ASG Sewing Blog – Page 37

May 13, 2022

All About Drawstrings

We see them everywhere—from hoodies to waistlines, necklines to sleeves. What are they? The humble drawstrings. A simple, but oh-so-functional, fashion touch that we sometimes take for granted, but there’s a lot to be said about drawstrings.

Drawstring neckline — Photo courtesy of Bernina

These handy pull-strings can be made from fabric, cord, flat trim, braid, ribbon, twill tape, thin rope, bias tape, or even shoe laces. Did you know that shoe laces come up to 72” long? Drawstrings can stand alone to hold things up, or can be paired with a hidden elastic for a more secure hold.

Drawstrings can pull in a single direction, or you can add a second one to pull in the opposite direction—think drawstring bag, our go-to for universal small storage.

While we may be most familiar with horizontal drawstrings, like on comfy pj’s and yoga pants, these pull-ups can also go vertically to shirr the front of a skirt, a sleeve or a bodice to new heights.

Grand Openings

Ronan bag from Sallie Tomato — Sallie Tomato “Ronan” bag

Depending on the construction, drawstrings may emerge from hiding through metal or plastic grommets, buttonholes, a sewn eyelet or a seam opening. Both ends can come through one opening, or there may be two openings, one for each end of the string.

It’s a good idea to reinforce behind any drawstring opening before construction, as the pull of a drawstring adds extra wear. Fusible interfacing is ideal for this purpose—just cut a square that’s at least ½” larger than the opening. Pattern markings indicate where a drawstring opening should be placed. If it’s an in-seam opening, fuse to the seam allowances to add stability.

In the End

When the ends of a drawstring emerge, they can be finished in several ways, depending on the fabric. Knotting the ends together is one option, knotting the ends separately is yet another. Beads can be added to the ends, or they can be finished with an aglet—a metal finding that encases the raw string end. Another option is to simply let the ends fray, if it’s a woven fabric or trim. If fraying isn’t your cup of tea, secure the ends with a no-fray product or wrap with yarn or heavy thread for a decorative touch.

Long drawstring ends can also be tied creatively—like in bows or Chinese knots—for added interest.

Just Encase

Drawstring are most often hidden inside a casing, though some are woven through openings on the outside for a decorative effect. Casings can be made by folding over a hem edge and stitching a channel that’s wide enough to let the drawstring pull through freely. That casing can also be a separate piece of folded fabric attached to a waistline or hemline, or a strip of fabric can be sewn to the garment wrong side over the channel opening(s) to form the drawstring tunnel.

Many sewists love the comfort of a drawstring and its adjustability, but sometimes, depending on the fabric, the tied string can loosen and feel a bit less secure. No one wants their pants inching down from the original waistline. So, elastic can easily be paired with the decorative drawstring for more fit. To do this, cut the drawstring in half and sew each end to the end of a piece of elastic before inserted into the casing. Pattern pieces are usually provided for the length, but if not, just be sure that the sewn ends of the drawstring remain hidden in the casing when wearing the item. Or, make multiple casings with a drawstring between two or more rows of encased elastic.

Plastic cord locks from Amazon — Plastic cord locks available in sewing stores, online, and on Amazon

Drawstrings sometimes slide out of casings, either during wear or during laundering. To prevent that and keep the drawstring where it belongs, stitch vertically through the casing at the center back or side seams once you have the drawstring evenly distributed.

Another way to keep a drawstring in place is to add a cord lock to each end at the desired position. These are frequently used on outerwear with waistline casings. Cord locks are available in many shapes and colors.

Inside Addition

Getting the drawstring into its casing can sometimes be a challenge. A large safety pin can work to ease it through the channel, but a specialty drawstring tool is even better. The latter is a very long, flexible plastic “needle” of sorts that can easily pull the drawstring into position once it’s threaded through the tool’s “eye.”

Drawstring tool available from sewing stores, online, and through Amazon.

~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .

May 6, 2022

The Allure of Beads

What is it about beads that make these shiny objects so alluring? Take one bead by itself and nothing much happens; group several together and you’ve instantly created an eye-popping sensation.

Bead embellishment has been around for hundreds of years, appearing in everything from ethnic costumes to haute couture. In fact, beading has become so mainstream that one can’t help but notice beads adorning everything from clothing to accessories to home decor. As sewists, we have a unique ability to add these shimmering touches to any of our creations with minimal expense.

Beadwork is a very broad term that encompasses techniques for making jewelry and other three-dimensional objects. Our focus here is on bead embroidery — using beads to embellish fabric. Beads can be applied to plain old fabric in a random pattern, to a fabric with a transferred design, to pre-printed fabric, a fabric with an embroidery design, or to a purchased garment. Another idea is to add beads to an existing trim. The repeating pattern trims provides an accurate template to follow as you apply the beads.

Start on your path to a beading addiction by practicing some stitches. Keep it simple by practicing just one stitch and using only one color of beads, but in two or three different sizes. Create multiple samples and, even if you make a mistake, don’t bother to undo it because, after all, these were just samples. Before long, you’ll begin to realize that the “mistakes” were nothing more than variations that can become a gold mine of three-dimensional beading ideas just waiting to be used.

Look for inspiration in various mediums for help giving you fresh ideas for your projects, whether it’s in a bead-focused publication, in a store, or in a high-fashion magazine.

Bead Basics

Beads come in every imaginable size and shape. They can be made of plastic, glass, metal, bone, shell, gemstone, wood, rubber, polymer clay… the list goes on! Basically, anything with a hole can be considered a bead. Even those without a hole, such as a cabochon, fall into the bead category. In the case of a bead without a hole, the application technique is to couch it, cage it, or as a last resort, glue it down.

Remember that not all beads are alike. Consider the quality, uniformity of shape, and colorfastness. Some beads also have sharper edges than others. This fact should be considered when applying beads to areas of stress in a garment. If you do not happen to live near a good source for beads, there are wonderful online mail order sources.

How many beads will you need?

This is where creating a sample is important. If using a hank of beads, it helps to use an entire strand to bead a sample to determine how far a hank will go. If using beads from a tube or a vial, weight might be a better estimate. The weight on tube or vial packaging is generally labeled in grams. Weigh all the beads, create the sample, then weigh the leftover beads. Subtract the current weight from the initial weight and the resulting number is the weight of beads in the sample. Having a small digital postage or kitchen scale that alternates between ounces and grams is perfect for this task.

Fabric Facts

The list of fabrics suitable for beading ranges from laces and chiffons to very heavy fabrics, such as tapestries and leathers. Besides fabric, beading can also be done on lace trims, ribbons, and 3-D embellishments (such as fabric flowers and crocheted rosettes). Because bead work becomes heavy very fast, especially when using glass beads, your fabric may require some sort of support. If this is the case, determine which stabilizing medium will prevent distortion and hold your design in its original shape. Choices include stabilizers made for machine embroidery, flannel (a favorite choice), muslin, organza, self fabric, interfacing, and grosgrain ribbon. Sometimes the best stabilizer might even be another bead, just like you would use a flat button to back a heavier button on a leather jacket.

Beading Supplies

It doesn’t take much to get started on your beading journey. The basic requirements are patience, a good light source, a comfortable chair, a needle, a hank of beads, thread, fabric, and a basic instruction book. Note the order of importance! A good needle is probably more important than the choice of bead — after all, if a needle doesn’t feel comfortable in your hand, you may not be very motivated to get started.

Lighting: Beading can be very tiring, so begin with good lighting. In addition to working in a well-lit room, a task light or lighted magnifying lamp will help to keep eye strain at bay and make the detail work a little easier. Look for “daylight” rated bulbs or lamps. Daylight rated lighted can also help you to accurately color-match thread to fabric.

Needles: Traditional beading needles are generally very thin and flexible and often are not appropriate for beading on fabric because the motion of the hand-stitching requires a stiffer needle. In most cases for beading on fabric, a sharp needle will work the best. For creating fringe, try a milliner’s needle, which is longer. Remember, though, that not all needles are alike. You need a stiff needle that is thin enough to be able to go through the beads at least twice. Look for Japanese needles (size 9 sharp), John James needles (size 10 milliners), or the Roxanne English needles (size 11 sharp).

Thread: Although ordinary sewing thread can be used for beading in something that won’t see much movement, such as a home decorating project, it’s best to use thread made specifically for the purpose. Beading thread will be stronger and less likely to tangle, especially when working on a garment.

Hoop: Beading can be done with or without a hoop. If you choose to hoop your fabric, be sure to cushion all the hard edges by wrapping them with yarn, muslin strips, twill tape, etc.

Beading Stitches

Terms that refer to styles of stitching include bead embroidery (traditional hand embroidery stitches such as cross stitch and buttonhole stitch executed in beads), netting, peyote, brick, square, right-angle weave, fringes, herringbone, and tambour (which uses a hooked needle to make a continuous chain stitch). There are entire books written on each subject, as well as plenty of YouTube videos and beader blog posts to learn the different techniques. You don’t have to be proficient at all these stitches, but you should familiarize yourself with each technique.

Understanding the basic jewelry-making stitches will expand your vision of bead embellishment on fabric. Basically there are three ways to embellish fabric with beads:

Beads can be sewn directly on fabric.
They can be sewn to a backing, then the backing is trimmed and the bead work is appliqued to fabric.
Beaded components are made freehand using jewelry-making techniques (i.e., using a bracelet pattern for a strap on a dress, a tank top, a waistband, etc.) and then appliqued to fabric.

When beading on fabric, never attach every single bead individually. If you do, chances are your fabric will pucker. For attaching multiples of beads, stitch options include the running stitch, the backstitch, or couching. Another solution is to create the beaded component as a separate applique, and then attach it to your project by sewing through some of the beads within the beaded design.

Transferring Techniques

If you’ve found a particular design you like, you can easily transfer the design or even bead over a pre-printed design. Transfer pens, transfer pencils, dressmaker’s carbon, thread tracing, or pouncing powder all work well. However, one easy method is to trace the design onto tissue paper, then baste the paper to the fabric. Bead through the paper and the fabric, then remove the paper. Tear-away stabilizer can also be used, but test it first to be sure it tears cleanly away from the project.

Storing/Preserving Beadwork

The more elaborate your beadwork, the heavier it gets, so store it flat. Avoid storing it in plastic bags/storage containers as condensation can build up inside them.

Depending on what the base fabric is and the colorfastness/quality of the beads, your beaded project can be hand washed. Upon starting a beaded project, anticipate whether or not it will need to be washed. As with any sewing project, if the answer is “yes,” pre-wash all the fabrics and notions, and soak the beads. After a good soaking, dry them on a piece of white fabric and look for any staining. If stains occur, look for new beads.

Hand wash your finished work, reshape it, and lay it flat to dry. Dry it as fast as possible, but never in direct sunlight. Note that it takes longer to dry under humid conditions than in dry conditions. Choose your wash day wisely!

~ Anna Mazur is a former accountant who turned her love of sewing into a passion. A member of the Connecticut ASG Chapter, she began to hand embroider as a child; by the age of 12, she discovered garment sewing. Her work has appeared on HGTV’s “Sew Much More,” the Fairfield and Bernina Fashion Shows, and in many publications, including Threads magazine, Quilting Arts, Belle Armoire, and Sew News. She is currently an author for Threads Magazine. This article is adapted from an article previously published in Notions.

April 29, 2022

Zippers as Trim

Sometimes things normally found in our sewing rooms end up with surprise uses. Such is the case for zippers!

Zippers from Ghees.com — Photo courtesy of Ghees.com

With the myriad types of zippers available, they can definitely do more than close a garment. Think about them turning into jewelry or becoming piping or a surface trim. When grouped, they can also cover an entire garment section, like a cuff or collar.

Zippers are not only available individually, but you can purchase zipper by the roll or by the yard from some resources. When you purchase zipper tape by the yard, you have more flexibility to use it for many things since you’re not limited by standard lengths.

The various types of zipper teeth add to the intrigue. Look for brightly colored plastic teeth on sport-weight zippers, brassy metal teeth on jeans and utility zippers, and even multi-color teeth on some novelties. For a bit of glam, indulge some rhinestone teeth.

Zipper tapes, the woven base for the teeth, come in many types as well, from solid color basics to printed or stripes of all sorts. For a bit of bling, you can also find metallic and satin zipper tapes.

Let the zipper inspire you for alternate uses!

April 29 is National Zipper Day!

Weaving

If you want to cover a large area, like for making a pillow, garment yoke, or perhaps a tote bag front, think about weaving zippers to the size you need.

A simple over-one-under-one patterning done over a pinnable surface can yield some sizeable pieces. A bit of stitching (or fabric glue) at the overlaps can secure the pieces in place and allow for cutting of the size and shape needed for the project.

Before cutting woven zippers, trace the piece shape needed and stitch just inside the cutting line so the woven strips don’t distort or pull apart. Once the piece is secure, use the woven zipper area as you would fabric, with one exception. If the zipper teeth are metal, remove those within the seam allowances to avoid breaking needles.

Looking for inspiration? Check out this cute zipper bag from Yarnspirations and visit the link to see how it’s made.

Stacking

Zipper tapes can be overlapped, either closely or more widely spaced, to fill an area, such as a cuff or jacket yoke, or to make a bracelet. The easiest way to do this is to cut a lightweight background fabric in the size and shape needed, then stitch the zippers onto it. For a bracelet, a felt background is ideal since it’s comfortable against the skin, yet sturdy enough to hold the weight of multiple zippers.

Zipper tapes can be parallel to each other, or not, depending on the desired look, and zipper pulls can be incorporated for added accents.

Zipper bracelet by Coats & Clark — Photo courtesy of Coats & Clark

Shaping

Zipper flower from Coats & Clark — Photo courtesy of Coats & Clark

Zipper tape is readily shapeable with a few hand stitches to hold it in place, so making freestanding flowers is easy. Just shape the petals to the desired size and hand-tack the center. Sew directly to the project, or add a pin back to make a jewelry accent.

To make longer lengths of trim, use hand stitches along the tape edge to shape it, either in regular or random patterning, then stitch through the zipper to hold it in place.

For even more flexibility, trim the zipper tape close to the teeth, so that those become the focal point. To prevent fraying, coat the cut edges with a fray stopping product. To hold the design shape, hand-stitch over the teeth with invisible thread.

Consider using zippers decoratively to make buttons—the glint of metal teeth works well when coiled with other fabrics. Hand-stitch the wraps together to create the desired size, or stitch them to a background circle of fabric. These types of decorative buttons are best for show, and not for use through a buttonhole, though they can work well through loops…perhaps loops made of zipper.

Piping

Who says piping has to be fabric? It can be even more interesting if it’s made from zippers. Fun teeth create the exposed trim portion for a fun pop of color when inserted into a seam or used along an edge. Insert the zipper tape as you would standard piping so that the teeth are the visible portion, or stitch further away from the teeth to show a hint of the zipper tape as well.

Do not extend heavy teeth beyond the seamline, but instead trim them off and use a fray stopping product to secure the ends.

To apply edge piping to a curve, clip into the zipper tape and spread it so it lies flat against the shaped edge.

One caution: Metal or large plastic zipper teeth can be an irritant to the skin when used along the edge of a garment, so keep that in mind when choosing where to use them.

So, start looking at zippers in a new light—not just hidden closures. Happy Zipper Day!

April 22, 2022

Preparing Your Fabric

Even though it may seem inconvenient and a waste of time, preparing your fabric before sewing ensures that your finished garment will look, hang, and wear well.

Laundering: Many fabrics will shrink or pucker along the seams the first time they’re laundered, so it’s a good idea to wash or dry-clean it before you cut out your pattern pieces.
Straighten the Grain: After preshrinking, straighten the grain of the fabric by pulling or pressing to ensure that the finished garment will look its best.

Preshrinking and Pressing

To preshrink, use the same method that you plan to use to launder your finished item. For example, if you’ll be washing and drying a garment by machine, preshrink by machine. If you’re unsure of the best care for the fabric, check the bolt for laundering information (this is a handy. Alternatively, some fabrics also have care symbols on the selvage edge that show care information. Note that there are also some fabrics that have been pre-shrunk or may not be in danger of shrinking. For example, many wools and silks are “needle-ready” and need nothing more than a touch up with an iron before you layout and cut the pattern pieces. With these fabrics, keep in mind that you will need to eventually clean most items regardless. Another item to note is that new fabric is treated with a finishing process to give it that lovely shine and polish. While it does make the fabric easier to work with for cutting and sewing, the finish will disappear after the first cleaning whether you do it as a pre-shrink or if you wait until it’s time for the item to be laundered.

Washing by hand is often the best way to launder hand-sewn garments. To preshrink the fabric, either wash and dry it by machine this first time only or simply wash it by hand. If you plan to do it by hand, fold the fabric and submerge it in warm to hot water with a little detergent. The detergent will work to remove any excess dye or finishing substance. Then rinse and air-dry the fabric.
Undyed white and off-white wools tend to shrink at an alarming rate and should always be preshrunk. Lay the fabric on a large terry towel that has just been washed in the machine. The towel should be damp, but not sodden. Roll the fabric and damp towel together like a jelly roll, then leave them overnight. The next day, press the fabric smooth to remove the moisture.
Some fabrics, such as wool crepe, must be dry cleaned. In this case, have your dry cleaner process the fabric as if it were a finished garment.

Press your preshrunk fabric before you cut out your pattern pieces and hang it on a hanger so that it won’t wrinkle. Be especially careful when working with fabrics such as crepe as uneven pressing could lead to the width and length becoming uneven and the grainlines no longer straight. While you’re at it, press and hang your pattern pieces, too — they’ll be easier to work with!

Straightening the Grain

Fabric grain refers to the direction in which the threads run. It’s important for the lengthwise and crosswise threads to meet at right angles, or the project will twist or hang crooked. Even though fabric is woven straight, with the lengthwise and crosswise threads at right angles to each other, it is often pulled off-grain during the finishing process or as it is wound onto the bolt. If you cut and sew a garment off-grain, it may never hang the way you expect it to.

To combat this potential problem, check that the fabric is on the straight of the grain. That is with all edges, selvage, and cross-grain straight and at right angles. Start by making a snip through the selvage about 1″ to 2″ from one of the raw edges. Then do one of the following:

If the fabric tears easily, tear the fabric from the cut point
Take hold of one crosswise thread and pull it until the fabric gathers. Keep pushing the gathers along until you reach the other end or selvage of the fabric. You should see a fine line being created in the fabric. If the thread breaks, smooth out the gathers and cut on that line until you each the thread end, then pull a new thread from that line and continue working towards the opposite end. When you’re finished, carefully cut through that line to the end.

Now that you have a straight grainline, fold your fabric, matching the selvages and the cut edges. It’s a good idea to press the fabric and then place it on a flat surface. The selvage and cross-grain should be straight and at right-angles to each other. Cross-grain threads should lie on top of one another. If your fabric lays smoothly and your cut edges are even with each other, you’re ready to lay out your pattern and begin cutting out the pieces.

If the fabric is off-grain, pull the fabric firmly from the corners along the bias to straighten it. If you have a lot of yardage to work with, work slowly down the length of the fabric, pulling every 12″ from corner to corner. It helps to have another pair of hands to help with this, but if you are working alone, you can press the fabric while stretching it along the bias as you work.

Do you understand fabric grain, why it’s important and how to work with it? This video will help to explain it.

April 15, 2022

Pick-up Sticks: Creating Artistic Fabric

Perhaps you remember that challenging childhood game of pick-up sticks where you had to carefully remove a stick without disturbing the others around it? Well, that nostalgic game has inspired a fun sewing technique showcasing brightly colored channels inset at various angles onto a base fabric.

Whether you use this technique to create artistic fabric for a small project, a section of a garment (like a pocket, collar, cuff, etc.), or for a quilt, it’s sure to provide some fun sewing time. For purposes of these instructions, we’ll refer to the larger piece as base fabric.

Two bags made with artistic fabric — Pink Sand Beach Design’s Barbados Bag (modified)

Tools

Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat

Preparation

Cut the base fabric 1 ½” – 2” larger than the finished size needed. For example, if you’re making a pieced collar, create a rectangle that much larger than your pattern piece.
Cut the assorted color inset strips 1” wide.

Cutting Up

Lay the base fabric right side up and make your first cut at any angle you like, cutting it into two sections.

With right sides together and raw edges matching, sew one side of an inset strip to one side of the previously made cut. Press the seam allowances toward the inset.

Matching the second side to the adjacent base section raw edges, sew the remaining inset edge to the opposite side of the cut. Press the seam allowances toward the inset. Trim the excess inset length.

Lay the pieced fabric right side up on your cutting mat. Decide on the angle of your next cut and slice it apart again. The second inset can be at any angle and can bisect the first inset or not, depending on the desired effect.

Repeat steps 1-3 to complete the second inset.

Continue in the same manner, slicing, insetting, and pressing until you have the desired look. Three to five insets per piece is an attractive addition. Note that the edges of the base fabric will not be even once strips have been inserted.

Tip: When you slice through an inset and reassemble the pieces, the adjacent inset sections may or may not align, depending on how you position the second section. If you choose to offset them, do so enough that the alignment looks purposeful and not as though it’s just slippage that caused it.

Once the base is complete, press it flat, and trim to the size needed, including seam allowances for further construction. If you’re making a small project or using the pieced section in a garment, cut out the pattern piece(s) from the completed section of fabric.

Beyond the Basics

This technique can be used on almost any woven or non-woven fabric—think lightweight leather, denim, linen, silk, etc. It can work on knits as well if you stabilize the base fabric with fusible interfacing first to avoid stretching.
For easier handling, especially on loosely woven fabrics, use spray starch or another pressing aid on the base fabric before starting the piecing to help stabilize bias-cut seams.
The base fabric can be solid or print and so can the insets, so mix and match for fun.

The inset pieces can be multiple colors or a single color, depending on the desired look.
Use the new shapes created by the insets as a guide to quilt the fabric to fleece, foam or batting, depending on the project you’re making. For garments, pre-shrunk flannel backing adds a light touch without adding warmth.
A single square is ideal as an inset in a jacket back, or turn under the edges and make it an appliqué. Add some piping around the edge to frame the featured section.