Zede and Mallory explain why it's so important and why you should tell all your friends about this rule!

Questions like where can you purchase swimwear fabric, what is the best type of elastic to use, can you dye swim fabric?

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Using a rotary cutter and tracing sewing patterns are things Zede and Mallory do almost every time they are in the studio. These are non-negotiable processes for us- but they take some getting used to!

As we mentioned in our "Adjustment Periods: Knee Lift and Serger" episode, sew however you like and do what makes you happy, but after decades and decades of sewing and teaching others, we're confident that these two things can make your sewing life better! So, let's get started!

How to Get Used to Using a Rotary Cutter

Rotary cutters are fast and accurate. If you're afraid of cutting incorrectly or cutting yourself- let us put your mind at ease!

What you need to use a rotary cutter

In order to successfully use a rotary cutter, you must have a cutting mat and a place large enough to accommodate it! If you've got the space, we think this is one of the biggest time savers you will implement while cutting out garments- and we find it to be more accurate!

We don't pin our pattern pieces to our fabric, we use pattern weights- and this is preferable when rotary cutting, because you don't want to roll over a pin!

Advantages to using a rotary cutting instead of scissors

The biggest advantage of using a rotary cutter instead of scissors is accuracy and lack of distortion. When you use scissors to cut garment pieces, you distort the yardage as the lower blade goes underneath the fabric. You just do! so, we find it so much more accurate and simple to keep our fabric in contact with the table as we cut with our rotary cutters.

Rotary blades are cheap and easy to replace. It's easier to keep your cutting equipment super sharp when you use a rotary cutter, because you don't have to go to a special place to get them sharpened, and you can replace the blade yourself if you do make some kind of mistake (going over a pin or bead) or you gut through a bunch of carpeting (Zede).

In order to be successful, secure your fabric and pattern pieces with weights or tape- that's right, tape! If you have a particularly slippy fabric, you can tape it to your cutting table. And don't underestimate weighting the yardage outside of your pattern pieces, it can help keep things stable as you progress through the cutting process.

How to practice with a rotary cutter

In general, there are two ways to use a rotary cutter- with a ruler and without. If you are cutting a long strip of fabric or a pattern piece with a straight edge- get out a ruler!

Hold the ruler in place with your non-dominant hand, and attempt to keep this hand behind the rotary cutter as you cut. Keep the rotary cutter close to the ruler. The ruler should be place on top of the pattern piece and the fabric that is uncovered should be the fabric you are cutting away from the pattern piece- so, just in case you do mess up and veer away from the ruler, you aren't cutting into your pattern piece.

Get out some pattern pieces with gentle curves and cut them out of one layer of stable fabric. See how it goes. Theoretically, it should be easier to cut curves with the curved blade of your rotary cutter than with the straight blade of your scissors. Practice keeping your non-dominant hand behind the cutter and out of its path.

Find the right rotary cutter for you

We love the Olfa ergonomic handle, and own several. You may try out a few different kinds before you find the right one for you.

You can also buy different sizes. We use the 45mm rotary cutter most often, but the size 60mm is popular with quilters cutting big strips and the size 28mm or 28mm is popular with people cutting small, curvy pieces for lingerie or doll clothes.

How to use a rotary cutter safely

Rotary cutters are sharp! That's why we like them and that's why they can be intimidating. A lot of people feel that rulers keep them safe, and only rotary cut with a ruler- ruling out curved garment pattern pieces. However, I have seen overzealous cutter jump the ruler!

There are protective gloves you can buy and use while rotary cutting, and some people swear by them! In fact, I learned on the set of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting that they always use a glove, because when they didn't wear one, they got lots of emails from nervous viewers!

I have to be honest and say that I injure myself more in the kitchen that the sewing room, and I don't feel the need to wear the glove, personally.

Always keep your hand behind the rotary cutter, whether you're using a ruler or not (see paragraph above). You will use your non-dominant hand to stabilize your body and your fabric, and if it's behind the path of the cutter- it should be safe!

Keeping a new, sharp blade in your rotary cutter will keep you from having to struggle to cut and securing your fabric in place properly will help prevent any slipping mishaps.

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How to Get Used to Tracing Sewing Patterns

Ok, this is our most controversial position (other than the 3-thread narrow). We REALLY believe you should trace your multi-size sewing patterns. We admit, this is an entire extra step in the sewing process that you could theoretically skip- and who doesn't want to save time??? However, if you cut the wrong size or wish to return to the pattern when you change sizes or make it for a different-sized wearer, you'll be glad you took the time to trace!

What you need to trace patterns

You need tracing paper! The best tracing paper is the tracing paper you like. We use medical-exam paper- the stuff you sit on at the doctor's office- but you can use swedish tracing paper, interfacing, or even vinyl shower curtains! You just need to be able to see through it and to mark on it.

We also recommend tracing in a bold pencil. We love these chunky mechanical pencils for tracing patterns. You might also like to use color coded sharpies for some things, once you know your pattern is accurate and finalized.

Why should you trace sewing patterns?

I wrote a very passionate blog post about why you should trace your patterns. The main tenet is: you don't want to lose information. When you cut out one size from a multi-size pattern, you lose the other sizes (sometimes even the smaller sizes, depending on how the pattern is nested). Plus, many sewists regularly blend between sizes to accommodate their bodies.

As I say in the blog post above- it's sheer hubris to cut and be sure that's exactly the information you'll need for the entire extent of your sewing life. You wouldn't cut out a paragraph from a book you like- right? Leave the pattern intact!

Trace some patterns!

Get used to it! Think of it as Sewing Out Loud boot camp! When you trace your patterns make sure to include

• Pattern Name/Number/Company
• Date
• Name of wearer
• Size (and note if you blended between sizes at any point)
• Darts, notches, gathering/pleating notation
• Seam allowances/hem allowances

I'm the queen of wishing to cut corners. If there's a good shortcut- I'll take it- but this is the one place that I don't take short cuts. In fact, the one time I cut out a pattern (I was so sure it was the right size), I made it through cutting to learn that some of the cutting lines were mis-labeled. So, even though I had done everything properly- the company had lead me astray.

I have a feeling that you may get converted to #teamtrace after you have some kind of mishap, like I did- but hey, you never know!

Trace. Just do it.

Have you taken the time to get used to rotary cutting and tracing? Let us know how it went!

Diff- What? Differential Feed!

Let's get started. First of all, you need to know that your serger has two sets of feed dogs- see? This is a side view with the foot on the serger and a bird's eye view without the foot.

Differential feed is literally that- it changes the speed of the feed dogs so that they "feed differently". More accurately, the back feed dogs stay constant, and the front ones change speed according to how you set the differential feed. Keep reading to find out about the settings.

Your serger has a place where you can set the differential feed. We've got a scale with N in the middle for "Normal" or "Neutral", then we have numbers above 1 up to 2, and numbers below 1 but above 0.

Also, there are little pictures to go with the numbers.  Up above 2 we see a symbol that means the serger will gather up the fabric- the front feed dogs will move faster than the back.

Then below 0.8 we see a symbol that means the serger will stretch the fabric out- the front feed dogs will move slower than the back feed dogs.

Why ever would we want to do this?

Well, it can be fun. You can gather fabric up to make ruffles or you can stretch fabric out to make a "lettuce edge".

These are the samples that retailers often show to demonstrate Differential Feed, but I think that a more practical application gets lost in the excitement.

Sometimes Differential Feed is used to correct stretching or gathering of fabrics as they are fed through the serger.

This is so important, because it gives you another tool in making your sewing the best it can possibly be.

For example, I made my Copy Cat shirt the other day. I was using high quality knit fabric and correct settings on my serger (which are so easy to achieve with a Baby Lock!), but my seam waved a bit.

Now, this isn't a huge problem, it would have probably looked fine when I wore the garment, but I wanted a smooth seam. I knew what was happening- my fabric was being stretched out as it went through the serger. So, I bumped up my Differential Feed to 1.3- just one notch- and ran the fabric through again. Perfect! Now, even though I bumped the differential feed up toward 2 and toward that "gathering symbol", I didn't get a ruffle (and I didn't want one).  I just got a corrected, smooth seam.

This is why it's important to do a little test before sewing your garment. If you've threaded your Baby Lock serger correctly, you won't be testing for tension or stitch balance- those things are automatic. You'll test for aesthetic purposes and to see how the fabric is reacting to the feed dogs. I recommend testing with a curved seam, so you can tell what's going to happen as you go over the straight, crosswise and bias of the fabric.

When you make something like a flannel baby blanket, most of the time you're stitching on the straight or crosswise grain, then on the corners we have bias as we make a curve- you may adjust your differential feed during just that part of your sewing, and then reset it when you're back on the straight.

Have you ever used your Differential Feed? What other questions do you have about sergers?

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Self Sewn Wardrobe Member Susan Low posted this picture in the group a couple of weeks ago:

Photo courtesy of Susan Low[/caption]

It's a picture of a small section of a tissue pattern from the Kwik Sew brand. The text on the pattern reads:

"WHEN CUTTING OR TRACING THE PATTERN PIECES, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SAME SIZE ON ALL LINES AND PIECES.

NEVER CUT BETWEEN SIZES OR "BLEND" SIZES BY CUTTING FROM ONE SIZE TO ANOTHER.

Visit www.kwiksew.com/support for more information"

Well, did that all cause a stir! In fact, even 2 weeks later, people are still commenting!

So many people commented with hilarious sarcasm, and I can't recreate it all here- so go to the Self Sewn Wardrobe Facebook Group and check it out. There was lots of mentions of the sewing police and hopes that one would be forced into "sewing jail" (hours of continuous sewing) if they broke the rules.

Of course, there were a few more practical and serious comments along the lines of "If I never blended between sizes, I'd never make clothes that fit".

So, can you- should you- always/never/maybe blend between sizes?

Blending or Grading Between Sizes on a Sewing Pattern

First off, I believe this warning exists as a COA (cover our ass) for the pattern brand. If you incorrectly blend two sizes together and ruin your $75/yd fabric- they don't want you to come crying to them. Understandable. That's ok- you'll make a test garment, won't you?

People blend between sizes, because they are one size in one area (say the bust) and another size in another area (say the hips). This is normal. In fact, a lot of pattern companies instruct the user on how to properly grade between their sizes (something this Kwik Sew pattern clearly does not do). So, if you make a t-shirt and decide you need a size Medum in the bust and a size X Large in the hips, you might be tempted to blend between sizes.

We would be tempted too. No, we wouldn't be tempted- we'd just do it.

There are indeed ways to do blend incorrectly- but let's talk about how to avoid those!

Trace Trace Trace Your Sewing Pattern!!!

Before we go too far, I'd highly recommend you trace your pattern when blending- don't cut it out. You could be right, you could be wrong- but tracing will make sure that you don't eliminate any important information you might need later- in case you change sizes, want to make the garment for someone else or find out that your adjustment was incorrect or unnecessary.

Make Sure Your New Seam Lines Line Up

When you change the shape of a pattern out of the envelope, you need to be cognizant of how the whole thing fits together. Blending between a bust/waist difference on a tank top with two pieces is different than blending between sizes on a princess seam dress with 6-7 pieces that go around the body.  

Is Your Pattern Nested Properly?

Some patterns are not nested properly in order to grade them. This may have even been true about the Kwik Sew pattern that Susan posted- but, probably not. Anywho, see if the way the pattern is nested "makes sense" for blending. This means the pattern would grow out from a common point, like the crotch point on a pair of trousers, or the bust level of a shirt.

Check the Vertical Measurements on Your Body and on the Sewing Pattern

This is actually something you should do all the time, but it's important in this case especially. One SSW member cautioned that blending could result in "disproportionate" pattern pieces. Well, that's kind of the point- right? Our body may be "disproportionate" to the formulae used by the pattern company, and that's why we modify. Heck, that's probably why we're buying a sewing pattern in the first place. I think if you check on the nesting and find that things are grown from a common point, but you need to double check!

When you really look at the distance between sizes on a sewing pattern, you'll find them to be subtler than you expected. There are normally about 2 to maybe 4 inches difference between sizes. Divide that by 4 and you get small incremental changes between the 2 sides of front bodice pattern and 2 sides of a back bodice pattern- but we know it makes a difference! The same is true for length.

You will find that larger sizes are generally longer. Sometimes people misunderstand this as pattern companies thinking that if people have a larger hip size, they are suddenly taller. There's a little bit of that going on, but we also need to remember that we are not just x and y axes- and if someone has wider hips that another person, they may very likely need a longer rise in a trouser. 

Tangents

-The KwikSew.com domain has not been maintained by the new company who now owns Kwik Sew, Vogue, Butterick and McCall's. One commenter spoofed the warning and said "NEVER VISIT THAT DOMAIN, THE SECURITY CERTIFICATE IS OUT OF DATE..." That gave us a good chuckle, but also made me sad that the new brand hadn't maintained the domain.

-Speaking of domains- we own a lot of domains. We can't stop coming up for names for things. Do you have a good idea for what "StitchSlapped.com" could be? Let us know- we own it.

-Speaking of domains again...we decided to start a podcast and kept brainstorming names until we landed on the PERFECT ONE! "SEWING OUT LOUD"!!! We checked the domain and someone already owned it- luckily it was US!