What Makes Challis Fabric a Challis?

Yesterday, on Stitcher's Guild, a poster (KateLoom) asked the question, What is Challis? Does it employ a plain weave? Or a twill weave? It is always printed with a design or can be also it solid?

This got me thinking.

Challis was a pretty popular fabric back in the 70s and 80s. I sewed with it quite a bit, especially to make long flowy skirts and loose, flowy tops (not worn together, of course). I could distinctly remember using challis that was plain woven and also challis that was printed. I also remember some of it having a plain weave and some of it having a twill weave. (If you are not familiar with fabric weave, denim is a twill weave, which results in diagonal lines. A fabric like a quilting cotton is a plain weave.)

Though I should be doing other things today, it was more interesting to procrastinate by googling and learning more about challis. And, in a nutshell (because I don't have a lot of time to do proper justice to this topic), this is what I learned.

Challis is one of those rare fabrics that doesn't seem to be fully defined by its weave or its print (or lack thereof). It originated, approximately in 1832, in a mill in Norwich, England. A very high-end fabric, that seems to have been made of worsted wool and silk, originally, often with a dark brown background and printed using a hand block printing technique, challis was designed to be soft and drapeable, and made without gloss, as opposed to crape (crepe), which had a gloss and a "buoyancy". (If you are not familiar with crepe, it is also a drapey fabric, but it does have a buoyant texture, or a "springiness", if you will.)

From the History of the Worsted Manufacture in England, From the Earliest Times: With Introductory Notices of the Manufacture Among the Ancient Nations, and During the Middle Ages, by John James, F.S.A., London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts; and Charles Stanfield, Bradford, 1857:

About the year 1832 this article was introduced, certainly the neatest, best, and most elegant silk and worsted article ever manufactured. It was made on a similar principle to Norwich crapes, only thinner and softer, composed of much finer materials; and instead of a glossy surface, as in Norwich crapes, the object was to produce it without gloss, and very pliable and clothy. The best quality of challis, when finished with designs and figures (either produced in the loom or printed), was truly a splendid fabric, which commanded the attention of the higher circles, and became a favourite article of apparel at their fashionable resorts and parties. The worsted yard for the weft of this article was spun at Bradford, from numbers 52's to 64's. The making of the challis fabric soon afterwards commenced in the north.

(I just love the word "clothy". It sounds like a modern invention, but I guess it dates back to at least 1857!) This book looks like an interesting read - it also talks about the trade unions, strikes, and the problems introduced by mechanization to the weaving trade. Fascinating stuff. (By the way, the books quoted here are out of copyright, which is why they have been digitized by Google.)

I found a few sources (and here and here) that state that the word challis, originated from the American Indian word shalee, meaning soft, but I think this is a bit suspect. One source postulated that Challis was probably a surname. If anyone find more definitive information about the origin of the word, please let me know.

In any case, it does seem that one of the defining characteristics of challis is its softness and lack of glossiness, rather than its weave. Over time, challis was sometimes made using a twill weave, and using other fibers, such as rayon and cotton. Another later treatment given to challis is that it is often brushed after the weaving process. Again, this would further remove any shine and make the fabric softer and more pliable.

Interesting stuff! Here are some more linkies if you'd like to learn more:

• Royal Illustrated History of Eastern England, Civil, Military, Political, and Ecclesiastical, From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Including a Survey of the Eastern Counties ... by A.D.Bayne, Jmes McConald & Co, Market-Place, Great Yarmouth, exact publication date unknown, but is out of copyright.
• A Comprehensive History of Norwich ... by A.D.Bayne, Jarrold and Sons, Paternoster Row, London, 1869.
• The vintage sewing blog, Peanut Butter Macrame did her own research on Challis - A History of our Chalet's Namesake.

And now it's time to shift the cat and stop procrastinating. :)

More About the Big 4

I don't know if you read the Kadiddlehopper blog, but Katie (of Kadiddlehopper), performed a very interesting experiment. She decided to make a knit top, and to approach the process as a beginning sewist, who doesn't have experience with the Big 4, their fit model (with the large amount of ease), or their instructions. The results of her experiment are very illuminating.

Check it out!

 

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Yay!

Tonight, my youngest graduated from high school! Next year, she is off to travel, and study, the world in a gap year program. The following year she is off to a university in Minnesota. This California girl is going to have an interesting time adjusting to a Minnesotan winter!

I am busy this weekend, so no sewing for me. I look forward to getting back to the machine soon!

A Duffel Bag for Travel

You may recall that, on my last birthday, my daughters and I stopped at one of my favorite local fabric stores. DD1 found a small-ish piece of home dec fabric (only 1-1/2 yards) that called to me. It featured oversized dots on a dark brown background.

I have a weekend retreat coming up this month, and I really need a roomy overnight bag. (Something better than packing my clothes in a grocery bag!)

A few people have suggested that the Koos bag that I made is ample enough to be a weekend bag, but not the way I pack! I use my Koos bag as a purse.

At first I considered using a pattern, but I realized that none of the patterns I saw made a duffel of the size I wanted. I had the idea of using as much of the fabric as possible. I wanted both external and internal pockets and straps that went all the way around the bag. I also wanted the bag to be lined, making it easier to create multiple inside pockets.

I ended up designing my own bag, combining techniques from a Zipper Pouch class and a Tote Bag class. If such a class is not available to you, I really like The Bag Making Bible: The Complete Guide to Sewing and Customizing Your Own Unique Bags.

The finished bag is quite large at 14" by 14" by 28". It features two external pockets, located on either side between the straps, and four internal pockets: 2 zippered pockets and 2 3D elasticized pockets. I used both sides of the home dec fabric, which is a brocade. The front side is solid brown with polka dots, and the back side features stripes with polka dots. I used the striped side for the external pockets and the "end caps".

I developed the 3D pocket with elastic when I made my artist smock. I used these pockets in multiple sizes on DD1's bed caddy.

I'm happy that I sewed this fabric up before it aged out in my stash!

If you are interested in the gritty details, here are the supplies and cutting info:

This assumes 1/2" seam allowances for most of the bag. The pockets use 3/8" S/A (or so).

Finished bag: 14" x 14" x 28".

• Bag Outside - from each fabric (home dec, batting, and lining) cut:
  • 1 pc: 57" x 29"
  • 2 pc: 15" x 15" (for the 14" end caps")
• Outer pockets - from each fabric (home dec and lining) cut:
  • 2 pcs: 12" x 12"
• Handles - from each fabric (faux leather (or similar) and batting) cut:
  • 1 pc: 4-1/2" by 156"
• Inner zipper pockets - from lining (or similar), cut:
  • 2 pc: 18" x 24" (I used muslin)
  • 2 14" zippers
• Inner 3D elasticized pockets - from lining, cut:
  • 2 pc: 12" x 23" (two of the corners on the long edge are rounded off w/ a coffee cup)
  • 2 pc: 2" x 46" (cut on the bias or out of a knit, includes a bit extra that can be cut off)
  • 2 pc: 3/8" elastic - 19" long

For the batting, I used Pellon Fleece. I attached it to the home dec and faux leather fabrics using Dritz spray adhesive. When sewing the faux leather straps, I used the Teflon foot on my sewing machine. This made the task much easier, but I still broke 4 sewing machine needles when sewing the straps to the bag, due to the extreme thickness of multiple layers.

Review - Ultimate T-Shirt Craftsy Class

I just completed watching my first Craftsy class! I've been late-to-the game, as far as Craftsy goes. But Katherine and Marcy Tilton have just released a class on Craftsy called The Ultimate Tee and I decided to check it out.

This class, which consists of more than 3 hours of instruction (over 9 lessons), is a great primer on how to sew knits. I know many sewists who are very intimidated by knits, and Marcy and Katherine are real experts on this topic. Included in the price of the class is Katherine's zipper-neck t-shirt pattern, Vogue 8793.

The class begins with a survey of different types of knits. The Tiltons explain which types of knits are easier to sew, which are "medium" difficulty, and which are the hardest to sew. They talk about pre-treating the fabric and how to care for the completed garment. In lesson 3, they cover issues related to fitting the pattern at the tissue stage, starting with how to measure the pattern. They cover how to pin fit the pattern tissue so you can work out any major fitting issues. (Additional tweaking of the fit happens in a later lesson.)

Lesson 4 is the construction lesson, starting with how to cut out the tee. The recommended type of seam and recommended stitch length are discussed, as well as thread type, needle type, and seam finishes. The importance of stay stitching the neck (and how to minimize distortion), how to stabilize the shoulders, and how to lower the neckline, are covered. The next two lessons include two techniques for sewing the neckband. First, Katherine shows her wrap-around neckband and then Marcy shows a classic binding technique. Both teachers focus on how to sew a binding that will fit the curves of the neck and not hang loosely or pull too tightly.

After the neckband sections, Katherine talks about how to refine the knit of the tee, once it's partially constructed (but before the sleeves have been added or the side seams sewn). Then Marcy shows her easy technique for setting in a knit sleeve, and how to press the armscye. I should add that Katherine and Marcy have different preferences for some aspects of construction, and they clearly explain the differences, why, and encourage you to choose the best technique for you. Katherine leads the last lesson, which discusses how to finish the t-shirt. She discusses various hemming techniques and shows both her favorite technique, and Marcy's.

For the last 10 minutes of the class, Marcy and Katherine host a trunk show. They pull from a rack of creative and artistic tees they have made and share info about each one: what interesting techniques were used, how they combined different weights of knits or different prints, how they changed the hem/side seam shaping, the use of stripes - how they varied things up. I love this section.

I should add that neither a serger, nor a coverstitch machine, are required for this class. (I do not own a cover stitch machine and often sew knits without a serger.)

Even though I am an experienced with sewing knits, I learned some useful nuggets. An "a ha" moment for me was Marcy's technique for transferring the pin alterations to the front and back of both side seams. (I have always found this step to be a pain.) Sprinkled throughout the class, they have included all sorts of useful tips, such as "how to tame a rolling edge". I find that this is often how I learn - even one or two tips can make it worthwhile.

If you have never taken a Craftsy class, you should know that you can ask questions in each lesson. You can also see the questions that other students have asked, as well as the responses from the teachers or from other students. I noticed that Katherine and Marcy are very actively answering the questions and, in some cases, going into lots of detail.

As I watched the class, I found myself obsessed by the adorable iron that Marcy and Katherine are using. I did some sleuthing and discovered that it's a Rowenta DW6080 Eco-Intelligence Iron 1700-Watt Steam Iron with 3D Stainless Steel Soleplate.I really love my Reliable V100 and don't need a new iron, but this is soooo cute! If you own this iron, or have used it, I'd love to hear your review.

Wow, it's Friday! I have a lot of sewing I'd like to get done this weekend, but we'll see how much I accomplish. I hope your weekend is a good one!

Free Vintage Pattern Drafting ebook

Would you like a very cool, vintage pattern drafting book in ebook form? And it's free?

Head on over to the blog, The Perfect Nose, and you can download it. It's a PDF file, so you can view it via any app (eg, Preview on the Mac, or Adobe Reader) that can view PDF.

I leave you with a photo that DD1 sent me a few days ago. It makes me smile.

Technique - Inserting Jumbo Zippers

Here's a short and sweet tutorial for inserting an exposed zipper into the hem of a garment. In my case, I put zippers in the hem of a pair of jeans, and also created front angled zipper pockets.

The zippers I used were 1.5" wide and 7" long - the zipper teeth are 3/8" wide. I decided that I wanted to expose 1" of the zipper.

Before you begin, make sure that you have the hem length worked out. Once the zipper is in, it will be *very* difficult to make the hem shorter, for example.

• Change the order of sewing so that the side seams are completed before the inside leg seam, if you plan to place the zippers on the side seam. Top-stitch the seam if desired. The zipper will be inserted while the leg is flat, before the inseam is sewn.
• Using a scrap of muslin, draw the zipper opening onto the muslin. The zipper was 7" long, but I drew the vertical lines 8" long, to accommodate a 1" hem. Draw another vertical line, exactly in the center of the first two lines. This is used for positioning the zipper opening onto the garment.

• Lay the muslin on the outside of the garment. The raw edge of the muslin is aligned with the raw edge of the garment. You can place the zipper wherever you want, but I wanted it on the side seam. Align the center line on the muslin with the side seam and pin in place.

• Set the stitch length on your machine to a short length, and stitch around the three edges of the outline. (If you've ever made the window for a welt pocket, the process is similar.) The picture below shows both pant legs, one on top of another.

• Cut down the center of the "window", angling to the corners. Trim away the excess fabric.

• Press the seams open and turn the muslin to the inside of the pant. Thread baste into place.

• Pin the zipper into place, making sure it is centered in the opening.

• Put the zipper foot on your machine and top-stitch into place.

• Remove the thread basting and hem the pants as normal.

The process for inserting the zippered pockets was similar. In that case I drafted a pocket bag and put the pockets in at a 60° angle.

Before adding the pocket bag

More About Vogue Sizing

I want to talk a bit more about a subject I brought up in my Open Letter to Vogue Patterns post. This post is thanks to Anne, who commented on my pants post. In her comment, Anne wrote:

" My hips are now 34", which is a size 4 in the Big 4. Most patterns do not even go down to a size 4. "

I don't understand - 34" hips are between an 8 and a 10 in Vogue patterns.

Bless you, Anne!! When I read your comment (and at least one other person mentioned this too, but I couldn't find her comment), I was perplexed. I grabbed one of my Vogue patterns and, yup, a 34" hip is between a size 8 and a size 10, according to the Vogue chart.

It took me a minute to realize what happened, and why I wrote what I did. And then I was totally delighted!

I was delighted because this PERFECTLY illustrates the point I was trying to make about the sizing of the Big 4 (Vogue, McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity) patterns.

In these patterns, I do NOT choose my pattern size based on my body measurements. If I did, it would often result in a too-large garment, because they use so much ease.

Let me illustrate how I got to a size 4 from a 34" hip. Two of my favorite recent pants patterns are Vogue 8859 and Vogue 8837. These are, respectively, Marcy Tilton's and Katherine Tilton's skinny pants. I love them and made both last year. I ordered a new copy of each pattern because of my size change, as I had chopped up my original copies. (If I pay $20 for a pattern, I trace it off. For $3, I cut it up.)

When I open up the pattern tissue of a pattern, I first look for the finished measurements that they usually print ON the pattern tissue. I dearly wish they would put this info on the envelope/website so you would know before you order. (And, by the way, it's good to double check this measurement, because it can be wrong.)

For Katherine's pattern, the finished hip measurement for the size Small (size 8-10) is listed as 36". For me, that is more ease than I want in a skinny pant made with a stretch denim. I want zero ease. A size XS (4-6) is listed as 34" at the finished hip.

Before my recent weight loss, my hips measured 36" which, according to Vogue, is a size 12. However, I routinely made my Vogue pants in a size 6 or 8, because there was so much ease built into the patterns.

Also, if you are wondering why I always list my measurements and my sizes on my blog posts, let me tell you why. It is because I am, fundamentally, a very lazy sewist. I do not keep a record of these things, outside of my blog. I list them because I often go back to my posts to check these details. It's not about bragging, because I don't think many people would brag about a 32" waist. ;)

So, THANK YOU to Anne for pointing this out! These days I have the memory of a gnat, so I had already forgotten about the process I go through for choosing my size, which is based on finished measurements of the garment. I know how much ease I want in a t-shirt, or a blouse, or pants, so I can make a more educated decision when choosing a pattern. The faster you learn how much ease YOU want in a pattern, and understand the large amount of ease that the Big 4 pattern companies use, the more quickly you take the power into your own hands on fitting your garments.

I am eager to write some other posts for you, but I am also eager to sew. It's a dilemma, I tell you. I am working on a weekender sort of bag. I am going on a retreat soon and I need this, but I am feeling the pull to make more clothes. It's a pickle, given that my time is somewhat limited by work and other obligations. ;)