Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to Karin, Amelia, Elaina, Stitchy Witch, Summerset, Meredith, Katherine, Mary, Mamafitz & Becky for talking back to my confession last Friday! I asked how people sew their princess seams - with or without clipping first?


So people were reasonably spread on this one.


There were 2 votes for the pure brute force method - with Becky avoiding the stay-stitch and clip approach because sometimes the stay-stitching shows and has to be removed afterwards.


We had 4 votes for clipping - although 3 of those people reported that they only resort to clipping if the curve is large - they just coax the small ones into place. Amelia pointed out that draping the fabric over your fingers as you pin a small princess curve helps the two pieces fit together more easily.


The downside of the clip method, according to Stitchy Witch, is that it makes it difficult to get a nice finish on your seams.


And Meredith had a great tip - she recommends always sewing princess seams with the convex piece on the bottom - to get the feed dogs to help with the work. I have had this feeling for ages that it worked better with one piece on the bottom than the other, but I could never remember which one - thanks, Meredith!


Finally, with regards to the stay-stitch and clip method, Mamafitz emphasized that it is stay-stitching, not basting! I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't know what the difference is... :(


As usual, there were additional options that I wasn't aware of - Elaina, for example, must have the magic touch because she french seams her princess curves and reports that somehow it just works for her!


And Katherine uses a technique she learned from Roberta Carr's book (pictured above) and directed me to an illustration of this technique that she posted on her blog a couple of years ago - check out this gorgeous dress!


Summerset pointed out that princess seams and darts are really just two methods to accomplish the same thing - add shaping to a garment - and that one can be converted into the other. Following up on her comment, I did a google search and found this interesting picture tutorial on how to convert a dart into a princess seam.



Thank you again to everyone who answered! You guys rock!