ASG Sewing Blog – Page 58

July 10, 2020

Using Striped Fabric to Bind an Edge

It’s Stripe Hype!

Whether you’re binding a jacket front, collar or a quilt, using a striped fabric for the binding is a great way to accent the edge.

Stripes come in varying forms—from simple two-color versions to multi-color patterning, wide to narrow—but one thing’s for sure: they’re fun!

From the top: crosswise; lengthwise; bias

Stripes can be used three different ways for binding an edge: lengthwise, crosswise or on the bias. The choice depends on the desired finished look.

Using a stripe lengthwise on a binding showcases only about ¼” of the patterning, so for wide stripes, this use really isn’t a good option as you’ll likely see only one color. However, for tiny stripes, you can showcase three or four lines. Using a stripe lengthwise requires more yardage than cutting crosswise and/or more frequent seaming. You can use the entire fabric width and less yardage, but that strategy requires more seaming and matching end to end. The fun part—you can decide which stripes to showcase, but remember you’ll need to allow for seam allowances, so place the featured stripes accordingly.

Cutting binding crosswise is another option that showcases stripe repeats at right angles to the project edge. It allows for more visibility of stripe patterning and fewer seams are required with less yardage.

Many stripe aficionados prefer to cut striped binding on the bias (a true 45° angle) for some diagonal interest. The amount of yardage required depends on how frequently you want to piece the strips, matching the stripes. Cutting striped binding on the bias allows it go smoothly around curves, which is not the case with the horizontal or crosswise cutting, as those grains are suitable only for straight edges (like most quilts) rather than curves.

Piecing

In almost all instances, unless you have a short edge to cover, binding needs to be pieced to make enough length for the project. It can be pieced in two ways: with diagonal or horizontal seams.

Diagonal Seaming: While diagonal seaming makes for flatter binding because seam allowances are offset and not on top of themselves with multiple layers, it can be more difficult to align stripes with this bias seaming.

Crosswise Seaming: For crosswise stripe fabric strips, it’s easier to get a more invisible seam if you use horizontal piecing, sewing strips end to end. This technique also allows for a regular repeat of the stripe. To create a horizontal seam, place strips right sides together matching the same stripe on both layers. Stitch down the center of the stripe, trim the seam allowances to ¼” and press open. If you stitched accurately, the seam should be almost invisible and show a continuous stripe pattern along the binding.

Finishing

Once you’ve pressed your binding in half and sewn it the edge, first press it toward the edge you’re covering. Then fold it to the underside and hand-stitch the folded edge of the binding to the back side of the garment, quilt, etc.

For a quicker finish, fold the binding to the underside, pin or clip securely so that the underlayer is slightly wider than the top binding, and stitch in the ditch of the seamline where you initially attached the binding. Because the binding underside is slightly wider than the top, your stitching should easily catch the folded edge to secure it. Using transparent thread (either smoke or clear) works well for this, especially if your project is multi-color.

~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 .

July 3, 2020

Serger Piping

Pipe it Right

Perhaps you’ve never looked beyond the standard foot on your serger to see the other possibilities of this mighty little overlocker. Did you know you can actually make and install foolproof piping?

Check your instruction manual or with your dealer to see about getting a piping or cording foot for your model of machine. It’s either a metal or plastic foot with a groove on the underside, which is the secret to the process. Depending on your serger brand, you may be able to get different sizes of the grooved feet, like 3mm and 5mm (referring to the diameter of the cord that will go into the piping).

The piping foot can also insert ready-made piping if you prefer not to make your own.

Check your serger’s instruction manual for specific setting for your machine. The following are general instructions.

Making Piping

Determine the length of cording needed for your project and add 6”. Cut the fabric strips the same length.
Cut a strip of fabric about 2” wide and on the bias grain if your piping will be going around a curve or a corner. Plaids and stripes look great cut on the bias as well. If the piping is simply being applied to a straight edge, cut the strip on the crosswise grain. Piece the strips together with a diagonal seam to achieve the final length needed and press the joining seams open.
Center the cord length in the center of the strip wrong side and fold over the upper fabric so the raw edges meet. Leave about a 3” tail of cord extending from the initial end of the mix, so you can hang onto it behind the foot.
Set the serger for either a 3-thread or 4-thread stitch, with a fairly open length.
Slide the cord end under the foot and nestle it into the groove, then pull the end behind the foot until you get to the wrapped fabric portion. Put the foot down and stitch! The groove guides the cord with precision, the blades trim off the fabric edges and give you an even seam allowance. Voila!

Inserting piping

Set the serger stitch length to a standard length (about 2.5mm).
Place the piping between the two layers of project fabric, either matching the seam allowance edges, or with the cord along the seam allowance. Slide the layers under the foot and again place the piping tail extending behind the foot. Start stitching about 1” from the covered piping end if you need to finish the end upon completion. If the piping end goes into a seam, then start at the end.
Keeping the layer edges together and the piping in the foot groove, sew the seam, encasing the piping between the layers.
If your project has a corner, stop serging about 2” before the corner and clip into the piping seam allowance (only) at the exact corner location. Shape the piping around the corner, but continue to serge straight off the end of the seam area. Remove the item from the serger, shape the piping around the corner, and reinsert the project into the serger at a right angle to the previously serged seam. Start serging again on the next side, and repeat at each corner.
If your piping project is continuous, like a rectangular pillow, stop serging about 2” before the place you began and finish the joining using your conventional machine.

PHOTO CREDITS: All photos courtesy of Bernina, used with permission

July 1, 2020

Fireside Chat: Emily Hallman

Emily Hallman is a shoe lover, bookworm, dog mama, fashion enthusiast, and sewist. She also publishes a capsule wardrobe blog and has over 40K followers on Instagram. Sheryl Belson spent some time chatting with Emily about color, style and the joy of sewing your own wardrobe, one colorful, coordinated collection at a time.

~Sheryl Belson, ASG

June 26, 2020

Quilting Quandary

You’ve spent hours, days or weeks (OK, maybe years) tediously piecing your quilt top. It’s layered, basted and ready to go. It doesn’t matter if it’s a traditional look or totally mod, the next step toward the finish line—how to quilt it.

You can, of course, hire a longarm quilter to do it for you. You can free-motion quilt it from edge to edge. Or, you can use your walking foot to quilt it. Let’s take a look at a few walking-foot options.

Stitch-in-the-Ditch Quilting

When you constructed your blocks, you probably pressed the seam allowances in one direction, perhaps so they could nest with adjoining seams and because it makes a stronger seam than pressing them open. With the seam allowances pressed in one direction, it creates a “well” in the seam—a small indentation. That’s the perfect location to stitch through the three layers of your quilt (top, batting, backing).

Stitch-in-the-ditch quilting can be done with transparent thread, either smoke or clear, or with a thread color to coordinate with adjacent pieces. Choose a bobbin color that coordinates with the quilt backing. This type of quilting is an ideal way to hold the layers together without creating new design lines and it lets you highlight the piecing itself. Stitch slowly and stay in the ditch.

Sample of stitching in the ditch — Example of stitching in the ditch

If you have a machine with an adjustable needle position, try moving the needle to exactly sit in the ditch of the seam for invisible stitching.

Echo Quilting

If stitching in the ditch seems a bit scary, think about echo quilting. This process uses the presser foot width to keep your quilting lines an even distance from the piecing seams—it’s akin to topstitching on a garment. This simple method allows you to highlight the shapes you’ve intricately pieced, and it’s a great way to hold the layers together.

ANCHORING THREADS: If you’re doing either stitch-in-the-ditch or echo quilting, it’s likely that you won’t be starting and finishing your stitching in a place where you can simply cut the threads. You can start and end your stitching sections by shortening the stitch length to near zero to anchor the threads. If you opt not to do that, then simply pull the top threads to the underside, knot them, thread the ends into a needle and bury them in the quilt layers.

Channel Quilting

Some designs work well with overall quilting parallel rows of stitches. It’s fun, easy and pretty quick to complete. The channels can be spaced as desired, but a simple way is to use the presser foot width as a guide for the row spacing. Mark the first stitching line in the center of the quilt, then work outward from the center to the left and the right. For a more artsy look, vary the spacing of the stitching rows. If you want them further apart than the presser foot width, use a quilting guide for spacing.

Tape Tricks

If you’re looking for a quick and easy, no-mark method to prep your quilt, look no further than the paint aisle of your favorite home improvement store. Painter’s tape is designed to mask edges and trim when changing the color of a room, but quilters have taken it to another level. The low-tack tape is available in several widths, and some shapes (scallops, zigzag and waves) and it’s perfect for “marking” quilting lines on your quilt sandwich.

Adhere the tape strips in the pattern you’d like to quilt—parallel lines, diverging lines, crisscross patterning or even diamonds or triangles. Finger-press the tape in place and you’ve got a perfect edge to follow with your stitching. Stitch your first line along the tape edge or a presser foot width away, and subsequent stitching lines using either the presser foot width for spacing, or a quilting guide for wider spacing. You can stitch on either the inside of the tape, outside or both.

When you’re done stitching, simply pull off the tape—there’s no residue. If your lines go edge to edge, there’s no need to secure the threads, as they’ll be caught under the binding. If shapes are within the quilt, tie off the threads as noted above.

June 24, 2020

Is Sewing Art?

“Advancing sewing as an art and life skill”

If “art” is work that matters, we know the answer to the question, Is sewing art? is Yes!