Going against the Grain

Have you ever worn a pair of jeans in which one leg wants to twist or a t-shirt where the side seam has the same tendency? No matter how many adjustments you make, the leg or side side seam continues to twist. Both are examples of clothing in which one of the pieces was not cut on the grain. In fine sewing, care is taken to cut pattern pieces precisely on the grain. The grain line is indicated on each pattern piece.

Also when pinning pieces to the fabric, the pins should be perpendicular to the pattern pieces. To pin parallel will create a subtle but noticeable distortion in the cut piece and ultimately the finished garment.

French Seams

There are several seam finishes. The key is to choose the best seam finish for the type of fabric and overall desired effect. The material used in the ruffled blouse is soft and somewhat sheer. French seams create a very clean look for semi sheer material. The standard seam allowance for commercial patterns is 5/8 inch. Steps for the French seam are listed below:

1. Place wrong sides of fabric together. Stitch a 1/4 inch seam.
2. Trim seam allowance down to about 1/8 inch. Press open.
3. Stitch a 3/8 inch seam. The two seams equal 5/8 inch total seam allowance.
4. Press to one side.

For more delicate fabric, one might stitch the 3/8 inch seam first followed by a 1/4 inch seam.

Sew Wild II

The zebra stripe material has two main colors. This provided the opportunity to consider blending threads by using a separate color on the top and bottom. I made samples to compare the color combinations. The first shows white on top and bottom. The second is white on top and black on the bottom. The third shows black on top and white on the bottom and the fourth shows black on the top and bottom. No changes were made in tension and stitch length.

Sew Wild

With every project, I hope to advance my sewing skills. With the zebra pants, I was able to consider the idea of matching stripes. The pattern itself is somewhat random. First I chose I pants pattern that did not have side seams. The only seams to match were the front and back. I toyed with several combinations before selecting the stripes that would blend well together; an exact match was not necessary. The pant style allowed me to expand the pattern pieces a bit if needed to find the best blend without negatively affecting the style or overall fit.