Table of contents for #197 - June-July 2018 in Threads Magazine

What do you consider the hallmarks of a well-sewn garment? DARYL LANCASTER (“Bound Buttonholes for All,” p. 38) says, “One of the hallmarks of a well-sewn garment is the interior. There is where you see the attention to detail. Perfect matching, careful pressing, perfect symmetry, are all obvious hallmarks, but fit is important, as well. Patterns fit no one, straight out of the envelope. Careful attention to fit can be as important as a perfectly finished interior, whether you are making a knit tee or a three-piece tailored suit.” Daryl, an accomplished weaver, knitter, and sewer, teaches advanced garment construction techniques. DarylLancaster.com. MARY COLLEN (“Zipper Finish,” p. 51) says, “A well-sewn garment means impeccable pressing. I love working with wool because the seamlines can become invisible when pressed skillfully and…

Style and substance As a fairly new sewer, I look for a machine that is dependableand doesn’t have too many confusing bells and whistles. The Singer Featherweight C240 was exactly what I needed. The biggest draw for me was that Singer has published videos online for each model, so you can look up tutorials for your specific machine. The Featherweight features a drop-in bobbin and 70 stitches, including basics like straight, zigzag, and stretch stitches, as well as many decorative or appliqué stitches. It comes with six presser feet. Also included is the Integrated Even Feed system, which enables the Featherweight to better handle multiple layers or difficult fabrics. The machine weighs nearly 15 pounds because of its solid metal frame, but it is still easy to travel with. The…

A Notion of Note Read an extended review of this issue’s featured notion, the Singer Featherweight C240. Assistant Editor Erica Redfern took this machine for a test drive, evaluating its features from the point of view of an entry-level sewer. Read the Wrinkles Wrinkles in garments are like signposts alerting you to fitting problems. The just-released Smart Fitting Solutions book by Kenneth D. King (The Taunton Press, 2018) shows how to train your eye to interpret those signposts. Visit the website for fitting tips from Kenneth and to read an interview about why he wrote the book. threads insider EXCLUSIVE ACCESS, EXPERT SEWING With a Threads Insider membership, you open a world of sewing education: • Sewing technique videos • Digital and tablet issues • Downloads of our most popular…

Each year, Threads presents a fashion challenge to the members of the Association of Sewing and Design fessionals (ASDP). In 2017, we steered these talented designers toward the fabrics women wear nearly every day: Pro-knits. We asked them to come up with a garment or ensemble featuring at least three knit fabrics, each visible in the finished look. We wanted the members to expand the notion of knits as the basis of everyday, comfortable, easy-fitting clothing, to create something that could be worn in a formal or professional context. Judges Debby Spence, the Best Overall winner of 2016’s challenge, and Emma Seabrooke, a teacher and designer of the SewkeysE pattern line for knits, joined me in evaluating the finalists at the ASDP annual conference in Orlando, Florida. We were thrilled…

Today’s single-layer garments are a challenge to sew with clean and bulk-free openings and edges. A zip-front opening on an unlined jacket or coat often leaves the zipper tape edge showing on the inside; it’s then visible when the garment is worn open. Try the following solution to create a neat and streamlined opening for an unlined or even a reversible jacket or coat. FABRIC CHOICES This zipper application is a great option for bulky fabrics and sweater knits, mesh and open weaves, as well as sheer and lace fabrics. Also consider using it for polar and sweatshirt fleece, ponte and scuba knits, and double-faced and boiled wool. Quilted fabrics are appropriate, too, especially for reversible garments. SPECIALTY TRIMS Trims that work well are leather, decorative elastics, and commercial and…

In 1979, Yoshio Okada, founder of the Olfa Corporation, introduced a cutting tool that revolutionized the sewing and quilting worlds. His invention, the rotary cutter, made cutting fabrics more efficient with its single rolling blade. Since then, blades, handles, and other tools have been developed to enhance rotary cutters’ speed and accuracy. Today, companies worldwide have improved blade sharpness and made a variety of sizes available for different uses. They have added easier and safer ways to change blades and protect fingers. The handles also have been improved for ergonomics, with blade-locking features and a variety of handle materials. The addition of cutting mats and companion devices make rotary-cutting narrow strips and circles foolproof for sewers. Remember, however, that a rotary cutter does not replace scissors (and vice versa). Each…

Sewing family memories My friend wanted me to attend her family reunion. “Come—and bring your sewing machine,” she urged. “The grandkids will love it.” I had never been to a reunion, and it wasn’t even my family. I wouldn’t know any of the 20 or so people expected to attend the weeklong event. My friend, a grandmother, knew her grandchildren would be bored. She had a mission for me (should I choose to accept it): Entertain her 9-year-old granddaughter and 6-year-old grandson by teaching them to sew. The reunion, which would be held at a beach, sounded better than staying home to help my husband work on his sailboat, so I agreed. I decided on a simple project for my pupils: sleeping shorts. I knew that everyone, no matter what…

EDITOR’S NOTE Sewn together, but separately Our authors live and travel around the world. We put each issue together in Newtown, Connecticut, but the text, illustrations, sewn samples, and garments journey far to get here. Many emails, phone calls, and packages converge on our o≤ce. There are challenges to working remotely, but it’s also wonderful to maintain as many relationships as our inboxes can handle. I recently participated in a online sewing challenge with a long-distance friend. I needed her opinions, tips, and reminders (it got down to the eleventh hour), and I felt good about sharing the same in return. Though we lived in the same city for years, I think we only sewed together once. Threads has always been about the connection between sewers. We act as a…

Lightweight, textured fabrics are wonderful choices for airy warm-weather apparel. They come in a range of fiber types, but they share important characteristics. They’re soft, drapable, and generally easy-care fabrics with ripples, minute pleats, or crumpled folds. The texture is permanent, and it lends these fabrics body, even when the foundation textile is fine. PLISSÉ Plissé, which means “pleated” or “wrinkled” in French, generally refers to a cotton fabric with a puckered texture. Other names for this material are “blister cloth” or “blister crepe.” Plissé is typically created with a wet-finish application of a caustic soda solution. The chemicals cause the fabric in the areas of application to shrink, leaving the untreated areas puckered. Plissé fabrics are most often plain-weave cotton or polyester/cotton blends, but they also are made of…

Weightless edges are part of the magic that makes the silk chiffon dress shown at left and on the back cover appear to float. A hand-rolled hem is the key. There are many machine-sewn shortcuts to making faux rolled edges, but the hand-worked version is softer and more flexible. Here are three ways to prepare the fabric edge—including one that helps when hemming a curved edge—and three different stitching techniques. Try combinations of edge preparation and stitching techniques to find the method that works best with the fabric. Judith Neukam is a contributing editor. Ready your supplies Collect the necessary tools, and get the fabric’s edge set for stitching. TOOLS AND MATERIALS I recommend hand-hemming with fine, smooth thread, preferably #100 silk thread. Select a fine needle, such as a…

My mother taught tailoring. When I was 12 years old, she asked me to test her original bound buttonhole directions. She figured that if I could follow her written instructions successfully, her adult students would be able to, too. I had no trouble, and some 50 years later, I’ve never found a better way to make consistent, controlled, and perfect bound buttonholes. My mother’s method uses a separate strip of material to create the buttonhole lips. The strip is prepared and then cut apart into individual buttonhole sections. This method’s accuracy relies on the preparation of the buttonhole location in the early construction stages. A machine-basted grid on the garment front is essential to making buttonholes that start and stop on the same warp thread and are parallel to a…

I recently saw a wedding dress that had an unexpected and attractive back detail. The dress was a back-wrap style, featuring a faced, asymmetrical triangular collar. This neckline created a flattering line and an opportunity to display a beautiful contrasting fabric. In my version, I added simple ties to define the waist. To replicate this design, start with any princess-seamed sheath pattern that has a center-back zipper. Once you’ve adapted the pattern, you can make count-less looks: Choose solid fabrics in subtle contrasting tones, prints, or high-contrast color blocking. The dress would be stunning in black with a sheer black collar and ties or with a crisp white collar. A wool crepe version worn as a jumper could make a unique office look. Enjoy the versatility. Judith Neukam is a contributing…

Floral-print silk chiffon epitomizes the wonderful sensations of a summer’s day. Though this dress is from 1935, it is perfect for this year’s garden party. Light, airy, and translucent, the fabric is held together by the finest silk threads. Part of the lightness comes from the hand-rolled hems that edge the dress’s soft flounces. A hand-worked rolled hem takes longer to stitch than a machine-sewn hem, but it is the best choice when you want a finish that does not weigh down a gossamer textile. See more about rolled hems on p. 24.…

I’ve examined Chanel couture and ready-to-wear designs in museums and private collections, and I’ve collected couture pieces, numerous ready-to-wear designs, and many copies. I’ve used my extensive collection to decipher secrets for trim and garment construction. In the process, I’ve developed a collection of trimming techniques you can duplicate easily or use for inspiration to create your own. The simplest trims used by Chanel are rows of topstitching, while others include piping, binding, applied bands of lining or contrast fabric, insets of self or contrast materials, and crocheted or embroidered trims. Many are simple to sew. The three techniques shared here are drawn from many more included in my DVD and book, Couture Sewing: Making Designer Trims (The Taunton Press, 2016). I made the samples on three-piece sleeves. The sleeves…

LOOK FOR THESE ICONS ON THE PATTERN REVIEWS Includes sizes 24 and up Fast and easy Challenging techniques Petite options For knits Downloadable pattern McCall’s 7658 (McCall.com) This easy-to-sew design consists of a sleeveless pullover shell with a boatneck and bust darts combined with a choice of four shawl-like overlays. The two-piece overlays are sewn into the shell neckline and have overarm seams. The View A overlay design is oval, and the hem falls to waist level. View B has an overlay that is an elongated rectangle with points hanging to the high hip. The View C version is similar to View A, plus six front and six back neckline tucks. The View D overlay option is an oblong shape caught at the wrist with a partially elasticized cuff. All…

In my years of judging regional 4-H Fashion Revues, local county fairs, state Make It With Wool contests and Threads/Association of Sewing and Design Professionals challenges, one construction problem I see again and again is a facing or lining that peeks out where it shouldn’t, along a garment’s edges. To solve this, you need to “favor” the garment layers and roll the seams to the wrong side. Two key areas where this problem often occurs are shirt and jacket collars and lapels, and the hem/facing intersection on jackets, shirts, and skirt vents. I’ll show you how to handle these edges for a fine finish. DEFINING THE TERM The term “favoring” is never discussed in pattern instructions and seldom shows up in sewing books. The one definition I found, in Vogue…

When audiences watch a performance, they may not realize the endless behind-the-scenes work before and after every successful production. Costume makers, like those at New York’s highly regarded Parsons-Meares LTD, are among the artisans who help create and maintain a production’s unique look. Known for attention to detail and innovation, Parsons-Meares has been the go-to costumer for many productions since the 1980s. The costume shop made its first Broadway impression with Sophisticated Ladies, and built a reputation with Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Parsons-Meares artisans have made costumes for 17 productions that earned Tony Awards for Best Costume Design. MODEST BEGINNING The company was founded in 1980 by wife-and-husband team Sally Ann Parsons and Jim Meares. They started out in an abandoned school building. Now the company is…

Coat pockets endure wear from coins, keys, gloves, and any other sundries you stuff into them. No wonder they develop holes so readily, requiring repair to remain functional. I advocate replacing the pocket bag entirely, and here’s why: Mending a pocket by sewing a new seam above the worn area is a quick fix, but it makes the pocket shallower and creates another seam that can quickly wear through. Sewing a patch onto the pocket bag adds seamlines that can fail, as well as lumps and bulk that may look sloppy from the coat’s right side. Replacing the pocket bag ensures that you avoid repeat problems. ACCESS THE POCKET BAG Replacing the pocket isn’t difficult. The tricky part is getting between the coat and lining layers to reach the pocket…