Vintage Patterns: Purchasing Vintage Patterns

There's been a lot of interest in vintage clothing over the last few years. This interest has extended into the world of sewing. People with a sewing machine stashed in their basement are gathering their supplies and hunting for vintage patterns. But before you grab any old pattern from any old seller, there are some things you should know about purchasing these vintage sewing patterns.

First of all, if you've never used vintage patterns before, or are unsure what exactly makes a pattern vintage, buy only from a vendor who sells only (or at least mostly) vintage patterns. This person should be able to answer any questions you might have and can give you important information about bust measurements and other specifics.

Ask if the pattern is uncut. An uncut pattern is easier to work with because you won't have to deal with the alternations made by another sewer. If the pattern has been cut, ensure that all the pieces are there and relatively undamaged. Using a pattern that has been cut is fine, but you don't want to get it home only to realize that you're missing several key pieces.

Finally, if you have no familiarity with vintage patterns, start with something cheap and easy. Aim for a pattern that costs you between $7 and $15 dollars. The fewer number of pieces the better. Once you have some experience with vintage sewing patterns, you can venture into more complicated styles.

Working With Knitted Fabrics: Stabilizing Seams

Knits can be tricky and don't always behave the way other fabrics do. Seams can present a problem when you run them through a sewing machine, but you can fix this with a simple piece of interfacing. To stabilize a seam when working with slippery or lightweight knits, cut a narrow strip of lightweight interfacing. No more than an inch in width, preferably. Position the strip along the seam allowance and stitch the seam through all the layers. This will prevent the delicate fabric from being pushed beneath the machine throatplate during sewing.

Working With Knit Fabrics: Finishing Edges

Knits are different than other fabrics. They are constructed of interlocking loops, and as such they do not behave the way other fabrics might. When working with knitted fabrics, you have to take these differences into account. Because knits are formed of these all-important interlocking loops, the raw edges don't unravel and typically don't require much finishing. Sometimes trying to finishing seams and edgins only adds unnecessary bulk and ruins the line of the garment.

So how should you finish the seams of projects constructed with knits? This will depend on what you're making. Take a clue from clothes hanging on the rack at your favorite store. Many of these ready-to-wear items don't finish the edges at all, leaving them raw and so reducing bulk. You can follow suit. Or, if you really can't stand leaving raw edges, try a zigzag stitch. These can finish the edge without adding much bulk at all.

Working with Knitted Fabrics: Sewing Smooth Knit Seams

There are many ways, methods, and techniques for stitching smooth knit seams. These vary by fabric type and machine tension. Some machines will be equipped with speciality stitches that stretch a fabric during the stitching process, and if your machine has this setting, you should use it for knit fabrics. It's usually marked as a knit setting on the sewing machine or in the manual that came with the machine. This setting will allow you to create smooth seams.

But what if your machine doesn't have this very specific setting? You can still get decent seams on your own sewing machine. Try using a longer stitch when sewing the seam, but make sure the fabric doesn't stretch while you're doing it or you'll end up with a bunchy seam. Don't try to mimic the knit setting if your machine doesn't have it. Work with what you have instead.

You might also try a very narrow zigzag stitch (which is my favorite alternative) or using a serger if you have one. Test the various methods on scraps of fabric to determine which is the best for the specific fabric you're using. Remember that all fabrics are a little different, so always do a little test run before working with your actual project.