Sewing Tips

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ASK on the Forum

Remember, questions are always welcomed!
One good way to have questions answered,  is to create a post via the Seamstress/Sewists page.

This is a good forum to exchange ideas as well.

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Who  Will Answer

Sewing questions will be definitively answered by Jayne Schmidt who is the Lead Seamstress for all LAG seamstresses regardless of location. For the questions regarding knitting and crocheting, Libby Warren, is the leader. She will answer those questions. All non-sewing questions will be answered by Deborah Peebles our executive director. For questions to her, it is best to send an email to her at deborah.lag@yahoo.com. Marie Murphy, the founder, is chairwoman of the board and involved in leading the overall governance and policies of the organizations, and not in the day to day operations of Little Angel Gowns.

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Contacts for Questions:

littleangelgowns@yahoo.com or jayne.lag@yahoo.com

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Gown Size Notation

The size of the gown should be written on the LAG iron-on label using a fine tip permanent black marker. This LAG iron-on label should be ironed to the INSIDE back of the gown at the bottom on the left or right side. If you do not have labels or have run out, the labels will be placed on your gowns when they are received back at the cottage. Please let us know immediately that you need labels.

 

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Shipping

Unless otherwise instructed, all Little Angel Gowns are to be shipped to:

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Little Angel Gowns​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

562 S. Post Road

Indianapolis, IN 46239

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Embellishment Purchasing

To purchase embellishments in bulk, here is a great resource https://www.aliexpress.com

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​Pattern Printing

Make sure your printer settings are set to "actual size" and not "fit to page." This will affect the size of your gown and most importantly how the vest fits your gown and tux. If you are not given an option to check your printer settings after choosing print, please make sure you are using google or chrome as your web browser to print your patterns. This makes all the difference. It will give you the option.

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Correct Way to Iron a Seam
 I use a 3-step method on every seam I sew. As soon as I finish sewing the seam, I jump up and head to the ironing board. I do the following three steps:

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   1. I iron the seam as it was sewn ....on both sides of the fabric. This process is referred to as "setting the stitches." The use of steam and pressure, helps "set" the stitching thread into the fabric, instead of it sitting on "top" of it.

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   2. Next, I flip over the fabric to the wrong side and use the fingers on my left hand to separate the seam allowances, while I use my right hand to use the tip of the iron to press it open. You may need to do a couple of passes before the seam allowance stays down.

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   3. Finally, I turn the fabric right side facing up and press the steam iron along the seam again. This is the final press, and I let the fabric cool off (only takes a couple of seconds) before I pick up the fabric and go back to my sewing.

I think this method is pretty self-explanatory, but I did find a nice article on the same subject, which has pictures for you visual learners.

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https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/pressing-seams-to-the-side-or-open-2821932#showall After reading the article you will see that I don't do her Step 2. Being an open-minded woman, I will give it a try though and see if it makes a difference!

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Sewing Linings

Here is a great resource to step you through the process: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6DeJ4H0ac9M

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