Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sew It! Reverse It!

 Many things in life are not as expected and full of surprises. Here is a fun way to surprise yourself - make two garments in one! Great for trips and when you want a little change. Jump in and reverse your point of view!
Surprisingly enough, a reversible pattern is actually a hard thing to find. There are several vintage patterns available through the internet, but next to none in the current pattern world.

The best thing to do is take an existing pattern and make it reversible. This requires little to no changes to the actual pattern, only the way in which you construct it. The patterns below are ones that we recommend and are available at Stonemountain.


Pattern - Burda - T-Shirt  - 8220 
Patterns that work best for this are blouses without buttons or zipper closures. Also, it is best to use boxier cuts or patterns without darts, as to cut down on any bulk.


Dupioni and Habotai are natural together!


Tip
Using Dupioni and Habotai together
makes the garment less prone to wrinkles!
 



Buy the suggested amount of fabric in two different fabrics. Make sure to buy similar types of fabric (knits with knits, cotton woven with cotton woven).
You can use two different types of fabric (for example: charmeuse with rayon) but they should be similar in drape and weight.





These silks would be nice to pair for the Burda Top.



When you construct the blouse, you sew the shoulder, sleeves, and sides for each fabric then, with the right sides of the two different fabrics together, sew the necklines, front and back.




Rayon Challis
Rayon challis can be paired with our  rayon bamboo, rayon crepe, and rayon linen, and cotton silk.
The rayon challis is so pretty - flowers are in!

Rayon linen pairs well with cottons, cotton silk, medium weight silks and rayon bamboo and rayon crepe. 

Rayon Bamboo and Rayon Crepe

 It is best to trim the seam allowance, again, to cut down on bulk. Turn it right side out, then finish/hem the sleeves together (you can turn the seam allowance in on each and hem or slip-stitch them together by hand.




Or trim on 1/4 " shorter than the other, fold the longer one over the shorter, then fold once more and sew it down, creating a bit of trim/boarder on one side of the fabric. Or you can bind them close with bias tape or lace. The same can be done for the bottom hem.
 Fabric Care Tips
Always treat the fabric before hand as you will the finished garment or project (for example - if you plan to put the finished garment in the dryer, wash and put the fabric in the dryer before you cut)

When in doubt dry clean all silk, wool, rayon, linen, decorator fabrics, and certain imported cottons whose dye is unstable to keep it looking it's best. If you choose to dry clean, certain fabrics need to be pre-shrunk by steaming before you cut into your project.
 Some dry cleaners can steam press your fabric before you cut.

Exception: Some fabric with metallic threads may not be suitable for dry cleaning and will need special care.


Look for more fabric care tips in upcoming Stonemountain e-newsletters!

Follow us on Pinterest!
A great new place to share customer projects, staff picks, and the latest trunk shows in the store!

Go to our Pinterest page - Scissors and Thread
to learn to make this cool sewing machine cover!
Our Scissors and Thread board has lots of great ideas for your sewing room!

1 comment:

  1. I really like your blog posts about different women fabric designs. Keep writing and sharing worthy information with us!

    ReplyDelete