Making A New Garment With Scraps and Remnants

Some of the most difficult sewing challenges have actually turned out to be the most creative and rewarding experiences ever.  It feels really satisfying to pull your resources together to find a solution to a problem.  I was determined to turn those purple linen scraps into a new garment. Most of us have so many fabrics and notions in our stash that we are bound to come up with something!

The problem: How to make a new garment with scraps and remnants.

My fitted purple linen dress simply did not meet my expectations.  I stopped right in the middle of the project when I realized it was heading south fast.  I had several large fabric remnants that could be re-cut into a new project.  On to "Plan B".


Since I have been having so much fun playing with the Babylock Sashiko machine I continued with some free motion stitching.  Wow what fun!! 

I looked through my pattern collection and decided to use this wearable art vest pattern created by Lois Ericson.  I was able to recut my purple linen for some of the pattern pieces.  I combined the solid purple linen with a yellow and purple linen. The sleeve units are actually detachable so the vest can be worn without the sleeves.  I added bias loops and abalone buttons.  The under arm seam of the sleeve is sewn half way up.

 
























Sleeve Units:  I used a super light weight fusible interfacing across the cap of the sleeve to prevent cross grain stretching.  I top stitched the upper edge of the sleeve unit before adding the lining.

Inside lining and facings:

I made one set of facings with pieced segments and the other solid purple with the free motion stitching.  I thought this set looked too busy so I just used them on the inside.

Working with linen is wonderful to sew on.  Natural fibers take a great press.  I'm not overly fond of wrinkles but the performance and comfort is just great !

With my remaining remnant scraps I will attempt to make a skirt.

The Price $ of a Learning Experience

My new Babylock Sashiko sewing machine is a totally different stitching experience.  This machine can ONLY perform one stitch pattern which resembles a hand quilting stitch.  There is ONLY one thread which comes from the bobbin.   There is NO spool of thread on the top of the machine.  You can set the length of the stitch and the spacing between the stitches.   It sort of reminds me of a serger/overlock machine in the sense that you can't pull the threads behind the foot when you lift up the take up lever or the threading may come undone.  The machine wants fabric under the foot and above the feed dog or the thread wants to break.  Re-threading the bobbin each time it breaks gets old real fast!  At the end of my line of stitching I simply use a 2 inch leader swatch for the machine to continue.   This usually prevents the bobbin thread from breaking somehow.
When I was considering purchasing this machine I had some idea in my head that I would be able to use perle cotton threads and other decorative yarns.  The machine responds best to standard sewing machine threads in the 35-50 weight range.  Variegated threads are particularly attractive.  Now that I have figured it out I am absolutely loving this hand-picked stitch!   I used the hand-picked stitch on the black collar of a tailored dress.  Wow, did that turn out great! Can't wait to try it on a quilt.

I'm working on a fitted Vogue Ralph Rucci dress.  His designs usually have batting, tubing, channels, etc.  They are labor intensive to say the least which is why some of these designer garments cost the big bucks.  I have a whole new appreciation for this detail work.  Anyhow, the guide sheet directions suggest polyester batting, interfacing and lining sandwiched together in the areas where there is the echo stitching.  A lot of density and bulk were my initial thoughts.  Quilters know how stiff a project can become when the rows of stitching or stippling are very close together.

My fabric is a soft, mid weight linen.  The pattern suggests linen or silk shantung which can be crisp or stiff in drape. I tested several samples using polyester batting, cotton flannel, Grid-weft interfacing and cotton batting for pliability along with the china silk backing.  I tested various threads on the standard sewing machine and the Babylock Sashiko machine. The hand-quilted look definitely jumped out.  The rows of top-stitching looked lost. I decided against using the lining fabric during the quilting process because of the bulk.

Although the guide sheet directions do not suggest removing any bulk from the seam allowances I really couldn't comprehend how I would stitch these thick sandwiches together.  It was tedious removing all that bulk from the seam allowances but I did it!             (click on individual photo to enlarge your view)          

I have the upper bodice just about complete and I'm not really liking it.  My  variegated top stitching is beautiful but I just don't think a fitted garment should have this much bulky structure.  It seems to me all this structure is better suited to a jacket.  I'm afraid this bodice will feel like a corset and look like an armadillo.  I don't see myself wearing a structured dress.  I think I will just stop this project right now and consider this a valuable lesson.                                          

I refuse to view this process as a waste of time and money.  I have gained a tremendous amount of new information that will allow me to make different choices in the future.  Since the skirt sections are fairly good size I can re-use that fabric into another project.  I had an opportunity to learn a lot of techniques on the Babylock Sashiko.  I recently purchased a few 'On-Line classes' that were 6-8 hours in length for $40.- $60. each. Some are very good learning experiences and some are quite disappointing.  I learned a great deal more from my own hands-on experience for about $20. worth of fabric and 7 hours of work.  I'm thinking of making this fabric into one of my Design and Sew patterns from Lois Ericson.  Most of her designs are 'wearable art'.

Every day is a new learning experience when you sew!

Build a Better Buttonhole

"So, how do you like your new Epic? "   I'm getting asked this question a lot this month!   It takes a while to truly learn the temperament and features of any new machine before you bond.  No two machines are alike.  I have learned to appreciate and respect each piece of equipment for different reasons.  When the kids at school would ask me which machine I like better I told them it's sort of like loving your own children.  You love and respect each one for different reasons.

Now, on to the buttonholes!  I am super picky about buttonholes. I simply would never purchase a machine that can't make a good buttonhole.  No machine will make a great buttonhole unless you use the correct tension,  a finer needle, quality thread and some sort of stabilizer.  Test, test, test!!

I am a 'tweaker'.  I play, adjust, edit, adjust, test, test and test.  So naturally I over-ride the default settings to tweak my buttonholes to a particular fabric.  Imagine that!  Considering the price $$$ of this machine I have a right to expect top performance and I will do what it takes to get there!  Please don't expect any machine (no matter what the price) to solve every issue.  The sewing machine operator must assume some responsibility. On most of my buttonholes I like to spread the side beads for a slightly wider opening.  If you even clip one thread on the row of bead stitches the whole buttonhole can start to unravel.  (And please don't use clear fabric glues on the threads.  That's like applying clear nail polish!  Chances are you will have a hard, crusty, blob stain.)

Widening the two rows of beads is super easy to do on my Bernina 830 LE!  I just love their buttonhole features.  On the Viking Epic I figured a way to obtain the look I want.  It took a little time but I finally figured it out.  I select buttonhole #42 with traditional bar tack which has a slightly wider opening designed for heavier fabrics.  This will show a 0.4 stitch density.   The machine will automatically have a slightly wider bead for a medium to heavy weight fabric.  Then I select  Light Weight fabric instead of medium weight fabric and this will force the machine to make a narrower line of bead stitches  on the #42.  The stitch density on the light weight fabric will default at 0.3 length.  I bump it up to 0.4 so I do not get a tight row of stitches. ( the light blue numbers indicate the machine settings are not at the default setting.) This is often too rigid on cotton voile and charmeuse.  If you begin the process by entering lightweight fabric first the machine will automatically pick the buttonhole with rounded bar tack and 0.3 density.  The Epic stitches an under-layment line of straight stabilizer stitches from the front to the back and then the line of bead stitches will form back to front. If the machine stitches one side in one direction and the other side in the opposite direction you may need to adjust the balance which is slightly tricky.  Both lines of stitches on the Epic are sewn in the same direction which usually makes for a more consistent looking buttonhole.  (On some of my older Berninas you could apply the 'twin needle' feature while stitching out the buttonhole and the machine would be tricked into making a narrower zig-zag on the bead because the machine thought the twin needle would hit the throat plate opening as it sewed side to side.)  Do yourself a favor and save your settings into a personal file folder for future usage so you don't have to modify your settings each time.  Most machines can be tweaked by reducing the tension settings.   And finally,  I write down your settings noting what thread, stabilizer, needle etc. you used. Staple your sample to a reference sheet.  Once I took the time to work out a few kinks the buttonhole was beautiful.

Buttonhole Stabilizers: 
Every so often I come across photos and videos featuring embroidery cut away stabilizers and clear water soluble stabilizers to obtain a good buttonhole.  At first glance this seems like a plausible solution.  Both types of stabilizers will help to achieve pucker free stitches.  Once again, at first glance, the buttonhole is smooth and pucker free.  But, who really wants to have cut away stabilizer on the underneath side of the buttonhole forever?  It's not exactly attractive and it's not every pliable.   And I'm not about to spend my time picking that stuff out!  Sometimes a lightweight water soluble stabilizer provides just enough support to obtain stitches that aren't tense or rigid.  What happens to the buttonhole after the garment has been washed several times ?  Will the  buttonholes continue to stretch out and get wonky ?  Cording a buttonhole is another option .  This may be a better choice for wool tweed and coating.
My favorite 'go to' for just about any fabric is to add silk organza between the fabric layers and sometimes below the buttonhole.  Even if you trim the excess away from the buttonhole the silk organza is just about invisible.  Sandwiching a square between the fabric layers will provide strength and pliability through repeated laundering. (That's all I did on the cotton floral above.)  If you are still getting some puckers it may be time to lighten up on the tension as well.

Attaching the Buttons:
Sewing on a button with just the 'ankle' and no foot attachment was eventful to say the least.  Then I had to place the 'height compensation tool' below the button to allow for a button shank space which totally blocked visibility of my attachment spot. Then you were supposed to use tape to hold things in place. Unfortunately, tape just doesn't hold things too well.  I had to use both index fingers on the sides of the button to hold the button in position hoping the needle bar wouldn't crush my fingers.  It took a while to test the distance between the holes to get the width down accurately.  Thankfully it didn't hit my fingers but they really need to improve this process.  Not Fun !!!  So far this is the only feature that is disappointing.  Bernina has #18 button attachment foot with two rubberized feet that grip the buttonhole plus has a center bar to obtain various shank height options.  This works really well.  No one machine does everything perfect which is why you learn to appreciate each machine for a specific task.  It took me a while to get the hang of it.