Reply To: Double Thickness

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Hi, having been inspired by your hooded cloak tutorial, I wanted to make a more traditional, warm cloak for my niece, and found a New Look pattern # 6073. (While not quite the same, your tutorial will be my companion for this project.)
I too found in my “Cutting Layouts” the reference to “Double Thickness*”. There was no mention of this term in the “Cutting Directions” portion of the instructions. I searched online pretty thoroughly without any luck. I then called the “Simplicity” telephone help line and found what this means and also found that it is NOT the same as “Double Layer”.

If you look at the image closely, you will see that the selvages are on both top and bottom. Along one edge, you will see the bottom layer extending beyond the top layer. Along the final edge you will see only a single edge of fabric that is NOT labeled as a “Fold”. Here is how to handle this layout according to the very kind Simplicity representative I spoke with:

– Layout the fabric, right side up, with selvages on top and bottom.
– Fold the fabric, left to right. Selvages will remain on both top and bottom, a folded edge will be on the left and the two raw edges will be on the right. The right side of the fabric will be facing together and wrong sides will be facing outward.
– *If you don’t need to worry about the direction of print or nap, then you can go ahead and pin your pattern and cut out as instructed.

-**If you DO work with directional prints or nap, then cut along the fold so that you will now have two pieces of fabric, right sides facing in (together), selvages on top and bottom, and raw edges on both left and right. Next,
-Carefully rotate only the top layer of fabric 180 degrees (mark the top layer at the selvage edge with chalk at the 12 O-clock position, spin this top layer to the 6 O-clock position). This will properly align the direction of your print or nap.
– You can now pin your pattern and cut according to the instructions.

This term “Double Thickness” must be the least explained layout direction in online references. I’m sure this is taught in classrooms, when it comes up, but it seems not likely to be discussed unless faced with it.

I hope this helps!
Rusty

PS: Thank you, Prof. P. for producing these outstanding tutorials. After downsizing and selling off all of my wood working shop tools I found myself still needing some way to fill time while still creating things. And, in spite of the ribbing I get from friends, I’ve found that sewing has been a great creative outlet – building clothes for my young family members (who, lucky for me, have been very appreciative). I hope that in the future you might consider a series of tutorials that address common tailoring tasks such as shortening sleeves, jacket shoulders, waist darts, etc.
Cheers!