Hey there stitchers! Looking for a place to share what you’re sewing today? Or a way to ask questions of your fellow stitchers? This is your place!
Kosher! Should have done my own post a long long long time ago, as writing things in a post somehow helps me to concetrate better, meh, oh well.
Anyway, I think I found a doable method for ruffles.
( Super Easy Fabric Ruffle Tutorial).
Since the ruffle pattern the dress I’m makingi doesn’t really have any fabric to spare (unlike in the video), I just started bunching it up, and very very lightly pressed on the pedal while using a small flathead screwdriver to push the fabric under the foot. (Making real sure the screwdriver only goes under one side of the foot). Must practice more.
Ok! I think I am ready, but I’ll make a couple more just to make sure.
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Cool. I’m not stitching anything right now, but I have plans…
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Ok! This is the only fabric I had to buy this month as I had everything else on hand. I only needed enough to make six pieces (3 sets) to try different angles. So far I’m leaning towards diagonal (the bottom).
I have begun sewing things together to save on thread usage (but with the hangups, lockups, test pieces, and other issues, pshew, I still went through quite a bit).
Also, I attempted a bow. (I completely spaced out getting some elastic while at the store, so I may or may not finish the head band).
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Hmm! The pattern asks for something called bias tape, so hunted that up. Double folded strips of fabric. Ok! So I tried something, and if I felt just a little better, I bet I could make a dohickey out wood to help make them, but definitely not right now.
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Ok! That worked.
Top one was before I saw the vid, bottom was via that method. Definitely a lot faster.
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Ok! I think I now understand (days later, 
).
I didn’t need to sew the ruffle until this step. I had presumed the ruffle was going to be like a pocketless pocket, and basically hang down, but no, it means to sew it completely into place. Oof! Ok! (Don’t feel very good at all…sort of…erm…like a floating like feeling…Meh, just work slowly, 
).
finally can move on to the next steps.
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Ok! Working on the loops for the buttons, and it turns out the machine I have doesn’t like small pieces. So I recut the loop fabric twice as long to have more control moving it through the machine.
Worked quite well.
Now turning them inside out…that’s a bit of a problem. 
. After this next break I’ll try a couple of things…That I really only have one thing I can think of, 
. (Sewing three strands of thread around the opening and pulling each one to move each part into the opening.)
Ok! That’s not going to work. Hmm???
Oooooh! I bet I shouldn’t use cotton for the button loops. It might be a bit too thick for turning these small tubes inside out. What to try…what to try…before I hunt down another fabric.
Got them. I sanded one of my cat tree dowels smooth, and by pulling the thread through then a dowel I was able to force them inside out. (I did have to make an extra loop, though, as I snapped the threads off of the second loop attempting this).
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Anyone know why the button straps use a basting stitch? The only other reference I can see is to sew the buttons to the back.
Nevermind! I forgot about the neck trim. That’s where the button loops will be taken care of.
Ok! Sewing the hem around the neckband is going to be my next bit 'o fun.
I’ve been following a video for sewing the hem around curves, which uses a stay stitch. Eh, that didn’t go as planned (maybe the tension was too taut, or the stitches weren’t exactly straight), but I think I may be near the right path.
Hmm! The wider curves aren’t too bad, but the tight curves are definitely not that good. So, ok. Time to learn notching.
And I should have found this vid before starting…Meh, live and learn, heh. https://youtu.be/mgw0HGM73ms
It would have been so much easier to have pieced the neck piece on during the construction of the dress verses affixing the neck piece then sewing it to the dress.
Ok I just threw caution to the wind and just did it. Granted, there is still some puckering, but surprisingly, not that bad.
I may have to do the same thing I did with the shirt. Just scratch it and start all over with everything I learned way too late. .
Any way, the neck facing is a bit too thin to un-bunch it around the front neck area. I’ll try to sew it down later and see if I can get it out that way.
Way too light headed…Can barely think on it any more.
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On the small pieces, especially if the machine catches at the start, “leaders” help.
Someone here suggested this a long time ago and might be able to provide more information, but here’s a link to explain: https://quiltsbyjen.ca/what-are-leaders-and-enders/
It doesn’t have to be for quilt pieces only
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Have to remember that. Especially as that is something that I have happen way too often, 
Ok, I’ve been wanting to try a V-neck for quite a while, so a piece of fabric I got for Christmas I gave a different method a try for the girl’s dress, and it worked quite well.
There is one little problem, where the V meets, I’ll just have to watch some vids about getting rid of the bunching there.
I don’t know if I could actually do this, though, as there’d be no way of adding the button loops. . I wonder if I could skip those areas and finish them when adding the reinforcing stitches.
the other issue would be finishing the raw edges, but then I’d still have issues with that regardless which method I’d go with.
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You have to clip the corners right to the thread line to avoid bunching. @AIMR do you have a video for this? You’re the sewing resources Queen 
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Trouble is, there’s really nothing to clip with how I did this test. I sewed it first, then I snipped it so I could make the slit as narrow as possible.
Either sew to a point & clip or sew to a small square & clip each corner. A small reverse U shape will never lay flat.
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Here is how you should cut it.You cut down the middle and then angle into the corners. You can then cut off the point of the little triangle to reduce bulk. This is not a v-neck actually. There is a totally different way to do a v-neck…if this was meant to be more rounded, you would just have to clip every 1/8 inch just like any curve, but since you sewed it rectangle, this is how to turn it.
When I say reinforce, I mean you just sew right on top of your first stitch just around the bottom and a little on the sides. You don’t need to do this unless the fabric frays a lot. It would also help if you put a piece of iron-on interfacing at that spot. A little patch of it would help with fraying.
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This kind of gets annoying, pppp!
Almost more than half the time when I stop to turn things around, the sewing machine locks up. Two of these thread (not on the bobbin nor the needle) are too tight to pull out, too. . I just can’t figure out why it’s happening, but it does seem consistent.
Huh! Took the foot off to see under it, and that locked up thread just slipped right through. Weird!
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If you have a local FB Buy Nothing page, you could ask for help. I met a young woman at a restaurant because she did not know how to thread her serger. Her threads were constantly breaking. She brought her machine, thread and fabric. I brought needles, scissors, oil, screw drivers, and my manual (they are all about the same). She bought me a coffee as I worked on it and then showed her how to do it. Nothing beats hands on. You would be surprised how many people just love to help.
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If I ever feel comfortable again, I’ll have to try and remember that…as well as dozens of other things. Pppp!
Tried pushing myself past my breaking point…Did not go too well, . Pain and shakiness/fuzziness is too much, and I’m making way too many mistakes. But I did try a V instead of the square stitches.
It’s not, but it’s only a tad different, and gives me a bit of a trial before I actually attempt a V-neck, and at the same time let’s me try different things for the dress. Sort of like “catching two fish with one hook”, “getting both fingers caught in one door”, “exciting two cats with one can opener”, 
.
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