Sewing Techniques

March 27, 2020

What’s a Lining to Do? (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this article on linings, we’ll be reviewing Interlining and Underlining and why you might choose each one for your project. (Review Part 1)

While you can find all sorts of various definitions for these terms, for the purpose of this article we will define them as follows:

Underlining is cut from the same pattern pieces as the garment fabric. The two are then sewn to one another so the two layers act as one piece, reducing opacity or adding body/stability to the fashion fabric.
Interlining refers to material added between the outer fabric and the lining of a garment. You would typically use it to add extra warmth, but it can also ramp up the body or change the drape of a piece.

Underlining

When do you choose it?

Choose underlining when you want to add body or stability to your fashion fabric or when you fashion fabric is thin and needs more opacity. If an underlined garment is also lined, you have basically moved to interlining instead of underlining. I personally use this technique as a quick and easy replacement to both traditional lining and flat lining. I don’t like the feel of a free hanging lining as I wear a garment. By underlining with Bemberg or China Silk, I get the feel and garment protection of lining without that pesky lining crawl each time I stop at the restroom.

What fabrics work best?

Choose a fabric with a similar or lighter hand to the fashion fabric unless you want to change it.
If underlining a thin knit fabric or stretch lace, consider using nude swimsuit lining

How does it get constructed?

The construction method for underlining mirrors the information already described for interlining. The primary difference is that when underlining you seldom trim the underlining fabric out of the seam allowance since it is rarely a bulkier fabric. Plus, since underlining in the context of this article is not covered with lining, you will want to serge or otherwise finish the seams.

No matter which lining process you use, always remember to pre-treat and press both your fashion fabric and your lining fabric in the manner you plan to launder it after construction to be sure you don’t have shrinkage, especially uneven shrinkage, which would cause distortion in the shape of your garment.

And when hemming your garment, take advantage of the extra fabric layer to hide your hemming stitches in the lining fabric instead of the fashion fabric.

Interlining

When do you choose it?

Choose interlining when you need to add warmth or stability to your garment. This method is in essence a third layer of lining as the garment usually also has a traditional lining that covers the interlining.

What fabrics work best?

Add warmth by using Primaloft, Thinsulate, batting, flannel or fleece.
Add body and prevent fabric stretch with Silk organza
Prevent creasing with light nylon net
Add drape with thin fabrics made with acetate fibers
Add density with cotton lawn
Change shade with light weight cotton lawn in a contrast or darker color

Consider using different interlining fabrics in different parts of a garment. For example, flannel in the jacket front and back, but a batiste or lightweight broadcloth in the sleeves to maintain drape and movement in a silk jacket.

How does it get constructed?

Simply cut the interlining fabric using the same pattern pieces and baste to the wrong side of the fashion fabric or the lining fabric inside the seam allowance then proceed with the construction treating the two fabrics as one. It is advisable to not only baste the outer edges of each pattern piece, but also the center of any darts to prevent them from shifting when sewn.

Tip for basting around corners: When you come to a corner, back stitch and clip your thread. Then start your basting on the next side with a new thread. Continuing around the corners with a single thread can cause distortion and make it harder to remove your basting later.

The decision of whether to attach the interlining to the fashion fabric or the lining depends on the garment type. For a fitted or semi-fitted garment, attach the interlining to the fashion fabric, especially if it needs more body or stability. For a loosely fitted garment, you may prefer to attach the interlining to the lining which will still add the warmth without reducing the fluidity of the fashion fabric.

While the basting can be done with a sewing machine, this sometimes results in a fabric “bubble” due to fabric creep as it travels through the feed dogs. Hand basting will often be more effective in achieving a truly flat alignment of the two fabrics. You may find it helpful to pin the pieces together not only along the edge but also down the center and along the darts. And it is important to baste these together while lying on a flat surface, not holding them in your lap. These tips can help prevent distortion and a potential “bubble” effect in either the fashion fabric or the lining.

Once your basting is complete, give the pieces a good press with plenty of steam to assure they are joined nice and smooth without bubbling. If you find any bubbling, now is the time to remove some basting stitches and correct it before you move forward with the construction process.

Trim interlining seam allowance close to the stitching line to reduce bulk. Depending on the garment and the interlining fabric; you may also want to trim the interlining away from facings and hems as well.

Enjoy your newly lined garment!

~Sheryl Belson

March 12, 2020

Meet Patty Dunn with All Dunn Designs

This month we are pleased to turn the spotlight on a very special independent designer, Patty Dunn of All Dunn Designs and part of the Corpus Christi Chapter.

Many of you may already know the All Dunn Design line from ads in sewing magazines, from her nine years of sewing shows on PBS, or from her many classes she has taught at our ASG conferences. But did you know that it was just such a class that gave birth to the Corpus Christi Chapter 24 years ago? Patty taught a fitting and tailoring class at the local junior college and the students wanted to stay in contact and continue to see each other after the class. Patty explained, “So I agreed they could come to my house once a month. The group started with 9, and there were 20 in just a couple months. So we rented a space at the art center. It grew real fast. I had heard about ASG, presented it to the group, and we signed up. I think we had been going for about a year when we decided to join.”

It started with a Christmas gift

And how did Patty develop her interest in sewing? She credits it to the Christmas she turned 9 when her parents bought her a child’s, metal, hand cranked sewing machine. That started her sewing clothes for her bride doll that she still has today. By the time she was in 8th grade, she was making her own clothes with a little help from her Home Ec. Class.

Patty was also inspired by a friend of her mother’s who had a sewing room. She says, “When I saw everything she was creating and the machines all set up with fabric everywhere, I was amazed! I was probably around 7 years old, but it really impressed me.”

In the 1980’s, Patty became a certified mechanic for Bernina, Viking, and Janome sewing machines and was trained in sales for those machines. She continued her sewing education by taking classes at various conferences.

From dolls and bags to something more

When asked how she got started in her own business, Patty explained, “I began by selling dolls and bags at craft shows. Then people began to want me to sew for them. Many of my clients wanted me to copy something they loved or something they saw in a magazine. Many had unique fitting issues, so I began making a basic shell that fit them, and then I designed from that. In the late 1990’s, I began making patterns for clients to sew, and from there I began my own pattern line.”

Her patterns are simple, easy to make designs that differ from the big four. She explains, “I use a more realistic base pattern that starts narrower at the shoulders and gives more room in the hips. My patterns are not for the models on the New York runway, but then, who really looks like that? Our bodies have changed to much fuller proportions.”

Patty offers a 15% discount to all ASG members. See the Special Offers page in the ASG members area for more information.

Patty credits her inspiration for her designs from clothing in stores, catalogs with creative clothing, and internet browsing. She says, “You never know where you might find inspiration. There is a shop in the Houston airport I always love to go in when I’m there. It might be the embroidery or the color combinations, sleeves, or collar. Just one thing can be incorporated into something I might try. Designing is my favorite aspect of sewing, but teaching is also a favorite. I’m thrilled when I can help someone be successful in what they create. And I love to problem solve, just NOT with math.”

Like most of us who sew, Patty laments the changes in local fabric stores with so many of them going out of business. “The fabric stores change with the trends, now believing that people aren’t sewing clothing anymore. I hate the concept that people don’t sew because it is cheaper to buy clothes already made. Although this is now true, it is discouraging. Thread can cost as much or more than we used to pay for a yard of fabric.”

An eye to the future

Looking to the future she says, “At some point, and I already see it changing, people will respect you if you are able to sew. We have become a society of ‘get everything quick and easy.’ Knowing a skill like sewing will be valuable because EVERYONE wears clothing and no matter where they get it from, someone ran a sewing machine through the fabric. I believe someday there will be more recognition for the value in knowing how to put a garment together from beginning to end and people will pay well for that service. More independent designers have become respected for their expertise.” She went on to praise the blogs and sharing that are so popular on the internet and noted the fabulous new machines and sewing tools that have made it more convenient to sew.

We are pleased to have Patty as a part and know she has much more to contribute to her craft, for after all, she is not “done” yet. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

To see Patty’s designs and to get fitting and sewing information, she provides two links:

Patterns: www.alldunndesigns.com/
Fitting and sewing: www.patternmd.com

Patty offers a 15% discount to all ASG members. See the Special Offers page in the ASG members area for more information.

~ Rosemary Fajgier

The American Sewing Guild is truly fortunate to be able to count many gifted sewing designers and instructors among our friends, members, and supporters. Throughout this coming year we will be featuring some of them in our Notions Blog. We hope you will enjoy reading about them and take the opportunity to get to know them better and explore their many talents by visiting their websites, taking their classes, and discovering the wide variety of designs they bring to the home sewing market.

February 28, 2020

Ending it All (serger stitching, that is)

We all love sergers for stitching and finishing our seams all in one operation. Those loopers and needles just seem to zing along the edges, but what happens at the ends is something to note. You can’t backstitch with a serger like a conventional machine. Do you just cut off the threads and hope for the best, or do you plan a neat finish for the threads that would make your home ec teacher proud?

There are several options for finishing the ends of serger seams, depending on the location and actual type of seam you’re using.

The easiest way to anchor serger threads is to cross them with another line of stitching. For example, if you’ve serged seams in a skirt, you’ll be crossing them with a waistband or facing and a hem finish. The perpendicular stitching is enough to hold the serger threads in place and keep them from raveling.

Another way to finish serger seams is to apply seam sealant to the threads, let it dry, then trim the threads close to the fabric. This is a great option for rolled hems or places where you don’t want other visible fastening of the threads. The down side of this method is that seam sealant can make the threads a bit stiff (depending on the product brand), it can be a bit messy to apply so best to do so with a pin to avoid getting it on the adjacent fabric, and you have to wait for it to dry before moving on in the construction process. (You can speed up the drying process by sandwiching the area between paper towels and pressing.)

How about knotting the threads? Good idea, and it can be done two ways. First, simply tie the serger chain in a loose overhand knot, use a pin to push it down to the fabric edge and tighten the knot to secure. Cut off the thread ends close to the knot. Depending on the thread and location, this can make a highly visible fastening. Another knotting option is to separate the threads from the serger chain so that you have them paired—one looper and one needle together, and tie a small knot with the two close to the fabric, then clip the ends. This makes a more discreet knot than the overhand version, and is great for decorative threads or outside stitching.

Yet another option is to thread the serger chain ends back through the serger stitch itself. You can use a tapestry needle or loop puller to slide the chain ends back about an inch through the looper stitches before trimming the ends. A needle threader can be helpful for getting the chain into the needle eye and corralling multiple threads together. {photo}

As you begin to sew a line of serger stitches, it’s easy to secure the tail at the same time, by simply lifting the presser foot and bringing it around to the top surface of the fabric. Lay it on the fabric where the looper stitches will encase it as you serge the seam. It’s important that the chain lies between the needle and the blade to avoid cutting it.

Wrapping it up

Choosing the right method for ending it all depends primarily on the location of the area you’re securing. For outside and decorative stitching, choose a method that’s as unobtrusive as possible. Inside, select a method that gives a secure finish without too much bulk for your project.

~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 .

February 21, 2020

Adding Ease to Your Garment

A few years ago, I adapted my knit Grainline Studio Morris blazer pattern so I could make it with some luscious silk matka. I knew I had to adjust the pattern since my fabric of choice had absolutely no stretch in it. I decided to take a tried-and-true (TNT) pattern designed for a woven fabric and “frankenpattern” the knit blazer into a woven blazer. I took some of the pattern pieces from the Archer Buttonup pattern (also designed by Grainline) and came up with new cutting lines for the Morris. I used the Archer upper back, arm scythe, and upper sleeve to redraft the blazer pattern and was just sure I had made all the pattern adjustments to shift from a zero-ease design that works with the stretch of a knit to a design that would work with a non-stretch woven. I finished the blazer and couldn’t wait to put it on only to discover it was a bit too tight across the upper back. I hadn’t added enough EASE! I know I am not the only person who has experienced this.

Can We Put Your Mind at Ease?

We’d like to put your mind at ease with some information and a free garment ease template created by members of the Plano, TX chapter that shows the minimum amount of ease you’ll need to add in your garment for a comfortable fit. Identifying the correct amount to include is vital to avoid an outcome like the one in my blazer story. We hope this ease cheat-sheet helps you!

What is ease?

In its simplest form, ease is the additional room in a garment in excess of the actual body measurement. There is much more to ease than this simple definition though — there is wearing ease, design ease and negative ease. Each of these impacts the finished measurement of a garment in different ways.

Wearing ease provides ease of movement. It is the difference between the actual body measurement and the finished garment measurement. The template will help you understand this kind of ease. It gives you guidelines that will help you be sure you have at least enough room in your garment for comfortable movement as you wear it.
Design ease provides the style. It is also referred to as style ease or fashion ease. It is additional ease added beyond what is needed for movement to create specific styles ranging from close fitting to very loose-fitting garments. It also comes into play when the design of the garment includes things like pleats, gathers, or tucks.
Negative ease is associated with fabrics that stretch (such as knits or woven fabrics with lycra added) or are cut on the bias, producing a certain degree of stretch. In this case, the finished garment measures the same as the actual body measurements, or more often, even smaller. The degree of stretch produced in each fabric plays a big role in how much negative ease a garment will need for good fit. Negative ease is used in garments like activewear and swimwear.

How do I calculate the right amount of wearing ease?

When choosing the size you will make in a pattern, look not only at the body measurements, but also the finished garment measurements. Many patterns will include this information for at least the 3 primary measurements – bust, waist and hips. If your pattern does not include this information on the pattern, you can calculate it yourself by simply measuring the pattern pieces in those locations and removing the amount included for seam allowances. Compare the finished garment size to your personal body measurements to be sure you will have a comfortable fit before you start cutting.

More about Negative Ease

As already stated, negative ease simply means that your finished garment measurements will be the same or smaller than your actual body measurements. When sewing with knits or stretch woven fabrics, the same accommodation for wearing ease is not required since the fabric will stretch as the body moves. Just because your finished garment is smaller than your actual body measurement doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get it over your head. The more negative ease you incorporate just means you will get a more fitted look in the final garment. In most cases, you will probably target no more than 1”-3” negative ease in your design. More than that and you may wander into that “Incredible Hulk” look that has people wondering if you will burst through the seams at any moment.

Of course, the percentage of stretch in your fabric choice and whether it has 2-way or multi-directional stretch play a huge role in determining the right amount of negative ease. The higher the percentage of stretch built into the fabric you have chosen for your project, the higher the percentage of negative ease you are likely to need in your pattern.

There are lots of “rules” out there for how to calculate the right amount of negative ease for a given fabric, but here is a good starting point:

Cut a 6”x3” piece of fabric.
Stretch the fabric to its comfortable maximum length.
Calculate the percentage of stretch
- Addition stretch length/original length = percentage of stretch
- Examples:
  - If the 6” piece stretches to 9”, the fabric has 50% stretch.
  - If the 6” piece stretches to 7”, the fabric has 15% stretch
- For a comfortable fit, try starting with the same amount of negative ease at the percentage of stretch in your fabric, up to but not exceeding that 1”-3” guideline mentioned earlier.
- Thinner fabrics do best with less negative ease to avoid a see-through effect. Thicker fabrics can handle more negative ease and give a more acceptable form-fitting look.

Remember, these are starting point rules and you will develop your own that best fit your own personal taste and adapt with each fabric you choose to work with.

Don’t forget Design Ease

With all this talk about negative ease, let’s not leave this discussion without going back to the concept of design ease. Even with stretch fabrics, design ease has a role to play. It is perfectly acceptable to decide to add design ease into a garment made with a very stretchy fabric. It will take your garment from form-fitting to soft, graceful drape and still have a beautiful look. You are the designer and you are in charge!

Now it’s you turn!

We hope this gets you started on your journey of understanding ease and fit. This is a topic often discussed in ASG monthly group meetings around the country. Many groups focus on this kind of topic frequently and would love to meet you. Talk to someone in your local chapter to find out what is happening there. ASG loves to walk alongside fellow sewing friends in their sewing journey!

~Debby Bowles and Sheryl Belson, ASG Plano Chapter

February 7, 2020

Machine Needles: What’s the Point?

The needle you use in your sewing machine can make the difference between perfection and a disaster. Use the wrong needle, a damaged needle or a worn needle and you could end up with broken threads, holes, uneven stitches, puckers and possibly even permanently damaged fabric. To keep your seams straight and your collars curvy, there are several points to successful stitching.

Check first

Check for any special requirements for your specific machine. For the most part, standard sewing machine needles can be used in any sewing machine. However, differences may be found in some machines like sergers, embroidery machines and some brands which could require a special needle.

Size matters

Needle size is the numeric representation of the diameter of the blade. Note that when you see needle sizes, they are labeled with two numbers, separated by a slash (65/9, 80/12, etc.). This refers to EURO metric sizing (in millimeters) and the comparable US sizing. The following chart from Colonial Needle describes the fabric weights and the size of needle that are appropriate for each project.

Information reprinted with permission from the Colonial Needle Company
ASG Members receive a 20% discount. See the Special Offers page in Members Only.

Download the Colonial Needle machine needle resource guide.

Let’s Get to the Point

There are 3 basic General Purpose needle types. Universal needles are usually used in knits and wovens. Ball points are great for knits. Finally, Sharps/Microtex are used in finely woven fabrics.
Specialty needles are available for use in denim, leather, embroidery, metallic (for use with metallic threads), quilting, twin, triple, stretch and more. Check out this Guideline for an extensive list of needle types, sizes and their uses.

Needle Tips

For best results, needles should be replaced every 6-8 hours of sewing time.
If you hit a pin, even if the needle seems okay, it’s safer to replace it.
Needle breakage could mean that the needle size is too small for the type or thickness of fabric you are using. In this case, try changing to a larger needle size.
When you are sewing, allow the feed dogs to draw your fabric along. Use a light touch with your hands to guide the fabric rather than pushing or pulling, which could cause your needle to bend and break.

Stock up

It can be frustrating to not be able to start — or finish — a project because you don’t have the correct needle or don’t have a replacement, so make sure to keep a good supply of your favorite needles on hand. ASG members can take advantage of a 20% discount on needles, notions, thimbles, thread, jewelry and more at Colonial Needle by visiting the Special Offers section of ASG.org

~Janice Blasko, webgoddess for ASG