Stitch and bitch thread #2. Sewing aficionados gather here!

[IDontMindMarmite]

The previous thread is coming up to capacity and as ever your wisdom, screw ups and accomplishments are appreciated!

I'm mostly a 32JJ/K which makes me about a dressmakers F mostly although some of the full bust ones don't seem to follow that properly either.

On normal patterns I typically have to do about a 4" FBA. And sometimes a 10" FAA (fat ass adjustment!)

@all PickAChew, have a look at their website, they’ve just extended the sizes in their Appleton dress.

My pattern instructions say to press open all the seams, what do you do if you have an overlocker?

Also, what's do they mean when they say to "neaten" the seam edges before matching, stitching and pressing open?

What sort of fabric is it - are you using the overlocker to assemble or just to finish?

For most things I use the overlocker to assemble so no seam to press open so I press it to the side

Well there's the cotton outer fabric then the polyester lining. I think I'm going to stick to using the sewing machine for assembly and just finish off with the over locker.

Ooh, exciting! I'm definitely keeping an eye on this thread :)

I'm starting a sewing class next week (no covid where I am) and I'm about confident beginner to intermediate skill. I'm looking at doing a wrap dress based on an existing one I own. I have the same type of fabric (heavy linen) but I've never traced my own pattern from a garment before. Does anyone have any guides they like or any advice they could give? :D

You can't press open ALL seams, for example, you can't press open sleeve or crotch seams.

If something will fray badly (e.g. polyester) I would zigzag or overlock the edges before or after sewing the main seam.

If it doesn't fray, honestly, it's a hangover from the days when people had more time I think! Yes, you could sew all seams as French seams, but who wants to do that?

If it's a firmly woven cotton I wouldn't bother neatening the edges. You could use pinking shears, or HEM the edges of the seams, or zig zag them. But just... no.

Overlockers aren't good for construction of wovens, but good for neatening.

Welcome @dollybird76!

So is that what neatening means? Zig zag/pinking shears/overlocker the edge of the fabric so it doesn't fray?

Yes, that's what neatening the edges means. If it doesn't fray you don't need to do it.

I learnt to sew at school in the 60s. We didn't have zigzag stitch so all seams were neatened with a tiny hem. It took ages.

I was told to baste everything at school in the 70s/80s but my mum told me to ignore that (as well as neatening edges) so I generally ignore anything that's extra work.

I'm with you. If it doesn't improve the look, fit or feel it's not happening

I’ve gone the opposite way. I never used to neaten edges or baste seams or tuck ends in but now I’m using more slippery woven fabrics I’m using basting everything, using French seams where I can and zigzagging where I can’t.

To be fair I have much more time than I did

Yes, I was told to baste everything, too. Probably made it easier for the teacher as fewer broken needles and less likely to balls up! Our needlework teacher in middle school was terrifying, so we didn't question it! The one hill I chose to die on with her was my refusal to use left handed scissors because I'd been using normal ones perfectly fine for 10 years, tyvm. That was regardless of her whacking me on the back of the hand with them!

I sometimes baste if I feel the need - like applying the bias binding to a dog coat I'm currently making out of my husband's old down jacket.

Ok, i'm not neatening then! I went to a haberdashery shop yesterday and the owner there told me very sternly to baste everything. I'm not. I feel like we're a naughty corner over here!

Sometimes I even run things through the overlocker without pinning or clipping. Naughty naughty

I am going to add pockets to my tea dress, but it's not in the original pattern. I have found a side seam pocket bag pattern and instructions, have them ready cut out etc. How would you guesstimate where they go before you've constructed the garment or would you make the dress first and unpick the side seam when you know where you want the pockets to go?

Do you have anything else with a similar shape you could use to judge?

Hmm not sure I do

I'd pin the seam and hold it up to yourself.

Yeah think I'll do that

I like my pockets to rest with the top of the opening just a smidgeon below my hip bone (smidgeon in this case being 'I've never actually measured exactly')

Top of pocket level with hipbone here but I often lower it slightly in full skirts to reduce bulk

Well it’s all change in my plans here again. The fabric I had earmarked for the bardon dress isn’t wide enough to cut the tier in two parts and isn’t as drapey as I’d first thought. My test gathering exercise looked as if the tiers would stick out a bit. So I’ve just cut out the button up dress instead. It really isn’t how I’d envisaged that dress and they suggest that the pattern isn’t suitable for lightweight fabrics because of the weight of the buttons 🤷‍♀️ I mean shirts are usually lightweight and have buttons and seem ok.

So the plan now is to to tack it together first and see if it droops too much and if it does I’ll do a shorter button band and seam the front skirt.

Since my return to dressmaking I think there’s only one garment that’s been made fully in accordance with the pattern. It’s been quite a learning curve

The weight of buttons shouldn't be an issue if the button band is interfaced. How odd.