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Post by Ki no Kotori on Apr 28, 2005 7:10:07 GMT -5
Last night, I finally finished my first piece of Japanese garb, an uchikake. I like it, but am not real happy about the way the collar turned out. However, after ripping that sucker out and re-sewing it SEVEN TIMES, I finally set the thing in my best attempt and let it stay. I am now at the state of setting collars in two kosodes (with a third kosode in pieces ready to put together). Have already ripped out the collar once and reset it, and the material won't hold out for that kind of treatment. Soooo.... Does anyone have any good tricks or tips about setting eris? I usually do my interior seams by machine and any exterior (showing) sewing by hand. I've been setting the collars by hand, because the machine-set ones messed up really badly. I've read as many online instructions as I could find, but evidently, I am not getting the point. Alas, I am not very good at sewing...  Ki no Torahime Better with a brush than a needle!  |
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 28, 2005 8:33:08 GMT -5
Sounds like the houpellande sleeve lining adventure I once had. ;-<
Ki-hime, I realize you're very frustrated just now, but if you can describe more specifically what is happening with the eri, I may be able to troubleshoot it better with you. Is it doing something weird in a specific spot?
Your best bet may be to put the kosode inside out on a dressmakers' dummy (or a willing volunteer). Match the midpoint of the eri with the center back seam and start pinning the first edge into place. LOTS of pins, if necessary, baste it if you feel you need that much control.
I'll check in again when I get home from work.
Makiwara
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Post by Ki no Kotori on Apr 28, 2005 9:18:00 GMT -5
Alas, no dressmaker's dummy and my goodnatured Norse husband turns into a bear when I try to use him for that purpose (it's the pins, he hates the pins...). I ended up laying the piece out on the floor and pinning it there. I also ironed the collar in half BEFORE pinning it on, because it seemed it would be unweildy to try to iron it exactly in half AFTER it was sewn on.
Okay, what happens is that the eri screws up as I try to stitch around the neck. So along one side of the garment, the collar is smooth, but along the other side, it bunches up. It especially becomes apparent as you fold the collar over and stitch it closed.
Also am confused about the seam allowance. Why a whole one inch?
The "cut-across" did end up too "curved" rather than straight because as I sewed I kept readjusting the pins to straighten the cloth, but it doesn't look too very heinous. The problem is more that the collar twists some on one side. Straight line around a curve issue, I think.
If I can get camera working, will post a pic later detailing the issue.
Thank you for your help!
Ki no Torahime
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Post by raito on Apr 28, 2005 10:06:21 GMT -5
I may have your problem completely wrong, but I'll try to advise as best I can.
Though you don't way which, I'd bet that the screwed up side is the side you sew through last.
My conjecture is that you haven't yet learned how to sew a straight edge to a curved edge. It isn't too difficult if someone shows you how. A search on how to sew collars (of any sort) may help. Let's see how badly I can describe how to do this.
First off, the edges don't really matter. What matters is the seam line. The eri's seam line, and the body's, must be the same length. The best way to ensure this is to put your first pin through the center back and the middle of the eri. Pin across the seam line.
I put my the rest of my pins in at about half-inch intervals, until I get to where both pieces are straight, then I probably only put in a couple.
When I put in a pin, I make sure that the seam line from the last pin to the next pin is straight. This means usually that the edge of the body, which is curved, stretches somewhat. This doesn't matter, as long as you don't permanently deform the material doing it. When you let go, the body generally returns to the curved shape, and the eri will crimp a bit at the edge. This is natural, as the edge of the eri between the pins is longer than the edge of the body.
Pin outwards from the center back.
When you sew, sew slowly, and don't remove the pins (which is why you go slowly). I always sew with the eri on top, because I have to pull its edge through more quickly than the edge of the body, as it's longer.
If this is not your problem, then I'm sorry to have written the incorrect solution.
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Post by Takeda Sanjuichiro on Apr 28, 2005 18:15:24 GMT -5
...but it doesn't look too very heinous... So does that mean it's from the like Heian era?? (Don't hit me, I couldn't resist) -Takeda |
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Post by Ki no Kotori on Apr 28, 2005 18:50:14 GMT -5
So does that mean it's from the like Heian era?? *Sensu THWACK!!!* Le sigh. These bushi. No sense of culture at all! Raito-dono, thank you for your advice. Yes, my issue is that I have never learned how to sew a straight edge to a curved edge (in my Saxon/Viking garb, I just roll the edges of the necklines and do some decorative stitch to close them--no collar required!), so that's where I'm having difficulty. So with this seam line--do I mark a line an inch in on each (the body and the eri) and make sure they allign? I was trying to make things smooth from pin to pin, but I think I was making the body smooth and crumpling the collar...@_@ As I am working on another collar tonight, I will try your solution and see how it goes. Ki no Torahime Maybe I should have taken Home Ec rather than Honors English.... |
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 28, 2005 20:18:23 GMT -5
Wuss. Weenie. Some bearsarker he is. ;-> Offer to use duct tape.
I've never actually tried that, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You might want to mark your fabric at intervals so that the thing lines up the way you pressed it as you sew the second edge into place, but t should be OK.
Y'know what? I'm an idiot. It JUST occurred to me that because I routinely do all my sewing by hand that I usually start stitching the eri in from the center back and down one side, then go back up and do the other, which allows me to make sure that the bit that angles across the top of the okumi stays symmetrical! Must add that to my website notes! (Presumably one could also do this by machine, it just might require flipping the garment around a bit to do so.)
Gomen nasai, Kiri-hime. Try basting in your eri that way, and see if it works for you.
Use the size seam allowance you are comfortable working with. (I was thinking bigger is better for some sewing novices.)
Hmm, you shouldn't have to do very much of that. Try sewing from the center back to the top of the okumi for each side. That way the eri is centered and stabilized. THEN check if anything needs repinning for that angled drop across the okumi.
Symmetry. That's it. Again, I am SO sorry you've had this problem. On the other hand, you've contributed information that will help me improve the instructions on my web page that some other poor soul is not condemned needlessly to the Hell Of Twisted Collars.
Makiwara
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Post by raito on Apr 29, 2005 8:03:46 GMT -5
Well, my seam allowances tend to be about 3/8, because that's the width of my presser foot. Marking the seam lines should be OK (though I haven't done that in a couple of decades on Japanese stuff.
I think that an inch is too much allowance, because as the allowance gets bigger, so does the difference between the curved and straight length.
I will still, on occasion, get a bit of a twist, maybe a half inch or so across the whole length. I can tell because the ends don't line up, but it doesn't seem to affect the fit.
I don't think that tryig to sew each side separately would work well. You do want the straight side up, so that you can manhandle it. If you just turned the garment over to do the other side, you'd have it on the bottom, and it would be a lot harder to sew. If instead, you put the bulk of the garment between the head and the rest of the machine, it could get difficult to manupilate the seam into position.
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 29, 2005 8:44:02 GMT -5
Oh. Machine sewing. You can still do the top of the neck down with a machine, you just have to flip the garment in the opposite direction and sew from the opposite side.
I'm right handed and I hand sew. I stil have to turn the thing over in my hands.
And that seam allowance can be as wide or as narrow as your skill and comfort level dictates. If I'm hand sewing something that needs to be felled, I'll take a wider seam allowance than something that does not.
Makiwara
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Post by Ki no Kotori on Apr 29, 2005 18:26:43 GMT -5
Well, I got the first half of the collar sewn down on this next kosode I'm making and it seems to be going much smoother this time with these new instructions. I'll see how it finishes up this weekend and report back!  Ki no Torahime |
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Post by Ki no Kotori on May 4, 2005 7:35:34 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone who offered tips...the next collars went better, although I still need some improvement, which I hope will come with practice. I did find that I need to cut the eri to be longer. I can wear these kosode layered under others, however. With each one I make, I am learning more. Again, thank you to Makiwara-dono and Raito-dono for your advice.
Next up, trying to figure out how big to make the sleeves of a hitoe...any patterns out there? The base is the same as a kosode, isn't it? The sleeve is the only difference, right?
Ki no Torahime
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on May 4, 2005 8:21:36 GMT -5
Oh, good! BTW, you add additional length to your eri if you need to by patching equal sized pieces to each end. (The most economical cut when I made the red target kosode did just this.) Go here: www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/Jap123s.htmlYep, pretty much. Again, feel free to drop me a note if you run into any questions. Makiwara
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