Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Reflections on a Wool Dress (aka I've been planning before my wool gets here!)

Alright, so in case you've got some of the same questions I had, here's a list of the questions I asked on The Sewing Academy


                                            Reflections on a Wool Dress (LOL)


I've got LOTS of questions before I cut into my wool!    I'm going to number them to keep them organized!  

I've never done piping before, so I'll start with the piping questions.   


A. Piping Questions:

    1. How should I make my piping? I know that I use the same fabric that I'm making my dress out of, but what goes inside? Can I use hemp?

    2. What should be piped? Can the fashion darts in the back be piped?

    3. How do I determine how long to make my piping? Just measure what I'm going to pipe?

    4. Finally, I am right in assuming that I sew the piping on by using the side that has the seam in it to go on the inside of the dress, right?   Or am I nutty?

    5. I should pipe the waistline, correct?


Okay. Piping questions are over with. Now for the "before cutting your material" blahblah!  


B. Pre-cutting Questions:

    1. Should I preshrink wool? I don't know if I've heard of this being done. If I'm supposed to, how should I do it?

    2. How much seam allowance should I leave?

    3. How Deep should I calculate for my hem?

    4. Is there a way to make absolutely certain my neckline from the front and back will match up right when I sew them together? 


Alright, that's it for pre-cutting. Now for assembly!  


C. Assembly Questions:

    1. Should I bone the darts in front? I've heard of this being done...

    2. Should I make 'french seams' or whatever they're called? (the kind of seam where you sew it right side out and then inside out)

    3. Can I sew the neckline of the fashion material inside out to the lining and pipe it? Is this a proper neckline treatment?

    4. For the cuffs I have a bit of a problem... Every time I hem something that is curved, I have to make small pinches on the inside while I hem.... Is there a way to fix this?

    5. Is a cotton (sheet material) lining alright? Or should I use something a bit different?


There! I think that was the last question! I'm just very scared of messing up on this material... Because I know if I can't find another wool sale, I will be out a wool dress! Besides, I'm hoping on making this one REALLY brag worthy! Like (I hope I'm not aspiring too high) Miss Samantha Bullats', or Mrs. Hollister, or... the list goes on!  

Anyhow, thanks for listening to my problems!   I know, I talk way too much, right?  


And as usual, I got some helpful answers from the lovely members! Unfortunately, for posting here, I will have to put the answers in my own words, as I was mainly supplied with links! I think I should have done a search first... *sigh*



                                           Answers to Reflections on a Wool Dress

A. Piping Questions:

    1. Use cotton kitchen twine.

    2. (I didn't get a direct answer yet, but hopefully will soon.) Armscyes, neckline, waistline, and cuffs should be piped.

    3. Just measure and then make  bit extra even! Just to be sure I have enough.

    4. Yes. Actually though, I think the piping gets left with its raw edge and you sew the piping's raw edge to the fashion fabric's raw edge. In my case, I will be encasing the piping's raw edge in between the fashion fabric and the lining.

    5.Yes, pipe the waistline.


B. Pre-cutting Questions:

    1. Pre-shrink it either by washing and then ironing or steam ironing. Actually, though, before I preshrink the whole thing, I'm going to see if it needs to be done, by washing a swatch of it and letting it dry in the washing machine! I was told that can be done, too, because factory's usually pre-shrink for you. So just test a small swatch to be sure they did! Oh and I can't forget to measure it before I throw it in! :D

    2. Anywhere between 1/8 and 1/2 of an inch, really.

    3. A hemmed facing is usually what was done. So just leave a seam allowance.

    4. This one really wasn't answered, but I think it'll work out anyhow!


C. Assembly Questions:

    1. Yes, bone the darts.

    2. No, just whip-stitch it to keep the edges tidy.

    3. I'm just going to encase the piping.

    4. I'm just going to pipe the cuffs.

    5. Heavier than sheer will work for lining.

That's the answers! xD


Oh, and I was also told that the Dressmaker's Guide is very important to get... but I think I'll make out alright on my own. But I'll just recommend it here, since about every answer someone gets for a question they have, people can point them to the dressmaker's guide. It's only $30, so if you've got that kind of money (which I haven't right now) go ahead and get it, it will be a great help!

Edited to add: I've had to edit this post like four times trying to get everything aligned right!

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