Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Crossing the Line?

Somehow I think there's a pun in that title but I can't quite figure it out...

My friends, I appear to be hanging on the sewing dark side. I am so intrigued by constructing my second version of the Ginger skirt in a cerise, light wool blend, that I came home after a busy day at work to cut out the pieces. That's after I treated the wool yesterday. And re-read, for the 8000th time, the info on how to bone the waistband the day before. And bought the boning last week.

Did I mention that I don't sew on weekdays?

You may recall I'm making this one on the bias. And that, when complete, my Spring Basics Palette will be finished as planned. (Man, I'm getting my money's worth linking to that post...) Bias cut garments need to be hung to work out any potential warps, hence my inclination to get this on my dress form today, a few days before the weekend:

I realize this looks orange but you're gonna have to trust me that it's like a supa-bright, pink-y red.

While I was cutting, I couldn't get your collective voice out of my mind (egad, that's a bit sci-fi). I had to use the opportunity to cut some bias strips, to turn into tape. I didn't let the fact that I didn't know how to cut bias strips stop me.

See, that's what's been stopping me forever. I figure, I may have undertaken the activity incorrectly, but at least now I've tried. If it doesn't work, I'll have some sense of what I've done wrong and - maybe - I'll read up more appropriately on the topic next time. In short, I made 1 inch strips on the bias (out of the fabric scraps I had left), which will, I imagine, turn into 1/2 inch bias tape when I use that gizmo and my iron to fold it over on either end.

Some of the pieces are very short. I assume that means I'll have more join marks in the tape. I'm ok with that. Seams on my bias tape seem preferable to unfinished seams. And I don't want to waste fabric by cutting long strips out of the prime meat, as it were.

Hence this:


In today's irony, I'm pretty sure I'm going to finish the Ginger seams à la française, not that I've ever done this before. Which means this not-yet-bias-tape is gonna sit in a Ziploc bag for a while. Something tells me you have to be very specific in how you attach one piece to the next, or you could join pieces cut oppositely, which wouldn't work. Is that right? And is it hard to keep grainline straight once you've thrown everything into a bag?

24 comments:

  1. Very interesting sewing techniques going into that skirt. You will no doubt get more years of wear from it because of the things you are incorporating into the construction. I'm no help with the bias tape question, but thank you ever so much for commenting on my blog post.

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  2. Hope my link works. http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/FACTSHTS/CT-MMB-723.pdfs
    That's the way I make bias strips. Have fun.

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    1. I've used this method too, and it's awesome. But beware doing it on a weeknight after a long day of work. I can't explain how many times I've screwed up the construction of the tube because I wasn't focused enough!

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    2. I can totally see how that would happen.

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  3. I know there's a way to join bias strips, but I have to look it up every time. I'm totally the person who cuts pristine fabric into bias strips to avoid having to piece anything so...clearly Debbie is the expert here, not me!

    The Ginger skirt looks marvelous, and I can't wait to see it when it's finished!

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    1. It's not so intuitive, huh? I cannot believe you buy lots of fabric just to make bias strips! I am way to cheap for that :-)

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  4. The best bias tape making turorial I've found is on the Colette Patterns website: http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/tutorial-how-to-make-bias-tape

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  5. I don't know about joinery, but whoever suggested you cut bias tape out of your skirt fabric was a genius—ostensibly, since it's the same fabric, your bias tape won't give you the kind of trouble your seam binding did last time. Same fabric, same behavior, and all that.

    I love this!

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    1. I know - it is genius! If only it weren't so much work :-)

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  6. That's great! I'm nowhere near finishing my SWAP yet (well, am halfway I guess at 4/9 projects.)

    Also you don't sew on weekdays -- hard to believe you can be so productive just sewing on the weekends!

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    1. I'm really productive on the weekends :-) (Well, some of them...) And you are working well. I know I couldn't do more than 6 projects. You've taken on 30 per cent more than me!

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  7. Looks great and yes it sounds like you've done the bias strips correctly to me. I didn't bother joining them diagonally when I did them though. I've just bought the Ginger skirt pattern - can't wait to try it. Making a skirt on the bias sounds quite scary - I didn't realise there was so much to it!

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    1. I actually joined a couple of them together today to see how it would work. And it does appear to work.

      You are going to love the Ginger. Bias cut is not difficult - it just takes a bit more time. Really, it's not hard.

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  8. complicated sewing projects are like math -- puzzles to figure out. and, like some math, they hurt my head! but you seem up to the challenge, so i applaud you! :)

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    1. They are like math! That's why I keep trying to tell my kid that math has practicality in the real world. :-)

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  9. Looks like you have plenty of advice, but I love this guide to making and applying bias strips
    http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/freebies/356-perfect-binding-part-1-by-cathy-hay

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  10. There's a method to making bias strips?!?!?! Oh dear. All this time I've just been winging it. I guess I better see how bad a job I've been doing. ha ha ha

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  11. This skirt is going to be gorgeous, inside and out!

    I use Colette's method for continuous bias tape as well. I learned it in Sorbetto fever over the summer, and had so much fun with it, I made some extra just to play with my bias tape maker!

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    1. Oh, I'm really hoping so. You know how it is when you're half way through and things start getting tricky...

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