07/19/2012 10:24 PM
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Jahay
Posts: 13
Joined: 04/04/2009
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I have been making a blouse with rounded neck and sewing 1/4 inch seam in sleeves. I have had trouble keeping the seam straight. It seems to pull to the left. My neighbor who is an excellent seamstress said not to pull the fabric, but what do you do when it is going to one side and this seam is going to show on edge of sleeve. My tension is 3 on both settings. I have problems going over the "bump" of the double seam fabric.. that only makes it worse. Jahay
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07/20/2012 12:50 PM
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jsm1144
Posts: 388
Joined: 10/27/2010
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You don't mention which model your machine is but in general, when going around curves, you need to have the stitch LENGTH shorter, like about 1.8mm or so and sew slowly.
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07/20/2012 07:04 PM
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digimad
Posts: 3674
Joined: 08/30/2007
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Use an old garment makers trick, never sew acoss a seam. You arrange your seam allowances so that all lie to the front of the path the needle is taking. You stitch up to the seam. raise the needle, and the foot, pull a good 3 to four inches of thread through from the top thread and the bobbin thread. now fold all the layers of your seam allowance to behind the needle. place your seam both edges level back under the presser foot, use the flywheel on the right end of the machine to check where it will enter the fabric. It has to enter one stitch clear in front of the seam if it does use a pencil and with the foot still raised, sweep the bobbin thread behind the needle and seam allowance, use your finger to sweep the slack top thread behind the foot. Line up your stitching line again, and lower the presser foot use the needle down button then slowly stitch forward if its in the correct spot. To stop your seams pulling to the left support the weight of the garment on an extension table. you have two hands to guide the fabric stitch slowly checking often both layers are matching, if one is starting to move sideways, just gently coax it back. . when you finish. remove the garment. snip the two loops of thread so you have two equal lengths on the inside and two equal lengths on the top. thread one end into a needle and open out the seam allowance, now push the needle up from behind the seam allowance fabric and then make a small catch stitch on the seam allowance only. do the same with the other 3 threads. You should have a perfectly flat seam which doesn't pull because you've stitched across it. no bulk on the right side. You use the same technique on the shoulder to neck seam when you reach that.
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digimad
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07/22/2012 05:13 PM
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Sewingbunny
Posts: 28
Joined: 07/01/2012
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WOW Digimad! I'm going to print this out and keep it!
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Sewingbunny
Janome 12,000 and Janome MBX
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07/24/2012 04:57 PM
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digimad
Posts: 3674
Joined: 08/30/2007
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you're welcome flower. a lot of the old garment making sewing techniques are getting lost now. Too few people were sewing for at least 25 years, and new sewers just don't realise how many little techniques have faded away.
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digimad
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07/25/2012 09:41 AM
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CherylAnn
Posts: 2418
Joined: 05/27/2007
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I wish that some of the old sewing techniques would be brought forward into the printed word. I have some books that I bought in the 70's but those are even to new. My mother only sewed when she HAD to so I never learned a great deal from her but at least she did sew. The school I went to only had less than 100 students in 12 grades so Home Economics and Industrial Arts weren't options as there were only enough staff to teach the core subjects with a generic elective that everyone had to take. We were fortunate to have Art and Music though - not all schools offered those as they didn't have talented folks to teach it.
Cheryl
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Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
HMC12000, Horizon 7700QCP, 4120 QDC, Jem Platinum 760, CoverPro 1000, HuskyLock 936, Xpression Felting Machine, DigitizerMBX v.4.0
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07/26/2012 05:13 PM
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digimad
Posts: 3674
Joined: 08/30/2007
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Cheryl the best place to find them now is in the Couture sewing books, though even they don't give all the handy old wrinkles. I was shown by my Greek neighbour in Cyprus how to set a sleeve. I showed her how the pattern said do it, and she roared with laughter. She removed my two rows of gathering stitches, matched the upper bust markings on the bodice and sleeve head, matched the centre shoulder points, which on me were slightly in front of where the pattern said, popped pins in them to hold them. Then she lay the weight of the garment on the table and folded back the inside sleeve head over the bodice armhole. She tucked the fingers of her right hand up into the ridge it formed , using her thumb and index finger to keep the raw edges together, then pinned the complete head in, then on the underarm section she put the pins in through the bodice side of the sleeve. When she had done she flipped the dress right side out, and there was the smoothest sleeve cap imaginable.
No tiny gathers, no puckers, and it hung perfectly. Then she unpinned the lot, handed it to me, and her voice and tone indicated she wanted me to do it. I did at least a dozen times before she nodded and indicated she was satisfied. She spoke no English and I spoke no Greek. But she got her message through every time, I think all the slaps I got helped as well, she was quite fierce and they hurt. Later I did find the technique in a tailoring book I think it was, but I don't think I'd have learnt how quite as rapidly as I did from my Greek neighbour.
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digimad
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04/27/2013 07:50 AM
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nobarbedoll
Posts: 5
Joined: 04/17/2013
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WOW! I didn't get a lot of this, but I will work on it. I know enough to know it's good! Thanks!
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05/03/2013 01:43 AM
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sewmuch
Posts: 17
Joined: 06/01/2007
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Digimad, You are a treasure trove of knowledge. I, too, have saved your two comments here to my "Sewing' folder. Thank you for the great information. Now if my machine would only sew straight stitches again! (smile) Anne
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