One of the nice things about following more period correct methods of construction (ie, the methods laid out The Modern Maker series of books) is that the methods lend themself really well to alterations. That is, without very much fuss at all I can fix a fit issue (or make a garment fit someone else) without having to completely de-construct…
A few nights ago my husband came home from fight practice and said we had to talk. He said that he was having a crisis of faith and was feeling that he was making no progress at his fighting. “I should be better at this,” he said. We talked for a while and eventually I told him about my problem…
There’s two ways (that I know of) where you talk about “ease” in sewing. First you add (or remove) ease on a garment so that it is larger (or smaller) than the actual measurement. An early period tunic has more ease than a late period form-fitting doublet. A corset is constructed with negative ease. Second you talk about easing one…
Make a seam. Iron (or finger press) the seam open. Working from right to left (if you’re right-handed) on the face of the garment work a back stitch where the stitch showing on the face of the garment goes over 1-2 threads leaving a little tiny stitch showing. On the back the stitch will be much longer. This will hold…
A long loose stitch used to hold two pieces of fabric together. This is normally either hidden in seam allowance or intended to be removed once the garment is completed. This is one of the pieces of the skirting to my son’s new doublet. To give the skirting a bit of body I’ve added some linen canvas interlining. First I…
[Late to the conversation? See all of the tunic sew-along from the beginning] Step 6: Finish your tunic. Someone in my FaceBook page (Research Dumping Ground), asked “Why do you sew flat felled seams with the flap on the outside?” Good question. Initially, when I first started sewing tunics (2003-2004), it was because no one told me any different. Jeans…
I use the slip stitch for rolled hems, attaching linings and for applique. This is a stitch my mother taught to me and I use it on practically every garment I’ve ever made. I am right handed so if you’re left-handed you’ll have to do the mental gymnastics to reverse this. For my example I’m using brown button hole thread…
[Late to the conversation? See all of the tunic sew-along from the beginning] Step 5: Trim your hem. If I were working on a full length tunic or a dress I’d have the recipient try it on with the shoes they plan to wear and a belt/appron if they plan to wear that and then mark where it hits the…
[Late to the conversation? See all of the tunic sew-along from the beginning] Step 4: Construct your tunic. First things first, thread. Use whatever thread makes you happy. For the construction of a tunic I like a nice 100% cotton thread or something with a polycore. I’ve been told that 100% silk or poly threads will cut through your fabric…
A loom holds the warp threads. The weft threads are then woven into the warp threads in a particular pattern. These are compacted to create fabric. The area at each edge of the warp where normally the weft threads change direction is referred to as the selvedge. When viewing a piece of fabric the warp threads will run parallel to…