The Couture Dress with Susan Khalje

Transcription

1 Preparing A Muslin if you re creating a strapless garment without a defined waist, you must prepare two muslins: one for the outer garment, and one for the inner foundation garment. A muslin pattern, or muslin, or toile (pronounced twal ) is the essential first step for any couture project. The word muslin in this case refers to the working garment which is made, generally, from unbleached muslin. (Unbleached muslin is easy to find in your local fabric store. Be sure that it is of reasonable quality, though; sometimes unbleached muslin is so cheap that it resembles cheesecloth. In that case, it really isn t sturdy enough for pattern and fitting use). If your design calls for fabric that stretches, your muslin fabric must stretch as well. We will begin by exploring the concept of the muslin pattern, so it is an idea that will become very familiar to you. You will need to make a muslin copy of at least the bodice and the sleeves of the garment (if it s a dress), or the entire garment (if it s a jacket), whether you are drafting your own pattern, adjusting a commercial pattern, or using a commercial pattern without making any adjustments. And The muslin becomes your laboratory. It will allow you to make adjustments on something other than the fashion fabric; it will give you a chance to try out unfamiliar techniques that may be called for in the design; it will prevent over-handling of the fashion fabric; and it will allow you to assess and correct not only the fit, but the proportions (every bit as important) and the design. And once it is correctly adjusted, it becomes your pattern accurate, durable, and a valuable source of information. If I were making a garment using a commercial pattern, I would first make the necessary adjustments on the paper pattern (initial body measurements would tell me what adjustments I would have to make, if any). Many of today s multi-sized patterns do not have the stitching lines printed on them; they usually rely on the standard 5/8 inch seam allowance to guide the machine. Couture relies on the stitching lines themselves. Therefore, your first step will be to mark accurate stitching lines on the paper pattern. It is these stitching lines which will be transferred to the muslin (with tracing paper 1

2 Preparing A Muslin and a tracing wheel). Not only will the stitching lines be transferred, but any other pertinent marks will be transferred as well: grain lines, notches, darts, the waistline, the apex of the bust, pocket placement lines, design details, hem lines, the center front and center back, boning placement, etc. In the past, you may have transferred these marks by sandwiching a folded carbon paper between two layers of fabric, but there is a much more accurate way: Cut out the muslin pattern pieces, giving yourself seam allowances of at least 1 inch. You may want to allow extra fabric at the neckline, the base of the bodice, the bottom of the sleeves, etc. Lay the double layer of muslin, with the paper pattern pinned to it, on a spread-out sheet of dressmaker s carbon. Put the colored side up; if you have a large sheet, you may want to cut it down to a more manageable size. With the tracing wheel, go over the seam lines and all of the above-mentioned marks. These will now be transferred to the bottom layer of the muslin. Then, remove the paper pattern, and put the pins right back into the double layer of muslin, where they just were. Flip the double layer of muslin over. The newly-marked piece will now be on the top. Now mark the second side with the tracing wheel (the side that s face down) using the marks you ve just made as your guide. Both sides of each muslin pattern piece will now be marked, and there will not have been any shifting of the layers during the process. Yes, you ve had to mark each piece individually (instead of two at a time) but couture is all about accuracy and control, and this method ensures both. Then, machine-baste the marks you ve just traced with dark thread. Be sure that each thread-traced line is independent go all the way to the end of the piece of muslin; don t

3 Preparing A Muslin simply turn the corner to start an adjacent line. A pattern can have 5 or 6 separate outside lines around its perimeter, as well as darts, the waistline, the apex of the bust, the center front, etc. It is not necessary to thread-trace the match points (notches); the carbon marks are sufficient for those. Also, write the name of each pattern piece onto the muslin, along with the wearer s name, and an arrow indicating the top of each piece. Then, put the garment together, basting either by hand or machine. (Basting stitches are easier to remove during a fitting than regular stitches). The muslin is now ready to be fitted. Seldom does a muslin fit right the first time, and seldom are all the design details left unchanged. I love knowing that I can experiment with the muslin. With all of my points of reference clearly marked with contrasting thread, I can adjust side seams and darts, I can easily see if the apexes are accurately placed, etc. Apart from fitting considerations, I can adjust design elements. I may want to raise or lower a neckline, alter the line where the skirt attaches, increase or decrease the size of the sleeve cap, tighten or loosen a sleeve, etc. I also use the muslin fitting as an opportunity to clearly mark the waistline. After the fitting is over, I take a look at the adjustments I ve made, and make sure they re accurately and clearly marked on the muslin. When I am happy with the corrected muslin (and this may take a second, or even a third fitting), I then take the muslin apart, press it, and proceed. The muslin will later be used for cutting out the fashion fabric, the underlining(s), and the lining. And if I m working with Alençon lace, for example, I have a full set of accurate pattern pieces that I can use to help me decide how much lace to purchase, how to position motifs, and exactly where to cut the lace. I hope you re beginning to see how much help your muslin can give, and how essential this initial step is to the process of couture dressmaking. Take the time to create a fitted muslin it s the first step in achieving the fit and design you want. 3

4 Couture Lining Application Generally speaking, facings are seldom used in couture garments. Instead, seam allowances are generous, and serve as built-in facings, and linings are applied by hand, usually right up to the edge of a garment. The following are the steps for applying a lining to a curved neck edge: 1. Trace the outline of the neck edge onto the lining fabric with tracing paper, using the traced marks on the underlining as a guide.. Hand-baste the underlining and the fashion fabric together along the neck edge, following the traced marks. 8. Carefully press, then clip the seam allowance of the lining. As with the fashion fabric, the stitches should be invisible from the right side. 9. Join the lining to the neck edge with small, firm fell stitches, placing it right at the fashion fabric s line of staystitches. 10. Understitch the lining to the underlining with a prick stitch (a tiny backstitch), approximately ½ inch below the neck edge. Be careful not to catch the fashion fabric in your stitches. 3. Staystitch the neck edge, right on the traced/basted seamline. 4. Press the neck edge, carefully manipulating it so that no creases are pressed in. Favor the staystitching so that it falls just inside the neck edge and is therefore invisible from the right side of the garment. 5. Clip the seam allowance as deep and as often as necessary; re-press if necessary. 6. Catch stitch the seam allowance to the underlining. 7. Staystitch the lining along the traced neck edge. 4

5 The Hand Stitches Much of the control that is essential to fine sewing is provided by carefully applied hand stitches. Here are the basics: Basting Not only is the basting stitch used in the construction process to join the fashion fabric to the underlining, it is used to baste the garment sections together for fittings. Many fashion fabrics cannot be machine basted for fittings; the machine basting stitching, once removed, is likely to show, and the fabric will suffer from over-handling. Depending on where it s used, the size of the basting stitches can vary; a basted bodice, for example, should have fairly small basting stitches in order to replicate a good, tight fit. Basting stitches that are loose will pull too much and distort the fit. Although expensive, silk basting thread has the advantage of being easily removed once its job is done. Seams are easiest to control when basting if they are spread on a flat surface, with as little distortion to the fabric as possible. Basting is also used to mark technical details: placement lines, the center front, hemline, button position, etc. Thread that matches or contrasts slightly with the fabric can be used, but red, or anything close to it, will leave tiny fibers (and even a bit of dye) behind. Hand Overcasting Hand overcasting is the quintessential couture edge-finishing stitch. Although many, if not most, raw edges are covered with a lining, there are times when a raw edge is visible, and needs to be finished. Neat and evenly spaced, well-regulated hand overcasting stitches are in a class by themselves when it comes to finishing a seam allowance. Although somewhat time-consuming, hand overcasting creates no bulk, no ridges, no show-through, and no distortion. It can be applied to a single layer of fabric, or multiple layers. Use a single thread, and work the thread from left to right, using your left thumb to guide the angle of each stitch. Be careful not to pull the thread too tight. The spacing of the stitches can vary according to the fabric; the less stable the fabric, the closer the stitches should be, and vice versa. 5

6 The Hand Stitches The Catch Stitch The catch stitch is used whenever a layer of fabric (or fabrics) needs to be held flat against another layer. Seam allowances can be opened out and held flat against the underlining; hems can be stitched with it, although they should later be covered with a lining. The catch stitch allows fabric layers to be controlled without being pulled, and it has just enough strength to keep layers flat without distortion. Its size is easily adjusted it can be minutely small and closely spaced, or it can be large and open, covering great spaces quickly while still doing its job. Although the needle points to the left, the stitches move from left to right, forming large x s as they move along. The Fell Stitch Easy and quick to apply, the fell stitch is sturdy and attractive. It s the perfect way to join one edge to another, such as the lining to the zipper, or lace appliqués to a base fabric. The chief advantage of the fell stitch, in addition to being secure and relatively strong, is that only tiny amounts of thread are visible on the surface of the fabric. As soon as the thread emerges from the back of the garment (or the underlayers), the needle is re-inserted to form the next stitch. The needle carries the thread along the back of the garment (or through an underlayer), re-emerges, then goes right back down into the fabric, and continues. The Slip Stitch The slip stitch is the most invisible of the hand stitches. It is not particularly strong, but it is perfect for cases when two layers need to be joined in a flat and unobtrusive manner. It works well as a hem stitch (it s ideal for sheer fabrics that have deep hems). When used for hemming, the thread is hidden in the fold of the hem allowance, emerging only to take a tiny bite out of the underlying fabric before disappearing again into the fold of the hem allowance. The stitch is quicker to do if steps are combined: running the thread along the fold, then taking the tiny bite out of the fabric can be done in a single motion. The Back Stitch The back stitch is the strongest of the hand sewing stitches, and is the stitch which was used, long ago, to assemble garments. Use a double thread, coated with beeswax, for the greatest strength. Make the back stitch by moving the needle one stitch length to the right, on the top of the fabric, then two stitch lengths to the left, on the underside of the fabric. The top will appear as a row of abutting stitches; the underside will appear as a row of overlapping stitches. The back stitch is strong enough to join garment sections which would otherwise be difficult to manage at the sewing machine large gathered sleeves into small arm openings; a heavy, gathered skirt onto a bodice. In addition to its strength, the 6

7 The Hand Stitches back stitch allows very accurate stitch placement when joining thick layers pleats can be perfectly placed, for example, and gathers can be well controlled. The Prick Stitch The prick stitch is a variation of the back stitch. Instead of taking the top layer of stitches all the way back to the previous stitch, they go back only a small distance before the needle goes back into the fabric. The prick stitch is used for a hand-picked zipper, and for the hand-applied understitching which is used in the couture on neck edges and around armscyes of the lining. Be careful not to pull too tight (the stitch mustn t pucker the fabric); in fact, a tiny bead of thread should be visible on the surface of the fabric. When stitching a zipper, double the thread and coat it with beeswax. 7

8 Zippers Hand-Picked Zippers hand edge. Stitch with a very small back stitch (also called a prick stitch, or a pick stitch). Don t pull the stitches too tight; a little bead of thread should be visible on the surface of the fabric. Finish off the thread at the bottom of the right side before starting up the left side. Before stitching, reinforce both sides of the zipper placket, especially if the fabric is off -grain (your underlining may take care of this). Looking at the placket from the outside of the garment, you ll begin your stitches at the upper right, as you look at the zipper from the outside of the garment. You ll stitch down to the bottom of the zipper. You ll then continue stitching from the base of the left side of the zipper up to the top sort of a long u. If you re left-handed, it s the opposite. With the zipper closed, pin the right side of the zipper in place. Recess the zipper tape at the top so that the zipper pull is half-covered when the zipper is closed. Open the zipper to stitch it. Use double thread, coated with beeswax, then ironed to melt the beeswax into the fibers of the thread. Begin stitching at the upper right Close the zipper, and pin the left side into place, recessing the tape at the top as before to accommodate the other half of the zipper pull. Unzip the zipper before stitching with freshly-coated thread. Symmetry is important, especially if the zipper will be embellished. Stitches must be the same distance from the folded edges, evenly spaced, and lined up with the stitches on the other side. You can mark your stitch placement with pins or quilter s tape. Embellishments are best added later; they ll be more secure. Experiment to determine the best spacing. Also, the tighter the garment, the closer the stitches must be, both to the folded edges of the placket and to one another. Build in a slight overlap of the edges of the placket, especially when the garment is very tight. 8

9 Zippers Lapped Zippers Lapped zippers are often used on the side seams of garments. Although common on skirts, they re very useful on dresses as well, especially when the back panel would be spoiled by the presence of a zipper in a center back seam. Begin by attaching the zipper to the underlap, either by hand or machine. Place it so that its teeth will be covered once the other side of the zipper has been stitched into place. The side of the zipper on the underlap side can be machine-stitched, then turned, so that the machine stitching is invisible. Alternatively, the fabric can be folded and topstitched into place alongside the zipper teeth. The outer edge of overlap should be folded along the seamline, covering the underlying zipper. Using beeswax-coated doubled thread, stitch the zipper in place with tiny backstitches. The stitches should be an even distance from one another and an even distance from the foldline. Tiny hooks and thread loops will help keep the overlap flat against the garment; they re especially useful if the zipper falls over a waist seam, where the extra fabric will cause the fabric to lift away from the zipper. The hook is on the overlap side; the thread loop is on the underlap side, just to the far side of the zipper teeth. 9