I’ve got a stack of cheap leggings I’m thinking I might chop up. I browsed Pinterest for ideas, and I’m leaning towards mini skirts, since they seem pretty simple. The leggings have a wide waist and are super stretchy. I snipped one into a long sleeve shirt and immediately didn’t like it. Fortunately, my backup plan for these is to make ice pack covers.
If anyone has any ideas, it would be super appreciated. It’s freezing outside today, and this is a nice indoor activity. I would say I’m moderately okay with the sewing machine these days (I’m not afraid of knits), but raw edges and tied together fabric is fun too.
Ok! I knew there was something I was forgetting. The interfacing that I have been getting at Hobby Lobby frays ( That’s not the right word) quite a bit.
Hmmmmmmm??? Luckily the boy’s shirt pattern hides the interfacing, so I think I can get away with it for now, but once I start working on larger shirts, I’m definitely going to have to get something different.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
63
Interfacing tends to fuzz out. It’s meant to be inside the garment and is more protected. I know many times it’s not completely sewn in, but still inside. And can flip over and be a pain.
I’m very much a beginner at “serious” sewing, but as is typical, jumped right into the deep waters.
I’m attempting this pattern:
I suppose the instructions are aimed at more experienced people.
I’m currently stuck on the instructions regarding the sleeves and the cuffs. It doesn’t mention the lining and I can’t visualize the process with the one sentence and photo related to it.
What do I do after I stitch the cuff to the sleeve as the instructions say?
so i THINK what they are getting at is: you attach the cuffs to the coat; then, once the lining is done and you are ready to sew the lining to the coat, you handsew the lining sleeve to the cuff to finish it off - so, the coat is all done, the lining is all done, time to sew the lining to the coat; if you try on the lining, then put the coat on overtop, everything should match fairly well; then you fold under the raw edge of the sleeves and ladder stitch or whatever to the coat sleeve so it looks all neat and tidy.
Does that make sense? I can’t see the pattern, but from what they have there (and what I’ve done myself) that’s what I think they are aiming for.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
68
You are taking the cuff and sewing it to the sleeve. Fold it to the inside (it will be in almost half) and pin it together. Turn it back to the outside. Where you just made the seam, topstitch it (that is, sew about 1/4 inch down from the seam), thus securing the folded part to the inside. The edge will be raw but depending on the fabric, it should be fine. You can also “double fold” it under on the edge, but I think it might be bulky to sew through.
Thanks @DementedUnicorn and @AIMR, I think all the inside out stuff and the lining was throwing me off.
I do see now that the lining is mentioned afterwards and only attached at a few places after the construction is done.
I’m actually working with a fabric that is much thinner, as this is for a costume, so I think I can figure out a nicer finish for the edge of the sleeve. Just have to turn it a bit back and forth in my mind (and with some scrap fabric).
2 Likes
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
70
The edge will be inside and covered by the lining. The edge which is outside against the hand is the fold of the fabric. The lining is just nearly a duplicate of the coat and attached. You got this…look at a coat if you need more help…sometimes seeing a finished piece makes it easier to visualize.
I’m a big old fan of double fold bias tape for this reason. i also won’t hem unless i ABSOLUTELY have to … I use bias tape to finish edges (having to do hemming offends me for some reason hahahaha)
What I did, I increased the length by about 1/4”, then after sewing them together (then I put in a new bobbin of thread, then re-sewed them together, ). I ironed the 1/4” extra over the 1/4” seam allowance. Then folder that over one more time and sewn them together with the zigzag straight stitch.
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
73
Cute fabrics!!
I have quite a few things cut out but just haven’t felt like sewing. I better pretty soon because I am running out of pins since they are all used up pinning the patterns!
Heh, yeah! And I still have these little boy shirts I want to get sewn. And I realized a while ago, , I didn’t cut out the pockets. Oh for crying out loud.
Still pretty worn down, though. I keep falling in and out of sheer exhaustion. Yeesh!
And to make it more fun, I found the pocket cutout rather easily…However……I can’t find the spare fabric. Uh oh! Oh no!
, Just had to whine about it. Found it in the fourth place I looked just a moment ago.
Woops! I called it the wrong thing. The…I still don’t know what it’s called, heh, but what a serger is used for to keep the raw edges from fraying. Anyway, I was trying that stitch out. Haven’t really made up my mind yet, as I could just do the zigzag stitch, which would use less thread.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
78
Is it a coverstitch? If so, it is still used for hemming knits. Both rows of straight stitching need to hit fabric. It doesn’t look like an overlock stitch used for fraying seams.
Ok! I can do a french seam. The Simplicity seam allowance is 5/8th’s of an inch, and I really don’t need that much. So I can sew most parts of the shirt this way.
tried it on a circle shape to see how it would work, as long as it’s not too tight, it works just fine.
Now I need to write down exactly what I’m going to do with what so I can figure out if there are areas I’ll have to do something different. O_o, yay! Heh!
Fortunately, my backup plan for these is to make ice pack covers.
That’s not the right word) quite a bit.
). I ironed the 1/4” extra over the 1/4” seam allowance. Then folder that over one more time and sewn them together with the zigzag straight stitch.
, I didn’t cut out the pockets. Oh for crying out loud.
