Thread: Cut-outs advice?

Ok ladies,

After having been inspired by Lara's thread on making accessories I have decided to bite the bullet and incorporate cut-outs into my costumes (bra, belt, skirt, gauntlets). I've been dying to do them but haven't been brave enough to try.

I was told to trace the perimeter of the cutout with the button-stitch on the machine, and then to cut out the center fabric of the cut out. Is this correct? Is there another way anyone else has successfully made cut outs?

Also, what are your experiences with stretchy fabrics? Do they make cutouts any more difficult? I'm scared of making a great looking cut-out which morphs into something unrecognizable once I put it on the body... ridiculous?

I too would like to know more about this subject (I would love to make cut out gauntlets!)... I once had a friend (who makes super hero spandex costumes) suggest Dream Weave Fusible. Anyone use this before?

Dream Weave Fusible

Do you want cutouts that have fixed edges or flexible (can stretch, too)? If you want the first ones (which is what most dance costumes are), you will need some kind of staystitching, but whether a button stitch, a zigzag stitch, or even a straight stitch with specialized thread would be the better choice depends on:

• Your fabrics (Do they run easily? Are they comparably stretchy or are you mixing fabrics with different amounts of elasticity?)

• Your pattern (How much stress do you expect these seams to be under? How intricate are the cutouts?)

• Your machine. (How can you get the best results with the equipment you have? My machine would produce a horribly stiff, curly seam on the buttonhole setting. I'd have to use a looser zigzag.)

There isn't an obvious answer. You really have to buy a little extra fabric and experiment. Using a third product like an interfacing or another kind of reinforcing fabric may be the way to go, too.

here are some tips i've found... this website is a fountain of information on costuming....

on the left, look for 'cutouts in costumes' ... it's originally translated from German, but you should be able to understand the majority (if not all) of it.

Nadya's sewing hints for belly dance / oriental dance costumes;

Tourbeau, I figured from your post that you did some experimenting with making cut-outs. Could you post some pictures of examples of the methods you're describing??

Originally Posted by mekyria

Tourbeau, I figured from your post that you did some experimenting with making cut-outs. Could you post some pictures of examples of the methods you're describing??

Yes, I'm interested in your answer too as in my experience a cut-out comes as part of a costume that uses stretch material - no stretch = lumps and bumps and a nasty finish as cut-outs usually appear on the thigh areas and sometimes on breast areas if the seamstress is experienced enough.

I would LOVE to see some pics of your examples...

Actually, I don't like cutouts and don't put them on the costumes I make. Everything I've written comes from general advice on sewing with stretch fabrics or trying to combine fabrics with different stretch. It is very much a process of trial and error to find a combination of techniques that will get good behavior out of knits, even for mundane tasks like making necklines. I've done a lot of experimenting with adapting patterns intended for wovens for stretch fabrics (regular clothes patterns, not costumes), and I've learned a lot about what does and doesn't work from that experience. Any time you're working with elasticity, it is always a balance to find a sewing method that preserves the stretch without distorting it, and every sewing machine and combination of fabrics will produce slightly different results.

As far as the specific result of getting buckling when something that is non-stretch meets the stretchy rest of the garment, this may be a problem of thread tension, but usually it means the stretchy part was not expanded properly (stretched the way it will be on the body) when the non-stretch part was attached. If you're not using some sort of dressmaker's dummy or frame when basting or pinning the pieces together, the likelihood of getting a finished piece that will look flat and relaxed is pretty small. (An older dancer I know said she left the stretchy sides on her bras, but covered them by wearing the bra around her legs and rotating the work area to the top of her lap as she went.) Personally, I try to rely on pinning as little as possible. Hand basting, sometimes with an intermediate step of machine basting, usually gives me the best results.

uh oh... I must admit, I'm losing confidence in ever incorporating cut outs into my costumes after reading all this. I usually work with crushed velvet (sometimes it has stretch and sometimes not). Originally I had thought (for some crazy reason) that stretch velvet would be easier to do cutouts in... now I'm rethinking that.

I was planning on doing some basic, diamond-shaped cutouts in a stretch velvet gauntlet and a bigger cutout in a stretch velvet on the side of a mermaid skirt that I was going to cover underneath with colored mesh but given all the stretch, this may not be the best idea :( Sadness!

Any more advice given my specific plans? Or should I just give up hope and move on to something else? :(

You can always add backing later, so let's start with a plain hole. Here's an experiment: Take a spare scrap of fabric, and outline a small diamond shape with your tailor's chalk or non-permanent fabric marker. This is practice, so you don't need to start full size--just big enough to work with, and depending on how big a scrap you have, you might be able to get a second larger shape out of your experimental swatch by cutting a bigger hole around the first one. Carefully trace your shape with a narrow zigzag stitch on your machine. Poke a hole into the fabric to get your scissors started, and trim the interior fabric away, leaving the stitching intact. (If you put straight pins across your intersection points, this will help prevent accidentally cutting through the stitching.)

How does your experiment look? Did the fabric behave nicely going through the machine, or was it more difficult to adjust the stretch going one way or another? Does the hole lay flat or is it puckery? Pull on it from different angles. Does the thread break? Did it lose its shape or go back the way it was supposed to? Does the fabric run? Do the edges curl in ways that you couldn't conceal by adding trim on top of it? Do you need to try the experiment again using a different stitch or tension on the machine? Do you think you would you get a better result if you put some sort of removable (tear-away or soluble) stabilizer underneath?

This will give you a better idea of how feasible your design is. Cutouts obviously aren't impossible, because people make them, but at least this should provide some specific feedback on how difficult they will be for you to make on your machine with the fabric you want.

Don't get discouraged! It's just like anything else- you just need to go into it knowing not everything will go right every single time, and you will need to play around. arm bands are actually a little easier to experiment on, because, tho going around an arm, there are not major contours like there are at the hip or elsewhere (unless you are going over the elbow)

and yeah, every fabric is a little different. I am lining a stretch lace with a nude milliskin right now, and it has been torture getting everything to line up correctly, even without cut outs! Stretch fabric is not for the faint of heart, but you can do so much creative stuff with it, I just can't stay away!

I usually use the spray on glue to hold stuff together on stretch, rather than pins. I forget what it is called. I also use blank stencil plastic to make stencils for what I am working on, then use a chalk bag to mark them- easier than tracing things out by hand, and you don't get the pull on the stretch fabric which you can get from pencils.

Regarding the remarks about using stretch fabric with different amounts of stretch:

The trick is to make a garment that fits, regardless of the stretch in the fabric. For example, if you have a skirt that is tight, but fits with a minimum amount of stretch, you can add a net fabric that stretches less then the base fabric. Bot layers will not be stretched much, so the difference in stretchability will not be very noticeable.


With regards to cut-outs in bra/belt, I'm nearly done with a set in the Bella style. I've written about it in detail on my livejournal, including pictures of the process. Some tips:
-you don't need to buttonhole the whole edge, regular zigzag works fine
-the trickiest part is covering the edges of the cut-out with fabric: I recommend using lycra because it's easier to stretch over the edges, even when you have a tiny holes and subsequently a small amount of fabric to cover the edges.

I'm also making a cut out costume (totally inspired by Mekryia's turkish cut out costume). I reinforced everything if not double then triple so that it can support itself (I'll have to post pictures). Tonight I'm hoping to sew the base securely and start working on covering the cut-outs (14 'ring' shaped pieces). I did a test run last night and its possible, just going to take patience.

Any product you would recommend that stops fabric from fraying? I have that issue with chiffon which is why we maintain a love-hate relationship :(

My main advice is to use a stretchy, non fraying fabric to cover a bra/belt base, especially if you want to make cut-outs. To prevent fraying on synthetic fabrics (organza/chiffon) carefully run the edge through a flame. Practice on scraps first! Or if you need a quick fix, use clear nail polish.

You can also use clear nail polish to seal of knots from your beaded fringe, it will increase the durability of the fringe.

I rarely find non-fraying fabrics that I like for my costumes. Am I missing out? Any suggestions?

I love hologram print lycra/spandex, as it adds extra glitter and it's easy to sew and drape.

Originally Posted by Nuriya

I rarely find non-fraying fabrics that I like for my costumes. Am I missing out? Any suggestions?

That so sounds like me! Someday I will choose fabric because it is easy to work with and considered suitable for what I want to do with it...

stay stitching, burning the edges of synthetics, fray check... regular counseling... mounds of chocolate...

ETA- oh yeah- and spandexworld.com. lots of fun stretchy stuff over there.