What do all these sewing pattern terms mean?

One of  the most rewarding parts of my job has to be teaching. I teach "How to use a sewing machine" and "How to follow a sewing pattern" whilst my friend Michelle teaches "Patchwork and Quilting for Beginners" as well as an excellent "Machine Applique" class. Our little sewing room in Colchester is always a fun and friendly environment.

Many people show up not knowing a thing about sewing, after all they are at a beginners course. So here are a few terms you may have  heard or seen on a sewing pattern that you may not know yet;

Selvedge - This is the finished (neatened) edge of the fabric. If a fabric is sold on the roll then the selvedge is at either end of the tube. Sewing patterns will often say "fold fabric in half, right sides together selvedge to selvedge. If they said to fold in half along the length or width things could get mixed up, after all not everyone things of the length as the longer measurement and the width the shorter. Also what if you are using 1 meter of fabric that is 1.5 meters wide? By saying Selvedge to selvedge or "So the selvedges meet" they are removing that area of doubt.






Grain - The grain line TENDS to be an imaginary line that runs along your fabric parallel to the selvedges (see  how the selvedge makes an awesome reference point). When placing pattern pieces on your fabric you need to keep all of the grain lines in the same direction (imagine a striped fabric, if you put one side of the dress at a different angle on the fabric then the stripes will run in a different direction. EVEN if you're using a plain fabric try to follow the grain line. All fabrics have a little "Give" which is different at different angles, so you may find  some of your panels stretching slightly. 

Nap - Some fabrics have a texture, such as velvet or fun fur. When this texture only runs in one direction we call this the nap. Run your hand over some velvet, then run it the other way, see how different it feels and how it makes the fabric look different. The back of a sewing pattern will tell you if you need extra fabric to accommodate a nap. You will need this as sometimes the pattern will lay out a pattern piece "upside down" in normal fabrics this makes no different, but in a velvet for example it will make your garment look very odd if one side runs one way and their side has the velvet brushed the other way.

The Bias - When the pattern pieces are laid out on a fabric at 45 degrees to the grain line we call it Bias Cut. This will often give the garment a little stretch. Many people seem afraid of sewing on the bias but it's just like regular sewing, you just have to take it easy and take your time.

If you have trouble with "Interfacing and facing" or" Lining and interlining" just check out our blog.
Happy Sewing all.  

What's the difference between facing and interfacing?

Our sewing classes in Colchester and Felixstowe  Fabric8 have been a  great success. We have covered all sorts of subjects such as patch working and how to follow a sewing pattern. I always find it fascinating to find what people struggle to follow. Paying attention to these things makes us  better teachers as well a guiding all our staff on how to help people new to sewing in our shops.

One such issue is that of interfacing and facings. Due to the similar names people seem to get the two mixed up, not helped by the fact that in many patterns ask you to interface the facings! So what are they?

Facings

What is a facing?

Here the facing extends a little into the garment
and ends with a  straight edge to make finishing easier. 

Facings are not something you buy they are a feature of a garment. The facing of a garment is normally a piece of the outer fabric on the inside of the garment. Whilst a lining is effectively a duplicate of the garment the facing extends only a little inside the garment. Sometimes a garment only has a  facing, other times the facing the joins a traditional lining.

What is a facing for?

Here the facing joins the lining.

Often a facing is used for cosmetic reasons. By having some of the outer fabric on the inside of a garment people do not see flashes of the wrong side of the fabric or the lining on the opening of the garment or at the arm holes. A facing will sometimes be used to add stiffness to a garment if it  has been interfaced (more on that later) or to avoid raw seams or to prevent you having to use a fined seam on a tricky part of construction, such as on the arm holes. The facings themselves can be shaped so if they have to be finished neatly then the edge needing finishing will be straight and easy to hem.

Interfacing


What is interfacing?

Interfacing is normally a special fabric you can buy from your sewing shop, occasionally a pattern will show you how to make your own. It comes in 2 main sorts, "sew in interfacing" and "fusible or iron on interfacing".

What is interfacing for?

Interfacing is attached to the wrong side of the fashion fabric to add body and stiffness to the garment.

How do you use interfacing?

Your sewing pattern will tell you what shape to cut out, normally it's the same as one of the pattern pieces. To use sew in interfacing simply lay the interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric and press with an iron, lining up the edges. Then using a basting stitch (a long stitch) sew around the edges of the fabric and interfacing within the seam allowance.

To use fusible interfacing lay the side of the interfacing with the glue (the shiny side) onto the wrong side of the fabric and pop a damp cloth on top. Then press through the cloth with an iron set on setting 2 for 12 seconds or so. Start from the middle and work your way out to avoid creases.

When things can get confusing.

a contrasting facing used in a lapel 

Sometimes a facing is made from a different fabric than the outer fabric. In these cases they TEND to
be lapels of a jacket or something similar that are contrasting with the fashion fabric.

Sometimes the only part of a garment that gets interfaced is the facing, If the patterns says that don't worry you've not misunderstood, some garments are just like that.

Sometimes a facing IS a complete lining. This is rare and normally happens in children's' clothing where it's possible to cut out a lining from the left over fashion fabric. Again if the pattern says to do this don't panic, you haven't misunderstood.

And so there you have it, a brief guide to the difference of facing and interfacing and a little of the terminology used by patterns. If you ever find yourself struggling with a pattern just pop into your local Fabric8 shop or find us on twitter. We're always happy to help.

Bridal and other Wedding Sewing

I don't know if it's my imagination but we're getting a lot more bridal parties come into the shop to prepare for weddings. Sometimes they want something simple like dress net to make favour bags with, or ribbon for the cake.  Other brides (or their mums) are tackling the wedding dresses.

  I myself am about to get married (this coming Sunday in fact) and so I'm sewing for my wedding as well. Many people were expecting me to sew the wedding dress, however my bride has put her foot down on that matter. I'm not allowed to know anything about the dress and I can't very well sew whilst blindfolded. 

So have I made all of my (the groom's) outfit. Surprisingly not. I've been a busy boy with other aspects of work, however I did want to have some of my own creations in the wedding. This  was when I realised I could sew and save a fair bit of money.

I am guilty of having an "All or nothing" attitude at times. BUT I realized I don't have to make ALL of my outfit. I love making waistcoats and cravats so decided if I wear plain black trousers I only need a frock coat for the day it's self. Renting a wedding suit cots around £90 however BUYING a frock coat second hand on E-bay, £50. So by making a waistcoat and cravat I'm saving money and I get to have a frock coat to KEEP (and trust me I will get use out of it). There will be many pics of my creations for the day coming (and maybe another blog) until then I suggest you check out these past entries...

Learn from my wedding sewing mistakes.

How to make a petticoat

Retro Weddings 

Sewing without a pattern

I  love working in our fabric shop in Colchester in Essex. As I often say on these blogs one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is meeting interesting people and helping them out (mean and boring people don't sew or knit I've decided). Often I help people pick fabric or a pattern  or advice them on what sewing needles to use.  Sometimes I serve  someone who wants to make something very simple but is afraid of not having a pattern as they are unsure about how to construct their project. With this in mind I thought I'd show some of the basic sewing techniques that are useful when making a simple project. I picked a simple tunic for a child (one of the most common projects for school plays). I folded a piece of fabric (right sides together) and sketched a simple neckline, shoulders and arm holes (just measure  the child and add 5cm ease) the width of the fabric is half the chest plus 4cm seam allowances (2 on either side) and 5 cm ease.

Inside out, Right sides together.

If you read enough sewing patterns you'll see the words "with right sides together"  so often you'll start mumbling them in your sleep.  Traditionally when  we sew we make up a garment inside out, this means when we turn the garment right side out  the seam (or the narrow strip of fabric next to the where we've sewn) is on the inside.

How to get rid of "unfinished" edges.

An unfinished seam or edge of a garment is where the fabric is rough, and has just been cut. An exposed rough edge never looks nice and can fray very quickly ruining your work. There are a few classic ways of getting around this problem.

Line the Garment

Lining a garment involves making a second version of the garment (normally in a lighter weight fabric) and then sewing them together, right sides together (see there's that phrase again). This sounds like a lot of work but once you get the hang of it you'll see some advantages. Often for a simple outfit it's quicker to cut out to copies of your project and sew them together than to try fiddling with finishing off the edges. Also lined garments tend to last longer.  When lining remember that you're going to have to turn the garment right side out so you need to leave a small gap to pull the fabric through. For an idea of what you need to think about when making a lined garment check out - how to make a waistcoat 

Hem the edge

Hemming simply involves folding the edge of the fabric over by a small amount, pressing, and folding over again. Then stitch in place. Perfect for the hem of a dress, or trouser legs or a toga/tunic. However this can be tricky for a curved edge, such as a neckline, arm hole or circle skirt.  

Bias Binding

At first glance bias binding looks just like ribbon.However on it's under side you'll see the fabric is folded at each side, meeting in the middle.  Bias binding is made from a strip of fabric cut "on the bias" or at an angle. This means it can stretch and shrink on either side, letting you turn corners with it!

 Wrap the raw edge in the bias and top stitch into place. This is a very quick and easy way to finish off neck and arm holes and can look great whether on club gear or school play costumes. I like to use a contrasting colour bias when I make petticoats. 

Keep these simple points in mind and have a go at going freestyle on a simple project. you may surprise yourself! 

Low cost fabrics in our sale!

Everyone in our Colchester and Felixstowe Fabric8 stores have been very busy these last few weeks. Christmas is always a very busy time for us, not just because of the festive rush but also because we start thinking of what we will stock in the year to come. In years gone by we would  also be planing a new year sale. We haven't had one for a while and so we thought it was time to bring it back, with a twist.

In the past our sales were on a selection of fabrics, normally older stock. However these days stock doesn't tend to hang around for years on end. Thus we've decided ALL dressmaking fabric, quilting fabric and furnishing fabric are to be included in the sale.  This includes some very new stock, such as this beautiful "Vintage Balloons fabric". Ideal for curtains this fabric was £25.95 a metre but is now only £18.17.

This Moto Rally fabric was £14.00 but is now only £9.80.

So if you have a furnishing project or dressmaking project you've been putting off now may be an ideal time to look at it again..






It's not just fancy and flashing fabrics in the sale. Basic stock items such as dress lining, poly cotton and plain cottons are also in the sale.  Quite a few people have popped into the shop or placed web orders to stock up on the basic essentials that we all know we will need through the year.

Sewing Double Welt Pockets.

I've been teaching a friend to sew for a while now. Together we've made skirts and bodices and our current project is a waistcoat. Now I've been sewing for 10 years and have made well over 50 waistcoats, so I thought this would be simple. However in all my time sewing would you believe I have NEVER had to make a double welt pocket?  I've made so many single welt pockets I feel confident enough to add them to patterns that are pocket free, and to turn mock vet pockets into real pockets. I followed the advice I normally give customers in the shop when facing something new. Have a large mug of tea on hand and take your time.

We struggled with the instructions that came with the patern  for quite a while before making a big decision. Instructions are just ONE  way to do things.   I checked my books and looked on line and found MANY different ways of making a double welt pocket.
Then I found THIS video and decided it was the most simple way forward.

I thought people may find it useful to see how someone else interprets the instructions and so here is my attempt to follow the instructions. 

What I used:

Seam Ripper

Sewing Needles

Interfacing

Chalk

Pins

Step One. Preparing the welts and the garment.

This method of making the pockets starts with the welts being interfaced and unfolded. The method I originally tried involved started with he welts folded in half (wrong sides together) and a baste stitch along the long edge. I either had to unpick the baste seam or cut out fresh welts and interface them.

I had already slashed the pocket hole in the waistcoat open in the previous pocket making attempt. To keep the pocket area stable I pressed all the seams shut and interfaced the wrong side of the fabric over the slash. This should help keep everything stable whilst I sew.

When sewing in the middle of a garment you will not be able to see the seam guide marks on your sewing machine. Therefore it is a good idea to mark out the stitching line with chalk first.

Step Two. Sewing the welts onto the garment.

Pin the welts so their edge s meet together at the slashing point on the garment.  Stitch along the chalk line  not from end to end but from the circle mark on the pattern to circle mark on the pattern. If like me you are working without a pattern then sew from the point where the slashing end, about 1cm in from the welt. 

Step 3. Slashing the Garment and Turning Through.

Fold back the welts so you can see the slashing line and carefully slash open the garment. Slash a straight line 1cm from the end of the cutting line on each side. Then cut two diagonal lines to 1mm from where the welt is sewn. repeat on the other side of the pocket.

Fold the welts to the inside of the garment. 

Press the seam allowances of the went and garment open.

Step Three. Tagging the "Duck Tails".

 If everything has gone correctly the right side of your garment should look like this. The hard work is really done (and it wasn't that hard was it?)

If you look on the right side of your garment the vent should now be taking shape. If you are following a pattern the welts should be folded so the meet in the middle of the pocket and their raw edges match up to the raw edge of the pocket slash. If not fold and press your welts into the correct position and trim them so they match the raw seam. On either side of the slash in the garment you should have two small triangles of fabric. These are the Duck Tails. Fold your garment over on it's side so the pocket welts and the duck tails lay flat on your machine and sew these duck tails down. 

Step Four. Sewing the Welts on the Inside of the Garment.

Give everything a good press again. Now pin the lose edge of the welt to the seam allowance on the slashed part of your garment. Sew WITHIN the seam allowance of the slash seam. Repeat for the second welt.  The welt is now secure, all that remains is sewing on the pocket bag.

 Step Five. Sewing on the Pocket Bag.

One of the many difference between a single welt and double welt pocket is that of the pocket bag. Single welt pockets have a one piece pocket bag, double welt pockets have a two part pocket bag, nodally one piece made of lining and the other of the outer garment fabric. I began with the lining pocket piece which is attached to the lower welt. 

Place the pocket piece on the lower welt on the reverse side of the garment. "Right sides together" the pocket piece should appear "upside down" so it's point towards the top of the garment. Stitch the pocket bag in place within the seam allowance of the welt.

Repeat with the second pattern piece which is places rights sides together against the top welt (so the pocket piece is pointing towards the bottom of the garment. Again stitch to the seam allowance of the welt. 

Step Six. Stitch the Pocket Bag  Together.

Rest the top pocket bag on top of the lining pocket bag, pin together and sew in place.

And behold you have a fantastic double welt pocket! When you open the pocket you will see the same fabric as the garment is made of.

I have to admit I really enjoyed learning a new technique for sewing. I'm also amazed at how neat and professional the finish on this pocket is. I will definitely be using this method again.

 I must thank Diane Deziel for her amazing sewing tutorials on youtube. Check her out and see else you can learn.

How to make a Velvet Scarf

We have been making these blogs for a few years now, and one thing I'm always surprised at is the timing. This will be the fourth time someone has asked me how to make something in our shop just as I'm about to pop a tutorial on the subject on-line.

This sewing project was born through necessity. I lost my favourite velvet scarf and had no intention of paying £25 for a replacement.  I took a good look at a scarf in a shop and decided I could make it for around £5.

I decided my new scarf would be velvet to replace the one I lost. I was never a fan of the long tassels at each end of the scarf but found scarves without a decorative edge seemed a little unfinished. One perk of sewing your own clothes is that you don't have to make compromises.  I decided to use a short fringe so that the scarf will still look sophisticated., but not get tangled up.

You will need:

Half a metre of Velvet (150cm Wide)
Half a metre of fringe
Matching sewing thread
Sewing Needle
Pins
Thread snips.

Version one.

Step one. Marking out.
Take your half metre of velvet and fold it in half, so you have a rectangle 150cm by 25 cm.

Mark where the fold of the fabric is, and then unfold it, so you have a mark half way on the short side of the fabric.

Step two. Adding the fringing. The fringing is held on a strip of braid. We will want the fringing visible but not this braid.

 Pin the fringing along the short edge, going from the edge of the fabric to the middle point we just marked.,

The braid of the fringe should be along the edge of the fabric and the fringing pointing down the fabric.

Stitch the fringing to the velvet along the braided edge. Repeat on the other short edge.




Step Three. Sewing up. Fold the fabric in half along the long edge, right sides together.  Pin and sew with a seam allowance just wider than the width of  the braid that holds the fringe.  Make sure to leave a small gap on the long edge around 10cm long.

Pop your hand through the gap and pull the scarf right side out. Press with an iron and slip stitch the gap shut. (Or just use wunder web).

And Hey Presto you have a fabulous scarf to cut a dash in (or to give as a gift) for around five pounds.







Version 2
The above scarf has three sides sewn. It is just as easy to make a scarf out of two narrow strips of fabric of around 150cm by 28cm. Whilst this means you have an extra seam to sew you have the opportunity to use two different colours of velvet, or to add ribbon to one side of the scarf.

The only difference to the above method is you don't have to find the half way mark on the short end. Simple pin the fringe across all of the short end, you can also top stitch ribbon along the width as well.

Then just sew the two strips of velvet together, right sides together again leaving a gap for turning through.

There you have it, two ways of making a simple but sophisticated scarf. These scarves were an experiment in that I used a velour with a stretch. I was concerned that this would make the scarf shapeless, but I've found it works fine.

How to make a Circle Skirt

In our last blog we showed you how to make a sarong. In keeping with the Summer theme today we present how to make a circle skirt.  I like nothing more than combining my love for sewing with my love for performing magic. (Trust me I am going somewhere with this). In magic a magician will take a trick that is mechanically easy to perform, and then use it to practice presentation. By not worrying about complicated hand movements a magician can focus on other details. It is much the same when sewing. A circle skirt is fundamentally an easy garment, which makes it the perfect garment to practice new techniques with.




The basic pattern for a circle skirt is very simple. Our blog on how to make a petticoat begins with making a very short circle skirt.
I often use brown wrapping paper or pattern making paper for my projects. However I have some wrapping paper that's been getting in my way at home, and so decided to use this for my circle skirt pattern

As with our "how to make a petticoat" tutorial we begin by making two quarter circles on the paper. The radius of the first quarter circle is the hip measurement divided by 6.28 (check out the petticoat tutorial for an explanation of the maths)

The second quarter circle is the length of the skirt from the waist circle. (the third circle in this picture was just an alternative skirt length I was playing around with).

We now have a very sparkly pattern.

Fold the fabric in half and place the straight edge of the pattern on the fold of the fabric.  On the other straight edge of the pattern add a seam allowance. This will give you the front  half of your skirt.

Place the pattern again onto the fabric, And cut out a second panel.

Right sides together pin the two panels together along the straight edges and sew.

 You now should have a full circle which will lay out flat on the floor.

All that is technically needed is a waistband and a hem.

However here is an opportunity to improve on your skills of sewing. The skirt has raw seams which we can now tidy up with bias binding.

Press the seams open, and the wrap bias binding ribbon around the raw edge of the seam. Carefully sew the ribbon onto the raw edge.

We now have beautifully bound seams. These seams not only look neater but ale stop the seam fraying, greatly increasing the lifespan of your garment.

The waistband needs to be as long as the final hip measurement you used for the circle skirt, in my case 125 cm long. Cut out a strip of fabric to this length and make it four times the width you'f like the waistband to end up (I use my metal ruler as a guide).

Now fold in half along the length , wrong sides together and press with an iron.
Open the fold and use the crease as a guide to fold the outer edges of the strip into the middle.

Fold it back in half again and press, this gives you what looks like large bias ribbon (but it is not on the bias).

Pin the waistband onto the circle skirt, sandwiching the circle skirt in between the fold of the fabric.

When the two ends meet stitch the strip of fabric together and THEN fold them over the circle skirt. Then stitch the waistband to the circle skirt, leaving a small gap to thread the elastic through.










Now all that remains is to hem the skirt. Circle skirts can be hard to hem however as there is always more fabric on the hem as there is just above the hem, so you have to pleat the fabric slightly as you hem.

Another option would be to use a roll hem foot. This is a sewing machine foot with a curl set in it which the fabric is fed through. This creates a tiny hem, only a few millimeters wide.

However in this case I decided to use the bias binding ribbon again. Wrap the bias around the hem and top stitch in place. Bias binding can actually bend around the curve of the hem. And much like the seams this hem will be very long lasting.

And so we have a very neat inner view of the skirt. We have taken a simple pattern and used it to try out new techniques and to improve our sewing.

And behold a very simple and flattering circle skirt. Simple to make and a great project to get to grips with a roll hem foot or bias binding. You will be able to make up one of the skirts in no time. Half the battle is in making the pattern. Once you have this you can make a skirt to match any top.


Remember to enjoy your sewing and to keep on learning.