ASG Sewing Blog – Page 37

December 17, 2021

Bias Tape Basics

Bias Tape – What is it?

You may know that bias is the direction of a fabric at a 45° angle to the selvage edge. Bias edges are ravel-free, stretchable and flexible and a bias strip can be curved without puckering, whereas a straight-grain cut can’t go smoothly around curves.

Bias Tapes (left to right): double-fold, extra-wide double-fold, single-fold, extra-wide single-fold (aka hem facing)

Pre-made bias tape is available in several varieties—single fold, double fold, wide versions of each of those, and also in a quilt binding width. Look for it in myriad solid colors, but also prints, plaids, stripes, metallics and satins. Some brands also make seasonal bias tape offerings, like holiday prints. Bias tape can be purchased pre-packaged or by the yard.

Single-fold bias is a fabric strip with each long edge pressed under once. Standard width single-fold bias tape is ½” wide. A wider width is also available measuring 7/8”-1” depending on the brand.

Double-wide bias is a fabric strip with each long edge pressed under and then the strip is folded in half with wrong sides together and pressed agsin. Standard double-fold bias tape is ¼” wide, while extra-wide measures ½”. Quilt binding is a variation of double-wide bias tape and it measures 7/8” wide. All double-fold bias tapes have one side slightly longer than the other and that goes on the underside during application to help accommodate the thickness to the fabric and still ensure catching both layers with the stitching.

What’s it used for?

Single-fold bias tape is often used as a flat trim band. Both sides can be sewn down with a straight or decorative stitch. It’s also great for making casings for elastic or a drawstring, and its wider varieties can be used as a hem, armhole or neckline facing.

Double-fold bias tape is used most commonly as an edge finish and to add a pop of color to a project. Double-fold bias is great for encasing a raw edge, such as a seam allowance in an unlined garment, around an apron or as a tie. The extra-wide version is ideal for binding thicker projects like pot holders and the very wide is most often used to finish the edges of quilts or fleece blankets.

How is bias tape applied?

Stitch & Flip

On double-fold bias tape, open out the pressed folds and place the narrowest portion right sides together with the edge to be bound. Stitch along the crease line, turn the bias over the edge and hand-stitch in place. This creates an application with no visible stitching. If there’s enough space on the underside to ensure catching the fold, you can also machine stitch in the ditch of the seam from the right side.

Bias tape - stitch and flip — Stitch and flip application: Step 1 – sew along the open creaseline

Stitch and flip application: Step 2 – fold over and stitch in the ditch

Encase

The easiest way to apply double-fold bias tape is to simply encase the raw edge to be finished and machine stitch the tape in place from the right side. Be sure that the wider portion is on the underside to ensure the stitching catches it. The stitching can be a simple straight stitch or a decorative stitch along the edge or over it.

Fuse

Some brands offer fusible bias tape, both double- and single-fold. To apply this, simply encase the edge and fuse according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Note that the fusing is a temporary hold, so stitching also needs to be done for security. Single-fold fusible bias tape is used for stained glass and Celtic appliqué techniques to cover raw edges.

If you want to make your own fusible application, simply tuck a strip of ¼” wide fusible web tape under the bias tape on both sides and fuse in place.

How do I finish the end of bias binding?

Anytime you can bring the bias tape ends into a crossing seam line, that is ideal. If that’s not possible, simply turn under the starting end of the binding and start stitching 1” in, then as you return to the starting point, tuck in the finishing end under the beginning point and continue stitching. If the bias tape end is free, like on apron ties, simply tie a knot in the bias tape, as the ends won’t ravel. Another option is to hand-stitch the ends in place for an invisible finish.

Can I make my own?

Absolutely, and there’s a bias tape maker to make the process even easier. Bias tape makers are available in multiple sizes and some offer the option of adding a fusible tape in at the same time as the folding and pressing operation. Using one of these devices makes bias tape a consistent width, which is tricky to do when you just try to fold and press it yourself without the tool. Custom bias tape allows you to use whatever fabric you prefer, instead of being limited by available ready-made colors.

Tip: See our video on how to use this tool at https://www.asg.org/how-to-make-your-own-bias-tape/

~Linda Griepentrog
Linda 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 two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .

December 10, 2021

Specialty Scissors

Chances are good that you’ve got more than one pair of shears and/or scissors in your sewing room. The old standby is a good pair of dressmaker shears, but there are a few other lesser-known varieties that you may want to add to your tool arsenal. These novelties often have a single function, but sometimes they’re the best tool for the job.

Cut Ups

Appliqué (duckbill) scissors are perhaps the funniest looking of our scissor choices. They have one large D-shaped blade and one regular blade and are designed to trim close to an appliqué without cutting the fabric base. These scissors are available with either sharp points or rounded points, depending of your cutting confidence.

Pictured: Havels Duckbill Appliqué Scissors

Buttonhole scissors have a screw adjustment that can set the cutting size so that multiple buttonholes are all cut the same length. These replace seam rippers for opening buttonholes and offer a bit more safety than trying to use larger scissors for the opening task.

Pictured: Tooltron Buttonhole Scissors

Embroidery scissors are small (3”-5” blades) with very sharp points for cutting threads very closely. Available with straight or curved blades, some embroidery scissors have an antique look with filigree designs or animal shapes, like the heirloom stork scissors.

Pictured: Mundial Embroidery Scissors

Machine embroidery scissors have curved blades/handles so that you can trim threads closely while the work is still in the embroidery hoop at the machine. Depending on the brand, the handles can be at a right angle to the blades. They’re not limited to machine embroidery and can be used anytime you need to trim something close to a surface, like quilting or free-motion stitchery.

Pictured: Havel’s Ultimate Curved Machine Embroidery Scissors

Non-stick scissors have coated blades specifically designed for working with fabrics that tend to stick, like vinyl, laminated cottons, oilcloth and some faux leathers.

Pictured: Fiskars Non-stick Detail Scissors

Open-ring scissors have open curved handles (instead of rings), so that they can be used by either right- or left-handed sewers, or anyone with finger or hand issues, as there’s extra space for access.

Pictured: Tooltron Open Ring Scissors

Rag scissors are workhorses designed specifically to cut through multiple layers of fabric at one time, like for rag-edge quilts. Not your typical scissor look, they take on a plier look for more cutting power.

Pictured: Famore Rag Clips

Stitch-cutting scissors have a small hook at one end of a blade to slide under a single stitch and they’re ideal for ripping out stitches without damaging the fabric below.

Pictured: Havels Stitch Cutting Scissors

Under-trimmers, like their cousins the machine embroidery scissor, these quirky looking scissors allow for trimming in an embroidery hoop while it’s on the machine, but also have the ability and shape to reach under the hoop as well to trim bobbin threads during the embroidery or stitching process.

Pictured: Tacony Undertrimmer Scissors

Close encounters

Snips: In addition to this grouping of novelty scissors, don’t forget the ever-handy nippers, snippers, thread clips—the names differ, but the function is the same. Their small, spring-action blades make trimming threads easier than ever.

Pictured: Gingher Featherweight Thread Snips

Kids: If you’re teaching sewing to kids, look for blunt-tip safety scissors to prevent major accidents with sharper pointed scissors.

Pictured: Famore Blunt Tip Scissors

December 3, 2021

Creating a Monogram

Whether it’s an item you’ve made or an item you’ve bought, a monogram is a wonderful way to add a personal touch. And if you’re pressed for sewing time, it’s a great way to solve your gift-giving dilemmas. For example, if you don’t have time to make a robe, buy it and personalize it… with towels to match!

Monograms are usually composed of capital letters. Until the beginning of the 20th century, a single initial, usually the last initial, was the most common style. Today, one-, two-, and three-letter monograms are all equally common but the most conventional monogram arrangement consists of three letters: a larger central letter, flanked by two smaller letters, one on each side. Generally, the center letter is the surname or last name, with the letter on the left representing the first name, and the letter on the right representing the middle name. This arrangement makes sense for an individual with three initials available. Typically, each member of the household sharing the same surname would have their own monogram. A married couple might choose to blend their individual initials into a common monogram. For example, John R. Smith, who marries Katherine L. Brown, might create the common monogram JSK. In contemporary life, it would also be acceptable to use KSJ, with the woman’s initial appearing first.

Arranging the Letters

The spacing of the letters and their position relative to each other will vary depending on the style of lettering, the letters themselves, and your own personal preference.

When you work with individual designs for each letter, you have complete control over placement and spacing. Just move the letters around onscreen until you are happy with the results, then save the combination under a new file name—one that you can easily remember.

Several of the EmbroideryArts styles (e.g., Circle, Empire) have left, middle, and right versions of each letter. Although the individual letters can still be used alone, these styles are designed to make three-letter monograms that form a specific shape, so the left side A, for example, is a different letter than the right side A.

Start with the larger center letter for the surname or last name, and then add the flanking letters, on the left and right. This sewing sequence will produce longer connecting threads between letters for embroiderers whose machines do not have automatic thread trimmers, and will also push the fabric away from the center as the complete design is sewn.

Placing the Design

Once you’ve determined the arrangement of your letters, you’ll need to consider the placement on your project. To do this, stitch out a sample of the monogram and photocopy it. Then:

Find the center of the design by measuring the height and width, then drawing crossed lines half way between each dimension.
At the center point, cut away a 1⁄4″ square or use a standard paper punch to make a hole.
Cut away the excess paper surrounding the monogram and place the photocopy where you intend to put the monogram.
Using a water-soluble or air-soluble marker, mark the design center on the fabric. If you don’t want to mark directly on your fabric, place a dot on a small piece of masking tape. Slide the tape under the hole in the photocopy until it is centered, then hold both the photocopy and the tape together, and place the two where you want the design to go. Lift the photocopy and the tape will stay in place, marking the center.
Hoop the fabric, making sure the center mark is in the center of the hoop. If using the tape method, remove the tape before stitching the monogram.

Where the Letters Go

If you’re puzzled about where to place the monogram, here are a few guidelines.

Golf shirt: 7″ to 9″ inches down from the left shoulder seam and 4″ to 6″ over from the center.
Wash cloth: 1-1/2″ above the hem, or 1″ above the border for placement parallel to the edge; for placements in the corner, turn the washcloth diagonally until the shape is a diamond, then determine placement based on the design size.
Hand towel: 2″ above the hem, or 1-1/2″ above the border, on the opposite edge from the label.
Bath towel: 4″ above the hem, or 2″ above the border, on the opposite edge from the label.
Sheets: the bottom of the monogram should be centered at the midpoint of the sheet width, and should be approximately 2″ above the wide hemline at the top of the sheet.
Pillowcase: centered at the midpoint of the width of the open end, and also centered midway between the edge of the pillowcase and the hem edge.
Shirt cuff: on the top of the wrist, and from 1″ to 1-3/8″ toward the buttonhole from the center of the cuff. Cuff monograms are typically small, and are placed so that the bottom of the design is 1/4″ to 1/2″ above the cuff edge
Coat lining: on the right side of the lining, at approximately waist level.

~This article appeared in a previous issue of Notions
Richards Jarden, born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa., studied fine arts in the U.S., India, England, and Canada as a college student. He is a former associate professor of fine arts, and in the late 1980s was head of the Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design. He has managed various art-related businesses, first in architectural restoration, later in decorative painting, and since 1993 in embroidery design and digitizing. He has a particular interest in lettering and monogramming, and is the president of Embroideryarts (www.embroideryarts. com), which designs and markets digitized monogram designs for home and commercial embroiderers.

December 1, 2021

Jacksonville, FL Chapter wins SVP Presentation

Watch us Grow!

In 2020, while organizations throughout the country were struggling to simply maintain their membership, six ASG chapters increased their numbers by at least 10%!

Winning Approach

One of those chapters was located in Jacksonville, FL and for their outstanding efforts, they won a FREE program provided by Singer-Viking-Pfaff (SVP). I interviewed Chapter President, Lois Kelly, and asked her to share the strategies that lead to this achievement during such trying times. She explained that the chapter planned several events at little or no cost. First, they promoted a “Bring a Friend” campaign. Historically, this kind of “invite-a-friend” approach tends to be the most effective way to introduce sewers to the American Sewing Guild and encourage membership. An invitation is a great way to make someone feel special and wanted and provides company to someone who may not ordinarily attend an event alone.

Another approach they shared was to refresh their Facebook posts at ASG Jacksonville, FL. When I looked at their past posts, I noticed that those earlier than 2020 were interesting, colorful, and inspiring, but the content leaned towards high fashion/historical/creative DIY. In refreshing the content, they transitioned to posting current projects created by their members. In a sense, earlier Facebook posts seemed like a fashion blog that would drive readership. More recent posts highlighted the activities and virtues of the chapter saying, “This is a community to join in person!”

Also, some of the members are sewing teachers and they invited their students to look into ASG. This provided novice sewers the opportunity to bond in a group that shared their creative interests. Just these three small changes brought in new members—a 10% increase in the size of their chapter!

An Eye on the Prize

The chapter was delighted to win the speaker award and despite, or maybe because of a Covid world, they explored other innovative resources to run the presentation in an innovative way. One of the members got permission from her employer to use a large meeting room with professional-grade audio-visual equipment for the Zoom event. While a majority of the participants attended a socially distant in-person watch party of this hands-on workshop with a table for every person’s serger and supplies, others were able to watch from their homes. Attendees could work right along with the presenter, whether enjoying the camaraderie with other members or enjoying the presentation from the comfort of their sewing rooms. It was a great way to think outside of the box and provide chapter programming to their members that took into consideration the comfort levels of participants in this unprecedented time! SVP educator Katrina Walker hosted her Serger Stitch Savvy Workshop from her studio in Spokane, WA.

Katrina demonstrated how a basic 4-thread serger can create up to 18 different stitches, some of which are probably not shown in the user manuals. She introduced each stitch, discussed its application, and demonstrated how to set up the serger for it. Students were able to see pictures of Katrina’s sample garments and finished objects embellished with those stitches.

Katrina’s workshop classes are renown for the sample reference books that students build so they can look back at all the steps in the techniques. For this virtual workshop, Katrina provided the supply list and a blank reference page so students could make copies for each stitch taught in the class. Students took notes from Katrina’s demonstration, then set up their sergers and stitched samples to keep for their records.

Once again, the chapter implemented the “Bring a Friend” approach and put flyers in local fabric stores. This brought 6 non-members to the event.

Congratulations to the Jacksonville Chapter for not only winning this free event, but for continuing to spread the word of ASG and bringing new friends into our family.

~Carolyn Chen

November 26, 2021

Covering Your Own Buttons

Are there times when you just can’t find the right buttons to accent your project, and you long for something really unique? Well, never fear, you can make buttons look like anything your heart desires by covering your own.

Forms

Button covering forms come is sizes from 7/16” to 2 ½”, depending on where you’re going to use them. The smaller ones are ideal for cuffs or down the back of a wedding dress, while the larger sizes are great for home décor uses and jewelry. Yes, jewelry (see below).

Metal button forms come in both flat and domed shapes, depending on the look you like and the size needed.

There are two components to each button form—the top portion which has sharp teeth around the underside to grip the fabric, and the bottom portion which snaps into the top to hold the fabric in place. The top portion of the button form also includes a wire shank which goes through the bottom section when the button components are snapped together.

The packaging on the button forms contains a pattern to use for cutting the covering circles, so carefully trim around it when opening the pack of forms.

Covering Up

Almost any fabric can be used to cover buttons—some easier than others. If your fabric has a loose weave or is not opaque, the shiny metal form may show through, so back the fabric with a lightweight interfacing or underlining.

If your covering fabric is very bulky, like some home décor fabrics or faux furs, cut the circle slightly smaller than the template and/or trim any pile from the underside edges to reduce bulk.

Keep in mind that the covering fabric can be fussy-cut to showcase a particular area on the button circle, so plan ahead for repeat buttons.

The covering fabric can also have numerous other decorative techniques applied to it before use—stenciling, painting, dyeing, hand stitchery, needle felting, machine embroidery, texturizing, etc. Just keep in mind the button size to showcase the embellishments. A Bit of Stitch offers two design packs made specifically for machine embroidered covered buttons.

Cut the covering fabric from the supplied template and cut as many as needed to cover all the buttons.

Lay the fabric circle face down on the table surface and center the button form top face down on it. Pull the fabric around the form and hook it over the teeth on the underside. Work from opposite sides of the button and pull the fabric taut over the form, so there are no wrinkles or pleats. Work your way around the button hooking the fabric securely to the teeth. If you get wrinkles, unhook and try again to smooth the fabric in place.

When the covering fabric is well anchored into the teeth all the way around, position the back section over the wire shank and snap it firmly into place covering the teeth. If your fabric is bulky, a light tap with a small hammer may be helpful to be sure the backing snaps in place.

Repeat to make as many buttons as needed.

Help, the button is winning! If things don’t go quite as smoothly as you’d like and it feels like the button form is winning the wrestling match, try using some temporary spray adhesive to hold the fabric in place while you pull it tautly over the form and anchor it to the hooks. Another option is to use a little fabric glue along the teeth to help hold wiry or otherwise testy fabrics in place.

Fun Options

In addition to functional closures, fabric covered buttons are ideal for jewelry and craft projects, like holiday ornaments. Remove the wire shank before adding the button back if you need a flat back, and cover the button back with a felt circle to finish. If you’re making a brooch, just glue a pinback to the button flat underside.

Once the button is covered, you can add beads or other gemstones to it for embellishment, or even some iron-on crystals for a bit of bling.