summer stitching

butterick 5891

Much gratitude for hours of studio time.

Blessed luxurious studio time.

An allowing for slowing down,

stitching new work,

sampling new patterns,

playing with fabric,

taking a nap.

I've been working on samples

for future Butterick patterns 

and in the midst of it all 

I grabbed the opportunity for some play,

making a shirt/jacket

for an upcoming New York trip.

front collar

Wanting something fresh,
made of natural fibers,

that would work for cool and warm,

I found a piece of linen in grey

with shots of silver metallic.

Nothing like a little bling for the east coast.

  I wanted to give the shirt's surface a little 'bump' and

I had the thought that I would do some hand-painting.

(Thanks Diane Ericson for your smashing shirts

using this pattern which inspired me!)

With some large fabric scraps remaining

I had plenty of surface to practice on.
 

back butterick 5891

But alas, it was not to be.

Every painted bit was unsatisfactory.

I could not get what I wanted or anything I liked.

collar detail with stitching and added selvage edge

As I started stitching the pieces together

(with a bit of regret and disappointment I'll admit)

I was inspired by the selvage edges

that I'd decided to expose down the back seam.

What if I held the exposed selvage down

with my 'cardiac' stitch?
 

back seam and collar before construction

As one thing always leads to another,

the surface stitching began to wander.

It wandered onto the collar,

where I decided to insert some of that cool selvage edge

under the fold-over facing.

 

collar with stitching and added selvage

 

It wandered all around the collar

on the seamline where the collar 

meets the body of the shirt.
 

back stitching on collar/body seamline

 

It wandered onto the sleeves and sleeve hems.

I wondered if I could used it to hold the hem down?

(Yes it did, 

and, I hand stitched the hem in place as well.)

right sleeve hem stitching detail

left sleeve stitching detail

The stitches wandered down the front

and across to the other side.

front stitching details

stitching over selvage insert detail

Another bit of selvage inserted in left front seam

reminds me of a pocket.

However, in this pattern the pockets 

are inserted in the side seams.

pockets detail

They got some stitching too.

I was having so much fun!

buttonhole detail

The clear buttons with dots came from Paris

and worked perfectly in pairs

with my easy double buttonhole.

 

Make one long buttonhole slightly larger

than you need for two buttons.

Tack the center down before you cut

and voila, an easy solution

for a nice button detail.

 Over the shoulder the line goes.

Adding just the 'bump' I wanted 

with subtlety and grace. 

I do as much of the cardiac stitching as possible 

when the pieces are flat;

for example the sleeves, the fronts, the back.

Then, as I add more lightening stitching 

after I've attached different pieces together;

for example the collar and pocket detail.

A couple of changes I made to the pattern:

1. I added 3-1/2 inches to the length. 

2" on the 'add length here' line and 1-1/2" at the hem.
2. I cut down the flare at the side 

by trimming 1-1/2 inches from the lower side edge, 

grading to nothing at the waist.

 

Happy stitching, creating, playing!

Tips of the Trade

Part of the fun of sewing for me is figuring things out.

After doing things a certain way

for a long time

I notice I feel 'bored'

and like to change things around.

This can make things challenging

when I'm trying to write pattern directions

(for instance)

and have to commit

to just one way of doing something

and a certain order of doing it.

Hmm, maybe I don't like to be tied down...

Make rules,

break rules,

love rules,

hate rules. 

(Love does rule though...)

As I plan a pattern,

choose the fabrics,

cut the pieces out,

and stitch things together,

many ideas move through the mind.

Some stick and some don't;

some work and some don't.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite tricks

that you may or may not know about

that I've been using in my latest projects.

Some of these I learned from other sewers;

some I figured out myself (as I know you have);

all, I find helpful.

1. Press hems in place 

when the fabric pieces are still flat.

Sleeves especially, as they can be such a pain

when trying to turn them under evenly in the round.

Even if the press line doesn't match up perfectly

when you get the sleeve put together

it's easier to straighten it out 

than to try to do the whole job from scratch.

 

pressing hem while fabric is flat using a cardboard template

2. Use a cardboard template as a guide when pressing hems.

This simple 1" strip

cut from a file folder or cereal box

makes pressing hems so much easier.

Actually I've amassed a collection of different widths

but the 1" is what I seem to use most often.

3. When tucking a thick seam under,

trim a small concave curve from the thickest part on the edge.

This takes out just enough thickness

to allow the seam to sit flatter.

Works well when wrapping a thick seam 

in a neckband or folding a fat seam in a hem. 

(Note: I did check the internet to find a correct/understandable 
definition for a concave and a convex curve
and thanks to those who corrected me
when I still got it wrong...)

Essentially you are cutting a little curved piece

out of the top of the seam

in the seam allowance.

Curved Kai scissors are perfect for this.

trim out a 'fat' seam

4. Make an easy 'double' buttonhole for 2 small buttons

by first making one large buttonhole

and then putting a tack in the middle.

Measure the two buttons together 

with a small space in between to determine buttonhole length.

Stabilize with Fray Check 

and then cut each hole separately.

This works for three little buttons too.

tacking the center of a long buttonhole to make two

5. Finish a serged seam 

by tucking the 'tail' threads back into the end of the seam.
Use a big yarn needle

to work the serged tail back under the seam loops.

This holds everything in place for a neat seam finish

with no hanging or fraying tails.

tucking in a serger 'tail'

Feel free to share your favorite tips

in the comment section.

Click here to link to some cutting edge clothing happenings:

3-D garments -- New Skins

Gamers creating electronic clothing
(giving new meaning to 'play clothes')

Happy stitching!