Interfacing Collars and Cuffs

A couple of shirts ago, I started using Pro-Woven Super Crisp fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply for the many, many, many shirts that I make for my Oldest Son.  That's it!  I'm going to stop counting days and months and just start counting shirts! 

But I digress.  The point is, I've made several shirts for Jordan using the Super Crisp in the collars and cuffs (and have two more on the sewing table is different phases of construction -- helps to combat boredom), and I'm finally ready to pronounce a judgement:  I love this stuff!

Because it's very stable, it's easy to cut.  And it fuses properly every time.  It sews in nicely and smoothly.  But most importantly, it doesn't wrinkle, bubble, come loose, or look weird even after many washings.  Which is way more than I can say for the numerous other fusible interfacings I've tried.  I was just about ready to give up on that fusible thing before I discovered Pam and her blog.

In any event, if you're looking for a good fusible for shirts cuffs and collars and you want it crisp, this stuff is well worth trying.  The only downside that I can see is that it only comes in white, but frankly, I've used the white in all-black shirts and it hasn't been a problem.

What Came in Yesterday's Mail

I almost never bother with zippers.  And since I hardly ever use them, I never really cared about how skillfully I put them in.  But ever since I made the girls' Butterick dresses for Daughter, I've been thinking about how much I'd like to refine my zipper installation skills.  To that end, I bought the Janome Concealed Zipper Foot to fit my Kenmore.

I also did some looking around and found some really great tutorials for installing zippers.  This one, at Kathleen Fasanella's Fashion Incubator, is by and large my favorite.  Especially since she shows how to sew the facing down without any pesky hand-stitching.

She also has info on centered zippers, lapped zippers, and zippered welt pockets.  I've had her centered zippered tutorial printed out and living on my bookshelf for years now, and if I'd had the brains God gave little green apples, I would have pulled it out when making Daughter's dresses.  Maybe then the zippers would have turned out a bit better.  You know, like maybe you wouldn't be able to see them and all.  Like it's supposed to look.

But no matter.  Because I now have my Zipper Foot.  And, like magic, that's going to make everything better.  And I do have a bunch of invisible zippers that I got in a zipper bundle from FabricMart a couple of years ago.  Those lime green ones will make great practice zippers.  :o)  I mean, seriously, can you see me in lime green?

Besides, that's not all that came in yesterday's mail.  I also bought 50 spare clear plastic bobbins for my Kenmores.  Do I need 50 spares?  Ha!  Does a duck need water?

I'm gonna go wind some bobbins now...

A New Baby -- The Iron Maven

I've never been excited about an iron before.  But, at last, my new baby has arrived.  The Iron Maven by Reliable.

I've heard all kinds of good things about this little sweetheart.  Now, I'm about to see for myself.  I'd like to get started on a new jacket for Oldest Son, and since it'll be made of wool, obviously a good iron is a necessity.

My old Rowenta pressure iron has been doing a good job, but I can tell already that the Iron Maven is a higher quality product.

Guess I'll be letting you know what I think in the coming days...

My Iron Is Back!

I have to give the Rowenta service people in New York State the credit they deserve.

They replaced my pressure iron/steamer in about two weeks rather than the four to six that was suggested.  And while I'm not exactly pleased that my boiler tank developed a crack in less than eight months, I can't fault the way that their service and warranty was handled (well, except for the $35 it cost me to ship it to them).

I like the Rowenta.  But I'm probably going to replace it with a Reliable pressure iron and keep it only as a backup.

The IronMaven by Reliable

The IronMaven.  I just like the name :o)

PR Menswear Contest Day 3 and the Iron Saga

Managed to muff the collar last night while working on Oldest Son's dress shirt.  Somehow, I simply forgot to topstitch the collar portion before sandwiching it between the collar stand pieces and stitching the whole thing together.  And clipping the seam allowances.  And turning and pressing.  *sigh*  Not sure whether I'm going to try and fix this one or just cut a new one.

Good news is, after two months, I finally got my Rowenta Pressure Steamer/Iron in the mail to the service center.  Of course, they tell me it can take up to 6 weeks for repair, so I won't be expecting it back anytime soon.

And frankly, I made just demote this one to backup status, since I'm seriously thinking about getting a Reliable brand pressure steamer as soon as I can save up $400 for the purchase.

Those of you who use pressure steamers -- what brand do you have (or had) and what do you think of it?

Favorite Notions #12

Vests, Jackets, Lined Skirts and Trousers.  Pinking shears are useful for finishing these seam allowances that don't take any stress or wear and tear.  Pinking keeps them from fraying without have to zigzag or serge and risk those stitches being visible on the outside.  You can also use pinkers on unlined garments, provided the fabric isn't too loosely woven or too likely to fray, though I admit that for unlined garments where the seams are more exposed, I'm more inclined to finish the seam allowance in neater fashion.

Some will say pinking shears aren't a necessary sewing notion, and others will say they can't live without them.  For me, pinkers are nice to have, quick and handy to use (especially if the serger's got the wrong color thread in it), but not earth shattering if you don't have a pair.

Favorite Notions #11

I don't know what the proper name of this nifty doodad is, but I call it the elastic grabber.  When you put a piece of elastic between the teeth and then slide the metal ring as far toward the teeth as it will go, it holds the elastic tight so that you can run it through a casing.  It's much faster and more secure than using a safety pin, that's for sure.  At least for me, that is.

Admittedly, I've lost the end a few times using this tool (mostly because I didn't slide the ring far enough and make the teeth tight enough), but not nearly as often as I've had a safety pin come open and get stuck inside a casing.

Favorite Notions #10

Spray starch.  Grandma's simple stuff that she used to make everyone's shirts look and feel so nice and crisp.

I still use spray starch for ironing my family's dress shirts.  But more importantly, I use spray starch for better handling of certain kinds of fabrics.

Some lightweights are just so much easier to cut and sew if they've had a bit of starch ironed into them.  I recently sewed silk voile that was impossible without a bit of starch to make it behave.  Same with super-drapey rayon.




And I've found that practically any fabric is easier to hem with a tiny rolled hemmer foot if you've sprayed and ironed starch into it first.

Favorite Notions #9

The beauty of the Fiskars Soft Touch scissors is that it is so easy on the hands. The spring action dictates that when the scissors is at rest, it is open -- unless you engage the handy locking mechanism that keeps it closed.  So your hand is only working to close the scissors, the spring does the opening.  Which means your hand gets tired a lot less quickly, and you can cut out alot more fabric before you need to stop and rest.  This scissors is a great tool, and I do my absolute best to take good care of it.

I defend this scissors vigourously, too.  No one, and I mean NO ONE, had better ever ever touch a piece of paper with this scissors, or My. Wrath. Shall. Be. Upon. You!!!

Ahem.

I got this one years ago when my all-metal Gingher (a nice scissors, but heavy) got dull and I had an impossible time getting it resharpened.  After I tried two vendors who both did a terrible job, I finally broke down and bought a new scissors.  And I'm glad I did.  It has a smooth action, is relatively lightweight, and cuts down on hand fatigue.  Best of all, after all this time (at least 3 years, but it gets hazy after that, my memory is not what it used to be) of solid use, it still hasn't needed sharpening. 

Since I'm sure at some point that the blades will get dull, or the spring will give out, or the locking button will pop, I bought 2 spares.  I was never a Boy Scout (um...obviously, being a girl and all), but I'm all for that "Be Prepared" thing  :)

Favorite Notions #8

Today's favorite notion is an obvious one, but it is truly amazing how much I use this particular clear plastic ruler.  I bought it a few years ago when I first started using a rotary cutter for cutting quilt squares and I've bought a whole bunch of others since then.  But this is the one I use all the time.  18 inches long and 2 inches wide, I always seem to reach for this one, whether I'm cutting binding or measuring a hem.  Because it's clear and marked with 1/8th inch markings, I can lay this on top of whatever I'm measuring and then use the edge to draw (or cut!) a straight, crisp line.

Favorite Notions #7

The Havel Seam Ripper and Buttonhole Cutter is one of the nicest sewing tools I've ever had the fortune to stumble upon.  I found out about it from one of the posters at patternreview.com and, having grown frustrated with conventional seam rippers(and tired of searching for ones that didn't get dull 5 minutes after I started using it), decided to give this one a try.  I must say I'm glad I did.  The thin blade and the sharp edge make it much easier to remove stitches and rip seams.  The handle is long enough to wrap your hand around comfortably (why do the small bladed conventional rippers always have those teeny little handles?).  And best of all, the blade is replaceable--you can buy a set of 6 replacement blades instead of having to get a whole new tool.  It did take me a little time to get used to this little guy--but once I did I realized how much better it was (for me, anyway) than a conventional seam ripper.

Alongside the seam ripper, is the buttonhole cutter.  This thing is like magic when it comes to cutting buttonholes.  I recently made another dress shirt for my oldest son and was about to cut the buttonholes when I remembered this handy dandy gizmo that's been sitting in a drawer, alone and forgotten.  The last buttonholes I cut, I used a tiny embroidery scissors and a seam ripper and honestly, it was so hard to keep from accidentally clipping the buttonhole stitches.  With this tool, you place the blade in between the satin stitches of your button hole and press gently but firmly.  Voila!  It cuts cleanly right where you place it.  I use this on my rotary cutting mat so as not to damage the surface underneath.  It fits perfectly into a 1/2" buttonhole--for larger sizes you have to reposition the blade and cut again.  I'm not sure how--or if--it would work with smaller sizes.

In any event, I like both these tools very much.  I might pick up the stainless steel version sometime, as I usually like my tools to have just a little bit of weight.  I'm also not that fond of throwaway tools, so I like that you buy replacements only for the blades -- the handles live on and on and on  :-)

Favorite Notions #6

This is another tool that lives next to my sewing machine: the knit picker.  It looks like a tiny, little latch hook (for those of you who remember the latch hook rug craze of the '80s) and is extremely useful for repairing knit sweaters.  That's not what I use for mostly, though.  I use it for pulling serger thread tails back under the stitching to keep the ends secure.  This little tool pulls the thread tail under quickly and neatly--you can do it with a much shorter thread tail than threading a needle to bury the tail.  This is especially useful for projects that require a hem or a binding to be finished before the seam is sewn--I try to avoid this situation as much as possible, but sometimes it's just plain inevitable.

Favorite Notions #5

Some of you may look at this and think, "What is that twisted pile of metal and plastic bits that looks like it might belong in some kind of Steampunk-esque trade show?" and others of you may recognize this for what it is: a ruffler foot.  This thing has made my life so much easier, I'm thinking about buying a spare just in case this one breaks.  I make lots of girls' dresses and they often have lots and lots of ruffles.  Now, I could zigzag over a heavy string and do all that gathering by hand, but this foot is much faster, more even, and frankly, more fun :-)  Put the fabric in, zip it through, and there's your ruffles.  Perhaps it's more accurate to say that this is really a pleating foot rather than a gathering foot, though.  The action of the foot makes small pleats in the fabric which are then stitched into place.  A gathering foot is different, and to be honest, I've never been able to make one work.

There's a bit of a learning curve with this foot, and you have to experiment with the adjustments and stitch length to get just the amount of ruffling you want, but once you've got it down, it's a cinch to do whatever your project calls for.

Favorite Notions #4

Silly as it may seem, I use stickers to mark my fabric sometimes, rather than chalk or any other kind of marking pen.  Stickers are great for marking which is the right and wrong sides of the fabric, and if you've got colored ones like these you can use them to match up seams in complicated construction projects.  As long as you don't leave them on too long stickers don't generally leave a gooey mark on the fabric, but I wouldn't put one on the right side, fold up the fabric, and forget about it for a year

Favorite Notions #3

Most sewing projects require marking the fabric in some way or another. I have a number of different fabric marking tools--this chalk wheel is just one of them. I like this because I have never, ever had trouble getting the chalk marks out. They usually just brush right off, whether I've ironed them or not. The down side: as far as I know it only comes in the two colors, pale blue and white. The blue is dark enough to be seen on some light colored fabrics, but it's pretty hard to make out on many prints. Of course, if the chalk was darker, it might be more likely to stain your fabric, so I guess I'm not complaining :-)

Favorite Notions #2

These are the best colored pencils for tracing patterns or drafting new ones. Never needing sharpening, these "twistable" pencils always have a pretty decent drawing edge. It's not super fine, but it's not blurry thick either. I use different colors for different stages of pattern work. One color for the original tracing, another color for alterations I know will work, and another color for alterations that I am experimenting with.  I love these because you just twist the top to advance the lead--I always seem to lose those little pencil sharpeners (I can never find my eyeliner sharpener either) and I always make a mess and/or break the lead a million times while I'm just trying to get a point on the darn thing.

Favorite Notions #1

I have a lot of favorite sewing notions, so I thought I'd share a few.  Every couple of days I'd add another--with as many notions as I have and use regularly, it'll probably take a while to get through them all.

The first one I probably can't live without: a thread snips. If you've never used a thread snips and you're still picking up and putting down a scissors to cut your threads, you might want to try one of these.

 The one on top I bought 25 years ago when I worked in a textile factory sewing endless numbers of sleeves into endless numbers of turtleneck tees.  You slip your pinky through the ring and use your thumb and first finger to do the snipping. The ring is great for factory work because you never have to put the snips down and you can still use your hands to flip and fold your piecework.  I looked for years for a replacement, but nothing was as good as the original :-)

The bottom ones I bought at WalMart in a sewing package that included a seam ripper and a sewing gauge for $1.  I expected these snips to be total garbage, but to tell the truth, I've had some of these for several years and they never seem to get dull.  The same cannot be said for the seam rippers included in that deal--those things were completely worthless.

So I probably have at least a half dozen of these in my sewing room--one at each machine (sewing, serger, and coverstitch) and a couple on my cutting table.  I even have a couple of unopened packages for spares, waiting for one to break or get dull (amazingly, it hasn't happened yet). I always have one on hand for snipping any pesky threads that come my way.

Buttons, Buttons, and More Buttons

I love buttons.  Of all kinds.  Metal, shell, wooden, horn.  I tend to favor buttons made from natural materials, but I have some special synthetics that I love just as much.  Every garment can benefit from the right buttons, though I'd still stick with the standard for men's button downs.  Fabric.com has some gorgeous buttons and a nice selection.  The one pictured here are made of shell with a laser cut design--they make this plain white shirt look downright classy and sophisticated.

If you like  the Celtic style, there are plenty of options, too.  These are a real favorite of mine, also available at Fabric.com.  They are solid metal, rather than hollow, so they're not suitable for lightweight silks, but they're just fine for most fabrics.  I put a set of these on a men's tropical wool vest.

Placement and size of buttons is important.  Oversized buttons rarely look good on a button-down blouse--you're better off using 1/2" or 5/8" unless the shirt is specifically designed to accommodate something else.  Buttons should be sewn at the center front mark on the pattern--resist the urge to move them in order to make a shirt fit more snugly, it'll only pull the shoulders in and make the shirt drape oddly.

Shirt buttons are not difficult to sew, though many people think so.  With doubled thread, tie a knot in the end and take 5 stitches for buttons with one set of buttonholes or 4 stitches in each set of buttonholes for buttons with two sets.  Some people advocate making a thread shank under the button, but I've never found this necessary for shirt buttons--coat, vest, skirt, or trouser buttons, though, that's a different story.  You do have to sew them loosely or the fabric will get puckery and twisty and you put the buttons through the buttonholes.  Some people sew over a toothpick or a straight pin; I like to use the shaft of a machine needle. 

Shank buttons on a blouse or shirt follow the same rule: 5 stitches with doubled thread will hold the button secure.

Buttonholes are just as important as buttons, and a machine buttonholer is a must--unless you love hand embroidery and want to learn how to make hand-sewn buttonholes.  They are beautiful when executed perfectly and can make your garment look very, very high-end, but done poorly, you might as well do them in bright red acrylic yarn and scream, "Look!  I made it myself!  Badly!"  Expect to practice a lot first.

Machine buttonholes, on the other hand, are usually a breeze--unless you have a sewing machine famous for doing lousy buttonholes.  Most machines make acceptable buttonholes, though, and chances are good that yours is one of them.  Tension can be tricky with machine buttonholes, though.  Remember that you want the buttonhole to look its best on the right side, so sometimes it's prudent to tighten the bobbin tension just enough so that the needle thread is pulled to the underside just a little.