The fabric I used for my dress is weird. It has a lovely weighty drape, but because of the shiny plastic grain (which is also sheer) with the cross-grain black thread, it does not like to fold or keep a crisp press.
The flounce at the bottom is very curved at the bottom edge, especially in the back. So I knew it was going to fight me for a nice hem. I tried samples of double fold (it was ugly as expected) and even serged edge with single fold. Neither was pretty. A rolled hem on the serger was out of the question.
The pattern instructions said to hem the outer flounce and the lining flounce separately. While that would be pretty in a fabric like chiffon, it would have been double the frustration in this fabric and I didn't want the lining to be a different fabric.
So I decided to bag-out the hem, and then attach the flounce. In some ways, this probably simplified the alterations as I was able to make all the adjustments from the top without having to redo the hem or spend lots of time leveling anything up from the floor.
I used pinking sheers to trim the bottom edge after sewing the two layers of fabric together. Pinking the edge both "clips the curve" and keeps anything from fraying away without the added bulk of serging. Then I understitched the seam allowance to the lining side just beside the seam. This fabric needed to be controlled as much as possible.
I had to steam press really well and use the clapper on the bottom of my point presser to make it lay flat. Once I had forced it into submission, I lined up the vertical seams (sides and center back) and stitched-in-the-ditch to keep the open seam allowances from rolling around between the layers and getting puffy again.
I basted the top edge and trimmed any areas of overhang from the lining side. And then I attached it to the dress as one piece.
(fyi, this is also how I hemmed the sleeves of the shrug.)
#Butterick4731
I spent the day priming things for paint and then I remembered to shoot a quick video. #SewingStudioBuild
I started cutting all the edges while Janet was away yesterday morning. When she got back after lunch, she pulled out a roller and started filling in. I'll put a pic below in the comments. #SewingStudioBuild
We broke for lunch and then came back with a portal ac unit plugged in to an extention cord from the house. Can't wait until they finished hooking up all the electrical and we have the mini split cooling the room for us - it was stupid humid today! #SewingStudioBuild
I keep meaning to cut something new out to sew, and keep not having time. But in the meantime, I thought I’d show something I started several weeks ago. About two years ago, a geography project that was in our curriculum was to create an embroidery design, the unit was on Ukraine and this had to do with traditional embroidered garments. So my oldest made this design, and asked if I’d use it in my own sewing sometime. I had to sit on this one for awhile to plot what to do, but I finally started it. Last year’s ice dyeing had this leftover sweatshirt fleece from some shirts I made when the boys were younger, but it only dyed on the back side. So I’m using reverse embroidery to put his design on the front piece of this sweatshirt, so I can also use that piece of fabric in a way that won’t look like my clothes are inside out. I also have a back yoke piece cut, but I’m only getting to work on this around once a week right now, so I’ll need to either speed this up or drop that ...
I just need to vent. I was hemming some jeans today and one leg was perfect. Did it in one try. The other? It took 4 times of sewing and picking it out! I’m done now but that was such a pain. I hate stretch denim so much. Can anyone else relate?
Almost time to start quilting panels for my jacket pieces. I have one more front section to piece and I need to lengthen the hood pattern (why does everyone always draft hoods too short?) and then I can make "sandwiches."
I took this photo before I stitched a strip of background fabric to each side of the stripes so that the pattern piece of the jacket back is completely covered.
