3.24.2015

sewing solutions

oonaballoona | a sewing blog | stretch stitches: lightning stitch, triple stitch, zigzag

So, what would you call this stuff? Waffle Knit? Mmmmmmm....waffles with crème fraîche, berries, and edible flowers. SOMEONE MAKE THAT BREAKFAST FOR ME.

It's only fair, hey, I made this for someone else! THAT'S RIGHT. I don't know what's come over me, but lately I've been making things for other humansWILLINGLY AND WITHOUT EVEN HAVING BEEN ASKED.  

Expect lions and lambs to be chumming it up soon.

oonaballoona | a sewing blog | stretch stitches: lightning stitch, triple stitch, zigzag

When I make something for someone else, I go really extra crazy over what the guts will look like. And as my serger downright refuses to play with knits (I know, she's essentially a doorstop now, I keep her on hand as a sort of hairshirt) I had to think of some creative solutions for the seams on this gal.  

It got me thinking about necessity being the mother of invention, and there are no problems, only solutions, and when life gives you a lemon serger... not that I've reinvented the sewing wheel here, plenty of peeps have used a zigzag topstitch before, but it was fun to think up an alternative to overlocked seams that would also hopefully add to the dress.

On the back neck and arms of this cowl dress, I used my Pfaff's awesomesauce triple stretch stitch to attach binding, graded the seams, then steam blasted it down with my iron (oooo you guys, I hope those of you who took the plunge like your irons!!), and topstitched with a zigzag...

oonaballoona | a sewing blog | stretch stitches: lightning stitch, triple stitch, zigzag

The bumpiness of the fabric gave it a spongey kind of loft! I liked the topstitching so much, I did it right down both sides of the side seams as well, which you can see a peek of below...they're triple stitched, pressed open, and topstitched. Probably would not do that on a lighter knit, I think it would make the side seams a little wavy. But the waffle texture soaked the zigzagged thread right up.

Really seriously I need some waffles in my life like AN HOUR AGO.

oonaballoona | a sewing blog | stretch stitches: lightning stitch, triple stitch, zigzag

I wanted a faced hem, but didn't want even an infinitesimal amount of extra width from a graded seam at the hemline, so I kept the edges of facing and hem raw, and zigzag topstitched again. 

oonaballoona | a sewing blog | stretch stitches: lightning stitch, triple stitch, zigzag

I think the hem will fray a bit, in fact I hope it does, as I wanted this dress to be feminine with an edge, like the gal it will grace. Or rather, be graced by.

Roadblocks excite me, even when self inflicted. Especially when self inflicted! I shout at myself with glee: HEY! LOOK AT THAT GREAT BIG HOLE I JUST MADE AT THE FINAL STEP OF BAGGING A LINING! HOW WILL I EVER GET MYSELF OUT OF THIS JAM?! (true story, coming soon). Like I'm the James Bond of sewing, surrounded by crocodiles and villains with squinky eyes... though actually I think it would be more fun to play the villain. YEAH! I'm the Dr. Yes of sewing predicaments!!!  

Who are you when you find yourself in a fix?

31 comments:

  1. When I was a newer sewist (only a dozen or so garments under my belt) I decided to sew up my bridesmaid dresses. There was a lot of ruching on the waistband, with a flat backing. I was finishing the edges of the waistband/skirt seam with my serger when I got a little over excited and got the ruching caught under the blade. Horrors!
    After wrestling the dress away from the serger, I channeled Issey Miyake and folded and twisted that ruching into submission until it covered the hole while still looking fabulous.
    I am the fabric origami master.

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    1. GOOD HANDLE! and good save!

      ack, i've actually removed the blade from my serger-- truly that machine is worthless!

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  2. Glad to hear that I am not the only one that does stuff like that but not of your predicament. That wafgle fabric is lovely, such great colours and textures. Will we get to see it on the lucky recipient? X

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  3. It's funny....I was just looking at the dial on the top of my sewing machine..notch zero straight stitch, notch one zig-zag and buttonhole stitch, notch two to seven...nevah, evah been used. And I bought this machine 35 years ago. Your pretty stitching is the little jab to get me playing with that dial Oona! Those zig-zag stitches really make the garment! And the hemline with flat facing?!! Very, very cool!!!

    Ermmm...Dr Yes, the fabric origami master...I wish I could say the same. If there's a super hero that goes to their still spot and ruminates, I guess that might be me. LOL.

    PS So tempted to go to Pinterest and drool over Belgian waffles.

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    1. you could be the Ruminatress. but your secret identity would have to have a double secret identity, where after ruminating for a while, you explode into color and whimsy...

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  4. In a fix I have a habit of becoming Little Miss Swear-A-Lot, sometimes it's a productive curse, other times...
    I love your work on this dress, I admire your attention to detail. I'd be sorely tempted to take my pinking shears to the hem but it would probably be a zig-zaggy step too far.

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    1. ...oops, forgot about this technique...works, and doesn't work, for me as well.

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    2. ah, the pinking shears. i have a pair and i become Little Miss Swear-A-Lot's twin when i use them!

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  5. You my darling are a tease for we shall never see her in this beautiful fruity zigzagged waffle sensation. Can you at least give a sista a pattern number? LOL!!!!!

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  6. I stand corrected I got the pattern, but I'll still never see! whooa is me

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    1. hahaha! it's a great pattern, and super quick, unless you go to crazy town with topstitching and hem facing and binding ;)

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  7. Unfortunately I am the one who encounters a snag and the air goes right out of my sail. Got a couple of 3/4 done outfits. The problem seems to be my love of tailoring none draping fabrics that end up too bulky. I am already too bulky so the combo is just a hot mess that took hours of meticulous execution...

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    1. well, "too bulky" is in the eye of the beholder ;)) but fabric wise can you tame the bulk with some ironed pleats? oooo how about neoprene or scuba fabric, if you like to drape with bulky fabrics? you could really sculpt that stuff...

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    2. Thanks...I will consider that cause this is becoming quite an expensive, time and energy consuming manner of "saving money by sewing".... snicker, snicker, snicker...

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  8. I love this print! My local store has similar looking textured knit, but all the prints are uuuugly.

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  9. Would that fabulous floral be a pique knit, or is that just too...polo-shirty? I am Marvin the Martian--if, at the final moments before galactic domination, a rabbit shows up and puts a carrot in my ray gun...well, I'm better off postponing the imperialism til another day.

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    1. it could very well be! and why have i not checked my swatch book yet? will do that today...

      unless today's the day for your martian takeover....

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  10. Love that fabric, and your work on looks impeccable!

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  11. Oona ... you utter STAR!!! I have a piece of fabric which bears a certain resemblance to this, happily found whilst rummaging in a remnant bin, but I'd always been stumped as to how to turn it into something glorious. Thank you so much dear, for handing me the solution today. Your creativity and precision are so inspiring that I'm being overtaken by a compulsion to start Bloggin' myself!
    ps couldn't YOU model this creation for us? - just quietly??

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    1. YAHOO! on all counts!

      this babe is about 4 inches smaller than me all the way round, so that would be one interesting stealth shoot...

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  12. Ooh, I like the way that zig zag looks. Am I crazy, wasn't this what you were wearing the other night? Or was it just a similar floral?

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    1. that was the bruno mars dress! but this fabric is on my brain, i'm going to have to snag some for myself.

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  13. I love this! the colors are so pretty and the finishing of course! :)

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  14. I'm all Sweary McSailorPants when I make a dumb mistake, and then (because it's usually due to hunger) I have a snack and transform into Macgyver - finding solutions to impossible problems (or just redoing those backwards darts I did LOL)

    I'm impressed you're sewing for others - you definitely deserve someone to make you scrumptious waffles!! :)

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  15. Fabric so pretty, I just wanted to see the completed garment :(

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  16. The dress looks lovely from what we can see. And the zigzag topstitching looks fab! I wish I had thought of that! :)

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  17. This is so happy and fun!!! As for me, when I run into problems, I become Giant Baby and I stomp around a bit. I'd like to think of myself as a skilled and icy surgeon in a trauma ward, calmly patching up unfortunate victims, but let's be honest- that's absolutely not true!

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  18. I truly love the look the triple stitch topstitching gave this dress! The details you add to your designs always make them special.

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!