I apologize to anyone who doesn't sew, but follows my blog. The last posts from me have been pretty boring if sewing's not your thing. If that's the case, just read up on Aj's post about his car. I liked it. He's a pretty neat guy. But it's march break, and if you want to know what I've been doing, I've been sewing. And reading. And homework. The most interesting of which is the former.
So, back to sewing stuff!
Here are some things to know when sewing:
1. Press. Iron things all the time, between everything you do. It will seriously help you out. And if things don't want to press the way you want them to, it's okay to snip the seam to make it work, just don't snip too far!
3. When quilting it is not necessary to back stitch (to knot the threads), because you will end up stitching over everything again when finishing or quilting. However, I like to back stitch anyhow, because I rarely finish a project all in one go, and when left to fend for itself, the threads sometimes get tired of waiting, and leave. So a tip for back stitching- start again with the needle in, but start about an inch into the fabric. This way, you start by backing up an inch and continue to stitch straight afterwards. I used to start at the beginning of the fabric, go forwards, back and forwards again, but I found this way to do the same thing- with less bulk.
4. This little thing! It's found on the left side of the machine, and is a tricky thing ! It cuts your threads for you, most machines have this- newer ones cut the threads for you automatically. All you have to do to use it, take your project out as usual, and instead of grabbing some scissors, you just pull the threads up and around this little guy and he'll cut those threads for you! The only bummer about it is that you'll have to cut the threads again later, unless you want your quilt, or dress, or whatever to have strings all over it. Unless you're careful when you use it. I'm not. But you might be.
I have more tips and tricks up my sleeve, but those ones need a bit more planning. Things like mitering corners, binding, sewing on the bias and whatnot.
So for now, hopefully there was something on there you didn't know!
Happy sewing!
xx
Hayley
So, back to sewing stuff!
Here are some things to know when sewing:
1. Press. Iron things all the time, between everything you do. It will seriously help you out. And if things don't want to press the way you want them to, it's okay to snip the seam to make it work, just don't snip too far!
2. Start with the needle in the fabric. By hand, lower the needle into the fabric before you start stitching. My machine has the tendency to rip the thread out of the eye as I start sewing and I have to re-thread it each time. I find that starting with the needle in the fabric to start, reduces the issue.
3. When quilting it is not necessary to back stitch (to knot the threads), because you will end up stitching over everything again when finishing or quilting. However, I like to back stitch anyhow, because I rarely finish a project all in one go, and when left to fend for itself, the threads sometimes get tired of waiting, and leave. So a tip for back stitching- start again with the needle in, but start about an inch into the fabric. This way, you start by backing up an inch and continue to stitch straight afterwards. I used to start at the beginning of the fabric, go forwards, back and forwards again, but I found this way to do the same thing- with less bulk.
4. This little thing! It's found on the left side of the machine, and is a tricky thing ! It cuts your threads for you, most machines have this- newer ones cut the threads for you automatically. All you have to do to use it, take your project out as usual, and instead of grabbing some scissors, you just pull the threads up and around this little guy and he'll cut those threads for you! The only bummer about it is that you'll have to cut the threads again later, unless you want your quilt, or dress, or whatever to have strings all over it. Unless you're careful when you use it. I'm not. But you might be.
I have more tips and tricks up my sleeve, but those ones need a bit more planning. Things like mitering corners, binding, sewing on the bias and whatnot.
So for now, hopefully there was something on there you didn't know!
Happy sewing!
xx
Hayley
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