Crochet Clothing and Seams

Here is a tip I've discovered while making crochet clothing.



I know there is debate on how to sew your seams and it the seams go to the inside of the garment like when you machine sew or to the outside.

I'm not here to take up the debate, personally whatever works for you is the right way to do it.

I personally like to hand sew with maching yarn in what my mother always called a whip stitch.

You simply place to two edges together and sew through them, taking small stitches.
As in the above photo




The problem I come across when I do this, it that the seams have a tendency to stand out, or be raised up off the garments surface.

When working with a heavier yarn it doesn't seem to show as much as it does with a light yarn like this Lacette.


My solution is to wet press the seams. I place my iron on the cotton setting, let it warm up. I then lay a damp cloth over the seam and place the hot iron on it. A count to thirty and the iron is lifted. This makes the seam lay flat, more like it is part of the crochet garment and not an obvious indicator where it was sewn together.

I don't know if you can see the results on the above photo clearly, but the center seam and bottom seam of the insert have been pressed in this manner while the top seam of the insert hasn't.



Here the skirt has been completely pressed.



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Putting a Zipper into a Crochet Skirt

Putting a Zipper into a Crochet Skirt





Putting a zipper into a skirt is a little different than putting a zipper into a jacket in that the jacket zipper comes in two section and the skirt zipper is all in one.






Begin by laying out your skirt on a flat surface. Place the zipper (in this case a 12" dress zipper from my local fabric and craft store) along side the skirt's edge. Line up to the top of the zipper with the top of the skirt. Place a pin where the zipper ends.


This shows you how long the last seam in your skirt will be.


So place the two sides together, with needle and yarn, sew from this point (where you placed the pin) down to the skirt's bottom edge.



With the seam sewn, lay the skirt back onto the flat surface. Pin the zipper to each side of the skirt's opening.

Make sure when you pin the zipper that the edge of the skirt and the zipper's teeth are not close enough to touch--this will cause the zipper to get caught in the yarn of the skirt when opening and closing it.

You can either sew the zipper in by hand or machine.

Finished zipper.

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Front Post Double Crochet and Back Post Double Crochet Stitch Tutorial

Front Post Double Crochet and Back Post Double Crochet Stitch Tutorial


Front Post Double crochet or Fpdc is begun by working a base of double crochet (dc)

You then began the next dc st by yarn over (yo)

Then instead of inserting your hook through the top of the stitch (st) you go between - front to back- your previous rows st and the st you are working.

Then bring the hook back out the front

Yo

You now have 3 loops (lps) on your hook

Yo

Pull through two lps

Yo and pull through last two lps on the hook completing the st.

Finished stitch

Two rows of 4 regular dc, 3 Fpdc, then 4 regular dc.

Front of the work

Back of the work.

Back Post Double Crochet or Bpdc

Again you begin on a base of dc (double crochet)

Yo and instead of inserting the hook front to back like you did when making a Fpdc you insert the hook from the back of the work to the front

Then insert the hook over the dc and back to the back of the work.

Yo

Three lps on hook

Yo, pull through 2 lps on hook

Yo, pull through last 2 lps on hook to complete the stitch.

Here the st is complete

Completed row of 4 dc, 3 Bpdc and 4 dc

Why show both the Fpdc and Bpdc when basically they are the same st except with one you insert the hook front to back and the later back to front?

This is why:

This is my pattern for Lavender Heart Purse.

12 month Heart Dress

Baby Hearts Afghan

All three were working using a combination of Fpdc and Bpdc. It gives the hearts a 3-D quality and by combining it with sc (single crochet) as the background, it really enhances the 3-D effect.

Here is a sample pattern:

Row 1: With Aran and H hook ch- 12, sc 2nd ch from hook, ch-1, turn. (11 sts)

Row 2: Sc next 5 sts, join Red, drop Aran, Fpdc next st, drop Red, pick up Aran, sc last 5 sts, ch-1, turn.

Row 3: Sc next 4 sts, pick up Red, drop Aran, Bpdc next 3 sts, drop Red, pick up Aran, sc last 4 sts, ch-1, turn.

Row 4: Sc next 3 sts, pick up Red, drop Aran, fpdc next 5 sts, drop Red, pick up Aran, sc last 3 stsm, ch-1, turn.

Row 5: Sc next2 sts, pick up Red, drop Aran, Bpdc next 7 sts, drop Red, pikc up Aran, sc last 2 sts, ch-1, turn.

Row 6: Sc next 2 sts, pick up Red, drop Aran, Fpdc next 3 sts, drop Red, pick up Aran, sc next st, drop Aran, pick up Red, Fpdc next 3 sts, drop Red, pick up Aran, sc last 2 sts, ch-1, turn.

Row 7: Sc next 2 sts, pick up Red, drop Aran, Bpdc next 2 sts, pick up Aran, drop Red, sc next 3 sts, drop Aran, pick up Red, Bpdc next 2 sts, pick up Aran, fasten off Red, sc last 2 sts, ch-1, turn.

Row 8: Sc ea st across, fasten off.


Here it is in picture form:

Row 2: you have made your sc and are joining the Red

Making the Fpdc

Fpdc is finished

Row 3: Making the Bpdc

Bpdc are complete and I am now dropping the red yarn to the back of my work and picking up the Aran yarn which is also to the back of my work.

Front view of row 3 completed.

We have jumped to row 5 and show the 7 Bpdc made

This is row 6. I have made the 3 Fpdc and am now dropping the Red yarn and picking up the Aran yarn.

The 2 lps of the sc are on my hook and now I am switching from Aran to Red

The finished heart.

This is the back of the finished heart. When making Fpdc and Bpdc you are not able to carry yarn behind sts as you work them and need to drop and pick up colors as explained.

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