The new Joann's in Glendale just opened up this Veteran's Day weekend. They bought the Albertson's old store and did a wonderful remodelling job. It is at least four times the La Canada store space, and it has a huge parking lot with plenty of room. My husband was delighted. They have much prettier fabrics and a much wider selection of merchandize as the La Canada store does not have much in the way of arts and crafts. Also the cutting table is longer, so the lines move faster.
I bought a new autumn print corduroy fabric to make a long multi-gored skirt as the weather here is getting cold and I do not have many warm skirts. Although last year was cold, this current autumn weather has been much colder. The temperatures during the day and night are below average (5 to 10 degrees below average), so much for global warming!
Has anyone here sewn a multi-gored skirt? I use flat feld seams as they are more durable. Those are the same seams one finds in slacks and jeans where one part of the seam is cut shorter (1/4 inch) than the other. The other part of the seam (5/8") is folded over and then tucked under the shorter seam. Next both pieces of the seam are secured with top stitching. This prevents unraveling and makes a very durable seam.
Finished French seams are commonly found in pillow cases or where a very durable seam is not needed. However, this seam does help prevent the material from unraveling as the raw edges are concealed. A narrow seam (about 4 mm or a scant 1/4")* is first sewn with wrong sides of the fabric together. Then the seam is carefully pressed so that the right sides are together, and then another seam is sewn (about 8 mm or a scant 3/8")*. I use this hem when sewing seams on a circular flounce (ruffled edge) for a skirt.
* a scant 1/4" or 3/8" seam is one that is sewn less than 1/4" or 3/8" with an allowance made for the seam and thread. Thus a quilter's scant 1/4" seam would measure less than 1/4" (about 4 mm) when sewn, but when the seam is pressed after being sewn, the total seam width would be about 1/4 inch. The turned fabric and thread take about 1 to 2 mm. This knowledge is critical because exact stitching pieces are needed by quilters to match corners, otherwise their work becomes sloppy.