raw edges?
I know, I said I wouldn’t post till after Easter, but I’m curious about this pattern.
My daughter liked the view A top because she thought the shape and drape would work well for her H shape. (I learned about this shape via LPC’s referral to Inside Out Style and referred the link to my daughter, Miss R, and she got right on it.)
Miss R, gorgeous, slim, fit and lithe as a ballerina (twenty six years old – sigh!), nevertheless has inherited the vexing broad back issue so I thought I’d need to adjust the back but it wasn’t necessary as the half-way-around measurement of front to back on the pattern was nearly the same as hers.
What’s strange about the pattern is that it provides NO instructions for the raw edges!
besides shoulder seams there's only one sewn seam from underarm to hem
How can this be?
I assumed McCall’s must assume you’ll finish them in some way so I serged the exposed edges with the result that those edges have the lettuce edge look, which is pretty, but different from the view A look above.
lettuce edges
It occurred to me that I could have serged those edges with a contrasting color. Must consult with Miss R about this possibility for the next top.
The other funky thing is that the shoulder seams are connected with such tiny, tiny pieces of fabric that I shouldn’t have tried serging the raw edges before connecting the shoulder seams as the serger mangled the fabric a bit, making it necessary to trim the fabric and re-serge, and the serged edges significantly reduced the fabric area available for the shoulder seam.
On top, the shoulders are finished by hand sewing a piece of ribbon to strengthen the shoulder seam. Next time I’ll just baste the ribbon in place then serge the edges for a more finished look.
ribbon hand sewn at shoulder seam
The ribbon overlap didn’t quite work and the serged edges near the shoulder seam are bulkier than they should be because of the re-serging. And yes there are few straight stitches. You don’t want to know.
The serger requires a bit of fearlessness and humility, in just the right proportions. Observe and correct.
The next one will be perfect.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
This one looks pretty perfect to me. I’m in awe of your skills, Susan.
Thank you Angie. Sewers are perfectionists, so of course my eye goes straight to the mistakes.
Seems like such a simple pattern, but I must confess that I have never worked with a serger and certainly cannot help with the raw edges. My reader “Carolyn” (in Australia) could possibly have some advice.
Thank you Terri, I’ll check out her site and leave a question.
Susan – make sure that your differential feed is set to “N” (neutral). It might have lettuced because it’s not on the right setting. Also, be sure not to stretch the fabric when you serge (this is different than stretching a knit on a sewing machine, which is recommended) – a really light rayon jersey can be tough to work with.
I suspect that the pattern didn’t give explanation for edges because a) it’s a beginner pattern and b) knit doesn’t fray. It may not look as good to leave the seams unfinished, but it won’t hurt the finished product.
Ok. I will check that and try with some sample fabric. I definitely wasn’t stretching the fabric as it fed.
Wow. Leaving edges raw just seems so unfinished looking to me. Not acceptable. Miss R seems to like the lettuce edges but we’ll see what she thinks when she tries it on. I have more fabric and can remake it easily.
One other thing – this is the kind of pattern that would benefit with stabilization at the shoulder seam. Sew U Home Stretch talks about this. I’m sure there are lots of online tutorials that speak to it as well.
I really wondered about that shoulder seam — the fabric cut didn’t seem appropriate for everything that has go on there. I will look up Sew U Home Stretch. Thank you!
Yes, the trend, I’ve noticed, on patterns/web sites for young sewists, is to leave knit edges raw and to serge the rest with abandon in a quick ‘n dirty manner. Pattern instructions rarely discuss stabilization etc.
Just my opinion, but if you prefer a finished “traditional dressmaker” approach, I’d recommend Connie Long’s Sewing with Knits book over Sew U. Sew U is a great intro to knit sewing, but leaves out a lot of details which could produce a more refined look. Kwik Sew patterns also have great instructions which introduce some really helpful techniques which you can then apply to other non-Kwik-Sew projects. And finally, I really like Marcy Tilton’s T-shirt CD (which she sells on her web site, MarcyTilton.com). But Marcy isn’t big on sergers, so it might not be ideal if that’s your goal.
Thank you Ms. M. I’ll definitely get the Sewing with Knits book. I do like the serger, but also have a cover stitch machine — it’s still in the box! — so I do ultimately plan to make T-shirts with a real cover stitch hem. I’ll get the T-Shirt CD too. Thanks for the tips!
It looks pretty good to me.
I was watching Gertie give a serger lesson and in awe that it cuts the fabric off as it finishes the edge. I assume they all do that? It struck me that there isn’t much room for a re-do if it’s trimming as it goes along – yikes!
Thank you! Yes, as Kristin of K-Line says, “the serger gives and she takes.” It’s a matter of practice, but the mistakes are not usually easily recoverable.
I’m so glad–a fellow sewer! I always struggle with my serger..I end up getting frustrated with it and going back to zig-zaging edges on my regular machine! I’ve been working on bathing suits over the past couple of years–ugh! Love seeing your work~Paula
Hi Paula, it is a struggle, but when it works out it’s fantastic! Actually, I would think the serger would be a good option for bathing suits. The main thing, it seems to me as a newbie, is mastering serging in the round.