Hey dear readers!
How you guys doin’ this Saturday night? I’m great because I’ve made some super progress on my Project Blossom Cambie!
I received my fabric from Tessuti about a week ago and couldn’t wait to dig in! So I did!
Here’s the plan to refresh your memory:
I’ve changed a few things since we last chatted.
1. I used the lining piece for the sleeve instead of the fashion fabric pattern piece with the gathering. The fabric is fairly heavy and I wanted a cleaner look.
2. I’m using the A-line skirt provided and will peg it in (take it in) if I need to later since it fits really well. Amazeballs!
Close inspection of my fabric confirmed TRUE LOVE, and I also noticed it was quite stretchy.
“Back it, Kat, back it!” my sewing voices said.
“But, with what?” I replied. ”I want to start my Cambie NOW, I don’t want to wait to get more fabric!”.
Off to the stash…that *is* what it’s there for right?
My considerations were these. Fabric is stretchy, fabric is heavy, fabric is cotton. Cotton lawn! I had a beautiful light cotton lawn (borders on a voile) in my stash, but it’s white. No biggie – this fabric is opaque as…no worries about underlining showing through and changing the colour of my fashion fabric. It was perfect because it’s light (I don’t want to make my fabric heavier) and it’s cotton and non stretchy. I was worried that the elastane in the fabric would affect the fit, so this needs to be controlled with underlining.
So, I cut out my pattern (Size 12) in my underlining and attached it to my fashion fabric. To see how, see last week’s “Technique of the Week”. Handy dandy.
One thing I wanted to make sure of, was to match the pattern on the centre back seam where the zip goes. I think I managed that pretty well!
Centre back seam – bodice
Centre back seam – skirt
The great thing about a backing (or underlining/interlining) is that you have a place to anchor hand stitches. Beauty since I love hand stitching. I love the process and the results. Form and function, as Susan Khalje says.
I sewed the bodice together as per usual but paid special attention that lovely sweetheart neckline. Issue here is stretchy fabric + sweetheart neckline = potential gaping.
The first thing I did (and always do) is stay stitched the curvy bits of the bodice and ANY seam on the bias. It’s really vital to do this right away because curvy bits and bias seams can stretch from handling/sewing faster than you can imagine.
But it needed more.
In order to ensure the sweetheart neckline turned slightly towards my body and not out the other way and to ensure it didn’t stretch *at all* I inserted a stay. This is super easy to do and can be done for any folded edge.
You just cut a small strip of silk organza (about 3cm) and fold in half. Mark where the organza meets the middle of the V and then mark 1cm less than that. Pin the organza so your second marking lines up with the V. This creates a small buckle in the fabric, but that’s good!
Now ease the fabric into the length of the organza strip by sewing small running stitches. This does not create gathers, but just eases the fabric into a slightly smaller length, thus ensuring the sweetheart neckline curves towards the body. Claire Shaeffer in her book Couture Sewing Techniques also uses elastic as a stay, but I didn’t do that here…that’s for another project! I only stayed half the sweetheart neckline because the straps attach to the other half.
That’s not going anywhere!
Next I was looking for a way to stabilize the V, since you have to clip right to the stay stitching, and I hate doing that.
Susan Khalje to the rescue!
Susan uses a mini facing of silk organza to stabilize V’s like this one.
Check out her tutorial on Threads here. This is going into “Technique of the Week” for sure, since it’s so useful!
Essentially you sew a piece of silk organza on the right side of the fashion fabric right on the stay stitching line
Pin
Sew
Now do the all important snip right to the stitching line
Snip!
You can now turn the facing to the inside and press so that the stay stitching is just to the inside
Catch stitch the facing and the folded over fashion fabric
There..satisfaction with that.
I then went on to clip and catch stitch the rest of the bodice. In the last pic, you can see how the top of the bodice curves into the desk…it really works!
Catch stitched side seam
Bodice wrong side
Bodice right side
Another tip of Susan’s is to not clip your armscye/necklines before you press them. Press them first (this can be quite difficult) and then clip. Thus, the memory of the curve is built into the fabric before you clip, avoiding the octagonal type curves and making them nice and rounded. Works like a treat, but it is fiddly.
Closeup of armscye – wrong side
Closeup of armscye – right side
Phew! Well that’s the bodice done! Why put it in all this effort for a day dress, you might say? Well….
1. I can’t help myself. I love sewing this way!
2. Form and function. These techniques make your garment look fabulous and they make your garment work with your body and last longer without loosing shape. Catch stitching the seam allowances adds a huge amount of structure…kinda like a facing does.
3. I can practice techniques and invent/try new ones
4. It’s just plain old relaxing and fun!
5. I can share my experience and what I’ve learned with you all!
Well, that’s good enough reason for me.
I hope you enjoyed my bodice construction! I’ve made more progress and have now attached the skirt to the bodice, but that’s for another day.
Relax and Enjoy,
Kat
PS
I’m lining the whole thing with a light cotton voile…but haven’t got that yet. I’ll do this when the whole dress is constructed. Burke over at My Sew Called Life had a great comment asking about using facings instead of lining. I could have totally done that and debated it. In haute couture, often lining isn’t used because it interfears with the design/drape of the garment. Instead, facings are used. When the edge is straight, the facing is simply an extension of the fashion fabric. When curved, the facing is separate (whether it be a bias strip of a separately cut fabric). This is fell stitched to the wrong side of the garment much like a lining would be. I could have done this, but opted to line instead.
Holy hell, Kat! Pattern matching on the centre back zipper!? I feel a little ill just thinking about doing that myself
LOL…yeah it took a bit of doing, but I was feeling ‘ambitious’ (read, I was clearly high on drugs)
So you’ve omiited the lining, instead turning under the seam allowance right? I think I prefer your method to the lining, given the fabric needs an underlining. The hand-stitches are really lovely!
Hi Burke! Nope, I’m still lining the garment…I’ll do that when the whole thing is completed as the last step. If I didn’t line it those catch stitches would literally catch on anything! I think if I finished the edges and fell stitched them down they wouldn’t. Interestingly, in haute couture, linings are actually seldom used because they’re bulky and often change the drape of the garment. So, yes, facings are often just turned under extensions of the fashion fabric *if* the edge is straight. If it’s curved, a separate facing is used. I could have done this instead of lining, but opted to line it with a thin cotton voile. To come… Great question.
Hmm…so those are extensions not the seam allowance folded under? So you’ll add the lining as directed in addition to the extensions, using an additional seam allowance? The class you’ve mentioned sounds like it would be a great investment.
These are the seam allowances folded under, they’re just not the standard 1.5cm…I mark the stitching line, not the cutting line so you could technically make the seam allowances any size you want! Thus, the ‘facing’ is really just a turned under giant seam allowance. Susan Khalje’s couture dress course is fabulous, you should totally do it. Craftsy has sales though, so worth getting it at 19.99 if you can.
Looking very lovely. Very. I love pattern matching at zippers. I feel like backs are forgotten a lot of times. I love your bodice work.
Thank you very much. I agree that backs are forgotten. But people see you from the back probably as much or more than from the front. So, that was a priority for me – matching side seams was just freaking impossible and blew my mind X-(
side seams are the ones I forget about…except for where the seam actually is on my body. I end up using a small size for the back piece and a larger size for the front and only then do the side seams lay where they should. I’m still amazed by this. But, hey, I got side tracked. I do love backs.
That is amazing, but hey sometimes you just do what works and don’t ask questions
Fabulous techniques – the back zipper/seams are matched beautifully! I am also a fan of the process and love hand-sewing. enjoy ‘quick and dirty’ garments and their instant gratification, but I also enjoy ramping up a simple design with french seams, self bias binding, handsewing etc. Thanks for all the tips – appreciated!
Hi twotoast! Thanks and nice to see a fellow slow sewer! I think it’s so often a balance between quick and dirty and slow quality. That being said, even our ‘quick and dirty’ is often heaps better quality than what you can buy RTW
Stays are amazing, i really should use them more often. And you will never regret matching the back seam. It will definitely be worth the extra effort. I think i have something to learn from you here…
Yes, stays are amazing and prevent seams from groooooooooooooooooowing. Matching the back seam was awesome, but I almost didn’t have enough fabric because the fabric pattern is not regularly repeating…something to consider. Glad you like the blog!!! I’m just learning too, but it’s so much fun
Loved reading about your process and techniques in this dress. Well worth the extra planning, pinning and sewing in the end. You don’t often see someone take these extra steps nowadays. The results are a credit to your sewing skills – well done!
Thank you Judith! Totally worth the effort in the end, but the process is also just so much fun. I love doing it and learning new techniques. Always like building the sewing toolbox up!
Nice work, this will be gorgeous! Pattern matching is perfect!
Thanks! I’m sewing in the zip now…wouldn’t be able to do this by machine and match the patterns for sure!
So beautiful! And beautifully explained! I love the look of the catch stitches holding everything down…and the stunning results you achieved with the stays and pattern matching!
This looks stunning! Thank you so much for the detailed construction information – think I’ll use that in my next Cambie. Beautiful fabric.
Hey thanks! Glad you enjoyed the information and hope it’s useful in the future! The fabric was love at first sight!
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