SEWING PREPARATION Cutting: Place the fabric on your cutting surface making sure none is hanging off the edge. Hanging fabric can cause the material t

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1 Silk and silk-like fabrics are noted for their drapeability and luxurious hand (feel). Take these characteristics into consideration when selecting a pattern. Silk: Absorbent, comfortable, has excellent dyeability and luster, excellent hand and drapeability and has fair to good wrinkle resistance. Polyester: Very durable, good wrinkle resistance, not absorbent and oily stains will be difficult to remove. Triacetate: Excellent drapeability and color fastness, good wrinkle resistance but not absorbent. Acetate: Excellent drapeability, can wrinkle, weakened by direct sunlight. Nylon: Very strong, static electricity may be a problem. Check fabric bolt labels; all silk and silk-like fabrics are not of the same quality. Hand, texture, country of origin and fiber content are clues to quality. Whatever its origin, fabric should drape well and be of the proper weight for your sewing project. lf'you choose a lightweight fabric, select a pattern that is not overly fitted. Loose-fitting styles that allow the fabric to drape are particularly good. Tailored, fitted styles should be used with medium to suitweight silks and silk-like fabrics. Try to avoid excessive refitting during sewing. Make alterations on the paper pattern whenever possible. FABRIC PREPARATION All silk-like fabrics and many 100 percent silks can be washed. To check for silk washability, plan to purchase 1A: yard or more of fabric. Steps for testing washability of Silk Fabric 1. Cut off 1/8 yard (additional purchased fabric) of fabric. 2. Wash 1/8 yard of silk fabric in lukewarm water, using a mild hand dishwashing soap (Ivory, Lux) or mild shampoo. 3. Rinse twice with cool water. Place fabric between two terry towels to remove excess moisture. Press with steam iron set on wool/steam until silk is almost dry. 4. Judge washing performance by observing if the general appearance has been altered: 0 Color-same between washed sample and unwashed fabric? 0 Hand (feel)-same between washed sample and unwashed fabric? 0 Shrinkage use steps given under silk-like fabric to check for shrinkage. 5. If fabric is evaluated as washable, wash fabric according to directions given in steps 2 and 3. Steps for checking shrinkage of Silk-Like Fabric 1. Cut a 2-inch fabric swatch square. 2. Wash in lukewarm water using soap/detergents for delicate fabrics. 3. Rinse well with lukewarm water. 4. Press square dry with iron set on steam. 5. Draw a 2-inch square on a sheet of paper. 6. Place 2-inch fabric sample on drawn 2-inch paper square. 7. Check for fabric shrinkage. Measure fabric square. Subtract fabric square measurement from 2-inch square to get total fabric shfinkage. To figure shrinkage per yard, multiply total fabric shrinkage by 18. (2-inch fabric = 1/18 yard). Example: If fabric shrinkage is 1/a-inch, to figure the shrinkage per yard of fabric: 1A3 x 18 = 2% Per Yard

2 SEWING PREPARATION Cutting: Place the fabric on your cutting surface making sure none is hanging off the edge. Hanging fabric can cause the material to be pulled off grain. To make sure the fabric doesn t slip: 0 Place a tissue paper under the fabric. Pin and cut the fabric and tissue together. 0 For sheer and slippery lightweight fabrics, sandwich the material between two layers of tissue paper. Pin and cut as one unit. 0 Place tissue paper between the folded layers of nubby or heavy weights and cut as one unit. 0 In general, a vinyl tablecloth with flannel backing will keep the fabric from crawling. Follow these guidelines when cutting: 0 Use the NAP layout when pinning pattern pieces. 0 Use more pins for sheer and lightweight fabrics. - Use sharp cutting shears. Cut with long strokes. Short stokes tend to chew up fabric. 0 Keep pattern and fabric flat. Use your free hand as a weight, and keep it close to the pattern edge being cut. Marking: Always test your marking method on a fabric scrap. Make sure it does not damage the fabric. Consider: tailor s tack, tailor s chalk, pinmarking, invisible marking pencils, snip marking and press marking. If using pinmarking, use only fine or extra fine pins. If using snip marking, snip only to a maximum of A-inch into the seam allowance. Thread Selection: As a general guide, choose a thread that is weaker or similar in strength to your fashion fabric. Thread compatability: Make a test seam. Pull on the thread. The thread should not break too easily or cut the fabric. Thread breakage or thread fraying: The thread diameter is too large for the eye of the needle. Change to a larger needle or select thread smaller in diameter. Pins and Needles Pins: Use the slimmest (smallest in diameter) and longest pins. These pins will not damage the fabrics. Examples: Pleating pins and extra fine pleating pins. Pins labeled Silk Pins are too thick and rough tipped for most light and medium weight fabrics. Hand Needles: Choose 5 to 10 Sharp and Between Handsewing Needles; Sharps are longer than Betweens. Use Between (9 to 10) for details requiring small stitches, such as hemming. Machine Needles: The machine needle must be small enough to go through the fabric but large enough to allow the thread to glide through easily. Choose the machine needle in relation to the thread selected. (The finer the thread the smaller the size of needle can be). Always begin sewing with a new needle on silk and silk-like fabrics. (Changing needles insures against marring (such as picking) the fabric. Suggested Needle Sizes U.S. European Lightweight fabric 11/12 70/80 Medium weight fabric 12/14 80/90 Heavy weight fabric Beeswax: Use for handsewing thread to prevent tangles and knots. Also adds strength. Shears: Check for sharpness. To cut accurately without marring the fabric, shears have to be sharp and without nicks. Muslin: Use muslin to clean machine needles and blades of shears to prevent the buildup of sericin from silks. Sericin dulls machine needles and shears. Tissue Paper: Helps to prevent fabric slippage during cutting and sewing. When using a wide hole throat plate, it prevents fabric from being drawn into the machine. Note: Tissue paper dulls the machine needle. Be prepared to change needles several times.

3 Types of Thread 100 percent Cotton Size 60 (lightweight fabric) Size 50 (heavier fabrics) Silk Long Staple Polyester (usually imported) Polyester and polyester core/cotton wrapped WHEN CHOOSING A THREAD Advantages 0 Is weaker than fabric so it cuts the fabric less 0 Breaks under stress (thread breaks instead of fabric tearing) 0 Sewing machine may stitch more evenly, minimizing seam puckers 0 Matches qualities of silk fabric 0 Very strong 0 Ultra smooth thread 0 Similar to silk thread in strength, smoothness and diameter 0 Readily available Disadvantages 0 Wears out 0 Hard to find (Try quilting supply shops) 0 Breaks under stress 0 Very expensive 0 Hard to find 0 Hard to find, particularly in rural areas 0 Not as fine in diameter as other threads Interfacing Select an interfacing which offers gentle support. When in doubt, use lighter weight of interfacing. Sew-in and fusible interfacings are appropriate on most fabrics. The exception is sheers. Sheer fabrics will need sew-in interfacings, such as silk organza or self fabric. Use different weights and types of interfacing if the pattern styling requires more support in detail areas. To determine which interfacing will work best with a particular fabric, make a test sample. To test fusible interfacing, cut a two-inch square of interfacing and fashion fabric. Fuse the interfacing to the'fashion fabric. Wash and press the sample if the fabric is washable. To test sew-in interfacing, place it between two layers of fabric to simulate garment construction. Sew-in interfacings soften with wear and laundering. Always pretreat sew-in interfacings by following the care method which will be used on the finished garment. Answer these questions to see if the interfacing is compatible: 0 Does the interfacing change the characteristics of the fabric? 0 Is there a color change on the right side of the fabric? Interfacing may have to be applied to the facing and top collar on light colored or lightweight fabrics to prevent this. Or if an underlining is used, attach the interfacing to it. 0 Is the directional stretch or give of the interfacing appropriate? Woven interfacings are usually cut on the straight grain. They give stability and prevent stretching in buttonholes, waistbands, plackets and pockets. Nonwoven interfacings stretch equally in all directions or stretch only in the crosswise direction. 0 Does the interfacing leave a line or noticeable ridge where it ends? Underlinings An underlining may be necessary to add body when a structured styling is selected. Use a lightweight woven fabric for the underlining.

4 SEWING MACHINE PREPARATION Machine adjustments 0 Machine pressure additional pressure may be needed to keep fabric from sliding. Too much pressure can mar the fabric. To help fabric feed smoothly and evenly while sewing, use tissue paper strips between the feed dog and fabric. 0 Machine tension use a balanced light thread tension. 0 Stitch length always make a fabric test sample. Stitch length is influenced by fabric weave, thread and needle selection and the sewing machine used. As a guide, try 12 to 15 stitches perinch. 0 Throat plate use a small throat plate to prevent fabric from being drawn into the throat plate. If a small hole throat plate is not available, use tissue paper strips between feed dog and fabric. Another method is to cover the wide hole throat plate with a transparent tape strip. Lower the machine needle through the tape to make a hole. Raise machine needle and remove any sticky residue on the needle with denatured (rubbing) alcohol. Stitching tips 0 Wind thread on bobbin slowly to prevent stretching the thread. 0 Pull bobbin and top thread tail between presser foot and to back of sewing machine. ' 0 Fold tissue paper squares over fabric at the beginning of seams to help fabric feed evenly through machine. 0 Hold the thread tails for the first several stitches. 0' Hold fabric taut behind and in front of machine needle. Do not stretch fabric. The fabric should feed through the machine by itself. 0 Omit backstitching at the beginning and ending of seams. Backstitching tends to cause these fabrics to jam the machine. Instead, backstitch at all % inch seam points where reinforcement is most needed. 0 Use directional stitching to prevent stretching of fabric. 0 Remove the fabric from the machine gently to prevent pulls and tears in the fabric. Seam finishes Seams on silk and silk-like fabrics have a tendency to fray and ravel. Always make a test sample of the seam finish you intend to use. The most compatible seam finishes are the enclosed seam finishes. Some of these and their uses include: 0 Turned and Stitched Seam Finish for lightweight fabrics with straight seams. This seam finish will have some bulk on the seam edge. Always press this seam finish open using brown paper strips between the fashion fabric and seam allowance line. 0 The Hong Kong Seam Finish for medium to heavier weight fabric with straight or curved seams. Use a light weight lining or underlining fabric to make the 1-inch bias strips to encase the seam allowance. 0 Commercial Nylon Tricot Knit Seam Finish ( Seams Great or Seams Savers tm) for use on sheers, light to medium weight fabrics with straight or curved seams. 0 French Seam for Sheers and ravel prone fabrics with straight or only slightly curved seams. 0 Mock French Seam for sheers, light to medium weight fabrics with straight and curved seams. Armholes may be finished off using this method.

5 Pressing tips Use a cotton ironing board to control heat retention between fashion fabric and ironing board cover. Test for an appropriate iron temperature setting on scrap fabric. A low setting is usually required. Pure silks press best on wool/steam setting. Man-made fabrics like a higher setting bordering the wool/cotton setting. Steam is always used with man-made fabrics. Press the seam in the direction it was sewn. Press on either side of the stitching line before opening the seam. Use brown paper strips between the fashion fabric and seam allowance lines to prevent seam imprints on the right side of fabric. Always allow the fabric to cool down before moving it from the ironing board. Use a press cloth when pressing on the right side of the fabric. Use a pressing ham for darts, curved seams and facings. Use a point presser for pressing open enclosed seams before they are turned (examplecollars). CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES Collar Stay stitch neckline areas, back and front to prevent stretching. Trim under collar down by 1A; inch on sides without notches if the pattern calls for using one pattern piece for the upper and under collar. Trim interfacing diagonally 1/4 inch at the collar points before applying interfacing to remove bulk. When using fusible interfacing, remove all % inch seam allowance lines to further reduce bulk. Reinforce collar corners or curves with shorter stitches (15 to 18). Stitch diagonally across the collar point using one or two reinforcement stitches to make sharper points. Zipper Check collar points to make sure they are the same shape. Press collar seams open on a point presser to give the seam a better finish. Press seam closed, then grade seam. Stitch collar on neckline from center back to each side. This prevents the collar from shifting unevenly to one side. Check collar widths to make sure they measure the same. One inch seam allowance lines give more support for zipper than narrow seams. Hand baste the zipper seam closed. Machine basting tends to leave holes in the fabric when pulled out. Centered zippers can be taped in place on the closed zipper seam. The zipper can be either hand stitched in place or machine stitched. To minimize puckering, begin stitching (hand or machine) at the bottom of the placket on each side of seam. Lapped zippers can be machine stitched using the conventional method. To minimize puckering and pulling of fabric, the overlap side of the zipper should be hand stitched, starting at the bottom of the zipper.

6 Hand stitch a zipper in place using a tiny backstitch with a size 9 to 10 Between hand sewing needle. Use the finest thread available (such as silk or lingerie). To reinforce hand stitched lapped or centered zippers, machine stitch through each seam allowance and zipper tape. Buttonholes Make a test sample of buttonhole, adjusting stitch length, stitch width and tension so that each is compatible with the fabric. Try on the garment to determine buttonhole placement. The first buttonhole should be placed at the bust level. Mark all other buttonholes from the bust level, usually 2 to 3 inches apart. Horizontal buttonholes should begin 1/8 inch toward the edge from the center front. Vertical buttonholes should be positioned on the center front line and 1/8 inch above the actual button placement line. Mark buttonhole lengths, using hand basting thread, disappearing ink, marking pens and transparent tape. Always test ink marking pens and transparent tape on a fabric scrap to see if there is a change in the fabric s appearance. Start with a new machine needle before beginning buttonholes. Check bobbin thread supply before beginning buttonholes. Align the back of the machine buttonhole foot with the same edge for placement of each buttonhole. Stitch in the same direction for each buttonhole. Hold the fabric taut between your forefingers on either side of the buttonhole while stitching. Use a 6-inch sewing gauge ruler to check buttonhole length and position while sewing. Place pins through the ends of the sewn buttonholes before cutting to prevent cutting through stitches. Use a commercial fabric ravel preventor (example, Fray Check ) between buttonhole stitching lines before cutting. Allow fabric to dry. This technique seals loose threads after cutting. Cut buttonholes using an ExactolTM) knife, buttonhole cutter, sharp embroidery or buttonhole scissors. Hemming Select appropriate hem depth according to fabric weight and garment style. Lightweights usually look best with narrow hem depths, medium weights with wider hem depths. Straight and A-line garments can take a 1/8 inch and 3-inch hem; for flaired circular and bias styles, use between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch hem. Select the hem finish based on the fabric weight and garment style. Appropriate hem finishes and their uses include: Machine rolled hem (without attachment): Use on any straight edge. Machine rolled hem (with attachment): Use on any straight edge. Topped stitched hem: Use on straight, curved or bias edges. Hand rolled hem: Use on curved and bias edges. Conventional hem: Use on straight and slightly curved edges. Use a single strand of thread drawn through beeswax for hand stitched hems. Hem with a Between hand sewing needle, size 9 to M Use of brand names in this publication does not imply endorsement of such or criticism of similar products not mentioned. Prepared by: Harriet Tutterow Jennings Extension Clothing Specialist North Carolina State University HE-277