Stitch and bitch thread #5 This whole thing is fabricated.

[NutellaEllaElla]

Welcome back seamsters! It is soon to be September and Autumn is on its way.

Thank you for the compliments on my top. I confess that I started the top in the main fabric and it's not going well. The first step is attaching binding on the neck. I sewed on one side first (that went fine) then I folded it over and pinned it in place and have started sewing it down and it's just not moving through the machine! It's really fine and stretchy but i'm using a walking foot! I have even tried putting tissue paper underneath and it didn't resolve it but i'm going to try that again. I was wondering if it is because it is bulky, but the little gadget I have for thick seams is too big.

Oh and also, is it just me or is it really hard to unpick stretch fabric? I've given up trying.

I find polyester based stretch is so much trickier than cotton jersey Nutella, what type of fabric are you using?
Is it struggling to get moving at the start of the seam? If it’s getting sucked down into the machine then starting an inch into your seam can help give it a bit more grip. Then just turn it round and sew that last inch by itself so you’re sort of starting on a level again.

I’ve decided to push myself out of my introvert comfort zone and signed myself up for a sewing meet-up. Now I reckon I need a nice me-made outfit to wear to it.

I've taken myself to bed where I'm cutting out the 35 paper pattern pieces for the Closet Core Jasika blazer (I'm not cutting any fabric just yet).

I've read through all of the instructions and it it's definitely going to be a very steep learning curve (and I've been sewing 7 years now and would consider myself to be intermediate to advanced).

I've never done any proper tailoring before and there's all kinds of tailoring techniques in there I'm looking forward to learning, not so much the hand sewing parts though which I'm generally not very good at.

I just dropped in to show my appreciation for the thread title, but your comment @NutellaEllaElla about forgetting about dress size caught my attention, what do you mean please? I bought my sewing machine 8 years ago and originally hoped to make clothes but i could never work out the sizing. According to measurements in both patterns and clothes shops i should be an 18 plus. But 14s are comfy even loose at times, and i gave up trying to make clothes as i wasted so much fabric and lost interest. I do quilting and clothes mending and minor adjustments, but if there was a trick to getting clothes to fit I'd try again!

@SBAM I don't know exactly but i'm certain it is synthetic. Yes it might be that it is just the beginning it is struggling to get purchase on. Good idea. It's just so visible being the neck binding! Enjoy the sewing meet up! I would be nervous about going on my own to meet new people so I think you are being very brave.

@pastabest You are also very brave. I would love to learn tailoring. Best of luck.

@dudsville I mean that pattern sizes generally bear no resemblance to shop bought sizes! And they differ between designers as well. I find the whole thing a bit tricky to be honest. The 'big 4' pattern designers - Simplicity, Vogue, New Look and Burda are sized very differently to more modern pattern designers as well. If i'm a size 10 in shop bought, then i'm a size 14 or more in big 4, but i'm a 6 or 8 in True Bias designs for example. And then they vary with how much ease they build in (ease is how tight or baggy they design the garment to be) so even if the grid tells me my measurements indicate I should make a size 12, if you look at the finished garment sizes, sometimes they're really baggy (have a lot of ease). I tend to look for reviews, recommendations, instagram descriptions, both the size measurements then take my best guess. Also some fabrics are more forgiving or drapey than others which affects the fit as well. Sorry for making it sound super complicated. Toiles are important for me for this reason.

what Nutella was meaning is that the sizes on the packets are as meaningful to your ready to wear/shop size as the colour blue.

a lot of people new to dressmaking look at the pattern packet and pick the same size that they would try on in a shop. I'm a size 14 in ready to wear clothes, in the 'big 4' pattern company patterns (vogue, simplicity, burda, new look) I'm anything from an 18 to a 22 going by the packet measurements, but more like a 16 to 18 on the finished garment measurements. In Tilly and the buttons I'm a size 5 or 6. In closet core I'm a 12 - 14. In I AM patterns I'm a 44.

So basically the sizes on the packet bear no resemblance to UK shop sizes and differ from pattern to pattern even within the same brand of patterns. In the 'big 4' pattern companies there is often also a lot of wearing ease built into the pattern (basically they are quite a loose fit) so if you like something a bit more tightly fitting you have to check the finished measurements on the actual paper pattern pieces to see which ones might be closest to your actual measurements.

some of the indie pattern companies have moved away from tradition size numbers and perhaps number the pattern sizes from 1 to 8 rather than 8-20.

lots of people also don't pull the tape measure tight enough either which can result in getting the wrong pattern size.

my advice would be to start with an indie company like Tilly and the buttons or Ellie and Mac which have very straightforward sizing and very clear instructions.

Ha we cross posted!

it really used to confuse me too and I did get a bit disheartened about it for a few years but then I got someone who knew what they were doing to take my measurements properly and realised I had been doing it wrong, and someone explained about where to find the finished garment measurements and suddely everything started fitting better.

it still doesn't work out sometimes. I recently made a dress where the finished garment measurements indicated a size 14 on a McCall's pattern would fit when the packet indicated a size 18. It was one of the occasions where the wearing ease really did matter and while the dress fit perfectly I couldn't actually move my arms in it because there was no ease in the bodice.

I feel so validated that you find the same confusing AF disparities and issues @pastabest!

Also @dudsville a lot of patterns go by your bust size, if your bust is proportionally much larger than the rest of your frame this can throw the rest of the garment size out for your frame.

the beauty of making your own clothes is that you can e.g. pick a size 14 bust to go with a size 12 waist and then a size 16 hip if that's what size you are by grading between the pattern sizes.

I know for example in Tilly and the buttons patterns that I'm a size 6 at the bust and a size 5 at the waist and hips. I just draw/cut across the 5 line to the 6 line as I get closer to the bust area and can usually get a pretty good fit by doing that just by eye.

Thank you both @pastabest and@NutellaEllaElla , that's very helpful! When i say I'm a shop made 14, even judging by shop measurements they would say I should buy an 18. I've never understood it, as i say, my clothes are baggy and loose fitting by choice but 18s would simply not stay on me. I even bought a tailor's dummy. I think there's something about the numbers that I'm just not getting, it's a known difficulty for me.

Ease was a big concern for me when i was trying to sew clothes from scratch. I've learned a little about it since doing some of my own clothing adjustments. I then bought graph paper to try to make patterns from my own clothes but while it works for simple things it gets complicatedfor things requiring more instructions!

I'll have a look and Tilly and at ellie and mac, thanks!

Just to confuse the issue even further some pattern makers tell you to choose your size based on your high bust measurement and then use your sewing cup size to determine whether you need a full bust adjustment. Love Notions does this a lot and I like it as I get a better fit round the neckline.

In shop bought I’m a 10/12 on the top and an 8/10 for bottoms. Memorably one big 4 dress pattern put me in a size 22 but going by finished garment measurements a 14 was fine. US pattern designers use US sizes to add to the confusion.

When I came back to dressmaking I used a couple of garments that actually fit me to check which size I should be making. I folded them in half and lined them up with the pattern piece.

Yes I find most shop measuring guides bring me out at a 16 using my waist measurement when in reality I'm a 14 or even a 12 if they have a bit of stretch.

I've worked out the problem for me with that is my waist measurement as it puts me into the size 16 banding when actually I'm a 12/14 with a sticky out post partum tum which can easily be contained by a waist band.

if you already choose looser styles of clothes and have a similar issue with your waist measurement then the issue will exacerbated.

I would always recommend anyone getting into dressmaking stays away from the big four pattern companies to begin with. Their sizes are all over the place and the instructions often lacking. They also have huge seam allowances which I find wasteful (and can also cause sizing issues if you aren't careful).

Another issue is big four patterns labelled as 'easy' which actually means that there aren't any advanced techniques and it will be a quick sew for an experienced dressmaker. It doesn't usually mean that the instructions will be any clearer as even the 'easy' big four pattern companies tend to assume you have a certain level of dressmaking knowledge.

the indie pattern companies are mostly all much much better for less confident dressmakers, and usually have online video instructions etc for each pattern to help out with the tricky bits.

You've all been very helpful, thank you! And this "When I came back to dressmaking I used a couple of garments that actually fit me to check which size I should be making. I folded them in half and lined them up with the pattern piece." is a game changer!

I agree with all your wise comments about sizing.
When I first started sewing I was disappointed that things fit as poorly as shop bought - then I realised that I am not a ‘standard’ size because very few humans are, and I’m tall but short waisted with a full bust and a fairly hourglass figure and I need to adjust patterns to suit.
I think I’ve recommended it before but the palmer-pletch book ‘fit for real people’ is excellent for this. The illustrations and sample clothes are very dated, and some of the advice on what is considered flattering is very of it’s time, but I’ve found the advice on pattern alterations and identifying what to adjust very useful.
Also, when I started sewing about 10 years ago blogging was a big thing and so many bloggers shared really thorough pattern reviews and detailed their alterations, that’s been somewhat lost with the shift to Instagram

I think I’ve recommended it before but the palmer-pletch book ‘fit for real people’ is excellent for this. The illustrations and sample clothes are very dated, and some of the advice on what is considered flattering is very of it’s time, but I’ve found the advice on pattern alterations and identifying what to adjust very useful

I've not read either book but recently 'ahead of the curve' by Jenny Rushmore has been getting very good reviews for similar reasons and looks like a more modern version of the book you have recommended. It's on my Christmas list!

I have a different Palmer/ Pletsch - the complete guide to fitting. It is a great reference if you need to know adjustment techniques on woven fabrics. My problem is knowing exactly which thing I need to do, but once I've worked it out, then that book is brill.

Got all my paper pattern pieces cut out for the Jasika blazer last night (it took FOREVER) I've now separated them into three piles - main fabric, lining fabric, and pieces that need interfacing.

In the interfacing pile there are 19 of the 35 pattern pieces and between them they require three different types of interfacing.

So tonight's job is cutting out all the different interfacing bits. I've also suddenly been gifted a child free and work free day tomorrow (very rare in the summer holidays) so I'm hoping to get the rest of the fabric cutting done tomorrow in full daylight and when i'm sufficiently caffienated.

Wow @pastabest , this is a mission from the start! You are impressively organised and methodical. How lovely to have a whole sewing day tomorrow! Enjoy.

The idea of a sewing day has spurred me on to use up some accrued holiday and book a week off at the end of the month. Would I be very bad to hope for rain so I don't have to work on our allotment?

I'll do a rain dance for you @GnomeDePlume

Can anyone see a reason why I shouldn't cut the front of the dress on the fold? It's the upside down of the long pattern pieces here and i'll remove the seam allowance in the middle, but it looks straight to me and my material will need pattern matching if I cut 2 separate pieces.

@NutellaEllaElla I can't see a reason why you couldn't cut that piece on a fold. While you would need to make sure the fabric was symmetrical to the fold otherwise I can't see there would be a problem.

Thank you for the rain dance!

I have managed to make my least wonky bag to date. I followed a very good tutorial on YouTube so any mistakes are all my own!

The fabrics are from a jacket, trousers and top I will be wearing tomorrow when I pretend to be a 'lady who lunches'.

Should be fine to cut the front on the fold - I think the seam is just a feature and I've seen other examples where it's been omitted.

I got quite a bit of the 'guts' of my jacket done yesterday. I'm finally on to the sewing bit and it seems to be taking shape nicely.

I cheated massively though, the instructions call for all kinds of tailors tacks and tacking stitches etc which I set off doing, then realised every piece that needed the tailors tacks on I had interfaced with white weft interfacing so I just DREW the tailoring marks onto the interfacing with biro instead.

Much easier but does feel like I've missed some kind of 'rite of passage' in doing it.

I’ve been fiddling with the bikini I’ve been making and I think it’s done.

I’ve added a band to the bottoms which covers the swimwear elastic that was there. It raises it out of the danger zone where my mum tum is and will also mean I can actually use them for swimming with a different top. I have enough fabric left for a tankini top.

Well done Gnome, Pasta and Jins!
I have run out of time for sewing before my holiday now. If only I could take my stuff with me, it would be perfect!

That bikini is lovely! A tankini top to match sounds fun as well, do you have the pattern for that already?

@pastabest I have my first blazer planned for an autumn sewing project (the heather blazer from Friday pattern company), and I’ve been sewing 7years too, so I’m watching to see how it goes. I’m pretty sure I’ve got black interfacing for it already, so I’m gutted that I’ve already missed the biro trick, which is genius!

I finally managed to get my shirring to work for a summer dress I meant to make over a month ago, it feels a bit pointless finishing it as the weather has turned, but I had the urge to sew it, and I’m sure it will be useful next year if it doesn’t get worn this year anyway.