4/23/07 Shoulder Pad Mysteries
Any one who deals with vintage clothing has also to cope with shoulder pads. They are essential for some styles in some decades. So where did they all go? We have wondered if they are similar to Erma Bombeck’s missing socks and have made their way to your sewing room. Perhaps the previous owners of vintage clothing all had high broad shoulders--but we don’t think so. Maybe one fell out--we find a lot of single shoulder pads in garments--so the other one was also taken out. But more likely they were removed to make--hopefully--the garment look more up-to-date. For example, the rounder more fitted shoulders of the 1950’s, saw many people taking shoulder pads out of their well padded 40’s clothing.
Some of them did not disappear, but hid in the garment itself. We have found shoulder pads in jacket sleeves, in the back of lined coats, under the arm, and dangling down the bosom. The disappearance must have confounded the owner, because in more than one case, a replacement pad was sewed in leaving the lost one hidden. We have found lining shoulders of jackets mutilated in order to get offending shoulder pads out.
Shoulder pads covered by linings in coats and jackets, seem to be stitched together sturdily and only need to reattached if they are loose. But some are huge in comparison to the style of the garment. Sometimes some of the layers of padding can be removed to thin them a bit.
The materials from which shoulder pads were made is a continuing source of wonder. The better made ones in dresses are covered with the same fabric of the garment. But many were made from very flimsy taffeta type rayon material which deteriorates through wearing, laundering and dry cleaning, leaking cotton wadding all the way. In all too many cases, the cotton batting filling has balled up and is hard and unyielding. Some pads are filled with mystery material related to sawdust and cement. We also can’t figure out the purpose of empty shoulder pads, which appear never to have had any filling. The color of some shoulder pads must have been matched to the garment by a color blind person. And shoulder pads are often way out of proportion to the garment--both too small and too large. One size does not fit all.
So what to do? Check to see if the garment ever had shoulder pads. You can usually find snipped thread tacks where they were taken out. The depth of the shoulder and arms eye are another clue. Put the garment on a dress form, or try it on to see how the fit looks with or without pads. If you decide it must have shoulder pads, look through your stash of shoulder pads--you do same all that stuff don’t you? Periodically check thrift stores. Once in a while, a whole bag of them will be there. Sometimes they show up with sewing supplies at auctions or in rummage, tag sales or yard sales. If you are lucky, you will find a pair of the right size and color. But more often you will need to cover a pair of the old pads you have on hand that are not covered with the right fabric. We find coat or jacket lining material that is in our stashed might-need-it-someday fabrics works well. Check placement on a dress form or by trying the garment on. Sew the pads on inside the seam allowance with the appropriate weight of thread--not carpet thread or fishing line, as we have found. And do not let the stitches show on the outside of the garment.
If nothing else works, and the garment has to have shoulder pads to retain its style and lines, make shoulder pads from new materials to be found at sewing and fabric stores. To tell the truth, the new polyester padding material is superior to the vintage kind. Most sewing instruction books from the decade in which your are working have good easy to understand information on making, shaping, fitting and attaching shoulder pads. Happily pad along.
4/15/03 - HEMS
We have found hems pinned with safety and straight pins, stapled and glued with silicone (not fabric) glue. Hems have been sewed or machine sewed with as many as four colors of thread, with carpet thread, buttonhole thread and with fishing line. The record of hems having been turned up from the original is four times. The record width of a turned up hem is eight". Sometimes people have turned up hems because they are short in height, but we suspect that many garments were shortened in an attempt to make them appear more current. A little research shows that the lengths of skirts and of coats and jackets is an integral part of the silhouette from a time period. Tampering drastically with hem lengths destroys the original proportions.
Our goal, and perhaps yours, is to restore hems as close as possible to the original. Perhaps some of these ideas will be of use when you acquire as-is pieces. A lot of vintage clothing is as-you-find it, just waiting for a caring owner.
If you decide you must work on a hem, the first task is to to take out the old hem "carefully" in good light. A sharp corsage pin works well. Curved needle nosed pliers or a surgical clamp can be useful when removing tiny machine stitches. Use a small brush to clean out the amazing amount of lint and debris you may uncover. Do this before you dry clean or launder the garment.
A good steamer or steam iron can often take out the mark of the turned up hem. Or you can try a steam sandwich. Put a strip of wet cloth on each side of the hem backed up on both sides with a strip of aluminum foil with shiny side next to the wet cloth. Cover with an ironing cloth or clean plain dish towel and iron away. Magic--or not. Some people have success spraying on plain vinegar before steaming. Allow to dry. If there is still a faint line often the new hem can be turned up just to that line. By using matching or slightly darker thread, new hand stitches mask the previous hemline mark. If you cannot find matching thread check out embroidery thread which comes in many colors.
If the bottom of the garment has been cut off so that there is very little material with which to make a hem, you will need to face it. Haunt some of the sources above for cotton and rayon hem facing materials. We do not like to use polyester binding or lace on older pieces. If you have to, cut your own bias facing of an appropriate width from fabric that matches as closely as possible. You do save all that stuff don’t you?
There are no magic answers. Sometimes nothing works well. But we keep trying. Hem a garment, so that the future owner cannot say, ‘The mad stitcher struck again.”
