Simply Sewing - UK (2020-04)

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IT’SIMPORTANTTOCHOOSEthecorrectfabricfor

yourpattern.Mostpatternsgivesuggestedfabric

typesthatwillworkbestwiththestyleofgarment.

Usethistoguideyouassomepatternsneed more

drape,bodyorstructurethanothers.

Fabriccanbemadefromnaturalfibressuchas

cotton,linen,woolandsilkorsyntheticfibressuch

asacetate,acrylic,nylon,polyester,rayonand

viscose.Allthesefabriccomeindifferentweights, or

thicknesses,whichsuitdifferentgarments.

Lightweightfabricsareidealforlingerie,nightwear

andsummerclothing,andincludecheesecloth,

chiffon,crepe-de-chine,georgette, lawn, muslin,

organdie,organzaandvoile.

Medium-weightfabrics,whichworkfordresses,

shirts,trousersandchildrenswear,includecalico,

cotton,crepe,dupion,linen,poplinandfinerwool.

Heavy-weightfabricsareusedforgarmentsor

projectsneedingmorestrength,likecoats,jackets,

winterwearandbags.Canvas,corduroy,denim,

tweeds,velvetandwoolareallinthiscategory.

Somepatternsrequirefabricsthatarequitefluid

andhavea gooddrapetomakethemhangproperly,

suchasa circleskirtorblouse.Syntheticorsynthetic

mixfabricssuchasrayon,challis,chiffonor

lightweightjerseyhavea betterdrapetothem.

Stretchandknitfabricssuchasjerseyandlycraare

virtually crease free and comfortable to wear. They

canbeboughtina varietyofthicknessesand

qualitiesdependingontheirusebut are ideal for

sportswearandcasualclothing.

Interfacinggivesanextralayerofsupporttoyour

fabric– forexample,tostiffenfacingsandcollars.

Chooseaninterfacingthat’sslightlylighterthanyour

mainfabric,andif you’reusinga fusible(iron-on)

optionthenalwaystestit ona scrapof the fabric first

asit canmeltif theironis toohot.

Interfacingis availableindifferentweightsandas

aniron-on(fusible)orsew-inversion.Withfusible

interfacing,presstheshinysidetothewrongsideof

yourfabric.Tacksew-ininterfacingtothewrong side

ofthefabricpiecesaroundtheedges.

If you’rebuyingfabricoffa roll(orbolt)thenyou’ll

usuallybuyit bythemetre.Thisis onlythelengthof

thefabricyou’rebuying– thewidthdependsonthe

widthoftheroll.Fabricsaresoldinstandardwidths,

whichvaryaccordingtotheirpurpose– forexample,

dressmakingorquiltingfabricgenerallycomesin

standardwidthsof112cm(44in)or150cm(60in).

Curtainorsoftfurnishingfabricis normally137cm

(54in)wideandis reallyusefulforbagsandapronsas

it’sthickerandstrongerthandressmakingfabrics.

Thefabricrequirementsonthepatterninstructions

willtellyouwhatlengthoffabrictobuy,usuallywith

twowidthchoices.Somepatterns,suchaslarge

circle skirts, can only be cut from the wider fabrics.

UnVRl
A greatmulti-purposeneedle
whichcanbeusedforwoven
fabricsandhasa slightlyrounded
pointforstitching knit fabrics, too.

Bl PoN
Thisneedlehasa morerounded
pointthantheuniversalneedleso
youwon’tgetsnags,laddersor
holes.Perfect for knit fabrics.

JeN
A strongneedle,idealforstitching
severallayersoffabricortightly
woven fabrics like denims.

ONCEYOUHAVEFINISHED

stitchingyourseam,it’sbestto

pressit openonthewrongside

soit liesflat.Sometimesit’s

bettertopressit toonesideto

reducebulkbutthepattern

instructionswilltellyouthis.

Usuallytheseamallowances

areleftastheyareastheyhelp

tostrengthentheseam,but

sometimestheycausetoo

muchbulksotheyaretrimmed

tohalftheiroriginalwidth.

If yourfabrichasa tendency

tofrayyoushouldneatenthe

rawedgesafteryouhave

workedtheseam.Thereare

severalwaysofdoingthis.To

machine-finishthem,setyour

sewingmachinetothezigzag

stitchthenstitchclosetothe

rawedgeallthewayalong.The

zigzagmustbesmallenoughto

stopthefabricfromfrayingbut

largeenoughtoenclosethe

bulkofthefabric.Practisea few

lengthsandwidthsbeforeyou

begin.Alternatively,youcan

trimtherawfabricedgeswith

a pairofpinkingshears.If you

haveanoverlockerthenyou

canstitch,cutandfinishthe

seams all in one process.

CHOOSING AND BUYING FABRICS

QuLi

Thiswillpiercemultiplelayers

whilstkeepingstraightstitchesso

it is idealforpatchwork and

machinequilting.

ToSIh

Thishasanextra-sharppointand

eye,sothickertopstitchingthread

canbeused.It’sperfectforstraight

stitchingwiththickerthreads on

anytypeof fabric.

Tn

Usedforparallelrowsofstitching

such as pintucks and hems.

ShR

Witha sharppoint,thesearefor

sewingveryfineanddelicate

fabricsandneat buttonholes.

LeTe

Thisneedle’swedge-shaped

cuttingpointis usedtowork

strongseamsonnon-woven

fabricslikeleather, suede and vinyl.

StEc

Designedforsewingtwo-way

stretchknitssuchaslycraandsilk

jersey.It preventsskipped stitches

on fine knit fabrics.

MACHINE NEEDLES

Therearemanydierentneedletypesandtheyvary

bytheshapeofthepoint,eyeandshaftthickness.

Choose the correct one for smooth stitching.

UK

SIZE

US

SIZE FA B R I C

60 8 Silks

70 10 Lightweightfabrics

(^7511) weightMediumfabrics
(^8012) weightMediumfabrics
(^9014) weightMediumfabrics
100 16 Heavyfabricsweight
(^11018) fabrics/denimUpholstery
120 20 Heavy canvas