On the Flip Side

Other Finishing Options

Bias Binding: Stitch the shoulder and side seams of each garment. With wrong sides facing, place one garment inside the other. Stitch around the neck and armholes just inside the 5/8" seamline, stitching the garments together. Trim the seam allowance right next to the stitching (8). Cut and apply bias binding to the neck and armholes using your favorite technique.

Fold-Over Elastic: This elastic has one side slightly wider than the other. The wider side goes on the underside so when you edgestitch on the upper edge it catches the lower edge. Pin the fold-over elastic around the neck and armhole edges leaving a little extra at each end; hold it taut for a one-to-one application. At the shoulder seams and underarm seams, place the elastic right sides together and stitch a seam so the elastic fits the armhole and lines up with the underarm seam. Stitch the elastic edge catching both layers (9).

Piping: Stitch the shoulder seams. With raw edges even, baste the piping to the right side of the Fabric-1 neck and armhole edges. Attach the two sides as described in Finishing Necklines and Armholes by Machine . This encases the piping between the two layers.

Reversible Pants & Skirts

Choose a pant or skirt pattern with an elastic waist, and then check the fit. If the pattern wasn't designed to be reversible, add a 5/8" seam allowance above the elastic casing foldline. This is the new cutting line. From Fabrics 1 and 2, cut the pant or skirt pattern pieces and construct up to the waistband.

With right sides together, pin and sew each garment together at the upper edge using a 5/8" seam. Press open the seam and turn the pieces so wrong sides are facing.



Measure the elastic width. Stitch the casing, beginning at one side seam and using a seam allowance that's 1/4" wider than the elastic. Leave a 1 1/2" opening near the side seam to insert the elastic.

Using a safety pin or bodkin attached to the elastic, reach up between Fabrics 1 and 2 and insert the elastic into the casing. Attach the elastic ends to the garment and try it on to check the fit. Stitch to secure the elastic ends together, and then close the opening. For pants, reach up one leg between Fabrics 1 and 2 and hand-tack the crotch seams together so the two fabrics move as one.

Pockets

Insert pockets in the side seams of either Fabric 1 or Fabric 2.

Hang pockets from ribbons and flip them from side to side (10).

From the October 2006 issue of Sew News magazine.