Lovely Linen: A Guide for Sewing this Natural Fabric

Dressy or download pc softwares casual, for a day at the office or a day on the download pc softwares boardwalk, garments made of natural linen are comfortable,
versatile, and attractive. Natural linen has download pc softwares long been a fashionable choice for people wanting an easy-care,
go-everywhere fabric. A linen dress or download pc softwares suit is an elegant choice for attending a wedding, but linen looks equally at
home on the boardwalk or beach.

If you download pc softwares have never sewn with linen, you may be afraid it is download pc softwares difficult to work with. Actually, linen is easy to sew;
it download pc softwares does not slip or stretch when you are cutting it download pc softwares out or sewing a seam. However, linen is prone to shrinking and
to download pc softwares fraying, so special care must be taken when preparing it download pc softwares for layout and when finishing seams.

Choosing an Appropriate Fabric Weight

Versatile natural linen comes in weights suitable for any project. Linen is ideal for warm weather because it "breathes,"
allowing perspiration to wick away from the skin. Light weight linen is great for summer dresses or tops and children's
clothes. Medium weight linen is suitable for summer pants and shirts. Heavier weight linens are wonderful for summer
suits or jackets.

Linen is lovely for all sorts of home décor projects such as tablecloths, napkins, placemats, drapes, pillows, and slipcovers.
It makes stylish shower curtains and guest towels. Linen is download pc softwares also ideal for historical enactment garments. While linen is ideal
for download pc softwares nearly any project, it is not suitable for patterns requiring a download pc softwares stretchy fabric. The pattern's fabric suggestions are the
best guidelines; if a download pc softwares pattern is suitable for linens, it will say so on the download pc softwares back of the envelope.

You also must make sure that download pc softwares the color and print of the fabric you choose are suitable for download pc softwares the person who will wear the finished
garment. I learned this the hard way. I spent a download pc softwares lot of time and effort making a beautiful cerise dress. The color looked
great on the download pc softwares bolt of fabric and I had previously made a dress that download pc softwares I loved from this same pattern, but once I tried the
finished garment on, I was very disappointed. Cerise is download pc softwares definitely not my color; it made me look too heavy. Choosing one
of the download pc softwares many shades of natural un-dyed linen is one way to download pc softwares avoid this problem; the subtle neutral creams and beiges of un-dyed
linen look great on any body shape. When choosing one of the numerous delightful shades of dyed linen fabric, keep in mind
the colors which you know you look good in.

Pre-treating Linen: to wash or not to wash

So you have your fabric and your pattern chosen. You love the crisp look of that brand-new piece of linen. It seems a shame
to pre-wash it before cutting it out and sewing it. Do you have to?

I have found that the answer is yes and no. Because linen does shrink when download pc softwares washed, you must do something to minimize the shrinkage.
You don't want to download pc softwares sew an absolutely lovely outfit, that fits perfectly, only to download pc softwares have it shrink to a size too small the first time
it is washed. A large amount of shrinkage can also cause the garment's shape to become distorted.

When choosing a download pc softwares pre-treatment option, remember you will want to continue to clean the download pc softwares garment the same way you pre-treated the
fabric. Many people enjoy linen's natural tendency to soften when washed. Linen gets softer and more comfortable with each wash.
If the download pc softwares finished garment is going to be washed in hot water, pre-treat your download pc softwares fabric by washing it in hot water before laying it out.
Linen washed in extremely hot water will experience maximum shrinkage and download pc softwares thus will not shrink when washed again. If the finished
garment will always be download pc softwares washed in cold or warm water, then pre-treat the fabric by washing it download pc softwares at that temperature. I generally pre-treat
all my fabrics by rinsing them in plain water without any detergent and download pc softwares then hanging them up to dry.

If you download pc softwares want your linen to stay as crisp as the day you download pc softwares bought it, you may want to dry clean the fabric before you download pc softwares lay it out.
I have download pc softwares found that a nice alternative to dry cleaning is steam pressing the download pc softwares linen before you lay it out. In addition to steam from the iron,
I use a damp press cloth or towel over the fabric. Always protect your download pc softwares linen with a press cloth when ironing; although ready-made
press cloths are handy, any iron-able fabric will do. A an download pc softwares extra piece of the fabric you are working with makes a download pc softwares handy press cloth.
In a pinch, I've even used damp paper towels.

Laying out, Cutting and Marking

Because of their distinctive texture and download pc softwares weaves, it is best to layout linen fabrics following the download pc softwares napped layout given in the pattern instructions.
I have download pc softwares found that that as long as you follow the grain-line of the download pc softwares fabric, you can generally lay pattern pieces much closer than the download pc softwares picture
in the layout suggests. (The grain of a fabric runs parallel to the selvages–the finished edge on each side of the fabric piece.)

The thinner linens are download pc softwares a breeze to cut. You may find thicker linens easier to download pc softwares cut with a rotary cutter. If you use a rotary cutter remember
to download pc softwares protect your table with an appropriate self-healing mat designed for download pc softwares rotary cutting. Holding a ruler as a guide on the straight edges of
the download pc softwares pattern helps you achieve nice straight edges when using a rotary cutter.

The next step in achieving a download pc softwares professional-looking linen garment is accurate marking. I generally use marking pencils to mark my patterns
and download pc softwares tracing paper to mark details such as darts and pleats, but these tools are download pc softwares often not appropriate for heavily textured linens. Marking
pencils and tracing paper don't leave sharp enough marks on some fabrics and download pc softwares the marks they do leave are often difficult to remove from download pc softwares heavily
textured materials. Test your download pc softwares marking tools on a scrape of the intended fabric, before using them on the download pc softwares fabric itself.

Tailor tacking is accurate, but time consuming (and something I just hate to do). I often mark with straight pins which have colored heads.
If you don't mind if the download pc softwares pattern gets a little torn, place a regular straight pin (one without a large head) directly through the pattern markings.
Then carefully remove the download pc softwares pattern, holding the marking pins so that they don't move. Once the pattern is removed, replace the pins, with pins
that have a colored head. Be sure to download pc softwares position them securely and use care when moving the fabric pieces. This method works very well for
marking the position of sleeves and fasteners. It can download pc softwares also work well for darts or pleats, if you carefully draw the download pc softwares dart or pleat lines after
the pattern is removed, using the straight pins as guides. (In a pinch, I've used a download pc softwares regular number 2 pencil to do this; once folded and download pc softwares sewn,
the marks will not show).

Sewing

Linen is a joy to handle at the sewing machine. It does not slip easily, so it can be pin basted. It guides easily over the feeddogs and does
not need the delicate handling required by stretch knits, lamé and download pc softwares other specialty fabrics. Simply remember the basic rule of guiding, not
pulling the fabric under the needle (after twenty years of sewing, I still sometimes find myself tempted by this download pc softwares common beginner's mistake).
Any basic thread will be fine for linen

Finishing the Seams

Seam finishing is download pc softwares one key to a professional looking garment and all linen needs some sort of seam finish. On light-weight and medium-weight
linens, a clean-finished edge works well and looks neat. A clean-finished edge requires two steps and download pc softwares takes a little-more time than simply
zigzagging the raw edge, but it is worth the extra effort. To clean finish an download pc softwares edge, straight stitch approximately one-eighth inch to one-fourth
inch from download pc softwares the edge and then turn the edge under on the stitch line and download pc softwares straight stitch through the two layers.

You can download pc softwares also use double-fold bias tape or special seam-finishing tape to download pc softwares enclose the raw edges. This looks great, but if you are a beginner,
you may find it somewhat tricky. I personally prefer the clean-finish method. It is easy to learn and requires no extra supplies.

Of course, the download pc softwares clean-finish method is not suitable for finishing the armhole seam of a download pc softwares set-in sleeve. You can let the seam stay unfinished,
but I prefer to download pc softwares zigzag the edges together after I have set the sleeve in. To avoid a bulky seam, most patterns recommend trimming the underarm
seam between the download pc softwares notches, after setting in the sleeve. This is generally a good idea; zigzag over the download pc softwares trimmed edge as well.

Press as You Go

Another key to download pc softwares sewing a professional looking garment is to press every seam as you download pc softwares go. Commercial patterns always recommend this step, but
when download pc softwares I first began sewing, I did not see the point of it download pc softwares and often neglected to do it. I've since discovered that it makes a real difference
in the look of the finished piece. Using a download pc softwares press cloth, press the seam flat on both sides to set the download pc softwares stitches and then press the seam open.
To save time, sew several pieces (such as sleeve seams, and side seams) in a batch and then press them before you sew the pieces together.

Some fabrics do not require the download pc softwares use of a press cloth, but linen has a tendency to download pc softwares shine when pressed, so remember to protect it. A press cloth
also helps to prevent scorching, but it's not foolproof, so use caution since linen scorches easily. Keeping the press cloth damp, even if
you download pc softwares are using a steam iron, will help prevent problems and give your download pc softwares pressed details a nice crisp look.

A Garment to be Proud of

With a download pc softwares little effort and patience, even the novice home-sewer can produce a download pc softwares lovely linen garment. Don't be discouraged if your first attempt
doesn't turn out as you envisioned it. Like any other skill, sewing takes practice; even experienced sewers occasionally make mistakes.
Great thing is download pc softwares you can practice all your need to perfect your sewing skills with linen. Nice quality linen makes it download pc softwares easier for you to sew
and download pc softwares provides better looking finished garments. And even though linen is considered a download pc softwares luxury fabric, it is not as expensive as it is thought to download pc softwares be.

Just go to www.fabrics-store.com to make your linen
selection and your fabric satisfaction is guaranteed.

An avid seamstress,
Elizabeth A. Quinn