Pattern envelop deconstruction

Welcome back sewers!!! 

Glad to see you all ready to dissect a pattern envelop back.  If you have one, please pull it out and if you don’t, no worries, photos will be provided as we walk step by step through all the information on the back.

Pattern envelop backs are a little different as each company has their own “style” but each one holds the same information.  Most of the patterns I will reference belong to the McCalls/Butterick/Vogue/Kwik Sew company, not that they pay me (ahem, that would be nice) but the Simplicity brand confuses me slightly because I grew up using McCalls and Butterick patterns.  Simplicity patterns tend to have you make several different pieces of the item sew them all together and then you are done, but it does not lend itself to seeing the item take shape as you sew which helps me a lot, I know people who swear by Simplicity and find the McCalls “technical” and “difficult”, so it is a preference thing.  Many of the items you can sew with the patterns are similar by both companies so go with one you find easiest to understand.  Also as a side note, I do not own a dress form.  Always wanted one…

Anyway, back to the task at hand; pattern envelop backs.  So you may have had the opportunity to flip through those big books at the fabric store and look at the articles of clothes that one can make with the corresponding pattern.  If you haven’t had the opportunity, please go, it is a fun thing to do and it gives us ideas and inspiration!!!  If you want to run out now, I’ll wait….

OK, so patterns in hand and now what?!?!?  Well let’s start with the front, it is WAY simpler than the back, the front shows a couple different things you can produce from the enclosed pattern, also gives you the size range of the enclosed pattern.  Most patterns these days are very true to size so pick the size you usually wear.  Some used to be notoriously small, but I think those days are past.

On to the back  you will see several different sections; I will identify each and have the most common companies pictured.  Once you are familiar with these sections, you will able to pick up a pattern produced anywhere and understand what is needed. You may also see more than one language as well as the instructions on the inside which we will get into later.

Let’s start with McCalls:

The VERY top left corner is the pattern number, while looking through the big pattern books, this is the corresponding number to item pictured.  This pattern happens to be a little girl’s dress pattern.  The number of items mean how many individual pattern pieces are in this envelop.  Patterns are printed on massive sheets of thin tissue paper-type paper and are quite fragile.  When unfolding the pattern, be gentle!

The highlighted box gives a brief description of what can be produced from the pieces in this pattern.  It appears this girl’s dress can be made with a staggered hem line (think train of a wedding dress), that is dress A or an even hemline, dress B.    Dress A also has long sleeves while dress B is short sleeved, there may be instruction if you want Dress B to have long sleeves, but this isn’t the time for that … yet.  Towards the very bottom are sketches of the front and back of a finished garment, these can also appear down the side of the pattern envelop as you will see with some of the other companies.

The next box down highlighted below is where we find out if we need a woven fabric or a knit.  Once you are more used to this whole process, you will be able to look at the photo and kinda get a feel for woven or knit.  Not being able to see the front of this envelop, I know this will call for woven fabric because it is a “formal” dress (Christening or costume) and generally those will be woven.  So let’s look at the “SUGGESTED FABRICS”:

As you can see, this pattern calls for Satin, Jacquard, Shantung, silk organza, and chiffon for the different view.  Confused?  Let’s look into this a little deeper, because this box is VERY important.  Pretend that you want to make dress A, so you would disregard everything that mention for “B”.  So for Dress A you will need Duchess Satin, Jacquard and a pleated chiffon, plus a no-cling lining.  How much of each is explained in the following box and that may also get confusing so let’s look a little deeper into it:

Now fabric GENERALLY comes in 2 different widths, 45” and 60”.  Both are folded in half at the manufacturer and are put on “bolts” those cardboard pieces that the fabric is wrapped around.  Cotton generally is 45” and polyester is 60”, with the exception of upholstery fabric which ranges 54 to 60” wide (or more sometime) and that fabric is hung on rolls or tubes.  While you COULD use some upholstery fabric with this pattern, let’s stick to what the pattern actually calls for!  So, across the top, you see sizes which means the finished product, for this example let’s say our girl is a size 6 and remember we are making dress A.  So the main fabric we need is Duchess satin which is similar in texture to Satin peau, both 60” wide and we need 3 and 3/8 yards of the 60” wide satin.  Notice the pattern calls for 54” wide fabric, this does not matter much because it is better to buy the wider fabric, gives you a little more “room” while laying out the pattern pieces than a 45” piece of fabric.  Dress A also has 3 contrasting items, whether a different color or texture they are as follows; contrast #1 ¾ yard of 60” jacquard, contrast #2 1 ¾ yards of 45” wide pleated chiffon and contrast #3 5/8 yard of 54” or 60” duchess satin.  Where did I find the pleated chiffon and satin?  In the suggested fabrics section of the pattern, just above the size box.

Next on this particular pattern company comes the “Notions” sections, please do not overlook this!!!  I understand it is on the bottom, but it is equally important as the fabric suggestions and the amount of fabric you need because this section will tell you what else you may need to finish off the garment like what length zipper and such.  Let’s look closer at the notions box:

Almost all notions suggestions will begin with “thread”; while this is a no-brainer to most, they are probably obligated to put that here, because once upon a time some use black thread on the white dress because thread was not in the notions….  OK, so past the thread, we will need a 14” zipper either invisible or regular, looks like the finishing lace is optional, a hook and eye and assorted beads and pearls are also needed.  Now notice that after the assorted beads and pearls, it breaks down again to Dress A and Dress B.  For this example we are still making dress A, so we would purchase the desired lengths of everything listed prior to the Dress B.

The last box is the finished dimensions, that is pretty straightforward, so no reason to delve into that section.

**Side note, while this pattern is GREAT as an example, I would NOT recommend this for beginners.  Rule of thumb; the number of pieces is a good indicator of how complicated a pattern will be.  This particular pattern is 24 pieces and while I’m undaunted by this, I would recommend a beginner to stick with 10 pieces or less until “horsehair braid” is a regular item at the bottom of the sewing box….

Let’s look at another brand so you can see the difference, here is a Simplicity pattern envelop back:

Hopefully you can see an immediate difference in the set up of the information; however, also notice the similarities in the information.  This pattern is for a ladies’ top, with a couple different combination of long sleeves, short sleeves, no sleeves and a gathered waist.  Once again, begin at the top left, pattern ID number and under that, number of pieces, this pattern has 10 pieces enclosed.

This Pattern company goes right into suggest fabric and does not give a description of the finished items:

This is also a woven pattern because the suggested fabric starts off with a cotton, the next couple fabric choices are all a polyester blend of woven in varying degrees of weight, but this looks like the softer and more drapey the fabric is the better!  So touch the fabrics and if it is very stiff, walk away!

Next box on this envelop is the notions, remember the other company had this box at the bottom?  Well, Simplicity has this box towards the top:

Of course Thread is first again!  LOL!  Then all the options in this pattern need one pkg of single fold bias tape, then option A, C and D need 1/4” elastic and option D needs buttons in addition to the rest.

Let’s take one second to look at all the sketches down the side of the package BEFORE we look at the fabric requirements, because this is where some novices get into trouble.  Please notice that option A and Option C are listed with the same drawing with the exception that option C is sleeveless.  Both A and C are very similar in construction, but A is the only option with full or probably ¾ sleeves, but I don’t have the front of the package to see the finished garment.  Similarly B and D are short sleeved with a slightly different necklines, D looks like it may have a collar and it looks like the sleeve hem on B is flat while D looks like it is puffed a little.  E and F are again very similar with E having a collar similar to option D’s collar.  Got it??  Great!!!  Let’s move on….

Next come the fabric requirements, or how much fabric you need to make the item:

OK so the pattern sizes are a little further down on this back, past your measurements in case you are unsure of what size to buy.  Generally you want to sew the size you wear most often.  Let’s pretend again we are making a size 12 top using option B.  We will need 1 and 5/8 yards of 45” wide fabric or 1 and 1/8 yards of 60” wide fabric.  Simple enough, don’t forget those notions!  And we are done with this shopping trip. 

The finished measurement of the garment appear toward the top of the envelop back unlike the McCalls where they appeared at the bottom.

Getting easier to understand?  I hope so, it isn’t as hard as most people think it is, let’s run through a couple other patterns just for the fun of it!

Here we have a KWIK SEW pattern.  They used to be a stand-alone company but at some point they magically became part of the McCalls/Butterick/Vogue conglomerate.  Let’s take a look:

Now across the very top you see the familiar pattern ID number and what this company calls this pattern, a misses Jelly Roll Jacket.  Notice the number of pieces is not printed on this envelop.  Next box down is a brief description of the item.  Then KWIK SEW varies a bit from the others and states right there between suggested fabric and the item description that this pattern is designed for woven fabrics.  Remember when I told you that KIWK SEW seems to be the only pattern company that tells you straight off the bat whether the pattern is for knit or woven fabric?  Well, there it is!  Now, on to suggested fabric:

This pattern calls for cotton, batiks, linen, lightweight denim and rayon blends.  Again probably not a jacket I would recommend for beginners because of the jelly roll detail on the front of the jacket, but is was a good example.

This pattern company prints the measurements next, those are self explanatory along with the finished measurements.  Remember, McCalls has the finished measurements at the very bottom and Simplicity has the measurement at the top and finished garments measurements at the bottom.  Same information, different locations.  Let’s move on… to amount of fabric needed or sizing:

We are going to use jacket A for this example because the B option has the pleating or Jelly roll and that is a bit much for our purposes.  So, let’s make a size Large jacket A.  How much fabric will we need?  If we 58-60” wide fabric, we need 2 and 5/8 yards for the white parts and contrast which is the light gray color in the sketches we need 7/8 of a yard.  If we are using fabric that is 45” wide we need 3 and 5/8 yards of the main fabric and 1 yard of contrast.  Make more sense?

**Side note**  some of the patterns have mention “fusible interfacing”.  This is narrow webbing that is ironed onto the unprinted or “wrong” side of the fabric to provide softer fabric a little more stiffness when making  cuffs or collars.  There are a myriad of interfacings, different weights, colors and sew in and iron on.  The iron on kind is called fusible while the sew in kind is called non-fusible.  This pattern needs ¾ of a yard of iron on (fusible) probably for the collar.

Now let’s not forget notions, KWIK SEW has their notion requirement at the bottom and of course thread is #1 again!!

All this one seems to need for jacket A are 5 buttons.

Seeing the similarity?  I was going to say, do you see a pattern but thought the better of that!! LOL.  Now one last pattern company which is Butterick and I was very pleased to find a knit pattern to show you:

This is also a Misses tops pattern with quite a few choices, but I want to call attention to the blue arrows along the right hand side of the envelop back.  This is required stretch of the knit needed to make this pattern correctly.  Unfortunately this isn’t the best quality image, so I have a woven pattern to dissect:

 Biggest difference in the Butterick patterns?  Anyone spot it??  The pattern ID number is NOT printed near the item description.  It is barely noticeable it the top right hand corner of this pattern and if you look at the above knit pattern  it is in the extreme left corner.  Otherwise it is looking familiar!!

Top box is the description, notions and fabric suggestions all in one.  The information begins with brief item description of Misses dress and stole, a more formal wear type item which requires?  WOVEN!!  Right!

Next are notions required, interestingly enough this does not have thread first or mentioned at all, maybe they believe we are smart enough… who knows?!  Both dresses require the same notions of a zipper, decorative buttons, seam binding and hook and eyes.  Fabric suggestion is next within that same paragraph:

This one specifically mentions the incompatibility of a striped fabric with this pattern, some will mention if the pattern company has not had good results with certain patterns.  All these companies have people with varying skills make these patterns prior to printing in production to ensure we will be able to make the item as pictured.

Next is the fabric requirement:

 Ok so we all know by now that if we want to make a size 12;  dress A which appears in the sketch to be more knee length and dress B will be full length, we will obviously need more fabric to reach the ground than the knee.  Hope this is beginning to make sense…  Size 12 Dress B will need 3 and ¼ yard of 45” wide fabric and 1 and ¾ of 60” wide fabric.  The stole (or wrap) require 2 and 5/8 of either width.  There is interfacing mentioned but does not specify on envelop whether fusible or not.

I hope we are all a little more familiar with the back of the pattern envelops now and I hope this post made it a little less scary to delve into those books at the fabric store.

Later we will go through the instructions included with patterns because those are also critical in success!!

Knit vs Woven fabrics

So for my first post, we are going to cover the two fundamental types of fabrics: Knit and woven.  If you were thinking natural and artificial, you are also sort of correct; but we will be less concerned if it is a cotton knit or polyester knit.  The important thing is it is a knit.  There are no hard rules in fabrics and this is not an exception, there will be cotton woven with spandex, that does not make it a knit.  It is still considered a woven, but there will be an element of stretch to it that needs to be accounted for.  These will be mostly denim and denim blends, but I would not recommend denim as a beginner fabric.
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Some examples of woven fabrics include cotton, muslin, true velvet (and we will cover velvets later because they can be quite confusing), satins, flannel, shantung, chiffon, and most upholstery fabrics .  Wovens may “give” a little when pulled but do not stretch (unless blended with spandex).  Do not confuse this with a true knit or your garment will not fit, it will be too small and will not “move” correctly.  Sewing “on the bias” is a technique to get wovens to act more fluid and “drapey” but that it is not a technique for the beginner and I would not recommend trying it until most of the words in the blog are no longer completely foreign.  Pictured below are a plain cotton muslin and a happy cotton print.

 
Knits include, cotton single knit, polyester single knit, double knits, panne velvet, ponte, swimsuit lycra and many of the faux suede.  Easiest way to determine if the fabric you are considering is a knit is to pull the fabric along the width and if it stretches, you have a knit.  Patterns for knit fabrics will generally indicate not only in the suggested fabric area of the pattern, but also along the top of the package there will be a line marked fabric must stretch to “this line” and another indicator will the there.  Double knits stretch both length and width, swimsuit lycra is a good example of a double knit.  It does stretch both ways, but always orient the fabric (if unprinted) at its longest stretch.
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Pictured below is a stack of panne velvets and above a solid rib knit, if you look closely, you will see a very faint rib in the purple fabric.  That is what makes a knit!

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Let’s talk about patterns for a moment….  Everyone know how to read the back of the pattern?  I don’t want to bore those who do, so feel free to skip the rest of this post and check back soon, although I may need to break the pattern reading discussion in to several posts!!  Those who have no idea what all those words and diagrams mean, read on!!  Let’s make some sense of this!
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 I like the KWIK SEW brand of patterns, yes they are a little more expensive and they are printed on heavy paper which makes them a little more difficult to maneuver, but they are the only pattern company that sorts the patterns into the woven and knit categories.  There is nothing more frustrating than finding a beautiful fashion print polyester fabric, finding a blouse pattern that you love, only to find out that it is not recommended for woven.  Now, let’s say, you are new to all this, and you think, what’s the difference???  Why can’t I make this blouse with this woven fabric using this knit pattern?  First of all, it will never “lay right”, second it will be a pain is arse to sew and third it will never “fit right”.  So let’s break down the three reasons in more detail:

1.        It won’t “lay right” – when cutting a pattern out of fabric, the pieces need to lay next to each other so seams won’t bunch or gap or pull out of the seam.  If using woven fabric and a knit pattern these seams won’t ever be right and no amount of ironing will get them to lay flat.  Also, ladies, bust areas may gap or pull and we all know, that is not attractive

2.        It will be a pain in the arse to sew - Knit patterns assume you are using a knit and will have instructions to stretch to fit and wovens don’t stretch.  So attaching a sleeve to the shoulder yoke is nearly impossible because the shapes don’t “fit”.  Woven require a little more fabric in the shoulder just so the arms move after they are attached.  If using a pattern with cuffs and button placard, they will be incredibly small, again because the knit pattern assumes you have knit fabric and knit behave differently than woven.

3 .    It won’t “fit right” – so after you’ve wrangled your woven fabric into a shape resembling the photo on the pattern, you slip it on and it is WAY small.  Why?  It’s a woven fabric.  Your shoulders will be too small, the arms will not move correctly and your seams will bind and be bunchy.

Clear as mud?  I thought so.  Please please please feel free to ask questions and discuss.  Also if there is an area of interest that you would like to explore, please suggest that as a topic and I will try my best to explain it!!  Next week, we will dissect the back of the pattern package.  I will have several examples from the various pattern companies so you can see the difference and hopefully the similarity so these things will begin to feel familiar to you!

Welcome to my sewing blog!

Hello happy sewers and welcome to my blog!!  

I am starting this blog to help lay the foundations of a happy and long sewing hobby.  I welcome both novice and experienced seamstresses and tailors as this blog will focus more on the fabric and less on the mechanics of making an item.  We will be focusing on garments, and not so much craft sewing or quilting.

My goal is to help clear up differences in fabrics and why you can’t use a woven fabric on a pattern made for knits.  Why a lightweight satin will react differently than a peau when draping and why it is never a good idea to use a stretch charmeuse when lining a fun fur wrap.

I think a little background would be appropriate, I am a fabric nerd and have a hoard that would make most people weep.  I have literally hundreds of pounds of fabric and have almost every kind of fabric there is; from knits to high end lace, cotton prints to velvet burnout and much much more.

My sewing experience started as a little girl, my mother sewed, my grandmother sewed and my step-mother sews.  I have made fleece jackets and blankets, curtains for my home, scrubs tops for work, my wedding dress, my brides’ maids dresses, cat toys, cushions for outdoor furniture, costumes for Renaissance and pirate krews and the list goes on….  Basically you name it, I can make it.  I use patterns, I use several patterns for one item, for example, I like the sleeves of this blouse, but the neckline of this blouse, so I combine the two.  I prefer to use patterns, though I don’t need them, I would highly recommend them for beginners because it gives you a good solid base to jump from.  Once you learn how shapes fit together, garments will be much easier to put together.
 

Hopefully this blog will inspire you to at least go to the fabric store and touch the stuff!!!  One on my favorite things to do is just go and walk slowly and just feel the textures of the fabrics!!  I mentioned I’m a nerd right!?!?!