Long time no see...

[JudyN]

Hello everyone 

Some may remember my poor attempts to make some trousers a few years back. It didn't go well... after much battling and many failures, I finally managed to make a pair that sort of fitted (even if I had sewn the waistband on inside out...), sat down in them for a few minutes to contemplate final tweaks... and discovered that my skin hated the stretch ponte fabric 

Then covid happened and OH took over the spare room so he could work from home. And in the meantime my sensory sensitivities have increased so I'm now looking for dresses that are warm enough for winter, long enough to wear with knee-length socks (as I can't do tights or leggings), don't have a waist seam, aren't too fitted, but don't look like a sack. It's surprisingly hard... it would be nice to get into making them, but OH liked working from home so much he's still in the spare room  And I need to have somewhere the sewing machine can be set up permanently as dodgy shoulders mean that I can only sew for short periods, and being generally rubbish at sewing means many of those are spent unpicking.

So anyway, I'll get to the point. I've bought a dress that ticks the boxes, but it needs taking up by about 5" (I'm 5'0") and is in a stretchy silky fabric (94% viscose, 6% elastane), so I'm looking for any advice as I really don't want to mess it up. Here is the current hem:



I don't have an interlocker, but I have a selection of 'overlock stitches', one of which is a 'stretch overlock'. I'm not sure if this is just for joining two raw edges though? There's a range of different zig-zags etc., but annoyingly my machine (Juki 353Z) doesn't have a 'blind hem for stretch fabrics'.

What would the best stitch be? Am I safe to just turn the hem once? I don't want it to suddenly decide to fray. Any hints to stop me pulling it out of shape? Or would I be safer to handsew it?

[Sandra]

Hello JudyN. 

I can't quite tell from the picture but if it's a knit fabric I assume its original hem will show two rows of stitching on the right side so I'd do the hem using a twin needle.
Very fine knit fabrics don't fray so don't worry about not being able to overlock it. If you're really worried about fraying, check first. Cut a scrap off the bottom and give it a good pull and see if it unravels.

Don't bother with a blind hem stitch on the machine. I only ever use mine when I'm shortening curtains.

Sandra.
xxx

[Ouryve]

I don't have a coverstitch so, for stretchy hems, I use either the triple zigzag (mostly for pyjamas as I find it a bit underwearish) or a double sided overlock stitch

[JudyN]

Thank you both Sandra, you're right - It's a knit fabric, and there's two rows of stitches on the right side. Unfortunately I don't have a twin needle - I could of course buy one, but it would be quite nice to get it done in time to wear it for Xmas, so I might try the zigzag. I've now cut the bottom off (erring on the side of too long just in case), and that's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll aim to iron the hem up and - maybe - try different stitches on the strip I've cut off.

[So Chic]

I agree with Sandra’s suggestion of a twin needle, Schmetz have a  stretch twin needle in their range.  Also I would say try a Jean Muir hem which is one row of twin needle about 1/4” from the hem edge with another row an 1” above.  There’s a video on YouTube showing details.  I use twin needles a lot as I like the finish it gives especially to knits.

[Ohsewsimple]

@Ouryve i like that finish.  Not a fan of twin needles.  Never get a good finish with them.

[JudyN]

I give up

I tried what looked like being the best stitch option while waiting for the twin needles I ordered to arrive, but had a few snarl-ups on the practice piece. And then I broke my needle threader, and I cannot manage to thread the needle without it (the automatic threader also gave up a while back). Long story cut short, once DIL had threaded the needle for me, I decided to do a simple zig-zag (the twin needles arrived but just the thought of winding an extra spool, threading two needles and experimenting sent my shoulders into meltdown). Tried this morning, something went wrong, and the needle unthreaded.

So, plan B - my mum is going to take it up for me when she arrives tomorrow for Xmas. Her preference would be to do it by hand, so just a couple of questions: (1) If it's not having zig-zag over the raw edge, would she need to turn the hem twice rather than once (or zig-zag along the raw edge first, if she has more joy with the machine)? (2) Will a bog standard needle as opposed to a ball needle be fine for hand sewing?

In an ideal world, of course, I'd work out what was going on with the machine and do a lot more experimenting, but I'd really like to wear it on Xmas day and all the threading etc. plus of course gnashing of teeth is the worst thing for my shoulders!

[b15erk]

How about doing two rows of straight stitching?  A shot of steam afterwards should give you a decent finish until your twin needle arrives.

You could also try a normal needle threader to thread your machine needle - I keep lots of them as my eyes are pretty poor.

Jessie

[JudyN]

Thanks Jessie - it was the normal needle theader I broke yesterday! I'm going to see if I can find one up the local shops later, but really, I need to keep away from the sewing machine now to give my shoulders a chance to recover.

[Ouryve]

Time to buy a box of Christmas crackers. They always have threaders in


If your sample unravels, then it will need over-edging of some dirt, even if it's zigzag stitch. If it rolls or curls up badly, then it would behave better with stitches that hold the edges down well, though a good hand hem stitch should do that nicely.

[Catllar]

Have a look at Style Arc patterns - they have on trend designs and often minimal seams and zippers. -Sadly minimal instructions too if you are a beginner!

[JudyN]

Thank you Catllar, I will! I'm not really a beginner - my mum taught me to sew, and I made a few things in the dim and distant past, but seem to have forgotten all the skills I learnt. I think it's really just the shoulders that hold me back if experimentation is needed.

Which isn't me being self-pitying, honest - they work for most things, I just have to be careful not to set them off, and if not being able to knit, sew or blitz the housework is my biggest problem, I can't complain

[mudcat]

I think the newer Style Arc patterns with their numbered diagrams are fine for most people.  I generally only use those and don't even bother with the instructions most of the time unless I'm wondering about a particular step.

[Kwaaked]

As to the hem, a herringbone catch stitch will also work well, and the fabric doesn't need to be doubled.

[JudyN]

Thanks again everyone - and I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas.

The saga continued - my mum didn't fancy trying the twin needles and decided to do a zig-zag on the machine... then realised that my thread was cotton, not polyester - which partly explains why it was so difficult to thread the machine! It's not easy to find a haberdashery shop nowadays, least of all on Xmas Eve. But we found some, she sewed the dress, and it worked OK, it doesn't look as professional as a twin stitch or blind hem would have, but no one's going to notice it unless they're particularly interested in hems and get in up close, which unless I get lucky and have Patrick Grant grovelling at my knees is unlikely (but a girl can dream, right? ).

Now I just need to persuade OH either to get back into the office or retire so I can practise sewing at a more leisurly pace.