Show us your Selvage Edges!

We love Threads Magazine here at Stonemoutain. We love that we can flip through the pages and find articles with great sewing tips and awesome ideas on garment construction and design.

The most recent  issue  (September 2014) features an article about making use of the selvage edges of fabrics to incorporate into your designs. We were intrigued with this notion, since most of us remember our mothers making us cut off those "ugly" edges before we even started our projects.

We found inspiration in a lacy Polyester with Lycra fabric.  The lace is soft, feather light and stretchy, and perfect for a tunic top.  But best of all, the selvage edges of the fabric has two different looks.

One edge is relatively smooth and flat, but gives the appearance of woven ribbon.

The opposite selvage edge appears as thought it has been run over by a too hot iron, but the effect is delightfully ruffled and feathery.

Both edges could be used in a layered look, something like this cute photo we found in a catalog...all we need is a pattern.  We settled on Kwik Sew's 3870 (available at Stonemountain via mail order), an easy tunic style. Adding a ruffle to the bottom of this pattern would not be too difficult.

If you want to use your selvage edge at the bottom of a pattern hemline, you just fold the fabric along the cross grain of the fabric, rather than the standard layout along the lengthwise of the grain. All of our tunic pieces were laid out along this selvage edge.

We will use the "wrinkled" selvage edge as our ruffle.

This stretchy lace is delicate but very forgiving to sew. Use a zig-zag stitch or a straight stitch - either works! We used two layers of the wrinkled selvage-edged side of the fabric to form our hemline ruffle.

 

 We're thinking Laurel's 'mini-me,' Colette loves this easy tunic with the "show-off" selvage edges. Remember that not every sheer fabric needs to be lined - we like just using a ready-to wear cami under the sheer lace.

What a great time it is at Stonemountain & Daughter! Much of the fabric that I found in New York is in...plus to make room for all these cartons of yumminess, I had to half price tons of bolts and put them upstairs on SALE!!! Hope you can make it in to see all the inspiring fabrics...what are you wanting to make next?

Creatively Yours,

Suzan

fabriclady3@gmail.com

Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

2518 Shattuck Ave. @ Dwight Way

Berkeley CA

510-845-6106

www.stonemountainfabric.com