Sewing Guide

What is the Bishop Method?
1. Sewing is based on grain line of fabric
2. Uses precision cutting, stitching, and pressing
3. Uses minimum amount of pinning and basting
4. Goal eliminate the 'homemade' look

Where your measurements are found on the machine
- Throat Plate

The part of the machine where you reload thread
- Bobbin winder

The part that surrounds the needle
- Presser foot

Teeth that pulls the fabric
- Feed dog

The plastic piece that covers the bobbin
- Bobbin cover

The part that moves up and down with the thread
- Thread take up lever

The button that allows you to sew in the opposite direction
- Backstitch lever

Top knob
- Stitch selector

Bottom knob
- Stitch length

The thing that lifts the presser foot
- Presser foot lifter

Pressing ham
- Used to press darts

Interfacing
- Support shape in areas, edges, and details of garment

Sew on interfacing
- Interfacing that is sewed on the machine

Fusible interfacing
- Fusible only on one side
- iron the dot side to the fabric

How to measure full bust?
- Place tape measure across the widest part of the back
- under arms and across full bustline

How to measure waist?
- Place tape measure horizontal and flat
- Close to hips

How to measure hips?
- Place tape measure horizontally and flat across fullest part of hips
- Around butt

How to measure back waist length?
- Measure from most prominent bone at base of neck
- Along middle of back to lower edge of tape measure at waistline

How to measure back crotch depth?
- Measure from lower edge of fixed waistline in sitting position
- Measure to seat level

How to measure side length?
- Measure along side seam from lower edge of waistline tape to floor
- Normal pant leg is about 3 in shorter than measurement

Pattern Markings
- Within pattern piece
- Markings such as darts, pleats or facing
- Need to be transferred onto fabric after cutting out

Pattern Markings: Grain of Fabric
- Pattern shows how the pattern should be placed on fabric grain

Pattern Markings: Notches
- Single, double or triple notches used to match seams correctly

Cutting Guide: Tissue Pattern
- Identified by name and number

Cutting Guide: Layout
- Guide to pattern pieces needed for each view, cutting, and sewing
- Pattern piece diagram identifying pieces required for each view
- Cutting guides (shows where to place pieces) arranged by view, size, width of fabric
- Step-by-step sewing instructions

Cutting Guide: Guide Sheet (Road Map)
- Used to figure out where to lay what pieces where

Why do you wash fabric?
- Wash fabric finishings
- Wash away color bleeding and dyes
- Preshrunk

Basic Cutting
- For accurate results keep fabric on flat cutting surface

Grainline Arrow
is parallel to selvage

Tracing/Marking
- Colored Pencil
- Soap
- Chalk
- Tailor's tacks

Tracing Wheel
Tool used to mark lines on fabric

Tracing Paper
Colored Paper used to mark lines on fabric

How do you thread a needle?
- Thread needle with thread from spool cutting at angle

What are notions?
- Buttons
- Zippers
- Lace

Slipstitch
- Almost invisible and formed by slipping thread under fold of fabric
- Used if there is a hole in seam
- Good for closing up hole

Flat Catchstitch
- Strong hemming stitch well suited to stitched-and-pinked hem edge
- stitches are worked from left to right with needle pointing left
- Stitches are visible

Blind Hem Stitch
- Stitches are taken inside between hem and garment
- Quick and easy stitch that can be used on any blind hem
- Working from right to left with needle pointing left
- Made for delicate fabrics
- Won't wear on underneath layers

Machine Hem
- Stronger hem that doesn't come out
- Use on jacket, work clothes, children's wear
- Sturdier than hand stitch
- Not good on long fabrics b/c shoes can get caught

Blind Catchstitch
- Same stitch as catchstitch
- Used for flat hemming except is done between hem and garment
- More stable and secure blind hemming stitch
- Good for heavy fabrics

Staystitching
- Row of directional stitching placed just inside seamlines to prevent stretching
- 4/8 inch or 1/2 inch

Grain
- Lengthwise and Crosswise grains

Lengthwise grain
- Strongest thread
- Always runs parallel to selvage edge
- Want this to run down body vertically

Crosswise Grain
- Runs horizontal across lengthwise grain
- Not as strong as lengthwise grain

Straight Corner
- Sew at 5/8 inch s.a.
- Once at edge, lift presser foot, and pivot
- Sew 5/8 inch s.a. down other side

Blunt Corner
- Sew 5/8 inch s.a.
- Once at corner, reduce stitch length, pivot diagonally, and sew 2-3 stitches at 6/8 inch
- Set stitch length normal and sew 5/8 inch s.a. down other side

Mitered Corner
- Diagonal joining of 2 edges at a corner
- Used for table cloth or runner, placemat, book cover
- Very neat and tailored look

Clipping and Notching
- Used on curved seams allowing them to lie smooth
- Clips are cuts made into s.a.
- Notches are wedges cut from s.a.

Understitching
- Keeps facing and seamline from rolling to garment right side
- stitching close to seamline

Turned and Stitched
- Stitch normal 5/8 inch s.a.
- Turn under edge of s.a. 1/8 inch; press
- Stitch along edge of fold

Pinked and Stitched
- Sew regular 5/8 inch s.a.
- Press open and sew 1/4 inch width seam (presser foot) on one side of s.a.
- cut side you just stitched with pinking shears

Zig Zag Seam
- Set your machine to zig zag stitch setting and sew

Flat-felled seam
- Seam where all raw edges are encased by fabric and sewn flat
- used on jeans and children's wear and located on the outside

French Seam
- Sew wrong sides together at 3/8 inch
- Backstitch, trim seam back to 1/8 inch
- Mainly found in evening wear, lingerie, fabrics that fray, silky fabric
- Good for light material

Cleanfinishing
- Sew 1/4 s.a.
- Fold s.a. on stitch and sew close
- technique about finishing raw edge of fabric

Topstitching
- Sew 5/8 inch s.a.
- decorative and gives more tailored look, used to strengthen

Princess Seams
- Shaped seams designed to fit the body's contours
- Beginning at shoulder or arm hold, front or back, and running lengthwise, they may go just to waistline seam or extend to hem of jacket or dress
- starting with seam over bust all way down to hem

Darts
- horizontal or vertical
- start wide space to pointed narrow section
- if horizontal press down
- vertical press center

Plain Dart
- In pj top coming out from side seam
- Found in bust, waistline, back of pants going around butt

Contour Dart
- Middle of garment begins and ends
- pressed on pressing ham

Plain tucks
- fold of fabric stitched down on grain line

Released tucks
- fans out compared to plain tuck
- can take place of dart

Rolled collar
- first stands up from neck edge then falls down to rest on garment
- line at which the collar begins to fall is called roll line

Fold down casing
- formed by turning an extension in place
- casing is ideal for pull-on pants and skirts

Button hole (machine)
- Attach special tool
- Set stitch selector to button

Lapped Zipper
- hides zipper
- done on wrong side of fabric
- done from bottom to top