Anast's Sewing Blog

Tips for the right needle

2009-02-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

Needle Info

SUK is a medium ballpoint needle (usually used for lycra)
FFG (the most common ballpoint) is light ball
H is a sharp
HS is a stretch sharp
HJ denim sharp (also good for buttonholes)
HM microfibers
HE embroidery
N topstitching
NTW wedge point leather/suede needle

Singer doesn't use these designations, just the ball/regular ones.

(BTW, Singer needles often don't work in a European/Asian machine well, and Schmetz don't work well in many Singers. Slightly different needle lengths = miserably skipped stitches.)

Needle sizes are numeric:

70/10 for lightweight stuff like crepe de chine, batiste, light rayons
80/12 for velveteen, cotton twill and similar medium weights
100/16 for denim, upholstery
120/18 for really heavy upholstery, luggage, shoes.

If you use too thin a needle, it tends to break and also to cause thread weakening. Too thick a needle usually leads to puckery seams and holes along the seamline.

Needles - to - Fabric types

Regarding your question on what needles to use with what fabric.

60/8 Universal - silk, organza, chiffon, sheer

70/10 Universal - Blouse & lightweight dress fabric

70/10 Microtex - Batiste, crepe de chine, microfiber

75/11 Stretch - Interlock knit, lycra

75/11 Quilting - Quilting through various batting

80/12 Embroidery - rayon thread for decorative stitches & embroidery

80/12 Universal - Cotton, linen. wool

80/12 Metallic - Metallic & decorative thread

90/14 Jeans - Denim, canvas

90/14 Stretch - Fleece, knit, faux suede & leather

110 & 120 (not wing)- wonderful for pinstitching in heirloom fabric

Sewing Tips & Techniques

2009-01-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

Sewing Tips and Techniques

Author: Eileen Green

Sewing Tips and Techniques

Sewing is really considered an art form since the works of talented hands can be made into beautiful pieces of clothing, home decor, beddings and many more. And with today's penchant to show off creativity via fashion, a renewed interest in sewing is seen.Learning how to sew takes time and effort. It may not be rocket science but a certain learning curve is definitely required. If you start a sewing project without even knowing the basics of sewing, then you are almost certain to fail in your endeavor. To prevent this, it pays to know a few basic sewing techniques.

Sewing Steps for Beginners
The following tips will help you get your feet wet in the world of sewing.

1. Prepare all your materials before anything else. If using a sewing machine, prepare your machine and be sure to thread it properly to avoid any hassles during the actual sewing process.

2. Prepare your pattern and guide. Read the instructions before you try anything. Understanding the pattern and guide is essential prior to cutting the fabric as you cannot re-do the cutting once it's done.

3. Prepare your fabric by washing and drying it first. You would want to wash your fabrics prior to cutting to ensure that it will not shrink after sewing the entire clothing.You should also dry and iron your fabric. It is much easier to cut fabrics that have been dried and ironed.

4. Securely pin the pieces of your pattern on to the fabric. Cut the fabric with sharp scissors to ensure that the edges are cut evenly.

5. Baste the pieces of pattern using longhand stitches to make it much easier for you to piece together the edges of the fabric. You may use bright coloured thread to baste your pieces together.

6. Sew your pieces on the edges and then remove the basting thread once you are done.

Sewing is a fun hobby to start and once you get the hang of it, you will soon be sewing different patterns from the simplest to the more complex. Just remember to be patient as it takes time to learn the basics of sewing, but you will always have fun while doing it!

About the Author:

The team behind Sew Sew Simple has served the local community as a High Street retail shop, providing an extensive range of Haberdashery and Soft Furnishings for the last 44 years. Sew Sew Simple stock a large assortment of threads, bindings, buttons, haberdashery, and many more sewing products at discount prices.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/sewing-tips-and-techniques-415284.html

Learning Tatting

2008-11-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Accent Your Home Décor with Ribbons!

2008-11-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Just a few ribbons can turn a plain pillow into a fabulous one.

A few woven pink ribbons make an ordinary boudoir pillow look extraordinary. Experiment with different colors and types of ribbons. I love grosgrain ribbons because they are a little preppy (I can't help it, I'm from Connecticut), but velvet ribbons or silk ribbons look fantastic on a pillow, too.

You can tailor this project to work with any décor or color story.

What you'll need:

12-inch x 16-inch boudoir pillow form
1/4 yard natural-colored linen or cotton
1/4 yard complementary cotton print fabric
Scraps of grosgrain ribbon that are at least 17 inches long
Fabric scissors
Cutting mat
Quilting ruler
Magna-tac fabric glue
Iron
Straight pins
Sewing machine

Prep Work

1. Prewash all of your fabrics and press.

2. Cut one 13-inch x 17-inch piece from linen. Cut two 10-inch x 17-inch pieces from the complementary cotton print.

Embellishing the Pillow

1. Lay the linen piece face up on a cutting mat. This will be the front of the pillow. Square up the linen piece with the mat so that the pillow front is lying straight on the mat.

2. Cut three 13-inch and three 17-inch pieces of grosgrain ribbon.

3. First you will add ribbons from the top to the bottom of the pillow front. We are going to call this the warp. Starting on the right side, lay one piece of 13-inch ribbon 1-1/2 inches from the right side of the pillow front. Lay the next ribbon 1/2 inch to the left and the next ribbon about 1/4 inch to the left of that ribbon. Using a quilting ruler, make sure each piece is straight, then pin at both ends.

Start weaving the horizontal (or weft) ribbons into the vertical (or warp) ribbons.

3. Next, you will add the ribbons to the left to right side of the pillow. We are going to call this the weft, and we are going to weave them through the warp ribbons. Lay one piece of 17-inch ribbon (running from left to right) 2-1/2 inches from the bottom side and pin just on the left end. To weave from left to right, bring the weft ribbon under the first warp ribbon, over the middle, and under the last. Pin.

4. Lay the next piece of ribbon 1/4 inch above the first ribbon and pin on the left end. To weave from left to right, bring the weft ribbon over the first ribbon, under the middle ribbon, and over the last. Pin.

5. Lay the next piece of ribbon 1/2 inch above the middle ribbon and pin on the left end. To weave from left to right, bring the weft ribbon under the first warp ribbon, over the middle, and under the last. Pin.

6. Secure all ribbons with small dots of fabric glue.

Topstich close to the edges of the ribbons.

7. Topstitch the ribbons to the pillow front on both edges of the ribbons. Where the ribbons are woven, only stitch the parts of ribbon that are woven over.

Tip: To sew only the parts of the ribbons that overlap, backstitch where the ribbon is woven under and lift your presser foot and needle. Reinsert the needle where the ribbon overlaps again and backstitch. You don't need to cut your threads until later. This makes for faster sewing!

Assembling the Pillow

1. Grab your pillow back pieces. With an iron, turn and press one short side of the pillow back to the wrong side 1/2 inch. Turn and press another 1/2 inch to make a hem. Sew the hem. Repeat for the other back piece.

Sew the hems of your pillow back pieces close to the seams.

2. To make an envelope closure for your pillow, lay out the pillow front face up. Lay one of the pillow back pieces face down over the pillow front and the other back piece face down over that. The two back pieces should overlap in the center and match up on the sides with the pillow front. Pin the pieces together.

3. Sew around all sides with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance and clip close to the corners. Turn the pillow right side out and push out the corners with a chopstick.

4. Insert the pillow form and fluff.

Link : http://www.craftstylish.com/

Simple Curtain

2008-11-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Curtains
Swags are the easiest to make. Simply cut one width of the sheet about 24" – 48" tall - depending on how much fullness you want – whatever is left to hang on the sides will have to do. Hem both top and bottom by rolling 1", folding in half, and stitching near the second fold.

If you have wide window or you wish to have the swag fall further down the side of the window, you'll need to do a bit more work, but it's still fairly easy. Measure your window width. Determine how long you want the swag to hang down the sides, then double this measurement. Add it to your width measurement. Add another 6" -12" to allow soft draping across the top. Measure the width of your sheet. Compare it to the measurements you made previously of your window. If your sheet is 54" wide but you want a swag that's 100" wide, you'll need to essentially cut two widths. Cut any extra widths as needed. The key for swags, if you need more than one width, is that you don't want a seam in the center. Instead, you'll want the full width of the window in one piece, then seam together the side pieces at the ends of this center piece. When you piece together patterns, try to match up the patterns between pieces. This may mean you need to cut your widths at different points across the sheet.

Hang the swag over a pole or in swag holders.

You can also sew a valance and panels. A gathered valance is easy. Measure your window width. You'll want to cut widths from your sheet that is 50% to 100% wider than the window, seam together, matching patterns. So if your window is 40", you'll want your curtain to be 60" – 80" wide. You can sew together as many widths as you need as long as you match your pattern. Decide the height of the valance. 15" -18" is standard so make the height that you cut from the sheet 40" – 44". If you want a small ruffle above the valance add 2" - 4" to the total above. Sew multiple widths together, right sides facing each other. Sew the top and bottom ends together with right sides facing each other. Turn inside out and straighten. From the top seam, line pins 1" – 2" down from the top. Stitch along this line to create your ruffle. Then measure down 3-1/2" and mark with pins. Stitch along this line to create your rod pocket. Put your curtain on the rod and hang.

See also Julie's article, How to Sew a Quick and Easy Valance or Sew Simple Curtains and a Valance for Your Windows by Robin Hall.

Panels are done much the same way. Measure the length you want the panel to hang. Add 4-1/2" to the length. Add an additional 2" – 4" if you want a ruffle at the top. Cut this length out of the LONG part of your sheet. You'll probably want two panels. You'll need each panel to be 50-100% more than half of the window width. That means that two panels together will also be 50-100% of your window width. You may be able to cut two panels from one sheet or you may need two sheets.

Ideally, you would make a full 3" hem (add 4" extra inches to your length measurement above if you do this hem), but for simplicity just make a simple shirt-tail hem at the bottom by marking 1" off the bottom. Then turn half of this under. Stitch near the top of rolled over fabric. On the top, fold down 4-1/2" from the top (5-1/2" to 6-1/2" if you want a ruffle). Of this folded over fabric, turn 1" under. Stitch near the bottom where you folded the extra material underneath. From the very top of the panel, measure 1" – 2" (based on the size ruffle you wanted) and line pins. Stitch along this line to create your ruffle and your rod pocket. Put your panels on the rod.