Match the Plaid when making single welt pockets

**Friday** · 9th April 13, 03:06 PM

I have been trying my hand at making some vests. I have been having a lot of problems with welt pockets. I have read the various forum posts and many web sites with out a lot of luck. Not that this information is bad my mind just cant get around the techniques and get something I like.

8636607147_f807419cc3_m.jpg

I will be updating this over the next few days, but, a quick look at the results show that the welt closely matches the rest of the pattern

Note: White was used for the stitches to make them stand out in the picture.

**SadisticMedic** · 9th May 13, 06:53 PM

I am VERY interested in seeing how this is achieved. I really like waistcoats, especially those with notched lapels, (if you've ever seen the television show Person of Interest, the character Finch wears them a lot. It's kind of a country/shooting style) but if you can find them without a satin back, they tend to be extremely expensive. Again, if you can even find them. That has brought me to possibly building my own. I am a very handy hand stitcher, but have very little experience with a sewing machine.

Any information on construction will only make the final products better.

Medic

**sailortats** · 10th May 13, 06:15 AM

SM, it concerns me some that you are a medic AND a very handy hand stitcher. One has to wonder if there is a connection.:-)

**Andrew Breecher** · 10th May 13, 06:39 AM

I do a lot of tailoring, and here's now I match stripes. Take a piece of paper cut to the size of the finished welt. No seam allowances, just the part that will show when it's finished. Place it on the fabric where it will go. Use a pencil and mark on the paper where the pattern enters and leaves the paper. In other words, trace the tartan pattern on the paper. Then put the paper on your fabric for the welt, and move it around until the pattern on the paper matches the pattern on the fabric. Trace around the paper with chalk, add seam allowances, and now you're all set! Obviously for a single welt you'll need to add the other half of the folded welt, but mark the half which will be showing with chalk or a tailor tack so you remember which side to use.

Does that make sense?

**sydnie7** · 10th May 13, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew Breecher

I do a lot of tailoring, and here's now I match stripes. Take a piece of paper cut to the size of the finished welt. No seam allowances, just the part that will show when it's finished. Place it on the fabric where it will go. Use a pencil and mark on the paper where the pattern enters and leaves the paper. In other words, trace the tartan pattern on the paper. Then put the paper on your fabric for the welt, and move it around until the pattern on the paper matches the pattern on the fabric. Trace around the paper with chalk, add seam allowances, and now you're all set! Obviously for a single welt you'll need to add the other half of the folded welt, but mark the half which will be showing with chalk or a tailor tack so you remember which side to use.

Does that make sense?

Exactly what I was going to say. . . and showed the technique, roughly, in this thread.

**Andrew Breecher** · 10th May 13, 06:12 PM

Oh, perfectly demonstrated. If I'd realised you'd already written it I would have directed a link to that thread.

**Friday** · 10th May 13, 09:07 PM

Sorry that I have not been back to this I have been having some computer problems. I'll see if I can provide the details this weekend.

**Pleater** · 11th May 13, 06:17 AM

When dealing with small strips cut on the bias it is really easy to distort them.

I think that has happened with the strip shown as an example, as the lower edge yellow stripe intersection looks as though it is stretched, though it could be that the strip was folded on a curve as at the left side the yellow V seems too narrow.

For similar sewing I would not cut out the piece exactly but make it oversize, tack it into place and trim it down with infinite patience in order to get the match exact - otherwise it would just bother me every time I saw it. I know I make even the most particular people raise an eyebrow, but getting something almost right just does not work for me.

I once disassembled a completed jersey and re-knitted the back because there were three stitches wrong. I just had to do it.

There is something called stay stitching which might help - it is just a line of machine stitching which stops an edge from distorting once it is cut and handled. If you do it on the uncut cloth it can help a lot with small pieces. Also having a board covered in a thin foam and a cloth with something like gingham fixed to it - as long as the angles are right you can then pin out cloth on the square and be fairly confident of working true and level.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**piperdbh** · 11th May 13, 09:56 AM

Fusible interfacing applied to the fabric before cutting out small pieces, like welts, can stop the bias-distortion, too.

**Friday** · 11th May 13, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Pleater

When dealing with small strips cut on the bias it is really easy to distort them.

I think that has happened with the strip shown as an example, as the lower edge yellow stripe intersection looks as though it is stretched, though it could be that the strip was folded on a curve as at the left side the yellow V seems too narrow.

. . . out cloth on the square and be fairly confident of working true and level.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Anne the main problem is the lack of over all experience of the sewer. I am getting better but it take projects.