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You know what? It's actually not a problem. It was the time of night which produces a brain state called off. I wake up this morning, in the middle of the night actually, and the solution is so pickin' obvious. Why couldn't I see it last night? Why, because it was three hours past my bed time with insomnia, my dear.
It's all good.
But yes, thank you for the offer of help. I appreciate it.
Today, after I get the thing done (there's only about a half hour more of work left, and then I iron the thing, and then it's [u]really [/u]done, I need to go pick out a shawl for it.
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- tablecloth material, borders either side with patterns of food items, cotton 60" wide, Rs. 160 per - for two aprons
- dark blue voile, 45" wide, Rs. 45 per that was intended for a shawl for one of my shalwaars but I don't think will work out that way. The lady at the fabric shop insisted that it softens up after washed, and it does somewhat, but not enough. It still feels very stiff and not at all what I'd be comfortable using. If it softened up as much as it is when it's wet, it would be fine, but as is, it stands up on its own. Not sure what I'll use it for now, but if nothing else, I could use it to make pattern pieces or something. We'll see.
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posted
Thanks Quidscribis. I love to picture you in your shalwaars. I've often seen Indian women here in Florida and thought their clothing looked beautiful and comfortable, but I don't have the - what - inclination? guts? to wear it myself.
Don't think I have the inclination to read five pages right now, either, but maybe later. I'm more of a Halloween costume-sewer myself. I keep intending to sew actual clothing, but never get a roundtoit. (I had one of those once, lost it though.)
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quote:- dark blue voile, 45" wide, Rs. 45 per that was intended for a shawl for one of my shalwaars but I don't think will work out that way. The lady at the fabric shop insisted that it softens up after washed, and it does somewhat, but not enough. It still feels very stiff and not at all what I'd be comfortable using. If it softened up as much as it is when it's wet, it would be fine, but as is, it stands up on its own. Not sure what I'll use it for now, but if nothing else, I could use it to make pattern pieces or something. We'll see.
You could try washing it several more times to take the starch out. Did you soak it a good long time, changing the water several times? You could also do something else with it. Draperies?
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posted
JennaDean - I'll post some pics when I get some taken. Have to finish the shalwaar pants first. Here, shalwaars are common enough that no one will look at me funny if I wear them. And my mother in law will be happy.
kq - Nope, didn't soak it. That's a good, and obvious, idea. I think I'll do that. Thanks. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
kq, I handwashed it, and soaked it for about 5 hours yesterday. It's not as stiff, but still fairly stiff.
Any other suggestions? Will hot water make a difference? We only have lukewarm to cold water out of the taps (except for our upstairs shower), so that's the temp laundry is done in, but I can boil water if that will help.
posted
I wouldn't use hot on that kind of a color, unless you want it to fade. I'll browse around and see if I can find any suggestions.
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kq, I found some ideas here, including vinegar, salt, non-fat milk powder, and using a dryer. Well, we don't have a dryer and nonfat milk powder doesn't exist in this country, so tomorrow, I'll start with the vinegar and take it from there.
I'm finding a whole lot of other really useful clothing tips here - as in, I'm learning useful stuff!
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Oh, I didn't really say how it went, did I? Ooops.
I ended up soaking the voile a total of five times in salt, vinegar, or a combination thereof, and after the fifth soaking, it ended up being soft enough and pretty much what I was looking for. It's fantastic!
Now I'm on to another question.
I got some crinkly fabric yesterday. I know enough that I don't want to iron it flat or otherwise stretch it when I cut it out, but how, exactly, do I treat it when I sew it, hem it, etc? Any tips or tricks, please?
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posted
Is it crinkly as part of the look of the fabric? I had a skirt like that once -- it was gorgeous, and it kept the crinkles until the first time I stupidly washed it and put it in the dryer. After that I only washed it and then twisted it onto itself to preserve the crinkles.
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posted
I've found that zig-zag stitching works best to catch crinkly fabric. Make sure you don't stretch it when you cut it by blocking the fabric-- pin it to a backing before you pin or trace or draw on your pattern. And like sm said, twisting helps preserve the crinkles-- I tie my longer crinkly garments into a knot (twist tightly, then tie a half-hitch), put in a delicate bag, and wash like that, then hang dry.
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The crinkles/wrinkles are built into the fabric - intentional. I haven't washed the fabric yet - that'll be today after I zigzag the ends. This isn't the same fabric that's used in broomstick skirts - it's a bit different. I'll see if I can get a decent picture that gets it across.
kq, I know to not stretch it when I cut it out, but what about when I stitch it? Thanks for the tip on zig-zagging - I'll try that. When I sew it, do I pull it tightish to make it sorta straight, or leave it really loose and have the stitching end up tighter than the fabric?
Also, I need to figure out what to do about the neckhole. I can either do facing with interfacing or I can make self-bias tape, but that brings up another set of questions.
If I go with facing/interfacing, do I iron the facing to the interfacing so it keeps its wrinkles or so it's straight? If I use bias tape (which is looking like the better option right now), then do I attach it all stretched so there are no crinkles?
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I'm going to go with self-bias tape for the neckhole, no stretching, and paying particular attention to making sure the shape of the neckhole stays as it should. I'm going to make it a one-piece dress. Just zip up the sides, hem it, and do the neck and be done. I can't think of a better way to deal with the fabric when I haven't sewn with this type of fabric before, and that way, I don't have to deal with as many sewing issues where the crinkles will out-crinkle.
If anyone has any better, suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
My next question involves handbags. I'm now thinking about sewing my own. For fun, for the heck of it, and because I can.
I don't need a pattern for it - I'll create my own. That's easy enough. My question comes in at the putting it together at the end step.
I'll be lining the handbag because, of course, I want various pockets and such on the inside, plus I want it to last. I'm planning on having a zipper enclosure at the top of the purse.
So what's the best method for putting it all together? I've thought about possibly have the zipper enclosure be at the top of the lining section for assembly purposed, putting the lining inside the outside portion and then just doing a top stitch where the lining and the outside meets. Is this the best way? Is there another way?
Also, I've thought about using fusible interfacing to give the fabric some strength - haven't decided if that would be using it on just the outside fabric or the inside as well. It'll probably depend on the specific lining material I end up using. If there's special fusible material for purposes, it's highly unlikely it's available here. Will fusible interfacing stand up under this type of use? Will it stay attached to the material? Is there something better I can use?
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quote:When I sew it, do I pull it tightish to make it sorta straight, or leave it really loose and have the stitching end up tighter than the fabric?
One tip I've used for stretchy or crinkly fabric is sew it loosely (zig-zag), then pull on it, break as many of the stitches as you can, then re-sew over it. That helps you get the right shape, sort of like basting, and see where you need to tighten it up a bit and where it's okay loose.
Fusible interfacing will probably hold up, although you might want to use two layers, or you can use a tougher, sew-in interfacing. I highly, highly recommend "flatlining" your pieces-- get the outside, interfacing, and lining all sewn together on each piece before you sew the pieces together. It makes it look much cleaner, work better, and hold up together (this is the method we used when I was working for a lady who made ballet costumes, which take a ton of stress in every possible direction.)
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posted
kq, I'm wondering, though, if I don't want to use zig zag simply because I want it to keep its shape. This is where I've been wiggling on the whole issue. It's been suggested to me by someone elsewhere that I'll want to use a straight stitch because this is a cotton weave, not a knit, and the stretch isn't for form fitting purposes, but for hug the body sort of. If that makes sense.
As for the fusible interfacing - we have two grades here. Medium and heavy. The lighter knits don't exist, nor does anything light. The heavy fusible interfacing I haven't bought any of yet because it's far too heavy for shalwaars, waistbands, and things like that. That's part of why I'm thinking it'll be heavy enough for a handbag.
And yep, it sounds like you have in mind what I have in mind. I fully intended to complete the sewing for both the inside and the outside before stitching them together. I can think of no other way to make any pockets or anything else lie properly otherwise.
Anything else I should know?
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posted
Handbags aren't hard; you can figure it out just fine, I think.
As for the zig-zag, you can still do the zig-zag to catch it, pull out as much as possible, and then use a straight stitch to stitch over. That way it will have a firmer shape when finished; the zig-zag is basically just basting.
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I wake up this morning, in the middle of the night actually, and the solution is so pickin' obvious. Why couldn't I see it last night? Why, because it was three hours past my bed time with insomnia, my dear. ![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
We'll see.
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I wasn't too sure about the hot either.
