Confession: I knew I needed to pretreat fabrics I intended to wash at home but I never realized that I needed . . . → Read More: Tailoring Homework: Preshrink the Fabrics]]> Before Mrs. Poteet set us free to run down to the garment district to buy our fabric and supplies, she told us that we need to preshrink the wool, rayon lining, interfacing, edge tape, weft, etc.

Confession: I knew I needed to pretreat fabrics I intended to wash at home but I never realized that I needed to preshrink stuff I’d be sending to the cleaners.  I also didn’t realize I needed to preshrink all of the notions, too.  Oops.

And that is why I’m taking this class….

According to our book Tailoring…

Although some fabrics are labeled “needle-ready,” it is a good idea to preshrink them anyway.  In general, preshrinking loosely woven fabrics and those made of natural fibers is especially critical because they are more likely to shrink when you press them (emphasis added by me) than tightly woven fabrics and those made of synthetics or synthetic blends.

If you plan to use fusible interfacings, preshrinking the garment fabric is particularly important. Because fusing requires more steam pressing than normal, the garment fabric is likely to shrink during fusing.

The Dry Cleaning Method: The easiest and most expensive method is to take the fabric for steaming to the cleaners.  She told us that we had to specify that we didn’t want it pressed, just steamed.  And that we want it folded, not hung, after the steaming. It would cost us about $5 per fabric.

Steam Pressing Do It Yourself: She told us to lay the fabric out on a large surfaces, such as our bed, and to hold our very steamy iron over the surface of the fabric.  Then, working section by section, move the iron over the fabric without touching it.

London Method: Mrs. Poteet doesn’t like this method so she didn’t tell us about it. (See Carolyn’s link, below, for a summary of the London Method).

Prepping the Other Stuff: Fill a clean sink or tub with hot tap water.  Unfold the notion and submerge it in the water.  Let the water come to room temperature and then drain.  Put the notion in a colander and let the water drain from it a bit more (about 5 minutes).  Roll up in a bath towel to remove excess moisture and then hang over a towel bar to dry.  Do not pretreat fusibles in the washer and dryer unless you want the resin/glue to be stuck to the inside of the appliance and the interfacing be all balled up and unusable.  It melts, people.  That’s why it is called fusible.

I decided to do the dry cleaning method to preshrink the wool and rayon.  I’m a little nervous about it because the girl didn’t write down my instructions and she was the only one there when I dropped it off on Sunday.  Naturally, they are closed today for the holiday but I plan on calling first thing Tuesday morning just to make sure my instructions will be followed.  And, oh.  It cost me $13 per fabric because she marked them as tablecloths.  Because it is a large dry cleaners, I’m hoping that the guys in the back doing the pressing are old hands at preshrinking fabric for sewers.

I wish I had known about Pamela Erny’s tutorial on preshrinking wool before I took my fabric to the cleaners.  It looks like a piece of cake and I intend to use it from now on!  And, remember how I told you the other day that Carolyn got me hooked on wool crepe?  She has a tutorial on how to pretreat crepe that is well worth the read since she knows crepe inside, outside, and upside down!  Finally, Gertie has a blog posting on prewashing a variety of fabrics.

Soooo, here are some photos from when I pretreated the weft and the edge tape:

Fill a sink with hot tap water

Unfold weft, interfacing, tape, etc. and submerse it in the water. The water is HOT! I ended up using a wooden spoon to press the weft into the water. Just let it soak. No need to agitate it.

When the water cools to room temperature, drain it out of the sink. Put the notions into a collander to continue draining. DO NOT WRING TO GET THE EXCESS WATER OUT.

After letting the notions drain for about 5 minutes, roll them in a towel to get the excess water out. Then hang over a towelbar or shower rod to dry.

My weft and my edge tape is in the bathroom hanging dry as we “speak.”  I was surprised by how wet the weft still was even after letting it drain for five minutes.

I was wondering…because the water was so hot, I wonder if I can just put the stuff into the sink first and then fill it up with hot water.  I would think that would also eliminate the need to try and get rid of air bubbles.

So that was part of my homework for the tailored jacket.  I can’t do anything more on it until I get pattern pieces on Wednesday to finish tracing them off.  Oh, and I have to call the dry cleaners in the morning!

How about you?  What is your favorite method of preshrinking wool?

In today’s podcast, I talk about how burnt out I was feeling, get on a soapbox or two, and talk about starting a new semester of classes.

I forgot to take photos of “my” students hard at work in the Fashion 1A class but I did remember to take my camera to the . . . → Read More: Podcast: Chained to the Sewing Machine Again]]> Yay!  A new podcast!  Finally!

In today’s podcast, I talk about how burnt out I was feeling, get on a soapbox or two, and talk about starting a new semester of classes.

I forgot to take photos of “my” students hard at work in the Fashion 1A class but I did remember to take my camera to the 1B class.  These are my classmates making their patterns:

Larry is tracing the basic skirt block (the manila paper pattern) onto dot (aka pattern) paper

Natalia has traced the skirt back onto the dot paper (aka pattern paper) and is reaching for the basic skirt front

After tracing the basic skirt block, Natalia is adding the pattern markings for darts, notches, etc.

Cat has cut out the pattern and is trying to keep the paper from rolling up (she ironed it to make it stay flat)

Cat is "closing the darts" on one copy of the dot paper pattern in order to make the facing pattern. She taped the darts closed and then drew a line two inches from the top across the width of the skirt using her hip curve tool

Our homework is to attach the dot paper to brown paper (kraft paper), add seam allowances, cut out the muslin and sew most of the skirt by next Wednesday.

This is the Simplicity 2900 pattern I used for Alice’s dress:

Alice modeling the completed dress

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Dropped Shoulder

Dropped Shoulder--Image Courtesy of Ageless Patterns

Peasant

Peasant; Image courtesy of Out . . . → Read More: Fashion Dictionary: Sleeve Shapes]]> Today we will finish up sleeve shapes.  There is only so much you can say so I will only be illustrating the different types of sleeve shapes (click on images to be taken to the websites):

Dropped Shoulder

Dropped Shoulder--Image Courtesy of Ageless Patterns

Peasant

Peasant; Image courtesy of Out of the Ashes Collectibles (I do believe I owned this pattern at one time)

Raglan (not to be confused with kimono or dolman)

The sleeve and shoulder are one piece.

Raglan sleeve

Kimono Sleeve

The sleeve and the bodice are one piece  (no shoulder seams)

Kimono sleeve; Image courtesy of Empress Patterns

Dolman

Wide at the armhole and narrow at the wrist; Often called a “batwing” sleeve

Dolman. (Yeah, I know.)

And, we are finally done with sleeve shapes!  (yay!)

“Mommy?  Where does silk come from?”

“A stork carries it and . . . → Read More: Textile Tuesday: Where Does Silk Come From?]]> Yes, yes, yes…I know I’m ending the title with a preposition.  But bear with me.  I have a sinus headache so I’m not writing at one hundred percent.  In fact, this article will be shorter than I originally intended.  We’ll stretch silk out to next week, too.

“Mommy?  Where does silk come from?”

“A stork carries it and puts it in a basket on our doorstep.”

Wouldn’t that be nice if that were the truth?  Unfortunately, the truth is not glamorous and many people have sworn off silk because of it.  Don’t read this while eating if you don’t have a strong stomach (don’t say I didn’t warn you).

As we learned last week, sericulture is the production of cultivated silk.  Silk begins its life when a silk moth lays eggs on a specially prepared paper.  When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars (or larvae) are fed fresh, young mulberry leaves and are as happy as can be.  After about 35 days and four moltings, they decide that they really should get their own digs because they’ve outgrown the home place (they are about 10,000 times the size they were when they were hatched), so they start spinning cocoons on specially constructed straw frames that are placed on the silkworm trays (you’d think they would start getting suspicious, no?).  They spin their cocoon by moving its head in a figure eight.  The silk is produced by two glands and the liquid silk is forced out of the spinnerets (openings) in the silkworm’s head.  The silk is coated with sericin, a protective water-soluble gum.  When the silk comes in contact with the air, it solidifies.  The silkworm is focused on getting this cocoon built and spins about a one mile of filament silk in 2-3 days.  Then it sits back, fully encased in the cocoon and waits for the metamorphoses into moth thing to happen.

Only it doesn’t.  At least, not for most of them.

Silkworms are usually killed with heat (stifled) before they reach the moth stage.

Silk is the only natural filament fiber.  To make a wool thread that can be woven, they have to spin a whole bunch of short fibers together to create something long enough to weave.  Not so with silk.  The silkworm makes our nice long thread for us.  After the worm has been stifled, the cocoons are sorted for fiber size, fiber quality or defects, and then brushed to find the outside ends of the filament.  After that, several filaments are wound together on a reel (referred to as reeling).  Each cocoon gives us approximately 1,000 yards of silk, creating raw silk. Several of these filaments are combined to give us yarn that can be woven (remember, yarn used here is not the same as the yarn you find at the craft store).

Silk noils is also known as silk waste.  Remember that the next time you see a silk noils dress being advertised in a fancy-schmancy catalog.  Essentially, silk noils is created from cocoons where the filament broke or the moth was allowed to mature.  The resulting fiber needs to spun just like any other staple fiber.  Spun silk is less expensive, less durable, more likely to pill, and of lower quality than its filament counterpart.

Silk shantung

Wild silk is exactly that…wild.  Production of wild silk is not controlled.  The silkworms feed on oak and cherry trees in the wild and the cocoons are harvested after the moth has matured.  Because the filament is broken, the silk must be used as spun silk.  Tussah is the most common type of wild silk; tasar is a wild silk from India.  Beware:  “Raw silk” is often used incorrectly to describe wild silk.

Finally, Duppioni silk is created when two of those crazy silkworms decide to shack up and spin their cocoons together.  The result is that the yarn has a thick-and-thin appearance.  It is used to create a linen-like fabric such as shantung.

We’ll finish up our lesson on silk next time.

French Republican Guard, Bastille Day, 2007

Truthfully, I’m not sure why an epaulet (also seen as epaulette) would be listed as a type . . . → Read More: Fashion Dictionary: Epaulet]]> No, no, no…an epaulet is not a euphemism for a curse word although I’ve seen some that deserve to have curse words associated with them (the silver lame’ top with epaulets comes to mind…).

French Republican Guard, Bastille Day, 2007

Truthfully, I’m not sure why an epaulet (also seen as epaulette) would be listed as a type of sleeve.  Perhaps it is because an epaulet was a shoulder decoration  that originally hung over the sleeve to indicate military rank.  Over the years, the epaulet evolved into the strap we most often see on military clothing with bars, stars, and other insignia attached to the strap to indicate rank.

General Ann Dunwoody receiving her fourth star

In the fashion world, we most often associate epaulets with trench coats.  Since trench coats are descended from the military, it isn’t surprising that the epaulet remained a design feature.

According to fashion-watchers, military-inspired clothing was supposed to be making a comeback.  Perhaps it is in other parts of the country, but I’m not seeing it here in Los Angeles (someone correct me if I’m wrong).  I’m also not really seeing it in the catalogs either.  Go figure.

I discovered a juicy little tidbit while researching this article:  It seems that the army was not prepared to provide uniforms for the women joining the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.  The quartermaster’s office had patterns created for the women’s uniform by men’s tailors!  Naturally, since these guys weren’t used to having to create garments that go around curves, the uniforms were quite ill-fitting.  Later iterations were better but the army was still futzing with the design of the women’s uniforms clear to the end of the war.

We don’t watch television as a general rule but the other night I caught the tail-end of the famous “puffy shirt” Seinfeld episode at my in-laws’ house.  Most assuredly, that puffy shirt was just awful which is why it was such a funny episode destined for “instant classic” status.

Not to . . . → Read More: Fashion Dictionary: Bishop Sleeves]]>

Jerry Seinfeld models The Puffy Shirt

We don’t watch television as a general rule but the other night I caught the tail-end of the famous “puffy shirt” Seinfeld episode at my in-laws’ house.  Most assuredly, that puffy shirt was just awful which is why it was such a funny episode destined for “instant classic” status.

Not to get technical, or anything but I would actually classify his shirt as a “bishop shirt.”  But that, of course, wouldn’t produce the same sort of snickers and laughs.

A bishop sleeve is a long sleeve that is wider at the bottom than at the top and gathered into a cuff.  While the top of the sleeve is usually akin to a set-in sleeve, it can also be gathered or slightly puffed.  The primary difference between a puff sleeve gathered into a cuff and a bishop sleeve gathered at the armhole is that a puff sleeve is short and the bishop is long.

Bishop Sleeve Illustration Courtesy of CatsMeowCollectables on eBay

An easy way to think about the construction of a bishop sleeve is to imagine a sleeve in the shape of a bell.  But I imagine that homemakers quickly discovered that the bell-shaped sleeve got caught in everything so they started putting them into cuffs to retain the general shape but to provide greater control.

Past Pattern #212

Being away from home, I don’t have access to my usual resources but my impression is that this type of sleeve first became popular in the mid-19th century and reached its fullness apogee (isn’t that a great word?) at the end of that century.  It became popular again during the mid-20th century.  In old movies, you can see the starlets wearing garments featuring this sleeve made from gauzy-like fabrics.

Do you have any patterns/garments that you would classify as having bishop sleeves?  Have I left out any important information?