Midnight Garden - Jacket - Part VI

Templates, Part 1

[Editor's note: Q/A is being moved to near the end of the post, right before the Parting Shot. Keep reading, it's down there.]

Templates are wonderful things! I use templates a lot in my work for all sorts of things. I mostly use them to make sure that all artwork is consistently sized and shaped. In every day sewing there are many applications for templates. They can make topstitching or decorative stitching easier by making sure the placement is perfect for two different pieces. They can also make sure that two pieces are exactly a like, such as pockets and pocket flaps. For Midnight Garden, I will be using 4 or so templates, some of which will be made in different materials.

As we take a look at the templates, we'll take a look at what they're made of and how they're made. First, let's look at the templates for traditional turned edge applique. These templates are made from freezer paper. The freezer paper is see-through, sturdy, can be reused many times, and has the ability to be ironed directly to the fabric and be removed without harming the fabric. (I'll explain in a future post how I use the templates for applique.)

I start by finding my best image from the sheet of images that I'm working from. I outline the image with a Sharpie marker so that I can clearly see the outline. I then trace that image off onto the freezer paper and cut it out carefully.

There are few important things to remember when you're making freezer paper templates for applique. When tracing a template for applique, any inward cuts or curves need to be deeper and any outward curves a bit more severe. When wrapping the fabric around the template, some of those sharp details are lost, so you need to compensate for that.

The finished applique pieces will also be slightly larger than the template. If spacing is extremely important, cut the template 1/16 to 1/8" smaller that the size desired for the finished piece.

When actually using freezer template pieces, it will be ironed the piece to the wrong side of the fabric. This results in all the images being mirrored. In other words, if something is pointing left in the original drawing it will be pointing right when the piece is ready to be appliqued. In the picture below you can see that I flipped the original over and because it was outlined in Sharpie marker, I traced the mirror image. In this case, it's nice to have leaves that are pointing left and right for variety.

It is important to label all the pieces at this point, too. Some artwork is intricate and needs a numbering system to indicate order of applique. This artwork is fairly simple in that I can place leaf A, B or C anywhere and it will look good. The other nice thing about this artwork is that there is only one flower and it doesn't matter if it's mirrored imaged or which way is turned to the top.

This week, I'll show you the other types of templates that I'm using. I am going to order up navy blue silk duiponi today, so I should have it in the next few weeks to start construction. In the meantime, I need to finish all the templates, start making all the flowers, and make a skirt muslin. I need 50 to 60 flowers for the hand applique alone, I have no idea how many leaves I'll need, so I have plenty to keep me busy!

Q/A: I moved this portion because it seems like you get the read the title and then the Q/A interrupts that thought before you read/see the rest of the post. Thanks you all for you the compliments on the blouse - I'm excited to wear it now (with a camisole, of course!). Cherie wanted to know, "did you change the armscye as several others did?" I did not change it, it's a bit dropped shouldered but doesn't both me. I did notice that the shoulder seam was wider that what I'm accustomed to seeing. Since BWOF fits me perfectly (except for sleeve/body length), I figured it was designed that way. If you take a look at the photograph of the model in the white version, you'll see a sizeable wrinkle on her left shoulder (on the right if you're looking at it) between the neck and shoulder and the armscye then seems to be where we'd expect it. Just an observation.

Parting Shot: After my son saw all the things I made my daughter from BWOF, he wanted something from BWOF, too. I let him pick out a pair of trousers, and told him he'd have to help. Here he is, helping to trace his pattern pieces.