Did anyone else learn the Stretch N Sew method during the late 70s? I can't tell you how many Tshirts, sleepers and pajamas I made with that system!

Oh yeah! And from there, I moved on to Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers and then Kwik Sew's Sewing for Children. I still have half a roll of Do-Sew! My daughter was EXTREMELY picky about her clothes - nothing could touch her waist, and no zippers or bows or buttons or elastic anywhere. And her taste was rather flamboyant. You know when you go to a fabric store and you wonder who on earth would want anything with 6" frogs on it? Now I know!!

wow I think I missed out on this as I have never heard of it. this sounds just wonderful & the skills you all learned you still use today. Will it come back?

1 comment

by graceandham 19 Feb 2014

Stretch and Sew died because wovens took preference over knits and S&S was ALL about stretch, even in the patterns. They didn't work for wovens. I'm guessing that if Ann Person is still alive, she is quite old. It was a fabulous system and I still admire her work.

Thank you Jan for this post - for me this is what Cute is all about. What a forum we have here - it has bought back so many memories. Hugs Sarah

Yes, I remember and I made plenty of little t-shirt and shorts sets for summer and then fleecy suits for winter for the boys. My husband wore home-made windcheaters when he was teaching and I wore an elegant top and longish skirt set that was praised repeatedly and I had a wardrobe of windcheaters that fitted me!!!! Where did those days go??? Well, for one thing the boys grew up and I grew out, as did DHDon and then the fabric became less easy to find. When it did appear back on the fabric shop shelves the quality had disappeared.
'Progress' doesn't always mean 'better'...... or am I sinking into another Senior Moment state when 'in the old days' is going to start the next comment????
AlmaG.

1 comment

by almag 12 Feb 2014

Back again....had to save the spuds from burning.

In those days I had a wonderful old Bernina that did zigzag stitch and that's what I used to neaten the seams - no expensive serger then. Those clothes lasted and were passed onto the next-size-down child and my tops ended up on Lifelines racks.
I still use the skills, like quarter pinning. I do so wish I could buy some of that pretty fabric with the body it had back then.
We had a little shop in the Mount dedicated to stretch and knit fabrics and it did a roaring trade.

Wow you are bringing back a lotmof memories for me. Thanks <3

I remember taking the classes in the Washington DC area, when I lived there but after 3 moves I have lost all my patterns I liked the wrap around skirt and t-shirt the best. At that time I made all the clothes for myself and the boys. My husband still had to have store bought. I wish I was able to find some of the old patterns.

3 comments

by hightechgrammy 08 Feb 2014

HI Beth, Welcome to Cuties! I think there are people selling the patterns on eBay still! I still have some of mine, at least. I can't believe how many t shirts I made.

by cfidl 11 Feb 2014

Welcome to Cute Beth!

by airyfairy 12 Feb 2014

Welcome Beth

Oh my gosh! I had forgotten all about Stretch-n-sew. Dates me just a bit :-) I made all my daughter's clothes with that system and buying fabric then was so cheap - you could make an outfit for about $1. I don't sew clothing anymore - just embroider and quilt, but everything I learned is still up there - somewhere. Vida

2 comments

by hightechgrammy 08 Feb 2014

I wish we could still buy those nice knits and make our own tshirts to embroider.

by graceandham 11 Feb 2014

When I see a striped knit now, it looks soooo cheesy. (Cheap.) They were so beautiful with their matched dye lots and carrying last years solids into this year's stripes so you could expand on last year's sewing. Makes me wax nostalgic.

I still have all my patterns. Haven't used them in ages. WAY before I had an embroidery machine, I made all of my nieces (and I have lots of them) nightgowns for Christmas and painted designs on the fronts of all of them. They loved them and they looked so cute. Made my hubby a pair of pants with knit that was sold to me as navy, but when he got in the sunshine they were practically electric blue. He only wore them once!!

I can't tell you how many of their baby sleepers I made. They fit babies perfectly, and they were adorable and simple! You used that gripper fabric on the bottoms of the feet. Do you think babies would still like them?

2 comments

by greysewist 07 Feb 2014

I'm sure they would as long as they are comfy. Maybe shelf liner would work on top of fabric for the feet if you can't still get gripper fabric -it comes in lots of colours these days.

by turtleowl 09 Feb 2014

Non-slip fabric still available. Made some sleepers and slippers at Christmas and bought some at JoAnns.

A friend and I went to the knitwit classes - it was brilliant. You could spot a knitwit by the children's clothes. I loved the placket on the tee shirt and the crossover in the collar. At that time there was a place in Richmond suburb in Melbourne where you could get cut offs and you paid by the weight despite what the fabric was. Made it very cheap. We had a thriving textile industry in Melbourne and by mid 90's it was all gone. Fond memories!

1 comment

by greysewist 07 Feb 2014

I used to get a lot of my fabric from Queen Vic market in Melbourne, Agatha. That too, died quite a bit as far as fabric goes.

For those who want to know more, some of the things I recall learning were: pin marking in quarters -we would make a waistband from elastic, measuring about 3/4 of the waist measurement, make it into a circle and place pins across the elastic at quarter points. Pin the actual garment also at quarters then match them up to sew on the waistband. I loved finding out how to make stretch trousers. Make both legs separately, then turn one inside out and insert inside the other, to sew the crotch seam (& centre front and back, all in one). I found that the best tip ever! Anyone else care to share tips you recall?

4 comments

by hightechgrammy 07 Feb 2014

Do you remember the proportions for the neckband for t-shirts? I remember we made the band first, then (like the waistbands) divided them into fourths, pinning them with the raw neckline, stretched the band as we stitched the band to the neckline. It always turned out beautifully. But was the proportion 3/4 or was it 2/3?

by greysewist 07 Feb 2014

2/3 plus 12mm seam allowance. Width of rib trim is twice the desired finished width plus 12mm seam allowance as well :) -sorry, you'll probably need to convert from metric.

by hightechgrammy 08 Feb 2014

Thanks sew much! I probably would have tried the 3/4 and it wouldn't have been tight enough!

by greysewist 08 Feb 2014

And you'd then have learned -like we all do, with the 'trial and error method'! Hopefully you'd have tried a long stitch first that you could take out again easily if the fit wasn't quite right! As long as you stretched the fabric as you went, it still should work fine enough to check :)

Yes! In front of me on the wall is a certificate, saying that I'm 'A Certified Knitwit' LOL In Australia, many of us became Knitwits, by doing a particular stretch sewing course that had it's own patterns and books. I think it's one of those things where you remember the techniques for years to come.

2 comments

by hightechgrammy 07 Feb 2014

It sounds just like Stretch and Sew! It really made sewing so simple and some of the techniques transferred over to regular sewing!

by airyfairy 12 Feb 2014

So Knitwit was in Australia as well.

I remember sewing with all the knits and big "Foot ball player " sized shoulder pads. We looked as if we were ready to play. Kay

Oh yes... took my classes in Claremont, Ca.. in the 60's and 70's .. made a ton of clothes for my girls and son.... I learned so much from those classes and still use what I learned today in many of the new fabrics..Also took lessons on Smocking and Silk Ribbon embroidery when my grandchildren were babies.. still have my smocking pleater..

Yes I did, only I took mine in the 80's when my girls were little-oh so long ago. I still use some of their patterns for my grandchildren!! There used to be a shop that sold fabric with the matching ribbing that went with it. I made most of my girls clothes back then. I always wished I had an embroidery machine back then.....didn't even know they made such a thing!

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 07 Feb 2014

I remember they had nice quality knits, expensive, but really heavy and that wonderful ribbing that matched and you bought it by the inch!

I still have a whole container full of their patterns. This baby one got a lot of use. Was living in Freeport, Illinois and took the course in Rockford about thirty miles away right around 1981.

1 images:[1]

2 comments

by basketkase 03 Feb 2014

A couple of friends just moved to Freeport from Rockford...
Small world, huh?

by capoodle 04 Feb 2014

I miss the smell of the candy factory that Freeport has or used to have when we lived there. The smell of butterscotch would permeate the city.

Yes, took the basic course, plus bathing suits, baby classes, and men's pants. Loved it all and my clothes fit me like a glove, which back then was a good thing. Still have all my patterns and have begun to pick up some I didn't have at Salvation Army and other thrifts. Nobody knows what they are or how they work, so they're waiting for me at 25 cents. If you loved Stretch and Sew, you'll love the Kwik Sew patterns out now. (My Hancock Fabrics sells Kwik Sew). Back in the day, I made a jacket, 2 pants and a skirt plus 3-5 blouses all to coordinate. Everything in my closet was chosen by the Color Me Beautiful (a book) system of seasonal colors and most of it was Stretch and Sew. Some Ann Person or SandS brand notions were still available in the last 5 years or so, but its mostly gone as a company!

2 comments

by dailylaundry 03 Feb 2014

I just came across my "Color Me Beautiful" book in a box in our basement!!!

by graceandham 06 Feb 2014

Get it out and review your season. I went back and discovered a couple of colors I ignored before. I think the illustrations held up a little better than most old dresses pics of that time.

I did a similar course in the early 1990s. Was too busy having babies in the 70s and no money.
I make all my own undies and occasionally my bras too.
For the USA girls try Kwik Sew. They have 'Learn To Sew' patterns in Stretch & Wovens plus a lovely range of books with patterns.
McCalls Australia distributes them here in Australia. You can find them in lots of fabric stores and in Spotlight. I also use Knit Wit patterns but they are only available 2nd hand now. I buy good stretch fabric from KnitWit in Perth - they do mail order.
My bra patterns come from BoobyTraps, another Australian company that does mail order.

5 comments

by ribblev 01 Feb 2014

great information, thanks for sharing.......Ann

by danababes 04 Feb 2014

I have the Kwik Sew Sewing For Babies, Sewing For Toddlers and Sewing for Children books, and Kiwk Sew are my preferred range of patterns (also buy from Spotlight) :) xXx

by greysewist 07 Feb 2014

I did my Knitwit course in Perth in around 1980, I think, Patricia :)

by hightechgrammy 07 Feb 2014

Great information. I never got into making underwear!

by Patricia109 10 Feb 2014

I started because I could not find a pair of undies that I liked under $10 in the 1990s. Now I make a bra and 3 pairs of undies for the cost of one bra. Plus I know that all 4 will fit and last longer than shop bought.

That really goes back in time! That was the "thing" in fabric back then.

Look what I found on Amazon! It was such a simple and fast way of sewing, it changed my way of thinking about sewing. We can still buy patterns on eBay! You don't cut the patterns, which come in multiple sizes, you copy them onto pattern paper. There are ratios for cutting all the ribbing for necklines, wrists, ankles, etc.
I bet there are Youtube videos!

1 images:[1]

Oh, my, Yes...boy did I just date myself??? Truth be told, it was a great technique for sewing knit fabrics...Hmmm, I wonder if it will have a resurgence?

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 01 Feb 2014

What was great was you could make NICE T shirts, in the colors you wanted, and we could put the designs on first now.

OOH sounds very interesting
I too would like to know more please !!
Big hugs

That was many moons ago - but I sure wish I could take such a class now! I would like to alter some t-shirts and I don't remember a "stitch" of what I learned then!

Yes, I did! That was such a big deal and all the "leisure suits" and panties...ha! It worked great on my old faithful Bernina 930 with the factory set pressure foot tension.............I still use my 930 with its second motor but sew very few knits now. Thanks for the memories!

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 01 Feb 2014

Think how easy it would be to make embroidered sleepers now, we could do the design first, then sew them up. They always fit the babies so perfectly!

never heard of it wish you could tell us some more about it? I love making knits for sleepwear.

I went to classes called Knitwit or something like that, at about the same time period. It was incredibly clever learning about stretch seams. The problem was I hated the materials we worked with as it was like crimpelene (sp!). Tossed my notes out many years ago.

Yes I took that couse as well, it was fabulous! I wish I could remember how the elastic was attached. Everything seemed to go together so fast and perfect. Now if I could just find my notebook on that ... my family says I keep everything.

Never heard of it - tell us more!

3 comments

by mops 01 Feb 2014

Neither have I - and I'm curious too.

by capoodle 03 Feb 2014

The patterns were made for knits with multiple sizes on one big sheet that you laid a tissue paper or any see through medium like a cut away and drafted your own patterns to your body measurements. There are similar systems that are even better then these were that come in a note book with a special tape measure and are available at this link: http://www.lutterloh-system.com/

by awesome1 07 Feb 2014

Oh, I have the lutterloh system- video and all. I attempted to use it once and gave up!

No but I would be interested in knowing more

4 comments

by spendlove 01 Feb 2014

Get back to that housework!

by mops 01 Feb 2014

That's the teacher in her - in the past she said homework. lol

by spendlove 01 Feb 2014

LOL

by asterixsew 01 Feb 2014

sorry miss off I'm to do the housework now, promise

I have sewn some knits, with success, but I certainly need a refresher course.

Was this the one using knits? I loved it.