Gertie's Sewing Show, Episode 2!

It's here! The next installment of my new sewing web series. This one is a sewist's review of the exhibit Charles James: Beyond Fashion, now showing at The Met Museum. I'm joined by my lovely fellow sewing nerds Allyson and Fleur.

The purpose of Gertie's Sewing Show was to be "nonstop excitement for the sewing nerd." Not just tutorials, but a dialogue about the things that make us go "Ooh!". Infotainment, if you will. I hope you enjoy it.

Check out my snazzy new intro! Music courtesy of guitar genius and songwriter extraordinaire Mark Ellison (thanks, Mark!). Editing and such done by dear friends Martin Kemp and Fleur Hoare. Entire series made possible by Elna sewing machines.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss an episode. Upcoming episodes include a tutorial on using spiral steel boning and a look inside some really awesome vintage dresses. Sewing nerds unite!

Blue Brocade Day Dress

I finished this dress a couple weeks ago, and finally got to wear it yesterday! Jeff and I went for a little day trip up to Hudson, NY, to do some antiquing. It was a gorgeous day.

The pattern I started with is Butterick 4443, one of those patterns that's been around so long that it's easy to overlook. It's a great basic with a boat neck, princess seams, and flared skirt.

It runs big, so I definitely recommend making a muslin for this one. I made a 14 and ended up sizing down to a 12, and still removing some bodice ease.

I used a really pretty cotton/rayon brocade that was surprisingly tricky to work with.

It has a crinkle texture that has a mind of its own, and a heavy-ish drape that makes it slip and slide off grain easily. The bias portions of the skirt expanded a good 4" when I let it hang over night! I had to do a lot of evening up.

The fabric is reversible, so I made use of the wrong side on some added pockets and an applied waistband.

The pockets are self-lined and then folded down to reveal the inside. I stitched them on by hand with embroidery thread and then added a decorative button.

A few inside details. I lined the top in radiance sateen, which is a lovely silk/cotton blend that feels great against the skin. The skirt is lined in white silk crepe de chine.

I added a facing to the neckline, serged the bottom of the facing, and then edgestitched it to the lining.

The armholes are finished with purchased bias tape that is stitched by hand to the lining on the inside. It's kind of like a mini facing.

I can see myself wearing this one a lot this summer!

P.S. At your request, I recorded another uke video! Ever want to see a pink-haired soprano sing Folsom Prison Blues in her nightie in her sewing room?



P.P.S. I got more stock of some of the fabrics that sold out last week:

Betsey Johnson silk chiffon

Butterfly print silk crepe de chine

Cherry Blossom Swiss Dot 

Mint Gingham

Recital Video

You request, I comply! I am actually terrified to share this, but I'm going to anyway. Don't judge too harshly--I'm working on my singing and have only played the uke for 6 months, I'm insecure, it was taken on a phone, blah blah, etc. Here is the recital where I wore my tulle hand-dyed ombre dress. I think it looked nice on stage, don't you?

Here are some windy-day photos taken in the back yard as well.

 P.S. The loud YAYYYY! you hear at the end is Jeff. So cute! P.P.S. More new fabrics in my shop today!

Coat Sew-Along: Bodice Back and Collar

Okay! At this point, you'll have the center back seam stitched and the darts sewn in your bodice back.

Next, stay stitch the back neckline. Do you guys know about directional stay stitching? This means that you always stitch toward the center to avoid stretching out the bias portions of the neckline. Sew from one side in, flip the piece over, and then do the other side. The stitching should overlap by about 3/4" at center back.

Once you have the stay stitching in, clip to the stitching, about every 1/2". This will help immensely in the next steps.

Now for the video component! This will show you steps 7 and 8.



After you complete this part, you'll press your neckline seam up. Press the overarm sleeve seam open.

Finally, stitch your underarm sleeve from wrist to waist. Reinforce the underarm area by stitching again 1/8" away from your seamline, in the seam allowance. Trim close to this second line of stitching, to give more room for movement.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Next up: the skirt and pockets!

Crepe Sew-Along #12: Side Seams and Tacking Facings

Hey Sew-Alongers! Here's a quick video on sewing your side seams (and how to deal with the armhole facings in the process) and how to tack your facings down by hand.



As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Crepe Sew-Along #11: Shoulder Seams and Sleeve Facings

Okay! So, you've stitched all your darts. The next step is to stitch your bodice shoulder seams.

First, put your back and front bodice together, right sides facing. Match up the shoulder seams and pin.

Stitch along the shoulder seams.

Press the seams open. Since it's a curved seam, it helps to press over a curved surface, like a tailors ham.

Finish the seam allowances. I've chosen to pink mine. I wanted the simplest, lowest-bulk finish that wouldn't show through.

 Your shoulder seams are sewn, but not your side seams.

Get ouy your armhole facings. It might help to mark them so you don't mix them up. (I marked mine F for front, and B for back.)

Stitch the sleeve facings together at the shoulder seams, right sides together. Press the seam open. Finish the outer edge of your sleeve facings; I've pinked mine.

 Your next step will be to stitch your sleeve facings to your bodice, right sides together.

Here's a video to help you out! Give it a watch; I go over trimming, grading, and clipping/notching your seam allowances, as well as understitching your facings by hand.



Next time I'll have video on stitching your side seams and tacking your facings. How are you all doing, Sew-Alongers?

Repost: Interlining for Warmth

Happy Sunday, sewing friends! I'm not interlining my Lady Grey, but I know some of you are. Hence, I wanted to draw your attention to this post from last winter on how to interline a coat for warmth. Enjoy, and let me know if you have questions!

Interlining is a subject that caused me a lot of distress when I was first approaching this business of sewing a tailored coat. But it all boils down to just two major things you need to figure out: 1) what kind of interlining to use and 2) how to attach it.

To figure out which type of interlining to use, I took a swatch to the store with me and tried layering it with a couple different options. I opted for lambswool, which is very warm and will keep me from freezing as I walk back and forth to the subway each day. Next, I decided to attach my lambswool interlining to my lining pieces and then sew them all together as one, which is the method my tailoring book recommended and it made the most sense to me. Watch as I demonstrate each step in this video!

I purchased my lambswool at Greenberg & Hammer here in New York. You can order from them by mail, if you're interested. Update: Greenberg & Hammer has sadly gone out of business, but lambswool can also be purchased by mail order from Steinlauf and Stoller.

Hemming Your Lady Grey

Hey everyone! So, just to recap, I've decided to hem my coat before assembling and inserting the lining/front facing (that will come next). I did this on my last coat too, and found it was much easier to work with the hem without the lining in the way.

I've put together a little video on the hemming process. But first, let me say that this method is ALL SHARON. Thank you, Sharon! It works like a charm. Make sure to check out the photos at the bottom of the post too.



So, here's what the seam binding will look like on the hem. First, sew along the lower edge of the seam binding, pulling it taut as you go. (Your seam binding goes over the row of gathering stitches, holding your easing in place.) Second, secure it in place with another line of stitching at the top of the seam binding. Update: in response to a couple questions: do *not* stitch the seam binding through all the layers of the coat. Isolate the top of the hem (like you did to steam out the excess fabric, but with the right side of the hem facing up as you sew at the machine) and stitch just through the hem layer.

Now it's ready to catch stitch in place. Instead of catch stitching it flat (like we did on our seam allowances on the coat front), you can catch stitch a hem between the two layers. Use your thumb to hold the top of the hem down as you go, and take the first "bite" of your stitch in the hem (indicated by the yellow arrow below), and the second bite out of your hair canvas (blue arrow).

Remember not to hem all the way to your front edges! You'll need a couple inches free to sew the front facing to.

Next, you'll want to hem your sleeves. They don't need to be eased, since the pattern allows for the difference in the hem circumference. Simply "pin-baste" your hem near the bottom, steam it, and catch stitch as above.

Don't forget to put in your shoulder pads, if you're using them. They're very simple to insert. Just try on your coat (doesn't it look pretty?!) and slap 'em in there. Wiggle the pads around until you're happy with their location. Pin them in place on the outside of the coat, along the shoulder seam. Take the coat off and turn it inside out at the shoulders. Your shoulder pad will look like this:

 Slip stitch the top of the shoulder pad to the shoulder seam allowance.

Turn the coat right side out and tack down the edges of the pad (see blue arrows below).

That's it for now, friends! If you're caught up, go ahead and start assembling your lining. Don't forget to add some fusible to your front facing. I know a couple of you have had questions about the back lining pleat, and I'll address that when I'm able to get to that part this weekend.

If you're not caught up, no worries! You don't have to keep this pace. The tutorials and the Flickr group will still be there for you for support.

Tailoring Your Coat Front, Part Three

Okay sewists, no dillydallying today! Let's get right back to our coat fronts. On the last step, we had just sewn the two front pieces together, applied the hair canvas to the coat front (piece A) and catch-stitched the seam allowance down to the hair canvas. Now we tape the roll line! Please check out this video:



Next, you want to baste the area between the roll line and the princess seam like you did on the side piece. As a reminder, use an uneven basting stitch in lines 2" apart from each other.

Now it's time for the pad stitching. I can just feel the mounting excitement in the blogosphere! (I'll turn you all into tailoring geeks yet. Just you wait and see.) Another video for your viewing pleasure:



Some general guidelines for pad stitching:

• Pad stitching is all about shaping! Keep a finger under the roll line as you stitch so that the fabric shapes into a fold as you stitch it.
• Don't pad stitch into the seam allowances.
• Don't worry if the outer fabric gets a little puckery; it will be on the underside of the lapel.
• When you get to the end of a line, don't turn the fabric. Keep it oriented the same as your last row, and just start stitching in the other direction. This will keep your chevron-shapes nice and neat. 
• Your pad stitch length should match the width. So, where your rows of stitches are 1/8" apart, your stitch length should be 1/8". 

When your pad stitching is complete (be patient, it will take a while), you want to steam it and let it dry over night. Double up a damp towel and place it underneath the lapel, thusly:

Now steam the hell out of it. BUT. Do not press down on the lapel. You're forming a soft fold, not a crease. Let it dry this way overnight. Done!

A couple odds and ends to complete on the jacket front:

• This might be a good time to remove the hair canvas from your seam allowances on the lapel and coat front.

• Now, at some point, you also need to cut a window for the buttonholes. Just poke some pins through the buttonhole at each corner. This will help you locate your buttonhole on the canvas side. Connect the pins with chalk markings.

And now cut that baby out!

• Sharon also recommended staystitching through all layers at the armscye.

Whew! I don't know about you all, but I'm a wee bit exhausted. Let's take the weekend to catch up and then Monday we'll start on the coat back. (I've made an executive decision to move padstitching the collar to a later date. More to come on that!) Good news: the back is much easier!

Now go pad stitch like the wind!

Tailoring Your Coat Front, Part Two

Okay! Now you've got your hair canvas all basted to your side pieces. The next step is to attach your uninterfaced front piece (A) to your side piece (B). You may want to trim off the seam allowances on hair canvas of the side piece if you're worried about bulk in the seams. I didn't, and it ended up fine, but it's a matter of preference depending on your fabric.

Here's how I did it (note that this method is Sharon-approved!). I stitched my two pieces together on the princess seam. (Here's my tutorial on princess seams, FYI.) Then I trimmed the interfacing very close to the seam allowance with applique scissors.

Make sure your curves are all notched and clipped around the bust.

Now press the seam open on a tailor's ham. (Remember that I've decided against the pattern's method of pressing the princess seams to the side and top-stitching them. I'm pressing mine open to avoid a bulky seam. If you're following the pattern's instructions, ignore this step.)

Now you're going to catch stitch the seam allowance on the side piece down to the interfacing. Here's what the catchstitch looks like. I did it in bright pink so hopefully you can see it!

And, for good measure, here's a video on sewing the catch stitch! (Note: I've also seen this stitch called a cross stitch and a herringbone stitch.)




Your next task is to cut out the front piece (A) in your hair canvas.

Stay stitch around the seamlines on the hair canvas.

Make sure to transfer the roll line marking to your hair canvas. Mine is marked in pink chalk here.

Now cut off the seam allowance along the princess seam.

Place that interfacing piece onto the fashion fabric pieces, sliding it under the seam allowance on tht front piece side and pinning it in place.

Now catch stitch that seam allowance down to the hair canvas, like you did on the side front.

Am I correct in feeling like this is enough for one day? Next up: taping the roll line and pad stitching the lapel! Then I'll give us the weekend to catch up to the next step. I hope this pacing is feeling do-able for everyone. But let me know if you're freaking out and want more time!