Sewing advice...sewing with organza

[imloulou]

I have not seen Colleen lately...Colleen, Colleen where are you?

Has anyone sewn with Organza before? My daughter is in my sisters wedding and I bought a really pretty, white, formal, sleeveless dress (it is a summer dress) with an organza layer over the skirt. My sis's wedding is in October...in St. Louis. I want to make this jacket to go with the sleeveless dress:

http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin...item.B4385.x=1

It is the sheer jacket, 3rd from the left.

I have a (simple) Husky/Viking sewing machine. I bought the 5mm double hemmer foot. I CANNOT get it to work....the fabric is so thin and it does not press or feed through the foot well.

I cannot remember if I got the poly or the silk organza (I am going back to check tomorrow). Does one work better than another for pressing and making a double hem? I can buy different fabric...the organza is cheap.

A friend suggested French seams for the seams and I think I can handle them it is just the hems

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to do the hem? (even if it means buying a different type of organza)

Thanks!!!!

Oh...the hems on the organza on the dress have double hems and french seams. I just cannot get mine to look like theirs

editing to add: I do not have to use the hemmer foot! I am willing to try anything!!!!!

[Goin' Coastal]

If the fabric was cheap, my guess it is a polyester or other synthetic which makes it harder to press. Here is what I would do to hem it:

Run a row of machine basting about 1/2" from the edge, and then press up the lower edge to the row of stitching. Press a second time turning up the hem on the row of stitching. Pin to hold and then stitch close to the fold. Make sure you have an appropriate needle for the sheer fabric. (I'd use a size 9 sharp) The basting stitch makes it so much easier, and should pull out easily when you are done. When you do the basting stitch, do it so the bobbin thread is on the right side of the fabric, as the bobbin thread always is easier to pull out.

[imloulou]

OMG...Thank you so much!!!!

I just did a swatch and it turned out great! I basted at 1/4 inch to try to match the seam on the dress. It even worked around a curve. The basting makes all the difference...especially with this organza. I'm going to practice a little more to perfect it but this is exactly what I needed!

That double hemmer foot was 27 bucks...it's going back tomorrow

Thank you...Thank You...THANK YOU!!!!!!

[Goin' Coastal]

Another thing I thought of that might work for you is to put a small trimming on the edges of the jacket. That way you wouldn't need to hem it at all. Is there any lace in the dress? A delicate little edging would be pretty all around. You would just have to make sure it was a trim that "bent". Something very flat would not work as you would need the trim to follow the curves. If I added a trim, I would do a straight machine stitch on the hemline, trim excess off, put a touch of fray check on the raw edges, and then center the trim over the stitching and stitch or glue on. Do you have a Jo-Ann's near you? They could probably offer suggestions.

[Goin' Coastal]

We must have been typing at the same time! I am glad it worked for you!

[imloulou]

Another thing I thought of that might work for you is to put a small trimming on the edges of the jacket. That way you wouldn't need to hem it at all. Is there any lace in the dress? A delicate little edging would be pretty all around. You would just have to make sure it was a trim that "bent". Something very flat would not work as you would need the trim to follow the curves. If I added a trim, I would do a straight machine stitch on the hemline, trim excess off, put a touch of fray check on the raw edges, and then center the trim over the stitching and stitch or glue on. Do you have a Jo-Ann's near you? They could probably offer suggestions.

We have a Jo-Ann's Superstore here. They are not real helpful at my local store. I have gone in for advice several times and no one really knows anything . It is frustrating but I gave up a while back. They have such a great selection that I go there for that not the service.

I was just there today and bought the organza (and some really cute fabric for a bag ). In the bridal section I saw some trims that I am going to go back for. The dress is a very simple and smooth a-line dress with no seams at the waistline. There is no decoration except for a pearl/sequin floral pattern down the front.

I am looking forward to doing this hem you just showed me so I will probably still do that Plus it will add some stability to the edges. Then I can glue or stitch the trim to that?

Thanks again! You just saved me from a lot of frustration!!!!

[Goin' Coastal]

Yes, you can glue or stitch an edging to it. Just use a good quality glue like fabri-tac. If you have trouble with the hem on the curves, pull up the basting ever so slightly and the fabric should fold over more easily.

[rlrobb]

If the fabric seems like it's going to ravel easily and you don't want to do a french seam, you can seal the edges of the fabric by using a wood-burning tool to "cut" out the pattern pieces. Since it's not cotton, the edge melts just enough to make a non-raveling edge. I haven't tried this for clothing, but I use this technique when machine appliqueing this type of fabric so it's easier to work with.

[colleency]

I'm not allowed to look at the internet while I'm testing at work anymore. So while I'm waiting for tests to finish, I have to sit, looking into space.

Goin' Coastal's way of finishing the organza is exactly the way I've been taught to do it!

If you got your organza at Joann's (especially if it was cheap), it's almost certainly poly, which tends to be "boingier" (if that makes sense). Joann's discourages employees that actually know anything about sewing and just goes for the bottom line, minimum wage when they hire people, so it would be rare to find anyone there who knows how to sew.