Sunday, January 06, 2008

Plaid wool suit

I have been sewing more than blogging so this may be a little long.
Okay, when I left off, I was still cutting. And I hadn't cut out the skirt. Although I am cutting each piece individually to make sure all the lines line up, the front of the skirt is cut on the fold and I decided to cut the back of the skirt in one swoop too. So I had to make sure all the lines lined up.
Plaid wool suit
If you look at where the plaid lines up at the selvage, you'll see that the horizontal lines (unfortunately for reference, they are vertical in the photo) skew off to one side.
Plaid wool suit
I had to make sure the lines in both directions matched so I started at the fold and turned back the upper part of the fabric and put pins in where the lines converged.
Plaid wool suit
Then I folded the fabric onto itself and put pins in so I could take out the pins that were causing bumps from the other side. That's hard to describe! The above photo shows my slow progress toward the selvage in the middle, making sure that the lines all line up. The lump in the fabric is caused by the pins I put in when the fabric was folded back.
Anyway, I was successful in lining up all the lines for the skirt, and you'll see that later when I sew the pieces together.
plaid wool suit
I knew the lining would be quite transparent due to its colour and so I'm being careful about making sure notches are trimmed off and such. But after all, it IS the inside of the jacket and not too many people will see it. Speaking of finishing, I am zigzagging all the vertical edges on the skirt because, although it will be lined, the lining will not be attached to the hem and I don't want the skirt fabric to fray and hang down later. I have pinked all the edges of the lining pieces so I am not worried about them unravelling.
plaid wool suit
I worked hard to make sure that the plaid lined up and this is the back two pieces, sewed together.
plaid wool suit
Here is the back with the side back and I made sure they matched up where the sleeve will be inset and not so much along the bottom.
plaid wool suit
Here is the same piece from the right side and you can see how the plaid lines up near the armhole.
plaid wool suit
I was happy when I ironed open one of the seams on one of the sleeves (they are 2 piece sleeves) and saw that the plaid matched.
plaid wool suit
Then I was disappointed to discover that the other sleeve didn't match as much. I know, it's under the arm anyway but I worked at it and it should have matched!

5 comments:

Chicago Sarah said...

Wow, that looks good. I just learned about the selvages not matching lines (the hard way, of course) recently, thanks for the pics of how to line things up. I am really looking forward to seeing the suit grow!

Anonymous said...

Ha ha Julia, I see technology has finally caught up with you. I have always been in complete awe at the way you sew everything with just 1 presserfoot and tons of pins. I mean many, including myself spend hundreds of $$$$ on machine attachments because we are told we can't live without them and they are absolutely necessary and I watched you sew beautifully without any of these things...up until now...a big LOL...
A walking foot is probably in your future for sewing plaids. Maybe you could source a generic one which will fit your machine. It is one of the main attachments that I use consistently. Sometime I just use it, just so because then I don't have to worry too much about pinning or basting exactly.

Your DH is a wonderful man. Imagine being sent on a fabric shopping trip with a friend!!! My dream.
He is a keeper..lol...Happy New Year and happy sewing up of your wonderful new fabrics.

Anonymous said...

Julia, I forgot to sign my name there at 4:15pm. It's me, Heather...cheers.

Anonymous said...

Hello Julia,

You are turning my fabric into a wonderful looking garment. I cannot wait to see it when it is finished. Beautuiful Work
Darrell

JuliaR said...

Thanks Sarah. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way but thankfully, not always.

Hey Heather! I think the plaid did not quite match because I cut out out incorrectly, not because it moved during sewing. In fact, this fabric sews wonderfully.

Darrell, your fabric is beautiful! I am almost finished the skirt and will soon need to choose buttons. I wonder if I can find something subtle and yet distinctive at the same time?