Quick Tips for Sewing with Silk

Silk is such a luxurious fabric to wear, unfortunately, sewing with it is not so luxurious. In fact, it's a real pain in the butt if I'm being honest. So today, I wanted to share a few tips about sewing with silk (and other fine/slippery fabrics) that I've picked up in my time sewing with it, just in case you fancy making your Afternoon Blouse from it.

The major issue I've always encountered with silk is that because it's so slippery, it tends to move off grain during cutting. Unfortunately, you can muslin a garment as many times as you like to get the fit right, but if the pattern pieces slip off grain when it comes time to making it with your fashion fabric, chances are the final garment won't fit right. So...

1) Think about cutting one pattern piece at a time instead of folding your fabric to cut out 2 pieces. It might take longer, but generally, the pattern piece that is going to slip and go off grain is going to be the bottom piece. For pattern pieces that are placed on the fold, I would recommend re-tracing the pattern piece into one whole piece, and cutting in a single layer from that.

2) If you prefer to cut your fabric on the fold, try putting it between 2 pieces of tracing paper. Sounds weird I know, but the tracing paper has more grip than silk, which means it will hold those slippery pieces together. To do this, fold your fabric along the grain and pin your selvedges together. Place your folded fabric on top of a piece of tracing paper, and then put another piece of tracing paper on top of that. Pin your pattern pieces on top of the tracing paper, making sure to get all four layers secured, and cut your pattern pieces out.

3) Use silk pins AND pattern weights. For some reason, there is a mindset that you either need to be in one camp or the other when it comes to securing pattern pieces to your fabric, but this really is not the case, especially when it comes to cutting silk and other difficult fabrics.

Most people have their favourite way to secure patterns (mine is with pins) but use both if you have to. I use cans from the cupboard and weigh my pattern piece down in the centre (use as many as you like!), then pin the outsides of the pattern with pins (again, use as many as you like). It might sound a bit overkill, but if you've ever experienced the dread of ruining a lovely bit of fabric, you'll do anything to stop this happening in the future.

4) Which brings me to pins. If you don't have silk pins, and have no plans to buy any, ONLY PIN INTO THE SEAM ALLOWANCE! Pins will leave little holes all throughout your silk that are nearly impossible to make go away, no matter how hard you try to push them closed. And actually, even if you do have silk pins, I would still try to keep them within the seam allowance, just in case!

5) When it comes to silky necklines, you should think about stabilising the seam to give it a bit more structure. Silk is designed to flow, so if you have a neckline that needs to hold it's shape like the Afternoon Blouse, giving it a little extra love will help it to retain the original design lines.

Not sure how to stabilise seams? Check out my post here.

6) Take your time! You just can't rush sewing with silk - if you do, it will come back to bite you in the bum. Enjoy the process, listen to the fabric (fabric whisperer?) and you should end up with a lovely garment at the end.

If you have any more tips for sewing with silk, I'd love to hear them! I'm always on the lookout for ways to make it easier (and hopefully not ruin any more beautiful fabric!).

xx
J

Autumn Dresses and Giveaways...

In an attempt to break up all the Afternoon Blouse spam on my blog lately, I thought I should show off a newly finished sewing project and perhaps do a little sneaky giveaway while I was at it.

It has officially started getting cold here - the days are shorter, the leaves are turning, I've pulled out my knitting again and I can feel myself leaning towards darker colours and snuggly, comfortable outfits that work well with tights and a cardigan. Cue, Winifred (and my smurf legs!).

Winifred is Abby's newest pattern - a cute variation on a shirt waist dress, except that this one is probably way faster to make up than any shirtwaist dress I've ever seen. I do love the classic button-up version, but they can take a while, what with all them buttons. Winifred however, has no fastenings what so ever, you just pop her on over your head, throw on your favourite coloured tights and you're ready to go play in the autumn leaves.

So, what's the trick? She has a comfortable elasticated waist at the back. Perfect for expanding tummies around lunch and dinner time (and Easter time, let's be honest here. I've probably already eaten my fair share of chocolate eggs over the last few weeks).

I made my Winnie (as Caitlan and I have affectionately called her) from a chocolate brown suiting cotton I picked up from my favourite charity haunt a few weeks ago (I got a huge roll of it for about $5). The fabric drapes beautifully but has a lovely weight which makes it the perfect fabric for my autumn version of Winnie.

There are two things I'd watch out for with this pattern though, both of which tripped me up when I was making it. The first are the sizings on the back. I really had no idea what size waist I should be cutting out because the sizings listed are big. I ended up cutting out a straight size 8 because that was my bust size (and I figured that my waist is really nowhere near 34 inches which is the size that corresponds to the 35inch bust, even after all those easter eggs).

Erm, wrong! The dress fit, but only because of the bigger back piece (due to the elastic). Instead of having side seams though, the front was so small around my waist and hips that I had front/hip seams! I gather the 34 inch waist is actually the finished garment waist size (?), sans elastic, but not taking into account that the front is fitted and doesn't have any elastic... So, I ended up cutting a second front and graded out one size at the waist and two at the hips to accomodate my big ol' lower half.

Even now, the skirt side seams are sitting forward a bit but not nearly as much as they were in my previous attempt. With the drape of the skirt, I kinda think they look like extra pleats, so I'm going with it. And I actually quite like it.

So, the lesson here? Measure your pattern pieces, and email Abby if you're not sure (as I didn't!!).

The second thing I'd point out is the collar instructions. I found them a tiny bit confusing at the end when it comes time to finishing the inside raw edges of the collar. Basically it's up to you how you finish it, but if you've never attached a collar before, it could leave you feeling a little puzzled. I would consider myself reasonably okay at sewing, but even then, I muddled through a bit (I've never actually inserted a collar before though). I still don't know if it's quite right quite, I inspected one of David's shirts to see how it was done and I've given mine a grade of 'passable'. I ended up folding the bottom raw edges of the back of the collar under and hand stitched them in place for a clean inside finish.

But even with these things, I'll definitely still be wearing my Winnie a tonne over winter.

Other small changes I made were to use a smaller width elastic and binding on the back (13mm binding and 7mm elastic), lower the placement of the back elastic by an inch and leave off the faux belt, lower the bottom of the darts by 1/4inch and lengthen the darts by about 1/2inch all up. I top stitched around the entire collar and neckline and opted to sew in my sleeve hems flat before sewing up the side seams. I also took my hem up by about 2 inches to a length I prefer to wear and for my next Winnie, I'll lower the neckline opening as well, as it's a tiny bit hard to get my head through as it currently is (it's no biggie though, I just can't do my hair before I get dressed!).

*Thank you all so much for entering, the competition is now closed*

Win your own Winnie!

I'll definitely be making another Winnie soon, and you can too! To celebrate the release of Winifred, Indie Stitches and I are giving away a copy of the pattern to one of you lucky folk! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment below and you're entered.

The competition is open world wide and will be drawn at random in two weeks time (Monday 28th April NZ time). The winner will be contacted by email.

Stay tuned this week for more Afternoon Blouse fun :)

xx
Jen

Flora...

Well folks, here she is, my version of the By Hand London Flora Dress!

When the BHL ladies contacted me a few months ago to see if I wanted to test their newest pattern, well, it was kind of a no-brainer. After my love affair with the Anna bodice (of which I have 2 more finished projects to show you!!), it would have been dumb of me to say no, right? Also, luckily for me, this was just before the 'Very First House Purchase' storm!

I opted to make version 2 of the dress, though version 1 has a lovely faux wrap bodice, which I might need to try once autumn/winter has left our fair isles.

I cut out a straight size 8/12 in the bodice and could have probably taken in the waist a tiny smidge (or it's the perfect dress to wear out where large amounts of food may be consumed!).

I also cut out a size 8/12 in the skirt, but lowered the front of the skirt by cutting it 2 sizes longer (just because I prefer my skirts longer). I then also lengthened the back of the skirt by the same amount so that it would keep its dramatic high-low hem.

The dress came together exceptionally easily and as the bodice is lined, it looks just as beautiful inside as it does out. I also love the pleats they've added to both the front and back of the skirt (making it even bigger and more dramatic!), it's a style that is super flattering on all shapes and sizes.

The gorgeous fabric I used was sent to me courtesy of Tessuti Fabrics in Australia and is a beautiful poly/rayon blend called Tea Party in Mauve (best name for a fabric ever! Unfortunately it's now sold out). The fabric is so soft and has the perfect amount of drape for the skirt with just enough hold for the structured bodice and a tiny bit of stretch for comfort. I also love the textured plaid design running through it - a subtle amount of pattern without being too much.

The circle skirt does take  up a lot of fabric, so you will need to take special care when selecting the width of fabric you opt for. But, in saying that, if a small corner of the skirt went off your fabric, you could either a) just make the skirt a little less full than it is, or b) you could add a little triangle of the same fabric, or a contrasting fabric, to fill in the gap. You would have a little seam line where you had added the extra fabric, but wouldn't a contrasting section look AWESOME??!! I kind of wish I had done that!

As I've found with all the BHL patterns I've made, the instructions are friendly, talkative and informative. Sewing can be such a solitary act, but I always feel like I'm having a conversation with a very knowledgable sewing buddy when reading BHL instructions.  Is that weird? Does anybody else feel this way? (After writing and reading that, I feel a little like Shirley Valentine, though instead of talking to a wall, I talk to my sewing patterns!! Eeep!).

The only thing I was a little worried about with this dress is that sometimes the straps don't quite cover my bra straps. This is easily solved by either adding bra carriers to the straps or wearing a strapless bra.

Righto, time for some Instagram selfies... cause that's how I roll.

xx
J

PS) Blank sewing room walls and a large window for indoor photo-taking FOR THE WIN! Pity a rather large cutting table will be landing in that very exact spot in a few days...

An Education in Fabric Choice...

After my last post talking about why we don't already wear our hand-mades, how funny that my latest make falls directly into the Uncomfortable category!

First up, this dress actually fits really well! I did have to grade it up a fraction in the bust, waist and hips and also shortened the dress quite significantly to a length I prefer to wear. It also fit's into my personal style and is on my Summer Sewing List. So, why is it going into the 'Hand-mades I'll never wear because they are uncomfortable' pile?

You guys, this is the grossest, crappiest fabric ever!

It's a charity shop fabric that I paid about $2 for (thank goodness!), so I can't really complain, but because of the fabric, this dress is completely unwearable. I'm pretty sure it's some kind of poly-cotton blend thingy, but whatever it is, it sticks to my legs even when worn with a slip (and no tights!), it crinkles when you walk (never a good sign unless you're using taffeta or similar and want to crinkle when you walk - a la Mammy's red petticoat in Gone with the Wind!) and for the life of me, I can't seem to iron out all the creases! Even though it looks ironed when I finish, any slight movement seems to cause a crease in the fabric, hence the reason I only managed to get 3 photos I liked.

I probably wouldn't even pay the $2 I spent on it now. The colour is it's only saving grace, but that just goes to show that just because it looks pretty, don't mean it's meant to / or should be worn.

I do plan to re-make this dress and I'll call the current version a non-wearable, but good fitting toile. I'm going to un-pick it, keep the vintage zip for something else, and take all the bias binding and elastic for my next version. No point in wasting good notions I say!

The rest of the fabric is being relegated to the rag pile. Good riddance!

Do you ever unpick bits of your un-wearable hand-mades to recycle? Or is it just me? (Please say it's not just me!).

xx
Jen

Hey London!!

Calling all London Dwellers!!

Do you want to come fabric shopping with myself and Elisalex (of By Hand London fame)? Well, you can!! We are doing a Goldhawk Road fabric shopping trip next Friday 15th of November at 1pm.

I know it's a school day for many of you, but if you can come, I'd love to meet you. It will be my last day in the UK as David and I will be flying out to Sydney the following day.

There are already a few of us coming (thanks Instagram!), so please send me an email if you are interested in joining the gang - jenniferlauren.is@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing/meeting you!

xx
Jen