Reverse Stitch Pattern Handbook

REVERSE STITCH PATTERN HANDBOOK

STITCHING BASICS

THESE PATTERNS REQUIRE RUNNING STITCHES, THIS IS THE MOST BASIC HAND STITCH AND CAN’T BE DONE ON A SEWING MACHINE.

DUE TO THE TENSION AND WEIGHT PLACED ON THE STITCHING BY THE GATHERING, A DOUBLE LAYER OF STRONG THREAD. THE MORE PARALLEL ROWS OF STITCHING YOU DO FOR EACH LINE, THE LESS THE PRESSURE WILL BE ON THE INDIVIDUAL THREADS.

BETWEEN 3 AND 6 ROWS OF STITCHING IS RECOMMENDED FOR EACH LINE OF THE PATTERNS. THE MORE ROWS, THE MORE PROUNOUNDED AND SECURE THE SHAPING WILL BE.

TO DO THE STITCHING BY HAND, USE THE SMOCKING RULERS PROVIDED TO MARK THE POINTS WHERE YOU NEED TO STICH. TO AVOID PERMENANTLY MARKING THE TEXTILE, USE EITHER A HEAT EREASABLE PEN AND IRON ALONG THE MARKS AFTER. ALTERNATIVELY, USE MARKED MASKING TAPE AS A GUIDE.

TO DO THE STITCHING BY MACHINE, POSITION THE FABRIC SO THAT THE MARKED LINE YOU NEED TO STITCH IS PERPENDICULAR TO THE DOWL AND WIND THE FABRIC ON IN THIS POSITION TO EASY THE ALIGNMENT WITH THE NEEDLES.

FABRIC AND LAYPLAN

DUE TO THE SENSITIVITY OF THE NEEDLES, WHEN WORKING WITH THE SMOCKING MACHINE, THIN FABRICS ONLY ARE RECOMMENDED. WHEN STICHING BY HAND, THICKER FABRICS CAN BE USED.

THICKER FABRICS WILL NOT GATHER AS TIGHTLY AS THINNER ONES AND CARE SHOULD BE PAID TO NOT LAYER THEM UP TOO THICKLY TO ENSURE THE FULL SHAPING CAN BE ACHIEVED.

WHEN USING THE MACHINE, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO REMOVE ALL TRIMS, THIS IS OPTIONAL BY HAND. WHEN POSITIONING GARMENTS TO BE SEWN, IF TRIMS ARE BEING KEPT IN, ENSURE THAT THEY ARE NOT PLACED SO THAT THEY INTERSECT WITH A LINE OF STITCHING AS THIS WILL INTERFERE WITH THE GATHER.

IT IS RECOMMENEDED TO KEEP THE SHAPE OF YOU PATCHWORKED TEXTILE AS CLOSE TO THE PATTERN DIMENSIONS AS POSSIBLE BUT SMALL DIFFERENCES WILL NOT AFFECT THE GARMENT.

APART FROM THE BASIC SHAPE, THE POSITIONING OF THE GARMENTS SHOULD BE USED TO HIDE AS MANY RAW EDGES AS POSSIBLE FOR A MORE SLEEK FINISH.

PATTERN TOOLKIT

THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS BOOKLET ARE THE BASICS OF FOLLOWING THE PATTERNS SHOWN, THEY CAN BE ADAPTED EASILY TO MEET DIFFERENT SIZING REQUIREMENTS BY ADDING MORE STITCHING OR MOVING THE POSITION OF THE LOCKS. DUE TO THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE GARMENTS, A PROCESS OF TRIAL AND ERROR TO FIND THE PERFECT FIT WILL NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE FINAL LOOK OF THE GARMENT.

THE TOOLKIT TO FOLLOW ALONG CONSISTS OF FULL SIZE FILES OF THE PATTERNS TO PRINT IF DESIRED, FILES TO CUT FOR THE STENCILS AND RULERS AND FILES TO PRINT FOR THE LOCKS AND BUTTONS.

BATWING JACKET

THIS PATTERN IS 160CM X 95CM SO IT REQUIRES A FAIR AMOUNT OF CLOTHING, BETWEEN 5 AND 6 GARMENTS IS RECOMMENDED TO ALLOW FOR ENOUGH OVERLAP.

THERE IS A DECENT AMOUNT OF STITICHING LINES NEEDED FOR THE PATTERN TO FUNCTION ESPECIALLY AROUND THE SHOULDERS, BUT OTHER LINES MAY STILL BE NEEDED FOR SECURING THE TEXTILE TOGETHER.

LIGHTWEIGHT FABRICS WILL WORK BEST FOR THE AREA AROUND THE ARMHOLE TO ACHIEVE THE RIGHT VOLUME BUT MORE HEAVY WEIGHT TEXTILES MAY BE USED FOR THE REST OF THE GARMENT FOR MORE STRUCTURE.

FASTENINGS MAY BE ADDED TO CLOSE THE JACKET AFTER THE MAIN CONSTRUCTION

THE PATTERN IS SYMETRICAL SO MARK / FOLD THE FABRIC AT THE HALFWAY LINE AND MIRROR THE INSTRUCTIONS AROUND THIS.

TRACE STENCIL, TOP RIGHT CORNER 10CM FROM CENTRE OF FABRIC

STITCH ALONG THE MARKED LINES AND 3 - 6 PARALLEL LINES ( WITH MACHINE OR BY HAND )

MARK THE POINTS SHOWN AND SAFETY PIN SAME LETTERS TO EACH OTHER

EXTEND THE LINES FROM THE STENCIL TO THE EDGE OF THE FABRIC, ADD A LINE ALONG THE LEFT EDGE 2CM IN

MARK THE POINTS SHOWN AND ADD LOCKS TO THE STITCHING AT THESE POINTS

GATHER THE STITCHING BETWEEN THE LOCKS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND SECURE

DRAPED BACKLESS TOP

THIS PATTERN IS 4M LONG BY 60CM SO IT REQUIRES A LOT OF CLOTHING, BETWEEN 6 AND 9 GARMENTS IS RECOMMENDED TO ALLOW FOR ENOUGH OVERLAP.

THERE ARE MINIMAL STITICHING LINES NEEDED FOR THE PATTERN TO FUNCTION BUT OTHER LINES WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED FOR SECURING THE TEXTILE TOGETHER.

DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THE SLEEVES, VERY LIGHTWEIGHT FABRICS WILL WORK BEST TO ACHIEVE THE RIGHT VOLUME AND NOT PULL THE GARMENT TOO MUCH.

A HALTER STRAP IS RECCOMMENDED TO KEEP THE TOP UP, THIS MUST BE ADDED AFTER THE MAIN CONSTRUCTION.

THE PATTERN IS SYMETRICAL SO MARK / FOLD THE FABRIC AT THE HALFWAY LINE AND MIRROR THE INSTRUCTIONS AROUND THIS.

MARK THE POINTS SHOWN, MEASURING FROM THE FOLD / HALFWAY LINE

STITCH ALONG THE MARKED LINES AND 3 - 6 PARALLEL LINES ( WITH MACHINE OR BY HAND )

MARK THE POINTS SHOWN AND PIN THE SAME LETTERS TO EACH OTHER

HALFWAY / FOLD

MARK LINES BETWEEN THESE TWO SETS OF POINTS, ALL THE WAY ACROSS FABRIC

HALFWAY / FOLD

MARK THE POINTS SHOWN AND ADD LOCKS TO THE STITCHING AT THESE POINTS

HALFWAY / FOLD

GATHER THE STITCHING BETWEEN THE LOCKS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND SECURE