How to cut silk on the straight grain

This is a very nifty trick I learned over the summer - how to cut silk on the straight grain so that you don't waste any by going in wiggly lines trying to cut it by eye.

First of all, you snip the selvedge at the point where you need to ..

Then, you pull the two sides apart very gently until you have a prominent thread from the weft which runs perpendicular to the selvedge edge.

Pull this thread until it gathers the fabric into a pucker - like when you do a gathering stitch - continue until the whole width of fabric is puckered, like this ... then, pull the fabric straight again.

You'll be left with a visible line in the fabric where your thread has broken the weave of the fabric.  If you hold it up to the light, you can see that the thread is missing.

held up to the light the line becomes much clearer

Then all you do is cut along the line and voila! You have fabric cut on the grain, with no waste. All nice and tidy.

I haven't tried this with cotton so can't tell you if it works or not, and you do get different effects with different silks.  The above example is a standard dupion, and below is some heavy spotty silk..  It also works an absolute treat with fine floaty silks which are nigh impossible to cut straight by eye!

Learning corsetry - the easy way

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post, both here and in my personal mailbox :)  I have had many opportunities over the years, but none of them feel quite as right as this one!

As one of the most constant questions I am asked via Sew Curvy is "when's you're next workshop?" I thought i'd better grab the bull by the horns as it were, and schedule some in without delay, now that I have a dedicated space.  I advertised these on Friday night, and already 6 of 16 places are sold!

The first course is about patterning a traditional Victorian style mid/overbust style corset.  You can read the full details by following the link below.  Basically, we'll cover the measuring, how a corset works, the corset block, creating a pattern and fitting said pattern.

The second course scheduled in May will be how to construct a corset using professional techniques.  Those who have been on the patterning course will already know about fitting and can use their own pattern, but those who have not will still learn a great deal about corsetry and how to make a professional looking shape altering garment.  Full details below.

I will be scheduling other workshops of my own, and the rest of the time I may let the workshop space out as a 'sewing salon' for drop in crafters who need to hire a dedicated sewing/cutting space.  I'll have vintage machines to use, a little shop, tea and coffee on tap, and possibly the odd cake or two.

If you are a tutor of something crafty, and need some space to run your own workshop, then do please get in touch with me.

Drafting a Corset Pattern, 2 day Course, 13-14 April 2012

Corset Construction, 3 day course, 10-13 May 2012

A room of one's own .. or three!

I have some amazing news Dear Readers ... it's all happened ridiculously fast!    So fast, that this time last week, I wouldn't have dreamed that i'd be writing this post today ... A little tiny bit of background..

2 years ago, I became aware of a litte cottage studio in the woods near me - it's on an estate and part of a larger art studio complex.  The studio was occupied by a successful curtain making business and although I thought that it would be perfect for me one day, I never thought it would ever become available... I would look through the windows wistfully, imagining the possibilities, and then spend idle moments on the interweb looking for a similar set up - ofcourse, nowhere was quite so perfect, infact nothing compared, but I held the dream.

6 months ago, I was told that this little cottage may be coming up for rent, but I ignored this because I thought i'd never be able to afford the rent.   Then a few weeks ago, I was involved in a very exciting online conversation with some corset making friends.  I can't tell you about that but it was one of those conversations of such amazing magnitude  that it can't fail to inspire all those involved and it  gets you thinking in different ways, and then before you know it, your other half is making encouraging noises about similar projects - and so it was with me and Mr Marmalade last week.  Actually, he looked at me in my spare room studio and said  in the nicest way "you've got to get out"...

On Monday, I called the agent who looks after the cottage studio and guess what ... it is still available after 6 months of being 'on the market' and the rent is much more reasonable that I'd imagined. It's as if it really was waiting for me -  here it is:

And guess what?  I went to see it yesterday - it's so perfect for my plans! It has a room downstairs, plus a kitchen, and it has two larger rooms upstairs.  This morning I sent off the deposit and I move in mid-March.  Sew Curvy is expanding!

After we've tarted it up inside, there will be my own dedicated sewing space, an HQ for the Sew Curvy shop, a 'salon' for my private clients, and most exciting of all, a big, light, workshop space where I shall teach people all about the wonders of corsetry and dressmaking!  So there we have it .. a real "House of Marmalade"

I am still in a daze, but stay tuned for progress reports!

How to use a thimble

Do you or don't you?  Use a thimble that is...

I didn't used to, but now I can't sew without one.  I've tried over the years to use a thimble because it looks sensible and 'professional' and frankly, I think it looks grown up - but try as I might, every time I put one on, I felt like I had grown at least 2 more fingers which felt horribly cumbersome and clumsy and made any sort of hand stitching physically impossible - talk about being 'all fingers and thumbs'!

The trouble is, that when sewing corsets it's really difficult to stitch certain parts and embellishments without severe injury and so I had to find a way to protect my poor punctured fingers!   Learning to use a thimble was the only option.  After searching in vain for information on how to do this, I thought i'd write my own guide..

An adjustable thimble which allows for long nails!

First of all, you need to find a thimble that fits properly. Thimbles come in different shapes and sizes, some without tops, some without sides, plastic or metal, adjustable -  others have ridges on the top, some are smooth or rounded and some are made of leather.  You can even get 'thimbles' which are nothing more than a metal or plastic disc which you glue onto the pads of vulnerable fingers.

Despite the huge array of choice much of which I have sampled in my quest to find a thimble which is effortless and easy to sew with, in the end, none of them did the job better than the traditional full metal thimble.  Yes the 'topless' ones look tempting don't they? I have tried the ones in the picture and the 'adjustable' plastic type which has one side missing making it look as if it may be un-noticable to use,  but none of them offer full protection - any finger exposure is at risk of stray needle peforation danger!

There was no option in the end - I had to get to grips with the traditional thimble, and once I'd figured out that size matters this job became a whole lot easier.   I found one made by Prymm, which is 14mm and the perfect size for my middle finger.

Don't buy a thimble unless you can try it on first or already know your size.

A thimble is commonly worn on your middle finger, and needs to be very snug - not so snug that you have to force it on, or feel uncomfortable, but so that it doesn't slip off if you hold your finger upside down.  If your fingers are cold, it may be difficult to hold a normally well fitting thimble on, in which case breath a little steam into the thimble before putting it on (in manner of cleaning a pair of glasses).

Now is the difficult part.  Sewing with a thimble requires you to adjust your hand posture when stitching - this is the key.

You have to bend your middle finger (with the thimble on) into a position so that it rests behind the needle when the needle is pushed into the fabric.  I found this blog post quite helpful in explaining this, although I'm not using a tailors thimble, the posture is similar.

Very difficult to photograph oneself using a thimble!

So you hold the needle between thumb and forefinger (as usual) when you insert the needle into the fabric but your middle finger rests behind the needle and pushes the needle into the fabric after the initial stab.  The eye of the needle comes into contact with the side of the thimble during this action, and if you need a little more force, you can then easily manoeuvre your finger to push the needle further with the end of the thimble which in my case, has a little ridge around the top to stop slippage.

And there you have it .. it takes a few sessions to get into the swing, but I found that not only did my hands not hurt from strain so much when hand sewing - infact they don't hurt at all anymore - it has now become a pleasure to put my thimble on before stitching and unexpectedly,  impossible to sew without one.

So does this tempt you to try thimbling where you'd been put off before?

A green fairtrade upcycled corset

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the last post :)

I thought I'd show you the finished article!

This longline corset is made from fair trade vietnamese silk which is a beautiful lime/pea green colour shot with yellow - it gives a kind of 'beetlewing' effect .. although together with the weave of the fabric, close up, it reminds me of flies eyeballs (!) - it has the most amazing array of colour depending on the light.

The silk comes from a small co-operative business in Vietnam .. it's a bit of a long story as to how I came to have some so I'll give you the short version:-   A lady  who was a journalist, visited some out of the way places in Thailand and Vietnam.  While there she discovered independent co-operatives weaving silk and fell in love with the beautiful fabrics they were producing, so much so that she decided to leave journalism, buy a ton of silk direct from the makers, and open a shop here in Oxfordshire, which she ran quite successfully for some years.  The shop was aptly called "Silken Dalliance".  Well about 18 months ago, she had to close her shop and has been selling her left over stock via various other channels in Oxford.

My next project will use some silk from the same source but blue shot with grey, silver trims and more intricate flossing.  I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, my next post will mostly be about thimbles.

Bra recycling

I had this bra which didn't fit, but it had lovely lace details....

so I cut it up and saved the bits ...

 The straps, fastenings and underwires will eventually make another bra.  With the lacy bits, I decorated a corset...

The corset is especially made for the mannequin which came from Lucy.  I love how the bottom of the corset makes a pretty petal shape when fanned out like this ...

I have animal friends to help me!  A magnetised pin whale, and stork scissors..

I'm now inclined to look in charity shops for discarded bras with pretty lacy bits ...

Corsetry and dressmaking

Lordy, I just don't know how I manage to fill up my time so!!  Things on my table already for this year which I will be telling you about in due course ...

Corset making -  I am furiously sewing up show pieces for my new website.  The new designs have to be tested on a real person to ensure fit, proportion and line - the difficult part of this is finding a person with very 'average' measurements so that my fitting can be refined and further designs draped in a way that I know will fit real people.

flossing detail of a longline silk overbust corset with external bone casing

Dressmaking - I'm signed up to teach basic dressmaking over a 7 week evening course starting in May at the local sewing shop.   Working from home means I don't get out much and this chosen work means that even if I did get out, there aren't that many interested in what I do.  So teaching enthusiastic newbies the basics of dressmaking is good.  I've been asked to think of other courses in the line of lingerie and corsetry which could be held here so all is very exciting on that front.

Commissions - A friend from Edinburgh has seen a dress in a vintage shop that she wants me to copy.  She would have bought the original dress but it didn't fit - she is breast feeding, and will be for a while -  so not only does she need extra room up there, but she needs the dress to be altered when she stops.  The shop keeper was more than happy to let her take pics of details to send to me for replication so I am very happy to do this.

Details of the vintage dress

It's a beautiful dress.  Black wool crepe shift with cap sleeves, boatneck and a silk frill at the bottom with some beading and fringing details.  All of the materials we have bought - silk and wool crepe - are fair trade/organic/recyled/ethical which makes this project all the more lovely.  I've been concentrating on corsetry so much over the last year that I haven't made a dress for an age and this one is a lovely little commission -  a simple, classic, elegant design.  Ofcourse made with modern materials and with my own design details included it wont be an EXACT copy but one that will be utterly personal to my friend and hopefully treasured for a very long time.  Perhaps even in 70 years time, it will be admired in a shop window as a lovely vintage piece in it's own right.  We can dream eh?

I also have a ton of silk underwear projects to get through, some for my friend with the dress (above) and some for my mother in law - it's all compatible with my new line that I'll be showcasing over at my other website.

And as if that isn't enough (and it really isn't all), I really have to make some dresses for myself.  My weight has been fluctuating over the last 2 years but I've finally got a grip on the reasons for this and what to do about it!  Basically, as you get older, you can't eat chocolate and other 'rubbish' .. so it's new diet, new year, new wardrobe, new career ... I can't wait for 2012 to happen!