Friday, October 21, 2016

Burnout jersey and sticky business...




Have you ever noticed how jersey knits want to cling to pants and skirts? right there where it's least wanted - on the bum.

I've overcome this issue in large part by wearing my jersey tunics with ITY knit bottoms. Nice slippery ITY - nothing clings to it, plus it's just so comfy to wear. Bonus - just throw it in a suitcase. It doesn't wrinkle.

But I digress. I've been meaning to make a 'slip' for my tunics for a long time. Such a simple solution.

I used a poly mesh knit from Fabric Mart, acquired 2 years ago - 8 yards of it! because I planned to line a mother-of-the-bride dress with it. It's really more of a knit lining than a mesh, and I've used quite a bit of it for interfacing knit garments.

At the same time I bought 8 yards of poly/cotton burnout jersey in a beautiful abstract (think Art Nouveau) print. In the end, I used something else entirely for my MOB dress.


But I really wanted to use the burnout jersey and finally got my act together for the needed slip. I used Butterick 5954, View A, as the starting point for the slip, largely because it has the basic silhouette of my tunics.


I simply sewed it together on the serger, put it on Emile, and trimmed away at the armscye and neckline until I had nice muscle shirt lines! The fabric is so stretchy that it was easy to fold in the edges to hem them - no binding needed.




Then on to a B5954 tunic in the burnout jersey...


























A few notes on sewing the burnout jersey, which has intimidated me - this is the only piece I've purchased:
  • It's definitely sheer, and it's not straight-forward to sew because of the thick-and-thin texture.
  • After trying several sizes,I used a size 70 universal needle.
  • I used normal pressure on the presser foot, and I worked with my upper thread tension to achieve a stitch that didn't look loose on the burnout areas.
  • Finishing the hems - I serged the sleeve and skirt edges to stabilize the fabric, then folded the edge twice and finished it with topstitching. No steam-a-seam tape needed.
  • I think it would be a lovely fabric for a scarf - but I don't think it would work well with a rolled hem on the serger, because of the varying texture. Has anyone tried it?
I wore white pants for these pics so that the lines of the tunic would show up - in real life I'll probably wear black or gray.




No cling!


The slip works like a charm.


A side note: I worked on this in Ft. Myers last week, and I managed to get there without any gray thread. So I bopped over to Holly Lobby and picked up a spool of their Sew-ology thread. It worked great, I absolutely could not distinguish between it and the Gutermann I generally use.


Whew! What a project. But I enjoy sewing challenges, and I feel good about conquering the burnout fabric. Meanwhile - it's almost the weekend. I hope yours is nice and full of sewing :-)

Bye for now - Coco

35 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this useful post,Coco. I have this pattern and also struggle with "sticky" tops and bottoms,so I will definitely make both in an ity as you have done. The tunic looks lovely and ,of course you now have a "modesty" tank for it!

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  2. I love the top and the slip is such a great idea. Dumb me would never had thought of that. You look great i n the top!

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  3. Genius idea! A tunic slip! Love the tunic too. Great colors on you.

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. I love green and this mix is so nice for fall.

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  4. That is a wonderful idea, but afraid it wouldn't work for me--as anything poly makes me think I'm wearing a plastic bag. I'd probably feel like I was wearing "layered" plastic bags. LOL So happy it works for you! The burnout is a beautiful fabric! I miss out on lots of pretty fabric since I won't buy poly, and I hate that. Thanks for the info on the Hobby Lobby thread; I haven't tried it.

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  5. The colors of the burnout are fantastic, and very flattering to you. I love the idea of an ITY "slip". Thanks!

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    1. And thank you, Mary! I loved your post on your use of mixed media - so lovely and creative.

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  6. Brilliant! The burnout top is gorgeous on you! Thanks, too, for the tip about the sewology thread--I'll give it a try

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    1. thank you so much. And the thread - It's always good to have somewhere to go. The Sewo-logy needles have been a disappointment, but this thread is great.

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  7. Great idea---I've always though wearing a slip was luxurious. Love the way the tunic looks on you!

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    1. Oh, I'm with you. I miss slips but I don't miss the slipping straps :-) This 'tank' slip works great.

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  8. Lovely Coco, I use my little linen tunics in winter much the same way. In the dry winter they help esp. with wools. I think that Butterick pattern worked perfectly for your needs.

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    1. What a great idea to use linen, Theresa, under your winter toppers. And thank you - this pattern has turned out to be really versatile.

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  9. The slip is a fantastic idea, thanks so much for the tip! I too have the problem of my tops sticking to my bum, so unattractive.
    I love your top, the style and colours are great on you. This is a pattern I will order...

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    1. thank you, Sandra! Oh, how wonderful, a whole bevy of ladies without sticky bums!

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  10. Coco, you are BRILLIANT girl! Now I too must make a 'slip' for my tunics. I love your top--fabric choice is so pretty!
    Sue :)

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    1. Thanks, Sue! I know you are a tunic lover as well - hope this works for you.

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  11. Never a dull moment in your brain! Always thinking and coming up with great results. Love this top and LOVE the idea and result of the slip. I, too, have some burnout in my stash and your solution comes in handy. ENJOY!

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    1. Thanks so much, Margene. I'm chuckling over my brain - not all my ideas work! I just blew out 4 yards of laser cut moleskin this week. One of those 'what was I thinking' moments :-)

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  12. I love the colors of the burnout and the tunic looks so nice on you. I have been meaning to do exactly what you did with a tunic tank slip. I was thinking more for modesty with the sheer knits but avoiding bum hangup works for me too. Like Linda, I rarely wear poly for the same reason as her. But here in Atlanta, we do get 3 months of cooler weather when I can wear what I want. I take advantage of it too. I want a tank tunic slip in nude and black. I better get on it, my cooler weather is almost here.

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    1. Great colors! and of course you can look for something other than poly. The knit I used is very very light, not at all warm or uncomfortable. I live in Florida and avoid adding heat :-)

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  13. This is just lovely. What a great idea for dealing with that dreaded cling!

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    1. thank you, Martha. It worked out so well that I ordered some white fabric this morning for a second one. I never seem to sew just one of anything!

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  14. Lovely tunic. I am so glad you posted about the slip and how you developed it. I may have to copy this. I love the tunic fabric!

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    1. Thanks, Linda. And I hope it works for you. The burnout - I just love this fabric, the print is so funky and pretty. I still have almost 4 yards! and feel energized to use it.

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  15. So often the simplest ideas are the best - brilliant idea about a half-slip.

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  16. Agree the tunic slip is a brilliant idea and your tunic is so pretty, especially with the white pants. That's good to know about the Sew-ology threads as I've never used them before either. :)

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  17. This is such a helpful post,Coco.I have a lot of tunics to make for myself(I've been dawdling, so have a backlog of clothes that I desperately need!)and have been humming and haaing about what to put under them. The shape of your 'slip' is perfect and better than I'd been planning(esp the neckline.shoulder area).I'm not too good with poly either,so I'll be searching for a substitute for right next to my skin.I love the suggestion someone made of linen. I sewed a stretch burnout mesh a couple of years ago(cost me $$ then)-a long duster to go over a cami with pants-and I had little trouble with it even though the motifs were quite bulky in places.I credit my lovely Pfaff with built-in walking foot!!I wore it to a swanky dinner interstate in Melbourne,(Australia),where several women asked me if I'd been shopping!!(A big tick to we sewing fanatics!)

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  18. You are too cool, Coco. Your slip is divine as is the tunic. I luv that mesh fabric and buy it all the time, but more of the stretch mesh, than the jersey burn out. The former is a breeze to sew. I luv slips too, but haven't thought of a knit one. But I'm ready to know. Thanks, Coco.

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco