Costume Sewers-sorta ot

All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong? The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

No, I wasn't....would that have helped? I used a Sharp.

Betty

"Mary in Oregon" wrote in message
...
were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

I think so....

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
No, I wasn't....would that have helped? I used a Sharp.

Betty

"Mary in Oregon" wrote in message
...
were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right?
Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to
try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I
ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off
and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

If you were totally desperate to make a seam in that aggravating stuff, you
may have had some success by placing it between (both on top and beneath)
tissue paper. That would be a real nuisance but might work. I've had my
desperate moments with costume stuff and that one's a killer. A teflon
bottomed foot may have been a help. Polly

"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
No, I wasn't....would that have helped? I used a Sharp.

Betty

"Mary in Oregon" wrote in message
...
were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right?
Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to
try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I
ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off
and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

My DH suggested the tissue paper.....but I didn't think I could handle that
on a hem. You can't iron the stuff so I had to pin up the hem and try to
stitch it. I did wonder if there was such a thing as a teflon foot.
Obviously, whatever commercial company made this in the first place had a
way to do it! Oh, well, it's done now, but I bet there'll be another pair to
do next year.

Betty

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
link.net...
If you were totally desperate to make a seam in that aggravating stuff,
you
may have had some success by placing it between (both on top and beneath)
tissue paper. That would be a real nuisance but might work. I've had my
desperate moments with costume stuff and that one's a killer. A teflon
bottomed foot may have been a help. Polly

"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
No, I wasn't....would that have helped? I used a Sharp.

Betty

"Mary in Oregon" wrote in message
...
were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right?
Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they
are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to
try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the
original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I
ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off
and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

Betty, if you have not, you might as well go introduce yourself over at rct
sewing; they're a very smart group and probably have more success with that
kind of annoying fabric. I have a heap of experience at taking on the
impossible - I suppose the worst was the boots for the jr hi's flag corps.
All those little young ladies had skinny-bird legs and the boots had an
allowance at the ankle for a double chin. Don't ask. Polly

"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
My DH suggested the tissue paper.....but I didn't think I could handle
that
on a hem. You can't iron the stuff so I had to pin up the hem and try to
stitch it. I did wonder if there was such a thing as a teflon foot.
Obviously, whatever commercial company made this in the first place had a
way to do it! Oh, well, it's done now, but I bet there'll be another pair
to
do next year.

Betty

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
link.net...
If you were totally desperate to make a seam in that aggravating stuff,
you
may have had some success by placing it between (both on top and
beneath)
tissue paper. That would be a real nuisance but might work. I've had my
desperate moments with costume stuff and that one's a killer. A teflon
bottomed foot may have been a help. Polly

"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
No, I wasn't....would that have helped? I used a Sharp.

Betty

"Mary in Oregon" wrote in message
...
were you using a ball point needle?

--
Mary
http://community.webshots.com/user/mardor1948
"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right?
Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they
are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned
to
try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the
original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a
single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I
ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them
off
and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

Betty:

I have a daughter in dance and normally they just cut them off and leave
them. But in my daughters case, I have been hemming hers by hand because
she is still in the growing stage and these costumes have to last her all
year. She is on the competition team and her costumes come in in December
and are worn at least once a month through June. There have been mom's who
have cut them off a little too much and then by the time the recital comes
around, the pants are way too short.

Cindy from MO



"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

Thanks Cindy, I kind of surmised that most people aren't going to agonize
over hemming them.

Betty

"Cindy Schmidt" wrote in message
...
Betty:

I have a daughter in dance and normally they just cut them off and leave
them. But in my daughters case, I have been hemming hers by hand because
she is still in the growing stage and these costumes have to last her all
year. She is on the competition team and her costumes come in in December
and are worn at least once a month through June. There have been mom's
who
have cut them off a little too much and then by the time the recital comes
around, the pants are way too short.

Cindy from MO



"Betty in Wi" wrote in message
...
All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this
problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong?
The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try
out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original
hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single
needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended
up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and
left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

Betty in WI

On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 18:13:15 GMT, "Betty in Wi"
wrote:

All you costume sewers out there.....you must have run across this problem.
How did you handle it?

My DGD brought me her dance costume pants to hem. Simple, right? Wrong? The
tag says they are made of Lycra and are dry clean only. Well, they are
shiney, slippery, and stretchy....kind of like rubber. I planned to try out
my double needle and stitch the hem with it.....just like the original hem
was done. My sewing machine would not sew on it! Even with a single needle.
(Bernina, computer). I even tried my Featherweight---same story. I ended up
hemming them by hand!!!

I'm willing to bet the other Grandmothers/Mothers just cut them off and left
them!!! And these are expensive costumes!

When I have to machine stitch satin finish lycra, I tend to treat it
like satin. Very very sharp thin needle, and pin some tissue over and
under it on either side of the stitch line.

But for hems, particularly on clothes for growing children, I tend to
prefer hand sewing. It is easier to let down when you need to.
It often looks better too, though on dance pants it probably wouldn't
make a difference.

NightMist
--
"It's such a gamble when you get a face"
- Richard Hell