Helloooo out there! Is anyone else cutting their wool? Have questions? Our fearless leader Marji is pretty busy with other projects but I'm sure the collective wisdom here can answer your questions.
As for me, I'm making progress. I cut out my fashion fabric, underlining, interfacing and lining last week, and am busy assembling the shell of my coat.
I am using a vintage Vogue pattern which came with specific interfacing pattern pieces. These are designed for non-fusible hair canvas which is pad-stitched to the fashion fabric/underlining layer. My coat is also unusual in that most of it is cut on the bias. The interfacing is cut on the straight of grain, meaning that the interfaced portions (CF, shoulder area and armscye) are very stable. I am posting some pictures of the interior of my coat.
These inside shots show that the hair canvas is placed around the entire armscye, in the under-collar and down the CF (it goes to the hemline). It's attached with pad-stitches which are just rows of stitching that catch a tiny bit of the fashion fabric, relatively loosely attaching the hair canvas to the fashion fabric.
If I was making a more conventional coat or a jacket I'd give serious consideration to interfacing the entire front. Here's Kathleen Fasanella's take on interfacing.
In the case of a collar, lapel or other part of the coat that curves, you build the curve in by letting the interfacing roll over your hand (or other convenient object), mimicking the final shape of the piece. When you pad-stich the 2 layers in this configuration, you build in turn-of-the-cloth (the layer that is on top of a curved piece has to be longer; the amount by which it's longer depends on the thickness of the layer). Here is an illustration of what I mean (from another project):
In the first pic, I'm padstitching the collar, holding it in the shape I want it to follow. In the second, the completed collar illustrates how it is pre-shaped. Finally, in the 3rd I have flattened the same collar. See how the interfacing ripples? That's because it is longer than the fabric underneath. The rippling disappears when it resumes its intended shape. This is what I mean by turn of the cloth.
In my coat, I built shape into the collar (which has a slight 1" or 2.5cm stand), and the shoulder inset pieces.
Finally, here's a picture of the completed collar from the back.
It's hard to see the shaping but it's there.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
KayY: How to move forward
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7 comments:
I'm glad you posted because I'm at a total loss. I guess I've been waiting for wisdom to pop up on here. I've had my muslin done since the beginning of June so I've just been looking here for advice on how to move forward. I don't know what to interface or what to do with that bag/envelope of notions and goodies I received from this group. I'll read the fashion-incubator site on the interfacing and then I think I'll just dive in. I'm tired of waiting and it's getting chilly up here.
Thank you for the info on pad stitching. Very clear and helpful!
Kay,
Is the last photo a picture of the coat for this sew along or another project? That collar is beautiful. I was curious to see the finished product, but if this is for this sew along I will have to have some patience. I think you might reach the finish line first!
Excellent job! Your work is impeccable, thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Vintage patterns are a good source for directions for working with non fusible interfacing; I found out about this on my recent vintage pattern acquisitions. I also find some of the Vogue Couture patterns by Claire Schaeffer most useful.
Kay, it looks great & when I get to this step it will be very helpful. I do have one question since I'm in the same camp as Dawn. I have the package of notions & goodies from Marji as well and don't know what to do with them or how to deal with the underlining-interfacing.
I have wool, flannel underlining and lining. Where will the interfacing go ? Attached to the wool, or is the underlining attached to the wool and then the interfacing attached to that ?
Am I getting ahead of myself ?
I'm not able to be definitive about the notions acquired through this group because I didn't get them, but generally the layers, from the outside in, in the body of the coat, are: fashion fabric, underlining (optional, cut to same pattern as fashion fabric and to support it), interfacing, interlining (optional, for warmth, cut to same pattern as lining), lining. The collar is only the fashion fabric and interfacing.
The interfacing is meant to shape the fashion fabric so has to be applied to it (or to the fashion fabric/underlining together, which are treated as a single layer). So they are all connected, but only sort of in the body of the coat - how much the interfacing is actually connected to the wool depends on whether you have tacked the underlining to it. A fusible only connects at the surface of the underlining. However in the collar you attach the interfacing directly to the fashion fabric, whether by fusing or pad stitching.
To answer Linda's question, the last photo is the coat I am making in this sewalong. I've made some good progress in September so far.
Thanks Tany for the compliment! Having seen your work, your positive comment means a lot to me.
So Kay, can you also please tell us (please) if your fashion fabric is also underlined (it looks like it is), what kind of underlining is it, and why you chose that?
I think part of my question is addressed at: if you're interfacing with sew-in hair canvas, why also underline it? Don't the three layers together make things rather stiff and bulky? Why not just padstitch the interfacing directly to the fashion fabric? Come to think of it, if one was to use fusible interfacing, why not interface the fashion fabric instead of the underlining. Won't all the weight of the interfacing make the underlining sag away from the fashion fabric, pull on it, make all sorts of disastrous puckers?
I know I'm showing my terrible ignorance. However I'm one of these people who seems to invariably make a mistake when one's lurking in the wings waiting to pounce.
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