This video sent me down a delightful research on overlockers (sergers) which led me to Mr Merrow who invented them in the mid 1800s! And the company is still going today. It looks like they do machines for the garment industry and can build a machine that will do the edging of your dreams. Our domestic machines look a lot simpler! They have a stitch resource page on their website so maybe your scallops were stitched on a purpose built scallop Merrow machine back in the 20s? Looking forward to the next installment!
The seamstress 100 years ago--- oops, made the shoulder seam sit too far back. No problem, should be able to get away with it. 100 years later---- Rebecca ---- the shoulder seam sits further back on the shoulder --- need to modify the pattern to achieve that. I wonder how many mistakes or shortcuts made by seamstresses from a bygone era get taken as gospel today
The stitching is first a zig zag to lock the threads then a really tight zig zag over top then carefully cut away. My grandmother used to do this on chiffon collars and you cant do the joins on a serger
On the scallops? On this dress, it's definitely done with three threads at once (with the inner one acting like a straight stitch, just like on a serger).
Oh my gosh, the dress is almost finished and so pretty! When you start talking about scaling up or down and doing the math, I get dizzy. LOL! xoxo's Sandie
That antique dress is so fantastic!!!! This remake is so wonderful to follow and you just explaine every change to patterning and stitching the scallope egde so detailed! Thank you - I absolutly love what you do!
As a baby historian trying to specialize in fashion, I finally know why all of those math classes weren't an entire waste. Now I just need to figure out how to incorporate all of those chemistry classes too...
More more. Need the rest now please. You’re very inventive, the way you just think it out and get stuck in. The original os yummy and I can’t wait to see your copy. The scalloping!!!
I love the bias cut accents--too bad they didn't also do bias to show in the front with the collar. but that probably would have taken way too much fabric. I am short-waisted, so I always hove to modify the front of RTW dresses that overlap in just the way it shows on your original dress. A young-ish slim and less busty woman might also have to make some alterations to keep the bodice from sagging too much, even with a bust-enhancer worn underneath. I think the whole neckline needs a proper facing all the way too the waist seam to keep it from drooping. You overlock the points in the scallops by stretching the edge of the fabric to straighten out when you get to the pointed section, with maybe just the tiniest ship into the point. It helps to use a strip of firm tear-away stabilizer to give you the straight edge to follow and to give a neater smoother stitch. Depending upon the fabric and how wobbly/fray-ey it is, a dot of washable school glue right at the point to hold in place onto the stabilizer.. It's the same trick I use to sew bias binding onto the edge of Boston Commons quilts with a zigzag edge--miter the outward corners and stretch the inward corners.
I don't know how you can determine how the original garment is supposed to look without pressing it first. I get very confused by all the wrinkles and rumpled edges on everything. I wonder if you could use the sewing machine to create the shape of the scallops, then use the serger to create the final stitching. That way you have a precise guide to follow with the serger. If your stitch length/width is open enough on your original sewing machine guide stitching, you wouldn't have to worry about too much thread accumulating under the serging and creating weird bulk.
The issue I was running into with the serger is not being able to create the tight inside turns between each scallop. And I worry about pressing antiques, though I did wind up steaming this one a little.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions hmmm, maybe do just the scallops themselves on the serger, and either hand-stitch the inside corners, or do a square of tight zigzag to fill the voids?
@@Siansonea I have a feeling the blade set-up of their sergers was maybe slightly different? I wish I could have removed the blade on mine to test it out, but the screw just wouldn't budge.
Hi Rebecca 😆 I really like the red. Check dress you are wearing. Did you make it and do you have a video of it please? Its been a busy day and I am soooooo ready to relax watching this video. Keep well and stay safe 💖 sandym 💖 💖
Yep, as Aislin said, that's one of my new eshakti dresses. I think they're unfortunately out of the red colorway now, but they have the same dress in blue plaid (which I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get!)
Have you tried a double needle for regular sewing machine to get a 3 thread scalloped embroidered stitch? I'm really a novice so i don't know if you would"ve tried that yet. Just a suggestion.
It's the real deal! (You can tell by the feel/smell of antiques) Scallops themselves were a common decoration going back at least a few hundred years, though this is the first I've seen scallops made on a serger.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Oh, ok. I thought maybe it was like the scalloped edges on Sewstine's Marie Antoinette's Scandalous Summer Dress (around 18:55 in her video).
Yessss she looks like a dress for a simpler woman or simpler daily functions
I love fancy dresses but I just want more every day dresses and stuff
I liked the whole scallops and sergers mystery. Trying to reverse engineer certain things is the trickiest part. Can't wait for the rest!!!
This video sent me down a delightful research on overlockers (sergers) which led me to Mr Merrow who invented them in the mid 1800s! And the company is still going today. It looks like they do machines for the garment industry and can build a machine that will do the edging of your dreams. Our domestic machines look a lot simpler! They have a stitch resource page on their website so maybe your scallops were stitched on a purpose built scallop Merrow machine back in the 20s? Looking forward to the next installment!
Wow this is fantastic information!
I had no idea they were that old! Thanks for looking it up 🧡
That is fascinating! I'm going to have to go look them up!
I think dresses of this era don’t get enough love, I’m looking forward to next week!
The seamstress 100 years ago--- oops, made the shoulder seam sit too far back. No problem, should be able to get away with it. 100 years later---- Rebecca ---- the shoulder seam sits further back on the shoulder --- need to modify the pattern to achieve that.
I wonder how many mistakes or shortcuts made by seamstresses from a bygone era get taken as gospel today
And no one would ever think their work would be scrutinized on camera over a hundred years later!
Yes
The stitching is first a zig zag to lock the threads then a really tight zig zag over top then carefully cut away. My grandmother used to do this on chiffon collars and you cant do the joins on a serger
On the scallops? On this dress, it's definitely done with three threads at once (with the inner one acting like a straight stitch, just like on a serger).
Oh my gosh, the dress is almost finished and so pretty! When you start talking about scaling up or down and doing the math, I get dizzy. LOL!
xoxo's Sandie
That antique dress is so fantastic!!!! This remake is so wonderful to follow and you just explaine every change to patterning and stitching the scallope egde so detailed! Thank you - I absolutly love what you do!
X+ Y = Dress 👗. Who knew we need algebra to construct or build a garment?🤔😁 Measure twice cut once .✂️📏📐
A lot of math goes into garment building. The first time I made a sise (adult and child) of medieval braies I needed to use the Pythagorean Theorem.
Love the algebra! Yay, science! Plus: very interested in the pattern! Hope you do end up with an original you feel comfortable sharing/selling.
I'm working on the pattern now, so hopefully I'll have it out in the next couple weeks!
Yesss the dress!
This is a really interesting and informative project. Really enjoying this one. Sure miss seeing the furry overlords though. Hug the kitties for us!
As a baby historian trying to specialize in fashion, I finally know why all of those math classes weren't an entire waste. Now I just need to figure out how to incorporate all of those chemistry classes too...
More more. Need the rest now please. You’re very inventive, the way you just think it out and get stuck in. The original os yummy and I can’t wait to see your copy. The scalloping!!!
Yay! I’ve been looking forward to this video!!!
I can't help but wonder if some of the weirdness with the original dress is that it was originally a bigger dress that was sized down at some point.
I don't think it was, unless they literally took the whole thing apart and remade it.
I love the bias cut accents--too bad they didn't also do bias to show in the front with the collar. but that probably would have taken way too much fabric.
I am short-waisted, so I always hove to modify the front of RTW dresses that overlap in just the way it shows on your original dress. A young-ish slim and less busty woman might also have to make some alterations to keep the bodice from sagging too much, even with a bust-enhancer worn underneath.
I think the whole neckline needs a proper facing all the way too the waist seam to keep it from drooping.
You overlock the points in the scallops by stretching the edge of the fabric to straighten out when you get to the pointed section, with maybe just the tiniest ship into the point. It helps to use a strip of firm tear-away stabilizer to give you the straight edge to follow and to give a neater smoother stitch. Depending upon the fabric and how wobbly/fray-ey it is, a dot of washable school glue right at the point to hold in place onto the stabilizer.. It's the same trick I use to sew bias binding onto the edge of Boston Commons quilts with a zigzag edge--miter the outward corners and stretch the inward corners.
Your Fourth of July outfit is killer!
Hi Rebecca the dress is coming along lovely and your nails are beautiful xxx
It's looking wonderful! I was super excited to see this tonight. I can't wait to see it finished :)
I think you are very brave to do those scallops they would make me insane
Wow great progress!! It really looks great.
I wonder if they had stitch templates like ive seen for freehand quilting for those scallops...
The shoulder issue on the original dress could be because it was made by someone with wide shoulders who fit those shoulders to themselves.
I don't know how you can determine how the original garment is supposed to look without pressing it first. I get very confused by all the wrinkles and rumpled edges on everything.
I wonder if you could use the sewing machine to create the shape of the scallops, then use the serger to create the final stitching. That way you have a precise guide to follow with the serger. If your stitch length/width is open enough on your original sewing machine guide stitching, you wouldn't have to worry about too much thread accumulating under the serging and creating weird bulk.
The issue I was running into with the serger is not being able to create the tight inside turns between each scallop. And I worry about pressing antiques, though I did wind up steaming this one a little.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions hmmm, maybe do just the scallops themselves on the serger, and either hand-stitch the inside corners, or do a square of tight zigzag to fill the voids?
@@Siansonea I have a feeling the blade set-up of their sergers was maybe slightly different? I wish I could have removed the blade on mine to test it out, but the screw just wouldn't budge.
Hi Rebecca 😆 I really like the red. Check dress you are wearing. Did you make it and do you have a video of it please? Its been a busy day and I am soooooo ready to relax watching this video. Keep well and stay safe 💖 sandym 💖 💖
that's one of her eshakti dresses (found in the summer wardrobe video)
@@aislin2989 Thank you for taking the time to reply! !😆 I'm looking forward to seeing it. Much appreciated 💖sandym
Yep, as Aislin said, that's one of my new eshakti dresses. I think they're unfortunately out of the red colorway now, but they have the same dress in blue plaid (which I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get!)
@@LadyRebeccaFashions thank you😆 I'm looking forward to some free time to watch the video. Sandym 💖
Did the scallops end up working better on the serger, or on the regular machine? That was such an interesting discovery on the original!
I had to do them on the regular machine. I just couldn't get tight corners between the scallops on the serger.
OMG, those nails! Love them!
Have you tried a double needle for regular sewing machine to get a 3 thread scalloped embroidered stitch? I'm really a novice so i don't know if you would"ve tried that yet. Just a suggestion.
I thought of a double needle, but that would result in two straight stitches on top, with zigzags underneath.
❤💙❤
In all honestly, I would not have added the scallops as they prob weren't of the period. Its still really cute tho.
They're definitely original!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I did not think there were sergers in Edwardian times. Thanks for the new info!
I realise that serging is older than we realise but scallops? Hmm. Are we absolutely sure this dress is the real deal not an 80s costume?
It's the real deal! (You can tell by the feel/smell of antiques) Scallops themselves were a common decoration going back at least a few hundred years, though this is the first I've seen scallops made on a serger.
Is it possible they are not serged, but machine embroidered and then cut by hand?
They're definitely serged, not done by hand.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Oh, ok. I thought maybe it was like the scalloped edges on Sewstine's Marie Antoinette's Scandalous Summer Dress (around 18:55 in her video).
Can’t you narrow the width of the stitch as you get to the end of the scallop??
Yes, but that would have been soo tedious!
(It’s Gwenhwyfar!)
We need to crowd fund an AC for your sewing room?
I’m SO GLAD the Velcro’s is gone!
I think I'm going to get one as soon as I see one on sale!