Lessons 4, 5

Complete the sentences.

4. A should be applied a has been applied, but a band has been applied to a garment. 5. Coil are made of or . One advantage of them is the with which a stuck piece of or fabric may be . 6. It is best to insert a zipper when the garment sections are .

Do this activity.

7. Apply a zipper to the dress you have begun by either the centered or lapped method. If you do not have a zipper the correct length, shorten a longer one as described in this lesson. Fold the tabs of the zipper under since the is finished already.

Lesson 5 ; Finishes

POCKETS Patch Pockets There are many ways to make patch pock - 2. Turn the top edge of the under ets. This section will explain the basics about `yI ¬¬ (1 cm), press it in place, and sew with a well-made patch pockets. The first thing to zigzag . Use tape instead if the consider is your fabric. If it is a plaid, stripe, pocket will stretch or if you don’t have a or print, you must decide if you will match it zigzag machine. to the fabric of the garment. This will determine where you will place the 3. Fold the pocket at the marks for the top pocket pattern on the fabric to it out. A with right sides together and stitch. striped or plaid may be cut on 4. If the pocket has rounded corners at the opposite the bottom, or on the sew an ease bias for con - basting trast. seam `yI ¬¬ (1 cm) 1. Cut the from the pocket by the edge pattern and around mark the hem - each line at each curve. side.

22 Lesson 5

5. Stitch around the pocket ½ ¬¬ (1.3 cm) bottom seam from the edge if the pocket has rounded cor - allowance. ners. If the pocket has square corners, sew Press all seam only down each side but not across the bot - allowances in tom. place.

6. Turn the top pocket hem to the wrong 8. the side of the pocket. In a pocket with rounded pocket to the corners garment. If this will you are match - pull all ing stripes, the raw plaids, or edges to print, you may the wish to hand-baste the pocket to the gar - back of ment to keep it exactly the where you want it when you sew. pocket. Pull the 9. Begin at one side of the pocket top and ease- sew around basting the pocket seams to wyî ¬¬ – `yI ¬¬ (0.6 make the – 1 cm) from rounded corners smooth and even. Notch the the edge. You corners to eliminate some fabric if the cor - may wish to ners look bulky. Press the seam allow- reinforce the ances in place. corners by stitching a 7. In a pocket with square corners, press small triangle the bottom to the wrong in the corner side first. Then turn the top hem and side as shown in seam allowances to the back. Slip-stitch the the illustra - bottom corners of the side seams to the tion.

Do this activity.

1. Use the patch pocket pattern at the back of this LightUnit to cut out a pocket. Work through Steps 1-7 to make the pocket. Wait to attach it (Steps 8, 9) until after you make the in the next lesson.

Invisible Pockets These pockets are also called inseam pockets because they are stitched in the side seams of the skirt of a garment. A garment may have such a pocket on both sides or on only one side. Each pocket requires two pieces exactly alike. The pocket pieces are stitched to the skirt sides before they are stitched together.

23 Lesson 5

1. Cut out the pocket pieces. 5. Beginning at the top of the skirt, stitch the side seam to the top of the pocket open - 2. Mark the pocket opening carefully on ing. at that point for reinforce - the wrong side of each skirt sec - ment. Sew around the pocket to the bottom tion. of the pocket opening. Backstitch for rein - 3. With right sides together, pin forcement, then continue the straight side of each pocket sewing the length of the piece to the skirt side at the skirt side seam. marked opening. Stitch 6. Press the pocket along the straight toward the front of the gar - ¬¬ side with a 3/8 (1 ment. If you wish the cm) seam. Fold the seams to lie flat, clip the pocket out and press seam allowance to the the seam allowance seamline and press it open. Step 5 toward the pocket. Understitch the Alternate Pocket pocket and seam Pattern allowance. Sewing the pocket into 4. With right the waist makes it sturdier. It also lies flatter and stays sides together, pin the Alternate more firmly in place. skirt sides together. Pin Pattern the pocket pieces together.

SEAM FINISHES

The most important reason for finishing the seam allowance wyî ¬¬ raw edges of a seam is to keep the fabric from from the edge; then fraying. Seam finishes can also improve the pink the edges. appearance and comfort of a garment. Zigzagged stitches Cut edge or raw edge means that nothing can be used on is done to the raw edges. They are simply almost any woven left as they are cut. This can only be done fabric and are espe - when the garment is lined or is cially suitable for made of a knit washable garments. that does not Stitches are placed fray. It is also appropriate for nonwoven near but not fabrics like felt, over the edge. vinyl, , If lightweight and suede. fabric tends to Pinked or stitched roll, it may be and pinked is quick and easy. It can be used helpful to on fabrics that do not ravel easily. Pinking lengthen shears shouldn’t be used to cut out the gar - and/or widen ment pieces. Cut them out with regular the stitches. If the fabric is fairly shears. After the garment is sewn, stitch the lightweight, the seam allowances can be zigzagged together and pressed to one side. 24 Lesson 5

Your machine may have several variations (0.3 cm). Press the strip up and over the cut of the zig-zagged stitch for finishing seams. edge to the wrong side. Press the raw edge Check the machine manual to learn what is of the wyî ¬¬ (0.6 cm) to the inside. Stitch available on your machine. Practice several to the wrong side of the seam zigzag finishes on fabric scraps. allowance by stitching in Clean finished is a good finish for the ditch on lightweight fabrics. It washes well and pro - the right vides a neat finish for unlined jackets. side. To keep You must allow a `öî ¬¬ –1 ¬¬ (2– 2.5 cm) the fabric seam allowance. from wrin - Turn under wyî ¬¬ kling as you (0.6 cm) and sew, you may need to pin frequently, or edge-stitch glue it in place before sewing. from the right side of the fab - Overcasting by hand can also be done to ric. Stitch only produce a flat finish without stiffness. in the seam Before machines had zigzag stitching, this allowance. time-consuming method was used frequently. Machine stitch wyI ¬¬ (0.3 cm) from the edge. Work from left to right and space hand Bound finish is a neat finish for unlined stitches wyI ¬¬ – wyî ¬¬ (0.3 – 0.6 cm) apart, using garments of heavier weights where a clean the machine stitching as a gauge for stitch finish would be too bulky. depth. Use your left Enclose the cut edge of the seam allowance thumb to hold each stitch with the tape. Set the machine for a straight on the diagonal. or . Stitch Check the raw seam edges the tape to the of the garment you have seam allow- almost completed. Discuss ance. Use the with your teacher inside of the whether they should be as finished in some way. If a gauge to so, decide together how it stitch closely should be done. to the edge of Since the ends of the tape. some seams are If you use a lining, stitch the strip to the sewn into other seams, you may not be able right side of the seam allowance. to wyI ¬¬ to finish all seams completely to the end.

Do this activity.

1. Finish the of the dress according to one of the methods described in this LightUnit. Turn up the bottom edge of the dress skirt ½ ¬¬ (1.3 cm) by pressing it to the wrong side. Zigzag completely around the hem. Fold a 2 ¬¬ (5 cm) hem to the wrong side; press and pin in place. Stitch the hem in place by hand or by using the hemming stitch on your machine (check the manual for directions).

25 Lessons 5, 6

Complete these sentences.

2. When a seamstress applies a patch pocket to a printed/striped/plaid fabric, she must take care to . 3. Invisible pockets are applied in the of a skirt. 4. Invisible pockets should be pressed toward the of a garment.

Match.

5. cut edge or raw edge a. enclose the cut edge of the seam allowance with tape 6. pinked or pinked and b. use and zigzag stitch stitched edge c. nothing done to the edges 7. clean finish edge d. machine stitch a guideline; hand-sew edge 8. bound finish edge e. turn under seam allowance and stitch 9. overcast by hand

Lesson 6 and

BUTTONHOLES AND BUTTONS

Buttons are a practical way to open and tain instructions for sewing buttons on gar - close garments. It should also be noted that ments by machine. You may want to learn they can “make or break” a garment. how to do this by practicing on fabric scraps. Crooked buttonholes that are clipped too For most garments, it is best to attach but - close to the thread will make an otherwise tons by hand. well-made garment look shoddy and fuzzy. Buttonholes are located on the left front Correctly made buttonholes are so well done in men’s garments, and on the right front or that no one notices them. the back left in women’s garments. In any Most sewing machines are designed to garment they should be exactly the same in make buttonholes either with or without width and length; they should be spaced attachments. Study your machine’s manual evenly, and located the same distance from and practice making buttonholes on fabric the edge of the garment. scraps. When you are ready to make - Buttonhole size is determined by the holes on any garment, always make a prac - diameter and thickness of the button. Use a tice buttonhole or two on a garment fabric narrow strip of paper or fabric to measure scrap and test to see if the button slides around the thickest or widest part of the through it. Many machine manuals also con - button. Remove the button and fold the

26 Lesson 6 paper in half to determine the minimum 3. Decide the depth of the stitches you length of the buttonhole. The button should will use on each side of the buttonhole. This slip in and out of the buttonhole without is usually 1/16 ¬¬ – 1/8 ¬¬ (0.2 – 0.3 cm). Draw strain, but the buttonhole should not be so lines exactly this distance on each side of long that the button slips out of its own the buttonhole line and across the ends the accord. If the buttonhole is the least bit same distance from the buttonhole ends. tight, it is too small, and the corners will When you finish you should have a rectangle eventually fray. Rough buttons require a around the original line. larger buttonhole than smooth ones. 4. Use a regular machine stitch to stitch around the rect - Machine-Made Buttonholes angle. Raise the It is a good idea to reinforce the edge of a presser foot at garment where buttonholes are to be placed. each corner and Iron a strip of fusible on the lower the needle exactly at the corner of the wrong side of the garment. This can often be rectangle, then pivot, lower the presser foot, done between the garment and the facing. It and continue sewing. is especially important to do this on knits because they tend to stretch when the but - 5. Use small sharp or a razor tonholes are stitched and cut. blade to cut through the mark for the but - Here are some other tips to remember tonhole. Cut through all layers exactly to when making machine-made buttonholes: the ends of the buttonhole mark. Do not cut to the ends of the rectangle. • Skipped stitches are often a problem with machine-stitched buttonholes. Stitching 6. Overcast the edges of the buttonhole through paper or lubricating the needle slit by hand. Most handmade buttonholes may help with this problem. are rounded (fanned) at one end and fin - • Loosen the upper tension slightly. ished with a at the other. Turn the garment so that the end of the but - • Use a to slash the buttonhole tonhole to be fanned is positioned to the left. after it is made. Insert the ripper straight down into one end, slash to the center; 7. repeat from the other end. Thread • If the interfacing shows when the button - your nee - hole is slashed, use a soft-tip pen the color dle with a of the garment to dye the interfacing. single • Sometimes the slash looks frayed and strand of fuzzy because there is fabric between the buttonhole buttonhole threads. This can be twist or trimmed away with a pair of small sharp heavy- scissors. Work carefully to avoid cutting duty the buttonhole threads. sewing thread. If you use a double strand of regular thread, you will need to be sure that you Hand-Made Buttonholes pull both strands uniformly with each stitch. 1. Determine the length of the buttonhole Pull the thread through beeswax or an old needed. candle to make it stronger and keep it from twisting and tangling. Make a short back - 2. Mark the exact length of each button - stitch at the opposite end of the fanned end hole at the proper location on the garment between the slit and the machine stitching with a fabric marker. to fasten the thread for hand-stitching.

27 Lesson 6

8. Start working from right to left with thread under the needle point as you work the needle pointing toward you. Put the across the long stitches. Keep stitching until needle in from underneath and have the you have covered the long stitches. point come out at the machine stitching. For each stitch loop the thread around to the left and then down to the right under the point of the needle. Pull the needle through Keyhole buttonholes have round holes at the fabric and one end that are made by a punch or by then away from making special cuts as shown. This allows you to position the for thicker but - purl on the cut edge. ton shanks. Keyhole button - holes are used on 9. Keep taking successive stitches along fine tailored garments, men’s , and out - the buttonhole. The stitches should lie erwear. beside but not on top of one another. At the end, fan stitches around the end, as shown in the illustration, Attaching Buttons turning the Most buttons are attached with a double buttonhole as strand of thread knotted at the ends. The you work. Use 5 needle is inserted at the wrong side and to 7 stitches brought up through the or the holes around the fan. of the button. Continue To mark the position for buttons, pin the stitching along garment together exactly as you wish it to the second side be when it is completed. Insert a marking until you reach pencil into the rounded end of the button - the opposite end. hole and mark the exact spot where the but - ton should be. 10. Insert the point of If a garment fabric is rather thick, you the needle into the purl will need to allow space beneath the button of the very first stitch so that the the fabric will not and to the between buttonholes. After you have taken a wrong couple of stitches through the button, pull it side of away from the fabric a little more than the the thickness of the fabric that will be fitted buttonhole. under it. Hold it away from the fabric as you Bring the needle up to the continue to place stitches through it. After right side just below the the you have stitched 7 or 8 times, bring the last stitch. Take several long stitches close thread up through the fabric, but not together across the width of the entire through the holes of the button. With a cir - buttonhole. This forms the base for the bar cular motion, wrap the threads between the . button and the fabric; insert the needle through to the wrong side, pull up the 11. With the point of the needle toward thread and knot it off. the buttonhole, begin at one end of the bar Sometimes seamstresses insert a match - tack and insert the needle into the fabric by stick under the button as they sew to pro - going under the long stitches. Keep the vide the needed space for thick fabric.

28 Lessons 6, 7

Do this activity.

1. Apply a handworked or a machine-stitched buttonhole in the center of the top hem of the patch pocket for the dress you are sewing. Then sew the pocket to the dress. Sew a button on the skirt directly beneath it so that it can be buttoned shut neatly. The dress you have just com - pleted will fit either a large doll or a baby girl. Will you keep it or give it away?

Follow these directions.

2. Put buttonholes on the front for men’s garments, on the front or back in women’s garments. 3. The button should slip in and out of the buttonhole without , but not of its . 4. It may be good to the edge of a garment where the buttonholes are to be placed. 5. Tell how to make sure the buttonhole and the button match.

6. Explain how to add space between the button and material if needed.

Lesson 7 Review and Quiz 1

REVIEW AND QUIZ 1 REVIEW It’s time to see how well you remember what you have learned. Prepare for Quiz 1 by reviewing the work you have done in this LightUnit.

Tell your teacher when you are ready for Quiz 1.

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