I hate linen.

[gem]

If you don't have a straight stitch plate for your machine (one with a really tiny hole), you can put a piece of masking tape over your current plate and pierce it with your needle.  It will act as a temporary straight stitch plate* and keep the feed dogs from dragging your fabric into the bowels of your machine.

*Maybe even not-so-temporary.  I guess some of the Pattern Review folks have their machines set up like this all the time.

I also like the starch suggestion.

[PrincessSara]

Thank you Artemisia!!  I thought if I ironed it it would just go horribly stretched like my 3.5oz linen did, but it actually worked!  It did get stretched, but I expected it to stretch a bit so it's not too bad.  And you're right - ironing it twice is much better than ironing it once.  The gluestick is a good idea too, I know I have a couple of sticks of fabric glue around here somewhere...heh, I need to organize my sewing junk.

Also, I think I may be on to something for bias-cut pieces, to help them not stretch too much along the bias when I iron them:  I wet them, then lay them on a perfectly flat surface to dry - flattened and straightened first, of course.  They dry very stiff, which means they are less prone to stretch on the bias.  And to soften, just wash the garment when it's done. 

I did try ironing with starch - and maybe it's just my starch - but I found the extra "wetness" from the starch caused it to stretch a bit more.  I think the steam is just enough.

gem and molly; I'm kind of confused about what you're talking about.  I only have one needle plate, which I think is the same as the one molly posted.  I've recently realized I know very little about sewing machines, so maybe that's why I'm confused.  I took a picture of my needle plate:

Prehaps you could show me what you mean by a straight stitch plate?

[mollymishap]

Do a search by "needle plate" and you'll find lots of articles on what they are, what they do, etc.

In the meantime, here's a quickie that might help answer your question more briefly.  Basically, what you have on your machine is meant for zig-zag stitching, therefore the hole that your needle goes through is wide.  A straight-stitch plate has a small hole meant for, well, straight-stitching only.  You might have such a plate in your accessory box & the fix would be as easy as a quick switch to see if it makes any difference to your results.  I'm betting it will.

HTH!

[Kate XXXXXX]

The straight stitch needle plate is an add-on accessory with the Husqvarna machines: you have to buy it.  I've never found one necessary.  I do occasionally use the straight stitch quarter inch piecing foot, designed for quilt piecing but good for all straight stitching.

[mollymishap]

Really? Mine has one.  That may be because I bought it second-hand and just assumed it was a standard accessory.

Anyway, I, too, mostly use the zig-zag plate, but it's good to have the straight stitch one, and I'm thinking that it may help her prevent her machine "eating" the lightweight linen.  (Linen, YUMMY!  We'll make a believer out of you yet, PrincessSara...)

[gem]

I tried to find a picture for you of what I was talking about, but we'll work with yours.



Do you see the area I lightened?  See how that hole is a wide slot?  That allows your needle to go down through the fabric left, right, center... you know all the needle positions your new machine has?  You need this plate for those, otherwise when you move your needle a couple millimeters to the right, or when you're zig-zagging, it'll bang into the metal plate and break.  Right?

The thing about that wide slot, though, is it increases the likelihood that your fabric will get sucked down into your machine.

But a straight stitch plate only has one tiny hole, just a wee bit larger than the needle--you can ONLY do a straight stitch, dead center, with it.



So what was recommended on Pattern Review, for people whose machines don't have a straight stitch plate available (or those who don't want to buy one, or somebody who needs it TONIGHT), is to cover the hole in your plate with a piece of masking tape, and then pierce it with your needle.  Voila!  One tiny hole, just like the straight stitch plate, and your fabric is protected from getting pulled into the machine.

[PrincessSara]

Ohhh, now I get it.  I really don't know anything about sewing machines .  The masking tape is a good idea.

[gem]

They're pretty basic, and it's worth it to learn, because there's a lot you can troubleshoot yourself, if you have to.  I'm still a little timid with my new Viking, but I was totally comfortable taking my old Brother apart to clean it, etc.

[PrincessSara]

So I finally got the gores to go on the body piece of the smock, and I have another...issue?  There's only about 7 inches of space between the two gore "tips" where my sleeve is supposed to go.  So I can't fit the sleeve in unless I turn it a couple of inches down and sew it to the gore, but I don't think that's right.  What should I do?

[gem]

Ok, It's way early in the morning for me, so I'm not entirely sure I'm understanding the problem, but... when I made my two linen smocks, I sewed the gussets to the sleeves FIRST.  I seem to recall then folding them into the sleeve when I attached everything together (altho' I can't now imagine what that was for).  But isn't the idea that the gusset allows the armhole to stay small (the same size as the sleeve head?), while still providing all that room to move?

When I get home later this afternoon, I can look at the book my smock pattern is from and see if I can remember what it said to do.

[Artemisia]

Which pattern are you using? I use the online smock pattern generator. Here is the link to their directions: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/smockpat/sewsmock.html

It may help.

[PrincessSara]

That's exactly the pattern I did use.  My smock body piece is 81 inches long and my gores are 31 inches long, but I only have 7 inches between the ends of the gores.  I haven't gotten to the gussets yet gem, these are the skirt gores.

This is the shoulder of my smock:

[gem]

Ok, hmmm.  In the pattern that I use, the gores don't go all the way up to the armscye, so I'm not sure what you should do here.

[Kate XXXXXX]

I used this to make the child's sized smock I posted a week or so back.  You sew the gores onto the side seams and then sew the sleeves, with their gusset pieces attached, to the new side seam line created when you added the gores.  They can overlap.  It does make it a bit clunky in the armpit, so be careful when neatening the seams.  You can see what I did with it here: http://community.livejournal.com/hist_kid_cloths/26492.html#cutid1

[Lorraine]

I'm in the process of washing 7 yards of linen for a dress, I'm now slightly afraid to touch it when it's done >.<