/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>8715165

This thing you definitely need to do more often:

- Press as you go. Don't wait until the end of the project to iron things, by then some of your fabric is either trapped between layers or doing something else and can't be pressed into shape so easily. Case in point, press your ruffles right after you hem them, before you ruffle them, that way you can get a nice sharp edge on them. Press skirts and ruffles right after you join them together, that way you can get them to lie flatter rather than looking like a fabric explosion (on the black skirt). Pintucks should also be pressed, so that they look like pleats instead of little tubes of fabric.

Additionally:

If you're self-taught, it might be useful to pick up a few sewing books. Try your local library if you don't want to shell out money. When you read about a technique, don't rush through them. A lot of really good sewing is simply paying attention to these small details and not rushing through things.

Now onto the bows. When making them, do the following:

- pad out the bow with interfacing/thicker cotton to make it looks less like paper.

- After you've gathered the middle and sew it down, steam/press the outside of the bow completely flat. You've got a combination of paper-like fabric and persistent creases going on with your bows, that's why they look like harisen folded out of paper instead of bows.

- make shallow folds. If you're making a big bow and have a lot of fabric to gather, make more folds instead of deeper ones. No matter how big your bow is, you want to end up with a bow that's pretty flat.

- Make it a point that the top and bottom edges always point to the back, never to the front. Pic related, the bows with their edges pointing front towards you look a lot less polished than the blue bows that have their edges pointed away from you.