I have found that multi-size patterns can become a little confusing after you have pinned them to your fabric and are ready to cut them out. Highlighters are the best thing for finding your way. BEFORE you even pin them to the fabric, find your size and highlight the lines that intersect. This way you’ll be able to know where to cut and not make the mistake of cutting off anything important!
This class offers a great sense of accomplishment. Kids get to learn their machines and finish 3 projects in 5 days! Check out the calendar for upcoming classes.
We have a new pattern for the Kids Sewing I Camp! McCalls discontinued the pattern we were using, so I picked the McCalls M6009. It’s an Easy Stitch ‘n Save Pattern for only $2.99. My only complaint is that the top is too short and very deceiving in the photo. Purchase a 1/4 yard extraof fabric for the top, it will work out great!
This year seems to be the gift of embroidered towels! Wedding showers, birthdays, thank you, etc. I have embroidered so many towels for gifts this year that I might have to look for something else to give. The embroidery was done with my Brother 4500D and the designs came from Embroidery Library. www.emblibrary.com
After collecting all of our old jeans, I embroidered them with my kids activities throughout the years. Everything from preschool thru high school. It’s been a lot of fun remembering all the different activities and sports throughout the years. It’s a wonder that we’re not exhausted from all the driving, chaperoning and running around!
I laid out all the squares on my living room floor and made a pattern with the embroidered blocks and filled in with the extra plain blocks. Then they were stacked into rows. Each square has a jean square top, batting center and flannel on the back. (I used 2 different flannels) The batting was cut 1/2″ smaller all around. The blank squares were embroidered with designs from a quilt software pack from Anita Goodesign. Quilt Feathers & Quilter’s Paradise. http://www.anitagoodesignonline.com/ The squares with the activities were freehand quilted with stars and hearts.
This posting is a little late tonight, but I wanted to address the issue of sewing machine manuals! It is sooo important to have a copy of the manual that goes with your machine. Each sewing machine can have little differences between other machines, even the mechanical machines but especially the electronic ones. How a bobbin is wound, or the machine is threaded and don’t get me started on buttonholes. Sewing machine manufacturers can get very creative with your buttonhole makers. So I’m adding a link for a website that lists the manufacturers websites. A lot of manuals can be found online. It’s really important to have that manual with you when you sew. In order to get the most benefit out of your machine you really need all the information your can find. The manual also addresses troubleshooting and cleaning, which goes a long way to keeping your machine in good working order. If your machine needs oil, make sure your oil is good. No yellow oil, please! I’ve also added a link from Craft Nectar with photos on how to clean a front loading machine. Yours may be a little different, always follow your manual for where to oil and clean your machine, but these pictures may help.
Happy Sewing!
http://sewing.about.com/od/beginner1/ig/Sewing-Tools/Sewing-Machine-Manuals.htm About.com Sewing
http://craftnectar.com/2009/03/09/spring-cleaning-for-your-sewing-machine/Â Craft Nectar
The first Beginning Sewing Class of the year is tonight! It’s going to be a full class with 8 students. We will learn to use our machines, make a pillowcase, pajama bottoms and a tote. All in 6 weeks! I love to teach Beginning Sewing. It’s always a lively group of people who want to learn how to sew for so many different reasons. Some are coming back to sewing after years of being away, some have never sewn and can’t wait to get started and then we have self taught sewers that would like a little extra instruction. There’s homework every week with show and tell at the beginning of each class. I’m always excited to see fabric choices. Everyone has such different personalities and it always shows by what they bring. Our 2 books are Sew with Confidence by Nancy Zieman www.nancysnotions.com and Sew Easy Pajama Pants by Cindy Taylor Oates http://taylormadedesigns.typepad.com/ . We make the pillowcase a little differently by using flat construction. It’s much easier to line all the pieces up for sewing when it’s flat and cut off the extra fabric with salvages. This always works better than trying to line up the 3 finished pieces after they’ve each been sewn into a circle. You need to be extremely accurate for that to work each time. My all time favorite way to finish a pillowcase though, is shown on you tube by Missouri Star Quilt Company for the Million Pillowcase Challenge. It gives a very finished hem and goes much faster. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM
We had a great time making stockings for Christmas. Using precut strips and quilting as we stitched the strips on the base. In just a day the stockings were finished! (With a short break for lunch!)
How many times have you been cutting and then tried to stand upright? The feeling can be overwhelming. You realize that your back feels like a pretzel and have to stretch it out. And worse than that, you DON’T want to lean over again and keep cutting. We all know it’s important to stretch and move at least every 15 minutes but even that isn’t always enough. The best thing that I have found are bed risers! They’re light enough to push under your table legs as you hold up each side and sturdy enough to support the table and any weight you may put on them. My last batch stated that they would hold up to 500 lbs. Since I have classes at the house, it’s important to be able to lift up the tables if everyone is cutting. I just picked up a set at Big Lots for $5. Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond also sell them. So far, I’ve seen them in only black and white. They’ve also been under my dining room table and been very stable. This time of year is wonderful to pick them up, since so many college students have them on their list.
Beginning Sewers sometimes seem to have a hard time with selvage and folding fabrics to cut a lay out. The best way to know that you have your fabric laid out correctly is to make sure you have a fold on one side and the selvages meet on the other. If you have a fold and 2 selvage edges than you need to refold BEFORE cutting your fabric. This will ensure that you have enough fabric to complete your project.
The first photo has the fold at the bottom and both selvages at the top with the cut edges at the left and right. This is the correct way to have the fabric laid out.
The second photo also has the fold at the bottom but has selvages at both the right and left side with the cut edges together at the top. This is incorrect and will cause you all sorts of problems. Both photos contain the same piece of fabric, but how you fold them will change the width of the fabric and your pattern pieces will not always fit.
The first project we make in Basic Sewing is a pillowcase. I change up the pattern a little and we use flat construction instead of matching individual tube of fabric. I’ve come across a wonderful, quick and easy pillowcase video for those that would like an even quicker method. I always think it looks like a big hotdog filled with the body and trim. It’s done by Missouri Star Quilt Company on YouTube. Take a couple minutes to watch it. You’ll be amazed how quickly it comes together!