The Sewing Place

Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats

Jo

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #15 on: June 07, 2017, 20:30:38 PM »
You don't have to stitch around it, just the cut edges. The selvedge edges will not unravel.
Straight grain is always parallel to the selvedge edge. Cross grain is perpendicular. Most fabrics have a bit more give on the cross grain.
In regards to sheerness...it's a matter of prefference. If it's too sheer for you, line it. If it's not, don't.

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #16 on: June 08, 2017, 13:03:52 PM »
Ta muchly with the grain info.

Does one have to wash the fabric first? I never do it for quilting fabrics and two are cottons I'd use for making quilts ;)

I will if I'm supposed to, but I'm a bit lazy and it's raining out so drying will take forever!

I was planning on cutting the fabric pieces for the pockets and pleats dress but I'm not sure if I can get the fabric washed and dried in time to cut out today. I'd like to get everything cut out so that I can forge ahead when my machine has finished having its service.

How essential is washing chiffon? As I'm without a machine at the minute and so can't sew the cut edges prior to washing unless I do it by hand!

DementedFairy

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #17 on: June 08, 2017, 13:08:14 PM »
I only prewash stuff that is dirty, smelly, or will shrink/bleed.  I think you're safe
C'est moi!

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #18 on: June 08, 2017, 13:15:59 PM »
Excellent. Cutting out day today then!

Now, I ordered a pinking blade for my rotary cutter but it won't arrive until Saturday. I know all you garmet pros use pinking shears on your edges, but I don't think the cottons will fray horribly so zigzagging the edge should do, but the chiffon? Should I wait to cut that until the pinking blade for my olfa arrives? Not that I'm cutting that out yet! It's still terrifying me so I put it in a bag  :ninja:

Jo

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #19 on: June 08, 2017, 13:31:43 PM »
I only use pinking shears if I'm to lazy to finish the inside seams in other ways (serge, french seams etc). If it will be finished, I cut with the rotary cutter.
Depens on how bad the fabric frays tho.

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #20 on: June 08, 2017, 13:35:34 PM »
I was going to french seam everything as good practice :)

I think the chiffon may be a fraying monster, but I'm not sure. It freaked me out a bit so it went into the bag! I'll cut the cotton with my normal blade and maybe baste it together and see how the pockets and pleats dress fits...

DementedFairy

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #21 on: June 08, 2017, 13:41:16 PM »
Don't cut it out until you intend to start sewing.  If seams are enclosed, no need to worry, just try for minimal handling.  Leave it pinned to the tissue paper until ready to stitch
C'est moi!

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #22 on: June 08, 2017, 14:15:12 PM »
Sounds like a plan. I'll use the pinking blade on the rotary cutter when it gets here just in case and I'll leave it pinned to the pattern pieces until I baste and sew and hopefully have a finished dress thing.

I'll have a chop of the Liberty cotton today and baste it together roughly to test fit (I assume that's what you do) and have a worry about sleevies. I'm looking forward to the pockets though!

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #23 on: June 08, 2017, 15:23:01 PM »
I am pleased to say I have chopped up my Liberty fabric and I have plenty left to use in a P&Q project :D

I am pleased with my cutting out skills (although rotary cutters do make life a lot easier) but boy does making clothes eat fabric! I tried to waste as little as possible but it was tricksy...

Picture below. All I didn't cut out was the facings in interlining, because I don't have any.

I hope it looks ok and please shout if I look to have made a massive error!

I don't know whether to stitch the front, bodice, and skirt together loosely by hand to see what the fit is like or if there's no point in that and just hope for the best (no idea how to fit, hence the non tight fitting pattern choice!) I guess I'd have to baste the pleats as well? And the dart thing?

Jo

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #24 on: June 08, 2017, 15:44:18 PM »
Don't forget to transfer the marking on the pattern to the fabric (darts, pleats, notches etc.).
Depending on fabric type (as in not very sensitive to pin marks or stitch marks), I would baste to see how it fits. First you'd have to sew the darts and pleats tho.

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #25 on: June 10, 2017, 13:25:36 PM »
I have started the sewing!

The pockets and pleats dress is underway. I have done my two bust darts - hope they are right! And I have done my pleats and pressed everything.

I am now putting my pockets on (pattern said to do that first but I wasn't too sure where to put them. After pleats and darts were done I held it up and pinned them where I liked them) but thought I'd update with a picture of my front piece with pleats and darts!

Ploshkin

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #26 on: June 10, 2017, 16:03:09 PM »
That's a great fabric pattern for not showing the stitching lines of the pleats.  You're doing a good job so far.
Btw, it's usual to press bust darts downwards, they sit better that way.
Life's too short for ironing.

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #27 on: June 10, 2017, 17:25:24 PM »
Thanks, Ploshkin.

The pattern said to press up which I thought was a bit weird (but then I thought you chopped the excess dart fabric off before I started looking at them!). It's all finished now, though I don't know if my hem is level and I forgot to do my facing with seams out and just topstitched over the lot of it! Oops!  :|

I had a bit of difficulty getting the sleevies in as I had more sleeve than armhole. I tried to shove the excess in the underarm and the top so it looked 'featurey' and it was so hard to sew everything with a 1cm SA!

I really struggled with gathering the backf the skirt into the bodice back and I think it's a bit uneven and I'm not 100% sure I gathered and stitched the gathers right.

I haven't tried pulling it in along the ribcage to gnt a better fit as I'm not sure I know how!

I even pattern matched my pockets and felt all pro. Not that anything else is matched!

Syrinx

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #28 on: June 10, 2017, 17:43:47 PM »
Found a hanger for pictures.

Will nip to friend tomorrow for fitting help as I've got no clue!

Also noticed hemline is significantly shorter on the back  :|

Ploshkin

Re: Insanity with Chiffon and Pockets and Pleats
« Reply #29 on: June 10, 2017, 18:55:42 PM »
The hem looking shorter at the back could well be because it's on a hanger.  By the time you've got a bit of frontage filling up the bodice it should bring the front hem up a bit.
Life's too short for ironing.