exploring jersey

We are settling into a nice holiday routine, so much so that it is difficult to remember what day it is. So far we have done nothing of note. We sorted through school work, keeping art and pieces of writing only. I am not very sentimental when it comes to children's school work but I do like to keep their art and their creative writing. There have been some funny ones over the years. I'll show you an example one day. I also sorted through piles of clothes destined for charity or the rag bag. I tend to do this in spurts, when it is impossible to ignore or when the spare room is needed for an overnight visitor. I have also hoovered excessively. Not because I particularly enjoy it but we have a new hoover and I need to confirm that the amazing suction power is indeed not a dream. Yes, I agree, I am odd. 

Anyway, I really wanted to write about my latest sewing adventure. I bought a really nice jersey fabric for a summer dress. I have never sewn with knit fabrics and was a little apprehensive. To practice, I bought some cheap bright green light weight t-shirt jersey to have a go and maybe even end up with something wearable. I used a tried and trusted pattern,the Sailor Top by Fancy Tiger Crafts which I have used before here and here. The previous versions were made with cotton prints but I have seen jersey versions online and knew the pattern was suitable for this different fabric, too. 
I think the cutting of the jersey fabric was the trickiest of all. It kept moving under my hands and I had to use all the pins I had to get the job done. I didn't enjoy this much. 

Next I tried out the various stretch stitches on my sewing machine, using a piece of leftover fabric. I played with the tension and the pressure but ended up using the automatic setting because it worked just fine. The stitch I used looks a bit like a squashed zig zag stitch. I tried to use a twin needle but failed miserably. Maybe the fabric needs to be a little more weighty for twin needle sewing. At least I figured out how to use a twin needle for another day.
I used a lot of pins because the fabric was quite slippery. I did baste rather more than I would usually to for the same reason.

Because I am not sure if it is possible or useful even to understitch facings on jersey I didn't bother. I also didn't bother finishing the seams. I wasn't at that point sure if I was ever going to wear this t-shirt  and I was eager to finish. I did however trim the seams neatly with my pinking shears. The result is quite pleasing actually and I may well adopt this 'technique' in future projects. Unfortunately I cut into the sleeve (after it was attached) and had to make another one....

The top has a gather all around. I googled some gathering techniques for jersey but in the end used the same method that I had used for the cotton versions. I stitched two parallel rows of the longest possible straight stitch inside the seam allowance and then pulled the thread to gather up the fabric. It was a bit of a faff but no more so than with the cotton fabric. 

The end result is surprisingly pleasing. The top is maybe on the baggy side but I don't mind, it will be perfect for those hot summer days that are surely to come. I remain optimistic. I used the self timer for this photo. Excuse my manic grin, it is just something I do when I see the self timer light flash quicker and quicker.... Please also ignore the apricot jam stains. The green doesn't photograph true to colour. You have to imagine it much brighter and much greener, a little like the leaves I showed you a recently, but a little less natural.

To sum my experience with jersey up: It is no more difficult to sew with than cotton fabric, just a bit different. The jersey I used was a bit slippery but not bad enough to annoy me. I am now looking forward to cutting into the nice dress jersey I bought. My friend Christine said it 'looked very me', which I take to be a compliment despite the psychedelic pattern... wait and see!

What have you been up to recently? Please do share. I am hoping to spend the evening reading blogs. Between all the holidaying and doing nothing much there seems to little time for this pleasure. Have a lovely day. Cxx