These are a Few of My Favorite Seams - Part 2

To read the first half of this list, My Favorite Seams #6 through #10, click here.

♫ Rolled edge on roses and flat seams on mittens...♫ Here are my Top 5 Seams of 2013!

Yes, seams! We sew lots of them. Seams. And since this blog focuses on working with sweater knits, I stitched each seam on my list on sweater knit fabric.

Last week's post started with dealing with the rolled edges on jersey when making a seam. This week's post starts with this year's favorite seam #5, the seam at the thumb on the mittens below. Almost a year ago, this seam was a real eye-opener for me. At the time I was a woman with her very first serger, who happened to be serging every seam in sight. Then while making my version of these mittens on Purlbee, I came across a seam allowance that had to be pressed open.

No, this was not a flat seam of convenience like #6 in ...My Favorite Seams - Part 1. This is where I first realized that not serging a seam may very well be essential to the proper construction of the garment or accessory. I must admit that I was also impressed because this join is the very same one used in my favorite store-bought oven mitt(!) and I've been thinking of replicating that mitt for ages. More on this another time...

My side seams on my Houndstooth and Lace Sweater come in at #4 on the list. Exact matching of houndstooth, a pattern lacking a vertical line of symmetry, on both sides of a garment with shaped seams is impossible. Coming close takes planning and decision making. I'm mostly happy with the way it came out.

Houndstooth and Lace Sweater

Is a hem considered a seam? For the sake of this post, it is. And it's #3 on my list. I was simply thrilled with the way lingerie elastic worked as hem facing on the Turtle Beach Sweater. Lingerie elastic is softer than the stuff sold in stores as lace hem tape. Lingerie elastic is also pretty, and it stretches. 'Nough said.

Hem on the inside of the Turtle Beach Sweater

I'm really liking the look of binding used to encase the cut edge of a sweater knit. The self binding in the sweater below is #2 on the list and was somewhat of an accident on my Hip to Be Square sweater. I'm so glad that my main fabric was lightweight enough to be used this way and that the stitch pattern texture worked with this placement.

Binding, cut on the lengthwise grain and encasing the bottom edge of the Hip to Be Square Sweater, looks wider from this angle.

And here it is <drumroll> my #1 favorite seam of 2013 was used on the ridiculous thickness of seam allowance on the Zipper Rippled Jacket. Making a seam this way is counter to what I was once taught -- that seam allowances on heavy fabrics must be pressed open. In this case the thick, ripples of the double knit jacquard cannot be pressed open. The fabric simply will  not cooperate. My #1 favorite seam  required two passes. The first pass was with the serger, right sides together, using a four-thread overlock seam. This pass flattened the seam allowance nicely. Next I steamed the seam allowance to one side and topstitched it in place on the right side using a very narrow zigzag (0.75 mm width) on the sewing machine. The serge/topstitch combo tamed the seams for a nice finish. You can kind of see the topstitching on the shoulder and also where the sleeve attaches to the bodice, but the stitches tend to sink into the thickness of the fabric. They are only slightly more visible in person. This topstitching is more utilitarian than decorative.

Zipper Ripple Jacket 

Well, that's my list and my last blog post of 2013, though I'll still be around on Instagram and Twitter.

I wish you joyous holidays! Happy seaming in 2014!

O!
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If you missed the first half of this list, My Favorite Seams #6 through #10, click here.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Seams - Part 1

♫ Rolled edge on roses and flat seams on mittens... ♫

While others do their end of the year summary of finished objects, I've decided to feature a few of my favorite seams this past year. (Click to enlarge the pic.)

Starting at #10 is the jersey seam. It can be quite pesky if not handled properly, causing lots of trouble when you attempt to sew it. The selvages will roll toward the purl side (the rougher side) of the fabric. The cut edges on the cross grain will tend to roll toward the knit (smoother side). Tame the curl by first cutting off the selvages. (They're sometimes a little tight on sweater knits.) Then, as I learned on Four Square Walls, use a little spray starch  and gently press the edges. If you're working with a sweater knit, be sure you are pressing (up and down motion) only the edges. Be careful not to the stretch the fabric. The starch will act as a light stabilizer and stop the roll. 

If you are not judicious with your cutting, you may have cut off enough of the selvage to make a fabric rose. Curled up edges work here!

My rose pin for Robin from Hand Crafting and Paying It Forward

At #9 is my first real serger seam. It was on double knit merino. I like merino.

For some reason, as I was still figuring out a way of stitching my sweaters together, I decided to serge my sweater with yarn in the loopers. I do like the way #8 looks with yarn in the upper looper. I stopped doing it that way only because I knew that most home sewers would not have matching yarns available to them. For the machine knitters reading this, give it a try. You may like it!

You've seen #7 again and again. It's a standard for applying bands to cut and sew knits. Many sewing patterns include simple instructions for this easy band. I managed to break it down into eleven steps and two blog posts with pictures, part 1 and part 2. Hmm...

With serged edges #6, the Houndstooth and Lace Sweater, was sewn right sides together, and then the seam pressed open. Nothing unusual there. Somewhere along the way I learned that with lightweight fabrics you can press seams to the side, but pressing seams open is the way to go with heavy fabrics.

I've broken the "heavy fabric, open seam rule" several times now. Look for this rule breaker, flat seams on mittens, and more of my favorite seams in my next post. :)

O!

Regarding the Houndstooth and Lace

I do love houndstooth fabric! Though once associated mostly with men's suiting, it's this classic houndstooth that gets me excited. And I have to admit it's actually the structure of the woven houndstooth that attracts me.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

I like the fact that "two over/two under... , advancing one thread each pass" creates this wonderful pattern. Come on! Any weavers and knitters reading this, you know how we love our grid variations!

In structure, the knitted houndstooth is not related to the houndstooth's woven origins at all. The knitted houndstooth is simply a lovely imitation, an homage to the houndstooth surface.

Variations and tributes to classic houndstooth have popped up all over the place this season, pushing it way beyond its staid reputation. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know I decided to pair the houndstooth fabric I machine knitted with lace, my push toward drama and frill.

Turning the drama down a bit, you can see the sweater a little better.

I used a wool binding at the neck. The cuffs and bottom edge are also bound. The tape lace is inserted between the main fabric and the binding. It's not the way I originally planned on attaching the lace, but I'll save that story for another time.

And in case you were wondering, yes, artisan knit houndstooth is still available in the shop!

O!

Sewing Sweater Seams with a Sewing Machine - Part 2

A few week ago, before I stitched together my Zipper Rippled Jacket, I acquired a new sewing machine!Though my old machine worked and did well on sweater knits with a walking foot, there was no way it was ever going to sew through the thickness that is the rippled jacket fabric, never mind that leather trim! My old machine was a basic mechanical and needed coaxing to stitch through anything heavier than two layers of double jacquard sweater knit. My new machine is a basic mechanical and makes every seam seem fun and easy so far, even when topstitching that jacket or sewing through leather!

I purchased a new walking foot for the new machine, because once you've used one, it's hard to imagine living without. The new sewing machine came with several  presser feet, however, including an overedge foot (a/k/a overcast foot). Now I don't really need an overedge foot; I have a serger. But since I now have an overedge foot, I thought I'd give it a spin.

This is my overedge foot, Janome foot C.

If you've seen my first post on Sewing Sweater Seams with a Sewing Machine, you know that I highly recommended using a walking foot for sewing seams if you don't have a serger. Below are the steps that worked for me when I tried out my overedge foot and sweater knit fabric:

Step 1. Attach the overedge foot.  Please follow the instructions in your manual for your machine. 
I'm working with a Janome foot C. This is a snap on foot and, there was no need to detach the foot holder.

Step 2. Place right edge of fabric against guide, slightly beyond the needle. You can see the guide in the most clearly in the photo above. It's the black flange on the right. The guide on your machine may be slightly different. With needle still up, lower presser foot.

Foot down, needle up

Step 3. Set your machine for overcast or overedge stitching. If your machine is computerized with automatic settings, perhaps a couple taps on your touchscreen is all that's needed. Your machine, however, may need further adjustment, as mine did. This is where you must be sure the stitch width is set correctly. My manual recommends a 5 mm width. You can check your width by turning the handwheel slowly toward you and making sure the side to side action of the needle clears the bar(s) on the presser foot which hold the fabric down. (The bars, seen in the top photo, are parallel to the side edges of the presser foot.) The stitch length recommended in my manual was 1 - 2 mm. I used was 1.5 mm. You may also need to adjust your thread tension.

I found that the zigzag overedge stitch worked better on the sweater knit than hockey stick.

Step 4. Stitch while gently guiding your fabric against the guide. There is no differential feed (like on a serger) and no upper feed dogs (as with a walking foot) when working with an overedge foot on a sewing machine. Smooth and steady work best.

Step 5. Change to your walking foot or zigzag foot and sew your seam. Once the edges are finished, you can put right sides together and stitch the seam. I used a wobble (narrow zigzag) stitch with the width at 0.75 mm and length at 3.0 mm.

It's not as neat as a serged edge, but it will keep the edges from raveling or fraying. 

Additional tips:

• Use matching thread ;)
• The cleaner you cut your edges and steadier your speed, the neater your overedge stitching will appear.
• If you see your fabric stretching out at any point as you stitch, you may end up with a flared edge. Reduce the pressure on your presser foot, if your machine has that feature. Some people recommend placing tissue paper between your knit fabric and the feed dogs. (I was never able to get sewing-on-paper to work reliably with sweater knits and my old sewing machine, and I hated picking out the paper shreds afterwards. That's why I bought my first walking foot.)
• Always practice on cutaways first to get all settings correct.
• Overcasting all edges right after cutting stabilizes the edges nicely, but you'll still need to use appropriate stabilization at the shoulders (and perhaps other places) in your garment.

There exists a foot called a side cutter, which trims the edge and does overedge stitching, imitating a serger. I don't personally know anyone who has used one, but I watched this video on YouTube, where the demonstrator uses a side cutter foot on thin cotton woven fabric. I have the feeling it wouldn't work with a sweater knit.

Do you have experience with an overedge foot or a side cutter? Any tips? Please share.

O!