by Susan Khalje
Host of
Sew Much More The next time you're in your favorite fabric store, a quick visit to the home decoration department might be in order. Have you ever made a garment and felt as if you'd like to give it a little tug downwards? I often think of lead weights--strategically placed inside a garment--as helping you do just that. Often used to hold draperies in place, weights have a role in garment-sewing as well.
They're commonly available in two forms: flat, circular lead discs about an inch in diameter, and small lead pellets that are encased in a narrow, flexible tube about a quarter of an inch wide. While weights can be added to a garment during its construction, I find that I'm more likely to put them into position near the end of the garment-making process--it's then that I can really assess exactly where they're needed, and just how much help I need.
While they're no substitute for the careful engineering and construction that enables a garment to hold its shape, weights can provide a small but critical bit of assistance. I recently made a silk satin gown for a client--the skirt was slightly trumpet-shaped, and even though it was underlined with silk organza and lined with a silk jacquard, it was still fairly lightweight. I felt that a little extra weight around the hemline would be the perfect finishing touch.
I hand-stitched two rows of the pelleted lead weights around the hemline. There was ease built into the bottom of the lining of course, in the form of a slight overhang, and it was under that fold (sometimes referred to as a "jump pleat") that I placed the lead weights. They were invisible while the garment was being worn, yet easy to remove when it was time for dry cleaning.
This narrow little tube of weights is sometimes hidden inside the garment, along the foldline of the hem, before the hem allowance is stitched into place. You might find, though, that their presence needs to be camouflaged somewhat. In that case, a bias strip of flannel a few inches wide, folded in half, does the trick.
You'll first have to gently tack the flannel in place, then tack the weights to the flannel, then finish your hem as usual. The weights will be undetectable.
I used the other sort of weights--the circular lead discs--for another recent project: a somewhat full, wrap-around satin skirt with unpressed pleats. The opening was just off-center in the front, and for purposes of design as well as modesty, I wanted the slight overlap to stay in place.
It wasn't necessary to weight the entire skirt--I just concentrated my efforts on the lower corners of the two open edges. I enclosed the weights (two per corner) into small muslin squares, which I gently (but securely) basted into place, easily hiding them in the folds of the hem allowances. The front edges of the skirt had no choice but to hang straight, and the weights would be easily removable for pressing and dry cleaning.
Weights are a wonderful tool to have at your disposal--consider where their presence might help a garment you've already sewn, and keep them in mind for a future project.
(Susan Khalje may be contacted at skhalje@aol.com or Box 51, Long Green, MD 21092. For more information, visit www.SusanKhalje.com.)
