Sewing Tips : applique - 2005/04/04 16:08what's it called when you sew a piece of fabric onto another fabric by sewing a tight stitch along the edges?
like when Obie sews someone's symbol on their tunic..
I'd like tips on doing that kind of stuff without the piece you're adding wrinkling.
Post edited by: Grendel MacGregor, at: 2005/04/04 19:48Dragoon Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy. Hús Vetra Skald IMU
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Rewth
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/04 16:26applique.
generally what you want to do is get yourself some "WonderUnder". its kinda like a blank iron on sheet.
first iron it onto the fabric you plan to attach. usually on medium heat for only a few seconds. read hte instructions carefully. if you over or under iron it you will screw up the ability of it to bond properly.
then on the paper side draw your design, symbol, whatever your planning to do. but, remember, on this side you MUST draw it reversed. if you can't manage this, get a washable fabric pencil and draw it on the fabric side.
then cut out your design. simple. scissors or an exacto knife (for small internal parts, like inside the letter Q)
now peel off the the paper.
place the side that used to have hte paper on it (and now has the soon to be sticky film) onto your intended location. like on the chest of your tabard. and iron it into place. again, read the instructions. over heating or underheating here will also screw up the bond.
now, set your sewing machine on a zigzag stich. width of 1.5 or 2 (usually, you want about an 1/8th of an inch). set the length to jsut barely above zero.
grab some scrap fabric, test it out. your length should be long enough that the stitches don't overlap, but not so long that it has gaps. adjust as needed.
now, along the edges of the applique'd piece, stich away. you want about the stiches to fall on both sides of the edge of the piece. preferably about 1/16 inch on each side. if you go under that it will fray and eventually pucker away, making a mess. over that is a pain i nthe butt, and doesn't look so good.
remember to backstich every begining and end of a pass. this will lock down your stitches so they don't unravel.
pull your dangling threads through the fabric, and cut them all off.
say YAY! yer done.
warning. curves SUCK. go slow. take your time. celtic knots are the devil. i keep swearing i'll never do another one. yet i always end up doing them. --grumble--"But right now I'm a little concerned about my pants, since I don't know where they are." - Valathina Nailo
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Rewth
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/04 16:29oh... and wonder under can still produce wrinkles. they are generally caused by over heating. if the film breaks down too much it won't bond evenly. as the item is washed and worn over time this bond will break down creating puckers between the two.
make absolutely sure you wash ALL fabric before you sew with it. even fabrics of the same type can shrink differently. get some nice cotton flannel appliqued to something synthetic... it'll look great. til you wash it once. the cotton will shrinkpulling hte stiches together, making a horrendous mess. this goes for ANYTHING, not jsut applique."But right now I'm a little concerned about my pants, since I don't know where they are." - Valathina Nailo
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Rewth
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/04 16:36another tip.
ALWAYS finish your seams. don't care if its hidden. NEVER leave raw fabric edges exposed.
even if you just zigzag 1/8 inch from the main seam, you'll still increase the durability of that item tremendously.
it at all possible, roll the edges and sew them down or do a flat feld (airleas' favorite, like the seam down the leg of your jeans). flat felds are hard ot explain... ask me and i can show you, otherwise look online or in most sewing books.
there are certain a/s judges that will HEAVILY penalize any entry that doesn't have every single edge finished. this goes for button holes too."But right now I'm a little concerned about my pants, since I don't know where they are." - Valathina Nailo
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Grendel
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/04 19:49word, thanks for the info.Dragoon Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy. Hús Vetra Skald IMU
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Zios
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 10:03Cool Rewth, thank ya.Founder of The Black Fox Tribe Resident Ninja of the NH All-around BAMF
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Axys
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 10:39Another thing that you can do, instead of the 'under stuff is use a small amount of 'liquid stitch'. Use a small brush and lightly tag the edges and then press it where you want it... then follow up with the zigzag stitch... that's what I'm doing on my current project....Belkar (OOTS) "Dude, you order paladins to clean the litter box. You're like, my idol."
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Orlando Ebasdotter
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 11:13I guess I'm going to play devil's advocate with Rewth here a little bit...
His advice on using wonder under is solid! Follow his directions (and precautions) to a T.
Likewise, pre-wash your fabric; especially if you're using more than 1 type of fabric. This should be a 'duh' to anyone who's sewn more than one or two items.
Regarding the ALWAYS finishing of your seams...
Different people see this in different light. While most of the time, it's true: if you finish your seams, you will score better in competitions. But this is not always the case. I know of judges that score down because of unfinished seams, and I know of judges that won't score down, if the seam is not exposed (I mean...no one is going to see it anyway, are they).
If you have no intention of entering an item for competition, then it's really up to you. The benefit of finishing your seams will become apparent when your piece of garb starts to fall apart. But...that may just be the 'clock' counting down, telling you that you need to make new garb (new garb is always a good thing )
I usually finish all of my seams (at least on the work that I do nowadays) because I build items to last.
Another couple other tips:
1) Rugrat mentioned that she has something even better than wonder under. Some kind of spray-adhesive that washes away the first time you wash it. I'm looking for some currently, as this stuff sounds like da bomb.
2) Sew early...and sew often. Don't try sewing when you're tired. You will produce much more sloppy work than you would have if you had some rest. And sew frequently. I noticed that when I made Galder's tunic recently, I was WAY out of sewing shape. I hadn't made anything in over 6 months, and it showed. You forget about things when you don't use them for a long time. So try to make something at least every three months. This should keep you in 'sewing shape' enough to not lose too much. Besides, everyone needs more garb (myself included).
My Offer: If you want me to help you fashion a simple Circle Tunic, please let me know, and we can set up a time for you to come over. I'll have you pick out the fabrics that you want to use (giving you suggestions beforehand, of course), and we'll work on a time when I can help you make it, either over the course of a day, or over a couple of days. These are one on one workshop offers, so if you're interested send me an email at owilliams@comcast.net and I'll schedule you a time.Count Orlando Sheriff of Obsidian Hills Kingdom of the Rising Winds
"A Kingdom is only as strong as the character of its citizens."
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Rewth
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 11:22Orlando Ebasdotter wrote: I guess I'm going to play devil's advocate with Rewth here a little bit...
Regarding the ALWAYS finishing of your seams...
Different people see this in different light. While most of the time, it's true: if you finish your seams, you will score better in competitions. But this is not always the case. I know of judges that score down because of unfinished seams, and I know of judges that won't score down, if the seam is not exposed (I mean...no one is going to see it anyway, are they).
If you have no intention of entering an item for competition, then it's really up to you. The benefit of finishing your seams will become apparent when your piece of garb starts to fall apart. But...that may just be the 'clock' counting down, telling you that you need to make new garb (new garb is always a good thing )
I usually finish all of my seams (at least on the work that I do nowadays) because I build items to last.
devils advocate all you want. i will respectfully disagree wholeheartedly with this.
regardless of your scoring potential, you should still always finish your seams. and the reason for it you conveniently list in your argument.
why would you ever build something that you want to have fall apart on you prematurely? amtgard is already fairly rough on garb. at least compared to every day use, we fight in it, sleep in it, wear it i nthe mud/rain/dust storms/scorching heat, wear it for multiple days straight, wash it only occasionally...
while i can see looking for a "rugged" or "well worn" look, you should stil lfinish the seams. you can achieve the same result if you do it intentionally, rather than naturally. and you won't have to re-make the item two weeks later.
i have a pair of stripey pants that i intentionally left raw edges o nthe bottom. however, i still ran a line of stitches an inch up the leg. i wanted the bottom to fray. it was piratey garb afterall. but, without that line of stitches i would have lost half n inch of fabric every time they were washed. what ended up as coulotts due to bad measuring on my part, would have been shorts within three months.
finish your seams. all of them."But right now I'm a little concerned about my pants, since I don't know where they are." - Valathina Nailo
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Orlando Ebasdotter
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 14:05lol...
I wonder if I can escalate Rewth's blood-pressure by reiterating that finishing your seams isn't always necessary?
He's right, though. If you want your garb to last, it's a good habit to get into, and doesn't take up enough extra time to outweigh its benefits
[Edit]: We are getting way off topic here...
If you want help with Applique, I'd be more than willing to show any of you how I do it.
Post edited by: orlando ebasdotter, at: 2005/04/05 14:09Count Orlando Sheriff of Obsidian Hills Kingdom of the Rising Winds
"A Kingdom is only as strong as the character of its citizens."
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Grendel
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 14:11yeah, finishing the thing on your pants made it look stupid..
I made some zombie garb that I wanted roughed up..
some folks suggested instead of just tearing holes in the garb, sew around the holes, then cut it and tear it..
it looked like shit, nothing like advertising "here's my intentionally made to look ragged crap!"
I don't know I think that specific use of stitching can really make a piece laughableDragoon Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy. Hús Vetra Skald IMU
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Airleas
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/04/05 18:52I know this is getting off topic Obie, but Rewth asked me to put in my own two cents. And, as a seam nazi, ..you guessed it, I agree with Rewth. You should always finish all your seams. Obie, you said why yourself in this quote:
"2) Sew early...and sew often. Don't try sewing when you're tired. You will produce much more sloppy work than you would have if you had some rest. And sew frequently. I noticed that when I made Galder's tunic recently, I was WAY out of sewing shape. I hadn't made anything in over 6 months, and it showed. You forget about things when you don't use them for a long time. So try to make something at least every three months. This should keep you in 'sewing shape' enough to not lose too much. Besides, everyone needs more garb (myself included). "
You are only going to get better with practice. And if you make garb every three months that is crap, when you want to enter a competition, you are going to have to re learn. It takes between 3 days and 3 weeks to form a habit. If you make a habit of doing it right all the time, or doing your best, you will continue to improve instead of having to relearn how to do it right when it counts.
There also may come a time when you decide at last minute that you want to enter Quals or Dragonmaster (or Olympiad from the back of your car - ask Michael Hammer of God about that). If all you have is your 'everyday' garb that doesn't really matter, you will have to make every thing new, on the spot. You wont have those nice things that you made a couple of months ago that you can pull out of the closet. That's two less things to worry about.
I also believe that when you no longer want to wear that tunic, you should pass it on. There (hopefully) will always be newbies at the park who are all excited about the game. What do you want to do - give them that ratty tunic that is falling apart? Or wouldn't it be nicer to have that welll made old tunic stashed away that you can just hand out?
It doesn't take long to finish a seam after all. A quick zig-zag stitch is all it takes to finish one. Yes, I do think flat feld seams are better, but I also will not take points off in a competition for a zig-zag stich. I ADD points for flat-felding though. Hell, if you really don't want to deal with it, get a pair of pinking shears at the fabric store. They are the scissors with the zig-zag cut. They will finish the fabric enough to prevent most from unravelling. Pinking won't last forever on all fabrics though, especially if it is a loosely woven fabric or a satiny fabric.
Just my own 5 cents (inflation) Airleas
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Medryn
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/05/05 15:54Just another KoSp chiming in here, but: DAMNIT FINISH YOUR SEAMS! Most of the reasons have already been stated: your garb lasts longer, it'll score higher, and on a totally practical side wash a tunic with unfinished seams, and then have fun untangling all the fabric remanants (now strings) insid, especially if you do an extensively pieced item.
As for further applique tips:
Slow and steady is much better than start-stop at any speed.
I would actually disagree with Rewth on the halfway over the edge of the fabric thing. and here's why: To get the best looking piece you should use the same color theread as the piece you are appliquing (jesus how do you spell that?) on. You should then applique with the majority of the satin stitch (that's the very tight zig-zag) on the piece you are adding. This highlights the piece, and you don't see the different fabrics through any gaps in the satin stitch (not that you'll have any 'cause it'll be perfect right?). If you are going to do an off color stitch then you can use the half on the piece you are adding, half on the base fabric method. but see below.
If you want your applique to look its best, go over it twice. This is amazingly time consuming I know, but it will cover any gaps you may have in between stitches. just make sure not to bunch up or to wobble off of the stitch line, that can look really crappy.
Start with simple designs, keeping curves to a minimum, as you get better at controlling your speed and moving the fabric you can add more curves to your pieces. Just ask Cedric, he only appliques straight lines, and they look far better than screwed up curves.
I'd be happy to show anyone additional techniques, and tips, as soon as I finish these damn lawschool final papers.
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Orlando Ebasdotter
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/06/07 10:35I'm just revisiting a couple of these A/S threads, and I wanted to pose a question to the KoSp's reading:
Would you guys be willing to put together a 'basics of sewing' instruction manual for our newer players? I'm envisioning some kind of easy to follow, 'big-print' document with pictures that indicates how you would go about fashioning a circle tunic with some easy applique work done on it. What do you guys think?
Also, to everyone else reading, would you (or more specifically, your ungarbed or new players) use something like this? Perhaps keep a few copies in your 'newbie' box at the park, to give to new players?Count Orlando Sheriff of Obsidian Hills Kingdom of the Rising Winds
"A Kingdom is only as strong as the character of its citizens."
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Cruz
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Re:Sewing Tips : - 2005/06/09 00:35Well I myself have not done alot of applique but from what I have done, there is only one important thing to the best of my knowledge and that is patience. Several of us tried and i was the only one capable of completeing the project (thank you chainmail...)Cruz Hús Vetra Skald "Sand is over rated, it is just a bunch of tiny rocks..." "The more you sweat during practice the less you bleed in battle"
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