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USEAROTARYCUTTER
Usinga rotarycuttertotrimyourfabricpattern
piecesis oftena gooddecisiontomakeand
thisis particularlytruewhenworkingwith
knits.Thesharpbladeofthecutterallowsyou
tolaythefabricflatandkeepit securelyin
placewhilstworking,asopposedtohavingto
moveit abouttousescissors,whichcaneasily
stretchit outofplace.
MATCHYOURSTRIPES
It isn'tessentialtomatchupthestripesonthe
seamsofyourgarments,butit addsanextra
finessetoyourmakes.If cuttingmultiplelayers
offabricatthesametime,makesurethe
stripesmatchuponallthelayersbyinserting
a pinthroughthem,andensuringthatthe
stripessitinthesameplaceonbothsides.You
canalsoensureyourstripesmatchupby
aligningthebottomcornerofyourpattern
piecewiththetoporbottomofa stripe,and
takingnoticeofwhereanynotchessitin
relationtothestripes,too.Repeattheseacross
allyourpatternpiecestogeta uniformlook.4
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PICKTHERIGHTEQUIPMENT
Aswithanysewingproject,you'llgetthe
bestresultsfromyourfabricbyteamingit
withtherighttools.Formostknitsit'sbest
tousea ballpointneedle,andonhigher
stretchfabricssuchasspandex,a specific
stretchneedleis ideal.A walkingfootis
alsoa goodaccessorytohavewhen
workingwithknits– it'llguideyourfabric
underthefoot,stoppingit fromstretching
toomuchasit getspulledthrough.NO NEED FOR A BIG FINISH
Because the raw edges of jersey fabric won't
fray, there's no great need to specially finish off
your seams. Use a faux-overlock stitch to give
the appearance of a professional finish, or
simply leave them stitched and press gently to
finish – the choice is yours.5
10
STAY STITCH YOUR NECKLINES
The necklines of your garments can easily
become stretched out of shape, and never is
this truer than when using knits and jerseys. To
prevent this annoying occurrence, work a line
of straight machine stitch around 10mm in
from the edge of the neckline. This should sit
within the seam allowance of your finished
garment and will add an extra layer of strength
to keep everything in shape.
WWW.GATHERED.HOW/SIMPLYSEWING 21