MAKING A TOP COVER FOR A TORSO TO DISPLAY A SYMMETRICAL DRESS
If the bust form has a very small waist and a full bust, leaving one side seam open 10–15 centimetres above and below the waist can make removing the cover easier (see figure 6.27). This would be especially useful for a mid–late nineteenth-century garment where the waist is very small compared to the bust and hips. Mark the seam allowance at the opening with a line of tacking stitches on the front and back before removing the pins.
Take out all the pins and carefully remove the cover. The easiest way to do this is to place one hand under each side seam between the wadding and the jersey cover and ease the cover up and over the shoulders of the bust form (see figure 6.24). If any wadding fibres have been caught in the stitching these can be carefully snipped as the cover is removed.
Lay the cover flat and even out the tension of the running stitches, tightening any threads that are very loose. Trim away excess fabric at the sides, leaving about a 2–3-centimetre seam allowance. The side seams can now be machine stitched using either a ‘tricot stitch’ for sewing stretch fabrics6 or a close zigzag stitch, similar to the stitch used for machine buttonholes but not quite so close together (see figure 6.25). Practise with different stitch width and length combinations. A zigzag width of 3.5–4 and a length of between 1 and 1.5 on the sewing machine stitch dials works well.
Consult your sewing machine manual for further information on settings for a zigzag stitch. Stitch on the inside of the tacking lines. This will make the cover fit slightly tighter. Care must be taken not to stretch the jersey whilst machine stitching as this can result in the seam allowance wrinkling when the cover is put back on the form. After machine stitching, trim the seam allowance to the outer edge of the stitching line, approximately 0.5–0.7 centimetres, leaving a 2-centimetre seam allowance on the front and back of the section left open at the side (see figures 6.26, 6.27and 6.28).
Figure 6.24 Removing the jersey cover. © Author
Figure 6.25 Left, special machine stretch stitched seam, and right, close zigzag stitched seam. © Author.
Turn the cover inside out, moving the seams to the inside and the right side of the fabric to the outside. With one hand behind each side seam, gently guide the cover back over the wadding, starting at the neck. It is important to ensure that the side seams are perpendicular and evenly balanced front to back to prevent twisting as the cover is eased on. Each side seam should be equidistant from the centre front. Ensure that the seams allowances are all facing in the same direction, i.e. all towards the front or all towards the back. This will create a smooth shadow line along the seam and give a neater finish. If the seam allowance changes direction, it can make the seam look lumpy and uneven. Once the cover is correctly aligned, trim the underneath seam allowance at the side opening and using a tacking stitch attach it to the wadding, following the direction ofthe machine-stitched seam. Trim the other side of the opening to match, turn under the seam allowance and overlap the edges, following the direction of the remainder of the seam. Join the seam using a slipstitch (see figure 6.29).
Figure 6.26 Trimming away the excess seam allowance close to the machine stitching. © Author.
Figure 6.27 Leave an opening through the waist on one side of approximately 10–15 cm. © Author.
Figure 6.28 Trimmed seam. © Author.
Figure 6.29 Pinning and stitching the side opening in the jersey cover. © Author.
Note: for an A-symmetrical garment e.g. a one-shoulder dress, the fabric will need to be placed with the wrong side (reverse) next to the wadding and the right side (obverse) visible. Few bodies are completely symmetrical and this will ensure a good fit under the garment. Pin the front and back together down the sides (see figure 6.21) but do not tack the seam. Only one shoulder needs to be covered with jersey but pinning both sides to the shoulder level will give a more even tension for the cover. The neckline can be trimmed away after the cover has been stitched. Mark the seam position with tacking stitches on the front and back separately, adding balance marks across the seams.7 Remove the pins, reverse the fabric so that the right sides are now together matching the tacking lines. Re-pin the seam aligning the balance marks and machine stitch together. Trim the seam allowance and finish as the symmetrical jersey top cover. When turned with the right side out your cover will have the one-shoulder on the correct side.
The excess jersey below the bottom edge of the bust form is finished by turning under a 1-centimetre hem and gathering the hem using strong buttonhole thread. Pull the thread tight to give a smooth finish over the edge of the form. Long stitches can be taken from front to back across the opening to give added tension if needed (see figure 6.30).
For a mannequin with legs, tension the jersey under the crotch taking the front edge to the back. Trim away any excess fabric leaving a 2-centimetre seam allowance. Moving the seam to the back rather than between the legs will make it much easier to stitch. Fold under 2 centimetres on the front edge, and pull tightly over the 2 centimetres left on the back edge. Pin together with glass-headed pins and securely slipstitch the seam.
To finish the jersey cover at the neck trim it back to the garment neckline, turn under the edge of the jersey and, using a curved needle and fine thread, slipstitch it to the bust form covering the edge of the wadding. Sometimes a designer may choose a decorative fabric for the visible neck and chest area of the bust form. This should be added over the jersey cover and extended about 2 centimetres under the neckline of the garment. Herringbone stitch the edge to the jersey covering the wadding.