As much as we love plaids, many sewers have a fear of them, or are disappointed with their finished garment because they don’t know how to handle them. If you take the time to learn the basics of working with plaids, your fears will diminish, and your finished garment will have a professional look. Remember, as with all quality items, they may take a little extra time, but the results are well worth it!
The first thing you need to understand is that the layout and cutting of the pattern will be the main focus. The actual garment construction varies little from non-plaid fabrics. Take the time to plan ahead, and you will always be assured of a successful sewing project.
PATTERN SELECTION
The most beautiful plaid garment is one where the motif is attractively positioned on the body and the color bars match at the seamlines so the plaid design appears continuous. It is important to know that there are certain styles that cannot be properly matched at the seams, no matter how you maneuver the fabric. Fortunately, neither good intuition nor years of experience are required to recognize what patterns to avoid. For your convenience, Vogue provides several ways to identify a suitable pattern:
* Check out the photograph and the fashion illustration on the catalog page or pattern envelope. If a plaid is featured there, then you can use one, too.
* Consult the recommendations under “Fabrics” on the back of the pattern envelope. If the garment is not suitable for plaids, you will find the notation “Unsuitable for...plaids.” If the garment is suitable for plaids, the notation “Allow extra fabric to match plaids or stripes” is included.
* Choose an easy pattern with few pattern pieces. Fewer pattern pieces mean less seams to be matched. Also, a pattern with intricate seaming and details will interrupt the plaid design and detract from its beauty. A good rule is: The less experience you have, the fewer seams your plaid project should have.
FABRIC SELECTION
There are several things to keep in mind when purchasing a plaid fabric. First, the size of the plaid should be in proportion with both the garment and the person wearing it. A large plaid on a small garment or person can be overwhelming.
Second, never purchase your plaid from a small sample as it seldom shows the entire repeat. This is important when you are purchasing via mail order or online. A strong vertical or horizontal pattern in the fabric, which might easily affect your choice of fabric, can only be noted from looking at a large piece of fabric.
Thirdly, if you decide on a printed rather than a woven plaid, check carefully to see that the stripes of the plaid are on grain. If the plaid is printed just slightly off grain, match the plaid and accept that the garment will be slightly off grain. A mismatched plaid would be more noticeable than a garment slightly off grain. Do not buy a plaid if it is printed extremely off grain since it will not drape or hang well when made into a garment.
EVEN OR UNEVEN
A plaid is composed of a series of vertical and horizontal stripes, or bars, that intersect at right angles. Changes in color, width and spacing create a seemingly endless variety of plaids. However, all plaids come in one of two configurations– even (balanced) or uneven (unbalanced).
On an even plaid, the arrangement of color bars is the same in both the lengthwise and crosswise directions. The result is a perfectly square repeat.
On an uneven plaid, the arrangement of color bars is different in the lengthwise or crosswise or both directions. It is not always easy to tell if your plaid is even or uneven just by looking at it.
Some plaids that look even are uneven because of subtle nuances of color, shading or spacing. The most accurate way to determine if your plaid is even or uneven is to fold it through the center of the repeat diagonally. If the spacing and color bars of the edge match the fabric they are folded back on, the plaid is even (A). If they do not match, the plaid is uneven (B, C).
HOW MUCH FABRIC?
You must purchase extra fabric to match your plaid. Deciding how much extra to purchase need not be a traumatic experience. However, to make your life easier, it would be a good idea to have a tape measure and calculator handy when you’re shopping for your fabric. Look at the plaid you have chosen and identify one complete block, or repeat, of the motif. Measure the length of the repeat. Locate the yardage requirements on the back of the pattern envelope that correspond to your size and fabric width.
Use the “with nap” yardage requirements. To this basic yardage requirement, add one extra plaid repeat for each major pattern piece. Major pattern pieces include bodice front, bodice back, sleeve, skirt front, and skirt back. As an example, suppose you are making a jacket that has three major pattern pieces—front, back and sleeve—and your plaid has a 6" (15cm) repeat. Multiply 3 x 6" (3 x 15cm). This equals 18" (45cm) or 1/2 yard added to original yardage requirement. NOTE: If your jacket has a fold-back lapel, count this as a major pattern piece too. Don’t worry about extra yardage for smaller sections, such as yokes, pockets, facings and collars. These can be fit in around the larger pieces.
PREPARE YOUR PATTERN
The key to sewing a perfectly matched plaid garment lies in matching the color bars at the stitching lines, not the cutting lines. Fitting adjustments made after the garment is cut out will destroy the careful match. If any adjustments are necessary, make them on the pattern tissue before it is pinned and cut out. Length adjustments, including hemline, are just as critical as width adjustments. Patterns with simple lines and a looser fit are easier to adjust and easier to match.
For your first plaid venture, you might want to avoid the issue of fit altogether by choosing an accessory pattern, such as a bag or hat; or a craft pattern, such as a Christmas tree skirt. It can give you a boost of confidence to move on to bigger things!
Since patterns are printed without the stitching lines, you’ll need to take a few minutes to add the stitching lines to some essential match points on your pattern tissue.
* At the front armhole, side seams, and other likely matching points, locate the notches on the cutting line that correspond to your size. At each notch, measure in and mark 5/8" (1.5cm) from the cutting line and draw a stitching line (D). This will be a matching point.
* Large and small dots are printed along the appropriate stitching lines for matching purposes. Circle the ones that correspond to your pattern size (E).
* Locate the pattern’s hipline and waistline markings. Measure in 5/8" (1.5cm) from the cutting line and draw a stitching line for matching purposes (F).
LAY OUT THE PATTERN
Before beginning the layout, take a few minutes to analyze your plaid design. Identify the dominant vertical and horizontal color bars. Then consider these general rules:
* The dominant vertical bar usually falls at the center front of the garment.
* Ideally, the dominant horizontal bar should fall at, or near, the hemline. You may have to sacrifice this ideal, however, if it causes another dominant bar to end up in an unflattering location, such as at the full hip or bustline.
* Always trim the cutting margins from your tissue so you can see what you are working on more clearly.
* If the plaid is uneven the repeat will go around the body in one direction only. TO LAYOUT PLAIDS:
* Fold the fabric lengthwise through the center of a repeat so that the dominant color bars match exactly on both layers. Pin the fabric together at frequent intervals, along several vertical and horizontal color bars.
* To be on the safe side, use the “with nap” cutting layout diagram as a guide for pattern piece placement. Otherwise, the finished garment may have some unattractive disruptions in the plaid design or variances in shading.
* The first pattern pieces you pin in place should be the front ones (bodice and skirt for example.) For plaids, the front piece(s) is the anchor piece— all other matching will radiate out from this garment section (G).
* Position the anchor pattern piece(s) so that the dominant lengthwise color bar is at the center.
* Now slide this pattern piece up or down until the dominant horizontal color bar falls at or near the hemline. Analyze the placement of the other dominant horizontal bars. If they fall at an unflattering place on your figure, move the pattern piece up or down until the effect is more pleasing. Pin the pattern piece in place.
EXCEPTION: On an A-line or other curved hem, the horizontal bars will appear to arch slightly downward toward the side seams if the center fold or center seam is on the straight grain. To minimize this effect, ignore the traditional rule and place your plaid’s least dominant color bar along the garment’s lower edge.
* Lap the corresponding front or back pattern piece so that the stitching lines match at the side seam. Trace the placement of the color bars onto the second pattern piece. Use colored pencils or label according to color (H).
* Pin this second pattern piece in place so that the traced bars correspond to the fabric underneath (I).
* Repeat this procedure, matching the corresponding seamlines on all the main pattern pieces. Note: Most sleeves cannot be matched at both the front and back armhole. Since the front is what people notice most, match it here and forget about the back. Use the seamline at the front armhole notch as the match point between sleeve and bodice front (J).
LAYOUT TIPS
Diagonals—including darts, shoulder seams and inner leg seams on pants—can also be difficult to match. Your success rate depends on the angle of the stitching line and the characteristics of your plaid. And, if the garment has bust darts, the side seams will not match above the darts, no matter how hard you try!
For small detail areas, such as patch pockets, welts, collars, lapels, and facings, position the smaller pattern piece on top of the larger pattern piece that is pinned to the fabric. Trace the placement of the color bars onto the pattern piece (K). Then pin the smaller pattern piece on the fabric so the traced bars correspond to the plaid underneath (L).
By converting detail areas, such as cuffs, welts, yokes and patch pockets from straight grain to bias grain, you can add interest to your garment and avoid the issue of matching. To change the grainline:
* Use a right angle or L-square to draw a line perpendicular to the grainline.
* Fold the pattern piece diagonally so the lengthwise and crosswise grainlines meet. Use this diagonal fold as your new lengthwise grainline (M).
If you’re making a plaid suit, plan the jacket layout first. Then lay out the skirt or pants so that the plaid continues in an unbroken line from the neckline to the hemline.
MARKING
No matter what color chalk or fabric marking pen you choose, on many multicolored plaids, finding those marks can be hard on the eyes. Tailor’s tacks are an effective marking method for plaids. The technique is always the same whether you mark the fabric as a single or double layer:
* Using a long double strand of thread without a knot, take a single small running stitch through the tissue and fabric at a bold symbol.
* Sew another stitch crossing over the first, pulling the thread until a large loop is formed.
* As you go to the next symbol, leave a loose thread (N).
* Clip the loops and the long threads connecting each tack.
* Raise the pattern tissue carefully, roll the upper fabric back gently, and cut the threads between the layers, leaving tufts on either side (O). For an easier method, consider pressure sensitive dots, available in office supply stores. To accurately position them, insert a pin through the pattern and fabric at the marking point, then press the dot in place on the wrong side of the fabric.
SEWING TIPS
Once you’ve made your match at the cutting table, you’ll want to carefully preserve it during the construction process. Handy notions and sewing aids make it easy to maintain that match. During stitching, fabric passes under the presser foot by means of a “feed dog” in the bed of the machine which grips and pulls the bottom layer of fabric—the top layer “goes along for the ride.” As a result, the plaid can shift out of alignment. Some
machines have a feature called dual-feed that grips both the top and bottom layers and passes them under the presser foot together. If your machine doesn’t have this feature, you can purchase one of the specialty presser feet, such as the Even Feed Foot or Walking Foot, both of which are designed to correct this problem by guaranteeing that both layers pass through the machine at the same time (P).
PROFESSIONAL HINTS
These useful ideas for pattern layout and cutting are not just for plaids, but all fabrics.
* When preparing your fabric, do not press the foldline. Instead, pin the fabric along the foldline, selvage, and cut edges to keep it from shifting. (You may have to clip the selvage edge every few inches so that the fabric will lie flat.)
* Lay out all pattern pieces before you begin to cut.
* Pin the tissue to the fabric along the lengthwise grainlines and foldlines first.
* When the cutting layout shows a pattern piece extending beyond the fabric fold, cut the other pieces first, then unfold the fabric and cut out the remaining pattern pieces.
* Be sure to use each pattern piece the correct number of times indicated. Pieces such as pockets, cuffs, welts, and belt carriers are likely to need more than the usual two pieces.
* Never cut out a pattern with pinking shears.
* Before you begin stitching, take the time to match the color bars at the seamline and baste together for extra security. If basic basting bores you, here are some different methods you can try.
Alternate Pinning—Insert the first pin right to left, the second pin left to right, and so on (Q).
Fusible Thread—Press one seam allowance under along the seamline, then open out the fold. With fusible thread in the top, and regular thread in the bobbin, stitch on the right side of the fabric, just inside the seam allowance. Fold the seam allowance back to the wrong side, then lap the pressed edge over the corresponding garment section, matching the stitching lines and color bars (R). Press, then let cool. Open out the fabric, then stitch along the seamline.
Glue Stick—Easy to use and appropriate for both sewing machines and sergers—just be sure the glue is thoroughly dry before stitching through it or you’ll get “gunk” all over your needle. Press one seam allowance under along the seamline. Coat with glue stick. Lap the pressed edge over the corresponding garment section, matching the seamlines and color bars (S). Let the glue dry, then open out the fabric and stitch along the seamline.
NOTE: If your needle does get sticky, clean it with a little rubbing alcohol.
Basting Tape—Easy to use and perfect for matching plaids. (See more details about basting tapes in Sticky Situations page 30) To use it: Press one seam allowance under along the seamline. Position the tape on the seam allowance, 1/8" (3mm) from the fold, with the sticky side of the tape against the right side of the fabric. Remove the protective covering, then lap the pressed edge over the corresponding garment section, matching seamlines and color bars (T). Open out the fabric and stitch along the seamline.
Slip Basting—A special type of hand basting. On washable fabrics, a water soluble thread makes removal a breeze. To slip baste: Press one seam allowance under along the seamline. Lap the pressed edge over the corresponding garment section, matching the seamlines and color bars. Pin at right angles to the seamline. Slip the needle through the fold, then through the lower layer, using a single long stitch. Continue this stitch for the entire length of the seam (U). Open out the fabric and stitch or serge along the seamline.
FOOL THE EYE
By adding a bit of decorative detail that provides a color break along the seamline or garment edges, you can create the illusion of a perfect match, even if in reality it is slightly “off ” .
* Insert piping in the seam to break up the match and accent the design lines of the garment.
* Center a band of ribbon or braid over the seamline. Glue-baste, then topstitch in place.
* A slight mismatch at the center front opening will be less noticeable if the edges are bias-bound or trimmed with flexible braid.
Remember, if you haven’t had any experience with the special demands of plaid fabric, our suggestions and a spirit of adventure will make things seem easier. Choose a fairly simple design until experience bolsters your confidence, and sew ahead!
Vogue Patterns Magazine