Shirt *Construction* techniques

[Chanterelle]

Here are the other ones

These hold up to pressing heat? Have thought about having some 3-d printed but then realized the plastic would just melt.

Absolutely love the aluminum idea...was thinking about doing the exact thing myself actually, then sanding down the edges. But of course someone else thought of it well before I did!

[Chanterelle]

Question:

Do people use rotary cutters to cut out the smaller elements, like collars, cuffs, collar stands, plackets? For precision that is? And do you tend to use fabric pens or just a really sharp chalk?

I use scissors for everything but have been coming around to the idea of rotary cutters on the small stuff.

[Gerry]

Do people use rotary cutters to cut out the smaller elements, like collars, cuffs, collar stands, plackets? For precision that is? And do you tend to use fabric pens or just a really sharp chalk?

I've tried those rotary cutters intended for home sewers. The blades blunt very quickly and I find them fiddly to use. Industrial cutters are much better, but unless you're setting up a factory for mass production, not really a practical (or affordable) solution. Bespoke shirtmakers often use specialist knives (38:40 mark):

https://youtu.be/h4_bEZ7tdqI?si=RdAQLXLsnXcsP_BA&t=2317

... though a bit of an extravagance unless you're cutting multiple pieces all at once. Personally, I use shears.

As for marking, what I use depends on the colour of the cloth. If dark, then chalk. Otherwise, graphite from a retractable pencil or ink from an erasable pen. If marking on visible parts of the cloth - the pocket position, for example - then erasable pen can leave faint, white marks ... and obviously graphite is going to leave a mark. So chalk only for those areas.

[jruley]

Do people use rotary cutters to cut out the smaller elements, like collars, cuffs, collar stands, plackets? For precision that is? And do you tend to use fabric pens or just a really sharp chalk?

I use scissors for everything but have been coming around to the idea of rotary cutters on the small stuff.

As a home sewer, I've used rotary cutters as well as scissors and shears.  I still find them useful for things like cutting interfacing to rough shape, or for extremely tight curves.  I agree with Gerry that blades don't last long.

Rotary cutters are no more precise than scissors or shears.  In fact they can be less accurate.  If you don't hold the cutter absolutely square to the table, your top and bottom pieces can be two different sizes when cutting multiple layers.  If the blade bolt comes loose, you can easily lose control.

Rotary cutters can also be very dangerous, both to you and the cloth.  They are supposed to be timesavers, but how much time will you lose if you nick your finger and have to stop work?  What if you bleed on the cloth? 

Whatever you do, resist the temptation to save time by laying your pattern on the work and cutting around it.  You will either nick the pattern piece (which over time will destroy its shape), or leave extra room around it, making your cut parts too big.

Rotary cutters are supposed to be time savers - but sometimes you need to take more time to truly save time.

Just my 2 cents.

[Dunc]

I use a small (28mm) rotary cutter a lot for collars and cuffs - in combination with a patchwork ruler, I find I can be very precise with it. Partly this is because my approach to these areas is to sew first and trim second... I find it very handy to be able to sew a cuff (for example), and then trim the seam allowance on the open edge to 10mm using the rotary cutter and patchwork ruler.

I also cut the interfacings folded in half, so they're guaranteed to be symmetrical, and I find there's less tendency for the two layers to move relative to each other when using the rotary cutter than with shears. This still takes care and practice though.

I don't actually mark out cuff or collar patterns on the garment fabric at all - I just cut rectangles. I mark the interfacings with a sharp pencil, cut them with the rotary cutter, use their outlines to guide my sewing, and then trim the excess garment fabric.

I also use the rotary cutter for sleeve plackets, again with the patchwork ruler. Once you've established one edge properly on grain, you can cut the placket pieces very precisely, very quickly - the markings on the cutting mat are very useful here.

I use often use water-erasable pens to mark out collar stiffener slots on pale cloths, but I make sure to test them first. Chalk otherwise.

As for templates, I mostly use cardboard, but I've been seriously thinking about trying PTFE sheet... Cardboard has a fairly limited lifespan.

You can get a tool to sharpen rotary cutter blades, it works very well.

[Gerry]

I also cut the interfacings folded in half, so they're guaranteed to be symmetrical, and I find there's less tendency for the two layers to move relative to each other when using the rotary cutter than with shears. This still takes care and practice though.

A trick that Mike Maldonado uses in one of his shirt-making vids, is to staple the interfacing together once folded, to stop it from shifting. Mark, cut, then remove the staple.

[Dunc]

Yeah, that's exactly what I do, but I still find the action of the shears tends to push the layers to move relative to each other, especially on curves. I do usually favour quite heavy interfacings, mind you...

[Hendrick]

Yeah, that's exactly what I do, but I still find the action of the shears tends to push the layers to move relative to each other, especially on curves. I do usually favour quite heavy interfacings, mind you...

Yes, shears do shift layers, the thicker the worse. Fo smaller parts I use small Kai or Sharpist seamstress'scissors in various sizes. They are very sharp and great for finecut work. Plus you can put your whole hand trough them!.

Cheers, Hendrick

[Gerry]

Yeah, that's exactly what I do, but I still find the action of the shears tends to push the layers to move relative to each other, especially on curves. I do usually favour quite heavy interfacings, mind you...

For small pieces, I simply hold the interfacing in my hand and cut round it, rather than trying to cut it flat. Even with softer interfacing it's usually feasible to hold the piece near its edges to stop them moving.

[Schneiderfrei]

Chanterelle,

Have you looked at Mike Maldonado's classes?

[Dunc]

Have you looked at Mike Maldonado's classes?

The websites linked from his YouTube and Insta profiles all seem to be gone, and I haven't seen any activity from him in a couple of years. Even back when I bought his course (which is a good few years ago now) the website was like something out of the ark... It's a shame, his course was by far the best and most comprehensive material on shirtmaking I ever managed to find.

[Schneiderfrei]

I thought so too. I liked the practical methods, and the emphasis on efficiency. He must have run a tight business.

I expect he's retired or even passed away like Stanley Hostek in Seattle.

[Dunc]

Hopefully just retired!

[Schneiderfrei]

Yeah. That.

[Gerry]

Have you looked at Mike Maldonado's classes?

The websites linked from his YouTube and Insta profiles all seem to be gone, and I haven't seen any activity from him in a couple of years. Even back when I bought his course (which is a good few years ago now) the website was like something out of the ark... It's a shame, his course was by far the best and most comprehensive material on shirtmaking I ever managed to find.

It's possible that he just got fed up with support and simply wants a quiet retirement. As I mentioned somewhere in this thread, when I bought a couple of his courses everything was sent via drop-box. I only had a free account, which had a size limit to its inbox IIR. Something like that, anyway. It just meant that I didn't get all the files and after a lot of email correspondence, he had to send them one at a time. Which was a pain for both of us.

Yes, his website was archaic. I remember that I had to shrink the page by about 30% just to see and use the checkout option.

Hopefully he's still around. I don't use masses of his approach, but I certainly learnt a few key things; and a lot of what he demonstrated gave me ideas (many of which came to fruition).

As you say, the most comprehensive vids around re shirt-making.