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From the pages of Threads Magazine Linen-loving details Linen provides the dressmaker with a wonderful base on which to create. Its unassuming nature lends itself well to highlighting design elements, and the ease with which they can be turned out in linen is an added pleasure. Here are a few details that work beautifully in this fabric: Topstitching -- Topstitching is almost a given on linen, and there are a few things you can do to keep it even and flat. When I plan to sew through a number of layers, I test first to check the appearance of the stitches. Each stitch should be clear and distinct, with no visible bobbin thread, so I may have to make some minor tension adjustments. And if I think shifting is going to be a problem, I'll hand-baste the layers in place before topstitching. If I'm combining topstitching with edgestitching, I make sure that both sets of stitching have been made in the same direction to reduce rippling. I don't use backstitching, of course, which would thicken the line. Instead, I sew right to the end of the topstitched line, pull both threads to the underside, knot them and thread them on a needle, then bury them between the garment layers. Linen pleats beautifully -- Given its penchant for wrinkling, linen is obviously a fabric that loves to be folded and creased. To eliminate ripples, pleats must be folded precisely along the lengthwise or crosswise grainline. Some sewers pull a thread out along the foldline and use the open channel as a guide for grain-perfect pleats. However, to avoid possibly weakening the fabric, I rely instead on carefully following the grainline, which, in the case of linen, is clearly visible anyway.
Gathers -- The lighter weights of linen love to be gathered. I always machine-sew three rows of gathering stitches, all in the seam allowance with the first almost on top of the seamline, taking the time to experiment to find the smallest stitch size I can pull. After you pull up the gathering threads (make sure they're all pulled up equally), the more you play with the gathers to distribute them, the better they'll look. Getting the tension just right is critical, too. If the tension's too tight, you'll probably break a thread as you play; too loose, and the gathers themselves won't stay put. I work gathers back and forth with my fingernails until they're beautifully lined up, almost like tiny cartridge pleats. Once they're where I want them, I press the seam allowance, flattening the gathers, which encourages them to stay in place for sewing. Bound buttonholes -- These look beautiful in linen, and are sturdy as long as they're interfaced. The grain of the linen seems to complement their clean lines, and I can't think of a more elegant or appropriate closure on a linen suit. But bound buttonholes wouldn't make sense on anything lightweight. Apart from being out of place on a casual, oversized shirt, all the work behind the scenes would be too visible. Piping -- Piping works wonderfully on linen--it's a clean, linear, well-behaved detail that's totally in keeping with the fabric. But nothing looks worse than piping that's rippling from being slightly off-bias, so I cut my bias strips as precisely as I can. (I use a triangle, careful measurements, and scissors--a rotary cutter works well, too.) I also hand-baste the sides of the piping strip together before machine-stitching them along the cording inside -- pinning just isn't enough to keep them from slipping. This tiny extra step virtually guarantees beautiful piping by eliminating even the smallest amount of shifting. Linen shows off slot seams -- I love the look of slot seams, which I've lately seen used on many linen garments. This seam is basically two pressed and abutted seamlines with extra-wide seam allowances that are topstitched to an underlay rather than sewn to each other. The actual seamline is in the center of the underlay, rather than where the topstitching is. The slot can be spread open wide, or not at all, and something other than the fashion fabric can be used for the underlay. Slot seam allowances usually have to be widened (and adjusted if the slot seam is spread), because not only will they be topstitched away from the center, but there has to be enough fabric to finish off the seam allowances cleanly, usually in tandem with the edges of the underlay, by serging or machine-overcasting. Godets -- Using godets in the design of a garment is a wonderful way to add shape without the bulk of pleats or the fullness of gathers. On a skirt of heavyweight linen, for example, godets that start slightly above the knee would add walking ease and shaping along the hem, without adding thickness to the hip and waist areas. The extra weight that the godets add to the hem will also make the skirt less apt to show wrinkles. To insert a godet into a seam, stitch the seam to the point of insertion, then attach the godet to one side, stitching from the hem to the insertion point. Stitch the remaining seam from the point to the hem, meeting the first seamline exactly at the point. To insert a godet into a single piece of fabric, begin by reinforcing the insertion point with a rectangular patch of bias-cut silk organza, stitching it as shown in the drawing at right, then slash all the way to the point. Stitch the godet into the slash as described above, using 1/4-in. seam allowances (at least on the slashed fabric) and stitching exactly on top of the reinforcing stitches when you arrive at them. Because the godet's diagonal edges are usually cut partially on the bias, while the edges they'll join are on the straight grain, you'll need to be careful not to distort either side. If time permits, it sometimes helps to attach the godets for just a few inches on either side of the point, then let them hang for a day or two to stretch out before completing the seams. As with the other details described here, you'll find godets done in linen easier to make than those made from almost any other fabric. [ previous ]
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