Sewing 101 Thank You

Hasn't Sewing 101 been so fun???

 

I have learned so many great new tips and tricks. 
I wanted to thank again each of the wonderful contributors.  Please be sure to visit your favorites and let them know you appreciated their work.

Cheryl @ a pretty cool life

Anna @ Noodlehead

Holly @ Bijou Lovely

Lynnette @ Get Your Craft On

Jessica @ Running with Scissors

Shilo @ "Toad"ly Crafty

Caroline @ Carolina Fair Designs

Deidre @ A Craft A Day

Suzannah @ Adventures in Dressmaking

Christine @ Design Esquire

Larissa @ mmmcrafts

Tasha @ Creation Corner

Kari @ Handmade Mommy

C @ on-hand modern

Shannon @ Shannon Makes Stuff

Kalleen @ Second Street

Kristin @ Pea Pod Creations

Melissa @ The Polka Dot Chair

Traci @ Amazing Mae

Sewing 101 will be an on-going feature for my blog.  Hopefully each first Saturday of the month, we'll have a new guest or I'll be sharing a sewing 101 tip.  

Additionally, I'll continue to add to the fun link post HERE. 

Thank you to each wonderful lady who helped to make this series such a success!

 

Sewing 101 with Traci, Applique Basics

For our final Sewing 101 post of July, we're joined by Traci of Amazing Mae.  I first found Traci's blog by looking for applique tips, and I've been smitten ever since.  

I think a onesie was one of the first things I appliqued on as a gift for a friend's baby. Applique is so easy and there are so many different ideas out there. Some of the best ideas come when you just start playing around with your fabric scraps. Look at the stores around you (Gap, Lands End Kids, mini Boden, and Carters) and check out what great images they are appliqueing on kids clothing. The ideas are limitless. Also, Martha's website has tons of patterns under templates and clip art. There are also a few patterns on my blog on the sidebar under PATTERNS. Or, just take a simple image from a coloring book. It's so easy and makes clothing more personal.

STEP ONE is to gather your supplies - simple - you need just need Heat'n Bond or Wonder Under as well as some Stabilizer. The Heat'n Bond comes in a package and the Wonder Under or Stabilizer comes by the yard. You will also need scraps of fabric and matching thread.
STEP TWO - Decide on your applique image. I decided to make a cat on my daughter's shirt. I had seen a similar one in a shop in the spring and loved it so I drew out a pattern.

STEP THREE - Adhere the Heat'n Bond (following package directions) or Wonder Under (I really like them both) to the back side of the fabric or all fabric swatches/scraps you are going to use. STEP FOUR - Trace and cut out the pattern pieces on the back paper side of the Heat'n Bond or Wonder Under and cut them out.

STEP FIVE - Unpeel the paper backing of your shapes and lay them out on the item of clothing you are appliqueing on.

STEP SIX - Iron down the fabric according to the directions on the Heat'n Bond pkg. or Wonder Under directions.

STEP SEVEN - Cut out a piece of Stabilizer (sometimes I use medium weight interfacing as well) and pin on the inside of the fabric. Now stabilizer is ONLY needed when appliqueing on knit or light weight material. If you are appliqueing on anything that is sturdy, I do not think this step is necessary.

STEP EIGHT - Either zig zag stitch around the outside of the applique making sure you catch the applique and the fabric underneath or straight stitch about 1/4" inside the applique fabric all the way around. Either of these techniques work and it just depends on the look you are going for - clean applique would use the zig zag (the tighter the cleaner) and the straight stitch will provide a more casual look (the more you wash it the more the fabric on the edges fray).
STEP NINE - Stitch any accents like this cat's mouth and whiskers with several layers of a straight stitch making sure to back stitch at the beginning and end.

STEP TEN - Admire your work and start going through your son and daughters' closets finding other clothing that you can embellish.

UPDATE:  Traci added some extra tips in a blog post on her site...click HERE for the info.  

Thank you so much, Traci.  The kitty is too cute.  Please hop on over and see all the fun stuff on Traci's blog.  It was her blog that really inspired me to start blogging.  Some of my favorite projects are the birthday banners, road trip pillowcase and the trinket keepers. 

Sewing 101 with Melissa, What to do when things don't work out

Today we welcome Melissa from The Polka Dot Chair.  She shares with us her tips for when your sewing project is not going smoothly.

On my blog I am frequently  asked questions about how to sew, most are pretty specific and I answer them the best that I can, and some are more general, like "how do you learn to sew?", "where do I start?" and "what did I do wrong?" I think anyone that has ever sewn has felt the frustration of a project that is not going the way you envisioned it.  I've been sewing since I was 15 and I can say that this has happened to me many many times.  My husband has walked into my sewing room several times with a "why are you even doing this?" look on his face, and sometimes I agree with him (after resisting the urge to throw my sewing machine out the window *wink*) So I thought for my Sewing 101 contribution today I 'd share with you some of the "tips & tricks" that I have discovered in my years of sewing. The little things that I think help you get a finished project that you are proud of.

Number 1-Ask for help Most everyone who is sewing now had some help at the beginning of their sewing career.  Maybe you have a friend who is an excellent seamstress, or a Grandmother who would love to share some of her knowledge with you, odds are that you know someone who can help you learn. Don't just ask "will you teach me to sew", that is too broad a statement and may ruffle a few feathers of the person you are asking... say something like "I started sewing this purse and got a pretty good start but now I'm at a point that I am stuck and was wondering if you could help me out a bit?" If you want to learn at some point there will be some "trial & error" and the only way to get past it is just to TRY, you are capable of doing a lot more than you think you are!! Give it a shot on your own then when you get stuck, turn to your friend to get some help. You can also try bribing them with something like "If I make a yummy lunch this week can you come over for a bit and help me with a project I'm working on?"... Most seamstress I know are easily bribed with food!

Number 2- Iron, then Iron again!! It may seem like a pain to get up from your sewing machine and go over to your ironing board to iron each seam you sew, but you MUST do it!! There is no better tip that I can give you than to IRON! I can always tell a project that was poorly pressed along the way.  Invest in a good quality iron, next to your sewing machine this will be the most valuable tool in your sewing arsenal!

Number 3- Take a class! Even though I learned to sew as a teenager I still took sewing classes as an Adult.   I can not tell you how much this has helped me.  The teachers always helped me to look at things in new ways.  I learned techniques that I never would have figured out on my own, plus there is the added bonus that you FINISH the project durning the class, so it doesn't get thrown in the "someday" pile. Most cities have either heirloom sewing or quilting stores that offer classes, talk a friend into going with you and be BRAVE and just sign up!

Number 4- Walk away... If you get to the point in a project where you are sewing sloppily or find yourself saying "good enough" more than a few times... walk away... Put it down and go do something else. This is the thing that took me the longest to figure out.  I can not tell you how many times I have woken up in the morning  and had a "uggggg" moment because I stayed up too late working on something that I was really not in the "mood" to be working on. If you get frustrated with a project or  lose interest, it's OKAY to leave it for a bit.  Nine times out of ten you will get your "mojo" back soon and be able to finish it up.  There is nothing worse that working while your frustrated! So don't do it!!

Number 5- Just unpick it... I know no one ever likes to unpick something they have just sewn... but just do it. If it's not right, you will expend more energy trying to fix it later than just unpicking it in the first place.

Number 6- Change your Needle Once in a class I took the instructor informed us that we should change our needle every-time we start a new project.  I don't change mine that often but try to change it every few projects.  A  lot of times a dull needle will cause your machine to skip stitches, pull fabric or cause problems with your tension.  So ask yourself "when was the last time you changed your needle?"... Probably been a while...

Number 7- Rethread your Machine Just think of it like rebooting your computer, one little thing can fix a multitude of ills.  If you break a needle, break your thread,  or your machine starts sewing funny,  rethread it.  Trust me it works :)

Wonderful advice, Melissa.  My seam ripper and I have too cozy of a relationship!  Check out Melissa's blog and the fabulous projects she shares like this adorable baby dress and quilt or her Thanksgiving countdown calendar.

Sewing 101 with Kristin, Creating a casing

Today we welcome Kristin from Pea Pod Creations. She's sharing a very important technique if you are making pants...or anything else with elastic or a drawstring. 

What's a casing?
And how in the world to I make one?




I've totally asked myself these very questions when I started sewing....don't you just love when you are reading a tutorial and you think to yourself "I'd really like to make that, but I don't even understand the terminology?"

Hopefully, this little post can help you out with that.

First off.....What IS a casing?

Well, a casing is a channel made in a piece of fabric for inserting elastic or a drawstring. A casing can be made by turning the edge of the fabric over and sewing it down at a specific distance from the edge or by applying another piece of fabric such as bias tape to the desired location. Casings are frequently used at garment waistbands and cuffs.

The first time I used a casing (that I can think of) was to make simple pillowcase dresses....You need a casing at the top of the dress to thread elastic through.

I've also used casings every time I make a waistband in a skirt or pair of pants.

.....SO.....how do you make a casing?

Simple.

This can be altered to fit any size 'tube' you need. (You know, so a cuff can be smaller, and a waistband can be wider)

1. Determine how wide you need your tube to be. If I was adding a 1/2 inch or ribbon or elastic through my casing I would need to make sure my 'tube' was just a little bit bigger then that. By having it a little bigger the ribbon or elastic can lay flat in the tube....Bunchy elastic is NOT so good ;-)....That being said if the 'tube' is too big the elastic or ribbon can turn and twist in the 'tube'.

2. Start by folding the fabric over one time. The first fold can be a little less then the desired amount....For example, if Im still adding my 1/2 inch elastic, then my first fold would be about a 1/3 inch.



3. Iron down....Why? because it just makes things easier! Trust me.

4. Fold over again. This time fold down about 3/4 inch over. (This fold needs to be bigger then the elastic or ribbon). Why did I fold it over twice? because now the raw edge (or edge that frays) will be nicely inside the tube, and you wont have to worry about your material fraying when you wash it!





5. Iron down...again!





6. Now you need to sew down close to the folded line. Keep it close to the fold, and keep it even.






7. CONGRATS YOU ARE DONE!
Now add your ribbon or elastic through the tube






hmmm....not so sure how you are going to get that piece of elastic through that little teeny tube? Add a safety pin to one end of the elastic, it makes it a lot easier to thread the elastic through.









Thanks Chris for having me guest post!

Thank YOU, Kristin for a fabulous tutorial on making a casing.  Please visit Kristin's blog and see all the fun things she's done including this dress she made her baby, and a great pillow you change with the seasons. 

Sewing 101 with Kalleen, Topstiching basics

We welcome Kalleen from At Second Street.  I first found Kalleen's blog through SYTYC and have been a fan ever since.  

I wanted to share one of my favorite tips I've learned from my little sister, who just graduated from design school. She taught me to topstitch. While in school, her teachers emphasized that a main difference between store bought clothes and homemade clothes is in the details, like topstitching.

What is topstitching?

It's sewing a row of stitches close to the seam or edge of a garment, on the outer side of the fabric.

Basically it's a decorative stitch, that makes your clothes look more professional and can hold a seam in place. I use it most when I have layers with ruffles.

Here is a picture of a store bought sundress. The little arrows are pointing to the topstitching. It's not a stitch holding the pieces together but is over the top next to the seam.

Here is a closer look.

Here is a before and after and the process of adding the topstitch to a skirt I made.

BEFORE:

A close up of where the band connects to the skirt bottom.

To create the topstitch all I did was line the seam up with the inside of my foot and sew a stitch 1/8" away. Top stitches are usually only 1/8" or 1/16" wide.

This is what it will look like. *Remember to go slow so you can do a straight stitch. You might want to practice a few times to get the hang of it.

AFTER:

It was fine before, but now looks a little more professional.

Here is another example of a topstitch I did on the neckline of another dress. Again the stitch wasn't needed but it helped the interfacing stay in place giving a crisp edge.

I have loved learning to sew this past year and consider myself a beginner. I'm so grateful for any tips I get. I hope this is a tip some of you might use. As with most things in life, it gets easier with practice.

Thank you so much, Kalleen.  The details we add to our projects really make the difference.  Please be sure to visit Kalleen's blog and check out some of her great projects like her amazing birthday cakes and dresses she's made.