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A blind hem stitch can be used for many applications, such as hemming garments or curtains. It’s useful when you don’t want to see a line of stitching on the outside of the finished product.
It seems tricky, but once you understand how the fabric is folded and the basic idea behind the stitch (tacking), you’ll have it down in no time. I was working on some curtains for an upcoming post and realized I hadn’t covered this before, so I thought it was time for a tutorial. (more…) |
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Posts Tagged ‘tutorial’
Jul 3
2011
2011
How to do a blind hem stitch
Jun 18
2011
2011
Cascading scarf tutorial
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This cascading, ruffly scarf looks more complicated than it is. It simply uses circles as the basis of its design. The circles do all the tricky work! (more…) |
Jun 12
2011
2011
Knitting needle roll tutorial
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If you knit, you have probably found that every time you decide on a pattern, you need a set of needles you don’t own. Before you know it, you’ve got quite a collection. I think I’d actually need several knitting needle rolls to hold all of mine.
I designed this one with a pocket for notions like stitch markers and a counter. I love this owl fabric, which I paired with polka dots for a little contrast. (more…) |
Jun 4
2011
2011
Food-a-plenty lunch bag tutorial
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When I pack my lunch/dinner for work, I take a lot of containers, silverware and a big, reusable water bottle. So I need something that holds a lot. I wanted to make a cute, functional and ROOMY bag for my lunch.
I fell in absolute love when I saw this tea fabric. It’s cute, and I’m also into that natural, burlappy, linen-y look right now. I made a short strap, but you could always make it longer if you want to carry it on your shoulder. This bag uses Peltex as a stabilizer – it’s stiff and sometimes a bit of a pain, but worth the effort if you don’t want a floppy bag. It also uses Insul-Bright insulated batting to keep your foods warm or cold. I used a simple clasp closure because my current lunch bag has a zipper, and I can never get it closed anyway. It’s usually packed too full. (more…) |
May 29
2011
2011
How to insert an invisible zipper
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Invisible zippers are beautiful on skirts and tops. They are a discreet closure for beautiful garments, and they are not hard to do. One difference you’ll notice from the way you insert a regular zipper is that you do not stitch the rest of the seam first. You first insert the zipper, then sew the rest of the seam. Frankly, I find it easier to get a nice, even finish with this type of zipper. (more…) |
May 8
2011
2011
Flat felled seam
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A flat felled seam is a double stitched seam that is heavy duty. You’ve probably seen them on jeans for seams that need extra strength.
While similar in some ways to the French seam, I like that this seam doesn’t require any calculations for the seam allowance. You just start with whatever your seam allowance is supposed to be and go from there. (more…) |
Apr 30
2011
2011
Vinyl handbag tutorial
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Bags are one of my favorite things to make, but I’d never worked with vinyl before. I decided to conquer my fears and give it a try. This bag is nice and roomy. You don’t have to use vinyl. Feel free to use this pattern with any fabric, though home dec weights will work best.
Because this was a new challenge for me, I made some mistakes and learned some lessons along the way, which I’ll share with you as we go. (more…) |
Apr 23
2011
2011
All-machine binding
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This post is an unplanned one, and not one I’d normally post here because it’s just a personal project. But a number of people have asked about binding entirely by machine, and as I was working on this, I decided to grab my camera and do a post.
So finishing a binding entirely by machine, whether it be bias-tape binding of an edge or a full quilt binding, is something that makes many sewers pull their hair out. I’m among those. There are some little tricks for bias-tape binding, addressed in this tutorial, but it’s not fool-proof. For this blanket, I decided I didn’t have it in me to hand-stitch the back side of the entire binding, so I was determined to get the binding done by machine. For me, machine-stitched binding is like the holy grail of sewing. I’m always searching the Internet for the magic solution, and I never find it. (more…) |
Apr 17
2011
2011
World traveler shoe bag
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Earth Day is coming up on Friday. I know Earth Day is about recycling and such, but this blog really is not. So I did the next best thing. I used it as an excuse to sew something with this really neat map fabric. This is a simple drawstring bag to use for travel. You can stow shoes inside to keep your garments clean, or you can use it for laundry. Either way, it’s reusable, and that’s all Earthy and green, right?
You can make this bag any size you want. This particular one is a little big for one pair of shoes, but you could toss boots inside, or several pairs of shoes. And it’s a great size for dirty laundry. (more…) |
Apr 9
2011
2011
Mysterious baby grab ball
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Below, I have a picture of a baby grab ball that I’ve had since I was little. It’s resurfaced now that I have a little guy of my own, and I have found myself a lot more interested in it than he has. I decided I had to figure out how to make one of these suckers, and I’d like to share my method with you. I’ve selected a bright, fun fabric that babies will enjoy. This would make a lovely gift. My mom tossed most of my baby stuff, but the grab ball stuck around for decades. |
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