101: Pad Stitch

Pad stitching is a means of joining two pieces of fabric together. In the context of tailoring, it's used to join a relatively stiff, non-fusible interfacing (like the one you see above) to the lapels or collar, with the aim of shaping the fabric to 'roll' nicely and keep it's form.

I generally tend to use horse hair canvas as my interfacing of choice in this application - which is also known as 'hymo' or 'hair cloth' (which in times gone past was actually made out of either horse or camel hair, but nowadays is generally a blend of wool and goat hair). 

The pad stitch is applied to the collar or lapel piece which will be underneath the collar or lapel - so the stitches aren't seen (If you're skilled, you can do it so they don't show at all). You keep the pad stitches outside the seam allowances, so when you're finished, you can sew the top and underneath sections of the collar or lapel together and no-one but you will know what's hidden underneath.  

In this explanation, I'll be showing you how to do the stitch only - its best to discuss the types of interfacing when in context of its use, as each tailoring project is different. There are numerous ways to do the pad stitch - I rather like my pad stitches to form 'chevrons'. 

V8307: A tailored collar

After spending WAY too much time staring at the photo of my toile and not being very happy with the collar, I realised I had put the blasted thing on around the wrong way. Oh dear. After ripping the thing off and getting it right, I decided to make some changes to the shape of it to more closely match the original:

 

Reducing the width of the collar on the right to come in line with the collar that crosses to front, and reducing the width of the collar on my right shoulder to give a more rounded look. I've also decided not to apply roll lines, as I quite like the way the collar sits flat.

Horse Hair Canvas Interfacing and Pad Stitching
With the updated collar cut out interfaced, I'll be using horse hair canvas as another layer of interfacing rather than the silk organza of the bodice and sleeve cuffs.

It's simply a matter of cutting out 1 piece of each of the collar pattern pieces, marking the seam allowances on, and machine basting along the neckline to the wrong side of the collar that will be the 'under collar':

You can see I've chalked out lines running parallel to the neckline - this is the guide for pad stitching - I'll be doing a '101' on this before the end of the week. In this case, I'm using a 1/4" spacing close to the neckline, and a 1/2" spacing for the rest of the collar before transitioning back to 1/4" spacing at the collar corners.

Pad stitching two fabrics together gives stability and firmness, and the smaller the stitch, the firmer the result.

When your done, position your collar in the approximate shape it will take when attached to your garment, and steam the living daylights out of it (but don't actually let the iron contact your collar). This helps to cement the shape in your fabric's 'memory'. Leave to dry out over night!

The under collar is ready to be sewn to the upper collar and then attached to the jacket when dry. Notch the seam allowances and iron the seams flat. 

I'll be joining the collar to the jacket when I've got my lining prepped and ready to go.

V1549: Feel like a woman - wear a dress!

Well, my 1970's Diane Von Furstenberg wrap is finito. I love it! I feel so... elegant wearing it. Which is bizarre because I usually always feel some degree of awkwardness when I'm out and about in public. But that's probably just because I'm a rather awkward person.

Maybe it's the swishy skirt?

Or maybe DVF was really onto something in her caption on the back of the pattern envelope - 'Feel like a woman, wear a dress' (should we change 'wear' to 'make'...?)

You'll note I ended up leaving it at the original pattern length, rather than modernise the thing by making it shorter. Perhaps a tad frumpy old-fashioned, but I actually rather like it.

Thanks boys, you really made m day :)

V8307: Shoulder pads and sleeve heads

The purpose of shoulder pads is to help shape the jacket into the square line that visually, we associate with tailored garments. Shoulder pads came about in women's fashion during the forties - following the boyish then floaty looks of the previous decade, probably due to women's increased participation in the workforce. Tailoring took on a more androgynous look for women. The 40's then gave way to the extremism of shoulder pads for the 1980's look. 

Thankfully, shoulder pads these days are a lot more 'subtle'. I'll be using some to give my jacket some shape.

Sleeve heads are a little different though - attached to the seam between the sleeve and the shoulders, their purpose is to prevent the sleeve cap from collapsing into itself, preventing dimples and giving a smooth finish. 

I've had a nightmare trying to find pre-made sleeve heads - so after some research and rather a large amount of reading, I've decided to draft my own, which I'll explain right now...

I bought some quilter's cotton batting - but only because I couldn't find any flannel/fleece (the recommended material) without a garish print on it. I couldn't bear the thought of my beautiful jacket having innards with some kids superhero printed on it. This stuff is about 2-3mm thick.

After tracing my sleeve pattern and including the grain line marking, I changed this to a bias line. To do this, I drew a 2.5x2.5cm square sitting on the grain line - drawing a diagonal line down the middle of this represents a 45 degree angle (the bias) and is a right angled triangle. You can see I've drawn a jelly bean shape at the top of the sleeve cap - this will be the pattern piece for the sleeve head. I've quite literally just free hand drawn this - based on the shapes I saw over at the Sewing Diva's blog post on the topic (see here):

Make sure you transfer the centre point from the sleeve pattern to your sleeve head pattern. 

Pin and then sew your sleeve head on by sewing directly onto the existing seam allowance (I've got the sleeve head on the underside):

After playing around with the positioning of shoulder pads on one side and comparing to the non-shoulder padded side - I've decided to go without. The jacket appears to sit rather nicely without them: 

B8155: The ultimate pencil skirt

Ah, Burda 8155. The pencil skirt for the pencil skirt enthusiast. Perfectly shaped, super easy to make and looks great on. You don't need a toile for this, just a measuring tape to ensure you get the right fit.

Speaking of which, make sure you take your measurements from the actual pattern pieces, rather than the measurement chart. That measurement chart LIES. On my first version of this skirt I learnt the hard way - my waist and hip measurements almost exactly matched those of the size 42, but when I put the darned thing together, it had so much ease that the waistband barely held itself to hips. I downsized to a 38 and increased the width of the front darts by 0.5cm each side (a total of 2cm), which ended up being perfect.

I'll be whipping up 2 versions of this in view B, the first of which will be in this fabulous 75% wool/25% nylon basketweave textured fabric. Acquired from EmmaOneSock - where else? Teaming up with this will be a black silk habotai from Clegs and I'm stuck on two potential buttons I've bought from Etsy (love!) to join the waistband...

I'm going to try my hand at bound button holes for this skirt's waistband.
The second version will be in a fabric I fell head over heels for in Tessuti - called 'Once Upon a Pink'. I was tempted to go back and buy more for a dress - but it had already sold out by the time I made up my mind. For this one I've decided to replace the waistband and use a matching bright red petersham ribbon:

I need something to sew that's quick and easy as a break from my coat :)

V8307: Setting in the sleeves

When I first start sewing, sleeves gave me the heebie geebies. They look so difficult. But I quickly realised after trying a few times, they're actually nothing to be daunted by. Like my high school physic's teacher (and Star Trek fan) used to say - knowledge is power. 

Sleeves are for me what makes the different between that 'home-made' and 'hand-made' look. So what are the hallmarks of a well set in sleeve?
 - the shoulder line shoulder fall exactly on top of shoulder;
 - a smooth and rounded sleeve cap with no puckers;
 - the cross grain line of the sleeve fabric should be parallel to the floor.

Set in sleeves are one of three possible sleeve options - the others are the 'Raglan' sleeve and the 'Kimono' sleeve (L-R). I went on an Etsy rampage the other week for vintage patterns with the kimono sleeve, so I will definitely try those sometime in the not-too-distant future!

Here's how I do it...

101: Catch stitch

As I'm attempting to create a sort of archive for any sewing knowledge I learn along the way, as well as hoping to provide a potentially useful resource for other sewing enthusiasts, Every time I post a '101' (which is a bit of an internal joke - meaning it's like the foundation knowledge for other learning's) it will be about a tip, trick, or technique used.

In yesterday's post I talked about the use of a catch stitch to hold the edge of my seam allowance flat to my shell fabric. Here I'll go through step by step how to do just that.

V8307: Under Construction

Once all my pattern pieces were interfaced, underlined and overlocked, I basted them together with a long stitch (easier to un-pick my dears!) to check the fit before joining them together with a permanent, normal size stitch. Above is the end result, ready for the sleeves, collar and the lining!

After deciding that the first official fitting was as per my expectations, there's a few finer details that need attention when it comes to finalising the seams...

V8307: The secrets of underlining

My fabric has made its attitude loud and clear: TOUCH ME AND I WILL FRAY.

I had planned on underlining the fabric to stabilise it as well as giving it some body - it has quite a bit of drape and is rather light weight - not really a first choice for a tailored jacket. But when I started cutting it out, it frayed and moved about so much I had to re-think my strategy and decided to interface it as well.

I bought some wisperweft, as according to the McCall's website (the producer) its ideal for light and loosely woven fabric. Much to my annoyance - when I preshrank the interfacing, all the glue granules fell off! I took it back to where I bought it, and the Store Manager there told me McCall's must have had a bad batch, as several people had brought theirs back with the same issue. I swapped it for a German equivalent (that didn't need pre-shrinking) which worked a treat.

I'm using silk organza as the underlining layer, as its crisp and easy to work with, not to mention being super useful when it comes to catch-stitching the seam allowances down. Cotton batiste is also a good underlining fabric if you happen to have some lying around - it's also a far less cost-intensive option!

V1549: DVF dress construction

Usually with non-stretch fabric I always make a toile, so I can get the proportions right. But each stretch fabric behaves differently, so I have found it best to measure twice, baste together with a long stitch that is easily removed, and then adjust the fit to suit when trying it on.

I found when I basted the bodice pieces together that this pattern had a LOT of ease in it - and I had picked this size as it exactly matched my measurements. So I ended up taking quite a bit out at the seams. But the waist line on my fabric was above my natural waistline, and for a moment I despaired that I wouldn't be able to adjust this - then I added the skirt to the bodice and magically, the waistline was now spot on. The weight of the skirt fabric was stretching out the bodice.

Stabilising Tape: This pattern calls for 'stabilising tape', which is a nifty little invention. It's a strip of fabric cut on the bias so it can move with the fabric, but with a straight stitch down the centre. In this garment's case, it also helps to stop the neckline from gaping, preventing unwanted exposure! Here's the stabilising tape I have in my sewing tool box:

V1549: Sewing with Stretch

As I never have just one project on the go - I'm currently mid-way through sewing my first stretch garment. Vogue 1549 to be precise - a 1970's pattern by Diane Von Furstenburg, creator of the infamous wrap dress.

Looking at her current collection (see here), her wrap dress hasn't changed at all. Except for maybe the length. This little number is made from a luscious silk jersey:

For my version, I bought a lovely printed rayon/Lycra blend jersey with a bit of sheen to it from EmmaOneSock - with a print perfect for a wrap dress. But back to this post's purpose - sewing with stretch - as it's totally different from sewing with woven fabrics, and a lot less well behaved as well!

Book Review: A complete course on making a professional suit

Tailoring: A Complete Course on Making a Professional Suit
Edited by Peg Couch, Published by Fox Chapel Publishing.

Synopsis:
"A classically tailored suit never goes out of style, nor do the skills and techniques used in crafting one. This step by step guide takes the reader through the entire process of making a suit, from selecting the fabric to the final fit. The book also includes over 200 colour coded diagrams that clearly depict the construction process. This complete course on tailoring is illustrated and annotated like no other book on the topic and will become a trusted reference in any sewing library."

V8307: Toile Time

So I've completed and tweaked my jacket 'Toile' (which is basically just a test garment made from unbleached cotton calico) and I'm reasonably happy with the end result. From the front picture though, looks like i'll need some kind of additional catch on the inside to hold the front together properly. (Yeah I know, I'm a tad lazy not making that second sleeve. I prefer to think of it as being economical). The addition of Shoulder pads will give a nice square 'tailored' look too.

Here's how I 'tweaked' the pattern to fit:

V8307: the Armani spin-off jacket

Above is a gorgeous red number from Armani's Autumn 2005 RTW collection. Below is the line drawing for Vogue 8307. Ok, so I might be 6 years behind the eight-ball - I don't care. I love the dramatic collar. I'm making this as a lightweight 'between seasons' jacket though, so will stick with the short length of View A:

Hello World

Welcome!

Things are still under construction, but it is my intention for this blog to eventually become an archive of techniques, tips and tricks on all things sewing related - most especially tailoring techniques. But as you may be aware, tailoring is a long, drawn out and laborious (but oh-so enjoyable) process - so in between will definitely be some satisfyingly quick sewing projects. And some random banter, naturally.

First things first, I would like to make fond reference to Robert Ingpen - an Australian graphic designer, illustrator and author, from whom I obtained the moniker 'poppykettle', which has stuck throughout my childhood and adolescence. My hometown of Geelong has the 'Poppykettle Festival' for kindergarteners and primary school students, based on Mr Ingpen's children's book 'The Voyage of the Poppykettle', about a group of hairy peruvian gnomes landing on Geelong's shores in a tea kettle.

Cover Art from Robert Ingpen's book - The Voyage of the Poppykettle

Whilst I am neither hairy, a gnome nor peruvian, his books fascinated me as a child, as in turn I hope this blog will provide a source of inspiration to you, dear readers!

First up off the tailoring rank? Vogue 8307. Stay tuned!