Sewing Techniques

Luxurious Lingerie - part 3

In this final part Lorna Knight takes a look at cutting material on the bias and using knitted fabrics.

Using stretch or bias cut fabrics gives an elegant drape and also makes clothing more comfortable to wear and less restrictive. It can also do away with the need for bulky fastenings which is important when designing nightwear.
 

Read about how to get the best results when cutting fabric pieces on the bias and the notes on sewing with stretch fabrics then try out our project making an elegant nightgown finished with the decorative detail of your choice on the sewing project page - just click here to go to the nightgown project.

BIAS CUT FABRIC

When cutting pattern pieces off the grain (ie when the grain arrow is not parallel to the selvage edge) it is no longer controlled by the grain. This can make garments hang badly. However, if all pieces are cut on the true bias (45 degrees) this allows a garment to drape and fall softly over the figure. The changing nature of the cloth, when cut this way, requires some understanding but used wisely it gives a very satisfying effect.

Find the true cross or bias
To find the true cross take the cut edge of a length of fabric and fold it onto the selvedge edge making a triangular shape. The cloth lying along this fold is exactly 45 degrees to the cut edge and selvedge. This is the true cross or true bias. If the grain arrow of a pattern is placed on the 45 degree line the benefits of drape and the softer finish of bias cutting are achieved.

In fact, although this demonstrates where the true bias or true cross is, the easiest way to cut pattern pieces is to alter the direction of the grain arrow on each pattern piece. To do this, simply re-draw the grain arrow at 45 degrees then place the pattern pieces on the fabric with the new grain arrow parallel to the selvedge edge.

HANDY HINTS: Re-draw the grain line at 45 degrees using a protractor. Or draw a second line cutting the first at 90 degrees, then fold these lines to meet each other.  The fold will be 45 degrees from the original line.

Pattern Pieces

The drape of a large piece of cloth may not hang as well as two smaller pieces. For example, a nightgown with one front piece should be adapted to add a centre front seam to enable the cloth to drape symmetrically about the centre. Similarly, back pieces are improved if a centre back seam is added.

HANDY HINT: When cutting out place the fabric in a single layer. Folded fabric may move or slip and the resulting pieces will be less accurately cut.

Seam Allowances

Having found the grain line, to achieve a bias effect it is advisable to cut each pattern piece with a 2.5cm (1”) seam allowance as the edge of the fabric is less stable and the extra fabric will allow for any inaccuracies.

Seams

Join the fabric pieces by pinning then tacking on the seam line. Try on the garment to check the fit. Adjust if necessary and leave it to hang for an hour to allow any awkward pulling or dragging to become apparent. If the seams appear to be fine, machine along the line of tacking. Note: Stabilise shoulder seams with a cotton tape or clear elastic.

HANDY HINT: If making a woven fabric on the bias, cut a size bigger than usual.

Machining

When machining the seam, pull the fabric gently in front of and behind the presser foot. This puts extra stitches into the seam and prevents the threads from breaking when the seam is stretched as the garment is put on or taken off.  The seam may appear to ripple when finished but this can be removed by pressing with an iron.
Alternatively, select a stretch stitch or narrow zigzag stitch and attach a walking foot.  The movement in the stitch will allow for stress put on the seam and the walking foot will prevent the rippling from occurring.

Hems

Before neatening the hem of a garment cut on the true bias or cross it should be allowed to hang for 24 hours to let it settle. Trim it level and then continue to hem the garment as planned.  The choice of hem will depend on the type and style of garment but a narrow rather than a deep hem is often appropriate.

Fastenings

On some designs, the small degree of ‘give’ in the fabric (as a result of the cross cut cloth) does away with the need of zips or buttons. If a zip is needed in a skirt or dress a concealed or invisible zip is a good choice as it disappears into the seam and is not visible. For nightwear and lingerie fastenings are best avoided.

SEWING WITH KNIT AND STRETCH FABRICS

Knitted fabric has an element of stretch. The amount of stretch depends on the fabric content and whether elastane (Lycra) has been included in its construction.  (Elastane helps in the recovery of the fabric allowing it to stretch then to return to its original state.) Knitted fabrics also vary in their ability to stretch in one direction or in two. When selecting fabric to suit a design, the pattern instructions will state whether a one or two direction stretch is required and how best to place the pattern pieces to get the stretch required. Also note that patterns made from knit fabrics often have a stretch guide on the envelope back.

Cutting Out

Cut out pattern pieces in a single layer to improve accuracy.
Place the pattern pieces according to the instructions which may state a direction of greatest stretch.

Seams

An overlocker copes extremely well with stretch fabric as the differential feed prevents rippling and the stitch construction allows the seams to stretch and move without breaking the thread.

If an overlocker isn’t available use a stretch stitch or narrow zigzag on a sewing machine. Some sewing machines have stitches which mimic overlocking and these are ideal to use on a seam joining knitted fabric.Stabilise shoulder seams with tape or clear elastic.

Hems

A twin needle is a good choice to neaten the hem of a garment made up in a knitted fabric. Having neatened the raw edge with an overlock stitch or zigzag, fold it up to the wrong side and top stitch in place with a twin needle. The two threads on the surface give a manufactured appearance and the single bobbin thread below runs between the upper threads in a zigzag fashion to build in an element of stretch to the stitch, preventing the threads from breaking if the hem is pulled.

This technique has been written for ISEW by Lorna Knight. Loran teaches all kinds of dressmaking workshops on various subjects including lingerie and bra making. Contact her for more details on tel: 01538 266002 or sewknight@btinternet.com.