Welcome to Day One of the Coats and Clark Eloflex Thread Super Blog Tour. If you’re new here – welcome to my Sewful Life!
If you’re already a follower, you’ve heard me raving, gushing and totally crushed on Coats and Clark’s new Eloflex Stretch Thread. And, there will be more today, because it deserves it and because I have an Eloflex Sample Pack GIVEAWAY for you. Woohoo! Happy Dance! Was that loud enough? I’ll try again . . . . .
G I V E A W A Y ! ! ! ! !
Because I blog for Make it Coats, I had the privilege of testing Eloflex last year and became a fan immediately. I’ve already sampled it on stretch wovens, double gauze, knits, swimwear and lingerie fabrics. It’s the most revolutionary sewing magic I’ve seen in a very long time!!
My Latest Eloflex® Make
Today I wanted to show you a top I recently made from one of my fave TNT (Tried n True) patterns – Katherine Tilton’s Vogue 8817. I did a little pattern hacking along the way, so we’ll talk about that. And, of course, I’ll tell you why Eloflex was the ONLY way to sew for this top!
Working with a gorgeous knit stripe and a solid black I purchased locally at Pacific Fabrics (yes, they carry Eloflex!), I sketched out design possibilities for View C in my Cashmerette sketchbook. After sketching, I decided to go sleeveless with black trim. I was on my way to Texas for a family reunion and even a short sleeve sounded way too hot!
The yoke top was cut with the stretch and the stripe horizontal to keep the fit intact. But, because I love “playing” with stripes, I used the stripes vertically on the lower “skirt” part of my top. To make sure they were straight, I cut the fabric in a single layer, one half at a time, rather than folding it double. (Click on the pictures above for more notes!)
After cutting my yoke pieces, I double checked my design decision by laying the upper and lower pieces together to make sure I still liked the look. I did, so it was time to serge, press and topstitch!
Eloflex-ably Excellent
This is where the beauty of Eloflex begins. If you’ve sewn knits with a sewing machine in the past, although it didn’t make a smooth seamline, you probably used a small zigzag stitch to add stretch. But, what about topstitching? A small zigzag just isn’t fabulous for topstitching – you really need a straight stitch, right? And, now you can do that. Use Eloflex for your top and bobbin thread and bask in the glow of the stretch! (Yes, I do have a stuffed Mickey watching me sew. Doesn’t everyone?)
I did my yoke topstitching as soon as my front and back pieces were assembled, so I didn’t have to work around the side seams once they were sewn.
Eloflex retains it’s beautiful, thrilling stretch once it’s sewn in a straight stitch. So you can stitch seams, hems (above) and topstitching with confidence. Oh. My. Goodness. It is such a pleasure to straight stitch a knit on a sewing machine without worrying about the stitching going snap, crackle and pop when you move around!
A Fabulous Trim Made Sew Much Better
My favorite trim for knit clothing armholes and necklines is a self-fabric strip that is sewn, to the edge of the opening, then folded over the seam allowance and topstitched. I first trimmed the seam allowances from those openings, then attached it after the shoulder and side seams were sewn. It creates a very professional finish!
In the past, I had to stretch the fabric while sewing and topstitching to build give into the finished openings. I am absolutely thrilled with how much better my favorite trim is now that I have Eloflex to stitch with!
My Finished Top & The GIVEAWAY!
I love this top and it’s been so comfortable to wear! It performed quite well when I got a little silly with my cousin Sandi at the family reunion. And, it was perfect under a cardigan last week while eating homemade ice cream with good friends.
And, now for the GIVEAWAY!!! This wonderful 10 Spool Eloflex Sample Pack will be given away soon and it’s easy to enter to win. Just leave a comment right now on this post and you’re in! I’ll announce the winner on Friday, September 1st at 9:00 am PT. So, you can enter with a comment until then and you’ve got just over a week to enter and tell your friends!
Plus, Make it Coats is giving away a special grand prize, too. Click here to enter – the winner could easily be YOU!
Thanks again for stopping by! You can learn even more about Eloflex Stretch Thread by clicking here. And, if you can’t find it locally, you can purchase a spool or 12 by clicking here. If you’d like to enjoy more of my Sewful Life, you can follow me by email, WordPress or Bloglovin’. Just look to the side of this page and sign up for your choice. I’ll be back with more Sewfulness soon!
Moment of Further Truth:
Coats and Clark provided the Eloflex thread I’ve been sewing with and the lovely Eloflex Sample Pack for the giveaway. This post includes affiliate links and I may receive a small payment if you make a purchase using that link. Thank you if you do – it helps to keep The Sewful Life stitching along and I sincerely appreciate your support. But, the rest of this is all me and I only rave about things if I truly believe in them!