Saturday Sewing: Making the perfect culottes with Jalie

The Jalie team is really happy to be part of the Janome Artisan group to share our love of sewing. As some of you may already know, we are a Canadian sewing pattern company based near Quebec City. Jeanne founded Jalie in 1983 and hasn’t stopped creating sewing patterns for the whole family since then.

For our first collaboration with Janome, we are presenting you our latest pattern add-on (a pattern add-on is extra pieces you use along with a regular pattern to get more mileage out of it).

Mommy & Me versions of the culottes, sewn with the Memory Craft 6700P and AT2000D serger

We launched the GENEVIÈVE pull-on gathered skirt pattern earlier this year and are really excited to share this new add-on that make culottes.

The culottes add-on, just like the original skirt pattern, comes in 28 sizes. We made sizes F(2) and S for a mommy & me project. We used a lovely rayon from Mind the Maker. Some pretty neat features on both Janome machines helped us get the clean and professional finish we wanted.

Thread cutters are a great way to save time when sewing. It works like a charm on the Janome MC6700P!

When sewing with the Janome Memory Craft 6700P, we used the HP needle plate and foot (that are both easy and quick to change). We love how much control and precision we have with the narrower foot, similar to what you would find on industrial machines. It is a must for precise topstitching!

The machine lives up to its reputation. It feels solid, modern, and the larger pedal that does not move around when sewing. The speed and thread cutter make sewing faster and easier.

Don’t hesitate to pull out the user manual to learn more about all the features of your machine!

See how well this paper bag waist turned out! Topstitching over stretched out elastic can be tricky but it was a walk in the park with the narrow foot and feed dogs that insures the sewing is even and smooth from start to finish.

Elastic waistband with a paper bag effect / ruffles at the top edge

HEMMING A CURVED EDGE

Have you ever had a hard time hemming curved edges? Fear no more! Turn up the differential dial (the small dial on the right-hand side of the machine to gently gather the edge of the hem. You get the great finish of the serged seam and it will be easy to fold to the wrong side of the fabric. We used the Janome AT2000D Air thread serger for this step. 

The gathers will make the edge shorter, which you will see makes folding the hem up much easier. Fold the hem to the wrong side and give it a good press.

Almost done! You are now ready to top stitch with the Janome MC6700P. The fabric is nice and flat, thanks to the small adjustment made to the differential setting 🙂

The final result is a pair of fun and breezy culottes that you can make for you or a loved one. Hop on the culottes trend. A fast project that is great for beginners too!

We look forward to seeing your skirts and culottes on social media #jaliegenevieve

Happy sewing 🙂

USEFUL LINKS:
– Jalie Skirt pattern
– Jalie Culottes add-on
– Janome Memory Craft 6700P
– Janome AT2000D Air thread serger
– HP Plate and Foot set