Cutting hand woven cloth, part 2

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

I trained in Haute Couture in Paris. I started weaving because I'd like to make my own Chanel style tweeds. I'm pretty used to cutting into extraordinarily expensive fabric. If you'd like to cut out a garment, particularly from a very expensive, or fabric that frays badly, here's what I do: 1. Remove the seam allowances from your pattern. 2. Pin or weight your pattern to your fabric. If your fabric requires complicated matching, cut all of your pattern pieces out of white tissue, and cut enough so that you can cut everything in a single layer. (Meaning, if your shirt has two fronts, cut out two pattern pieces, instead of cutting on the fold.) This makes matching easier, and you're less likely to cut out a pieces going the same direction. 3. Thread trace around your pieces. You basically want to baste around your pieces with a single strand of thread. That will be your seam line. (There plenty of videos on KZbin on how to thread trace properly.) 4. If your fabric ravels badly, or you're just concerned in general, before cutting your pieces out, zig-zag stitch the width of your desired seam allowance away from your thread tracing. This doesn't have to be super precise, and it's generally better to leave a wide seam allowance, and trim it down later. Wide seam allowances also help your fabric hang better. I don't suggest overlocking here. It's really not super necessary, and it creates more bulk and stiffness. Just a zig-zag is more than adequate in virtually any fabric. 5. Cut just beyond your zig-zag stitching. Again, it's better to leave a little extra and trim it off later. 6. When you to to sew your pieces, baste them together along the tread tracing, and all of your seams will be perfectly in place. (I suggest lap basting here. There should be instructions on KZbin. Regular old basting will work too.) This is a pretty foolproof way of cutting. It's really hard to make a mistake, and until you actually cut your fabric, any mistake is fixable. This method also makes the sewing of the final garment super precise, so you don't have to worry about making a mistake and destroying expensive/labor intensive/irreplaceable fabric. It sounds like a lot of steps, but I can get a jacket cut out using this method in about three hours. Investing a couple of hours into cutting something super expensive, or that you painstakingly wove is more than worth it.

[@KellyCasanova]

Excellent tips, thank you for sharing!

[@barbararickman8543]

AAAaaaahhhhhh!!!! I loved the last method! I don't sew very well at the moment. My lines go all over the place! I feel now that I can fuse the edges of the handwoven and cut a straight line at the same time! Oh! Thank you Kelly for this life saving tutorial. I have had to do so much self teaching in the last 10 years and you have helped tremendously in this learning process! Wow! Thanks again and my Our Lord and Lady, bless and keep you and yours!

[@AzRavnGrl]

A much-needed video! Thank you, Kelly.

[@KellyCasanova]

Glad you liked it!

[@Virpukka]

Good tips. With the sewing macine I would use three step zigzag instead of the normal one though. It locks the threads better in place. That is what I have been taught to use by every weaving teacher who I have had so far.

[@KellyCasanova]

Thanks for sharing :)

[@betsylewis9432]

Thank you for the great tutorial and your wonderful advice. My loom should be arriving any day

[@KellyCasanova]

How exciting!

[@dgwparfitt]

Thank you this is very informative and helpful for me as a beginner.

[@KellyCasanova]

Great, thank you :)

[@anymoose6685]

Coming to weaving after sewing I can’t wait to cut into my first pieces! I’m thinking of making some bias binding with a fusible edge so that I could fuse it to the seam allowance, cut just beyond it and then fold it over to encase the raw seam allowance and topstitch it down, making a Hong Kong finish. Gathered areas would be more trouble though… I hear handwovens tend to have more movement, so maybe I could ease the fabric then bind the edge in the new shape? I’ll have to wait until my loom arrives first though. Cart before the horse? Maybe I could make a lightweight bias tape while waiting. A silk bias tape might be just right for handwoven cloth.

[@KellyCasanova]

I would experiment on smaller pieces of handwoven fabric first, you will probably stumble across a method you like best. But yes, loom first! 😆

[@mastinomama8939]

Thank you very much for the information, a very helpful video. How about hemming by hand? I don't have a sewing machine. Which stitches could I use?

[@KellyCasanova]

You might want to check out this video 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/emfYiJKbmdx5qNE

[@mastinomama8939]

Thank you!

[@sheashea8465]

Thank you so much for this video, I’m doing some upholstery work and was so scared that the woven fabric would come apart, I’m still a bit scared but I’ll do both methods you’ve shown just to be on the safer side.

[@KellyCasanova]

Good luck, I hope it works out well for you!

[@SojournerDMR]

Hi Kelly, Do you ever use the interfacing when cutting handwoven cloth pattern pieces? And, if so, how do you proceed after stitching your garment? Do you do any other stitching to reinforce the selvedge edges? Thanks.

[@KellyCasanova]

Hi Diane, I haven't actually made a garment that required cutting pieces (yet!) but if the edges were unstable and it was too difficult to use the interfacing due to curved pieces, I would serge instead. If the pattern pieces were straight edges, I would use the interfacing as shown in the video and serge the pieces individually before sewing them together. Hope that helps :)

[@nhw8906]

Could i use the fusing fabric on woven cotton? Thanks

[@KellyCasanova]

Yes, absolutely!

[@nhw8906]

@@KellyCasanova Thanks So Much for Your help

[@nhw8906]

Nice Video. What if i want to make holes in a blanket to convert it into a curtain? Thanks

[@KellyCasanova]

I would still use the interfacing and perhaps buttonhole stitch or similar to reinforce the holes?

[@ampm3098]

Brilliant tips!

[@KellyCasanova]

Thank you 😀

[@cheriesmith5140]

very nice! thanks!

[@sherylsmith6652]

I recently wove a log cabin pattern fabric on my 15 inch cricket. I have been thinking about making my grandson a vest from fabric. Should I iron fusible interface to fabric after the interface was cut to pattern for vest?

[@KellyCasanova]

I'm not sure I understand the question Sheryl? Are you asking me about whether to secure the raw edges with interfacing or are you saying the vest has interfacing pieces that you cut as part of the pattern?

[@sherylsmith6652]

Before I cut my woven material how do you secure the threads so they dont unravel cutting out the pattern for the vest.

[@KellyCasanova]

You can iron on fusible interfacing as I do in the video or you can use a serger to secure the edges.

[@betsylewis9432]

So do you remove the iron on and then hem it?

[@KellyCasanova]

No, leave it on and sew as usual, it's not visible if contained within a hem.

[@DueMonday]

I’m trying to turn a throw blanket made out of similar woven material to a jacket, are these the techniques to keep the threads safe after seam allowance so they don’t pull through when sewing pattern pieces together ??

[@DueMonday]

When I’m tracing back bodice I don’t see how it’s possible to zig zag stitch on both sides of pattern when the blanket is 8x8 and I’m only using certain prints on the middle of the blanket.

[@KellyCasanova]

Yes, it can be used to stabilise the edges for sewing.

[@DueMonday]

@@KellyCasanova and classic serging will do the same thing right ?

[@KellyCasanova]

@@DueMonday Yes that's right, if you're lucky enough to have a serger, it makes the job a whole lot easier and is very efficient in finishing the raw edges for you.

[@roseannerosenblum8926]

they make a 1/4" fusible tape. no cutting

[@jasonreeve661]

what can you do by hand if you havent got a sewing machine ?

[@KellyCasanova]

That's tricky! A quick google search didn't come up with any info either. The only thing I can think is that the last method I used, with the fusible interfacing would be a big help to hold the edges in place so that you can then go on and hand sew pieces together.

[@ry4659]

I don't hand weave, but I'm sure you could use a blanket stitch! That's what I use when I don't have access to my machines but I want to finish a raw edge on fabric.

[@KellyCasanova]

True, you would have to stitch very close together though as there would still be plenty of fraying.

[@ry4659]

Kelly Casanova It might be more trouble than it's worth, then.

[@KellyCasanova]

Well, I wouldn't want to say to someone "you must have a sewing machine to secure your edges" - not everyone can afford a sewing machine, not everyone wants one either. The fusible interfacing would at least be a help in this situation, I'm sure there are other ways (short of hemstitching) but I'm not aware of them.

[@tinamusich4047]

Hey Kelly, thanks for the great videos! I'm curious what you do with the fabric with the interfacing. It sounds like it's not removable. Does that mean it's just for things where you only see one side of the fabric, like a pillow case? In other words, does the side with the interfacing become the "wrong side" of the fabric? Additionally, can you remove the zig zag or is it there for good?

[@KellyCasanova]

Hi Tina, yes, the interfacing is fused permanently to the fabric. It doesn't have to become the "wrong side" if you just do a strip of it that would be hidden in a seam (assuming you are sewing seams, that is!) The zigzag is usually either encased in a double hem or in a seam, so I have never removed it. I'm not sure if doing so would affect the integrity of the edge of the fabric. Hope this helps!

[@celiagraham4015]

Wow, I needed this! I have a BEAUTIFUL piece of fabric that I wove and knew I would eventually turn it into some wearable garment. Now I feel safer doing that.

[@ziggiezag938]

How would you cut, say a sleeve out of your cloth to make a jacket?

[@KellyCasanova]

Personally, I would make sure I had wet finished the cloth properly, then I would just cut out the sleeve and immediately take it carefully to the serger to serge the raw ends. I have a lot of experience cutting my hand woven cloth now and it doesn't bother me at all 😊

[@ziggiezag938]

@@KellyCasanova I found another of your videos shortly after posting this question that pretty much answered to that effect. Ah, well, such as it goes! Do you happen to know where to find patterns for such projects? (I keep thinking I've pretty much seen all of your videos until I find out that I haven't! LOL!)