How To Test Your Thread Tension

Some machines have "self adjusting tension".  For those of us who don't have these types of machines, we need to pay particular attention to thread tension, especially at the beginning of a new project.  Imagine the needle goes down into the fabric and a sharp hook catches the needle thread and wraps the bobbin thread around it.  If the needle tension is stronger than the bobbin tension the needle will pull the bobbin thread up through the top side of the fabric.  Likewise if the bobbin tension is too strong, it will pull the thread through the fabric to the underside of the material.  Perfect tension is where the threads locks together between the top and the bottom layers of fabric.

These videos will show you how to determine if your tension is set properly.

Video 1 of 3

Video 2 of 3

Video 3 of 3

Britex Fabrics - Welted Pocket/Vest Tutorial

Bespoke Vest with Welt Pockets


November 18, 2010 by Britex Fabrics

Melissa from Art of Sewing has detailed her process in sewing a lined vest with welted pockets for her friend, The Professor. This charming bespoke waistcoat was made with Britex wool and lining, and accessorized with favorite buttons from an old vest of The Professors. Her journey starts on August 26th and ends October 7th, with the welted pocket tutorial running Sept 20th to the 24th. I love the beautiful contrasting red top-stitching and buttonholes!

McCalls's M5538, Polartec Fleece Jacket Project



My new project has barely begun and I am already seeing the challenges ahead!  The fabric I have chosen is a Polartec Fleece.  I am not sure of the official weight/warmth but can say that it is a rather dense fleece and of a higher quality than others I have seen.  I began pinning & cutting my pattern pieces yesterday and noticed immediately that the 1 1/4 inch pins I was using were not quite long enough.  In addition they were tearing up my thumb working with the thickness and density of the fabric.  I found some 1 1/2" ball headed pins tucked away in my sewing case and these worked through the fabric better and were much easier on my fingers. 

 

Needle choice was also a question.  The above are special extra sharp needles and were designed for microfiber fabrics.  When starting a project like this, it's always good to start with a new needle &  make sure you are using the proper type.

I will be using 100% poly thread for this project.  It is recommended to be used with fleece.




                        

Home Decorating Projects

Most of this blog is garment related sewing, however occasionally I enjoy home decorating projects.  I made the wall wreath using a mixture of different textured items.  The pillows are 100% down filled and I made zippered slip covers for each of them.  The decorative pillow covers were made out of fabrics I found in the remnant section of the fabric store.

100% Pima Cotton Pillow Cases

Halloween Costume - Simplicity 3629

I have made a few costumes in the past. :) This was a fun one to make! 

The pattern was easy to follow too.

Men's Lined Vest Finished

The Professor's Vest:
I used a Simplicity 2870 pattern and modified it slightly in design, lined it, and added inside pockets.  The pattern did not have directions to line nor did it have good directions for making a welted pocket... So if you look at some of the recent older postings (Sept 20-24), you will find my directions for making a welted pocket that should work better for you.

I decided to do some decorative top stitching to match the lining and also the button holes. 
The top stiching was done with a thicker top stitching thread and if you try this on a project, be sure to use a top stitching needle.

The buttons were taken off the Professor's old vest.

The pockets where slip stitched to the inside.
One pocket for his wallet and the other for his glasses and pens.



Random Notes on Welts and Vest Status

If you have a welt pattern that is a narrow one inch strip and the directions are telling you to cut two pieces and fold each in half to make the welt, I would recommend that you toss it.  These were the instructions on my Simplicity pattern and after much struggling the welt looked pretty bad.  The below directions for making a welt will work much better, but you will want to practice making the welt several times before you attempt on your garment.  Having a great iron that steams well is going to make a big difference too.

Second thought for the day is that I had to put my vest project on the back burner for several weeks as I was dealing with some things, but I should be finished up in the next day or two.

The Professor asked that the buttons from his old vest be transferred onto the new one. 

How to Make a Welt Pocket (Part 3)

The next step is to carefully cut through all layers of fabric down the middle of the two rows of stitching.  Be careful not to cut into the welt.  Start a cut in the middle of the rows and work your way almost to the end.  Stop apx 1/4 or 3/8 " from the end of your stitching.  Cut the other direction to the other end and stopping again at 1/4 or 3/8" from the end.

If you turn the fabric over and open up the flaps you will see where I stopped.  At this point you need to carefully cut the diagonal lines up to the end of the the stitch marks.  Be very careful how far you snip as you don't want to cut past the stitch lines. 

After you have clipped both ends in this fashion, push the pocket through the opening you just made and flatten out the welt.  The next part is very important, so don't skip this.

Pull the garment back some so it looks like this.  Pull up the small triangular piece and sew "very" close across the welt as seen above. 

After you have sewing that last little section on both ends, straighten and flatten the welt out and iron well.

Finished product.  I used chalk, so these markings will come out.  :)

Welt Pocket (Part 2)

In this example I will be making a 4" wide welt.  The first step is to draw on your garment with chalk where you want the welt to be placed.  The horizontal line is where the two welt pieces will meet.

Cut out the pocket.  It should be at least 2" wider than the welt. 

Cut out a piece of fusable interfacing.  Slightly heavier weight is better.  In this example the size should be 2" in by 6" wide.

Iron to the back of your fabric.

Trim the edges off.  The top will have a slight over hang. Apx 1/4".

I used a pencil to mark the 1/2 way point on the interfacing. ie 1" horizontal line.
Fold the top down so that the top edge of the interfacing matches the horizontal line and iron.

Flip the bottom edge of the interfacing up so that the bottom edge of the interfacing lines up with the horizontal line and iron.  When you turn the fabric over, it will look like this and you will have the 1" wide folded section.

Open the welt back up.  This picture is an example of the 1/4 inch horizontal sewing line you will be making in a moment.  It is 1/4" from the top fold.  You don't really need to mark the fabric because you can use your presser foot as the 1/4" guide. 

Next fold the bottom edge back up and flip the fabric again to the other side...  This mark is going to be another 1/4" sewing line.  ie  1/4 in from the fold.

Next (I was a little sloppy) mark the left and right side of your welt.  The two vertical lines should be 4 inches apart and 1 extra inch on either side.

Unfold so it looks like this and then you will place the welt piece so that the horizontal line on the interfacing will line up with the horizontal line on your garment.  See below.

Lined up... and ready to sew the the first top horizontal line.  Keep this exact placement.  You will sew "exactly" from the left vertical line to the right vertical line.
                                   

The next step is to flip the bottom edge up.  See below...

 This is where I was sloppy.  See how the vertial lines do not match up "exactly".  In a case like this use the markings you made on the "garment" as the start and stop points.

 Sew the second horizontal line 1/4" from the fold.

After you finish this step.  Flip the garment over to see the wrong side of the garment.  It should like like what I have pictured below.

In my next blog posting, I will show you how to finish the welt.

Welt Pocket (Part 1)

Welted pockets are not nearly as difficult as you think! 

Have some patience with me and I will show you  over the next few days exactly how this is done. 



Front Vest Darts & Interlining

After cutting and marking my fabric pieces, I sewed the darts in place.  When making a dart, it's best not to back stitch at the top.  Instead sew the dart in place and go back and hand tie the knot at the top/bottom of the dart.

Next I sewed the interfacing in place. 

The next step will be to make the welted pockets.  I attempted to follow Simplicity's directions for a welted pocket, but the result was not pretty.  The problem is that their technique is not an accurate way to make the welt and you will very likely end up with the top and bottom welt not matching and not even.  I have a different technique I plan to use and will share that with you so that we can compare the results of the Simplicity method vers. my preferred method.

Taylor Tacks --- How Do You Mark Your Fabric?

There are so many ways to mark fabric.  Pencils, Pens, Chalk, Tracing Paper, Soap Stone, Thread, etc.  I was taught to make taylor tacks using thread. 

Second to taylor tacks and depending on the type of fabric and application, I will sometimes use a piece of soap stone or chalk.  I've never been a big fan of using pencils, pens, or tracing paper.

In the below picture, I have made my taylor tack through four sections of fabric.  They are extra long to ensure all pieces of my fabric are still marked after pulling apart and clipping.

Men's Lined Vest, Simplicity 2870 - Project Runway

I decided to use this pattern for the professor's vest and I made the design adjustments that he requested as well.  He asked that I make the v-neck a deeper/lower cut and had specific pocket requirements.  I modified the pattern for a lower v neck and had to go back and modify the pattern at the waist as the length of the vest was not going to work.   Over all this pattern is great.  By the way, Simplicity does not specify to make the lining any larger than the actual garment pieces.  Typically, a lining should be cut slightly larger.  In anticipation of the added bulk of a sew in interfacing, I went ahead and cut the lining slightly larger. 

This is my trial vest that I made out of a damaged sheet.  I am a firm believer these days in making a trial run of a garment to get a general feel for the pattern, size, etc.