Craft Creativity

The Complete Dress Maker
The one involved in dressmaking soon discovers that particular patterns on material present problems in cutting the fabric. Some of these are explained below.

MATCHING STRIPES

In preparing your material for the dressmaking pattern cutting, pin stripes together. Have fold of material exactly in the center of a stripe or exactly in the center of the space between. If material has a tendency to crawl, pin stripes together at varying intervals.

With no front opening in the dress design place dominant stripe at center of front and match the rest to this.

On openings stripes must be matched and appear unbroken.

Your second pattern piece with the opposing stripe marked on it is placed on the material. For proper placing, keep the shoulder seam on this piece turned back and move your pattern over the material until you match the stripes marked on them at the points where they cross the seamline. Pin your pattern securely at this point, unfold seam line – and this is ready for cutting.

HOW TO MATCH OTHER FABRIC DESIGNS

The same procedure can be used for matching stripes, plaids, or checks at any seam.

Plaids or checks have to be matched crosswise and lengthwise at the same time. Since there is always some difference in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the fabric design in plaids and checks, always remember to match lengthwise design with lengthwise design and crosswise with crosswise.

With all such problems it is important to train your eyes and your judgment.

Cutting plaids or checks on the bias requires extra care. Fold your material on the true bias and pin at frequent intervals to keep the design in perfect alignment and symmetry on both sides.

When cutting sleeves on the bias of plaid material, cut each sleeve separately. Use the first sleeve cut as your pattern for the second sleeve. Place right side to right side and move sleeve on material until you have the fabric design exactly matched at all points.

Figured materials can be treated as plain materials unless the design is large and widely spaced. Under such circumstances you will have to place the various parts of your pattern on the material in such a way – always matching the straight of grain – that the design of the print will show on the finished dress exactly where you want it. With such careful planning and placing, the fabric designs can and do contribute a great deal to the style of the dress.

DIAGONAL WEAVES

In the front, lines should travel from the left shoulder down to the right waistline.

In the back they travel from the right shoulder down to the left waistline.

NAPPED FABRICS, VELVETS, OTHER PILE FABRICS

Care by the must be taken by the dress maker in laying out her pattern that straight of goods of each pattern piece runs in the same direction. Richer effects are obtained by having the nap of the material facing or running in an upward direction, smoother effects with nap running downward.

KNITTED MATERIALS

As some knitted materials have a tendency to ravel at cut edges, it may be necessary to machine stitch around the edge of each piece you have to cut out.

SHEER MATERIALS

Chiffons and voiles and other sheer materials stretch very easily. To insure accurate size in cutting, it’s worth the extra effort to pin or baste the entire material on thin tissue paper before laying out the pattern. Then after your pattern has been properly pinned, cut through the material and tissue paper at the same time. All bias edges have to be stay-stitched either by machine or by hand to prevent stretching out of shape or size. In cutting straight edges in sheers it helps to draw threads for a more accurate guide.

It is worthwhile for the dress maker to take a little extra time to cut these particular fabrics especially when learning how to sew a dress. Good luck with your dressmaking.