Morning All
I think Joy hit the 'pin' on the head here... I've been thinking about
it (dreaming) and mum used to take minute stitches, 2 rows, gather to
the correct size and 'stroke' the fabric to make them all lie the same
way. She used to do it with a pin though. You probably can do it
with 2 rows of machine stitching one above the other, but it would be
very difficult to get the threads in exactly the right place.
Unfortunately Mum is no longer with us, and even if she were, she was
suffering with Altzheimers latterly, so wouldn't have remembered
anyway. However....
8. If a knot, that cannot be untied, comes in the gathering thread,
you will have to begin again.
9. When the seam is finished, remove the needle from the thread, and
make a knot in this end of the thread.
10. Put a pin in vertically, close to the last stitch, taking up a few
threads of the cloth.
11. Carefully draw up the thread, but not too tightly.
Fig. 29—Showing the thread drawn up, and fastened around a pin.12.
Wind the thread over the top, and under the point of the pin a number
of times, crossing the threads at the middle of the pin (Fig. 29).
Placing or stroking of gathers—
1. With the right side towards you, begin at the left-hand edge.
Fig. 30—Showing the placing of gathers, with a large blunt needle2.
Hold the work between the left thumb and forefinger, as in Fig. 30,
keeping the thumb below the gathering thread.
3. Put the point of the large needle under the gathering thread,
holding it obliquely.
4. Press the needle towards the thumb, bringing the little plait under
the thumb, and drawing the needle downwards.
5. Pinch it down tightly.
This was taken from Joy's link (Well Done Joy!!) And that is EXACTLY
how she did it!! but using the 2nd row to hold the first in place
once gathered!! If it was a wedding dress or christening gown she
would make a third row below the seam to ensure the fabric didn't
slip, then machine, then take out all erroneous threads!!
Sue
On 30 Jun 2008, at 03:09, Joy Beeson wrote:
On 6/29/08 7:29 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
. . . I am really interested in trying to learn how to make those
teeny tiny pleats for gathering that you see in some antique
clothing,
Some old books I read waxed quite contemptuous of women so lazy that
they didn't "stroke their gathers"; I gather that this was done by
putting the eye-end of the needle into each individual pleat and
stroking downward to settle it.
Since it helps with machine gathering so much, I suspect that it
would help to make *two* rows of your hand gathering stitches. Two
points determine a line, so securing the crease at two points would
make it more likely to run in the wanted direction. The stitches
must, of course, be exactly the same in both rows. It would
probably help to mark the fabric first, or practice on gingham or
some other fabric with woven-in guide marks.
Or, if you can see the weave, go under two threads and over six, or
however many will make the pleats of the desired width. (A stitch
must always take up at least two threads of the fabric, as a single
thread is likely to break.)
http://vintagesewing.info/index.html probably has a book that
explains how stroked gathers are made.
It do!
http://vintagesewing.info/19th/1892-sn/sn-02.html#gather
Note that it says to use the point of the needle to stroke the
gathers; other books criticize this practice on the grounds that the
sharp point weakens the fabric. (Oops: the material list specifies
a *blunt* needle.)
If your fingers cramp, the needle can be mounted in a pin vise.
--
Joy Beeson
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
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west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.
where it's raining again.
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