Embroidery for Beginners

The last (but definitely not the least!) post in my Basics Series is this guide to Embroidery, by the lovely Rachael of Imagine Gnats. I've only just started to attempt a few embroidery projects, and I've been quite excited by how easy it is! It is something that I want to do more of, and for those of you who haven't tried it before, Rachael has put together this great guide to get you started!

Let's talk about a sewing basic that everyone can master... embroidery! Embroidery is a fabulous way to add a  personal touch to a project or start your little ones stitching, and it's perfect for beginners and experienced stitchers alike. (note: click on any of the images in this post for more about the projects shown.)

So how do you get started? Well, you just need a few simple supplies: fabric, floss, and a needle. Yep, that's it!

Fabric: you can use any fabric you have handy... linen stitches up beautifully and using a printed quilting cotton is a great way to add another dimension to your project. you can also use felt or pre-made items for your project, like t-shirts, handkerchiefs, and tea towels.

Floss: using a stranded cotton floss allows for easy control over the thickness of stitched lines. Perle cotton, available in different sizes, adds a great texture to your stitches.

Needle: any sharp hand-sewing needle will do, though needles with large threading eyes will make things much easier.

A few additional things that I recommend to make your life a bit easier are: embroidery hoop to keep fabric taut while stitching, chalk pencil or water soluble marker for pattern transfer, and stabilizer such as Stick-N-Tear or Sol-U-Film Lite from Pellon to provide support during stitching.

Now, what to embroider? A great place to start is with words. Stitching a name is an easy way to personalize a sewing project, whether a quilt or a stuffed animal, or you could even add an initial on the pocket of a t-shirt.

Find a pattern: the great thing about words is that a pattern is always readily available from your own computer. Simply type your words, choose a font and size, and print.

Transfer pattern: a simple way to transfer your pattern is to tape the printed words to a window in bright sunlight. Place your fabric over the pattern and trace onto fabric using a chalk pencil or water soluble marker. (step-by-step photos of this method from Clover & Violet / alternative transferring method for stitching on felt from little dear tracks)

Start stitching: a basic backstitch is a great place to start, particularly when stitching words. for a fabulous how-to, check out running and back stitches, part of the wild olive embroidery basics series.

Finishing: after your stitching is complete, you'll want to iron your work (using iron on reverse side so as to not flatten your stitches) and remove any pattern transfer markings.

Another fun idea (and a great way to get the little ones involved) is to stitch around the outlines of the print on a favorite fabric. Stitch a lot or a little and then make something out of your embellished fabric. You could make a pillow or a christmas tree ornament, or even use the fabric as a quilt block or in a patchwork skirt.

My links:
imagine gnats: my favorite embroidery links
embroidery-to-go bag, free pattern from Pellon
how-to: turn drawings into embroidery, imagine gnats for Fiskateers

Thanks for reading, and happy stitching!!

xo, rachael

Thank you so much Rachael! For more about Rachael and her fabulous projects, you can visit her at her blog, facebook, twitter and pinterest! Rachael also deisgns her own embroidery patterns and you can buy her embroidery kits here.

I hope you enjoyed my Back to {Sewing} Basics series, and I'm really looking forward to getting back to sharing some more personal posts, recipes and sewing projects with you! I am currently nominated for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Aussie blogs competition, and I'd love your vote - it will only take a second and you can vote HERE. Thanks for all your support!

Quilting for Beginners

One of the reasons many people start sewing is because they would like to make a quilt. I am quite keen to make one now too, but I'm not overly sure about the process. Luckily my lovely friend Jenny from Mend and Make New is guest posting today for my Back to Sewing Basics series, and her fabulous post is all about how to make a quilt! I will be studying this post very closely! Jenny is a very talented seamstress and makes beautiful clothes and other gorgeous things for her children Noah and Isabelle. Make sure you pop over and visit her at Mend and Make New for lots of sewing inspiration!

 It seems that many beginner sewers aspire to sew a quilt. A lovely, well made quilt has an heirloom quality to it – something to be treasured and past down. Yet despite these aspirations, it seems many sewers (both beginner and even those with more experience and skill) are daunted by the prospect.

I’m here to tell you that you need not be daunted by quilting. If you can sew a straight line (or are willing to learn how to) and can follow simple step-by-step instructions – you can do it!

The quilt I made for my daughter Isabelle (pictured above) is one of the first things I sewed when I got back into sewing as an adult; and it is one of my favourite and most professional looking projects that I’ve completed to date.

If you’re still daunted by the prospect here are a couple of other things you can do:

1) Start small – this is the beauty of quilting – your project can be as little or as big as you want it to be. If even a cot quilt seems to big, perhaps start with a dolls quilt, patchwork cushion cover or something similar. This will help get your confidence up.

2) Start with a simple design – straight lines and squares (more on this soon.)

Hopefully by now you have the confidence to plunge into your first quilting project, here’s what you need to know in order to get started:

The basics:

a) Materials required

I will explain the use of some of these further, later in this post.
The one thing that I left off accidently is my quilting pencil – a very helpful tool that I use to draw my quilting lines on during the ‘quilting stage.’ This pencil’s markings wash off.
And of course you need batting and bias binding too.

b) Quilting demystified – jargon and the stages.

A standard/traditional quilt is essentially made up of three components:

1) The ‘quilt top’ - The design on the top made up of lots of quilt blocks in rows and often surrounded by a border.

2) The ‘batting’ – The wadding the middle that gives the quilt it’s substance. You’re local sewing/ quilting shop should stock various different types of batting. The more expensive ones will most likely be made of natural fibres – cotton, wool, or bamboo, whereas the polyester or poly-cotton blends should be cheaper. They also vary in thicknesses.

3) The ‘backing fabric’ – This is essentially the bottom of the sandwich (with the quilt top being the other piece of bread and the batting being the filling). It is worth checking the width of your selected fabric (compared to the width of your quilt) before buying it, to see if you will need to join two pieces together. For most larger quilts you will need to do this, but for smaller ones this may be able to be avoided.

In my view there are essentially four stages to making a quilt:

1) Preparation - selecting a design and fabric, washing fabric.

2) Making the quilt top – cutting and ‘piecing’ (sewing) together the blocks.

3) Quilting – sandwiching the batting in the middle of the quilt top and backing fabric and sewing them together. (You can choose to do this yourself or get it professionally done.)

4) Binding – sewing the binding on to make the edges all finished and nice and neat.
Then you’re done!

We’ll explore these four stages a little more here, and I’ll share with you a few helpful tips and time-saving techniques (and refer to other helpful links where necessary.)

1) Preparation

Get a quilt design you like. You can either find these online (ask Mr google or Pinterest.) Or design your own. Either way as a beginner quilter you probably want to be going for something simple with mainly squares and rectangles. In my opinion simple is often better and more effective anyway.
All of my quilts so far have been my own designs. This is not at all hard to do – but I would recommend that you draw a plan.

In the world of quilting everything is pretty much done using inches, and most quilt blocks are built on a (finished) 6 inch square.

I use 1/4 inch seam allowances, so if I want a finished 6 inch square I will cut it 6 1/2 inches square (to allow for the 2 x 1/4 inch seam allowances on each side.)In the case of the quilt my Mum and I made for my sister (above), this is what we did for the larger blue and floral squares, while the smaller rectangles we cut 3 1/2 inch by 6 1/2 inch to give a finished 3 by 6 inch rectangle.
I generally don’t worry about getting the exact size of the finished quilt sorted until later; as I will add borders later to get the size I want.

Once you’ve finalised your quilt design, you need to select your fabric. Most fabric stores will have a selection of pre-packaged co-coordinating fabrics for quilters. Or you can choose to pick the fabrics yourself (usually my favoured option.)

When selecting your own fabric, one helpful tip I’ve found is that on the selvedge of the fabric you often find something like this above, which shows the colour tones used in the fabric. Once you have selected your feature fabric you can take this into the fabric shop and match coordinating with it.
If you have one or two pretty busy fabrics, then perhaps consider getting something with a simpler design (plain or with subtle spots or stripes.)And don’t be afraid of white space – it can be very effective in quilts. 100% cotton of similar thicknesses is best.

Once you have purchased your fabric wash it on a cold gentle wash (wash bright and light colours separately.) I recommend washing it in a pillowcase to limit fraying of edges.) Washing your fabric before hand ensures that it doesn’t shrink and pull unevenly on your finished product.
Once your fabric is washed and dried, iron it ready to be cut.

2) Making the quilt top
This is the most time consuming stage of your project and often the cutting process can feel the most tedious. Cutting accurately very is important so that all your corners match up crisply. This is why we use a rotary/ roller cutter.

I fold up my fabric so can cut through a few layers at one and then line up a corner of this fabric with the markings on your self healing mat, to give a right angle. (You may need to neaten the raw edge of the fabric first, if it is not already cut in a straight line.)

Then you line up your quilting ruler to give the size you need to cut. In the example given here, (a vintage picnic blanket) I want to cut a width of 3 1/2 inches. (As you can see the corner of my fabric is at ‘1’ on my mat not ‘0’ so I’ve cut at the 4 1/2 inch mark.)Before you cut check that the ruler is lined up properly both at the top and bottom.

As you can see now I’m left with some long strips of 3 1/2 inch wide fabric. I need 3 1/2 inch squares, so normally I would just go along the line and cut at 3 1/2 inch intervals – but I’m going to show you a time saving technique that you may be able to use.

Instead I’ve cut an identical 3 1/2 inch long strip in a contrasting piece of fabric. Then I sewed them together with right sides facing (using a 1/4 inch seam allowance) and pressed the seams open*.
Then I cut this at 3 1/2 inch all along the strip(thus saving time!)

NB: This time saving technique will only be useful for you however, if you have a repeating pattern where the two fabrics are next to each other throughout your design

I found it extremely useful when making Isabelle’s quilt (top photo). I was able to flip one of the pieces round (as also demonstrated below) to give the diagonal design.

You basically keep making your blocks and join them together with other blocks until you have a full row. Then make another, join the two rows together and you so on and so forth … and you will see your quilt grow before your eyes!

I have already stressed the importance of accurate cutting. Other things that will help your corners line up and your quilt to look professional are ironing and pinning. *As I said above, I press my seams open, although I understand that a lot of other quilters press there seams towards the darker coloured fabric. Do what you suits you best. Regarding pinning – I pay special attention to meeting up vital corners and junctions and make sure that I pin at these points.

Once you have finished all your rows, add any borders that you require to give the desired size (I usually google or measure old quilts/duvets to get the size I want.) And la voila you have finished your quilt top!

3) Quilting

Before you can begin quilting you first need to ‘sandwich’ your batting in between your quilt top and backing fabric. I find it easiest to do this on a large clean bit of floor. (It also pays to remove curious babies and pets at this point!)

First lay down your pre-washed and pressed backing fabric with the wrong side up on the floor (remember you may have had to join a couple of pieces together to get the right size.) Ensure that this is very smooth. Then place your batting on top, followed by your quilt top, right side up. smooth all layers out. The backing fabric and and batting should be bigger than the quilt top. You can trim around the edges later.

Once you have it how you like it start pinning through all layers of the quilt with safety pins. These serve to hold all layers of the quilt together until it is quilted. As this is a very important job I say the more pins the merrier!

Once you have all your pins in you can now trim the batting and backing fabric down to size. in line with the quilt top.

Then draw your quilting design with a quilting pencil and ruler. I personally love to quilt on the diagonal through squares and find it easy to keep this straight.

My Mother-in-law tells you shouldn’t have more than a hand’s gap between any two lines of quilting so that your quilt holds together really well. She also tells me it is good to quilt a large bit in the centre to really ‘anchor’ your quilt to start with. Obviously remove your safety pins as you go.

Use a long stitch and take it slow to avoid puckering (and unpick if necessary!) If your making a large quilt it can be tricky at times dealing with so much fabric, but persevere, it’s worth it!

Some people choose to get their quilts professionally quilted, obviously there is a cost to this but the results are amazing and can save you a bit of work (and possibly stress) – so this always is another option.

If you want to avoid the cost of batting, you can always cheat as I did on my son’s quilt (above). I used a woollen blanket from the op-shop which served as both batting and backing.

4) Binding

Hold on, you’re on the home stretch!
Some people choose to make their own bias binding – and if you wish to do so there is a really good tutorial here.

I personally am a bit lazy and prefer to buy nice wide binding from my local fabric store.

There are few different options when it comes to sewing on your binding.

I personally like to follow this but finish the back by hand sewing using a blind stitch.

I would also recommend this tutorial if want to use rounded corners instead.

Once your binding is complete, congratulations! You have just created a quilt, a work of art, a family heirloom! Well done!

(And well done making it all the way through this post! There is so much to talk about when it comes to quilting!)

Thanks for having me Ros!
Jenny x

Thanks so much Jenny! You can find out more about Jenny and her beautiful sewing projects on her blog, on Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr.

A Guide to Buying Vintage Fabric, Patterns & Notions

Today is all about vintage! I love the occasional rummage through the treasures at the op shop, but I'm finding it pretty hard with two busy toddlers. Cass from Cass Can Sew is a vintage superstar - she finds awesome fabric, patterns and notions and then she makes the most adorable outfits with them! Have you seen her vintage romper tutorial? No? Get over there!!! (Once you've finished reading this post of course!)

 When Roslyn asked me to contribute to her Back to Sewing Basics Series to share with her readers my tips and tricks for buying Vintage sewing related goodies, I was more than happy to oblige. If you're familiar with Cass Can Sew, you'll already know of my addictions to all things vintage! I could go on and on and on all day about gorgeous vintage fabrics, patterns and the likes!
There are quite a few different ways that you can source vintage sewing items.

• Op Shops & 2nd Hand Stores
• Garage / Yard Sales
• Church Jumble Sales
• Ebay
• Etsy
• Vintage Online Stores
• or by raiding your parents/grandparents linen closets!

My favourite way would have to be scouring my favourite Op Shops, Gargage Sales & Jumble Sales. There's nothing like walking into your local Oppy and discovering gorgeous vintage fabric remnants, a metre or two of lovely fine lace or that perfect sweet little pattern from the 1960's.

Here's a few of my favourite tips when searching Op Shops, Garage Sales & Jumble Sales for those Vintage Sewing treasures.

Try looking for smaller Op shops...
As we all know, the big oppy's/charities have become really over priced! Although you can sometimes still snap up a nice little bargain, it's often cheaper now to buy a brand new shirt from a retailer than it is to purchase from a charity. The two Op shops that I visit on a regular basis & always seem to come out with something great and at a reasonable thrifted price, are charities for animal welfare.

Small country town Oppy's are a treasure trove! These quaint little op shops will almost always have much more vintage for you to drool over! And will be far less expensive!!!

I go straight to the crafting section. Since I'm a sew-a-holic... the craft section is where I head to first up. I look through all the patterns, you never know what's hiding unless you delve into it properly! Then I search the fabrics, then I head to manchester section and keep an eye out for lovely vintage sheets, pillowcases, tea towels, tablecloths & doilies.

Get to know your local op shop volunteers. They love to chat. I've found that if I get chatting to them about sewing, they sometimes will mention that they have something that you may be after at home and that they'll bring it in the next time they are rostered on. They also sometimes have goodies waiting out the back, just waiting for you to snap up... so I often ask if they have any new items that I may like.

A few extra tips...

When searching for Vintage Patterns...

Check the Contents of Vintage Patterns. When finding vintage patterns, I learnt very quickly to check and make sure that all the pieces of the pattern are there. There's nothing worse than getting all excited about making that cute little apron dress, to find that you are missing the main piece of the pattern!

Sizing. Most vintage patterns were published in individual sizes. If you spot a pattern that you love, that you actually plan on sewing (and not just hoarding it for it's loveliness), make sure that you have the correct size. You can usually find the size towards the top of the front side of the packet.

Another word on sizing. The measurements for sizing on vintage patterns often differ to the sizing charts of today. It's best to have a little read of the measurements table that's printed on the back of the pattern packet.

Vintage Sewing books are a wealth of knowledge! Don't forget to search through the book section of your local op shop for wonderful sewing books and magazines. Many of these get right back to basics and can teach you all about drafting your own patterns. You may even learn some traditional sewing skills as well!

When searching for Vintage Fabrics...

When you come across a lovely vintage fabric, you'll often find it rolled up and secured with twine or a rubber band. Take the time to unravel the fabric to make sure that it is in one piece. A few times now I have been in a hurry and not done this, only to get home and find that the fabric would be better used for scraps!

The same scenario as above goes for searching for that perfect vintage sheet to use for your next sewing project. Have a good look at the sheet for wear and tear. Fading is often an issue when you come across a vintage sheet, so be sure to checkout the condition before purchasing.

A little word about notions...

Often times, buttons can be found at op shops, tucked away in jars under the glass cabinets at the counter. But sometimes they aren't so easy to find. I know that my local Op Shop keep a jar of buttons out the back. They'll often take the buttons from garments that aren't fit for selling. So if you can't spot the button stash, it always pays to ask the lovely volunteers.

Trims, ribbons & embellishments are more than often stored in shoe boxes or the likes within the vicinity of the fabrics section of an Op Shops. It's always worth having a good rummage through these boxes to see what treasures may be hiding there.

I hope this helps you all on your search for your own Vintage Sewing Treasures! I love ooh-ing & ahh-ing over others' fantastic finds. So please don't hesitate to stop by Cass Can Sew via Facebook or Twitter and share with me & our little crafty community, your best finds!

Thanks so much Cass! For many beginners, once you have bought your machine and a few essential tools, there is not much money left over to build a big fabric stash! Thrift shops are great to pick up vintage lovelies and garments for refashioning. Happy sewing, and don't forget to check out the rest of the Back To Sewing Basics series!

Different Types of Seams

 Today I am welcoming Pam, who writes the fabulous blog Threading My Way to share all her knowledge about different types of seams. Pam has been sewing for a long time and she has amazing skills. There is not much this lady cannot sew. Her blog is one of my all time favourites and you should definitely check out her tutorials as well as her awesome refashioning projects. Thanks so much Pam for putting together this great guide all about seams!

 

I was thrilled when Ros asked me to contribute to Back to Sewing Basics. I've been reading Sew Delicious for almost a year now, and it's one of my must read blogs. 

Today I'll be showing you different types of seams and how to sew them. Plain Seams This is the most commonly used seam and the easiest to sew.

Right side

• With right sides of fabric facing, sew a line of stitching to secure.
• Sew 1/4" to 5/8" from the edge of the fabric.

There are several ways to finish plain seams. How you finish a plain seam, is largely a matter of choice.

Only use pinking shears to neaten seams if the fabric doesn't fray easily.

Overlocking the edges together is usually done on a narrower seam.

Overlocking (serging) each side of the seam reduces bulk. This is usually done on a wider seam.

Use a zig zag stitch if you don't have an overlocker (serger).

Same as with overlocking, this is usually done on a narrow seam.

Binding creates a very neat finish. I used binding on my Retro Flower Power Pillow.

  

Many moons ago, when we were sewing at school, our sewing machines didn't have a zig zag stitch, so neatening the edges by turning a hem was what we did. This is called a plain seam with a clean edge finish. It is still a good finish for very thin fabrics.

If the fabric will fray easily, a double hem can be turned.

We were taught to always use 5/8" for seams and patterns always used 5/8" seams. Now-a-days the rules have relaxed and seams can be found in any width from 1/4" to 5/8".

When I looked in my wardrobe, the majority of my blouses were sewn with a narrow plain seam, finished by overlocking both edges of the seam together, as in the picture above with green fabric.

Welt Seams Welt seams are stronger than plain seams and are often found in garments with thicker fabrics. Some of my jeans have welt seams. There are two methods for making welt seams, although I feel the first, where the fabric is cut, is perhaps the traditional method. I used a welt seam (method 2) when making my pintucked skirt.

Right side of the jeans

Inside of the jeans

Method 1:

• With right sides of fabric facing, sew a line of stitching 5/8" from the edge of the fabric.
• Cut roughly half of the seam allowance off, on one side of the seam only
• Zig zag or overlock the uncut edge.
• Press the seam to one side, so the uncut edge covers the cut edge.
• Sew 1/4" from the seam stitching.

Right side

Method 2:

• With right sides of fabric facing, sew a line of stitching 3/8" to 5/8" from the edge of the fabric.
• Press the seam to one side.
• Sew 1/4" from the seam stitching.

Inside

Right side

French Seams French seams make the inside of garments as neat as the right side. They are sometimes used on clothing for babies and on thin fabric. I use them on bags that are not lined, such as my Treasure Bags and sometimes I use them on clothing, such as dresses or skirts. I could only find one article of clothing in my wardrobe that had french seams; a blouse made from a thin cotton fabric.

Inside

Right side

• With wrong sides together, sew 1/8" from the edge of the fabric.
• Trim any loose threads.
• Turn the material so that the right sides are together.
• Press.
• Sew 1/4" from the edge.

Flat Felled Seams Flat felled seams are the strongest seams and won't fray as raw edges are hidden. Although often sewn on thick fabrics, they can be sewn on thinner fabrics as they produce a very neat finish. A lot of my jeans have flat felled seams, as does a pair of zumba pants. The shirt that I refashioned into a skirt, even though made from thin cotton fabric, originally had flat felled seams.

Inside

Right side

• With right sides of fabric facing, sew a line of stitching 5/8" from the edge of the fabric.
• Cut roughly half of the seam allowance off, on one side of the seam only
• Fold the uncut edge over the cut edge and press
• Press the seam towards the garment, with the cut edge down, so the raw edge is hidden.
• Sew as close to the edge as possible.

There are no hard and fast rules as to which types of seam to sew and when. Experiment and use the ones that will give the finish you are after for the article you are sewing.

Thanks for inviting me to contribute to Back to Sewing Basics, Ros. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. ... Pam

Thanks so much Pam for this fabulous resource! I have sewn most of these seams, but I must admit, since I got my overlocker, serged seams are definitely the easiest way to go. I also love the neat and tidy finish of french seams. Make sure you go over and check out Pam's great blog Threading My Way, and you can also find her on Facebook.

For more sewing tips and tricks, check out the rest of my Back to {Sewing} Basics series!