Fit 2 Stitch

Peggy Sagers: Martin Luther King Jr. said, "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

I'm quite certain Dr. King was not referring to sewing, but his words certainly do apply.

Just begin.

In sewing, there are two basic lines: The straight line is the shortest distance between two points and the curved line is a line that bends.

Today, we will learn and practice curved lines in sewing.

How do we manage concave and convex lines on the sewing machine?

Maria King is back to keep it all simple, today on "Fit 2 Stitch."

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♪♪♪ Peggy: In a perfect sewing world, once we've learned straight lines, all we want to do is more.

We just want more and more.

And so I'm going to say that because Maria just wanted more.

Once we taught her those straight lines and she looked around and she shopped and she saw those straight lines-- you just wanted more.

It was just fun.

It was just fun.

So we went on--we got more and we went on to curved lines.

And did you feel like they got a little harder?

Maria King: They did.

I felt challenged, in a good way, because I feel like with the curves I'm going to be able to expand my creativity.

Peggy: That's right.

And you can always go back to straight lines when you're feeling a little overwhelmed because you got straight lines down.

Maria: that's right-- that's good.

Peggy: There you go.

Okay, so where did we start with curved lines?

Maria: So you gave me the assignment to go to the department store and find a top that I liked that fit.

Peggy: I just never expected for you to come back with the answers you came back with, because you came back with a tank top.

Maria: The only one that I liked was $500.

It was the only one that even, basically, fit.

Peggy: A girl after my own heart.

She found a $500 tank top in the whole entire mall.

Maria: And I left it at the mall.

Peggy: Yes, you did; good girl.

Maria: But anyway, I did take measurements, like you told me to-- or taught me to.

And basically what I did, the important measurements are--you've got to know your neckline.

Peggy: Because you liked it.

Maria: Because I liked it.

I liked everything about it.

Peggy: And necklines are so simple to duplicate.

Maria: Yes, so I put the French curve on the neckline.

Peggy: Should we tell them that you went to the dressing room to do that?

Maria: Yes, I did.

And, you know, Peggy, it's really amazing.

The salespeople, they're very--they really don't care.

It's like, "Okay, she's busy.

I don't have to deal with her anymore."

Peggy: So don't be afraid to carry your French curve in a dressing room.

Maria: French curve, I also had pen and paper so I could take notes.

So basically what I did, I took the notes.

So the center fold here starts at--what is that, 22?

Twenty-two, and it ends at fifteen.

So I wrote those numbers down on the piece of paper.

I also drew-- Peggy: And you only have to measure half because the other side's the same.

Maria: Exactly.

Then, I wanted to know how many inches is my shoulder seam.

So I took that measurement.

I also needed to know how far apart my shoulder seams were.

Peggy: That's right, because otherwise when you get home, those measurements can shift a little bit.

But if you have the--good girl.

You did really good.

Maria: And then I did the same thing for my sleeve.

I took that, I took circumference underneath the armhole.

I took the length, and then I got home and realized I forgot an important measurement.

Peggy: You did, and you had to go back.

Maria: I had to go back.

So I went back and the measurement that I had forgotten was I needed to know how low my neckline was.

So that was the measurement that I went back to get.

Peggy: And once you have those set, then they can't shift around.

Maria: Exactly.

Peggy: It's how deep it is, how wide it is, and then, of course, the curve, and measure the curve.

And a French curve is a great way to measure a curve and duplicate it.

Maria: For me, shopping like that was a lot of fun.

I've always hated shopping, but this was fun.

Peggy: So you didn't feel guilty about leaving the $500 top behind?

Maria: Not at all.

I felt really good.

I saved myself $500.

The other thing I did, I also made note of the hem of the garment itself because I liked the curve.

It gave a softness and a little bit of interest.

Peggy: And I think those details will naturally happen, because if you'd-- right then, before, if you'd have made up that tank top, you'd have realized, okay, something's different, what's different?

And it would have been a natural progression for you to say, "Hey, I need more."

And so, it's great to do this.

I love to watch you going through this process.

It's really a lot of fun.

Maria: I remembered to take a picture of the garment in the store with my phone, which I generally don't remember.

So--and that helped too.

Peggy: And four hours in the dressing room, the sales clerk did not bother you a bit.

Maria: I think she went on lunch break, or something.

She totally forgot me.

Peggy: All right, so I do like some of the features, because as we went through this process, you didn't like, when you picked a pattern, you didn't like how low the tank top was.

Maria: In the back, yes.

Peggy: You liked the one at the store.

And I think a lot of us, when we sew, we just don't think about stuff like that, where the back neck is, where the front neck is.

But those were all the things you just didn't like about it in general.

Maria: So being a sewer, I got to fix it my way, which was awesome.

I loved it.

Peggy: All right, so you found the pattern similar.

You made those adjustments.

And then why did you make a muslin?

Maria: I wanted to be sure.

I make muslins for two reasons.

Number one, to make sure everything fits the way I expect it to.

Also, in making the muslin, I can go through the process of sewing the garment and figure out what I know about sewing and what I don't know about sewing.

Peggy: Okay, so there's kind of two reasons for you.

It's fit, number one, but also to familiarize yourself with that pattern.

Maria: Exactly, I don't want to get to my good fabric and start sewing, and then all of a sudden realize, maybe, well, I don't know how to finish my neck edge, or my arm edge.

So I want to practice that.

Peggy: All right, so on the muslin, what changes did you make to the muslin other than to just make it up according to the pattern?

You put in the changes in the numbers according to the store top, but talk to me about that armhole and neckline.

Maria: The armhole--oh, the armhole was fine.

Now, in trying it on after I made the muslin, I actually trimmed off the seam allowance because when you're-- I made the mistake of trying it on and it was very tight, and I couldn't figure out why it was tight after taking all those measurements and everything.

And then when I came to you, you said, "Well, those seam allowances are making it tight."

So we cut the seam allowances off and it was beautiful, perfect.

Peggy: So this is a good time to talk about when you're dealing with a-- this would be a concave line, and you have a seam allowance on there, that concave circumference gets to be less and less and less.

So it's enough on a tank top because the armholes are fairly accurate to you, they're fairly small.

But if we leave that seam allowance on when we're constructing or trying to figure out if it's all correct, the armhole can feel too tight, and that's all that was happening with you.

It wasn't that you done anything wrong.

But the interesting thing about that process is you thought: Oh, where did I mess up?

You didn't do anything wrong.

Maria: And I was about to have to go make, or I thought I was going to have to make, another muslin.

Peggy: No, we're just going to fix the one you've got.

So we went back, we cut off the seam allowance on the armholes and the neckline so that visually we could check and see if this is where you want it.

We just gotta make sure we add them back in when you go to cut out the fabric.

Maria: Exactly, exactly.

So when you take off the seam, it's like putting on the finished garment.

Peggy: Yeah, yeah.

So I think, just, patience is a process.

You had a lot of patience.

Maria: Thank you, I never thought I did.

Peggy: You have a lot of patience because you even really started with--talk to us about this for just a minute.

Maria: Okay, so this is a little embarrassing, but you told me go to my house and find something in my house that had round curves.

I had nothing except this poor pot holder that I've had for probably 40 years.

And it's got some curves on it, and I thought, okay, this is a good place to start.

So basically, all I did was put this down on a piece of paper and I literally traced it, and then I added 3/8 inch seam to my tracing, put this down on fabric, cut it out, and started sewing.

And when this is all put together, I will have a pretty pot holder that I can take out.

Peggy: In this process, I want to ask you, what did you discover about sewing curved lines?

Maria: I discovered that I'm a little bit slower on the machine.

Peggy: Okay, which is okay.

Maria: It takes a little bit more concentration.

Peggy: You were mentioning to me that the layers shifted more.

You noticed that as you-- Maria: Yes, they did.

I've got three layers to this.

I've got the inside layer, the outside layer, and then the batting on both of those pieces.

But just this alone, when I was taking it through the machine, the pieces were shifting to the point where I literally had to pick out the stitches and re-sew.

Peggy: So that's the thing with curved lines.

They do have a tendency to shift a little bit and we've got to really control that shift.

So a lot of times that's why, when we went back to that first, you know, last time when we talked about the straight lines and making sure they ended correctly, it's-- you're really going to have to get that down.

'Cause you noticed even on your straight seam you got a little bit of shift before you go into the straight lines.

That's the reason for the curved lines, that's the reason we do the straight line first and then we go to the curved line.

You've just got to really master that handling.

Maria: That little bit might seem like a little bit, but as you build onto it, that little bit becomes more magnified.

Peggy: Extrapolates, yeah.

It really does go too bigger.

Let's--talk to me about what this is, 'cause you wanted to finish this in a way that I thought was really great.

I thought it was really great.

Maria: I made the muslin.

I felt confident that I was-- Peggy: Yeah, you loved it.

I remember it was a happy day.

Maria: It was, it was a very happy day.

So I felt confident that I was gonna go ahead and make a real, true tank top that I could wear.

So I was really proud of myself, Peggy.

I lined my pattern pieces up and I--one of my pet peeves is I want my stripes to be even going around.

So I pinned everything and I used the underarm to be my match point.

Peggy: Which is perfect.

Maria: So--but what I hadn't considered was-- is when I put the dart in, it took up fabric in the front, and now my stripes-- Peggy: Everything was off.

Maria: Yes, and here's a good example.

See, I'm a good, what, inch off at least.

Peggy: Well, you're the width of the dart off.

Okay, so in the beginning when we're learning to sew, it's really a good thing to just sew flat things.

You know, the element of fit is not difficult, it's just a learning curve.

So we don't want it to, kind of, fall off the curve, fall off the cliff, when we go to do that.

So generally what we do, if you notice that this armhole, if we kind of bring it up a little bit, the armhole-- the dart is fairly close up to the armhole.

And the dart sometimes moves, so depending on where that dart is, in this case, if you notice your arm is down-- and you pretty much cover this top part.

So I don't actually line up that as my match point.

I line up my hem as my match point because you cannot have the whole entire seam be lined up when you have a dart.

You can't.

So you'll match all of this up to the point of the dart.

It's very non-visual because of where it is on the body.

And then we go ahead and leave this portion above the dart mismatched.

Okay, now, there are times when you've seen garments where the dart is way down here and comes up.

So in that case, you go back to the match point being up here.

It just depends on where that dart is coming out of the side seam.

But very easy lesson, you know, mistakes like this are just wonderful mistakes to make.

Maria: I will never make this mistake again.

Peggy: You're exactly right.

So talk to me about how you were finishing this neckline, because it's a great option.

Maria: Because if I wear this, it's probably gonna go out and pull weeds, or something.

I will not wear this in public.

So I went to the store and I bought some ready-made single-fold binding.

And basically, this is really super simple because I'm using 3/8 inch seam allowance.

Peggy: You gotta use some bias tape.

Maria: I got some bias tape.

So I took the bias tape and I opened it up on one end and I matched it up with the edge of my material.

And then I just sewed.

Now, I did leave this end open because when this comes all the way around, I've got to attach that.

So when I get to that point, then I just come in, roll that over, like so, do a top stitch, and voila.

You've got this beautiful, beautiful neck edge.

Peggy: And, good girl, you're handling these curves really nicely.

It's fun to see this.

I want to go back to this concave and convex concept again.

Except, let's move on and let's do it in this top, because you made the top you have on.

And you made it because you had graduated to curved lines and you actually got to--we didn't make you come in here with something that wasn't curved on.

All right, so let's--talk to me about this a little bit.

You're gonna set in a sleeve for us, aren't you?

Maria: I am, I am.

Peggy: Does that make you nervous?

You practiced.

Maria: A little bit, because I did practice on this one.

Peggy: Yeah, okay.

All right, let's talk about these curved lines, concave and convex.

Maria: Okay, so first of all, I think it's important for everybody to understand what concave and convex is.

It took forever for me to get it straight in my mind.

The easiest way for me to remember was the concave was like going down into a cave.

So you've got your armhole is concave.

It scoops in.

Peggy: It's like dropping down in the hole.

Maria: Exactly, it's like dropping down in the hole.

That was the only way I could do it.

Peggy: So you turn it like this.

Maria: Yeah, I'm always turning it.

Peggy: That's okay, that's all right.

Maria: Okay, so you've got your concave and it's going in.

Okay, and then you've got your convex--okay, yes.

You've got your-- am I doing that wrong?

Peggy: No, you got it, you got it.

That's the opposite.

Maria: Okay, so your convex is like going up a hill.

It's just the opposite of the cave.

Peggy: So we're either going up the hill, or in the cave.

Maria: Exactly, that was the only way-- Peggy: And now we're sewing the two together.

Maria: Yes, and now we're sewing the two together.

Peggy: So we're going up the hill, into the cave.

Maria: Exactly.

Peggy: But you know, bringing back this analogy, I like this analogy you did.

And I think a lot of times when sewers are new, they do create their own way to remember.

And I think sometimes those ways are very, very good.

I think this is a great way because here, when you look at this, if you add seam allowance onto this, you can see that that convex line, you're going up the hill, gets longer.

Whereas the concave, the armhole line, if you kind of put that next to it and just kind of imagine that line being there; that line's going to be shorter.

So the wider my seam allowance is, I'm really going to make this job difficult.

Maria: Yes, the wider the seam allowance-- Peggy: On concave and convex.

Maria: The more error can occur.

More distortion.

Peggy: Exactly, so if I sew with a 5/8 seam allowance, even, it's going to be a lot harder for me.

Maria: So that brings me to a question, Peggy.

Why is it that in home economics we're taught 5/8?

Peggy: You can't go there.

You can go there.

It was just a thing of the time.

It was only in home economics.

It was not in the factories.

Factories have never used 5/8.

Unfortunately, the pattern companies picked it up and it penetrated all of the patterns.

I can't tell you why, or the history of it, but it's not a good thing.

It's never been a good thing.

Maria: But that was just-- it penetrated everything.

Peggy: It did, and it made it difficult for everybody, especially when you're setting in the sleeve.

Maria: But I love the 3/8.

Peggy: So now we know and we're gonna make it different.

We're gonna reduce our seam allowance to 3/8.

Maria: And we don't have to cut our seam allowances down anymore, which I always thought that was kind of silly.

Peggy: It is; it's very silly.

All right, let's set in the sleeve and let's-- teach us--teach everybody what you learned.

Maria: Okay, so this is my second time to do this type of sleeve and I actually like this way because everything is done flat.

Peggy: When you say this way, you mean you haven't sewn your side seam.

Maria: I have not sewn my side seam.

That's correct.

Had my side seam been sewn, I would have-- and my sleeve seam been sewn, I would have been sticking in a sleeve in a hole, trying to get my hands and everything around this little needle, which becomes very cumbersome.

Peggy: That's right.

So there's really--there's three things that change up when you're doing this curved line.

Okay, number one, we talked about it, concave and convex.

So you've reduced your seam allowance down to 3/8.

Second is your hand placement is going to change because I don't want to pull the fabric through evenly.

I don't want to now.

I've got the sleeve, which is larger than the armhole.

Maria: And the feed dogs are going to help to ease that in.

Peggy: The feed dogs are going to do all that for me.

So both of my hands now come in front of the machine.

Maria: Right.

Peggy: And all you're going to do is make sure the seam allowance stays the same and you're going to let the machine do the rest of the work for you.

Maria: And, Peggy, I'll be honest with you... Peggy: You're always honest with me.

Maria: Without pins, this is all real scary.

So the whole world's gonna see this.

Peggy: That's okay.

The machine's gonna not work and save you.

Maria: No, it's gonna work.

Peggy: You're gonna do fine.

The thing about it is, is we do have a tendency to where we want to pin.

And now, what you want to do is back up to where the shoulder seam alignment is.

Make sure--see, you're going just for, like, two seconds.

I want you to go a bigger area and go all the way to the shoulder seam where the shoulder seam aligns to the sleeve.

Can you go that far?

Maria: That's a bigger confidence.

Peggy: It is; it is.

Go big or go home.

Let's do it.

And keep the edges even.

Because if the edges pull away, one line is getting longer, one line is getting shorter.

Maria: So you want me to hold all the way down here?

Peggy: Yep.

Maria: Okay, Peggy.

Peggy: You can do it.

Now, so, for many of us, you'll pin.

You wanted to pin, right?

Maria: Well, I wanted to pin.

Peggy: And we pin just because we don't have the confidence.

There's nothing wrong with pinning.

There's nothing wrong with that at all.

Maria: It does take time, and I personally believe that when you're pinning your garment, if you go over the pins, you're getting some distortion.

Because I've done it.

The lazy man sewing.

So what I'm having a problem with right now, Peggy, is my material is curling on me.

Peggy: That's right, so you've got a third element here because you're doing it with knits.

So you've got a lot going against you, but you're doing wonderful.

You got all the way to the shoulder seam and you haven't used any pins.

So what happens is, you'll use pins, but the problem is you never don't use them.

You never say, "Okay, today's the day I'm not gonna use pins.

I'm just gonna stop using them because I'm feeling better."

Maria: Okay, I need to find my sleeve--here we go.

Peggy: Yep.

So when you're dealing with concave and convex, those seams will have a tendency to naturally go different directions from one another.

Maria: And I will say, sewing with the sewing machine in my cabinet, that was a little bit easier because everything could be flat.

Peggy: Because it's a flat surface, sure.

So it's important that the three things that I was mentioning earlier is, number one-- Maria: I don't like that pin.

Peggy: Okay, the sleeves go on the bottom.

The pieces matter.

There are not the same size pieces, as when we were sewing a center back seam.

And so the bigger piece is always on the bottom.

We're going to let the feed dog take care of it.

And because we know the feed dog will take care of it-- so once you pass that shoulder seam-- Maria: All right, and you want me to come all the way down here?

Peggy: Yeah, go all the way to the sides where the sides align.

Maria: Oh, that's so scary.

Peggy: It is terrible, isn't it?

It's just awful.

But I will tell you that sometimes that little push is really what's gonna make your sewing better, faster, and quicker.

Maria: I'm feeling it.

Peggy: Okay, there we go.

All right, so those three things.

I'm sorry, I keep changing-- Maria: You talk while I concentrate here.

Peggy: That's okay.

So the bigger pieces on the bottom now.

Our hands are not behind and in front because we don't-- we want the machine to sew the different layers differently, and we're gonna make sure our seam allowance is only at 3/8 inch.

When this is done here, it's how smooth and beautiful that sleeve is.

Maria: We hope.

See, I'm-- Peggy: You got it.

Zip, zip, zip, zally, to the end.

I can't wait to show everybody.

It's gonna be wonderful.

Maria: I'm having a nerve-wracking moment.

Peggy: That's okay.

You look calm, cool, and collective.

Maria: It's an act.

Okay, so.

Peggy: Beautifully done.

Look how even your edges are too.

I mean, what that means is-- you don't want to shift any of that sleeve portion-- look at that.

Look how perfect that is, Maria.

And you can cheat a little bit when this comes to the side because now you're going to do the underarm with a side seam.

Because you could--it doesn't have to be exactly perfect, but look how there's not a single pucker in that.

Without pins, congratulations.

Maria: I know-- that was tough.

That was tough.

Peggy: So later, not right now, it's--drinks are on me.

Maria: I'll be ready.

Peggy: Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

You made the top you're in.

You just--I just love watching you progress.

Maria: Thank you.

Peggy: Appreciate it.

Many of us don't realize that a pattern is the sum of its parts.

Some parts of our patterns can be repeated on different garments, saving us many hours and giving us the results we want.

We can create templates from our clothing to use over and over.

Next time on "Fit 2 Stitch" we'll learn about templates and how to use them in our pattern work.

Join us.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ announcer: "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors... ♪♪♪ Reliable Corporation... ♪♪♪ Plano Sewing Center... ♪♪♪ Elliott Berman Textiles...

♪♪♪ Bennos Buttons... ♪♪♪ and Clutch Nails.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ To order a four-DVD set of "Fit 2 Stitch" Series 13, please visit our website at fit2stitch.com.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪