________________________________________________________

How is everyone feeling about the pace of the sew-along? I know some of you are waiting for needles, for illness to pass, to return from work-trips etc.  Do you want me to take a couple of days respite so you can catch up and have a play around?

Pin It

Tweet

Dolmaniacs Sew-along: Deciding on Version 1.0

 

The reason I chose The Dolman Top pattern for a sew-along was because it is a perfect introduction to knits if you are still a bit hesitant about sewing them.  With this style of top you don't have sleeves to set in, and if the thought of hemming knits gives you palpitations you can choose to band the sleeve and waist edges until you are more confident.  Once you've mastered the basic variations, this top is the perfect 'blank slate' to play around and customise and I'll be sharing some ideas for this over the coming week.  We'll start cracking on with some actual sewing tomorrow, but first let's decide on Version 1.0.

Customising the basic pattern:

Straight off the pdf pattern, there are four basic variations:  Cuffed sleeves / banded waist, cuffed sleeves / hemmed waist, hemmed sleeves / banded waist, and hemmed sleeves / hemmed waist.  The only one not pictured above is hemmed sleeves / banded waist but I'm sure it'll pop up as the sew-along progresses!  Beyond the decision about which sleeve and hem options to choose, there is also the questiion of which size.  As I've been sewing up loads of these tops, my kids have (by age anyway) fallen on the border between sizes.  Cool Cat at the top left was my very first draft of the pattern and Maia was still four (albeit a very large four-almost-five) and it came out smaller than I wanted so this became size 3/4.  Still wearable as a skinnier fit, but certainly not something I could see her wearing at six.  The 5/6 she is wearing top right has more ease and slouch through the body and more of a blouson fit where the band hits her hips.  Jamie is approaching seven at a terrifying rate, average height for his age and slender.  The 5/6 size (where his age puts him) is a slim fit ending perfectly a couple of inches below his waist.  The 7/8 size is a lot looser on his thin frame, but the louche effect is cute.  Is it still okay to call an almost seven year old cute? Probably not.

Don't care. Still cute.  Speaking of which, let's all discuss how much we like the matching neckband.  I could not decide which colour to choose as there wouldn't be bands anywhere else to balance it out. After much staring at fabric, I decided to just use the same one.  And I really like it.  Add that to the list of variations to try.

Choosing whether to band or hem:

If you are new to knits and still finding your feet, I recommend starting with the bands.  The thicker and more stable the seams are the easier they are to sew, so by adding a folded layer to your sleeve edges and waist edge you are tricking your machine to sew it more like a woven.  I'm a big fan of adding bands instead of hems as evidenced by an entire post on the subject and also a video tute on how to sew cuffs on.  If you do decide to hem, remember yesterday's post about different ways to do it?  In summary: first prize goes to double needles, second prize to triple stretch stitch.

Preparing your final pattern and cutting your fabric:

Hopefully you found the printing and assembly in the pattern file straightforward.  Remember that as printed, the resulting pattern is for the version with bands at both waist and sleeves so you'll need to modify the sleeve and / or waist edges as instructed if you're choosing a different version!

Although I naturally favour Dolmaniacs above all others, I will offer some advice on cutting knits to non-Dolmaniacs. Most patterns will have instructions to 'cut on the fold' and the pattern pieces to match.  With knits (and actually most times with wovens too, particularly if they are directional) I will mirror image trace each piece and tape them together.  Knit fabrics tend to be so wide that constantly folding, unfolding and refolding as you cut your pieces is not only a massive PITA but also likely to get you off grain. Pattern matching across the seams will be something you only read about on other people's blogs.  Having full size pieces is also excellent for minimising fabric wastage as you can fit the pieces all together like a puzzle.  Obviously, the picture on the right is merely illustrating the cutting layout for non-directional prints and is not indicative of how good I am at eliminating wastage.  Not pictured: better pattern placement.

So there we go, this day's installment covers choosing your version 1.0 and cutting it to boot.  Ready to do some sewing tomorrow?

Pin It

Tweet

Dolmaniacs Sew-along: Getting ready to sew with knits

Participants who pre-ordered their Dolman Top patterns should now have their files and are (no doubt) chomping at the bit to get started.  But before we get down to the making and the doing, how about a handy recap all about sewing with knits?

Sewing knits on a regular machine:

I wrote another post about this yonks ago, but sewing knits on a regular machine is totally do-able. Actually, once you've figured out what you need to change on your machine to sew knits successfully, you might even find knits easier than wovens.

So here's the most important thing you need to sew knits on a regular machine: stretch (ballpoint) needles.

A stretch needle (as you can see above you can get stretch double needles too) has a sharper, finer head that is able to slip between the fibres without stretching, catching or even breaking them. Just like conventional needles, there are different weights.  The 90/14 above would be better for heavier weight knits as it has a higher number, 70 or 80 would be used for finer knits.  A normal, non-stretch needle is more likely to skip stitches (and probably lots of them!) and is more likely to result in wavy stitch lines.

The other thing that helps so much to improve the appearance of your stitches is if you can adjust the pressure on your foot.  The more pressure that is being applied as you sew, the more the feeds compress and pull your fabric through.  When your machine is left in charge to do the feeding it is also stretches the fabric out at the same time and this can result in the telltale wavy stitches.

Both my Janomes have the ability to adjust the pressure on the foot.  On the machine to the left you can see a dial that can be turned between three (more pressure) and zero (least pressure).  For the machine on the right, you flip the panel open and adjust from three to zero with the flick of a switch.  Once the pressure has been reduced, you will need to do more of the feeding yourself.  Guiding the fabric towards the foot while gently pushing / pulling from behind (where you have already sewn) keeps the fabric moving without stretching it out in front of the foot. I use my thumbs to control the fabric before the foot and my other fingers behind the foot to keep it moving.

If you don't have the ability to adjust the pressure on your machine, I believe you can mimic the affect by using a walking foot.  However, I don't personally have one so have a Google about! Better yet, have a nosy about in my Pinterest board all about Sewing With Knits :)

Different type of stitches for knits:

On my serger, I tend to use a four-thread overlock. Rather than chaining on and off, I start from a position about an inch away from the end, sew to the end, lift the foot, gently pull so the threads are released a tiny bit, then flip it over and sew back down the way I came, and repeat the flip on the other end.  I don't have any specific pics of this but because I use different coloured threads in my needle spools you can see how about an inch on either side has be flipped and re-stitched on the other side.

On a regular sewing machine, there are several knit stitches that will possibly (and hopefully!) be pre-built into your machine. These are the ones I have used the most:

If you don't have pre-built stretch stitches, the lightening bolt is the easiest to mimic manually as it is essentially just a narrow zigzag; the distance the stitch travels horizontally is less than the distance it travels vertically.  For hemming and seams that I want really, really secure (like my bathing suit!) it's triple stretch stitch all the way.  And finally, if you want to mimic a serger and bind the raw edges at the same time, a mock overlock is for you.

To demonstrate different stitches and the effect of appropriate needles and foot pressure, here's a handy visual:

1. The fabric has been folded over and hemmed with a normal straight stitch without lessening the foot pressure or changing to a stretch needle.
2. Standard lightening bolt stretch stitch without lessening the foot pressure or changing to a stretch needle.
3. Triple stretch stitch without lessening the foot pressure or changing to a stretch needle.
4. Triple stretch stitch with the pressure on the foot reduced to minimum and the needle switched for a stretch one.
5. Standard lightening bolt stretch stitch with the pressure on the foot reduced to minimum and the needle switched for a stretch one. 
6. The fabric has been folded over and hemmed with a normal straight stitch with the pressure on the foot reduced to minimum and the needle switched for a stretch one. 

Perhaps this pictures isn't overly dramatic as I am lucky that my machine is pretty well behaved even when I'm using it incorrectly!  But the three stitches on the right do have some puckers and waves and the stitches (particularly the zigzag) are not quite uniform and even.  The three stitches on the left are nice and flat, and look perfectly spaced and even.  See why I like triple stretch stitch? Just look how neat it is even when it's supposed to be naughty.  It does, however, eat up thread at a super sonic rate.

The other thing to mention is that almost all wavy seams can be improved (if not cured) by a really good press with the iron.  Seriously, do not underestimate that iron.

Hemming knits:

I tend to hem with my coverstitch machine purely because I have one and I love it, but you can get a similar result using a double needle. When you use a coverstitch or a double needle, you sew with the right side facing up which can take some practice.  Ideally, you want your needles to straddle the raw edge with one needle falling to the left and the other to the right. Underneath on the wrong side the threads are woven together to cover the raw edge while offering some elasticity. You can also sew so that both needles hit the folded fabric and then trim with your scissors up to the stitch line, but don't get your stitch lines too close to the edge or your hem will tend to flip over. As you are sewing with the right side up, it can be tricky to remember where the raw edge is. You can use chalk to mark on front where the edge is, but I find that pressing really well leaves a ridge I can feel with my finger. Keeping the foot a uniform distance away from the edge helps too.

For a better explanation than I could do about double needles on a regular machine, scroll on down this post on The Snugbug.

If you don't have a double needle, never fear! A regular machine and single needle is fine, and the good news for you is that you can sew wrong side up and can see what you're doing. You can use your lighting bolt stretch stitch (a narrow zigzag if you're manually setting your stitch) or a triple stretch stitch close to the edge, and then trim away the excess fabric close to the stitch line. Did I mention how much I love triple stretch stitch?  I think I did once or elevety times but I will say it again: I love it.  Very nice for hems.  And finally, specifically for the Dolman Top (or other similar styles and fits), as this is not a particularly tight fitting top the hem shouldn't be under too much strain for a little bit of straight stitching. Set your stitch length to a bit longer (like 3.5) and sew all the way around close to the edge, and then do a second row of stitching 1/4” away from your first line.  Viola, it'll look just like a double needle hem but with a single needle.  Don't do this for tight fitting clothes or for children who enjoy stretching their shirts over their knees, unless you really like restitching things.

____________________________________________________________________________

I hope this helps alleviate some Knitphobia! Feel free to add any suggestions to ask any questions in the comments.  Back tomorrow when we get down to some serious Dolmaniac bizness.

Pin It

Tweet

Matchy McMatcherson

Do not be fooled by the appearance of a dress.

It's actually separates!  Which is good for us as we've mislayed the brown leggings we'd normally pair with this top. 

As all previous tennis skirts have been made from cotton / lycra jerseys, I wanted to show how using an interlock gives the skirt a slightly different shape.  Without the added lycra that lends the jersey extra weight, the interlock drapes into gentle folds rather than holding the a-line shape.

Pin It

Tweet

Make it in a metre series: The Tennis Skirt

After so many fantastic guest posts in the 'Make it in a Metre' series, I reckon it's high time that I contribute a project tutorial! So here we go with The Tennis Skirt, which is a very quick to sew a-line skirt using knit fabric. The hem is full and curved so there's quite a lot of flounce and body. From cutting to finishing, the skirt can be completed in about a half an hour and requires half a metre of fabric at most! I can definitely see myself knocking a dozen of these out for summer basics. The sizes I've included in the file are 18m/2T, 3T/4T, and 5Y/6Y.

Version one is seen here:

And version two here:

I made one small change between versions one and two... the combination of my daughter's rounded belly and bum meant the hemline was riding higher in the back so version two has a higher rise in the back piece. If your recipient has this body type I recommend using both front and back pieces; if your recipient is more straight up-and-down through the torso and hips you can use the curved 'front' piece for both the front and the back.

Materials required:

1/2m knit fabric for skirt body
1/4m ribbing or cotton lycra (or anything with lycra / spandex / elastane and good stretch recovery) for the waistband
Stretch needles for sewing with knits
Pattern pieces (download the pattern and assembly instructions here)
Tape to assemble the pattern
Optional but recommended: a double needle for hemming

Cutting your fabric:

If your fabric is dimensional you will need to cut the skirt pieces side by side (requires slightly more fabric with some wastage between the pieces)

If your fabric is not directional, cut one piece on the fold first, then refold and cut the second piece upside down (practically no fabric wastage!)

Your finished pattern pieces will look like this:

Sewing your skirt:

I have used a serger for the construction only because I have one. But it's not a problem to sew the skirt on a regular machine! You will need to use a stretch needle, a stretch stitch (either a pre-set stitch like the lightening bolt, triple stretch, or overlocking stretch, or if your machine doesn't have a pre-set a narrow zigzag), and reduced pressure on your foot to reduce wavy-ness. If you can't reduce the pressure on your machine, I've heard others swear by a walking foot but I've never tried one.



Step one: Sew both side seams of your waistband:

Step two: Sew both side seams of your skirt:

Step three: Fold waistband down, fold in half an place pins at centre front and back. Fold skirt in half and place pins at centre front and back. Now you have all your quartermarks to match.

Step four: With all the raw edges at the top, pin the waistband to the skirt, matching up the side seams and the centre front and back pins. As you can see, there is excess skirt fabric between each of the quartermarks that the waistband will be stretched to fit as you sew.

Step five: Starting at a side seam, drop the needle into the waistband / skirt. Holding the fabric at the next quartermark, stretch the waistband only so that the edges match up without wrinkling. (If you have curly edges on the skirt fabric that you find hard to tame, this tute should help!). While holding taut, sew up to the quartermark, stop in the down position and repeat.

Step six: continue this process all the way around.

Step seven: Flip the waistband up. Press the seam allowance down to the skirt so it's flat and smooth.

Step eight: Starting the the side seam, press the hem of the skirt up one inch. Continue this all the way around. Where the curve of the hem is the deepest, gently pull the fabric so it follows the curve evenly.

**Tip**: What works the best for me is to brace the fabric against the ironing board with my hip while pulling with my left hand and ironing with my right. When it's not being pulled it looks like this:

See how there are small sections that lift up a tiny bit? When stretched just a very small amount whilst sewing they go completely flat.

If you are not going to use a double needle for hemming and instead want to hem with a normal single needle, after you have pressed an inch all the way around, additionally press the raw edge under a quarter of an inch all the way around.

Step nine: Hemming your skirt.

I am using two needles with my Coverstitch, again, because I have one. The result with a double needle in a regular machine is practically the same: there's a row of parallel lines on the right side and a weave on the wrong side. (There's an intro to twin needles here or here). When coverstitching or using a double needle you sew with the right side facing up, which can take a little bit of practise to master. It can help to use twin needles with quite a bit of width between them, and to draw a faint line with chalk on the right side along the hemming line.

If you are sewing with a single needle, you can sew from the wrong side (so it is easier to follow) and I suggest lengthening your stitch to 3 or 3.5. You shouldn't need to do a stretch stitch because the hem is wide enough it won't be overly stretched or prone to snapping.

Starting at the side seam, sew your hem so that the raw edge underneath is being straddled by the two needles (or so both needles hit the hem if you want to be safe!). Pull ever so gently in front of the foot so it lies flat, and go slowly.

Continue all the way around until you're back to where you started.

You're done! Press the hem again if it needs flattening.

Then find a cute model and post it in the Flickr group :)

Pin It

Tweet