Visions of Summer

When it comes to sewing, my idea of
fun is designing and making summer clothes.
It's the opportunity to play with my favorite fabrics. 

Last summer, the focus was on cool rayon

 adaptations of the bog shirt.

This year the star of the show is linen...

in styles that speak of comfort, elegance and easy care.

I've chosen a soft, medium-weight, easy-care linen from
 https://fabrics-store.com/ 

 The stock number is IL019 Bleached FS Signature Finish.

I splurged on a wonderful 20 yard roll -
anticipating I could spend around an equal
amount for a wardrobe that would neither last as long,
nor give me as much wearing pleasure as my linen.

The best part is yet to come: COLOR!

This fabric takes fiber reactive dye beautifully whether I dye
in my washing machine or
 go for adventures with dye painting, and soy wax batiking.
 How much would I spend on a wardrobe
that is not only custom made, but hand painted?

My 20 yard roll of linen is a good value in anyone's book.

 Just think of it as "I LOve19" - a  top performer in a variety of roles:

When I pre-washed, I found little shrinkage,
and less lint in the dryer filter than I had expected.

I can wear it straight from the dryer
without ironing for a soft textured finish.
It just gets better the more it is worn, and washed.

Consider that linen fiber used to be processed by 
letting the stems of the flax plant rot in nasty ponds
 before beating on it with stones. It is among the oldest
surviving textiles in history, with an example 
being 4,000 years old. Thus - 

Linen is one of the most durable natural fibers there is, and
is perfect for warm weather and tropical climates.

Pattern: Nico, from Fabric-store.com

Pattern selection, and sewing techniques are important
to achieve an elegant look without ironing.

Keep it Simple and Light!

Seams need to be finished to eliminate raw edges 

(easy to do with French Seams).

The Fabric_Store patterns have excellent instructions for French Seams. 

The treatment of a french seam that ends in a slit was new to me, and I love it.

 Edge Finishes 

My favorite edge finish for any curved edge that must remain stable, is a "piped bias."
It looks like a narrow piped edge on the outside of the garment,
and a clean finished edge on the inside without the added bulk of a facing:
a truly elegant and functional technique.

The "piped bias" is  a simple solution 
to stabilizing and clean-finishing a curved edge.
I think the idea came out of something I once saw
in "ready-to-wear" and only now have gotten around
to figuring out how to make it.


The Piped Bias finish is being prepared for publication. 

The neck and armholes of the Nico Pattern are bound with bias strips,
and while the instructions are pretty good,
 they could have gone further regarding stabilizing narrow bias edges.

Nor do the instructions take into account
the chances of a neckline or armhole "gaping."

I hate to wear a top that, when I bend over, 

people can see inside my neckline to my waist.

The problem may stem from using the wrong size pattern!

Bias cut, and knit clothing is very forgiving when it comes to fit. 

But nothing can fix a neckline that is simply too large for the body.

Most commercial patterns are designed for an A or B cup bust.

There are two websites that provide excellent information

on adjusting the bust in a pattern. 

https://so-sew-easy.com/how-to-make-a-full-bust-adjustment/

includes the "Pivot and Slide Method" 

https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2017/01/10/sewing-glossary-full-bust-adjustment-tutorial/

illustrates the "Slash and Spread" Method

But if you have the correct size pattern, and your neckline still gapes:

I learned how to solve that problem when
 learning to sew knits,
and altering high end department store women's wear.
It would seem the two have nothing in
common, but the principle is common to both:
 to ease a neckline (or any curved edge)
smaller than the body of the garment
 without using darts or gathers,
so it hugs the chest.

In the alterations department, we called it "running a fur thread"
because we used the nylon silamide thread
 used for relining fur coats. To run a 'fur thread' in
a finished garment: along the inside edge of the neckline,
 take two or three running stitches,
pulling the thread tight but not tight enough
to make a gather or tuck,
followed by making a back stitch to hold the thread secure.
When sewing knits, I would stay-stitch on either side
of the center front
  while holding my finger tight behind the pressure foot
to force more fabric into each stitch.* 
You can seriously gather/ease a bias edge
this way, for setting in sleeves, for example.

The instructions for the Nico Pattern wisely advises to stay-stitch
the quarter inch edges of the seam allowance.
But once you remove the cut fabric from the pattern,
all bets are off, as the bias distorts.
So I stay-stitch right over my tracing paper pattern,**
 that is holding the fabric securely in shape.
After transferring pattern markings
I remove the pattern,
 and tear the paper away from the stay-stitching.

 To test the durability of "stay-stitching,"

I gathered (see* above for a gathered stay-stitch)
 and stay-stitched the bias edge of a large fabric scrap.

With only that one row of stitching to secure the edge,

 I washed and dried the scrap the way I would a garment.
The stitching held beautifully.

**I generally transfer my pattern to tracing paper
instead of cutting a multi-sized pattern.

I've used yellow tracing paper from my local art store for years,

but recently found a more convenient 36" width at Amazon.

 The Nico Pattern is cut without folding the fabric,

 so the 36" width of pattern paper is ideal.

Tracing Paper for Pattern Making

More to come...