I wanted some arms for my ladies, so I took a quick look online as I intended to buy a pair! When I saw the price of ready made arms I changed my mind!
I have lots of calico and the ability to make the pattern myself, so I went ahead and made a pattern. Several pairs later, I decided to make a pattern sheet – see the link at the bottom of the page for the pattern sheet on its own or the complete kit that includes all the calico you need – at a fraction of the price they are to buy ready made.
Why not give them a try, I also converted the traditional triangular section used to pin the arms to the stand into a more substantial elasticated harness. I will pop the additional pattern pieces in the members area for anyone that want to make them!
More substantial attachments at the shoulders.
As always, I would love to see the arms you make! I think my next pair may be in a pretty fabric!
This little fabric bag is strong and versatile! Use it as a gift bag, a shoe bag, a book bag, I keep my passport in a bright orange one so I can find it easily.
Versatile Fabric Draw String Bag
Download my free template or simply follow the guidelines on the template to create your own template to your own set of measurements.
To test the stretch percentage of any fabric, take a fabric square 10 cm x 10 cm or grab a section of the fabric you want to test that is 10 cm wide, use my free PDF stretch gauge to help you calculate.
Click the link at the top of below to get your free PDF copy.
Do not include the selvage in your test piece.Mark or make a note of which grain you are stretching first –
It is important to note which grain you are stretching first, so mark the weft, this goes from left to right and the warp, this runs parallel to the selvedge.
Take the fabric and fold in half if you are working with a cut piece, do not stretch on the cut edge.
Now stretch the fabric until you feel it wants to spring back, don’t over stretch. Make a note of the stretch percentage of the weft first and then the warp. Also it is important to note if the fabric returns to its original length. Fabric that does not have good recovery is not suitable for lingerie or tight fitting garments as it will become baggy and ill fitting very quickly!
Stretch the warp – folded fabric
Stretch the weft – folded section.
For example – The weft of my sample piece stretched from a cut square of 10 cm to 14 cm and the warp to 12 cm. weft grain travels around the body so this perfect that it has more stretch. Therefore the stretch percentage of the fabric is 40% in the warp and 20% in the weft. Now I also know my Direction Of Greatest Stretch (DOGS) and my Direction Of Least Stretch (DOLS), important information in lingerie making!
Knitted fabric is constructed with loops, as opposed to woven fabric, which has a woven structure! Sometimes it’s something that sewers don’t realize. Sewing patterns for knitted fabrics such as Jersey are different to those for regular woven fabrics such as cotton.
The loops of a knitted fabric allow it to cling and stretch to the body much better than a woven fabric, as the loop structure can move around and expand. Some knitted fabrics rely on the structure of the fabric alone to help them stretch. There are also knitted fabrics that are a little more technical and they have an extra element called spandex, or Lycra (trade name) and this super stretchy filament allows the fabric to stretch and more importantly recover even more!
I can’t lie, an overlocker (serger) is the best thing for stretch and knit fabrics, the stitch is designed to allow it to stretch with the fabric. So when we are using a normal sewing machine, we are doing our best to avoid the problems we encounter when sewing a stretch fabric. So if you are a keen sewer and want to produce lots of stretch garments, then the best investment you can make is an overlocker (serger)!
If you have a regular sewing machine you can make a pretty good job too, by working in a particular way and using a particular set of stitches. You may well have a stretch stitch on your machine, they are normally not so good, but don’t let me put you off, give it a try, sew a sample and give it a good stretch and see how it reacts.
Firstly though, lets take a look at the needle you are using. Ball point and stretch needles are now both widely available. They both have a rounded tip, as opposed to a regular ‘sharp point’ needle. The rounded tip helps the needle enter the structure of the fabric without damaging the fibers. The stretch needle is slightly less rounded than the ball point needle. Ball point needles were designed for heavier looser knitted fabrics and more modern stretch needles are designed specifically for the more technical knits I mentioned such as spandex and stretch lace. Again, practice on a swatch of fabric and see how they perform. In the past I have found that certain knit fabrics much prefer a regular sharp point needle and the special needles for knits didn’t perform as well and skipped stitches, so you never know until you try to sew!
The best stitch for knits, on a regular sewing machine, is a zig zag stitch. You can adjust the length and width to suit and the structure helps it stretch. The only downside is that your seam can look a little bumpy from the right side, so make a few samples and see how they look.
There is also a three step zig zag stitch, this looks great, but it is forcing a great many stitches into your fabric and this can cause waving and stretching that you don’t want, so again, a sample is the best test. Three step zig zag in my experience is less effective in most cases than the zig sag stitch.
In a previous post I covered stitch width and length so that may be worth a look for you.
Stitch width and length reference – a visual guide
Some tips I can give you if you are having problems are –
Try not to stretch out the fabric as you are sewing.
If your machine has the ability, take some pressure off the feed dogs, usually you can do this, but you may have to google that for your particular machine.
A good quality nylon or polyester stewing thread can make all the difference, if you are having problems and are using a cheap thread, then this is most likely the problem.
A twin needle can also be used on most machines, again you can take a look at this for your particular machine and give it a try! This is certainly an idea for another post!
A hope this very quick discussion has helped a little, practice samples and experimentation are the key and if you have any questions or comments then please ask!
Sizing is such a controversial area. Many a time I have had to advise a client that they are working with incorrect sizing data. I have worked as a freelance pattern cutter and grader for over 25 years and have regularly come across small design companies, who have asked me to grade their patterns, only to discover that they have no size chart of their own!
If you are starting your own clothing business, the first and most important thing to do is to decide on your sizing and then stick to it. For each pattern and collection you produce, your customers can then be confident that the size they select from your range of designs will always fit.
Vanity Sizing…
Now this is where a lot of the confusion occurs, many high street retailers adopt this method of sizing and this then leads to sizing misconception.
In the UK, and in many other countries, there is, believe it or not, standard sizing data available. Much of it is old and out of date, but it is generally available.
Many designers tend to use vanity sizing for their clothing range, this means that they size a garment, which by measurement would be for example a LARGE, and they apply a SMALL label to the garment. This makes the customer very happy as in their shop they fit into a SMALL! However in reality the customer is actually wearing a large (by measurement) but the label tells them it’s a small. The company then makes more sales as the customer is happy to be a small size.
This is a common method of sizing and there is much research out there if you would like to take a closer look.
I have worked for many a company that alter the label and it can be very confusing for the pattern maker. When the designer asks you to make the sizes one size larger than they actually are. When they ask you for a sample in a size 12, you then need to ask – a size 12 or your version of a size 12 which is actually a 14!!!!
Of course there is also something called ‘ease’ that can also be added to a pattern. Ease is extra allowance for movement, so the pattern cutter can add in extra and then a little extra again and this then makes the garment larger than it would be with a ‘normal’ quantity of ease. So you can see, it can be quite confusing and misleading.
My best advice when using a basic block, which would have been labelled with the correct size, according to actual body measurements, is to not be too hung up on the size the size chart tells you that you are (as it is likely larger than the high street size you take).
It is important to measure the body you are intending to fit and compare those measurements to the size chart you have. You will find some useful size charts in my members only area, simply subscribe for the password.
Don’t worry too much if the size chart tells you that you are a larger size than you thought you were, it’s more important that you select the correct block to start your pattern.
I have had many a customer that fails to measure themselves and selects a block, one they imagine will fit, and then finds that the garment does not fit, as they didn’t take the time to measure their body and select the block that was most appropriate to their own body measurements.
In part 3 of this 6 part series we look at putting one or both of the front bodice darts into the armhole. Make sure you subscribe to be automatically notified when parts 4, 5 & 6 are released!
One of the styles available in my range of swim suit blocks.
I must admit that I much prefer to make my own swimwear, rather than buy it. It does take a little patience, but can easily be created on a regular sewing machine with a simple zig zag stitch. You will need some swim suit elastic, but that is now available online.
I have just updated my high back and high leg swim suit block, with UK, USA and EU size equivalents, plus added in some extra information of the pattern sheet.
Here are some photos of the toile, I really love the fit!
Cur high at the leg and high at the center back.A high cut leg shape.A snug fit over the bottom!
Why not give it a try, the block can be found here!
I am looking forward to updating the other swim suits I have in my range, and will be sure to let you know.
I have just spent 3 days painting and organising my new studio, so finally I have a much larger space to make my video tutorials and a more inspiring space to run my upcoming pattern cutting course in May!
Not finished yet!
My downstairs studio was getting a little cramped, as I have a bit of an obsession with mannequins! Now all my mannequins and myself have more space to move around and be creative!
It’s important to have a range of sizes!Plus my male mannequins have a space of their own!They have more space! Plus a better view!
Another upside is that I have a better view of the lake, garden, swim spa and hot tub!
If you would like to come and join me for a sewing or pattern cutting course, then contact me by email at:
onitnotinit@mail.com and I will send you the details.
As promised, here is a quick guide to adapting the 8 panel skirt we drafted in our monthly free project guide, into a jersey version.
Firstly, if you are using jersey then there is no need to add extra for ease to your panel draft, just use your body measurements, as the knitted fabric will have enough flexibility for you to move. You can then continue as we did for the woven version. If you want to take a look at the instructions for drafting the panel then click here.
If you would like to elasticate the waist then you have 2 options for adapting the basic pattern draft as illustrated below. The pink option gives you gather at the waist line and is best for fabrics that don’t have enough stretch in them for you to be able to pull the skirt over your hips, option 2 in blue is for a more fitted version and relies on your fabric being stretchy enough to pull over the hips and bottom. Both methods require you inserting elastic into the channel at the waist. Make the rectangle above the waist line twice the width of your elastic, plus 1 cm for seam allowance.
Let me know if you have any questions and I would love to see some pictures of your makes!
