I am amazed at the standard of sewing comes from the factory these days. Have a look at the original hem (bottom piece of fabric) on this high end lace dress. Top piece is the now finished dress which has almost a full circle skirt.

I do not believe there is anything like Quality Control anymore. I seem to find problems with almost all I purchase. You did a beautiful job Lillian

1 comment

by Sewmum1 14 Mar 2018

Thank you. I wonder sometimes if clothes are checked before they leave the factory

hi dont you just hate it when you purchase something and you have to trim up the inside for loose threads ,,, some quite long ones . I am annoyed as sometimes these purchases are not cheap but are what I am looking for . GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

1 comment

by Sewmum1 14 Mar 2018

It's annoying isn't it having to fix things up but it can save making something from scratch

Your work is wonderful. I can tell you several stories about the slip shod work of seamstresses. My daughter took apparel design in college and you would be surprised how they teach them to sew. She took independent "study" at home with me teaching her the proper way to sew.
Strange what good grades she got for her sewing.

1 comment

by Sewmum1 14 Mar 2018

Sounds like she had a great teacher and Mum. I have seen some interesting work done by bridal seamstresses and personally would be very disappointed if I was the bride.

Skirts of this type should be hung up for about a week to allow the parts which are on the bias to drop,before hemming.In the past have even weighted down the bias sections with pegs,so once the hem has been trimmed & hemmed ,it stays level.
The customer should of asked for this to be fixed before she bought it.

1 comment

by Sewmum1 09 Mar 2018

I agree. This one was hung for 2 weeks before i touched it. I remember my mother having a disastreous time with a ball gown even after allowing the fabric to hang before cutting the dress. It dropped at the waistline and the hem. Lucky it was only for me so she wasn't so stressed.

what a beautiful job you did! you are a very talented seamstress! I need to remember to use this binding method next time.

1 comment

by Sewmum1 09 Mar 2018

Thank you. It is a great method to use on lace. I put the binding in place and stitched the first round before cutting any excess of in order to reduce stretching and puckering as in some places there is no lace only binding to sew on.

have to agree. The finishing does not equal the price paid [in many cases]

Well done not an easy task to do certainly one of those jobs done when you are the only one home.
Nothing is finished off properly these days.

Well done! It is so annoying that so much work done these days is so poorly done. Unfortunately, you can't always blame the worker. Often they are paid low wages by the piece.

1 comment

by Sewmum1 09 Mar 2018

So true they are not paid well and are often made to keep to a certain production number

You have done an excellent job. Customer will be very pleased

You sure have fantastic sewing skills! Thanks for the photos as it helps me learn a little more about hemming. Yes, some things are just not well made anymore...but people buy them anyway.

You did an amazing job. I love the binding technique. I too have found that hems are not even. A year ago, I worked on a Wedding dress that had 5 layers of different fabrics. None of the layers were even and most were longer than the top lace fabric. Luckily she wanted two layers taken out of the dress, so I only had to deal with three.

1 comment

by Sewmum1 09 Mar 2018

Oh yes I have seen than too. I don't think they worry so much with wedding gowns as most are expected to be hemmed anyway unless the bride is really tall

Being a sewer myself, I just have to say what an incredible job you have done on this lace. Well done 👍🏽

Beautiful job, Karryn...I, too, use this same join for binding...

Kudos to you, it's not easy trying to fix an uneven stretchy hemline. I particularly hated doing Chiffon hems for clients back in the 80's and 90's. You've made a great save here. Did you do your 'favourite quilting technique' by laying down the first part of your binding and overlapping it when you get to the end about 2 inches in? I hope I made sense in what I'm trying to say. Love Chris

4 comments

by Sewmum1 08 Mar 2018

Hi Chris I have added a couple of pics I remembered to take. Hope that helps clarify. The ends match up perfectly and there is just the right amount of binding to sew onto the fabric.

by pennifold 08 Mar 2018

Thanks Karyn, yes, I have done it that way myself, but Jenny Doan at Missouri Quilt Company has a great way of overlapping at the very end of your bias.
I always use a 2 and a half inch binding that I usually cut from my own material. When you start to sew your binding leave a piece about 8 inches long before you start sewing it to the quilt or whatever. Just before the ending take it out of the machine, cut off the first part to 2 1/2 inches and attach the ending piece 2 1/2 inches by joining it diagonally. It sounds weird but it works every time. Have a look at the website where Jenny shows you how to do it. Love Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0...

It's called "The Ultimate Quilt Binding Video" It's great!!!!

by jgwatchorn 08 Mar 2018

Thanks Chris for the very well explained Video. Janette

by Sewmum1 09 Mar 2018

Jenny has great videos, often just sit and watch them when there is nothing on tv

Excellent work and not the easiest of jobs to do.

You have made it beautiful! Good work!