Sewing Lessons & FAQ

Hi Lauren. I asked this question in the Sewing Scraps thread but this seems like a better place for it. What is so desirable about vintage fabric? Was it made differently? More interesting prints? Just because it "was there"? I don't know much about sewing or fabric like you and some of the other ladies do but it sounds interesting. I've got boxes of my Mom's old fabric in the basement and it would be nice to know if it's great stuff or what. It's nice to see all the neat things you've made.

Sewing Tap Pants

For anyone who has sewn these, did you use satin, silk, cotton or some other type of fabric, and why did you choose that particular fabric?

Also, did you use a serger, or was a traditional machine fine?

Thanks for your ideas!

Ccc

K by the bay said:

Hi Lauren. I asked this question in the Sewing Scraps thread but this seems like a better place for it. What is so desirable about vintage fabric? Was it made differently? More interesting prints? Just because it "was there"? I don't know much about sewing or fabric like you and some of the other ladies do but it sounds interesting. I've got boxes of my Mom's old fabric in the basement and it would be nice to know if it's great stuff or what. It's nice to see all the neat things you've made.

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I love to sew with vintage fabrics when I can get it. You'll notice a bigger difference with some types more than others. One case where vintage far outshines modern is rayon. The rayon of the 1940's completely outshines what is being produced today in feel and the prints that were available. Jitterbugdoll and I learned an interesting tidbit of information on our shopping trip during her visit. Apparently most of the rayon in the 1940's was manufactured at a plant in New York. It burned down in, I think, he said late 1940's or early 1950's and the formula for that gorgeous, soft rayon that you only find pre-1950's was lost, and no one has ever been able to able to recreate it. So, when I see a good vintage rayon, I snap it up. It usually ends up costing less per yard that quality modern would anyway.

K by the bay said:

Hi Lauren. I asked this question in the Sewing Scraps thread but this seems like a better place for it. What is so desirable about vintage fabric? Was it made differently? More interesting prints? Just because it "was there"? I don't know much about sewing or fabric like you and some of the other ladies do but it sounds interesting. I've got boxes of my Mom's old fabric in the basement and it would be nice to know if it's great stuff or what. It's nice to see all the neat things you've made.

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I tend not to sew with synthetic fabrics, but do sew with vintage fabric when I can. I love old cottons and wools and such and I find their weave to be of better quality. Also not as shiny. I also just like the look of a roughed up feel of the weave after its been around a long time.
You should try to avoid silks from the vintage era. Their treatment cna often deteriate the fabric, and whats the point in making something if it will go bad in a bit?

LD

Ccc said:

For anyone who has sewn these, did you use satin, silk, cotton or some other type of fabric, and why did you choose that particular fabric?

Also, did you use a serger, or was a traditional machine fine?

Thanks for your ideas!

Ccc

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My serger recently broke so I just use my normal machine now. Sergers are great because the seams will be less bulky. I also HATE raw edges, so I either use bias tape, or doubble fold the fabric if its not too thick. A good work around is to zig zag a seam on a raw edge. Its surger like

LD

To have been sewing as long as I have, I'm still a very unexperienced seamstress. Actually, the few months that I've been here, I've learned a lot. I didn't even know what a serger was until Lady Day told me. lol Because of her, I'm becoming more of a fabric snob, choosing natural fabrics over "ooo, that's so cute". I actually think about the drape of a fabric once a garment will be finished and that has allowed me to cut down on a lot of "ewww, I hate this, let me throw it away."

I made then remade a dress out of vintage silk. I didn't know that was a no no. I have some other vintage fabrics that I just haven't used as of yet. This summer since I was home, I was supposed to use up all of my fabric which would have resulted in about 25 different outfits but, I've only done about 10 or so.

I start my sewing lessons next week, but there is a question I already have: Is is really hard to make a pattern match your meassures if it is for example way to big? I realised most women in the 40s to 50s seemed to have really big hips compared to today so I have big problems to find a skirt with my meassures. Aslo their waists were way tinier so I´d have to make them bigger there. How does one do this? I tried around on a pattern and it just didn´t look right in the end.

I think one can use vintage silks. You just want to pay attention and make sure the fabric is in good condition before you start. I'm just about finished with a dress from a 1940's sheer silk right now, and the fabric still feels very strong.

Sari, as to the patterns, perhaps German patterns were sized differently than American? Early patterns here have a smaller waist to hip ratio than modern. If you do end up having to alter a pattern, for a skirt, the easiest thing to do is get the pattern with the right hip measurement and alter the waist accordingly. Also, I would recommend using modern patterns while you are learning. They generally have much more detailed instructions.

Ccc said:

For anyone who has sewn these, did you use satin, silk, cotton or some other type of fabric, and why did you choose that particular fabric?

Also, did you use a serger, or was a traditional machine fine?

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I made them out of silk charmeuse because that's what the designer told me to make them out of. They were nice and filmy. (Charmeuse is beautiful, but it can be a real pain to sew.)

I used a serger and a sewing machine. Charmeuse frays easily and I didn't want to ddeal with it, so I just serged the whole thing before I started.

No one here has asked, but I've seen a lot of new sewers who aren't really sure what is up with the serger, so I'll just clarify a few points in case anyone is unfamiliar with them. A serger *can* sew seams together, but it is not a replacement for a sewing machine. It is good for finishing raw edges, but there are a lot of things you need that a serger can't do. Also, if you use the serger to sew the seams together you must be *very* sure that it is fit properly, because opening up a serged seam to do alterations is a big pain. Personally, I just serge all the pattern pieces before sewing them together. That way I can alter to my little heart's content.

On the other hand, a sewing machine *can* do whatever a serger does, if it must. The serger trims and finishes raw edges. It is beautiful for that, but it is technically possible to do that without a serger. A zig-zag stitch will finish an edge, and then you can trim it with scissors. Another option is to use pinking shears which cut the edge into little triangles so that it won't fray. You could also do French seams, in which the edges are encased in the seam and aren't left out. Those are beautiful, but like all these options they're more work. My vintage pattern suggests pinking, french seams or ... I forget what it suggested for the third option. (Always read your pattern instructions all the way through. Sometimes they're wonky. Once I got to the very end of a pattern when it was almost entirely sewn together and saw that the pattern said to serge the garment. I was like, "Serge it *now*?")

Some overlocks also do "roll hems" for light fabrics like chiffon or charmeuse. I kind of hate the way machined roll hems look, so I usually just serge the edge normally and then roll hem by hand, but a lot of people love the finished look of a machined roll hem, and that will save you a lot of time.

In May I finally finished 9 weeks, consisting of 3 sewing courses. Beginners (2 weeks), Sewing from a Pattern (5 wks), and The finishing touches (2 wks). I am in the middle of making a flowergirl dress for my girlfriends daughter, and when I am done with that, I will start on one of my vintage patterns. I am very excited to have an actual outfit made by little ol' me!!:eusa_clap

Are overlocking and serging the same thing?? I use a zig-zag stitch to do my edges, but I was wondering if more expensive sewing machine produce that proper edging effect...or can it only be achieved with a serger? They seem awfully expensive though, so I think I'll stick with the zig-zag if that's the case!

Fleur De Guerre said:

Are overlocking and serging the same thing?? I use a zig-zag stitch to do my edges, but I was wondering if more expensive sewing machine produce that proper edging effect...or can it only be achieved with a serger? They seem awfully expensive though, so I think I'll stick with the zig-zag if that's the case!

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Ehrr ... I had to go look that up. I am informed that technically a "serger" is an overlock with 5 thread cones, but when most people (including me) say "serger" they're referring to some kind of overlock machine. I call mine a serger even though it only has 3 cones. (I am cheap and I sew stretchy fabrics, so I bought the 3-cone.) Oh yeah, it's priceless for sewing stretchy things.

Someone else may know better than I, but I'm pretty sure that the fancy, "proper" edging effect can only be done with a serger. I've never seen a sewing machine with a blade attached. My sewing machine is pretty fancy, but it can't do a chain stitch, but maybe they make one that can.

I love mine because of the convenience, but there's no reason you can't sew without one if you don't want to pay for a serger. If you get really into it and do it for a really long time you might want one, but it's just another nice thing to have. I've been pining for an embroidery machine for years now.

xoxo
BV

Ooh. I like this thread already There's really nothing I would add, but I'm so glad to see everyone's heads getting together! Yay!

you know what I'd like to know? What stitches are appropriate for what?

My machine has 17 stitches, not counting the decorative ones but, I only use a few as I don't know what the rest of them are for really. [huh]

For example, I may sew something using fabric A and everything is fine but then, I'll use fabric B and the stitches start getting weird, bunching up, not sitting flat to the fabric. It isn't the tension because I'll go through the entire possibilities (for lack of a better word at the moment) of tension settings. Is it a needle thing? a thread thing?

Also, hope I'm not sounding dumb, what is this overlocking everyone is talking about? I don't do anything to the edges or seams of my clothing that won't be seen. Am I messing everything up?

Ok...my addition..

Ideas for inexpensive dress forms? I need to start actually having something like me so i can do a better job fitting and perhaps not be frustrated when everything turns out not quite right....

so sources, ones to avoid? things to look for....? I have read the Threads article on them, but some personal experience would be good...

I am a size 14-16 currently and hoping to be a bit smaller but probably wouldn't be smaller then a 12 at best, based on bone structure....so i need a bit of adjustability....

My sewing machine does a stitch that emulates an overlock. It won't ever be like a serged edge, but it works find for finishing things off. I attach a special foot (not the type that cuts the fabric too, although I could buy one) that catches the threads so that the thead actually go around the cut edge. I'd say it's just a step up from a regular zig zag.

hmm...Rosie, my first guess would have been tension too. You could try a different needle. I doubt it's the type of stitch, assuming you're just using a straight stitch. Also, could be you need to clean your machine. A while back I was having some problems with my stitches looking wonky, and it ended up being a piece of metallic thread wrapped around a part inside.

Rosie said:

Also, hope I'm not sounding dumb, what is this overlocking everyone is talking about?

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If you have a t-shirt, pick it up and look under the hem. There is usually a stitch that looks like a zigzag with a chain stitch at the edges. That's overlock.

Thanks Colleen! Thanks decodoll, I guess I should clean my machine since other than dusting it I really don't do anything inside.

Neecerie, I found this: http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002.asp

and was going to do it but you know, it's on the to do list.

a beginner

just got my sewing machine not too long ago..love it! It has been a lot of fun learning how to even use the machine (I was a bit scared of it for awhile!). For a beginner, what would be a good first project to start? So far I've been mostly just practicing using the machine by making things for the kids like little purses and stuff for their dolls, but am wanting to move on to bigger and better things
Cross stitching; A friend of mine, who's also teaching me how to sew, said that she always uses the cross stitch or zig zag design so that the fabric does not fray.

Fleur De Guerre said:

Are overlocking and serging the same thing?? I use a zig-zag stitch to do my edges, but I was wondering if more expensive sewing machine produce that proper edging effect...or can it only be achieved with a serger? They seem awfully expensive though, so I think I'll stick with the zig-zag if that's the case!

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Sergers/interlocking machines are getting cheaper all the time, and its showing. If you are going to be serious about sewing, stay above the $300 range, look for one that will allow you to adjust the with of a seam, and also get one that had 4-5 cone capacity. Youll have to check the spces of the machine to see what it offers, but generally these options offer you more flexability instead of just sewing a seam closed.

Just my 2 cents

LD