Don McCunn's Blog

Sewing a Rolled Hem

I found a great techniques for sewing a narrow rolled hem in Sandra Betzina’s book More Fabric Savy. You use fusible thread as follows:

1. Put fusible thread in your bobbin.
2. With the good side up, sew a line of straight stitches 1/4″ (6mm) from the edge.
3. Turn under the hem and press to melt the fusible thread just slightly to the inside of the edge.
4. Trim the excess hem allowance close to the fused stitching.
5. Turn under the trimmed hem, then press.
6. Top stitch the hem in place.

The beauty of this approach is that you can do small rolled hems on complex shapes. I used this technique on the ruffles of this cotton gauze blouse that I made as an example for my online class The Sleeve Sloper and Variations.

The ruffles on the sleeves were created from circles of fabric like the one shown below.

I like this technique so much I created the video below showing a “beginning sewer” using this technique to finish the cuffs on a shirt I had made him.

I have found that my local fabric stores do not carry fusible thread but that it is readily available from a variety of sources online.

Swimsuit and Lingerie Edge Finishes

In preparing or my online patternmaking class Swimsuits, Lingerie, and Empire Dresses one of the things I noticed was how the same pattern could be used for different garments with one of the important differences being the type of edge finish.

As the information about the availability of these different edge finishes is important I created the following videos to show how to achieve each finish using scraps of fabric. As some of the materials used for these finishes may not be readily available I have included links to the online resource Fabric Depot. Susan of the Fabric Depot has been great about being an expert fabric and notions consultant for this class.

• Swimsuit Edging
• Lingerie Edging
• Fold-Over Elastic Edging

Swimsuit Edging

The edges of swimsuits can be created by sewing elastic to the wrong side of the fashion fabric, then turning the elastic and top stitching in place. Elastic for swimsuits should be salt water and chlorine resistant. One type is cotton elastic the other is rubber.

When you create patterns for this type of elastic, create a seam allowance, or what I call an elastic allowance, that is the width of the elastic. This elastic allowance becomes your guide for sewing the elastic.

Lingerie Edging

Lingerie can use the same edging technique as for swimwear or it can use elastic with a fancy picot edge or a plain edge but with a plush back for a softer texture. For fancy picot and plush back elastic, you sew the elastic to the good side of the fabric, trim off any excess allowance then turn it under.

When you create patterns for this type of elastic create an elastic allowance that is the width of the elastic. This elastic allowance becomes your guide for sewing the elastic.

Fold-Over Elastic Edging

Fold-Over elastic is a special type of elastic that folds over the edge of the garment. It sandwiches the fashion fabric between the two edges of the elastic. For this type of edge, the fashion fabric should be cut to the design line with no seam allowance.

Copyright (c) 2010 by Don McCunn

Birth of a Bandeau Bra

In preparing for my next online patternmaking class Swimsuits, Lingerie, and Empire Dresses I was describing the many different types of garments that can be made using my pattern design system for bikinis, bandeaux, and fitted briefs. The topic of bras came up in my How to Make Sewing Pattern group.

I have been using my bikini pattern to create Bikini Bras for different models up to a “C” cup bra size. But when I started experimenting with larger bust sizes I realized that my bandeau pattern offers a better solution. Good bra engineering for large bust sizes provides support for the bust from the rib cage rather than shoulder straps. The bikini pattern relies on straps tied around the neck. My bandeau pattern on the other hand uses the support provided by the difference between the above bust and the full bust circumferences. My bandeau pattern is not just a straight strip of fabric. It uses a dart between center front and the apex to create the shape of a custom-fit bra cup.

While I have used the bandeau for costumes, gowns, and swimsuits, I had not applied it’s shape to creating a bra. Now I have. It is still in infancy as a bra design but I find the potential very hopeful because these bras are so quick and easy to construct. It can be made from one pattern piece using quality bra making supplies such as Tricot bonded foam, plush back elastic, powernet, and bra back closures. Straps can be added if desired but they are not the primary support structure as can happen too often in commercial bras. This bra does not require underwires and the pattern may be easily adapted for the prosthesis of women who have had radical mastectomies. My next project is to try this bandeau bra on my model who wears a 38DD in a commercial bra.

In the video above you can see my first bandeau bra. I made it from a wonderful powernet like fabric called Rubenesque. Susan of the Fabric Depot has been very supportive of my online classes. When she acquired this fabric as a special purchase, she sent me a sample to see how I would respond to it. I love it. It is one of the friendliest fabrics I have ever worked with. I just regret that when she sells out her current inventory it will no longer be available. Fortunately the bandeau bra can be made from regular powernet as well.

The Tryanny of Standardized Sizing

In preparation for my class Swimsuits, Lingerie, and Empire Dresses I was reading The Lingerie Handbook by Rebecca Apsan. Rebecca owns “La Petite Couquette” lingerie store in New York City. She goes into a fair amount of detail about the ins and outs of buying lingerie from her experience running this store and helping her customers get the best fit. When I came to the section on panties she includes a size chart. Here is a brief summary of sizing:

The chart includes every size from 4/XS to 15/8XL. If you analyze the numbers, each increase in size is two inches larger than the preceding size. This is reflective of how the industry grades from one body shape to an entire range of sizes.

From the perspective of someone who helps people achieve a custom fit, not everyone has a proportional difference of 10″ or 11″ between their waist and hip measurements. If your body shape falls into this proportion, then you are lucky as you should have no trouble finding panties that are comfortable and fit you well.

I don’t do surveys of the various panty manufacturers so maybe there are companies that use a different proportion. I sure hope so because this shaping does not work for a lot of the people who I have helped over the years.

So it was interesting to me to read Rebecca’s solution to helping people find a fit that works for them. One solution she mentioned is that if you have a large waist, then she recommends the low rise boy shorts. She also touts how well thongs work to eliminate VPL (visible panty lines).

My personal feeling is that if your body does not fall into the proportions that the industry uses, you should be able to have both the fit and the look you want for your specific body shape, size, and personal aesthetic.

Fortunately for those of you who sew, or are interested in learning to sew, this is easy to achieve as shown in the photos above of three of the different models I have worked with. Each had a different body and a different way they wanted it covered.

The fitted briefs, or panties, shown here are one of the focuses of my online class Swimsuits, Lingerie, and Empire Dresses. They are derived from the research and development I did for the pattern design techniques I describe in my book How to Make Bikinis and Bandeaux.

Cutting Fabric with a Hot Knife

Synthetic fibers can be cut with either scissors, a rotary cutter, or a hot knife. The advantage of using a hot knife is that while it cuts the fabric it also seals the edge. This can be particularly useful for slinky fabrics like linings which tend to ravel easily. When cut with the hot knife, the fabric simply does not ravel.

The video below will show exactly how to evaluate whether a fabric can be cut with a hot knife and how the cutting may be done.

There are two different types of hot knives, one for cutting foam and the other for cutting fabric. The hot knife shown below is basically a soldering iron with a hot knife tip. It can be used to cut fabric.

Click on the image to see it at Amazon.

Once you start using a hot knife, you will find different situations where it can become quite useful. The other day I was cutting some Rigilene boning which has an irritating way of having loose fibers poke out the end of the boning. When I cut it with a hot knife, the end was sealed. I can tell the poking will not occur.

Butterfly Outfit, Sewing

(Click on any of the thumbnails to see a larger image.)

Hi, More on this outfit later. But for now I am posting a quick message to answer a question on the Yahoo Group Sewing Dance Costumes. This is an outfit made from Lycra Velvet. It has a subtle butterfly pattern in it, hence the name. I chose to cut the fabric so that the fibers of the velvet point upwards. This tends to make the garment look darker in photos. If the fibers were pointing down, the pattern would probably be more obvious in photos but the garment would not be as rich in real life. The description of how this garment is sewn is in response to a question that has occurred as to what is the best way to sew trim and straps for swimsuits and this type of garment. I experimented with several techniques for making athletic bras and this is my ultimate solution. One problem I encountered is that some commercial garments I examined combined the straps with the arm opening. When I tried this, the arm openings gaped open. I found combining the straps into the necklines as shown here to be a more effective solution.

Sewing Technique

Cut arm and neck openings with no seam allowances. This will be the finished edge after the trim is applied. Cut trim from fashion fabric 1-1/2″ (cm) wide by slightly longer than the arm opening. Pin the trim to the arm opening along the edge of the arm opening, good sides together. Sew with a 1mm zigzag using a 1/4″ (6mm) seam allowance. Turn the trim to the inside of the garment and baste in place to create a 1/4″ (6mm) trim as seen from the right side. The photo above shows this step from the inside of the garment. From the good side, stitch in the ditch, then trim the excess seam allowance of the trim.	Cut a strip 1-1/2″ (cm) wide by the length of the combined neck openings and shoulder straps plus 1″ (cm) for seam allowances. Cut 1/4″ elastic the same length as the fabric for Step 7. Form a loop of the elastic overlaping the ends by 1″, then zigzag. Form a loop of the fashion fabric from Step 7, good sides together, then sew with a 1/2″ (cm) seam allowance. Zigzag the elastic to the edge of the wrong side edge of the fashion fabric loop. Pin the fashion fabric loop to the body of the garment, right sides together, matching center front, center back, and other sewing notches, see photo above.
Sew the loop to the neckline edges using a 1mm zigzag stitch as shown in the photo above.	Turn the fashion fabric for the neckline trim to the inside of the garment and hand baste in place as described in Step 5, see photo. From the good side, stitch in the ditch around the necklines using a 1mm zigzag. Zigzag around the strap and neckline trim. This is decorative top stitching of your choice. I recommend a wide zigzag or three step zigzag. In Lycra velvet such as this garment, the stitching is virtually invisible. Trim the excess seam allowance from the strap/neckline trim fabric.