SewForum.com

Hello to all,

I am new to the sewing world and will be soon purchasing my on sewing machine and sewing furniture. I have a question.

I am a huge fan of project runway and I hear the judges comment at times on how somthing is expensively made or cheaply made. How do you stitch a garment to make it look expensive? Is it the material or the sewing? If its the sewing what stitching is used? Thanks in advance.

Let me start out by saying, this is only one opinion!!
I have been sewing for 45+ years. My favorite combo is very classic, simple style and elegant fabric. Elegant doesn't have to mean expensive, although there are options out there that would call for that. I also think superb construction techniques, attention to style and construction details, make all the difference no matter what you are sewing.
My sewing guru, my grandmother, always insisted that the inside should look as good as the outside. I believe her to this day!
Good luck - have fun, it's a great hobby!!

Kally, I don't follow Project Runway, but in my mind the difference between something being expensively made and cheaply made has to do more with techniques used than anything else. One of my greatest fears is that something I make for my grandchildren would look "homemade" rather than "handmade". Some of the things I try to always shoot for in my sewing are:

Accuracy in layout, cutting, and seaming
Pressing at each step
Finishing every raw edge
Using specialty presser feet to accomplish specific tasks

I am still learning new sewing techniques that I hope will add more professionalism to the things I make....it's a constant learning curve for me. I will be interested to hear other's views on this!

Hoping one of the Moderators will move this to Sewing think you would get a better response.

To me it is planning, fabric prep work, following the directions step by step if using a pattern and pressing each seam after sewing. Finishing seam edges adds a professional look.
See if this helps a little: http://www.sewing.org/files/guidelines/ ... to_sew.pdf
Go to the Library get a few books, maybe someone can give input on an online site..
Just noticed you got some other great tips..

Thank you so much for the advice. I plan on taking a sewing class to get to know more about construction and such.
I am very excited.

I know exactly what you mean about the homemade look. That is one thing I am afraid of. I want to be able to make something so sharp that others will ask me were did I get it from and my response will be "I made it"

Thank you for the site and pointers!

Through all of it, be patient with yourself learning to sew and using a sewing machine while taking lessons, which is a excellent step in the right direction, and learn your hand stitching because you can't sew everything by machine. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is learning to sew.

You will have successes and failures..learn from the failures and keep on stitching.

Adding one more thing - and I always tell my girls this-
Sometime we learn more from mistakes than anything else!!
It's a creative process - and a lot of time, it's not a tidy one!
Give yourself space to think freely!

Be careful what you wish for - you just may get it! People will start asking you to make all kinds of things for them, and they will expect it tomorrow and for free!

Peggi

With the type of clothing that you make Niener, I am wondering how you finish all raw edges. I can't imagine that you serge some of those beautiful things you make.....but perhaps I'm wrong.

Connie, you make me blush. I appreciate your compliment. I do serge most everything. On the velveteen Christmas things I made for this year, EVERY raw edge, including the piping in Charlie's shirt, was serged. I stitched the seams on the dress and jon-jon, then serged each seam allowance separately so that they could be pressed flat. Last year I failed to do that and on those 1/4" seams, even with both garments being lined, the velveteen frayed when washed and caused the seams to fail. That was a HARD lesson to learn.

However, on most of the dressier things I use French seams. All of Charlie's little shirts are done with French seams and all of MK's heirloom dresses are done with French seams. Now on her church dresses, I typically just go back and serge the sewn seams together. When I was first taking classes at our shop, they asked me why I was making French seams on every little dress I made. So I guess times have changed - at least down here - and the serged seam finish is acceptable.

Kally,
You received some excellent advice from some "seasoned" seamstresses. I agree with the others. Remember the iron and seam ripper are your friends. You will make mistakes, we all still do. Picking something you've sewn apart several times will help you remember what you are doing right and what you are doing that is wrong.

Good Luck,
Susan

I agree with everyone that techniques matter greatly. I would also like to add that while fabric doesn't have to be drop dead expensive, do buy the best quality you can afford depending on the project. I LOVED the print on a piece of cotton fabric that was not quite the quality (but you know how LOVE is, right?) it should have been, painstakingly made a dress that fit well and of course, after several washings, it was ready for the rag bin. And I have been sewing for almost 50 years and should know better.
Anyway, welcome to our wonderful hobby, art and craft, Have patience with yourself.
SG

There is no one "key". The first step is just as important as the last. You want to choose a design or pattern that is flattering to the person's body type, age, purpose for the garment. Choosing the right fabric, not necessarily the most expensive, but the one that drapes or has the right texture/heft, etc is just as important is choosing the right design/pattern, cutting the fabric on the grain, etc...each step is crucial to a quality lovely garment.

I don't know what age you are sewing for but when I started sewing, some wise sewing friend gave me these words of advice for avoiding the "homemade" look:
Keep your sleeves short, keep your collars small, and never, ever put in a machine sewn hem (a blind hem by machine is fine). I always think of that when I make my little girl's clothing. Another thing I have learned is that the length of the skirt is so important too. When I first began, I tended to make my things so long that they had that "homemade" look to them too. By the end of the season, when my dd had grown, they finally looked good on her. Of course, it depends on the style you are making. Some heirloom clothing you would want at a longer length. And what everyone else has said....press everything well!

Niener, I wondered...do you serge afterwards so that the seams are flatter to press? I always serge and stitch in one step (I guess to save time). But, I have noticed that the lined a-line dresses are much crisper if they are not serged (or I supposed serged afterwards like you do would be fine.)

I serge-finish just edges of the fabric...after I've sewn them. the exception is that I sometimes do pants' crotches on the serger as a serged/sewn seam. More often, I'll sew twice and then serge these too.l Curves like sleeves, I sew and then serge. That leaves the broad seam for a nice seam appearance and for alterations too. As for lined things? If the garment is "sealed" with the seams inside? Unless the fabric will be heavily stressed or the fabric ravels? I simple sew, press open and finish.

People really worry too much about the serging to prevent ravel. I never serge edges on knits or flannels for the sake of finishing the edges unless hte fabric is too unstable. Remember, as late as the 1990's it was rare for a home seamstress to have a serger. They were terribly expensive and they weren't even really avail (much) until the 1980's.

Laura, as Berninababe said, I rarely ever serge the lined a-lines or jon-jons. However, last year for Christmas I did a brother/sister set for Charlie and MK out of cotton velveteen. I had taken great pains to serge the edges of the fabric before I threw it in the washer to pre-shrink it prior to cutting it out, but never gave a thought to serging the seam edges once I had sewn them together because they were lined. Since we use small 1/4" seams in those garments, the velveteen did ravel and cause those tiny seams to fail. So this year when I made the Christmas velveteen garments, I serged every seam edge after stitching the seams. They were not serged together, but separately so that the seams could be steam pressed flat. The one exception was when I made the covered piping from the velveteen. I used my Darr Piping Ruler to cut the s/a to 1/4" prior to sewing the piping into the collar and sleeve cuffs. Before I stitched it into those areas, I serged the seam allowances together using a 3 thread narrow overlock to add insurance that the piping would not fail. And all the seam allowances, even on Charlie's lined jon-jon were serged individually.

I usually will sew most of the little pants with the serger and use the 4 thread overlock. In those instances I simply decide which way I wish to press the seams. Usually that is to the back of the garment. I place the garment on the ironing board lifting the part toward which I will press the seam and make sure the seam allowance is laying in that direction and then press from the seam toward the part I have lifted. I pull on it slightly so that I am in essence pressing the seam open.

I would like to add one other item to the list you mentioned concerning "too large" things on garments that tend to make them look homemade. And obviously, it's strictly my opinion. I find that when I'm at the fabric store looking for buttons, invariably people want to "help" me choose. But they always choose buttons that I think are too large. Scale and proportion are so important to the overall look of the finished garment. I would never use buttons larger than 1/2" down the back of a play dress for MK unless I was using a large button as a design element. And I place them 3" apart. If I am only adding buttons to a high yoke, I would NEVER use buttons that large. They look crowded because they have to be placed closer together. Ordinarily I like to use 3/8". Of course in heirloom things I always stick with 3/8" or smaller. Big old honking buttons are a sure sign to me that something is homemade rather than handmade.

Ladies you all Rock... My grandparents would always say the term "Homemade" is a term for food not for sewing, "custom", "couture", "tailor made" or "handmade" clothing were terms often used.