Sewing with Sequins

While working on my current project, McCalls 8406,  it occurred to  me that the fabric used and the techniques required really deserved its own blogpost. I am making this dress from a sequin fabric. The first thing I have learned is that all sequin fabrics are not equal. I am lucky in that the sequined fabric I fell in love with is definitely, in my opinion, one of the easier types to sew. My fabric is a random trail of VERY tiny sequins, also very thin, that are sewn by machine all over a base of netting. It's a bit stronger than tulle but not that heavy net business. Also, and important for ease here, it DOES NOT stretch.  Equally important, the design has a fair amount of negative space that is just netting. This is not the fabric of larger sequins that  solidly cover a substrate and you find used for mermaid outfits and  lovely formal garments. My fabric has a lighter, more ethereal feel but like all sequin fabrics, also has a weighty drape, but not the heaviness of the big sequins. I highly recommend sewing this sort of sequin fabric as you will see ahead. It is simply less problematic. So rule number one is that if you are searching for a sparkly fabric, consider a sequined fabric utilizing smaller  sequins in the design and maybe an amount of  half negative space with the base fabric. Also being non stretch helps but not mandatory. That just eliminates another factor to deal with. You will need certain supplies to ease your journey. 

to indicate scale 

Supplies needed:

* Old junk scissors.  Do NOT use your good scissors for cutting this fabric or a rotary cutter. It will be fine. I am using my junk scissors that I bought in a bin for a dollar 30 years ago. They cut the fabric just fine. 

* Wood clapper. You CANNOT press your sequined fabric.  It will tarnish, lose it's color and/or melt. But, you can "faux" press it and I will show you how with a clapper and a few other tricks. 

* Seam roll. I used a length of wooden pole. Worked great to lay the sewn seams on and not crush while "faux" pressing. 

* Brayer. Same as the clapper but with the addition that it will crush the little gems together at the seam line effortlessly and they will lie beautifully flat. I did not remove any sequins in the seams for the project other than the zipper area. 

* Straight stitch foot, one hole. This was best for making  the 1/4 inch width for the Hong Kong seams . 

* See thru foot. Used for general stitching- s l o w l y .

* Silk thread for basting. It slides in and out of the the sequins and stitches so easily. Very easily removable. I used it to block baste the sequin fabric to the lining, working flat on a table to prevent bubbles.  

* Regular thread for sewing. You can use lighter weight thread if you get the right color. You need a good match here . 

* Glasses for eye protection when sewing and cutting. Sequins go everywhere and I have read of them flying into people's eyes when cutting and sewing. Don't risk it. 

* Paintbrush, soft and at least two inches wide.  Great for brushing up all the sequin drops into a pile and putting in the trash. They will fall off your fabric and reproduce as you sleep. Clean up after every session. The less sequins hanging around the less opportunity for accidents. 

* Sticky lint roller. Use for a quick cleanup. You will be finding sequins everywhere but they are not bad like glitter. 

* Oak tag or manila folders.  You will need two.  They will be used to make your pressing jigs. 

* Hand needles for basting. 

*Microtex needle, 12, for sewing. Halfway thru the garment and no broken needles yet and still sharp. 

\Sequin Myths that did not apply here:

* You will break tons of needles. Did not happen to me. I am still on the same happy needle halfway thru my garment. 

* You must remove all the sequins from all the seam allowances before sewing. Nope, I haven't removed a one. I only plan to remove where the invisible zipper will be placed. These tiny sequins are so thin and small  that they don't get in the way and they don't scratch you either, at least not me. I do have sensitive, thin skin  too! I also got validation on this from a couple youtubes. 

* You can't iron the fabric. Well, you can't, but you can get around that.  Make sure your lining is nicely pressed before starting. Keep your pieces in a flat position to eliminate further wrinkling. Treat them kindly. I keep mine in a half sheet pan. Do hand work flat on a table.  I will show you how to get a flat seam with the ironing jigs. 

Sequin Must Dos

* You must make samples of  pressing before starting, with and without lining. 

* You must make samples of stitching. Using a zigzag of .5 wide and 2.5 long gave a much better result than a straight stitch for seams.  I actually forgot to take off my 1/4 inch foot from doing my HK seams and found out that this single hole foot will do a .5 zig zag so I left it on to do all of my HK seams. Worked great. I used the wider see thru foot for all of the rest of the stitching. 

* You must interface linings as needed, definitely not the netting. 

* You must use the right tools and rules to get a decent, flat pressed looking seam. 

* You MUST sew s l o w l y,  every step of the way. 

* You must, unless you remove all those sequins, treat your seam allowances to a finish. I did Hong Kong seams on mine out of the same Ambiance lining. Don't ditch stitch the HK seams. Topstitch instead.  HK seams will cover any edges of the sequins that could irritate and they finish any loose threads. This way you won't have sequins falling off on the dance floor. 

"Faux Pressing" Sequins

Jig #1

Take your first manila folder, just as it is being held in your hands and putting down and measure down from the fold about 5 inches. Cut on that line. You can see my cut is uneven. That's OK. You want the fold, not the cut line. Here you can see where I have sewn a bias strip to the fabric for a Hong Kong seam. I need to press that strip away from the fashion fabric. BUTT the folded edge of the manila folder right up to the stitched line of the fabric strip. Hover your iron, set up for steam, over the folder area ONLY, for about 3 seconds and move away fast.  Quickly slide away your jig and hand press down the fabric strip. Take your clapper and press down and away and hold it for a few seconds. When you remove the clapper you will see the lining pressed away and nice and flat. The double thick folder paper helps prevent the steam/heat from damaging your sequins. Slide the folder up the seam and continue pressing the strip away from your garment until done. 

Next for your HK seams you will need to wrap the strip around the the edge and pin in the ditch securely. I used silk pins as they handled the sequins really well. Go to the machine. and EDGE STITCH the strip fold on your seam allowance as opposed to the usual ditch stitching done on HK seams. When done remove the excess seam allowance on the back. 

Anytime you need to press an area, butt the manila folder, doubled like here, up to the edge to not let any heat/steam heat anywhere else on the garment. At no time touch the garment. Just hover with 2 or 3 seconds of steam and get away fast. 

Here are some seams in the bodice all put together, shoulder and back, below. 

Jig #2

Above, on the left you can see the seam before being treated with Jig #2 method and on the right after #2 method. We will use the brayer, the seam roll , the clapper and the jig and iron again. 

To make Jig #2, take your second folder and fold it as it's meant to be and get out your rotary cutter and ruler or scissors. Doesn't matter which. Accuracy not too important here. About 4 inches from either edge cut a fat eighth inch away from the fold to make a long slit. Do a little short cut on the ends. Now, if you open your folder up you have a long slit roughly a 1/4 inch plus wide. As you use your folder, use it folding down to make things easier. Place your garment. seams open, wrong side up first on your pressing stick/seam roll. The picture above is for when I turned over and did the same process to the right side of the garment. You will do both sides.  Get your brayer or clapper handy. Place your Jig Slot over your seam line, centering it in the slit. Holding the jig securely, once again, HOVER your iron about an inch above for about 3 seconds of steam/heat and get away. Immediately grab the brayer and roll over the slit with pressure or use the clapper. I prefer the brayer here. Take your time. Gently remove the jig. Admire your seam, give it a little contented pat and move your way up the seam with the same process. Again. Press your seam open first on the wrong side, then flip it over and do the right side as you see above. The brayer forces the sequins to mesh together and really hold the seam flat. Don't be afraid to press hard. 

Here we go, above, all nice and smooth! Whew! 

When I went shopping for my fabric for this dress there was soooo much to choose from that would have fit the description of small sequins with a good amount of negative space, really lovely fabrics. I have even seen some beautiful ones at Joanns that would fit the description nicely as well. So, these fabrics are not hard to find and you cetainly get the wow factor. Many are more subdued than this one, lots of options, colors, etc. If you pick a pattern with few pieces, details, etc, and that is easy these days, you can make a garment that I think will be amazing.  I hope my jigs and suggestions will help you along. I welcome comments. May your sewing sparkle!....Bunny

"Couture Sewing Techniques" Book Review

The "Dressmaker's handbook of couture sewing techniques" by Linda Maynard  is one of those rare sewing books that I got from the library and now have to go out and buy. In my opinion, and apparently that of others, this is NOT couture. The book is populated with scrumptious haute couture runway fashions but these are merely  backdrop and lovely eye candy.
HOWEVER, I love this book and highly recommend it.

Good points:

* The book is spiral bound, perfect for laying out next to your machine.

* The photos are very clear, close up and large. Any beginner could take this book and follow the      directions to achieve a    successful result. It is like having a patient teacher looking over your shoulder.

* This is all about machine sewing, not the hand techniques of haute couture. That doesn't lessen the value of the book in any way,however. 

* The chapter on bindings is fabulous and makes the book worth buying just for that. 

* The book covers many design details: collars, hems, waistbands, pockets, linings, and so much more. The techniques given are what you would find in high end RTW. 

Not so good points:

* There is a section on "Underpinnings". It shows large photos of skirts backed with various backings. The technique is explained well enough but the photos are cropped in a way that really makes it hard to see the difference the author is trying to show that backings make. It may be the lighting, or the fact of being too cropped to make the point, or the circular closeup photo layed on top, but the five pages devoted to this technique could have been done better visually to make the point. It is hard to discern.

* In the chapter on linings only two fabrics are mentioned, silk crepe de chine and acetate satin (!). I have seen couture garments lined with silk habotai and silk charmeuse but these fabrics are not mentioned and I don't get that. In all the haute couture garments I was fortunate to see up close at Shaeffer's retreat, none had acetate linings that I remember. 

* A serger is shown as a tool of couture (?) but not once mentioned in the book. While I don't see it being mentioned in the lessons, why is it shown as necessary? It's not. 

All that being said,  I LOVE THIS BOOK and will buy it. I think the section on bindings covers more possibilities and the correct technique for them than any other book out there. I would love to have this book with it's spiral binding  to reference for sewing bindings on all the various fabrics mentioned. They do require different techniques and they are all here. 

I highly recommend this book for beginning sewists as well as all others. Do not be put off by the title as this really is a book about just sewing better, in my opinion. Newbies, inside you will find large pictures, closeup and clear, showing how to do many techniques that will bring your sewing a more quality look. It's the sort of teaching that will remove the "loving hands at home", "Becky Home Ec-y" look.  There are wonderful lessons on v-necks, hems, waistbands, collars and more that are really the sign of high end ready to wear. If you are not into the time investment or hand techniques of haute couture, but want a Neiman Marcus look this book will get you there. I learned much from this book.  It is really good and I am off to Amazon to order my own copy! ..............Bunny

Wednesday Words

 courtesy Bishop Clothing Construction book

"Directional staystitching is rarely used in couture, and never on necklines as is often recommended nor on armholes. If you are concerned about stretch, fold a bias strip of silk organza over the edge and hand baste. The thread itself will prevent stretch.                

As to directional stitching, if a seam is hand basted, as it is assumed to be in couture, you can sew it in any direction and retain control if the seams are of like grain. If they are of mixed grain, follow the weakest grain on top and handbaste, then machine baste. ".........................................Roberta Carr in "Couture, the Fine Art of Sewing"  ( bolded words as originally written)

Do you stay stitch? Do you do it directionally? 

courtesy weallsew.com

What is a Master???........

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Ah, the Masters of the Sewing Universe......

First, what is a Master? Well, tomes could be written on that topic and I am sure controversy would ensue. For me these are people passionate about stitching, craftmanship and design. They have honed their craft in the couture world over years, love teaching  others their passion, and are the go to source for anything  that needs the perfect solution to a sewing challenge. Their careers are marked by couture history,  superb teaching credentials, inpressive clients, and great talent in design. They are often published as well, either in print or cyberspace. In no great order here are the three I have chosen.

Susan Khalje

Susan Khalje got her couture chops working at Chez Cez et Bez, a couture salon in NY city. Her 25 years as a couture dressmaker have given her incredible skills which later translated  to a position as fashion designer and manufacturing supervisor on Seventh Avenue in NY city. In 1993 she started The Couture Sewing School, making the learning of these fine skills possible in many  other areas of the country. She can be found teaching from Baltimore to LA and internationally as well. She offers an annual trip to Paris which would certainly be the ultimate sewing experience for any serious sewist. Ms.Khalje is also currently teaching a course on Craftsy on sewing "The Couture Dress" at a VERY reasonable price. This Craftsy course is a terrific opportunity for newer sewists, heck everyone, to dip their toes into the Couture water. There are rave reviews all over the internet for this class so no matter your level of expertise, sign up and count yourself taught by the best! You will be able to proceed at  your own pace and have an incredible learning opportunity.

Susan  is also  a contributing editor to Threads magazine bestowing upon us the finer points of Chanel jackets and much more. Don't we all have or covet Issue #121, the one with the black boucle Chanel jacket on the cover?  Her knowledgeable writing and sewing skills make it  probably the most coveted Threads issue published. Seek this one out if you don't have it.You will be glad you did.

Ms. Khalje has written extensively on sewing and many a bride has walked down the aisle stunningly dressed thanks to her book "Bridal Couture".  She has also written "Linen and Cotton", an essential guide to sewing these two universal fabrics. As a newbie, you may not feel the need for her couture skills yet or if ever (that will change, trust me ) but her "Linen and Cotton" book will definitely serve you well. It is currently available in PDF form from Taunton Press.  Newbies, if you seek higher sewing ground, read her books and seek out her classes.  A Sewing Master's skills will never let you down and will only enhance your own capabilities so count on Ms. Khalje to only supply you the best of knowledge available in the sewing universe.

Photo Courtesy of Threads Magazine

Photo courtesy of Ms. Khalje's website

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Kenneth King

Kenneth King's experience as a  couturier  is evidenced in his wonderful website. I love how it explains his aesthetic and of course there is that amazing gallery to peruse. You can also read numerous publications lauding his abilities. He has sewn for the Stars and is a Professor of Haute Couture at Fashion Institute of Technology in NY city. As impressive as his resume is he appears to really enjoy reaching out to us mortal sewists with his classes and fabulous books. They are essentials in my sewing library. His latest,  "Cool Couture" covers everything from accordion pleats to zippers all  clearly, concisely and with great photos.

Mr. King  offers Sit and Sew classes along with Susan Khalje this August and October. Can you just imagine?  I know from those that have attended that he is one incredible, highly entertaining educator! He also occasionally offers on line classes at very reasonable fees through Pattern Review. These are perfect classes for newbies so make sure you are following Pattern Review to see when his next class starts. Mr. King's ability to totally think outside of the box when faced with a sewing challenge is what makes him a great teacher. He supplies information you just never would have thought of and that's priceless. You can count on King to supply many more tools for  your sewing tool box!

 King also publishes frequent articles in Threads magazine and in Threads on line in his capacity as a Contributing Editor, the likes of which are often teaching mastery of amazing embellishment ideas. He makes it all so clear and easy. And his techniques are! You can also catch a wonderful class with King on Craftsy right now as well. It teaches how to capture the great fit of your favorite pair of jeans.  I think we all need that one!


So once again, with Kenneth King, Like Khalje,  we have highbrow clients, Haute Couture history, impressive teaching credentials, publication and a passion that he enjoys passing along to sewists. Newbies, seek him out! He is a Master!

 

Photo courtesy of Kenneth King

Photo courtesy of Kenneth King

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Claire Shaeffer

Ms. Shaeffer ran away from home at 17 to join the circus, really!  Her initial matriculation at Florida State University had her studying the circus curriculum. She soon had a change of heart and graduated with a degree in Art History. Her thin physical stature, while perfect for a circus acrobat, was not conducive to well fitting clothing so she decided to start sewing her own. A natural progression to pattern making courses ensued followed by a lifelong devotion to the study of couture techniques right at the source: couture workrooms in Paris. She has been in the ateliers and has cultivated relationships with some of the most renown Parisian Couturiers.  


Claire Shaeffer was a sample maker at the very  beginning of her career. Her teaching ability later enabled faculty positions at Kent State University, Colorado State University, College of the Desert, Palm Desert, Ca., Eastern Michigan University and more. She has developed curriculum and  juried many a sewing/design competition.  She has consulted with numerous museums regarding their collections of couture.  Shaeffer teaches only two workshops a year in her lovely desert home in Palm Springs. She is booked far in advance and can be contacted at sewfari@earthlink.net. if  you are interested in further information regarding her "Sewfari". Classes are usually concentrated on either Haute Couture Techniques or more specifically Chanel.
Ms. Shaeffer is well published having contributed many articles to Threads Magazine over the years. If you are a Threads Insider you have access to many of her couture techniques at your fingertips. DVDs and books fill out her repertoire. Her books ARE CLASSICS! Her Fabric Sewing Guide sits  close to my machine and is consulted with most new garments I make. In it's latest edition there is updated fabric  information as well as an encyclopedic amount of knowledge regarding needles, threads, interfacings and more. You can "study" this book. I have gone through it cover to cover three times at this point. Or, you can use it as a wonderful reference. Making a silk gazar garment? Look up Silk Gazar and you will find out what needle to use, thread to use, interfacing to use, etc. Nothing is left to chance. It is definitive knowledge. Newbies, this book is a must have for your sewing library. No where else will you get all the information on all the fabrics and how to sew them all beautifully. You've got a fabric, you look it up, simple as that. Ms. Shaeffer has a new DVD, The Tailoring DVD,   that will be released early next spring so keep your eyes open for that.  Her "Basic Couture DVD" was released this spring and is available through Taunton Press. 
Vogue Pattern Magazine has also been graced with her knowledge and she currently has a 6 part series on the Chanel jacket you won't want to miss. If you are lucky enough to have all the Threads issues on DVD or just a huge collection in your closet like I do, in issue #23, 1989, Ms. Shaeffer writes a great article on making a Chanel skirt to go with your jacket.


Ms. Shaeffer also has a very popular line of patterns she designs for Vogue. Some of her patterns are distinguished  by having both the  Haute Couture way of making the garment and the high end ready to wear method of making the garment, all in the same envelope. You choose how involved you want to get with  your garment. Her designs are very classic fashions that will give you years of payback for your efforts. The couture construction is amazing. You can take one of these patterns and teach yourself so much.  I highly recommend them to all sewists. Her latest design, the classic Chanel jacket with the three piece sleeves, vented cuffs, and all the other signature Chanel techniques is Vogue 8804.  Even if you are not at this skill level yet, get this pattern and save it until you want to be. Her first Chanel jacket pattern was disco'd and became a hot commodity out there on Ebay due to it's scarcity. I had to borrow and trace one from an internet friend.  Thankfully we are blessed with this latest iteration and don't have to go to crazy lengths to get the quintessential jacket pattern. 


In conclusion, Ms. Shaeffer is a Master. She has a  passion for sharing couture skills, knows many a couturier as a friend or a not so friend (Chanel refuses her entry to their workrooms.) She is well published and in essence has a lifetime of  credentials qualifying her as a Master in the sewing world. Your sewing library is not complete without at least one of her books but I would recommend all, for sure.  Every sewist, even our Newbies, needs "The Fabric Sewing Guide".

                                                           Photo courtesy of Claire Shaeffer

                                             Photo courtesy of Threads Magazine
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I would like to thank Susan Khalje, Kenneth King, and Claire Shaeffer, all of whom have been more than gracious in helping me publish an accurate post. While they stand on the top of the sewing mountain, they are more than generous, kind and lovely in real life. I am grateful all sewists have such honorable, gifted, and generous stars shining down on our sewing universe.

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 Based on some private emails and lots of recent personal conversations I've  decided to do some posts specifically designed to help out our more newbie stitchers. These are my totally subjective opinions and you may differ in yours but that's OK. You know I welcome all healthy comment. I will tag these posts with the Newbie Label so that they can be easily searched. There is a logical progression to what I want to say here and there will be  more posts so while you may think I have left a lot out it will probably be coming in the next post on the subject so bear with me.

My goal is to help newer stitchers know who can be relied on to have quality information, books, PDFs, patterns, tutorials, etc. I will do  a series of  posts specifically meant to help enlighten the many that have asked me, "how will I know if it's good information if I don't know what that is yet?" These posts will give you a head start on all that information. I hope it brings you a passionate desire to learn this craft as well. If there is anything I can do to help that along please let me know................... Bunny