Can you hear me scream? This is collar number two and it is disgusting. I tried over and over to beat it into submission with the iron and that was the big mistake. I wasn't all pleased with the piping either. Close, but no cigar! No matter how close I graded and trimmed the collar it came out like this. It also refused to lay properly at the neckline, gross. It finally dawned on me what the problem was. It wasn't my over ironing. It wasn't the grading. It was the dang poly cotton blend I bought to get the right color match for the garment. Luckily I had plenty of fabric left. I couldn't change the collar fabric as the sleeves were complete and in good shape. So I recut the bodice and recut the collar, made some more piping and started all over for the third time. It was the charm. I decided because the collar had some synthetic in it to not iron it at all. It looks so much better and lays very nicely. The moral is if you have a synthetic/natural blend, just plain don't iron it. Really. It does that puffy thing that synthetics do and hides the seam allowances and lays better on the neckline. No, that's wrong. The moral is don't buy stinkin' synthetics for any reason for any heirloom garment. Duh.... Oy......
Here's a peek at the sleeves. They will be french seamed in one solid line along with the bodice and skirt side seam. The placket came out great. I like to cut my plackets on the bias and that of course worked well with the stripes. No little pleat at the bottom! Oh, the color of the fabric in the placket picture is true. It is a soft faded print, not yellowy like the above.
Thank you!!! Now that I have vented I will go back to the cave and put the three buttonholes in the placket. Cross those fingers. I'll use my old Kenmore for that one, just to be on the safe side....Bunny
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Click on the picture in the sidebar if you are looking for the Sew Beautiful Blog Tour. Have fun touring and don't forget to come back to see the finished dress! It may be a few days as I am travelling and then two of the grandchildren are visiting. I can't wait!
Can you please post a tutorial on attaching a placket at the end of a French seam. I recently needed this technique but was uncertain, so did an open seam instead. Shame as all the other seams were French.
ReplyDeleteWhat pattern are you using? I have had better luck tracing the collar on to a square of fabric and sewing it instead of cutting it out.
ReplyDeleteLove the pretty fabric you chose for the main part of the dress. Your workmanship is excellent as usual too. No buttonholes for me--neither sewing machine will zigzag-DARN IT!
ReplyDeleteBunny, the dress is going to be beautiful. I have to smile that you're using your Kenmore machine to make buttonholes. My friend has one too and it makes the best buttonholes with the least amount of trouble. I can't wait to see the finished dress. Hopefully you'll have smooth sailing from here on in. Happy sewing. Gita
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had so much trouble with the coll;ar.I do collars as Robin described. I never clip the piping, instead iron it into shape before applying, stitch once then stitch again 1/8" from original stitching and trim everything close to the second stitching, works like a charm.
ReplyDeleteYou are a perfectionist! The dress is looking great and shows your hard work.
ReplyDeleteYep...I've said it before..."anal retentive-compulsive perfectionist" LOL And I'm SEW glad you are! I would never have been able to figure out what was causing the problem & perhaps this is why I have had so much trouble with piping some collars. ??? Hmmmmm....
ReplyDeleteAlso, love the tip about cutting the placket on the bias! Why don't they TELL us this stuff????
Its a brilliant idea & makes so much sense.
Enjoy the grandkidlets!!
Hugs,
Rett
I, too, love making piped collars the way Dawn described. I use that method on many things, instead of grading and clipping. It is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet print with the stripe accents. Can't wait to see the finished garment, after you have fun with the grandchildren!
I am so glad I'm not the only one who tries to beat things into submission. Thanks for the hilarious visual.
ReplyDeleteDelightful - this is exactly what I love in baby clothing! Sweetly tailored with no fussiness near the face (really, babies are so beautiful they don't need frills), no garish modern prints and a dainty scale perfect for tiny persons. This is a family heirloom dress.
ReplyDelete