Newbie at sewing stretch seams, of course there's a problem

[WhiteDove01s]

1/6 scale is going to be difficult, no matter what. It's tiny.

Lucky for me, I love working tiny. There are so many different crafts I like to do (woodworking and polyclay miniatures as well, just for starters) that if I'm going to make an etsy store the best combining theme I could think of would be to do them all in playscale. XD This is the tiniest thing I think I've ever sewn. And, yes, it's actually pieced. Oh, and I made the little rug too, though it could have come out better.

Also, spandex is a PITA. It's an advanced-level fabric, and it really responds best to a machine that was designed after it came into being (so post 1980).

My machine's only maybe 15 or so years old, but it was an on-sale purchase at Walmart basically just meant to hem my pants. (I'm a short person, and almost every pair of pants I have bought in my life has had to be hemmed by roughly 3 inches). It does a zigzag and a straight stitch and that's it. I already have plans to replace it with something a bit better before I get anywhere close to opening shop, but for pattern drafting it's doing ok.

As for the spandex, my paper-piecing trick worked on it too. Best trick I ever figured out, really. I make a paper copy of my pattern and actually glue it to the fabric with really thinned out white glue, the kind that will wash out easy afterward. No accidental mis-cutting/mini enlargements from tracing around the pattern, silky stuff doesn't slink around, stretchy stuff doesn't stretch, and no tiny bits get shoved down into the sewing machine's bobbin area. Bits of pattern get peeled off as I work (hence why to thin the glue), and then the end product is washed to remove any remainder. It beats sizing starch all to bits, and means I can work with the seam lines and hem lines right where I can see em on the fabric without using marking pens that might not wash out or chalk that could be hard to see. It's when the paper came off in this case that there was a problem. XD

Those are lovely. And I think you're over-thinking them. (It's okay -- everyone does. Textiles are both incredibly complicated and simple, and knowing that line is why designers spend years learning.)

Thanks. And I probably am. Overthinking things is something I'm chronic at (and one of the things that earned me my Mad Scientist nickname. I use dropper bottles to mix paints, and can't mix my polymer clays without using a scale to get color ratios right). I can be a horrible perfectionist and end up thinking that if I haven't done something to where I can't tell that it's a mini in a photo unless I've put a piece of change next to it for scale, then I haven't got it right yet. On the upside, if I turn out to be my own pickiest customer, maybe I have a chance at this. XD

Note the things they don't have -- no stitching.

Huh. And I'd thought the no-hems thing was just on cheap doll clothes or some people stuff from the dollar store. Maybe hemming really is going the way of the dodo and I'm just showing my age. I also did not know about the hot knife thing, so thanks a lot there. I have a soldering/desoldering station for working on electronics, but I doubt I'd want to use the same one for fabric, so I'll have to look into a separate hot knife on my growing list of 'tools to get' over the next few years. I get the feeling there might be a learning curve there in terms of getting nice clean lines with no melty gobs... but then my only experience even close to that was witnessing a hot clothes iron applied to a spandex scarf a couple decades back.

And it turns out I already have some of that kind of elastic thread, in both white and black... I just thought it was for hand-sewing only. So far I've rarely used it as a result. Messing with my machine's bobbin tension is something I've avoided so far, but that does look like a useful thing for other things as well, like when I go back to the baby clothes and start on diaper covers. Maybe when I replace the current sewing machine (which only does straight and zigzag stitch anyway), I'll designate it as the elastic-sewing machine and that way I won't have to hunt down a tiny screwdriver all the time and mess with the bobbin tension. XD

Well, I guess another is to use some type of zig-zag stitch, if your machine does that. Alternately, you can use a straight machine stitch, if you pull the fabric/stretch it while you are stitching. How much depends on how stretchy your fabric is; it takes experimenting.

*nods* I'm going to have to do a few more tests. Luckily I have a good bit of scrap spandex from a couple pair of old undies to keep making tests out of until I get it right. XD

My machine has a stitch called true stretch stitch, which works well on very stretchy fabrics. It looks like a straight stitch, but it is actually a back stitch done by the machine.

That sounds exceedingly useful, and has just been added to the list of stitches to look for when I can save up for a better machine.

Your other alternative is wooly nylon thread, which does come in every color that nylon does. It's that furry, fluffy thread you sometimes see on serged seam allowances -- the stuff that gets everywhere when you take a seam ripper to it.

Oh, hey, I know that stuff! I've pulled scraps of it out of my undies before, right about the time I start thinking it's time to get new undies! I just didn't know I could buy it. Definitely dropping that on the wishlist, as it could be highly useful! Thanks!

Ah. Okay. That's the technology lag.

Hems exist because historically, all fabric frayed. Except that that's no longer true because the technology has caught up with us. If you look closely at most modern, big-box to department store level RTW (I'm leaving out couture because that's a whole 'nother thing), you'll see that most seam finishes are serged, and most elastic is placed using a coverstitch or serger.

Half tech lag and half me being an old fossil, I'm starting to think. XD I normally just wear t-shirts and sweatpants myself, so I haven't noticed a lot of trends in modern clothing like the whole lack-of-hems thing. Or, for that matter, not casing elastic. It's things like that where I'm going to have to spend the next few years playing catch-up.

I would also go production line instead of making individual garments -- trace out 12 pair on the same piece of fabric, apply all of their elastics, then cut them out and do the side seams last -- for ease of sewing. There will be more waste of material, but the production time will be the more valuable commodity, and at 1/6 scale, you'll have almost as much waste as finished product anyway.).

*nod* I'd already thought of doing 'em in batches. Just doing them one at a time for now because I'm using old scrap fabric and testing patterns, so making several of the same one wouldn't have any purpose. And I already know about doing the side seams last and hems first.

If you would like, I'll run up the test for that. I've got a functional flat 1/3 scale underwear pattern and I don't mind having extra underwear available.

You don't have to if you don't want. You've been a lot of help already and I wouldn't want to put you through any trouble.

Given that you're working towards a production environment, please allow me to recommend a blog: fashion-incubator.com. She's in the industry, and the industry techniques translate to a small shop environment. You have to know your price point for your garment, and you have to pay yourself for your time, and if you're not making at least minimum wage an hour, you're doing it wrong. Since people will reasonably pay between $7 and $10 for a pair of panties for their dolls, you can't afford to spend more than a half hour on each pair (materials and infrastructure cost), including cutting and final packaging. That's still not costing out your development time. You should be able to build a nice garment in that amount of time -- but you'll have to make sure you've got the tools for the technique and that you're applying the right technique to the scale.

I'll definitely check that out. The whole Bunker, when it's built, is basically going to be a small shop I live in. XD *nods* I know I need to spend the next few years working on technique and speed, to make sure I do this right. (Though I'm sometimes willing to eat it on development, since my dollies need clothes too XD). I'm still building up tools I either didn't have in the first place or were lost when I first moved here... or in some cases didn't exist before, like the elastic thread.

[Czanne]

You seriously do not want to see my first (gazillion) full-bust adjustments. (The bewb fairy apparently had my address on her list approximately 90 times, because I swear that chick was at my house every night for a couple years.) So we shall not talk about perfectionism and being a tough customer. I developed an interest in textiles specifically because I'm picky. And the tech has changed dramatically in the last 15 years -- the differences between now and when I was working in the costume shop is exponential. (Just having YouTube videos makes so much so much easier.)

There's a technique from 1:1 sewing that you might want to try -- snoop shopping. Go to the nicest stores in your area and examine the garment construction. (Don't buy anything.) I admit that places like H&M and the big boxes will sometimes skip hemming for cost-reduction (and that shows in other places with them) but it's also a valid design technique.

I didn't get to the assembly method today because the kids and I spent the day restringing, retensioning and searching out the flung hooks, but I'm happy to have my brain picked anytime. One third of the reason I play with dolls is because I like textiles and the scale allows me to do much more for much less money and time.

Regarding your machine -- that you've gotten that much out use of a Walmart special is excellent. Good on you! I won't diss plastic gear machines often because metal has just as many issues and potentials for fatal flaws, but walmart is notorious for sewing machine shaped objects that produce more cursing than product. An older thrift shop /free cycled/craigslisted machine and a trip to the shop may ultimately be your best bet. Poor tools have a way of defeating talent and meticulousness. I'd happily offer a long-term loan of machine 2 if you were within reasonable distance. If you'd like, my SIL, BIL and MIL are still up in the part of your state that gives the finger to the rest of the country. SIL is also a textiles person, and runs across estate machines on a regular basis. I can have her keep an eye out for a reasonable one.

[Czanne]

Re soldering irons -- if yours has a replaceable/swappable tip (most do, even the radio shack cheapies, like mine), just swap the tip. Those are in the $3 range. And don't feel old -- every technology has changed dramatically in the last couple decades. We've got another industrial revolution going on here, one that's doing just as much good and harm as the first couple times we did this thing. Revolutions come with learning curves that look a lot like hockey sticks.

[WhiteDove01s]

Just having YouTube videos makes so much so much easier.

Very true... I've just been watching one on basics of how to do the hot knife stuff.

Go to the nicest stores in your area and examine the garment construction.

Sadly, at this point, the only businesses in my walking distance are the bank, a farmer supply/feed store, and a Sheetz. None of which sell clothes. I haven't had a working car in a good while and there's no bus-line in this lousy town. This whole business plan really is starting from the bottom up. XD And most of my own clothes are either over 10 years old, or the aforementioned sweatpants and t-shirts. I wear comfy clothes and force my dollies into the pretty-but-probably-uncomfortable things. XD I'll pay more attention to clothes if I spot any at a yard sale at the trailer park this summer... that's probably the closest I can do to that for now.

walmart is notorious for sewing machine shaped objects that produce more cursing than product

XD It's a Brother LS-1217, with fussy tension. I've learned to recognize the funny little clunks that mean I need to immediately stop because it's going to make a mess of the thread. And then there's the weird 'where did this extra string in the bobbin area come from' thing it can do...

I'm thinking of getting some books on sewing machine repair. Even if I can find a shop someday, it never hurts to understand how a machine works... If I can take my computer apart for basic repairs (and have a monitor I need to replace capacitors in this spring), it wouldn't hurt to at least be able to diagnose a problem in something else I'll be using just as often. Or at the very least know how to keep it oiled right.

I can have her keep an eye out for a reasonable one.

Best not have her bother. It'll be at least a year before I scrape up enough for a good one. Which might be just as well, because I want to put a lot of thought into which one to get. My family worked construction when I was younger, and I've done enough crafts on top of that to know that good tools are an investment and very important.

I'm limited to $45 in income per month on average, because otherwise it could mess with the Evil Overlord's SSI and actually make things worse overall. She's on disability after a car accident and I've essentially been unpaid live-in help for over a decade now. (She's my biological mother, though I was raised by my grandparents. I kind of got drafted into this after my Gran died.)

With my budget currently as it is, it's going to be 'next spring if I'm lucky' for a new machine, but I'm already checking out a few possibles on Amazon. Which to get is probably something I'll want to put a lot of thought into. I'm a little wary of the ones that have computers in them, as that almost seems like 'one more fiddly piece that could break'... or are they actually decent? I'm going to have to look up a chart to recognize all the stitch symbols, after so long just looking at a machine that does straight and zigzag and nothing else. XD Stretch-stitch and Blind Zig-Zag are already on the wish list, and I'm sure there are other stitches that I've never seen come out of a machine that might be useful. XD

Currently I'm saving for a replacement work-desk before this one falls apart. I've got my eyes on a nice one with a tempered glass top, which should work out well for that hot knife. XD It's going to take till around August to save for it at current estimates. After that, I'll probably want to reward myself with a doll for xmas while saving for the little craft iron for pressing seams and a mini-sized table saw for doing Playscale furniture. New sewing machine will be on the list right after that, giving me plenty of time to study different models and play catch-up to try to pick a good one.

Part of the whole mess-that-is-life is also a factor in why I have time to put in to study before I can open an Etsy store. She's starting to need me slightly less than 24-7, but still wants me in yelling distance so I can be on hand for times she's likely to have issues. (Like when she gets stuck in the bathtub.) So there are plans to move me into a Bunker/house we're going to try to build out of cinderblock. Given various time, money, and ability restraints it's going to take at least three years if not longer to do this. But once I'm technically 'moved out', I'll be able to start a business without messing up the overall household income. And I have until then to draft patterns and fill in gaps in my skillset.

ETA: Just checked my soldering station, it does have a sort of knife tip, but doesn't look like the right one (doesn't really look sharp/thin enough), so I'll hunt one of those up.