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Sewing Tip: Use a Stainless Steal Ruler to Make Crisp Pleats

The pieces for a medium size Pleated Wristlet in a black and gold brocade fabric have been cut out for a few weeks now, but I wanted to quilt the lining with metallic gold thread, which was something I didn't have in my thread collection. I finally picked the thread up the other day, and now it is time to sew this wristlet.

This brocade is synthetic and can't be pressed, so I can't interface these pieces with anything fusible.  This fabric also has an embossed texture and doesn't crease easily, making it mildly uncooperative during pleating.  To make it easier I'm using a stainless steal ruler to help fold the fabric. 

 

This method can be used for pleating difficult fabrics, or anytime you want really crisp folds.  If your fabric can be pressed, a stainless steal ruler can be left in the folds and pressed right over.  It will get hot, but won't melt.  I love metal rulers!

Here are some photos to illustrate...

Line up ruler with one of the center pleat lines:

Fold the fabric over the ruler:

Hold the fabric in place and slide the ruler out from under the fabric.  I pull it down and out the bottom. 

Reposition the ruler along the exterior fold line:

Fold the fabric back over the ruler:

Hold the fabric in place again, remove the ruler, and pin the pleat in place.  So easy!

P.S. This fabric also gets pin holes that won't close, so I've pinned in the allowance to avoid any holes.  The dark fabric mostly hides them, but I try to avoid them anyway.  

 

 

Anatomy of a Zipper

This is probably not new info for a lot of you, but just so we are all on the same page, I'm posting this diagram here.  I'll also be using post as a reference link in my patterns. 

P.S. The fabric in the background is called "Lollipop" by Sandy Gervais for Moda.

Sewing Machine Oil in Syringe Applicator

Yesterday afternoon I took the "DIY Sewing Machine Maintenance" class at PDX Seamsters and they had these handy syringe style machine oil applicators.  On my way out the door I bought two of them--one for me and one for my mom. 

They work great!  The needle applicator is perfect for getting the oil in just the right spot, without using too much.  You just squeeze the bottom and a drop comes right out.  I'm pretty sure the other class attendees bought them too.  We all oohed and aahed over them and vowed we must have one. 

The class was very good.  I learned some things I didn't know, and we took our machines apart and oiled places I didn't know existed. 

I'm not having much luck finding these things online, so link finders do your magic.  If you can find these for sale online, please post a link in the comments.

 

How to Make a Zip Pouch without Dented Corners

This post really got everyone's attention!  I figured I probably wasn't alone in wanting to improve the corners of my zip pouches, and yes indeed, a lot of you expressed interest in learning how to make yours better too.

One person mentioned wanting to see a photo of the problem, so the photos above and below show two pouches--the one the left has dented corners, and the one on the right was made using the method I'm going to show you below.

This zipper technique does require hand sewing, but it is worth the extra effort. The corners look a lot better, and the zipper will open nice and wide.

Some general info/tips:

• Stitch the zipper into the corners BEFORE closing the opening for turning.  It can be helpful to be able to reach inside to reposition the zipper ends.  You might also want to trim the ends of the zipper, so leave closing the opening as the very last step.

• The info below assumes you know how to sew a zip pouch.  This is just an idea for how to handle the zipper, so all the steps for sewing a pouch aren't included.

• I'm using the edge of the presser foot as the allowance.  My presser foot is almost 3/8" wide, so these instructions are basically for a 3/8" allowance.  If you use a 1/4" allowance you can sew closer to the edges (about 0.75").  See steps 2 & 3 for more info.

• The topstitching next to the zipper won't extend all the way to the side seam.  I tried folding the zipper out of the way for the first 1" of topstitching, but it wasn't a success.  I always suggest using topstitching for a finished look, and with zip pouches it will keep the fabric from getting caught in the zipper.  So unless this really bugs you, don't skip the topstitching.  An alternative might be to just topstitch on the lining side.  The lining seems to be more troublesome for catching in the zipper.  If anyone comes up with a good solution for this, come back and tell us how in the comments what you did to make it work. 

• If your zipper has a fold from the packaging, press it out before installing the zipper.  Place a press cloth (fabric scrap is ok) on top of the zipper and press with a hot iron.  

    

1. Determine Zipper Length

Your fabric pieces can be as wide as your zipper is long.  So if you have a 9" zipper, your fabric pieces can be 9" wide, or less.  The zipper in the photos is 9" and the fabric pieces are 8.5" wide x 4.5" high.    

2. Sew Pieces to Zipper

Ok, here is the main trick to making this work...sew the fabric pieces to the zipper begining and ending sewing 1" (2.5 cm) from the sides. 

3. Topstitching

Press the pieces away from the zipper, making a firm crease along the unsewn edges at the sides. You can use an iron & press cloth, or finger press them in place. 

Again, begin and end stitching 1" (2.5 cm) from the sides. 

4. Sew Side Seams

When you are sewing your exterior & lining pieces together, unfold the creased fabric at each corner and match up the creases on each side.  Push the zipper out of the way, and sew right off each end.  In this photo I'm squeezing this open to show how I've sewn all the way to the ends of the side seams, but did not sew through the zipper. 

5. Hand Sew Corners in Place

On the separating end of the zipper, tuck each end into the seam about 0.25" (6 mm) from the side seam:

Slip stitch the ends in place.

At the other end of the zipper, begin sewing on one side of the coils.  Go underneath the coils and come out on the other side of them, pulling the zipper into the corner:

Slip stitch this end in place.

That's it!  I hope you'll give it a try at some point. 

Have a great weekend! 

 

 

Sewing Great Curves on Flaps

 

Curves are very natural and organic looking, and people love to look at them. So while I love stripes and can appreciate linear lines in some designs, I always come back to the curves. 

Often these curves are on flaps, which end up being a focal point of the design. Making the curves of the flap as smooth and as identical as possible is going to help tremendously with the finished look of your piece.  So here are some tips geared toward getting these small curves to look great.  

This info assumes you already understand the basics of sewing curves.  If you need basic info about sewing curves, watch this video from shiny happy world. 

True Up

True your curves by trimming each side of the flap to an identical shape before you begin sewing:

Tracing

If you have a particularly difficult curve and just can't seem to get it right, trace the stitching line around the curve using a scallop rule or other curved item:

Then sew directly on the stitching line rather than trying to keep your eye on the allowance. 

Trimming

After clipping or notching curves, trim away about half the allowance so there is less fabric vying for space inside the curve once the piece is right side out:

Grading

If you have a lot of layers, you probably need to grade the seam.  Grading is done by trimming the layers successively shorter, but leaving enough of fabric for the stitching to have something to hold onto (about 1/8"). 

This photo shows a straight seam, but demonstrates the concept of grading:

In clothing construction when grading you would trim the seams of any facing pieces first, but in accessories you can trim what and where you can.

The grade looks tidy in the photo, but in real life the places you trimmed might look messy and choppy.  That is ok, just get rid of some bulk.

Pushing/Pulling/Massaging/Shaping

Once your piece is turned right side out and ready for the final pressing, examine the seam around the curve. 

Sometimes even though you pushed the seams out neatly from inside, once you remove whatever implement used to push the seam out, it will collapse back inward.  For these sections you can massage the seam out by rolling it between your fingers until the fabric falls into place.

If the finger massage method doesn't push out all the caved in areas, then use a needle to carefully pull the fabric up. 

If you are having the opposite problem of the caved in seams, and there are small spots jutting out giving a jagged appearance to the curve, push them down into the seam with the needle. 

Once you've got the curve looking neat, press the piece and then let it cool so the fabric sets in place. 

 

 

Sew-in Interfacing

I'm getting close to being done with the new pattern!  It will probably be ready this evening, or tomorrow mid-morning.

The new pattern is written using a mix of both sew-in and fusible interfacing. Each has its own qualities, and as I've learned more about sewing, I sometimes use both in one project.

From what I can tell, many people are more comfortable and familiar with fusible. But sew-in interfacing has some wonderful qualities, so I wanted to share my thoughts for those of you who are interested in hearing more.

First off, if you don't have sew-in interfacing available, you can use scrap fabric. 

If you are like me, you might have some "what was I thinking when I bought this print???" fabric in your stash.  That is perfect to use as a substitute for sew-in interfacing!  Just make sure any print won't show through the fabrics on exterior of lining of whatever you are sewing.

You can also repurpose old sheets, shirts, or other pieces of clothing as sew-in interfacing.  This is a great way to incorporate some recycling in your projects, while also having the benefit of using new materials for the exterior.

Here are some other things I like about sew-in interfacing:

• You can trim it away from the allowance after sewing to ease bulk from the seams.  A lot of the time you can accomplish this with fusible by cutting the interfacing pieces slightly smaller in the first place.  But sometimes--like with these faced handles--it is just going to be easier to trim after sewing. 

• You don't have to worry about incompatibility with your fabric.  With fusible, if your interfacing is too heavy or light for your fabric, it is going to wrinkle and peel away.

• Sew-in tends to launder better, so I like it for anything I might want to machine wash. 

• It can feel heavier than fusible. Fusible gives fabric a crisp feeling, but if you use a layer or two of sew-in it can provide a feeling of being heavier and more substantial. Air gets in between the layers and fluffs it up a bit. This can be helpful with small things where you might want a weightier feel, but adding padding is going to make sewing more challenging, or distort the way the finished item looks.   

There are many different brands of interfacing available.  I buy interfacing at my local fabric store, so I don't have an online source to recommend.  My favorite sew-in interfacing is Form-Flex woven, but it is hard to find.  Some other similar woven sew-in interfacings are: Veri-Shape Durable Press, ARMO Press Firm and Stitch n Sew Firm.

If you are wondering why I don't specify brands in my patterns it is because interfacing choice is partly a personal preference, the fabric you are using can be a factor, and not every brand of interfacing is available world-wide.

If you need help matching interfacing to your fabric, you might ask for help at your local fabric store.

You can also check the end of the interfacing bolt for more info.  Many will say what type of fabric it is used with, and what type of support it provides.  My favorite interfacing is sometimes out of stock, so I look for another one that says something like: "For light to medium weight woven fabrics. Provides firm support."