Hemming Naughty Chiffon

the wobbly bits get dewobbled with bigger feet (sugru to the rescue)

Hemming continues at ErnieK labs. I've had to shut the windows a few times, to keep the profanity stream from flowing down to the small children below. I gave the iron a wider stance with added Sugru feet so it would stop toppling over and adding to the general mayhem.

Dresses hanging and ready for second hem.

 The dresses have two skirts: a well behaved taffeta light grey underskirt, and a very naughty chiffon overskirt that droops and drags and throws pins out like a ... a naughty chiffon.

The taffeta is hemmed on the table, takes about five minutes.

The chiffon has to be hung up and marked. There goes an hour or more.

 I pin it to the underskirt, and use coil-less safety pins that I stab into the chiffon, eyeball for level (yes, I have a gridded cutting board on edge to assist in estimating a level), and then close when I'm satisfied. And my satisfaction level decreases as the day wears on.

No, they weren't level enough. Did I mention the skirts bias on the side seams, drooping EVEN MORE? Naughty chiffon, naughty!

I know, pining the layers together is not a great idea, but that naughty chiffon has a habit of dancing away from me otherwise.

My new love: coil-less safety pins.

Back on the ironing board.

 

Yes, I am ironing over pins

I use glassheaded pins, the longest ones I can find (1.25") and have a heavy felt wool pad under that cotton June Tailor cover. It's accurate enough, but that grid hasn't been square in years. The wool prevents a heavy steam from boiling the fabric on the table.

Because I'm hemming for tiny girls on generic length skirts, sometimes I have to turn the hems a couple times, making pleats in the middle layers. Yes, I will iron right next to my fingers. Yes, I cannot use a touch screen; I have 'dead finger' from too much shop time. I can snag chiffon with my fingertips.  Which just adds to the fun!

To repin, I have to do it on the flat (picking up the edge distorts it) so I slide one of those flexible cutting boards. I do pull it out to iron.

It did occur to me that I could use one of those Slipat baking liners and I could iron over it, but then there's that boiling fabric matter. Eh, I have enough sewing room notions and tools as it is.

So it continues. 20 done. 15 more to go. I think: I am quite sure that whatever I thought my per piece labor was, I have quite blown it into shards.

Make and Mend and Mend and Mend 2012

from left: shorts need new elastic, hat needs felting, bags need making, the pink and green in the middle are two tshirts that will become one pink and green floral cutout.  and that striking stripe is a vintage dress in needs of upkeep: new zip, rebuilt waistline, holes to mend. Missing is the new shirt pattern I'm working on, a cardigan made of doilies that just needs one more something, as well as the Assassins' Creed linen hoodie that is waiting for a spare minute. There's loads more on the pile on the right. And did I mention the green taffeta party dress?

I have the usual basket of 'needs done'

choir dresses skulk in the closet, waiting their turn

As well as the ongoing sewing job. Hemming and mending choir dresses, a job I picked up by reconnecting with an old friend from a job long ago.

Thankfully, the sewer who made them left long stitches in the hems.

7 stitches to the inch

Since most of sewing is ripping stitches out, this does make the job easier.

starfish and fishy skeletons in applique - how could I resist?

When I get over the hump of the choir dresses, this shirt beckons. Check out the poorly cut collar!

no amount of ironing will make a straight grain follow that much curve