Talk Back Thursday

Don't panic - it's Saturday. I'm just running late! ;)

Thank you so much to BConky, Wendy, Julia, Kristine, Summerset, Shannon, Faye, Cathy, Stitchywitch, Mamafitz, Lynne, Katherine, CarlaF and Elaina for talking back to my confession last Friday! I confessed that I don't have much experience underlining and asked what other people think about it.

As the picture suggests, underlining got a bunch of big thumbs up! :)

While not everyone underlines a lot - some save it for special occasions like wedding dresses - all but one of the commenters have underlined at least once.

So, what types of garments get underlined? Pretty much everything was mentioned at least once - dresses, skirts, pants, tops, jackets, coats - even corsets and a costume!

Why do people underline? The most commonly mentioned reasons had to do with improving the appropriateness of a particular fabric for a project. Specifically, people underline to:

(a) add body or structure to loose weaves so that they keep the desired shape,

(b) add weight to give a nice drape to a lightweight fabric,

(c) reduce wrinkling in linens, and

(d) add a bit of opacity to sheer fabrics.

A few less commonly mentioned reasons include those given by:

- Wendy, who underlines winter coats in flannel to make them warmer,

- Summerset, who also underlines garments that she want to wear a long time,

- Shannon, who says that it makes working with silk fun, instead of a chore, and

- Elaina, who underlines skirts and pants for the support and to hide panty lines.

What do people use to underline?

Silk organza was far and away the most commonly mentioned fabric.

But flannel, muslin, batiste and lining fabrics were also called out.

Finally, I picked up some good advice - like Kristine I think I'm going to try to always keep a supply of organza on hand and Lynne reminded me that this is one time when I really need to make sure that my pattern fits first! ;)

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time and effort to talk back! You've got me looking forward to underlining my "Iceland" fabric! :)

Photo credit: apdk