Some of you have seen my Blouse Perfected at sewing shows. You've wanted to know how to do the same topstitching I used, so I'll show you how I do it. First, here's the pattern:
And here's my shirt. I chose a lightweight, dark blue denim and edgestitched it using 2 strands of off-white thread.
I'll show you some details:
As with any technique, you need to assemble the materials. Cut some small scraps of your chosen fabric and make samples so you can test your stitching. You don't want to do your first test on your finished garment--ask me how I know! Stitch a couple of scraps together to simulate a seam. Also interface, stitch together, and press a couple of scraps to simulate a collar or cuff.
You'll need 100% cotton, 50 weight thread in your chosen color and a topstitching machine needle--because it has a big eye. Finally, you'll need an extra bobbin. One bobbin will be used as usual, but the second one will be used for an extra needle thread.
Here's how your machine will look:
Make sure one needle thread comes off the spool clockwise and the other one is counterclockwise to prevent tangling. Then thread the two threads through the machine, and the needle, as one. This is really pretty easy.
I used a 2.5 stitch length, the same as I used for construction. I made the left line of stitching much closer to the seam, just to see what different options looked like.
An edge-stitching foot helps with following a seamline. The metal flange is on the right side of the foot, riding in the well of the seam.
An edge-joining foot, with a flange in the middle, also helps follow a line. Make use of all your machine feet. They can make your stitching much more accurate, with less effort. The seam, and the flange, are right in the middle of the foot.
This is a blind hem foot. The higher left toe rides up on the edge of a collar or cuff, while the right toe is lower, on the feed dogs. You may have an adjustable blind hem foot which will work just as well. You could also try your edge-joining foot. It's just a bit trickier on corners.
Here's the result of stitching right on the edge of a collar or cuff using the blind hem foot, as in the photo above. I added a line of topstitching with an edge-stitching foot.
Here's a look at the underside of the simulated collar. You'll need to decide whether to use the contrasting thread or thread that matches the fabric in the bobbin. Do you want the contrasting thread to show on the underside of your collar? I prefer to match my thread. It gives me a more polished look (uneven stitches show a lot less).
You might notice that I matched the buttons on my shirt to the edgestitching thread. You can have so much fun thinking about the details and what you'd like to emphasize. Maybe you'd like to include the pocket--it gives you more opportunity for stitching.
Oh--and keep in mind that when you buy fabric from our website, you can order matching thread too. We stock Mettler 100% cotton thread, 50 weight, 3 ply.
I've made this shirt from linen, cotton, denim, silk charmeuse, and silk georgette. Rayon would also work. You'll find plenty of options at our website.
Have fun on the 4th of July.
If you have questions or want to suggest a blog topic, email me at sandy@cuttinglinedesigns.com.
