ASG Sewing Blog – Page 25

January 13, 2023

Just Encase

There are times when you want to add a bit of texture and fun to a project, but you may not be quite sure what to do. Think about encasing something under tulle, which serves to hold it in place and protect the addition at the same time.

What to encase?

Depending on the project you’re making, there are many choices. Silk flowers are a fun addition to home décor items or special-occasion wear. They’re affordable and look beautiful. Envision a long skirt fully embellished with silk flowers. OK, if you’re not quite that ambitious, think about a collar, pocket or tote bag. Take apart the flowers to use single layers or individual petals.

Bits of novelty threads, yarns or trims are another option. They can form a pattern or be totally free-form embellishments.

A collage of fabric bits is another idea—those tiny but colorful slivers of fabric you trim with a rotary cutter are ideal, as are small shapes of fabric purposefully cut for this technique. If the project isn’t going to be washed (like a wall hanging), then you can think more broadly to small rocks, shells, photos, etc.

Over the Top

Tulle is ideal for going over the top of your treasures—it’s very thin and almost invisible, depending on the color used and the base color, but it adds a “just-right” layer to help hold things in place.

Tulle is a fine mesh fabric found in the special occasion department of the fabric store, and it comes in myriad colors. It’s lighter and finer than the holes in net for a more invisible look. Note that some tulle is nylon and will easily melt, so check the fiber content and adjust the iron temperature as needed before pressing.

Covering Up

In addition to the items you want to encase, some fabric glue is helpful to hold multiple items in place. If you prefer not to glue, then use long pins to temporarily hold things until the finish stitching is done.

Cut the base fabric in the size needed. For example, if it’s a garment and you want to embellish the pocket, collar or perhaps an entire skirt, cut the pattern piece from the fashion fabric. If it’s a pillow or wall hanging, cut the fabric pieces as required by the pattern.

Position the accent items where you want them on the right side of the base fabric. Add a dot of fabric glue behind to hold it place—don’t cover the entire surface as you want to have some dimension. If you’re using silk flower petals, just a glue dot at the center is sufficient for securing.

Audition your creation with different colors of tulle to see the variation in look depending on the color used. When you’ve chosen an appropriate color, cut the tulle about 1” larger than the base fabric shape and press out any wrinkles. If your encasements, are thicker, cut the tulle larger to allow for full coverage.

Pin the tulle over the base fabric, placing some pins along the edges and some in and between the encased accents.

Now comes the fun—adding embellishments to hold things in place.

Embellishing

To help hold items in place, think about hand- or machine stitching around them to make a “pocket”, add some beads through the layers (especially nice for silk flower petals), or add hand- or machine embroidery to keep things where you want them.

Whatever technique is done over the layers keeps the tulle from being loose and “bagging out” if it’s not anchored in some way.

You can use free-motion stitching to go around shapes, or keep the presser foot on for a more controlled look. Single motifs of decorative stitches are ideal for flower centers or weave rows of decorative stitches in and out of the encased items.

For machine embroidery motifs, add a layer of stabilizer underneath for hooping. When hand-stitching, sew through both the tulle and base layer, and the same for attaching beads, charms or baubles. The more stitching that’s done, the flatter the finished piece will be.

When the embellishing process is complete, stitch around the edge of the entire piece and trim the tulle to match the base shape.

Finishing

Use your embellished piece in your finished garment or project, just as you would if it were plain fabric—you’ve created your own unique fabric worthy of compliments and questions about how you did it, as the tulle is elusive.

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .

January 6, 2023

Reinforcing & Countering Figure Variations (preview)

Reinforcing and countering are the two most effective ways to control the way your figure appears in clothing and helps you decide if the clothes make visual sense for your figure.

Reinforcing/Repetition

You can use all the elements of design — line, shape, color, texture, and pattern to repeat and therefore strengthen, emphasize, or neutralize a particular figure trait or area. When shopping for patterns and clothes in styles that make visual sense for your figure or figure type, you want to select garments that reinforce only the areas of your figure you consider most attractive. You don’t want to select a garment that reinforces and therefore exposes or emphasizes a figure variation you don’t want to draw attention to.

For example, if you have a noticeably large abdomen you do not want to expose or emphasize, it doesn’t make sense to shop for a pattern or an outfit with a close-fitting midriff and skirt. The close fit will repeat the outline of those body areas creating a potentially unflattering look by exposing and emphasizing an area you may wish to underemphasize. Reinforcing goes beyond the elements of line and shape to include fabric and color. Keep in mind that something like a heavy knit fabric could visually add more size to the abdominal area while a bright color or shiny fabric will attract attention and visually enlarge the area. You may want to select a fabric that provides some contrast or countering effect to camouflage and create the illusion of a flatter abdomen.

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December 16, 2022

Handy Notions: Seam Guides

Whether you’re just learning to sew, teaching a novice sewer, or just need a little extra security to make even seamlines, there’s a seam guide to help you with the process.

In addition to sewing seams, guides are also helpful for evenly applying trims equidistance from an edge, hemming, decorative stitching, or topstitching. While the machine presser foot edge is a good guide for small distances, a movable seam guide can go anywhere on the machine base for wider spacing, either left or right of the foot.

Look at the machine throat plate as most have markings for various distances from the needle, often up to 1”, sometimes on both sides of the foot, and sometimes in metric designations. But, if those markings aren’t enough to keep you on the straight and narrow, consider some other options.

Magnetic Appeal

One of the most common seam guides is a raised edge shape that magnetically adheres to the machine base. Because it’s easily removable, you can use it only when needed for a particular task. A single guide can be used on multiple machines if you have one specific to classes or travel.

Magnetic Seam Guide available on Amazon.

Magnetic seam guides come in a variety of shapes and sizes—some designed for curved edges, others for corners and some for straight seaming.

Adhesive-backed Guides

Instead of a magnetic backing, some seam guides adhere to the machine with a repositionable adhesive. They do not damage the machine’s surface, but can be moved as needed. Some offer curved edges for guiding both inner and outer curves with confidence.

Clover Needlecrafts Stick n Stitch Tool available from Amazon.

Screw-in Guide

Depending on your machine brand and model, there may be a screw hole in the top of the machine base that can support a screw-in seam guide. These guides are adjustable and slide on the screw to set the correct distance from the needle, but that distance is limited.

Universal screw-in seam guide available on Amazon.

Quilting Guide

An add-on quilting guide may be an optional or standard accessory for your machine, depending on brand and model. Though designed for spacing quilting lines, it’s also usable for seaming and topstitching a set distance from the fabric edge. The guide has an adjustable “arm” that extends from the presser foot shank and slides to create a guide for evenly spaced stitching. It’s secured at a specific setting with a small screw to keep it from slipping from the chosen distance. If you’re looking for wide spacing, be sure to check the length of the extension arm.

Presser Feet

Some machines work with a presser foot that has a built-in adjustable seam guide. Because of its attachment to the foot, the guide edge is limited in distance from the needle position. Check with your machine dealer to see if this foot will fit your machine.

Presser foot with a seam guide available on Amazon.

Gridded Base

If a small add-on guide doesn’t pack enough “oomph” for you, consider a lined addition to your machine’s surface so you can have measurements extending on one or both sides of the presser foot for foolproof following.

Repositionable seam guide available on Amazon.

When positioning a seam guide, remember to measure the distance needed from the needle position, not the presser foot edge.

DIY Seam Guides

Instead of purchasing a separate accessory, many people have opted for DIY seam guides of all sorts. The most common is to adhere a non-marring and removable tape, such as painter’s tape, to the machine base at the desired distance from the needle. It’s easily repositionable for various tasks and you can write notes on it; plus, it had two parallel edges, so either one can be used depending on the stitching width needed.

Another simple option is to stretch a rubber band tautly around the free arm of the sewing machine at the desired distance from the needle. A piece of narrow elastic tied around the arm works in the same manner.

If you have a pad of sticky notes in your office, move them to your sewing room and adhere the entire pad to the machine base to make a raised-edge seam guide. The glued-together side should face the needle.

December 9, 2022

Bag a Skirt in 10 Easy Steps (Preview)

Everyone knows that a lined skirt will look new longer, wrinkle less, hold its shape better, and be more comfortable to wear. But since it takes quite a bit longer to sew a lined skirt, it’s easy to succumb to temptation and simply make one sans the lining.

The 10-step method described here is so quick and easy, you can actually sew a lined skirt in the same amount of time you used to spend sewing an unlined one. A variation of the bagging technique for jackets is described in my book The Complete Book of Sewing Short Cuts. This method is used extensively in the fashion industry. It is called “bagging” because the garment forms a bag when the hems of the skirt and lining are joined.

The complete version of this article is available on the ASG Members Only blog and requires member login.
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December 2, 2022

Sewing Faux Fur

Whether you’re making stuffed toys, a funky Halloween costume, a plush wrap for holiday gatherings, a warm coat for the winter, or the most fabulous Cosplay costume ever, faux fur is a wonderful fabric of choice. It’s warm and cozy, comes in a variety of colors and textures, and doesn’t harm animals. But, how do you sew on it? There are some tricks to make the process easier.

Choose a pattern with simple lines—complex fitting and too many details make sewing these plush fabrics a bit more difficult. Cut-on sleeves are ideal, as opposed to set-in sleeves. Loose-fitting is better than trying to stitch fitting darts in furry fabric. If your pattern was designed for fur, chances are good that the designer planned for simple lines.

Cutting

Use the “with nap” cutting layout so that the tops of all the pattern pieces go in the same direction, with the pile surface going down for a smooth appearance. Think what it feels like to pet an animal from head to tail vs. the opposite direction. Mark the nap direction on the fur backing to ensure all the pieces face the same direction.

When using thick furs, choose a lighter weight fabric for details like facings, undercollars, etc. to reduce bulk.

When you cut fur, avoid cutting the right side hairs. Draw the pattern shapes (remember, both a right and left half) on the backing and cut the pieces single layer. Use the tip of some sharp scissors or a sharp craft knife to cut only the backing and not the long hairs of the right side. Transfer any markings to the wrong side after cutting.

Sewing

If you’re sewing conventional seams, use at least a ½” seam allowances, as anything narrower makes the seam line hard to control. Finger-press the seam allowances open, and to reduce bulk, trim the pile within the seam allowances.

Sewing seams in fur can be tricky as the layers tend to shift. To avoid this, use a walking foot or dual-feed to help. Hold the seam allowances together with spring clips to keep them in place while sewing, or hand-baste. Keep the layers taut while sewing to prevent puckering, but don’t stretch them, and use a slightly longer than normal stitch length.

If your machine has adjustable pressure, decrease the presser foot pressure to help with the layers shifting.

Create plush toys with Luxe Cuddle from Shannon Fabrics

Almost all furs have a knit backing, so choose a sewing machine needle size consistent with the fabric weight, with either a universal or ball point to avoid damaging the fabric. Regular sewing thread works fine for fur.

As you sew, push the pile toward the project and away from the actual seamline. Stop every few inches to ready the area ahead of your needle and presser foot. The more pile you can keep out of the actual seam, the easier the finishing will be.

Seaming Option

If you think conventional seams might be too bulky in your project, think about trimming off the seam allowances entirely, and using a wide, open zigzag to sew over the adjacent fabric edges. Because of the pile, the seams will be hidden once opened.

Faux fur can also be sewn with a serger, with the stitches going over the cut edge in the same manner as a zigzag.

Finishing

Do not press most fur fabrics—finger-press only. Steam and heat can permanently damage fur pile.

Once you’ve stitched seams, take a long pin or needle and “comb” the pile out of the seam that got caught during stitching. Doing this will give you an almost invisible seam line buried in the pile.

Furs generally are not suitable for topstitching, buttonholes and other finishing details common to other fabrics. Choose alternative fasteners where needed, like hook-and-loop tape, snaps, hooks, etc. Avoid zippers on long-pile furs, as the hairs get caught in the zipper mechanism.

Cleaning

Sewing faux fur makes a mess—no doubt about it! So, clean your machine frequently and clean your sewing area when the project is done, or the cut fur pile will haunt you forever. Use a strip of packing tape or an adhesive lint remover to pick up loose pile. This works on seams as well where you’ve trimmed the hairs to reduce bulk.