I came across this great blog post on fitting

This is a great blog post on fitting:

https://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/accurate-fitting/
Written by Lorna Knight the author of 'Complete Dressmaking Skills' and 'Dressmaking to Flatter your Shape'.

The article is a very good no-nonsense description of how to pick the size to cut out, test sew a garment (i.e. as a toile, also called a muslin) and to pin the areas that need adjusting. What I like a lot is that it sets out all the general steps that help with fitting, and covers all the main issues.

I particularly liked her suggestion that you can iron interfacing to the back of your pattern tissues once you're happy with the fit you achieved.

This article gives good basic advice but it is not a guide on advanced fitting so if you run into specific fitting issues that you can't solve yourself then you need to look at one of the many fitting advice  books that are out there.

Useful advise on the more advanced fitting solutions are to "follow the draglines". When an ill-fitting garment pulls, these drag lines will often point to the area of concern. Say you have sewn a test top and these diagonal dragging folds point towards the bust area: chances are that you need a full bust adjustment.

If you cannot pin an area tigher on a test garment because you need more space rather then less, then you can undo a seam to see if more fabric in this area solves the issue. Some guides advise to slash the fabric itself open, but you do need to carry on the slash to the edge of a garment - fabric is a flat, two-dimensional material that needs darts and seams to shape it into a threedimensional construct. You can't creat a sticking out bump in the middle of a flat piece of fabric. There needs to be a seam or dart somewhere.

The other great fitting tip I came across:  if for example the seat of trousers looks a bit tight but you can't quite pin-point just what kind of change you need to make to your pattern - have a look for 'grab'. Where does the fabric (or tissue if you are tissue fitting), "grab" your figure? Is it across more than in an up and down direction? Is it both?

Again there might be some draglines, really tiny ones, that point the right way but if a garment is only a little bit too tight then you may not be able to see them. But looking for 'grab' instead is a great way of figuring out where the pattern piece needs to be bigger.

If you need a swayback adjustment on a dress or tunic that has no waist seam (you can pinch out the extra material at a waist seam): you may be able to raise the inside shoulder point. This is the corner of your pattern where the shoulder seam ends at the neckline.  Mark off the amount that needs pinching out vertically down from the shoulder seam (or a bit less) and then redraw the slope of the shoulder seam. You will then to lower the entire back neckline to the new lower level. There are blog posts about this out there (that's where I've got this tip from. Apologies, I can't remember right now where I saw it).

A rounded upper back can present some fitting issues because the shape of the area makes different kinds of adjustments necessary. For some you may need to increase the darts at the shoulder seam, but for others you need to slash the back bodice piece horizontally, from about mid shoulder slope across to the centre seam or fold. You then raise the pattern piece above the slash. This is the adjustment I need and I had no idea for a very long time. It seems counter-intuitive.

You may also need to rotate the shoulder seam forward when you have a rounded upper back. This makes much more sense: if your posture isn't totally upright but instead you carry your shoulders turned forward a little, then you are going to need more material in the back piece and a little less in the front at either side from the shoulder seam.  This adjustment is really easy: tape the back and front pattern piece together at the shoulder seam, draw in your new shoulder seam (keep the inside corner where it is and only change the angle of the seam), and cut apart. Done.

Whatever your fitting issue is (once you know which it is), it is very useful to search online - there may be youtube videos and/or blog posts about that very issue. Chances are that you'll find the answer. If not, come along to one of our LDC meetings and ask us! We may have the answer or be able to point you in the right direction.

This is a great blog post about fixing a gaping back neckline with the help of darts:
https://inhousepatterns.com/blogs/news/6229370-back-contour-shaping

Check out the book "Fit for Real people", it can be very helpful.

I will look for some more guides on fitting and blog about them as and when. Happy sewing!

Lorna Knight who is the author of Complete Dressmaking Skills - See more at: http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/accurate-fitting/#sthash.IYAbWy1e.dpuf

Lorna Knight who is the author of Complete Dressmaking Skills - See more at: http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/accurate-fitting/#sthash.IYAbWy1e.dpuf

Work on flat pieces first

So you're faithfully following along the sewing instructions of your pattern and then it suddenly becomes incredibly difficult to get your project under the machine's needle so you can work on a really tight area?  It's enough to give you grey hair!

Been there many times and I hate it.  Some commercial sewing pattern instructions seem determined to make things as difficult as possible.  Unfortunately these difficult to sew areas then make your garment look home-made rather than beautifully crafted.

Here's a principle that cuts down on some of those problem areas:  If in doubt work on the flat piece first.

Plackets, zips, pockets - what's the point of closing the long easy-to-do seams first and then do the fiddly bits?  I just don't get why some sewing instructions do this the difficult way around.

You don't need to stick to the order suggested.

Look at what features your garment has: double-ended darts, zip, plackets, pockets, pocket flaps, collar etc, etc? These are really nice sewing exercises (as long as you don't let the instruction sequence make your life more difficult).

Once you've cut out your pieces and overlocked what needs overlocking* - do all darts first before you sew anything else. No side seams, no nothing else. The sewing instructions usually start with this too, so no problem here. (The only exception I can think of is if a dart needs to meet another dart exactly: then it is much easier to close the seam first and sew the two darts as one across the seam. Anything to make life easier!)

*: But sew darts that end in a seam before you overlook the piece: less bulk when you take a single pass with your overlocker over the sewn up dart avoiding three layers of overlocking.

I used to hate having to do zips, now I like them more and more.  Sew them in first!

Don't even close the seam underneath yet (a lot of YouTube videos show it this way too so you're in good company), sew the zip onto both pieces and once you're happy with it close the seam underneath (make sure to off-set this line by a millimeter or so to avoid the pucker at the bottom of the zip).

Same thing for plackets on sleeves: sew them in before you attach the sleeve or close its side seam (a very good placket article on Threads shows it that way too).

Patch pockets: why go to the trouble of working on an almost assembled item when it is so much easier to sew a pocket onto flat fabric. In-seam pocket bags are also easier to do before you close the longer seams: a) attach a single pocket piece to one outer piece and b) the other pocket layer to the other piece - then c) sew the pocket layers to each other, and d) close the seam of the outer garment above and below the pocket opening.

I would attach a collar as soon as the shoulder seam is closed, before any other seam stitching.

Depending on the shape of a sleeve it can be easier to sew the sleevehead to the front and back of the garment before closing the side seams of body and sleeve - this is easier for wider, more relaxed styles. Sleeves that are quite tight and where the sleevehead needs to be eased into the armhole are better done after closing side seams.

Flat pieces are easier to manoeuvre and allow better accuracy. They are also easier to press (best sewing tip ever: press, press, and press again!).

Once you have these kinds of elements done, the rest of the garment is much easier to assemble: nice long seams that pull everything together. After that you are left with things like neckline bindings and hems that need to be done across all closed seams.  Couture houses work this way too: everything is done flat until only the long seams and hems are left over,

What do you think?  Is this useful?

The clapper - highly recommended sewing gadget

Have you ever heard of the clapper?  Sometimes known as a clapper board? No, not the black thing they use in filming, this is the wooden instrument that helps you put a beautiful finish on your dressmaking project and labour of love.

It produces crisper creases, at hems or along seams where you want them to lie flat and smooth.

The way to use a clapper is to first press a seam or hem with the iron using steam, then press the clapper onto the area that's hot from pressing and either just hold there some seconds for easily creasing fabrics, or press down a bit harder for fabrics that crease less easily. The raw wood of the clapper will absorb moisture and heat and leave the seam or hem cool to the touch - and the material will "remember" to hold this crease.

You can use it on hems, seams like shoulder and collar seams and it works beautifully on darts too.

I wouldn't have thought so myself before trying it, but it does work - the waterfall collar jacket I am making at the moment does look just that bit better than it would without using a clapper.  I am really pleased with the result!

It is made from hardwood, has a handy groove along both longer sides for easy handling:

And one side is narrower than the other:

As with everything, the best gadget does not guarantee an absence of user error - which is what I managed today: I was using my newly purchased clapper with abandon and delight on the seam between sleeve and body - to get the seam to lie that extra bit flatter, which it did...

...then I discovered that I hadn't removed the basting stitch and was therefore producing a crease where I didn't want one. Noooo! Just imagine...

Luckily my Jacquard-type fabric did forgive the rough treatment: with a bit more steam I was able to get the fabric to crease where I wanted it to, and the first crease in the wrong place did come one. Phew! Now that's a relief.

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Sewing a dart

I was talking to someone the other day about sewing darts and how to avoid them ending in points that introduce a wrinkle or even worse the dreaded “cone shaped” look.
Dart location can be important: your bust dart should stop short of the bust point by about an inch,

I was attempting to explain how I do mine in about five seconds flat and I’m not sure how well I did. I'd have been confused to be honest.  So I thought I might as well write it up on our new blog. The more contributions the merrier after all, right?

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Here goes, the really looong-winded way (you might want to fetch a fortifying cuppa first, honestly):

 

Your dressmaking pattern will show a dart as a triangular shape: you sew along the two dart legs to pinch out the fabric between them.  When I talk about the point or end of the dart I mean the spot where the two dart legs meet.
 

 

I like to mark the dart legs with a Frixion pen (on the wrong side of the fabric).  Advantage: it irons off (markings will disappear when heat or friction is applied, on most fabrics. So check on a scrap of your fabric; my pink satin was left with a clear/white line. The ink also reappears in extreme cold), Disadvantage: it irons off, sometimes at the most inconvenient times. Still.

 

Use a ruler for lines that are nice and crisp.

Stick in a pin to mark the point of the dart in the right place while folding the fabric so the dart legs are roughly on top of each other (1). Your pin should stick out a bit beyond the fold for easy removal when you get ready to sew.

I put my next pin thro one of the two marked lines (2) in about the place where the stitching line crosses the dart line (the seam allowance width from the cut fabric edge) and then push it through the other dart line in roughly the corresponding spot at the stitching line (3). Make sure the folded fabric lies nice and flat - then bring the tip of the pin back through both fabric layers towards you so that this second insertion point is also on the marked line (4).
 

 

With this second pin safely in, turn the fabric over and take a look if your pin went through the dart line on that side too (5). Re-adjust if needed.

Depending on how long your dart is you may want to insert more pins - your aim is to have the fabric lie flat enough so your sewing machine won't push things out of place while sewing.  So very big gaps between pins aren't great but you won't need loads of pins. Maybe three for an average length dart (6+7).

Now the fun sewing part begins!
 

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I sew my darts from the dart tip towards the cut edge. Place your fabric carefully so you can lower the needle to pierce the fabric just inside the fold (8): the fewer threads from the fold edge that you can catch the better. Try and stay inside a millimetre. You will have lowered your sewing foot at a suitable point in the proceedings (this is roughly the point when you want to remove that first pin (9): if it sticks out it’s easier to pull from where it's squashed under the sewing foot) - your fabric should lie straight so that when you sew straight ahead you won't run off the fabric (10).

Keep hold of your thread ends (to avoid the sewing machine sucking them in) and take some three stitches, or so, very slowly and straight ahead, parallel to the fabric fold edge (10). Don't do any back stitching: their bulkiness would show. Then begin to curve in towards the marked dart line (11a). Keep your stitching in a smooth line. The slower the better! You have time and this isn’t a race. You might as well dawdle a bit over the important bits.

When you sew slowly you should be able to sew directly on your marked line (11b). Such a satisfying feeling to get a dart as precise as possible. It can make quite a difference in how your garment will look and drape.

 

 

 

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Other things to look out for before you start marking the darts: if you use something like a Frixion pen that comes off easily, then mark as late in the process as possible: just before you pin and sew.  That way you can be more certain that the marks are in the right place, and they will still be nice and sharp.  Chalk lines can also get rather vague the longer ago they were made, and tailor tacks are great but very time consuming.

When I cut out fabric I like to put a pin with a big coloured head into the right side (RS) of the fabric.  I don’t remember how often I got confused.  Sometimes it matters, other times it doesn’t.

Check your pinned fabric to make sure that the darts stick out towards the wrong side (WS) of your fabric – nothing more annoying than having to rip and re-stitch because you didn’t check for right and wrong sides.

Before you put the fabric under the sewing foot for machine stitching: just take one more look at the piece in your hands to see if it makes it through a common sense check.  Does it all look sensible?  Is anything off?  If you have a nagging feeling (I trust those!) then listen.  Go make another cup of tea, or something, and look at it again with fresh eyes.  So satisfying to get something right first time.  And very soothing for the nerves too, ask me how I know...

 

You can either knot your thread ends at the dart point (as above), or hand sew them with a couple of stitches where they can't be seen on the right side (pics 1-3, pink plaid dart below).
Then cut (4).

I don't ususally bother to backstitch the thread at the outer edge (see lilac dart 12 and 13 above). The stitching line across the darts will secure it and back-stitching would only make the seam allowance more bulky near the pleat bulk of the dart. If you prefer you can take a back stitch or two.

Once your darts are sewn use your iron to press them into place: press vertical darts towards the centre and horizontal darts down.  You may want to place your piece on the ironing board so that the dart point is very close to the board’s edge – or use a tailor ham, those are great as well.

You also want to make sure that the material lies flat at the cut fabric edge so you can easily sew over it when you assemble your garment.  Your iron is your best sewing friend, it will make such a difference to how easy it is to sew pieces together and how well the garment will look at the end.  It is vital for quilting, and it is also very important in dressmaking: press down rather than moving the iron from side to side.

Then hold up to admire and congratulate yourself on a job well done! That’s my favourite bit.

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Did I forget anything, muddle anything up?  Do you know another way of sewing darts that you find useful?  I would love lots of comments so we get a lively exchange of ideas by as many members as possible. Don't be shy, chip in!

Apologies for the very long descriptions. I felt it was better to explain too much than leave something out that would be useful. Much easier to ignore extreme wordage than try to guess at what's missing.

I didn't intend to take quite so many pictures either.  I can't quite see myself going as overboard as this again.  At least we all hope I won't...

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But, just in case, don't hold your breath...