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Oct 9, 2013

FACT or FICTION: gingham on the bias is headache-inducing



Is it just me, or is gingham on the bias hard on the eyes?

Not to mention that any sort of diagonal check or plaid can really shorten you.



I'm about to start my black and white gingham shirt and was exploring the possibility of cutting the two fronts on the diagonal.  But when I draped it on Roy, I hated it.





Over-sized gingham can work on a skirt combined with a vertically cut bodice.  Case in point: Lauren.



I think this is because you're seeing the pattern at two different heights instead of side-by-side or one on top of the other.



So I'm afraid there won't be any major surprises with the shirt I'm about to make, which should end up looking like this:



Even a bias button placket seems like too much.



I do like the idea of some solid black here and there...



I made the blue and white gingham shirt below during my first year of sewing and it has always been a favorite.  Since I was running out of fabric, I was forced to cut the short sleeves on the bias.  But because of the way the sleeve attaches, the bias-cut sleeve cap seems to run right into the vertically cut fronts in a very pleasing way.





Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress.  It's already feeling late in the day to start anything; perhaps tomorrow.

In ditching news, more books out.  I hope you will agree that the living room, at least, is looking considerably better.





In closing, have you ever made a shirt using gingham cut on the bias?

What makes this fabric so hard to look at?

Have a great day, everybody!

25 comments:

  1. PapadesdeuxOctober 9, 2013 at 3:35 PM

    I have no idea. But hey, this is the first time I could be the first commenter. :))

    ReplyDelete
  2. MrsC (Maryanne)October 9, 2013 at 3:38 PM

    I don't know why, possibly our brains keep trying to straighten it up?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Little Black CarOctober 9, 2013 at 3:50 PM

    Gingham on the bias rocks! If I'm making something from plaid or gingham, I routinely cut patch pockets, sleeve bands, flounces, inset belts, etc. on the bias for contrast. Granted, most of what I make is from vintage patterns where that kind of whimsy is acceptable, but still. I love gingham in general, and I love it on the bias.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 4:01 PM

    I think a larger repeat works better in bias. I like them both and it adds a little quirk

    ReplyDelete
  5. lwOctober 9, 2013 at 4:02 PM

    While I really like your bias sleeves, I don't like the shirt front or placket on the bias. You don't want your shirt competing for attention with the rest of you.

    I love Lauren's dress and the one beneath it. Maybe the further away the bias-gingham gets, the better it looks?

    ReplyDelete
  6. lwOctober 9, 2013 at 4:03 PM

    Oops-- I meant to say, the further from a person's face the bias-cut gingham gets, the better they both look.

    ReplyDelete
  7. crosspatchOctober 9, 2013 at 4:05 PM

    No but I bought a Boden shirt in a charity shop to cut up for patchwork, it was barely worn but reminded me of a tablecloth, I suspect whoever owned it first didn't get on with the bias cut squares.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 5:09 PM

    No opinion regarding Gingham.
    But it isn't often I get to roll out one of my few claims to fame...
    I was once related, by marriage, to a Munchkin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter LappinOctober 9, 2013 at 5:21 PM

      Were you from the Emerald City? ;)

      Delete
    2. AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 7:09 PM

      If by Emerald City you mean Watertown Wisconsin then yes :-)
      Meinhardt Raabe who played the Coroner ( he pronounced the witch of the East dead) was a cousin of my then FIL. Meinhardt was also "Little Oscar" and got to drive the Oscar Mayer WeinerMobile.
      What a life!

      Delete
  9. ItMakesYouSmileOctober 9, 2013 at 5:10 PM

    Ouch! I totally agree. I makes my brain hurt. I do love the idea of solids for accents, however.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousOctober 9, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    I really like the bias placket and pocket. If you cut the shirt panels on the bias, wouldn't it fit closer to the body? That's what it does on bias dresses, anyway. May be a nice way for a slim fit.

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  11. MariliseOctober 9, 2013 at 5:19 PM

    Maybe it's the size of the check. Smallish checks seem to vibrate in a painful way while larger checks not so much. The bias cut placket is an easy way out of matching the checks on the front, but a perfectly matched straight cut placket seems classier.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AmyOctober 9, 2013 at 7:25 PM

    I have indeed made a shirt out of gingham on the bias. It was a large gingham - about one inch - and pink so color contrast is not as sharp: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87066814@N00/6043468485/sizes/m/in/photostream/ I'm not in love with the ruffles but I do like the gingham on the bias.

    ReplyDelete
  13. SusannahOctober 9, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    I'm rather fond of gingham on the bias. I have an out of print Sandra Betzina vogue pattern for a top cut on the bias, with sleeves included, and pleated cuffs. I've made it several times, once out of gingham weave silk. The bias cut is comfortable to wear, and I the bias gingham gives a bit more interest. I think there is a good case to mix up gingham - use some on the straight and some on the bias. I quite like the bias placket. (And there is an added advantage of not having to match up the checks!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. CarolynOctober 9, 2013 at 8:55 PM

    I really like a mix of bias and straight cut ginghams and plaids in a garment myself; looks really cool I reckon. I'm not surprised your gingham shirt has been a favourite, looks like a winner!

    ReplyDelete
  15. SeamsterEast@aol.comOctober 9, 2013 at 9:07 PM

    Just my opinion, but the dark stripes down on the diagonal might work better than dark stripes up. It seems it might focus the body of the shirt towards the center and face?? I dunno.

    ReplyDelete
  16. bethOctober 10, 2013 at 1:14 AM

    I think the very-high-contrast black/white gingham in conjunction with the bias is the problem; this is why you like the touches of black. They provide visual relief. A softer-contrast gingham on the bias would probably be fine.
    What if instead of mixing the bias with the vertical, you instead introduced a different "relief" color say teal or magenta? Or taxi cab yellow?

    ReplyDelete
  17. JulietOctober 10, 2013 at 5:05 AM

    Maybe it's to do with gingham being so close as a pattern - there's loads of lines going in all directions that can so easily buzz your eyes. Sometimes an eye buzz is good. Other times it's nausiating. Love your shirt with the short sleeves on the bias though! It works!

    ReplyDelete
  18. CleverclogsOctober 10, 2013 at 5:27 AM

    I agree about the placket, quite like the bias pocket but my personal choice would be solid contrasts say at the front placket, sleeve plackets and pocket cover, and match the checks at pocket.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Becky R.October 10, 2013 at 9:43 AM

    WOW! Peter, you are inspiring me with all this purging! Don't you feel lighter and less burdened? I like small touches of gingham on the bias, but not much. You should make it however you like it, so go for it!

    ReplyDelete
  20. ClioOctober 10, 2013 at 11:11 AM

    Fact! Definitely. I think the excellent examples of bias working well, work because there are non-bias areas to anchor your eyes, if that makes sense, and the scale makes them a bit less op-art-ish. OY! The small scale ginham make me feel like a migraine is coming on.

    ReplyDelete
  21. wingamajigOctober 10, 2013 at 12:10 PM

    It IS a fact, and here's some research:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11304022

    I do love a little bias, but probably on a lower-contrast fabric.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Alex in CaliforniaOctober 10, 2013 at 3:17 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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