Jumper - getting started

New project!
So I have these four pieces of old-fashioned double-knit. Remember that stuff? Heavy weight, stretchy in both directions, looks knitted. Looks like it is made out of polyester (because it is). Indestructible too. Three were given to me by someone who got them from her mother and she didn’t know what to do with them and didn’t want to throw them away. One was given to me by my mother and ditto. I keep thinking that I will suddenly imagine some garment that I can make using the double-knit and it will look good when I am done! So those are the pieces I have been staring at for a while, trying to come up with what I will sew next.

I have also been looking at my patterns to help with the inspiration. Since it is the dead of winter, I am thinking about warm garments and I dug out a pattern I have never used. It is for a jumper. I don’t actually own any jumpers but I used to wear them as a child. They are comfy and roomy and you can pile several layers of turtlenecks under them. This one is so long it comes down to below mid-calf, good for fending off those winter winds if you wear tights and slips and knee high boots. It has a dropped waist bodice and so it is pretty much shapeless -- not the kind of thing men like but when you are trying to lose the weight you have gained over the winter, it makes for a versatile garment.

Note that it says right on the front that you can make the jumper in 2 hours! This one doesn’t have the disclaimer that the newer patterns have, that this is sewing time only, but I am sure that is what they mean. More on the timing later.

I had sort of settled on the jumper but not the fabric until I remembered some black cotton I had bought on sale. It is mid-weight with a slight waffle weave finish to it. One side shows the waffle more and the other side (the one I have decide will be the “right” side) has a bit of a sheen to it. Based on the last set of photos with the brown fabric, I had low hopes for getting any detail with this black stuff but it seems to work with the texture. I have already cut out the pieces and marked the pleats with chalk and took the next photo to show the difference between the right and wrong sides of the fabric.

The pattern calls for interfacing just the spot where the button holes go on the bodice but I decided to put interfacing where the buttons will be sewn also, for a little added security. I cut out four pieces of the sew-in interfacing using pinking shears so the inside edge (the edge that doesn’t get sewn into a seam) won’t fray.


I started timing myself after all the pieces had been cut out, marked and unpinned, including the lining for the bodice and the interfacing. “Sewing time” has to include putting the pieces together and I include attaching interfacing in that stage.

Here, I’ve got the interfacing pinned on to the wrong side of both the front and back pieces of the bodice.

Next, the pattern instructions say to attach the lining to the front and back of the bodice. The pieces are cut from the same pattern piece and so I put them right sides together, pinned them and then sewed them along the armhole edges and around the neck, according to the instructions.

After trimming the seams and clipping the curves, the next step is to turn the bodice halves right side out and press them. Because pressing is so important to a finished garment, I first press open as much of the seams as I can on the wrong side. This allows you to make the finished fold on the outside as flat as possible.

Once I turn the garment right side out, I continue to press the seam edges carefully, rolling the lining side slightly inside or under the cotton fabric side. In this way, the lining shouldn’t show on the outside. In the next photo, I show the opposite of what I want to achieve. The bodice is showed from the right side and you can see the lining coming out from under the edge.

After I press on the right side, I turn the piece over to press it from the lining side. Now I can carefully pull the lining so that I make sure I see a bit of cotton all around the edge as I press. You might have to go look at the larger image of the next photo on Flickr to get the detail I am writing about. Note that I am also using the clapper to make sure this last press is nice and flat.

Up to this point, I timed myself as having taken 45 minutes and I haven’t finished pressing the front of the bodice, never mind the back of it. I fear their “2 hours” timing does not include pressing either. But since pressing is a major component in making a garment, I am including mine in the timing.

Project finished

And I’m finished!
Okay, let’s back-track a little. The jacket was coming together. The next step was to tack down the facing around the neck. I chose to machine sew the facing to the shoulder seams, as I had done with the skirt facings. In the first picture, I am starting to sew the facing from the right side of the jacket (to make sure the stitching is “in the ditch”).

When I was done, I pulled the jacket out from under the presser foot to get a better look. You might note that there is a zipper foot on the machine but that is just because I couldn’t be bothered to change it for this little job.

Next, I ironed up the bottom hem on the jacket. I chose to make a narrow, folded hem as I did on the skirt. Then I sewed it down using the zipper foot.

Finally, it was time to put the pockets on. First I measured where they should go, based on the marks on the pattern. I hadn’t marked the fabric, mostly because I knew the chalk would wear off so I just measured and then placed the pockets. I use lots of pins to make sure they lie flat for sewing. And I generally put the pins in so the points face out, toward the line of stitching so that I can pull them back a little and sew right by them.

In the next photo, I am sewing up to the top of the pocket. You can see how I will be able to ease that pin back and out of the way of the needle. I just use a single line of topstitching to attach the pockets because they are more decorative than functional.

Second to last, I decide where the buttons will go, make the buttonholes and sew on the buttons.

And finally, I try on the jacket to see how much I should take up the sleeves at the bottom. I also made a narrow, folded hem on the sleeves. I had to cut off 3 cm and then I folded up 2 cm, ironed it and stitched the “cuff”.

Here are the two pieces, hanging up!

Skirt hem, underarm seam

The skirt is done! After last time, all I had left was the hem. I like to make narrow machine sewed hems, especially on flared skirts so I don’t have to gather excess fabric and work it into the hem. Here, I have already ironed up about a quarter of an inch of fabric and am ironing up the second fold (so the raw edge is encapsulated in the hem). I am also using a clapper to make it flat and so I don’t have to bother with pins. After this, I just sewed it close to the upper side of the fold with a zipper foot.

Next, I pinned the front and back together at the side and along the sleeve, since I had already sewed the sleeve to the jacket at the shoulder. Once this seam was sewed, I pressed it open using a sleeve board. I always gather up the garment in the sleeve board and start at the narrow end, un-gathering as I iron.

I iron the seam open on the inside. Then I turn the sleeve right side out and iron using the clapper on the outside. In the next photo, I am showing the underarm seam at the armpit. You can see the flat fell around the shoulder.

Next, I turn the sleeve back to the inside and iron the seam allowances under on each side of the seam. This is the third time I’ve ironed this seam but all that work is worth it, to have a nice finished seam when you are done. Once I finish ironing the seam allowances (and using the clapper again to make sure they lie flat), I am ready to sew them down in a modified flat fell.

In the last photo for this entry, I have sewed down one side of the underarm seam, turned at the wrist, and am sewing my way out. I have paused at the shoulder seam to show how this works.

Shoulder seam and skirt facing

After the front and back of the jacket were sewed together, the sleeves went on. This sleeve is not set-in and has a very flat line where the shoulder attaches to the body of the jacket. Consequently, I can get away with fewer pins than I normally use instead of basting, to attach the sleeve before I sew it.

Once it is sewed on (and always after ironing), I clip one half of the seam allowance to about 1/4 inch and fold the other half over it in a proper flat fell. In my case, I prefer to clip the seam allowance that belongs to the body of the jacket and fold over the seam allowance that belongs to the sleeve. There is no seam in the sleeve and it generally lies flatter that way.
In the next photo, the sleeve is on the right. You can see that this sleeve seam allowance is folded over, on the left of the seam itself. I am sewing the fold down onto the body of the jacket to the left of the seam.

In the next photo, you can see the modified flat fell of the shoulder seam in the left third of the picture (I have folded each seam allowance under and sewed it down, so you get two lines of topstitching). You can see the shoulder seam and the proper flat fell of the shoulder seam (although I have only stitching down the fold and have not made a second line of stitching down the seam line, as I would on a jean jacket). I folded up the right side of this assembly so you could see the underside (the wrong side) of the sleeve shoulder seam all in one photo. That’s why it looks a little odd.

Finally, I am showing the inside of the skirt where I have machine sewed down the facing to the body of the skirt. I find that hand sewing the facing is rarely satisfactory as the hand sewing comes undone after a few washings. If you sew from the right side of the skirt into the gutter of a seam, you can hardly notice it and then the facing stays put. I left the raw edge of the facing the way it was. It will fray some after washing but not enough to irritate me and this way, there will not be an obvious line on the outside of the skirt, as there would be if I had folded up the raw edge of the facing.

Jacket neck edge and final skirt seam

In the next photo, I’ve pinned the skirt facings to the skirt front and back. I had to stand on a chair to take the picture and it still isn’t great. And you can’t see where I felled the seams, even though you are looking at the right side or the outside of the skirt here. Anyway.

Once I sewed the facings to the skirt, I pressed the skirt toward the facings and understitched both facings to make them lie flat. Now I can sew the final skirt seam. It is the right-hand seam (the zipper is on the left). By doing it this way, I can take the skirt IN when I lose a few more pounds :) and that will be easier than if I sewed the facing all the way around as the instructions say.

In the next photo, I haven’t pressed the seam open or felled it but that’s coming.

I continued work on the jacket too. I saw the flash go off for all the photos but some turned out very dark. I tried “enhancing” them too and sorry, but they just aren’t very good. Anyway.

This jacket is unlined and the facing gets sewed all in one piece and then it is put right sides together with the body of the jacket and you get a finished neck edge. In this photo, the facings are sewn together and you can (barely) see that I am doing a modified flat fell on the shoulder seams.

In the next photo (nice and bright, don’t know why), I have pressed open the neck edge seam. This is so it will end up being as flat as possible.

Once the seam is pressed open, you fold it over closed (wrong sides together) and press the finished neck edge using the clapper to get in really flat. The next photo shows the neck edge from the inside (you are looking at the facing) and I have put a couple of pins in to make sure all that pressing doesn’t unfold before I can topstitch it.

Here, I am starting the topstitching and I am stitching from the right side of the jacket because that is the stitching that will show. If you stitched from the facing side, you risk a wobbly line once you turn it over and look at the right side. Also, I am only stitching the neck edge. I will save the front edges for later, after I have done the hems (you’ll see).

More seams

I managed to do a modified flat fell on all the skirt seams, except the side seam on the right side (the zipper is on the left). Next, I will attach the facings to the front and back of the skirt (they break anyway at the zipper). Then I can try on the skirt and see if it needs to be (hopefully) narrower at the waist. This will make it easier to adjust later too, if I manage to keep up my new years resolution about losing weight.

Zipper, pockets and seams

I have added a counter to my blog and much to my surprise, I see that people are actually coming to visit! This is to me, an incentive to add entries more often than I have been, so thanks.

Today, I started by basting the interfacing down the fold line on the jacket fronts. I decided to baste by hand, using matching thread and taking a tiny stitch every half inch or so. In this way, I won’t have to remove the basting and it will anchor the interfacing throughout the life of the garment. I was concerned that the top stitching might not catch the edge of the interfacing once it was folded inside and this extra step reassures me that it will stay put.

Next, I turned the pockets right side out. I am showing the plastic point turner I use but of course, you push it into the corner on the inside, to make sure it is nice and square. I pressed the pocket edges in on all sides and used the clapper so I would get a nice sharp edge.

After I ironed all the raw edges over, I pulled the bottom corners out and made a mitered corner. I am not finishing the raw edges. I used to do this and all it achieved was a bit of bulky stitching that showed on the right side. If you look inside the unlined pockets on most purchased garments, the raw edges are not finished either.

Finally, I put the zipper in the skirt. After pressing open the basted seam allowances, I first zigzag finish the raw edges of the seam allowances to just below where the zipper will go. I plan to flat fell all the seams but the raw edges will stay exposed (on the inside) where the zipper is and I don’t want them fraying when I wash the skirt later.

Next, I lay the zipper on the wrong side of the fabric and pin it in place on the wrong side. Then I turn it over and put pins in on the right side. I place the pins as close to the outside edge of the zipper tape as I can so that when I sew, I can sew slightly inside the pins (between the pins and the basted seam). In the next photo, I am sewing down the right hand side of the zipper (as I look at it anyway) and you can see my sewing line is slightly to the left of the pins. I take each pin out as I come to it of course. And as I sew (slowly), I smooth the fabric up (back) and under the presser foot.

In the next photo, I am sewing down the other (left) side, starting at the top. I am sewing slightly inside the pin line and in this photo, if you click on it and get the big one at Flickr, you can see a small bump of fabric that has accumulated in the short distance between pins. This is the “excess” fabric that needs to be gently worked with your fingers, smoothing it back and under the presser foot so it doesn’t fold over and make a small and unwanted pleat.

After the zipper, I sewed the gores of the skirt together except for the seam on the right side (the zipper is on the left side). I have to flat fell them all (I plan a modified fell where I turn under each side of the seam allowance) and then I will attach the facings.
All the while I was sewing, Rockwell kept me company. If he was not looking out the window, he was lying quietly on the floor, watching me.

Barely getting the basting done

I went upstairs this afternoon to sew, as I had some time between whatever my last chore was and dinner. I totally forgot to bring the camera. But I didn’t get a lot done so I guess that’s okay.

I sewed the interfacing to the various pieces that needed it - skirt facings and jacket facings. I just used a longish basting stitch on the machine. I have yet to baste the long edge that tucks into the fold because I really have to do that by hand, taking inch long stitches.

I sewed the fold at the top of the two unlined pockets that go on the front of the jacket. When I turn the folded top right side out, I will then sew down the fold with top stitching on the right side.

I unpinned the skirt pieces from the pattern and marked where the zipper goes on the left side. Then I figured out which pieces go on the left side and sewed just them together, right sides together, with basting at the top where the zipper will go. There are 8 gores in this skirt so I just know it’s going to be a chore keeping them identified, especially because the right and wrong side of the fabric is identical.

That’s it for today!

Skirt and Jacket - getting started

I’ve been thinking about making a wider long skirt for winter. I have all these narrow long skirts that I love and I wear them with knee high boots but I got this riding skirt in my head and it won’t let go. Now, the skirt I am making will not be mistaken for a riding skirt but it does flare out and it will go below the knees so there is that.

Plus I will be using some fabric that I don’t care about and making the skirt pattern for the first time so if it doesn’t work out, it won’t be a total loss. I also have so much of this fabric that I decided to make some sort of top to go with the skirt. I settled on a cardigan style unlined jacket that I have made a couple of times with success.

The fabric is a dark chocolate, almost purple brown polyester. I remember buying it because it was on SALE (what else is new?). It also has a very slight texture to it - hard to tell really, even up close. But I think I thought it might make nice pants.

After I cut it out, I decided that this time I would use some of the non-iron-on interfacing I have yards of in a box. Not that I care about the fabric but I have been having “issues” with iron-on, in that it makes little bubbles after a few washings. I stopped using iron-on for that reason some years ago but I went back to it for the convenience. However, if I am serious about sewing nice things, I should get used to using sew-in interfacing because it will do a nicer job IF I sew it in right. In the next photo, I have pinned the interfacing to the facing part of the front section of the jacket. I ironed the front first and then placed the interfacing on it and ironed it too. Then I went around the edges and pinned the pieces together. I will baste down the fold line and later, when I top stitch the front edge, I will take the basting out because the top stitching will catch the raw edge of the interfacing in the fold. Or something like that.

Pants done!

Dec. 11
They’re done! I am too fat to show off the tops of the pants in a photo but here I am walking Rockwell while wearing them. (I also made the fake fur headband too, but some time ago.) Mum made the mitts (thanks Mum!). And I wore them shopping afterwards and only got a couple of funny looks. :) I must say, they are comfortable and they fit fine. On to the next project, whatever it turns out to be.

skirt finished, pants done to the belt loops

Zooming ahead, I want to get these pants and skirt DONE. I have bottle bags to make for Christmas and maybe a few fleece things, never mind my next “real project”, and as usual, I get impatient soon after I start a project and this one is more than due to be done.

I decided to fell the side seams one way, instead of doing the modified flat fell. In fact, if you look at a pair of jeans you have, you will probably find that the side seams are serged. Can you imagine! Anyway, I am felling mine but only with one line of stitching. These pants are made with wacky, cheap fabric and I am not going to waste time, thread and patience doing two lines of stitching. I am falling the seam toward the back and it gets a little tricky at the pocket area. I have a photo showing how I am trimming the seam allowances away at that point. The front of the pants is at the top of the photo. That front part of the seam allowance will be folded over the back, cut-away part. Because there are four layers of fabric at the pocket on the side seam, you have to trim them away strategically to reduce bulk. Make sure you leave enough of the seam allowance to successfully fold it over the trimmed part.

Once you have trimmed it, you need to iron over the fold. Use a sleeve board for this manoeuver. (I like the spelling with the “o” in it.) I start at the bottom of the leg and move up, unwrinkling the leg as I go. Use the clapper to get that good, solid crease so you don’t have to use pins. Pins will only end up jabbing you at some point and if you can avoid that, I would.

Once you have done all the prep work, turn the legs right side out. You will start sewing at the waist end and gradually sew down into the tube of the leg, ending at the bottom of the leg. This is slow going and you must be patient. You have to sew about two inches at a time, pausing - with the needle down in the fabric so it doesn’t move! - and making sure the fabric is not bunching up under the presser foot and that the folded over seam allowance is flat against the rest of the fabric.

In the first photo, I am at the top of the pants and the back is on your left (you can see the stitching for the back pockets). You can see that the folded over seam allowance has come unfolded. Not to panic. As you sew slowly, you can tuck this back under before it gets to the presser foot and needle. (That extra line of stitching that you can see in the seam allowance is where I machine basted the pockets to the pants.)

In the next photo, I have sewed all the way to the bottom of the pants leg and the leg is bunched up around the needle, forming a “well”. Because I am not doing a modified flat fell, I finish at this point and cut the threads.

Okay, back to the skirt. I have sewed the facing on around the waist. After I pressed the seam allowance toward the facing, I “under stitched” it to the facing. This makes everything lie flatter, as well as it prevents the facing from rolling out toward the right side of the skirt. Now it needs to be tacked down. You can labour over this by hand or you can do it quickly by machine and it looks better and lasts longer. Fold the facing over to the inside of the skirt where it belongs and pin it to the seam allowances and darts. Fold the ends under against the zipper and pin them in place. In the next photo, I have pinned everything on the wrong side of the skirt. I will then turn the skirt over and replace the pins from the right side because I am going to sew on the right side where it will show.

Before sewing, make sure that the upper back edges match at the zipper. You have folded under the facing at the zipper but you should make sure that when you do the zipper up, the top edges line up. This is a very easy thing to adjust at this point.

Now, sew the facing down onto the skirt, using the machine. Sew into the seam line and the dart line, which will tack the facing down at six points. At the back, sew down the line of stitching used to put the zipper in.

Once you have finished this, all you need to do is fold up the hem about a quarter of an inch and press it, then fold it up one more time and press it (thus folding in the raw edge). Sew the hem using a zipper foot and the skirt is DONE!

Back to the pants. We’re going to put the waistband on so that no hand sewing is involved. To do this, you have to sew it on to the wrong side (the inside) of the pants first. And before you do that, you should position the belt loops so they get sewed on nice and firmly. I have used a pair of pants I made before for the loop placement but you can use any pant that you like where the loops are. I also positioned the loops so that when they are turned up and put in their proper position, the folded edge will be seen first on the outside (where people might glance at the loops). Have a look at the photo. The two belt loops at the back are a good example. The fold is placed to the outside of the centre line and the line of stitching that makes the belt loop is placed on the inside. As well, the edges of the belt loop come together under the stitching line and one edge is slightly inside the other, allowing you to see both edges. I put that side on what will be the inside of the belt loop so you won’t see it either. It’s the little things that can make a difference (even on wacky pants)!

In the next photo, I have pinned the right side of the waistband to the wrong side of the top of the pants. I have left a seam allowance of 5/8 inch at either end to make the ends square.

In the next photo, I have sewn the waistband to the pants and sewn the ends square and turned them right side out. I have also ironed under the long raw edge and trimmed it and then pinned that folded edge over the line of stitching on the right side of the pants.

Next, I will sew down the fold using a zipper foot, sewing over the belt loops for a second time.

Finally, I am finishing the belt loops. To do this, you have to tack them down at the bottom of the loop, onto the pants body. To gauge where to do this, fold over the top end and then fold up the loop into its final place (it’s a little more than a quarter inch down). Stick a pin in where the loop folds naturally at the bottom. This is below the bottom edge of the waistband to allow for wider belts to be used. Sew this part of the loop first. Now fold the loop up and tuck in the raw upper end and sew it to the waistband at the top edge. I go back and forth a few times to make sure it is tacked on firmly.