Formal Wear: Inserting Boning

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :) 
 
What is boning?
Boning refers to the stiff pieces of material typically found inside a corset or a bodice. It gives the material a stiffer structure and provides a more flattering shape of the body. Originally, boning was made from ivory, whale bone, or even wood, however as technology has improved, people began using steel and then plastic. The boning is encased in a material tube, usually cotton or muslin. You'll know you need to use it if it's mentioned in the notions section of your pattern. It is purchased by the yard and typically attached to the lining of the garment. You may also find boning used in other ways in costume patterns as these may have structural features that require the extra support.

***Please note, while both steel and plastic boning are used today, this tutorial is a guide to plastic, which is more commonly used in basic bodices. Steel boning is typically used for very structured corsets, especially those that will be tight-laced, modifying the body shape. 

But do I really have to?
I know it's tempting to skip steps or cut corners, especially in a large project, but I would typically not recommend skipping this particular part. Boning is structurally important to the garment. Often it helps to hold up the bodice, especially if the bodice is strapless or not well supported by another structure such as a sleeve or a collar.  You might could get away with a stiff, fusible interfacing, but I really suggest using the boning.

General Tips:

1. Boning is stored in a coil, if you found that your boning is too tightly wound, hold it in the steam from a boiling pot of water. This will help loosen the plastic a bit. You can also hang it from something with a small weight on the other end, or press it between too heavy books.

2. Use a metal nail file and toenail clippers to file down any sharp edges. These edges can not only be uncomfortable to the wearer, but they can also poke through the fabric and out of the garment entirely!

3. A zipper foot can be helpful when inserting boning, but it's not truly necessary. I've done it with both and never had a problem.

How to insert boning:
Please Note: Typically you would use matching thread, I am using a contrast color so it will appear on camera.

1. If you haven't already, mark on your bodice where the boning will go. This should be indicated on your pattern. If you're making the creative decision to add boning that's not required in the pattern, you'll probably want to add it on the outer curves of the bust (not quite mid-boob, not quite armpit) and in the back about halfway between the spine/armpit.

2. Cut the boning (fabric and plastic) to the required length. Remove the plastic from the tube and cut just the plastic half an inch to three quarters of an inch shorter. File down any sharp edges with a metal nail file. Taking off the sharp corners will keep the boning from stabbing the wearer, and more importantly, from poking a hole in the fabric of your garment. :)

3. Pin the tube to the fabric and stitch a straight stitch as close to the edge as possible on each of the long sides of the tube. I use a zipper foot to do this as it allows me to get close to the edge, however I've also used a regular foot with no problem.

4. Stitch the top of the tube closed, and insert the boning through the bottom of the tube.

5. With the boning inside, stitch the bottom of the tube closed. You may find you need to trim the plastic more, that's fine.

Voila! You're done! See, that wasn't as hard as you thought, was it? :)

You know what I love about sewing during the summer? My work area looks out over a BEAUTIFUL garden my mom made last year. (The photo doesn't do it justice!) It's hard to get a shot of it, but she was out there today working near the beautiful rosebush by the front door. :) I can't tell you how much I love summertime!

Happy Memorial Day
Hope you enjoyed!

~Farm Girl Teacher

Formal Wear: Creating a Toile

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :) 
  
What is a toile?
No, that wasn't a spelling mistake, a toile [pronounced: 'twal'] is French and basically describes the practice dress for a seamstress. Here in America we may also says a 'muslin.' (Project Runway fans?) It allows you to check the fit of a garment BEFORE you cut into the fabric you actually want to use. It's also good if you're confused by the instructions of a more complicated piece. It's usually made of muslin simply because it's cheap and readily available.

The finished toile.

Do I really need to make a toile?
Now, I sew a lot of clothing, and I'm not going to lie, I don't always bother with a toile. (hardly ever, actually) In a perfect world I would have plenty of time to do this, however this is not a perfect world. Often times this decision comes down to time. A toile can save you time in the long run if you are able to troubleshoot problems before they occur on the final piece, however, you're basically sewing the same thing twice which is obviously going to take more time. If you're deciding whether or not to sew one, you'll have to take a few things into consideration.

I DON'T sew one if:
-I'm using a pattern I've used before.
-I'm using a pattern company I REALLY trust. (For me, that 's New Look, love those!)
-The pattern is relatively simple or I know it can be altered easily in the event it doesn't fit right.
-The fabric I'm using isn't that expensive or rare.
-The garment isn't that important. (i.e. a simple circle skirt vs. sister's prom dress)

I DO sew one if:
-The fabric I'm using is very expensive or I have a very small amount that I know I can't supplement/replace.
-The pattern I'm using is very complicated or requires special techniques.
-The final garment or fit of the final garment is very important. (Special event clothes, jackets, etc.)
-When I held up the pattern pieces something caused me to worry about the fit. (I especially do this with vintage patterns or brands I haven't used before)

I sew HALF a toile if:
Half a toile? I'll often practice the part of the garment that causes me concern. For example, for a dress I may practice a collar I've never done before, or a bodice that requires extra details such a pleating, a special cut, boning, etc. There's no point in wasting time/fabric and also attaching a skirt if that's the most simple part of the garment. For pants I may do a toile that basically looks like shorts in order to make sure the fit is correct in the crotch/zipper/waist area, or if I want to add/change the pockets.

I made sure to fit it WITH the crinoline!

Guidelines
Lets get down to business now and assume you are doing a toile. I'm going to focus on the key things to remember here.
 
1. Choosing your fabric: Muslin is the most common choice for a toile, however you can use almost anything. The toile I made for Miranda's prom dress was made from cheap bedsheets. Flat sheets can be a great way to grab some extra fabric just for this purpose, if you see sheets on sale, buy them! Trust me, you'll find a way to use them! That being said, if the type of fabric is important to the garment, you may need to opt for a different fabric. For example, if the final garment is a knitwear garment, muslin will not really allow you to get an idea of how it fits/looks. For the prom dress, I used cheap tulle to check the look/fit of the one shoulder that would eventually be made of chiffon.

The tulle allowed me me to get a feel for how the chiffon would lay.

2. Notions? Again, this is up to you. I may use a contrasting thread color (and a basting stitch!) because it makes it easier for me to rip out stitches if I need to. I don't usually insert a zipper, however I may baste one in if I'm worried and want to check that. You may want to consider keeping an old zipper around just for this purpose. Buttons are also optional. If you want to use them, dig through your stash and pull out the ones without partners. Boning, on the other hand, is one of those things I WILL insert because it does matter quite a bit for the overall look/fit. Same goes for interfacing. 

This is a remake of the one-shoulder. I actually wound up changing it a third time but I forgot to take a picture of it.

3. Transferring the Pattern: You'll notice that I've written all over this toile. This makes it so much easier when constructing the final garment. I'll also take notes on the pattern as I'm working so I will remember the changes I made when it comes to the final draft. (i.e. "use a quarter inch seam here" "move pocket up two inches" etc.)

This is the transferred pattern. There are also markings on the skirt to remind me how much I needed to lengthen it by.

4. Cut corners...sort of: Yes, this is meant to be a practice, but often times you don't really need to do EVERYTHING. For example, I rarely add a hem, lining, train, embellishments, etc. unless it's one of the things I'm worried about and want to check. I went ahead and added the skirt to this because I was altering the number of panels it had and the length of the skirt.

Then what?
Okay, so you've done all the work to create a toile, it definitely fits, now what? Well you have a couple options...

1. Take it apart: You may consider deconstructing the toile and using it as the new pattern when cutting the fabric for your final garment. This is especially useful if you made drastic changes to the cut of the pattern like shortening sleeves, taking it in a bit, etc.

2. Use it! You did all the work, you may as well use it! If the garment you're making calls for a lining, use the toile! Just keep in mind when you're making the toile that you don't want any writing to show through the fabric. Use a light pencil, write on the inside, etc. If you make a lot of toiles, you could also cut the garment into strips and use them to make a braided rug. Miranda's toile became a part of the lining.

3. Gift it: If you're making something for a personal friend (like a wedding dress for a bride), you may want to give this to them as a part of the event. Write fun memories from working on the dress all over it. (i.e. choosing the pattern, fabric, fittings, etc) (Am I the only one that thinks this would be an adorable display at a wedding reception? lol) Old toiles can also make fun dress up clothes for a child in your family!

Ember was helping. :) It also makes a great gift for kitties!

Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be more than happy to help! Happy sewing!

~Farm Girl Teacher

Mother's Day Quilt

Happy Mother's Day to all the hardworking mom's out there! :)  You truly have the most difficult job in the world!

I'm going to be taking a break from my formal wear series right now to share one of my favorite projects in honor of Mother's Day.

Last year, my sister and I worked together to sew a very special quilt for our mom.

My mom had been saving t-shirts for years from things we were involved in. My sister and I collected all of these and refurbished them into this quilt. It has everything from VBS shirts to school shirts, sports jerseys to vacation destinations and now they can be easily enjoyed, instead of being stuffed into a box for 'someday.'

I have to honest with you, I kind of hate quilting, however this was easily one of my favorites, despite it being relatively challenging. The hardest parts were incorporating the massive amount of clothing, and matching up quilt blocks from t-shirts we wore before we could walk, to t-shirts we purchased as adults. For several things I kind of appliqued the graphic part of he shirt onto a background from another t-shirt, or combined two or three shirts into one block. The t-shirt material results in a very soft quilt that is certainly filled with memories. :)

I was also super nervous that the whole thing would go south and my mom would just wind up being really ticked that we cut up all our t-shirts. Luckily, everything was smooth sailing, and she wound up loving it! :)

What crafty things have you done for your mom?

~Farm Girl Teacher

Formal Wear: Fabric Guide

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :) 

Type of Fabric
Formal wear is almost always made from pain-in-the-neck material...but if you know what you're doing, it's really not as bad as you'd think. Miranda's dress had a muslin lining, a satin waist, a lamé underskirt, and a chiffon overskirt. I will give advice for each of these...if you'd like me to do an additional post on a specific type of fabric you're interested in, let me know! :)

Muslin Lining
When choosing lining fabric, make sure you choose something simple, strong, light colored, and comfortable. It's going to be closest to the skin, so you want the person wearing it to be comfortable. That being said, the lining may be taking a bit of weight on so it's important not to choose something weak like silk. 

 
Satin Waist
We actually weren't sure what the waist would look like when we began. The first bodice I made had a lamé waist with the chiffon covering, however after stepping back and looking at it, we all agreed it'd really look better if it was broken by a different texture/color. In this case, that was the satin. Satin tends to be a bit unstructured though, so I reinforced it with featherweight interfacing. Keep in mind when choosing satin or silk that perspiration is going to show through the fabric so it's important to line it to prevent wet marks.

Gold Lamé
Lamé fabric is made from metallic fibers. Unfortunately, this means the metal in the fabric quickly dulls the scissors and needles you're using, make sure you're changing needles regularly or sharpening your scissors. It also frays quickly so it's important to wait to cut it until you're definitely ready, avoid handling it too much, and stitch as soon as possible to finish the edges so you don't have to worry anymore. 

Chiffon
The overlay was made using a chiffon. Chiffon reminds me of a softer kind of tulle. With chiffon it is important to take a few extra precautions to keep your machine from eating the delicate fabric. The most important thing you can do is to simply change needles often. (I recommend using a size 70 needle) I also found that using a presser foot designed to be used on delicate or sheer fabrics to be beneficial in preventing the eating of my fabric. Like the lamé, chiffon frays easily, see the instruction above to learn to combat this. 


Amount of Fabric
Avoid skimping too much on the amount of fabric you should buy. That being said, we did not follow our pattern instructions on this. I think the pattern was designed for a cheaper fabric, like tulle. It said I needed almost 25 yards of fabric just for the overskirt! We wound up going with 5 yds of lame (in hindsight, I'd buy 6) 10 yds of chiffon, 1 yd of satin, 3 yds of feathers (too much, but it gave me tons of wiggle room, and 6 yds of beading.

Most Importantly... 
Get to know YOUR fabric. Do you need a special foot? Does it behave a certain way after it's been sewn? Are there special care instructions? etc. You have the world wide web at your fingertips...use it! :) Also, take some time to practice various stitches and stitch sizes on scrap fabrics. 

Hope you enjoyed!

~Farm Girl Teacher

Formal Wear: Choosing your Pattern

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :) 

~

Everyone has different starting points when they begin a project, and there is no 'right' or 'wrong' ways to begin but I will share my methods and maybe help you if you're feeling overwhelemed. :) 

Sometimes, I am inspired by a fabric to make a particular dress. Other times I find an amazing pattern and then choose fabric to compliment. Sometimes, as was the case with Miranda's prom dress, I know what I want (or, what she wants) so I look for a pattern or fabric that fits what's in my head. (Costumes come to mind!)

In order to get an idea of what Miranda was interested in, I created several different sketches showing different parts of the dress and different styles. (In a beautiful journal she gave me.) I definitely suggest doing this if you plan on sewing several formal dress, or doing multiple bridesmaids dresses in different styles. Keep in mind that there ARE other styles, but many of them are against the school's dress code so I didn't list them as a choice. Remember, like I tell my kids, I am NOT an artist! :)

I began with as many necklines as I could think of....

I showed a few different sleeve styles.... 

I then drew as many backs as I could think of....

and finally, I asked her to choose her favorites in each section. (Indicated by the star)

I used her favorites to show her a few examples of final products....I was really gunning for the Avante Garde :) Did anyone else learn that word from Project Runway? lol

I also reworked these drawings based on Google image searches of examples of what she wanted. For example, did you know there's like tons of different ways to make a one-shoulder dress?

Finally, I scoured different pattern companies in order to find a pattern that fit the design she wanted. We finally landed on, McCall's M6466. 

This pattern is close but not perfect. I knew I'd have to lengthen the skirt in order to make it full-length, and she didn't love the style of this one-shoulder, so I drafted my own pattern for it. You can also buy two patterns and combine them, i.e., the bodice from one plus the skirt from another. 

After all of this, we went fabric shopping. While shopping, she was inspired by the feathers, so I did a few additional drawings illustrating ways we could attach them to the dress.

Hope you enjoyed!

~Farm Girl Teacher