Ever wondered how to line-up/match the pattern of your fabric across seams? This 1-minute tutorial is a sure fire way to get it right!
Sew Confusing: Pattern Instructions
As you read pattern instructions there may be some unfamiliar terms or worse yet, things that sound similar and you’re not sure what’s what. Let’s take a look at some often-confused terminology and set it straight for your next project.
Interfacing/Stabilizer
Interfacing (woven, non-woven or knitted) is used anywhere more firmness or body is needed during construction—like in collars, cuffs, front openings, etc. It remains in the garment permanently. Sometimes entire garment sections like jacket fronts are interfaced to add body to the fabric.
Stabilizer is one of many types of products (knit, woven, non-woven; fusible or non-fusible; temporary or permanent) used to add body and support for a specific function, like machine embroidery or decorative stitching. Depending on the use, it can remain permanently in the project, or it can be removed once the function is complete, like using tear-away stabilizer under embroidery.
Stay Tape/Basting Tape
Stay tape is a narrow strip of woven or knit fabric used to stabilize an area and keep it from stretching. Common areas for stay tape use are shoulder seams, necklines and hems in knit garments; the front of a wrap dress or blouse, or lapel areas in a tailored garment. Stay tape can also be used to stabilize zipper areas in stretchable fabric and to keep pocket openings firmly in shape. Tapes can be sewn in (by hand or machine) or fused.
Basting tape is a narrow, double-sided adhesive product used to hold something in place temporarily while sewing. Most basting tapes are water-soluble, so they disappear after washing. A common place to use basting tape is to hold a zipper in place for stitching, especially in bulky fabrics like fleece, to hold a patch pocket in place for no-slip topstitching, or to temporarily hold binding in place.
Staystitching/Basting
Staystitching is a regular length straight stitch sewn through a single layer of fabric in garment areas that tend to stretch during construction—like armholes, necklines and bias-cut seams. It is sewn just a hair inside the seamline and remains in the garment.
Basting is a long straight stitch used to temporarily hold the garment together for fitting, or other reason why only a temporary hold is needed, such as applying a zipper or trim. Basting can be done by hand or machine and can be used any place for a more secure hold than pins provide. Basting stitches are also used to help ease fabric, like in a sleeve cap, or to gather it, like for a skirt.
Fusible Web/Fusible Adhesive
Fusible web is a film-like adhesive sheet, often backed on one or both sides with a protective paper. It is frequently used for appliqué, hems and any place where a permanent hold is needed, other than sewing.
Fusible adhesive is a generic term that can include fusible web, but it can also include heat-activated glues or sprays, either permanent or temporary.
Ironing/Pressing
Ironing is something you do after clothes are laundered to get rid of wrinkles. It involves sliding the iron back and forth with pressure to rid the item of creases created by the washing/drying process.
Pressing is something you do during the sewing construction process to ensure a professional look to the finished project. It involves lifting the iron from one place to another, rather than sliding it, as the latter can stretch in-progress pieces out of shape. Pressing is often done from the fabric wrong side, like when opening a seam, or setting fullness in a sleeve.
Both pressing and ironing can be done with a dry or steam iron, depending on the fabric. Pressing cloths can be used to protect delicate fabrics during the sewing process.
Seam Guide/Seam Gauge
A seam guide is used to help keep an even seam allowance while sewing. It can screw onto the machine, attach magnetically or be incorporated into the presser foot. Temporary guides can be easily adjusted to change the distance from the needle to guiding edge. The term can also refer to the lines marked or etched on the machine needle plate.
A seam gauge is a short metal or plastic ruler with a sliding mechanism to indicate a specific measurement—especially helpful for measuring hems or spacing buttonholes.
Scissors/Shears
While both scissors and shears are designed with pivoting blades for cutting, the usual distinction is that scissors have blades shorter than 6” while shears have longer blades. In addition, scissors have two of the same-sized finger holes, while shears have asymmetrical finger holes, usually a large one and a small one. Shears are specific to left- or right-handed users, while scissors can be used by either. There are many specialty types of scissors and shears available.
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
What I’m Sewing: Alyce Blouse
Linda Jensen from the ASG Lake County Chapter shares her experience making this great-fitting blouse from Silhouette Patterns.
Q. Item Created
A. Blouse
Q. Independent Pattern Designer
A. Silhouette Patterns
Q. Name and Number of Pattern
A. Alyce Blouse #621
Q. Fabric Used:
A. Stretchy knit, but a wide variety of fabrics can be used
Q. Special Embellishments/Notions Used
A. None
Q. Skill level required?
A. All levels
Q. Are the instructions easy to follow?
A. Yes, they are easy to follow. There is also a YouTube of making the top that is helpful. Be sure you mark all notations of the letters to put it together.
Q. Are you pleased with the finished result? Did it meet your expectations?
A. I got a blouse that was very different from the usual plain blouse, which is what I wanted.
Q. Did it look like the picture?
A. Yes
Q. Did you make any modifications in the pattern?
A. No
Q. Are there any changes you would have made?
A. No
Q. Did the pattern teach you any unique or special techniques?
A. I learned that I needed to use knit interfacing when using very stretchy fabric.
Q. Would you make this again?
A. Yes
Q. Would you recommend this pattern to others?
A. Yes
Pattern Link: https://www.silhouettepatterns.com/html/patterns/p_621.htm
* Pattern found exclusively at http://www.fit2stitch.com/p_621.html
~Linda Jensen, ASG Lake County Chapter
Sewing: An Improbable Match of Math and Creativity
I teach Algebra
T
here, I said it. Go ahead, I’m used to the rolling of the eyes as well as both the internal and external groans. Such a pronouncement usually has one of two effects on the conversation: It either stops it dead or leads to everyone sharing their horror stories of trying to learn algebra.
At first I try to redeem myself by quickly adding that I used to teach Accounting, but that usually resulted in adding to the drama, or clearing the room completely. So, for years I have tried to hide my association with anything mathematical. I’m actually not a real math geek. I majored in business and worked my way through college as a stenographer, but I found that math came easy to me and had a logic and balance that went well with my personality and love of sewing.
Yes, I just matched math with SEWING.
Thanks to my math ability, when I look at a pattern, the logic and sequencing of algebra helps me anticipate the steps in construction. I can almost see a garment coming together before I ever look at the instructions. It’s great for fitting — being able to quickly and accurately manipulate fractions allows me to tackle the most complicated adjustments over multiple pattern pieces. This quirky talent puts me in high demand during any fitting workshop.
My association with math also helps me to easily draw quilting patterns and design purses, tote bags, placemats, table runners, and more. While my non-mathematical friends are limited to patterns on the market that have predetermined sizing, I can accurately create items to fit the size I want rather than make do with what’s available. Math also helps in determining ahead of time if a piece of fabric is large enough to accommodate my design or I’ll need to adapt the pattern to fit the fabric. And when it comes to mass production, math allows me to calculate how many items I can get from a yard of fabric so that I can purchase just the right amount. (OK, so I rarely limit myself to just the right amount, but it does keep me from purchasing too little.)
Of course, blessings can quickly turn to curses and, more than once, math has made me the pariah at an ASG meeting. For example, many years ago when a friend discovered kaleidoscope quilts, she shared this wonderful new idea at our neighborhood group meeting and offered to order the plastic template we’d need to create the kaleidoscope effect. While everyone else was scampering around to pay the $25 for the template, I sat and stared at her pictures. Before I realized it, I heard the following words come out of my mouth, “That’s just an equilateral triangle with 60 degree angles.”
Silence. Dead silence.
My friend assured me I was wrong, and the only way we could create the true kaleidoscope was to purchase the template. On my 45 minute drive home, I reviewed my logic and calculations over and over and couldn’t see any flaws. At home, I got to work drawing a cardboard template and proceeded to make my own kaleidoscope motif. Then I set aside the $25 for more fabric. Yay me!
Who said geometry would never be useful?
As much as I tout the benefits of math, I must admit that its logic and balance occasionally get in the way of my sewing. That’s when the other side of my brain wants to take over the creative process. It’s often an internal struggle to allow myself the freedom to ignore symmetry and place an embroidery design off center or to color block with an abandon of precision. But when I’m fortunate enough to win this struggle, sewing becomes my blank canvas and I can see the many possibilities a piece of fabric provides. What does it want to become? Does it want to be paired with another color, many colors? What accent pieces will give it that “bling” that makes my project “pop?” Making these decisions requires thinking outside the box. It’s not simply following the rules and balancing equations, but making decisions based on emotions rather than pure logic.
When I see the finished product, what pride and feelings of accomplish I achieve! And the more I create, the more inspired I become. Do you use all of your abilities and talents when you sew? Even the ones that aren’t “sewing” related? Remember that structure and rules don’t always have to be followed. Don’t just think outside the box, sew outside of it as well. For me, the blending of math and creativity activates both the right and left brain and keeps me alert and alive. That’s a high that’s worth experiencing, one that only sewing provides.
~Rosemary Fajgier
Beyond the Basics: Serger Accessory Feet
If you use your serger only for finishing seams and you never change the foot, you could be missing a world of opportunities for other fun sewing adventures.
Like your conventional machine, many sergers have accessory, or special-function feet available for a variety of stitching tasks. It’s important to know what feet you might have already included with your serger, so check the manual and any accessory boxes first. Then, do a little research with your dealer to see what other feet might be available. In addition to the brand-name feet, sometimes generic feet may fit your model.
If you’re shopping for specialty feet, you’ll need to know your serger’s model number, whether it takes screw-on or snap-on feet, and any stitch width limitations. Also, note that some tension adjustments might be needed when using some specialty feet, so be sure you’re comfortable with that.
Let’s take a look at a few available options, keeping in mind that all feet may not be available for all brands and models of sergers, and names may be slightly different between brands.
These feet were made for serging
Elasticator/Tape Foot
This handy foot not only helps guide elastic for you, but it also stretches it as you sew. Most feet allow you to adjust the amount of stretch, as it varies by the type of elastic. This foot is ideal for sewing lingerie, swimwear and athletic garments of all sorts. Note the elastic widths compatible with the foot, as some have a wider range than others. The foot can either serge over the elastic, or along one edge depending on the position adjustment.
Blindstitch Foot
If you love making invisible hems by machine, but you hate guessing exactly where the fold should go and where the needle should be, this foot is for you, as it has an adjustable guide to keep things consistent as you stitch the hem in place. It guides the fold and can cut the extending edge in one pass for a neat hem on many fabrics. Note that serger blind hems work best on knits and other textured fabrics.
Beading and Sequin Foot
Beaded edges are a piece of cake with this foot as it guides strings of beads or sequins along the edge of garments, bridal veils, etc. as it stitches them in place. Invisible thread works well with this foot for a no-see application.
Piping Foot
Who doesn’t love a beautifully piped seam? This foot is a slam dunk for both making the piping and inserting it into a seam. Note that there is a maximum diameter for the piping to fit the foot groove, so double check before purchasing. Some brands offer multiple sizes of piping feet to accommodate different cord sizes.
Gathering Foot
Whether you’re ruffling sheer fabric or adding a ruffle to a flat fabric piece, this foot is helpful for both functions. Most are adjustable so you can control the gathering fullness while you finish the fabric edges at the same time.
Wavy Edge Foot
If you’re into dance costuming, eveningwear or bridalwear, this may be a must-have foot for you. There’s a hole to guide clear fishing line or wire so you can serge over it to create undulating edges, from smaller lettuce edging to full-on giant waves. It saves having to hold and guide the line on your own to be sure that the serging encases it without any nicks.
Lace/Trim Foot
No more trim wrestling needed with this foot, as the built-in guide places flat lace or trim along the edge with aplomb, allowing you to serge it in place. It’s adjustable for precise placement.
Clear Foot
Nothing beats a clear view no matter what you’re serging, and many brands offer a clear foot for better visibility with general serging.
All photos courtesy of Bernina. Used with permission
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
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