link

this is another article on the lapped seam
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/some-more-notes-on-the-lapped-seam-220153.html

another link to lapped seam article

here is another link to the article i wrote:
http://pr-gb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22365&Itemid=9

shoulder pad

here is another link to a shoulder pad; measurements are given and the thickness of the pad is given:
http://www.hancockfabrics.com/product/iMainCat/4223/iSubCat/4231/iProductID/10197/10197.html
This pad is a (I cite from the page above)
Sew Perfect 3/4 Inch Lace Covered Drop Style Shoul
http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=7660&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=4223&iSubCat=4231&iProductID=7660&itemType=PRODUCT
the page above links to another drop shoulder pad;
i wonder what shape this pad produces..does a drop pad mean that the pad 'drops' or 'falls' over the shoulder line..
What is the aim of a shoulder pad...i know that when drafting for a shoulder pad..the shoulder line is raised as well as the crown of the sleeve..but the crown seems to be raised because the armhole is now bigger...thus this pad is just made for the shoulder line...but what is a dropped shoulder pad....
note that this pad below
http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=7660&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=4223&iSubCat=4231&iProductID=7660&itemType=PRODUCT
..it is made of a no-foam material specially from Sew Perfect and it is also fully covered in taffeta

link to lapped seam article

here is the link to my article on the lapped seam
http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/notes-on-the-trim-and-stitch-method-one-variation-of-the-lapped-seam-219555.html

shoulder pads

i am interested in the shape of shoulder pads...and the shape that they produce...they are of course important for tailored garments...i hope to write an article on shoulder pads...and i have an idea of a possible design for a shoulder pad...
the material for the shoulder pad is important...here is a white polyester shoulder pad..
it looks soft and i can imagine that this specific shoulder pad would produce a certain effect which could be nice...

here is the link
http://www.modestapparelusa.com/shoulder_pads.html

Of course too the choice of fabric to cover the pad is important..
fusible fleece seems to be a choice of fabric to make the pad ..but then you have to choose the cover fabric...the question of the shape of the pad itself is important...

this site has directions on making a pad:
http://www.fittingtips.com/classes/Class-ShoulderPad.htm
it is interesting that the pad is a semi-circular shape..there is the use of fusible fleece and then the cover fabric...

Again the shape of the pad is important..The question is whether a semi-circular shape is always a desirable shape...and whether this semi-circular shape produces the effect you want

re: clothes for childrens

here is a link to a site with information on childrens measurements from newborn to 12 years
http://www.fibergypsy.com/common/children.shtml

shoulder pads

I'd like to write an article on shoulder pads and do some good research into this area. i note that when the term 'covered' is used re: shoulder pads, it may mean that the pad is covered in another fabric e.g. white tricot. The choice of covering for the pad is important if you want it covered..but why should the shoulder pad be covered or uncovered...

Here is another site which sells shoulder pads...of course these are all so-called fashion shoulder pads and not football pads for example...it is interesting that ornament/decoration/look and fit is all important...as well as purpose...I wrote in the previous blog...There is the important question..What does the Wearer want/ How does the Wearer want to look? What kind of Shoulder Pad does she want? Does she want it adjustable i.e. moveable. Where should the shape in the pad be. Should the shape be at the shoulder tip or should there be unform shape in the shoulder area?

Here is another site for shoulder pads: http://www.thesewingplace.com/browseproducts/Shoulder-Pads--Medium-Raglan-34---S-102.html
This link goes directly to (I quote directly)
Shoulder Pads, Medium Raglan 3/4", S-102
3/4" medium raglan, molded fiberfill, smooth, round shoulder. Approximately 9 1/2" x 6". Available uncovered or covered in white tricot. Priced by the pair.Price: $4.00

And then here :
http://www.sewingplace.com/browseproducts/Shoulder-Pads--Small-Inset--S-130.html

I quote directly:
Shoulder Pads, Small Inset S-130
Small inset shoulder pad 1/2"-5/8". Approximately 3 1/2" x 6 1/2". Priced by the pair.Price: $1.50

shoulder pads

..just looking at types of shoulder pads; what are the important 'variables' to consider when developing a shoulder pad.
http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase/details.php?ITEM_NUM=53090
this site gives some information on shoulder pads.
We have shoulder pads called Covered Set-In Shoulder Pads and these seem to be one of the main types of shoulder-pads. What does 'covered' mean here? What does set-in mean? In designing a shoulder pad, it is important how to 'set-in' the shoulder pad...how should the pad be set-in to the garment and ..then the shape of the shoulder pad is important..the pad should give the right 'effect' that the wearer wants....or if the wearer doesn't want a specific effect, then the fit of the shoulder pad should be suitable...maybe as said the person just wants to 'raise' the shoulder line and simply doesn't want slanting shoulders..this should be considered....

What does the wearer want the shoulder pad for?
Then..there is another type of shoulder pad called 3/4" Covered Raglan. I am not familiar with the world of shoulder pads..but maybe this pad is to be worn in a raglan sleeve... There is the 3/4 " covered raglan above..and then there is a 1/4" Covered Oval Raglan by Dritz.

http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase/index.php?BRAND_ID=5&SUBCAT_ID=35

lapped seam again

i have submitted some notes on the lapped seam to an article directory: here it is//
i wonder too if a new form of lapped seam can be patented..i am interested in how the lapped seam patents that i see on the web work...

here is the article:

I have another article in this article directory on the lapped seam. This is another article below. It aims to give some extra information on this seam.
It is said that the lapped seam is on the 'surface' of the garment and this is true. Remember that the lapped seam is sewn wrong side to wrong side which would imply thus that the seam will be on the surface of the garment but it doesn't 'obviously' have to be on the surface side. And we see that with one variation of the lapped seam, the upper fabric is snipped by the amount of the seam allowance and then an overlap is made with the lower fabric. This implies above all that there is a manifest effort to make the seam less 'obvious' and even though the seam is 'on the surface' , stitching lines may be apparent on the surface but this could easily be construed as decoration or topstitching.
One of the elements of the Lapped Seam is how much to trim off on the upper or overlapping fabric. It is understood that in the Lapped Seam that, above all, there is lapping and this lapping involves forms of overlapping. However, seam allowances were added to give a suitable fit and there is always the question of how much to snip off since this will affect the fit and wear of the garment. It is interesting that in another variation of the Lapped Seam, which Claire Shaeffer notes in her book ‘The Complete Book of Sewing Shortcuts’, that the upper fabric is snipped by e.g. half of the seam allowance i.e. ½ inch. Then this upper fabric overlaps the under fabric by ¾ inch. Thus there is an additional ¼ inch which is not ‘covered’. It is as if ¼ inch has disappeared altogether. However later on you can see that this ¼ inch hasn’t disappeared ; it will represent extra fabric that will be snipped off at the end. Then when the overlapping is done, you can do two suitable topstitching lines. The first topstitching line is not an edge-stitch but approximately 3/8 inch away from the overlapping line. Thus there will be some fabric ‘left over’ so that when you have finished doing the two topstitching lines, then you can neatly cut off this ‘excess’ fabric.
It is obvious that this seam is so neat and tidy. No excess fabric is there..there is no need for tidying up of the seam. You may wonder what this latter form of the lapped seam is suitable for. It is not obviously suitable for woven fabrics because of the possibility of fraying.
You can question too whether this seam is strong enough for non-wovens e.g. suede. Still remember that the aim is to eliminate the seam allowances. The two fabrics can be glued or bonded together at the start when the overlapping is done. I do not know if this is done in industry i.e. this gluing/bonding before the topstitching. Yes this bonding may be an important step if certain fabrics require it or the design requires it.

note

this was a paragraph i prepared for an article....the article refers to the general use of seams as well as the importance of having the correct seams for fabrics /garments/accessories with various types of weight e.g. lightweight, midweight


..Firstly a guide to fabrics is important. What defines medium weight materials and what defines lightweight materials. It is important too to understand what are the implications of doing the first seam or basting seam on the wrong side or right side; How do you want to 'seam' your garment ; What kind of seam do you want? When you ask these questions, they might aid in understanding seams such as the French seam, Lapped seam, Flat-felled seam and Slot seam. Remember that two fabrics have to be seamed together but 'seamed' is the wrong word; the seam is like a dividing line in the garment; it divides pattern pieces..but not only that, seams are not just functional but decorative and topstitching is an example. ..

quick note on shoulder pad

When garment is designed to use padding, shoulder seams should be built up a proportionate amount to enclose the thick padding and still maintain a close, smooth fit. This also requires a small adjustment at top of sleeve cap. The armscye, in being raised, is being increased in size at the top. Hence, the sleeve cap is raised until it equals the new dimension of the armscye.

Links

I have written some articles here:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jay_Kirby

here are specific links:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Seams-for-Clothes---French,-Flat-Felled,-Lapped&id=658374

I think that the recent article in the previous blog on the Lapped Seam gives better information on this seam than this article.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Some-Notes-On-Garment-Seams&id=685016
http://ezinearticles.com/?Notes-on-the-Darning-Process&id=667974
http://ezinearticles.com/?Notes-on-the-Roll-Collar&id=685893
http://ezinearticles.com/?Notes-On-Creating-A-Simple-Cowl-Neck-Garment&id=688857

Lapped Seam

Here is an article I wrote on the Lapped Seam or at least a variation of it. I submitted the article online.

Notes on the Trim and Stitch Method: One Variation of the Lapped Seam.
Remember the lapped seam. It is a seam that is important for leather and other so-called non-fraying fabrics. Note that when doing the lapped seam that the right sides of the fabric pieces face up. Thus , this means that wrong sides are placed together. It is difficult to generalise whether seams are done right side to right or wrong side to wrong. However in some way, the right side to right side might be termed the more common method because when the seam is sewn, the seam is on the wrong side..the seam allowances are on the wrong side..so any overlocking or serging that will be done is on the wrong side..and the wrong side is of course the inside, the inner side. So from the beginning, we can say that the lapped seam is something different because the seam is done with wrong sides together..Finally remember that this article is describing the Trim and Stitch Method which is a variation of the Lapped Seam. It is a common industry method for the Lapped Seam. Note that the order is important i.e. Trim comes first and Stitch second. Another method is called the Snitch and Trim Method.

Thus with wrong sides together, overlap the fabric pieces in such a way that the upper fabric overlaps the bottom fabric by a certain amount and that is the amount of the seam allowance. Thus you cut away the so-called 'overlap' fabric by the amount of the seam allowance. The aim is for this cut edge of the overlap fabric to meet the seam allowance line of the under fabric. Note what has happened; The amount of the seam allowance has been snipped off the top fabric or overlapping fabric. Thus a new type of seam will be created simply because the seam allowance amount has been cut off the top fabric. Then since this is so, it seems natural to aim to overlap the two fabrics, the overlying and the underlying by the amount of the seam allowance. Remember that the fabrics are wrong side to wrong and we are working from the right side. Then sew a suitable edgestitch when you have overlapped the upper fabric onto the bottom. You can also do a zigzag stitch or perhaps some form of serging. It is natural too to do another stitching line away from the edgestitch. Thus we have a double seam.

JACKET FIT

It is worth noting that in getting fit for the jacket that the shoulder darts and waist darts are used in a suitable way..sometimes the waist dart is made smaller as in width..and then perhaps lengthened if the jacket is hip-length..but if the waist dart is smaller then the shoulder dart is larger....does this make sense for the overall fit of the jacket....is it right...will a suitable fit always be given for all sizes..

I wonder if a suitable dart i.e. the waist dart extended to the hemline of the jacket is suitable in to-days fashions and manufacturing. Should such a co-called 'open-end dart' be used in to-days design/manufacturing...should darts be used...and are darts used...

The Jacket-some notes

What is it about the jacket...is the jacket really just a silhouette...does it really have to have a collar and lapel...it may have to have some shape around the neck line ; one of the important areas of the jacket is the button line; ask yourself how a jacket is to be buttoned..ask yourself about the line of the button line ; sometimes the button line is an important design line..maybe this is the case when there is no specific collar and thus the neck line curves around ...(is 'curves' the right word...) to the button line..the right choice of buttons is obviously important....what is interesting is that this button line indicates a line of fit...because when the jacket is buttoned up.. you can see the lines of the body..or the jacket.. you can notice the line of the waist and then the hip

//just a quick note to state that an important area is the armhole and sleeve....and the sleeve structure can contrast 'dramatically' in some way with the rest of the jacket....

//also another important area of fit are the darts..and even though darts may not be used..or at least long darts...these darts can certainly give the fit you want...but princess lines...and such are used...but if there is specfic pocket detail on the jacket...maybe darts should be considered...

//these are basic notes...

WELT POCKET

It is important to interface the Welt itself. You can interface half of the Welt or all. Take into account that 'all' means interfacing within 3/8 inch inside the Welt rectangle. In this note, the Welt is created using a whole rectangle and not two separate pieces. Then with wrong sides together, fold the rectangle in half and stitch the ends. The aim is to turn the welt inside out. Before turning inside out, grade the seams in a suitable manner so that a neat welt is made.

The facing and the lining are also important parts of the pocket. Stitch the facing to the lining pattern.

Stitch then the welt pattern to the pocket line. Use a close stitching line e.g. 1/4 inch. On the other side of the pocket line, stitch the facing with a suitable stitching line. The lining has been stitched to the facing.

Then the aim is to open up the pocket line. Snip into the line and cut open. There are some simple rules to follow when cutting the pocket line open but these aren't mentioned here. These are general welt notes. The aim is to get a general picture of the Welt so that better notes can be eventually given.

Then you pull through both the welt and the facing/lining. Note now incomplete-
//TO BE COMPLETED

WELT POCKET

Some quick notes on the Welt:
You mark the pocket line on the right side of the garment. Note that in some way this is what a welt is? It is a hidden pocket demarcated by an almost invisible pocket line. So called 'pocket lips' lie so close together so that the welt pocket line is 'gone'. This could be called a tailoring style.

2) Then cut some interfacing to cover this pocket area. The interfacing should be approx. 2cm longer than the pocket but just 2-3cm side. Then Center the interfacing on the wrong side over the pocket line. *The nature of fusing interfacing to a pocket area is important. You can ask should it be sewn / should it be fused. Indeed what is the correct interfacing to use? These questions however won't be immediately answered in this blog but I would certainly like to answer them eventually.

3) The fabric for the pocket should also be interfaced. Interfacing should not cover the whole rectangle. This fabric which is the Welt fabric will be interfaced. What then are the measurements for this Welt?

JACKET WELT

I hope to develop some notes on the Welt pocket as used in jackets

The Welt Pocket is an important pocket for the jacket. And its pocket placement is important; The pocket is a line. It is an insertion point where you go inside the outer fabric. And the pocket line must be marked in such a way so that people know that here is a pocket. A jacket is not a 'fabric covering' for the body. Fit is important as a jacket is a fitted garment. There is a certain amount of fit around the throat and neck area. Then there is some fit around the breakline area; Another area is how the breakline which is the straight line which lies on one side of the lapel and the collar 'goes' into the center front line. Still the pockets also create some elements of 'fit' and pockets are important in this way. And the welt is one of these pockets. These are not specific tailoring notes but they are notes re: jackets and their creation.

CATSUIT

The catsuit is interesting: Look at it on the catwalk ; Look at it moulding to the body ; Like a bodice and skirt/trousers- The nature of the attachment from the bodice to the trousers is important. In the image in the previous blog, you can almost see the zip go down to the crotch area here in the picture above (go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catsuit where you can see a full image of this jpeg) ;

This shows up the nature of the catsuit - it seems to be unlike any other garment; What other garment could allow for a zip going to crotch level ; What other garment is there where the link or attachment from the bodice area to the leg area so important- is this what makes the catsuit?
Not really- look at the back of the catssuit on the other side- there is no real link from bodice to leg area- it was the model's pose in the left side picture that made it look that way; there just seems to be a high leg- almost to waist area and beyond.

What we want in a catsuit is the shape of the body. This may be what a catsuit is. It is a second skin and it aims to follow the shape and curves of the body. This catsuit in the images has an true seamless link from leg to high thigh to waist. You can almost imagine too the leg area going to the waist area see a stretch line going from the waist point down to the crotch area.
Then in the second side- is there a zip , invisible or such going from the collar down to the buttocks and under. What other garment would have this but maybe it's just a stretch line.

Maybe it would be of design interest for a catsuit to have a zip?

CATSUIT

Hello,

I was interested in the catsuit and how it is designed and made. I know there are some sites

around that give information.

Define the Catsuit; Something figure-hugging; Something that goes beyond figure hugging, something that fits the body like a glove , like a second figure; something with such' design' and 'fashion' interest that marks it out as a second body, a second skin. (MY DEFINITION)