Sewing Techniques

Sewing Friends: 

Easing is a method of sewing a larger piece or section of fabric to a smaller piece of section of a garment without having any tucks, gathers or puckers when it is finished.

We ease sleeves to armholes.  Often, we need to ease fabric at the elbows, bust or at waistlines to accommodate a body curve or bulge.

Depending on the fabric, easing can sometimes be a challenge.  Here are a couple of methods to help you when you need to ease fabric in a garment.

Easing Method I

This first method is sometimes called, “staystitching plus” or “ease stitching” .

It is good to use on smaller sections (about 4 - 6 inches long).

• Using regulation stitch on your sewing machine, staystitch the larger area 1/2 inch from the edge of the fabric.  The trick is to hold your finger behind the presser foot and let the fabric build up while you staystitch.  Thus, the name, “staystitching plus”.
• This scrunches the fabric and helps you to ease it more smoothly into the smaller area where it belongs.
• Steam pressing also helps to shrink this area to fit.
• It is a good idea to staystitch with the grain whenever possible.  Think wide to narrow or with the threads of the edge of the fabric laying down and not sticking out when you run your fingers along the cut edge. 

Easing Method II

Sometimes I like to use a length of clear elastic to slightly gather or ease something.  You might want to try this, too.  It isn’t the best for long ruffles, but does work well for easing.  Try it on easing sleeves, too.

• Simply secure one end of the 3/8 inch wide clear elastic to one end of your fabric.
• Set your sewing machine for a zigzag stitch.  Use regular thread. 
• Stretch the elastic as you zigzag it to the fabric at about 1/2 inch from the edge.

Easing Sleeves Method III

Ok, how many of you use 2 rows of baste stitching to ease in your sleeve caps? Do you get little pleats and tucks or broken threads?  Now, you know why!

Big baste stitches create little pleats and tucks.  And, we already discussed the broken threads in the previous post!  Forget that!

So, how do you ease in your sleeves to avoid this headache?

Here is an easing tip besides the clear elastic above to get smooth sleeves.

• Use a 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch wide bias strip of thin fabric or the “Seams Great” nylon bias strip to ease in your sleeve caps.
• Lay a bias strip along the edge of the sleeve cap beginning just slightly below a sleeve notch.  Have the wrong side of the sleeve up at the sewing machine.
• It is not necessary to know how long the bias strip should be.  Just start sewing and use whatever you need to sew notch to notch. 
• Begin sewing with regulation stitch about 1/2 inch from the edge.  No need to backstitch. 
• Stretch the bias strip as you sew it to the inside of the sleeve cap. 
• Don’t worry if the bias gets “funny looking” as you stretch and sew it.  Just make sure you are stitching at 1/2 inch from the edge.
• Stop just slightly beyond the other notch on the sleeve. 
• The stretched bias eases the sleeve up and goes into the armhole more easily.
• If you hang the sleeve over your finger tips as if it were in an armhole, you will see how nice and smooth it looks.
• Now sew the sleeve into the armhole.
• Leave the bias strip inside the sleeve.  It helps to make the sleeve round out of the armhole and look better when it is finished. 

What do you think?  Isn’t this a great sewing technique?  Let me know how you like it!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS:  Share your favorite sewing technique with us.

PPS:  Discover more great “It Doesn’t Look Homemade” Sewing Techniques in our basic and couture sewing ebooks.  Check it out!  They both have a ton of sewing information in them that you can use in all your sewing.  Go to:  http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com/sewing.html

Don’t forget everyone needs good fit.  Why sew garments that don’t fit?  Pants fitting is no longer a mystery or a guessing game.  You can do it with the new “Common Sense Fitting Method“.   Go to:  http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.fitting.html

Sewing Techniques

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 6th, 2006 at 10:27 am and is filed under Sewing Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.