Shout Out to the Experts: Using Clear Elastic (to Stabilize a Neckline) with a Cover Stitch Machine

Hey y'all: I hope to make V1027 this weekend:

And to use my new coverstitch machine to its best advantage, in the process!

Here's my situation (and I haven't been able to find much out there on the topic):

I'd like to stabilize the neckline - which is sewn by simply turning the raw edge under and stitching (according to the directions).

My choice method would be to use 1/4 inch clear elastic (I love this stuff). Before I got the CoverPro, I'd have attached it with my serger, turned the hem under and top stitched with my regular machine. Now that I have the coverstitch machine, I'd like to use it to neatly coverstitch the neckline down.

As far as I can tell, using the serger to apply the elastic before coverstitching will result in a messy, bulky wrong-side with tons of looper thread (first the serger thread followed by the coverstitch thread). However, given how the coverstitch machine works (which I barely understand, admittedly), it seems like the coverstitch might not adequately catch the elastic as I'm stitching, if I don't first have it adhered to the wrong-side, raw-edge of the fabric (which is what the serging would do).

I've read that you can use iron-on adhesive (like Heat n Bond) to hold the elastic down between the layers of the turned up hem prior to coverstitching but, having never used this product, I don't know how I'd go about it.

I suppose I could also simply use knit stay tape, instead of clear elastic, to give the edge a bit of ballast before coverstitching, but I sense that will leave the neckline vulnerable to stretching in the long run.

And, natch, I could just forgo the coverstitch on the neckline, in favour of my serger method (though my new Husqvarna doesn't seem to love top-stitching stretch fabric - at least not yet).

So, here are the questions:

• Is there a tutorial to show how to attach 1/4 inch elastic to a turned under hem using a coverstitch machine? OR Is there no way to do this reliably?

• Can you use the clear elastic with the coverstitch machine by applying iron-on adhesive first and, if yes, how exactly?

• Do you think that knit stay tape (like fusible interfacing in a strip) will do the trick?

• Is the serger method the best way to go? (I really want a stunning double top stitch on the neckline and that's a crap shoot with my regular machine.)

Oh, and while I'm at it:

• I understand that V1027 is designed for a 2-way knit (only). My intention is to use modal with 4 way stretch (having very good recovery). If anyone else has made it using 4-way stretch fabric, can you confirm that the pattern works? If it doesn't, pls. do tell me now!

Thanks all for any feedback you might be able to provide. I'm a bit in the dark here...

In Which I Advise You To Engage in the Occasional Act of Protest

You never know where it will lead. 

To wit, my new baby:

Photo of the Janome CoverPro 1000 CPX from here

I guess the universe heard my bratty cry and encouraged my husband to buy me the coverstitch machine for my birthday.

You would be right in remembering that he has already bought me my birthday present - another sewing machine (which I love). In fact, with the exception of my serger, he's bought me all of my machines. Let's call him an enabler :-) Truly, though, if I am ever lucky enough to be remembered as a couturier (I'm working up to it slowly...), I'll have Scott to thank.

I haven't had a chance to try the CoverPro yet. It arrived yesterday and I've been working / occupied by after-work activities. However, I did take it out of the box, set it up on my table and admire it. 

   

Ooooh, such a pretty machine! I've bought one non-standard attachment (it comes only with the standard heming foot): the clear foot (which I understand is pretty necessary cuz the regular version doesn't allow you to see when you hit the end of your hem "in the round"). See, I got this machine, primarily, to hem. That doesn't mean I won't learn all of its other features over time (binding, felling etc.) but I'm not going to invest another 500 bucks in accessories simply to have them. I'm one of those organic, immersive learners. If I don't feel the need to know how to do something specific, chances are I'm not going to waste my time figuring it out. Which is why, 3 years later, I'm only now starting to learn the secret things about my serger. Mind you, I'm really hopeful about - and looking forward to - some awesome, professional-grade hems on all of my garments as I figure out how that function works. And I hope I figure it out quickly!

Please stay tuned for more info on this wonderful gift as I begin to understand it.

One other thing, Lord help me: I think I have to confess that I really have taken to this top: 

The shoulders are too wide, fyi, so it's not perfect. But I'm half-inclined to make it again (after removing an inch of width from the shoulder seam, grading to nothing at the underarm). I'm still not recommending it and I don't know that I can bear to bring myself to re-undertake the slog. Point is, I really should avoid those categorical pronouncements I enjoy so much.

Today's questions: Don't you think I'm SO lucky!? What's your top piece of advice about using a coverstitch machine? Tips and tricks are so welcome! Let's talk!

The Bra Adventures: Cleo by Panache - Bella

Well, my lovelies, it appears I have a new brand.

Cleo (the deep cup offerings) is perfection but do note: I've had to size up in the band (32 not 30) and in the cup. The likelihood is that you'll want to do the same.

To wit:

(See this post for deets on where to get these...)

What I find amazing (from a personal restraint perspective) is that I haven't tried the Marcie or Lucy - this brand's iconic offerings. Why? Well I sense they're not the optimal shape for me - particularly the Lucy. The wires look too wide and the bras, it seems, cater to a fuller on bottom shape. I feel these styles would not lift and project like the styles that really work for me - Meg (well, if I could get the right size), Melissa, Bella. I suspect the Natasha would also work extremely well but I cannot stand the pattern. Each of these is deep through the centre, reasonably narrow (though not excessively so) in the wires and very firm in the band. They are also full balconettes that plunge, ever so slightly, at the centre, which is to say they have a plunge that's restrained enough to provide support for soft breasts. The deep Cleos have more oomph than the Panache Jasmine, interestingly, not because the gore is lower (it's exactly the same height) but because the upper cup (which is quite narrow) starts quite high. Also, the widest piece of this bra is the lower side cup. It makes up fully half of the cup.

Let me tell you about this set:

• The pattern is awesome - bright, cheerful, eclectic, youthful. While bugs on bras is not my thing, these yellow, embroidered butterflies (and birds) are just the thing. And the colour is much more vibrant in real life than in any photo.
• The shape is fantastic. It's high and front-and-centre. It fits a full through the middle, deep breast shape very well, with no pillowing - but don't forget to size up. I suspect if one is considerably full on top or on bottom this bra might not work, but a little in either direction will be well-accommodated.
• The support is excellent. It doesn't merely lift, this bra also holds everything in shape. It's got that patented "no-stretch" three piece cup happening.
• The undies, like the bra, are very well made and in the cutest shape. In truth, I haven't had a chance to try them on yet but I sense that they will be flattering.
• One thing that I have noted about this bra - and it is more observable in the Bella than in the Melissa (though the dimensions appear to be almost identical in this respect) - is that the under-band is pronounced. If you have "girth" (hideous word) that begins just under your band, you may want to give this a miss because, as you can see from the pics, this bra has a broad under band. It's one of the things that contributes to it's good support. 
• Overall, the Melissa provides less coverage (though quite enough) and the lovely Bella provides a bit more (perhaps hovering on the cusp of too much, depending on one's shape).

So, today's questions: Has anyone else out there actually tried this bra?? What do you think of it? The reviews sure are far and few between. I suppose it's possible I got this version right out of the gate but I'd love to know what others think.

The Summer Series: Five in Five, Take 3 (Again) and How I Sound Like I'm From 1932

So here it is, V8790, on the second try:

I can't tell you how precisely never it's going to be before I make this thing again.

I could tell you why but do we really want to bother? I know lots of peeps on Pattern Review liked this thing but you can't trust them let's agree to disagree. Look, I may even wear this top despite 5 miserable hours of construction (wherein all of the same problems recurred along with some new ones). But I'm not going to pretend it's worth your time. Hell, I didn't even hem it cuz, um, who cares?! It's not gonna ravel.

Actually, that point leads me to my next topic - how not hemming knits is heretofore an act of protest - until I get a cover stitch machine. I even found one yesterday, in my own town, new from a reputable shop: the Janome Coverpro 1000CPX (apparently an extremely good machine) for $599.00 which would have been delivered to me same day for and extra10 bucks?!?!?! Honestly, this was a gift.

Alas, I ended up spending that money, the very same hour, on a new dryer, mine haven given up the ghost after 16 years, a week before. Yesterday is when the Sears guy came, dug around for a minute, and said: I could open up the machine but that'll cost you 100 bucks. The motor is shot. It'll cost $400 to fix or you can get a new dryer for approximately the same price.

If you're not prepared to shop around, and you tend to buy appliances in 30 minutes by looking a specs online and then calling a store to set up delivery and installation, it actually ends up costing the same amount as a new cover stitch machine. $730 bucks all in. As you can see, I'm no appliance-whore (I went Kenmore all the way. I mean, the last one lasted 16 years.)

Gotta say, sometimes home-ownership sucks the fun out of things. (I know, I know, such a very bourgeois sentiment...)

Let's take another look at the new top with my new skirt - which is awesome by the way and from a pattern which I in no way begrudge...

Sweet outfit, no? One can almost pretend the top was a success. And, as I made it for free (you know, if you think of stash fabric like that), I saved approximately 200 bucks on a new outfit. I guess I might apply that to my savings fund for the new Janome Coverpro - if it weren't already spent 3 ways.

On a final note, last evening, we went for dinner with a friend who told me (much to my surprise) that I speak in the perfect twenty-first century incarnation of the mid-Atlantic accent (youngsters - simply imagine every Cary Grant film you've ever seen the first 5 minutes of). I find this hilarious! I mean, I've often been told that I enunciate exceedingly. And that I am dramatic. But no one's ever said this before! And lest you think I sound like Katharine Hepburn, my voice has none of that fab gravel and is much more in the timbre of a high-note bell. Still super fun. I feel so black-and white!

Today's questions: What do you think of the top? Or the skirt? Or the dryer-debacle? And do you sound vaguely anachronistic? I wanna know!

The Summer Summer Series (Knitting): Stressed Much?

WTF is going on? I appear to be knitting with CRAZY tension on the fitted boucle jacket. My original stockinette gauge was 7.5 stitches per inch. I did lots of swatching. I blocked the swatch (it softened but didn't much grow).  I started the back piece. Again and again, I got 7.5 stitches per inch for a number of inches.

Lately, it seems things have been looking a bit, um, tight. I re-tested gauge below the ribbed waist (the first phase of knitting). It was 7.5 stitches. I tested gauge above the ribbed waist. It was 8.5 stitches an inch. If you don't knit, that won't mean much. If you do, you'll know this makes masses of difference to a finished garment. Which is particularly problematic when you're trying to achieve 0 ease (aka perfect fit). 8.5 stitches per inch will make my garment inches smaller than I've planned on. It's even smaller than the pattern's original gauge which I couldn't get, despite all of my efforts, and on the basis of which I drastically altered the pattern.

I've debated what to do. I'm not much of a ripper-outer (obvious mistakes excepted). And, aside from the waist (which I was concerned about enough to knit in the same needle size as the rest of the garment, though the instructions advise you to size down), I'm fairly sure I can sort this out between blocking and going up a needle size. Fortunately, I've made this decision prior to reaching the back-piece underarm section (the under-arm / chest area is the place where I need the most room). As of now, I've switched from the 2.25mm (US1 needle) to the 2.5mm needle (a needle that doesn't seem to correlate in US sizing. I think it's a US1.5?) and this is how I intend to continue. Unless my gauge changes again.

Depending on what comes next, I may opt to increase the dimensions of the front pieces. More likely, I'll keep changing needle size, if necessary, so that I'm sure I've obtained the gauge according to how I rescaled the original pattern. It seems like the wisest approach at this point - though I can't go up or down more than one needle size without risking a weird-looking end result. And of course, as vertical gauge changes with new needle sizes, I continue to make adjustments on that account.

Gotta say, this isn't the mindless knitting experience I was hoping for (after the major, week-long math project that was the original pattern alteration). But it is what it is:

We're getting somewhere - though not at a great pace...

Today's questions: How do you handle knitting projects of varying gauge? (While I certainly have my share of unexpected challenges, this isn't one I've experience before.) Do you leave them for a while? Do you rip back? Do you use a variation of my methodology? I generally knit with lots of negative ease - which means I've got lots of latitude on gauge. This time I'm putting my sense of balance to the test. Sure, I practically always wish I'd made things smaller. But you never know when that's gonna change.

It's So Random

I have a sense this week is going to be rather busy, judging by how it's begun. So I've decided to just throw it all out there and unburden myself in an unstructured fashion. Lucky you!

• For starters, I have such PMS that I'm actually concerned for the safety of those around me. There is nothing that isn't bothering me right now. I mean, I went out after an unsuccessful shopping excursion (more to come on that and, really, what was I thinking?) and bought 3 large bars of chocolate. With salt. Seriously - if only this stuff came with booze and Advil it would be nature's perfect food.

• In an irony, Sunni has tossed me over to the dark-side with this post on her new cover stitch machine. I must have one but they appear to be all back-ordered in TO and I can't order from a US vendor - which is to say they can't ship to Canada. I've got some tricks up my sleeve. Let's see how it goes on not sewing hems that look like drunken mice at work. Truth is, I sewed without a serger and all was well. Then I got a serger and it was life-changing (in a sewing context). Now I've had a serger for almost 3-years and I feel it's time to make my hems look as professional as the rest of my seams. I always say, you can't do your best work without the right tools.

• Do you have a online-purchase of vintage buttons habit? I do.  It's a very inexpensive way to enrich your crafting, support small-business and get packages in the mail. Really, you should spend hours a night on Etsy...

• ...Or on eBay, researching bras. Here's my latest bra adventure experiment, Cleo by Panache Bella bra and undies (more to come, of course, when the products arrive):

Vendor: Just Bras

Vendor: Whisper Lingerie (I've used this vendor before with success...)

• I'm hoping for a similar fit to the Melissa - also Cleo by Panache. Frankly, I'm obsessed with this brand and it's deeper-cup offerings. And it's one of those weird patterns I can get with.

• Something that can't get with me, apparently, is a basic "nude" bra to wear under all of the things one wants to wear with inconspicuous - but still hot - lingerie. Ever since I fell out with the Fantasie Smoothing Balconette - that one that seems not to work on me anymore, sigh - I haven't been able to find a replacement. As recently as today I tried a local boutique for the Empreinte Melody Full Cup Seamed bra - different than the Melody in that it isn't molded, it has a seam and it has a ribbon at the upper cup:

This photo - of the black version, natch - from Here

•  The caramel colour aka the "nude" version is just lovely - not granny-like - and it looks fantastic on Veronica (which is what inspired me to try it). Alas, it only starts in a 32 band, which is just too big. Why do they assume that ladies with "smaller" back sizes don't want serious coverage on occasion? This bra is gorgeous, btw, just not right for me. So here's the shout out: I'm looking for a new neutral basic that's highly wearable under all kinds of tops (not lacy or having too much fabric profile). I prefer a front and centre, highly-lifted, "natural"-to-pointy shape. Side-support is welcome. Please provide your feedback!

• To switch gears entirely, the knitting continues apace. I'm about half way through the back piece and I've knit one of the pockets - largely to confirm gauge in K1P1. I appear to be knitting a bit tightly this time around so I opted not to go down a needle size in rib. As a result, the waist and pockets look slightly more prominent than they otherwise would - though in no way badly. I just don't want to have a problem with tight-fit at the end. Of course, I don't want loose fit either.

• And indeed, the bottom layer of the surplice top V8790, does affix at the underarm - as I suggested yesterday. But I must have given up on the instructions at this point because the top layer is affixed at the waist, per the envelope drawing. That potentially explains why I had to shorten the length of the facing on one side - but not really, cuz I had to do it on both sides and I LOWERED both sides (equivalently to 2 inches below the armsyce). I mean, this pattern can't have it all ways. Mind you, this liberates me mentally to fool around with the positioning of the surplice side seams. I'm going to be a bit freer on my next go-around, with the recognition that no one's come forward with much on the positive front for this pattern.

Not sure how much time I'll have to blog this week - though I always seem to be prolific as soon as I say this. In fact, worrying about not having time to write has compelled me to mega-post. I. must. express. myself.

Thoughts or feelings about any of the above?

The Summer Series: Five in Five, Take 3 (aka the knit top that warrants a muslin)

Ooh la la. Let's talk about V8790, shall we?

Get a coffee. It's gonna take a while but I promise to make this the most thorough and exposé-like of all the reviews of this top that you might ever read.

It's hard to know where to start. I kind of love this top (at least on others!), despite how badly my muslin turned out. I kind of think it might not be for me (or those having large breasts - despite how the surplice design leads one to think the opposite). I kind of think the pattern may be flawed. I kind of adjusted the crap out of the pattern so, I suppose, that's what could be flawed. (Note to reader: I don't think so. I was very careful and considered while altering. And the knits are my spiritual people. When it comes to stretch-fabric, I have intuition on my side.) I definitely think the instructions are mediocre.

But let's go back to the second sentence of the last paragraph, the one wherein I tell you that I deliberately made a muslin of this top. Um, in what world is that "quick summer knits-ish"? Do I just like making things difficult?

Actually, I think it was the best idea I've had in a long time. And this is why:

• The instructions are crap. I mean, the written portion is ok, but the photos are SO cryptic that you oughtn't bother.

• I didn't know how the gathers were going to work - or the sizing (I cut a size 10 and it was definitely on the snug side) - or the facing (I freakin' hate facing) and, really, I spent a lot of time learning about them in the course of the muslin construction.

• It's nice not to care about ruining something as you're trying to figure it out. Furthermore, I had this yellow tencel that was never gonna be used for anything else - it's 100 per cent see-through - but it's the same fabric I have in my stash in two other colours (that, I really hope, are less see-through). This was a chance to know I'd be able to a) get rid of unwearable stash while b) making something that I'll be able to remake in a fabric having the same properties. Sweet.

• I altered this pattern quite a bit (the topic of another section of this post, below) so I wanted to see if I'd maintained its integrity. I believe I have.

First let me tell you some neutral observations about V8790:

• This is not a pattern for a beginner! Or even for an experienced sewist who really doesn't dig working with knits. I can't believe the Vogue people have put it in the very easy category. That's high on drugs, IMO.

• It's cut for an Amazon princess with a waist that's 4-feet long.  OK, I'm exaggerating slightly, but if you're short of waist, you should know you'll need to alter it or you're gonna have a tunic on your hands. I removed 3.5 inches and I stand by it.

• This top is all about the fabric. The instructions advise a 2-way stretch knit only (I've seen other reviews that say it requires 4-way but it's not the case.) I think that Vogue peeps are worried about excessive vertical drape stretching the surplice neckline all to hell. In truth, unless you're working with a very stretchy fabric (like rayon jersey) and you make a size that's on the large end of your normal size (i.e. the exact opposite of how I like to wear my knits), excessive drag is unlikely to occur.

• That's because this thing is constructed such that the surplice attaches under the arm at the top of the side seam (where your underarm starts). The net result is that this thing is apt to strangle you with its insanely high cut. I say, go crazy with the stretch-factor. Note: On me this was unwearable - as well as tremendously uncomfortable. I had to alter it. (See below) Egad: I just had another look at the technical drawing and, either I totally misinterpreted the instructions (possible) or the photo is inaccurate?! It shows the front surplice panel attaching at the waist, not under the arm. I've so got to go back and see whether they suck or I'm an idiot! Yet another reason why making a muslin was a good idea.

• It won't work with a thick fabric. The front is two layers thick (as both sides of the surplice attach under each underarm). If you have a thick fabric, not only will it get bulky fast, but it will be ridiculously hot. Even the sleeveless version. The thinner the jersey, the better.

What I Changed:

• I cut 3.5 inches of length from the lengthen/shorten line at the waist. Given the complexity of the front piece, this made it quite difficult to true at the neckline-side of the front (the part with the facing). It took a long time and, in the end, I compared the curve against the original and just did my best to recreate it. Let's call this a workable change.

• I interfaced the facing. I thought it would be too baggy, particularly at the back neck. As it happens, my instinct at the neck-edge is probably sound (as it was in applying interfacing where the neck unit of this top is sewn to the shoulder unit - it's a bit weird, but you'd know what I mean if you were making this). It was not a good idea to interface the facing because that part really needs optimal opportunity to drape. Let's call this a mistake.

• How the surplice attaches to the side seams at the underarm (See above for the part where I might have read the instructions wrong.) Is it shocking that I can't even be bothered to go look at them right now so that I might clear this all up before I press Publish on this post? Hmmm...

• The length of the facing. I found it too long at the side seam (even as the neck was too high). I know - whack. This is possibly because the interfacing altered the drape of the fabric and altered the way it eases over the bust. As I fit and sewed, I ended up removing 2 inches of its length, where it meets the side-seams. I suspect the need to do this will depend on the fabric used so I won't alter the facing length out of the pattern.

What's flat out dubious about this pattern:

• The way the back piece attaches to the neck unit is totally weird and it's as if the pieces aren't meant to go together. Instead of being curves that attach, the attachment is with a series of right angles. Hard to explain. And just as hard to sew.

• I was gonna say, the way the surplice piece attaches at the underarm seam but that could backfire on me. :-) What I do know is that at least one side of the surplice (the one that goes underneath) is supposed to attach at the underarm - that much I'm sure of. I didn't like this. It was very bulky over the thickest part of my chest. So I lowered it - as I did the surplice panel at the other side seam. 

• The facing?! Did I say I hate facing? The only reason why I'll let it go here is that, presumably - were I to have left off the fusible interfacing on the facing, it would have draped better and looked less like a facing and more like an extension of the front side of the neckline.

Why I utterly love my serger and would suggest you give this pattern a miss if you don't have one:

• I finally decided to figure out some of the more fancy features of my serger. In this instance, ruching/gathering. Seriously, it is SO not hard. Essentially, using 4-spools of thread and a longish stitch length, you crank up the differential feed to the highest number (2) and the thing takes care of itself. It took me about half an hour of experimenting with my fabric to determine how I wanted to proceed (with clear elastic to hold the gather, rather than without). Without clear elastic, potentially, one must pull on threads to redistribute the gather - like one does with a regular machine. Note: should you decide to avoid clear elastic, the serger still makes it easier to use the thread-pull gathering method, than a regular machine, and and it maintains the initial gathers better, those created without thread pulling and by the differential feed action). I now realize that, with the serger, I could have done all of my gathering at the last stage of the project, when sewing up the three-layers of side seam fabric, by switching from regular serging to gather-setting serging (at which point I'd feed my clear elastic into the little groove), and then back to regular serging all on the same seam. It's a bit finicky and it takes courage, but it's totally possible. Keep in mind, I serged the side seams after basting them together! Don't just start hacking away at your fabric with a serger before establishing that the seams align.

• If you intend to work with clear elastic (which, admittedly, is not what the pattern calls for but which is the best material to a) gather the sides and b) stabilize the armholes, especially if you're doing the sleeveless version, then doing it with a regular machine is a nightmare.

• This is one of those patterns that really is bound to look homemade on the wrong side, without a serger. There are lots of layers atop one another. There are facings. There are strings for gathering (or else clear elastic). I mean, it'll look nice from the front, but the inside runs the risk of being untidy. And, without a serger, the likelihood is that your straight stitches might skip or inadequately hold the fabric. There's a lot of stress on a lot of seams and I think a serger will contain everything much more securely.

Is anyone still reading??

Will I make this again? Yes, next weekend, likely. If it works, great. If not, I gave it a good try and learned a lot about my serger, sewing with knits, surplice tops and clear elastic.

So, today's questions: Have you made V8790? Did you find the instructions challenging? Did the top fit you nicely? Did you alter it in any way? Let's talk!