Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Tamar from Tamar Hope Designs back with another sewing 101 post for you!!! I’m excited about this post. It’s all about stripe matching which is one of those little things that you can do to make your handmade garments better than store bought garments. Sometimes it’s the little details such as stripe matching that really set an outfit apart. This does come with a warning though. After you learn to stripe match, you will never again want to buy a striped shirt from the store, because the lack of stripe matching will drive you nuts!
Cutting
The first step to a well matched stripe is meticulous cutting. Careful cutting is always the key to making good quality clothing. But in the case of stripe matching, exact cutting is even more important. Take a little extra time with this step and the rewards will pay off! The following pictures show the cutting procedure with a projector. But you can use the same cutting method with paper pattern pieces.
First, make sure your selvedge is parallel with the fold line of your pattern. The distance from the fold line to the selvedge should be exactly the same at the top, middle, and bottom of the pattern piece. Also, make sure your “stretch” line is perfectly parallel to the stripes on the fabric.
Next, line up the bottom of the armscye (sleeve hole) with the top of a stripe. This will allow you to consistently place the stripes on the pattern pieces. Cut out half of the front piece.
Fold the cut out half at the fold line and match the stripes on the other side of the front piece. This will ensure that your stripes are straight across. If you simply cut the fabric on the fold as usual, the fabric can shift ever so slightly, causing your stripes to be crooked.
For the back piece, line up the bottom of the armscye with the top of a stripe. Place the side edge of the front piece right beside the side edge of the back piece and match the stripes. This will ensure that the fabric does not stretch or get distorted when cutting out the back piece.
Cut out the back piece in the same manner as the front piece (cutting half of the back piece, folding it over, and matching the stripes before cutting the second half).
For the sleeves, align the top of the long straight edge of the sleeve with the top of a stripe. Place the side seam of the front piece beside the sleeve edge and match the stripes.
Cut out half of the sleeve, fold it over, match the stripes, and cut out the second half of the sleeve.
Pinning
Now we can start pinning! It is important to pin carefully to keep the stripes from shifting. Remember that the seam line will be ⅜ inch from the edge of the fabric, and the stripes need to match along the seam line. If you simply match up the stripes along the edge of the fabric and clip the fabric together, the stripes can shift and they will not match along the seam line. This is especially true of any areas with curves such as the sleeves. To pin your stripes together, put the pin in through the top of a stripe on your top fabric ⅜ inch from the edge. Put the pin through the top of a stripe on your bottom fabric ⅜ inch from the edge. This will keep the stripes lined up along the seam line.
When pinning the sleeves in place, clip the center and ends together. Then match the stripes starting in the armpit area. Keep matching as far as you can along the curve. When you get to the point where the stripes don’t match up anymore, ease the remainder of the sleeve into the armscye (armhole).
For any curve on the underside of the sleeve, pin in the same way, matching the stripes at the seam line.
The straight edges of the side seams and underarm seams are much easier than the curved edges, but you will still want to pin carefully to avoid shifting.
Another way to keep the stripes from shifting is to use wash away wonder tape. For the shoulders, place the hem tape along one stripe.
Align the stripes and press together.
If it’s aligned properly, the stripes on the front piece should align perfectly with the stripes on the back piece.
For the hems, make sure the hem is folded parallel to a stripe.
Sewing
It is important when sewing to maintain an exact seam allowance. Your stripes will match up at ⅜ inch from the edge, so your seam has to follow that line exactly for perfectly matched stripes. You also need to make sure that your fabric doesn’t shift as you pull out the pins. Use a walking foot on a sewing machine to ensure that the fabric feeds evenly and doesn’t shift. If you are using a serger, set the differential feed as close to 1 as possible without getting a wavy seam. This will depend on how stretchy your fabric is. If your fabric doesn’t have a lot of vertical stretch, use a differential feed of 1.
Note: Some people like to baste or even hand tack their stripes before sewing to ensure that they stay lined up perfectly. This can be a great strategy if you are new to stripe matching or are struggling to get your stripes matched up perfectly.
I made this orange and white striped Clove shirt for my daughter’s “Anxiety” Costume from Inside Out. It was the perfect opportunity for some stripe matching!!! She loves the shirt and the opportunity to ham up the “Anxiety” role.
Now go and try your hand at matching those stripes. A well matched stripe is so very fulfilling!
Happy Stripe Matching!!!
-Tamar
