Stitch to Style

 Happy New Year everyone, 

Louise has a new project for you to get 2022 started with a bang.  You know how she is--coming up with great ideas so we can create unique garments.  Let's take a look at the new options she has for us:

This is Point of View, but what makes it special is the linen bands Louise has added to her shirt.  They are linen bands on a linen shirt, to be precise.  Note that on the right front the bands extend from the shoulder to the hem--that had to be done while the shirt was under construction.  The band over the buttonholes had to be added once the front was constructed so it would fit properly.  Then the buttonholes were stitched.  The band across the front had to be added into the sleeve seam during construction, then finished later.  Louise tried the shirt on to determine where that single button on the left front should be placed.

Let's see the back:

Again, the bands were added during construction, then finished later.  

Now you have the general idea.  Here's the vest Louise created:

It's a Light and Shadow vest using the same type of embellishment.  It's not complicated, but it has a major impact on the style of the garment.  Once again, the bands were added during construction, so the hems of the garment and bands were finished together.  

I know you're going to want to try this fabulous look, so let's talk details.  First, I'll repeat that this project is linen on linen.   So choose your pattern and cut out your garment pieces.  Then it's time to cut your bands.  It's vital that your bands are cut on the straight of grain, across the fabric.  You can easily establish a cutting line by pulling a thread, which is easy to do in linen.  

First, snip the selvedge edge of your band fabric and find a crosswise thread, like this:

That little dark thing in the middle of the photo is the thread.  Gently pull that thread while using your other hand to gather the fabric ahead of the cut--the thread will guide your straight, on-grain line.  Like this:

Cut across the fabric on the puckered line--you'll be exactly on the crosswise grain.  You can see my thread that I'm pulling, but if it breaks, I'll just pull another one on the cut edge.

Louise's bands are about 2" wide.  You'll want to plan ahead.  You can use bands with raw edges, as on Louise's vest, or bands with finished edges, as on her shirt.  So plan your finished dimensions.

For finished edges like these, add 1/4" to each side of the band over and above your finished dimension.  Using a 1/4" Pressing Template, press the 1/4" to the wrong side.  At the end of the band, the easiest option is to leave that edge raw to avoid bulk at the corners.  Lay strips of Steam-a-Seam on the 1/4" hems, press lightly, and remove the paper backing.  Place the bands where you want them and press again to fuse them. 

Use an edge-stitching foot and move your needle to achieve a straight line of stitching near the edges of the bands. 

Note that the diagonal band on Louise's shirt is free at the end, not pressed down.  She laid the shirt flat on her worktable, smoothed everything in place, then determined the button placement and stitched her buttonhole.  Also note that the diagonal band overlaps the top of the short band.  It's good to look at the details of her design for more ideas.

The vest has a different treatment:

These bands have raw edges.  It's critical to cut them on the straight grain so your fringe on the edges is even, but as you could see above, it's easy to pull threads for straight cut edges.  Again, lay Steam-a-Seam on the wrong side, leaving a margin at the edges for the width of the fringe you want.  Press lightly and remove the paper backing.  Align the bands on the garment pieces where you want them and press to fuse.  Again, choose a presser foot that will help you stitch in a straight line.  Use a short stitch (2.0 stitch length) to stitch the bands in place.

Here's how the hem works:

The bands just become part of the garment and are treated as one with the garment fabric and hem.

Let's take another look at the back of the shirt:

I think that the impact of this fairly simple embellishment is way beyond the effort needed to create it.  I hope you'll all give this a try, and that you'll post your garment on our Facebook Forum to inspire others to try this technique.

Have fun,

Sandy