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Ordered a bespoke suit for my brother’s wedding. The tailor’s measurements taken at home took barely 40 mins and the suit fitted perfectly on the first trial. Highly recommend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Interfacing is used to stiffen, reinforce or add body to certain parts of a garment. Usually applied to collars and cuffs.
Underlining is a layer of fabric between fashion fabric and interfacing or between fashion fabric and lining to strengthen or add body to a garment. Underlining covers the whole of the fashion fabric whereas Interfacing is applied to specific areas.
Lining is a layer of fabric sewn into a garment that covers the inside of the garment. Choice of Underlining and Lining fabrics depends on the fashion fabric and the type of garment.
Fold a piece of knit fabric crosswise into quarters. Measure the folded fabric, say, 4-inches.
Now, gently stretch the crosswise grain until it measures 5-inches. This is a knit with 25% stretch.
If the same 4-inch stretch measures 6-inches when stretched, it has 50% stretch. Always test the amount of crosswise stretch before cutting.
Always follow the “Pre-Cut Protocol”. Preshrink fabric, make sure it’s on-straight-of-grain and let it relax before cutting.
Cutting fabric correctly prevents shifting and shrinking after garment is stitched.
To help with cutting sheer fabrics, place the fashion fabric between two sheets of tissue paper and cut all three layers at once.
You can also prepare sheer fabrics for cutting by giving it a stiff starch bath.
Always follow the direction of the pile and cut fabrics that have sheen in one direction for a “nap layout”.
If you ignore this step, garment pieces will be a different shade.
Modal is a type of Viscose, a regenerated cellulose fibre. Modal shrinks less than Viscose and they share the same hand-feel, very drapey and soft.
Lyocell is another member of the cellulose fibre family. Lyocell has higher strength when wet and is produced in a more environment-friendly process. Trade name is Tencel®
Bamboo fabric is most likely to be a type of viscose which is known to be softer than regular viscose.
The higher the Super S number of a woolen fabric, the finer the fibres in the fabric.
Super S refers to the diameter of merino wool used measured in microns or µ.
Super 100s has an average diameter of 18.75 µ while Super 150s has an average diameter of 16.25 µ.
Woolen fabrics with higher Super S numbers feel softer but don’t last as long.
Reduce positive ease and even use some negative ease at bust/waist/hip while drafting/altering a pattern for stretchy/drapey fabrics when compared to stiffer fabrics.
Fabrics that are “unpinnable” need to be held with clips or low-tack tape.
Leather, vinyl, suede, etc. sew better with a Teflon foot/walking foot.
Different types of fabrics also need specific sewing machine needles – universal for most woven fabrics, ballpoint for knits, stretch needle for elastane blends, denim needles for heavyweight denim and leather needles for leather.
