by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 7, 2016
This past week I have been busy organizing, labeling and embellishing my projects. I’ve collected 9 ideas you can use with your sewing projects to make them more useful, or more fun! I’ve used the alphabet feature on the Janome Skyline S7 a lot for this week’s content. But I made sure to include several ideas that don’t require any special stitches at all – I hope you like them!
For my main project this week I wanted to make a couple of Fat Quarter Skirts. This tutorial is a few years old now and is so easy to make (and so cute to wear!) – a great beginner project. Perfect for embellishing, and using up any “spare” fat quarters you might have lying around! I added permanent shorties underneath these as well using this Add Shorts to the Fat Quarter Skirt follow-up post from last year.
The Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern is Now Available!
Purchasing this fully tested skirt pattern gives you access to 5 sizes, child’s 2-6, to create a skirt that is 9-11 1/2″ (23-30cm) long. Expect lots of tips and tricks throughout, a glossary of terms, recommended best practices and instructions geared towards an absolute beginner. This pattern is truly a quick sew – allow yourself just 1-3 hours to finish, including your fabric cutting time. It’s also a great stash-buster, requiring only 2 fat quarters and a length of elastic… things you probably already have in your stash! To find out more about the pattern, click here.
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
Thank you for your support!
Back to the post… Each skirt uses just 2 fat quarters, and my sponsor Country Clothesline was kind enough to provide this week’s fabric. These fabrics are just gorgeous together. They almost look like the came from the same fabric line! Country Clothesline curates a lovely country-inspired shop full of fresh and pretty fabrics. The butterfly skirt is a mixture of Kate Spain’s Aria in Begonia Butterfly and Bonnie & Camille’s Vintage Picnic Check in Coral. The floral one (my favorite!) is from Colette – Floral Leaf Paisley mixed with Tanya Whelan – Barefoot Roses in Pink Dot. The extra green on shown in the photos is from Tanya Whelan as well – Rosey in Green Plaid.
I thought it would be fun to add a book quote to one of the Fat Quarter Skirts using the Skyline S7 alphabet feature. It turned out so cute! Check out Idea #9 below for more details. (P.S. Do you know which book it is?!)
Disclaimer: A Skyline S7 has been loaned to me for the purpose of writing this series. As with all products I write about, I will always tell you my own honest opinion. I purchased and loved Janome machines long before they contacted me. Janome has not asked me to qualify my opinions in any way. Also, the fabric for this post was given to me by my sponsor Country Clothesline. Thank you for supporting my sponsors!
9 Ways to Embellish & Label Your Projects
Idea #1: Twill Tape Size Label – Three Ways!
- Cut twill tape to about 3″ long. Write the size using a fine tip fabric marker. Heat set the marker ink on high heat for about 30 seconds. Use pinking shears and/or Fray Check to seal the raw ends. Fold the ribbon in half. Sew into the back of your project.
- Follow the first method, but use your machine to embroider the size onto your twill tape. Make sure to use a stabilizer under your ribbon for a clean finish.
- Use your machine to write the size and any other embellishments (like a super-cute clothesline!) parallel to the ribbon edge. Remove excess stabilizer. Use pinking shears and/or Fray Check to seal the ends. Fold the ends under 1/2″ or so – I use a school glue stick to hold the ends in place. Sew across each short end to attach it to your project. You can also attach these over the side seam! Tip: Use bobbin thread that matches the outer fabric so the stitching is less visible. (Check out the blue Soleil Dress pictured + 12 tips for sewing knits in Week 4 of the Sewing Diaries.)
Idea #2: Decorative Ribbon Loop
Little ribbon tags are so cute and add a little extra to the side seam of your project.
Cut decorative ribbon to an appropriate length, depending on the ribbon pattern. Fold the ribbon in half. Insert the ribbon along the side seam of your project as it is being sewn. Be sure to allow for the seam allowance when you are aligning it – Ex. for a 1/4″ seam allowance, make sure the ribbon design is at least 1/4″ over from the raw edge of the ribbon.
Idea #3: Fancy Top-Stitching
Use a zigzag stitch (or another decorative stitch on your machine) to top-stitch, instead of always using a straight stitch. I chose a medium width zigzag for the Butterfly skirt.
Idea #4: Leather Labels
I could have made these for days! I used one in the Forest Glen Mini Satchel a few weeks ago and it was so easy. I didn’t even need stabilizer – and they look so professional. Plus it helps that the Skyline S7 went through this leather like butter! Remember that any holes you make are permanent, and use a leather needle for your stitching. Check out these tips for sewing thicker fabrics from Week 3 of the Sewing Diaries.
Idea #5: Custom Stitches
The Skyline S7 comes with a really fun feature – you can build your own stitches! The Stitch Composer loads onto your home computer and allows you to build the stitch, save it, and transfer it to the sewing machine through its USB port. I found a butterfly picture to use as a template and then traced my own butterfly stitch. Woo Hoo! I would love to try to make a Little Red and the Wolf using my logo when I get more time to play with it.
My first butterfly had something like 175 stitches in it, and only came out about a 1/2″ wide! Oops! You can see what this tiny butterfly looked like on Instagram.
I can’t get WordPress to upload the file directly. So if you have a machine that can accept .stx Stitch Composer files and would like the butterfly file, please send me an email and I’ll send it over to you!
Idea #6: Add Ribbon
An easy way to make a zigzag stitch a bit fancier is to zigzag over ribbon! Cut ribbon to the width of the panel you are making. Glue baste or pin the ribbon in place before stitching a wide zigzag stitch over it. Start and end your stitching with 3 or 4 straight stitches to hold the ribbon in place. I also sewed ribbon on with a straight stitch in an embellished skirt tutorial a few months ago.
Idea #7: Quick & Dirty Camp/School Name Labels
Create quick fusible name labels for everything your kids own!
Stitch names onto twill tape, I didn’t use stabilizer for this one because I wanted these to be super-fast. You can see they are slightly wonky but not too bad! Attach fusible web to the back. I love to use Steam-A-Seam (#notanad) because it is tacky and allows for easy placement and trimming. Press the fusible lightly to adhere it permanently to the label. Cut the labels apart and store them until needed. Then just iron them on! You can Fray Check the ends if desired – but the fusible should be enough to stop them from fraying. (The shirt is my oldest’s well-loved Extraordinary Girl shirt. Pattern from Filles à Maman.)
Idea #8: Printed Fabric Labels
Design and send a file to Spoonflower and have your labels printed! I ordereded these a few years ago on a knit fabric. This way they are easy to cut out with no need to hem because they won’t fray. You could apply fusible web to the back of these (as per Idea #7) and have simple- to-make fusible labels with your own design! Or you can buy a pre-made design and support a designer. #goodforyou!
Idea #9: Adding Text
I love the idea of personalizing a project with a fun quote and this floral paisley skirt just needed something from “The Secret Garden” on it! My kids love to plant flowers in the spring, water them (too much!) and watch them grow. I re-found my grandmother’s Ladybird Book copy of the book to go with the skirt so now we can read the abridged version together as well!
“However many years she lived, Mary always felt that ‘she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow’.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
- Type in a few words and test the width of your lettering. This is very general, since spacing depends a bit on how fast you are stitching! My machine works out to 5 or 6 letters/spaces per inch. So I would need about 22-27 inches for the quote + the length of my test text.
- Cut some twill tape double the width of the skirt panel. Enter the quote into your sewing machine. The Skyline S7 has a built in memory – so I stored the quote as 3 files in the machine. Double-check your spelling! This machine has a view screen where you can see all of the text all at once. Really helpful.
- Place stabilizer on the back of your twill tape. I used a glue stick very lightly to adhere the two together.
- Start stitching about 1-2″ in from the raw end. I used a slower speed and it took me about 25 minutes to stitch, open the next file, stitch, add leaves to fill the open space and double-check my work. Remove the excess stabilizer and cut/remove the threads between letters if desired.
- Sew one side of the skirt panel/contrast border together. Glue baste or pin the ribbon near the bottom and edge-stitch it on. I like using the over-edge foot that comes with the S7 to make my stitches really straight. The edge of the twill tape runs along the edge of the black divider on the foot and works to keep everything in place.
- Once the ribbon is sewn on, finish the other side seam and then finish the skirt!
I hope you found a few new fun ideas to use from this list! Next week we are going to talk about quilting. I’m looking forward to trying all of the piecing/quilting options on the Skyline S7. Plus I’ve been wanting to make the project I’ve chosen for ages now. Nothing like a deadline to get ‘er done. Have a great week!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 5, 2016
We are here, this is it, you are ALMOST finished! Making the cover is the easy part in comparison to your amazing quiet book pages. Here we go!
(If you are just starting find all the information you need on this Sew-Along page.)
Before we begin/Important Notes:
- Remember to use your iron liberally when you are sewing this book. It is going to be a work of art when you are done! Since it is thick and some of the pages will not be iron-able once you are finished with them it is advisable to take all of the care you can to remove wrinkles so they are not accidentally permanent in your final book.
Materials:
- Cover: Cut 2, 11″ high x 21″ wide, from the Yardage Overview
- Fusible Fleece: Cut 1, 11″ x 21″ for the outer cover
- Inside Cover Ribbon (to hold binder/key rings): Cut 1, 11″ high, I used 1″ grosgrain
- Outer Wrap-Around ribbon: Cut 1, 27″ (roughly, see below) and 1 piece 9″ long
- Strap Tab (Fabric): Cut 2, 3″ wide by 1.5″ high (1/4″ seam)
- Velcro: Cut 1 each hook & loop, 1.5″ long
- 2 binder rings or key rings
Outer Cover:
-
- Press fusible fleece to the outer cover as per the manufacturer’s directions. Quilt if desired. Note that the wrap-around ribbon will be sewn horizontally in the center of the cover.
- Place the shorter length of wrap-around ribbon directly over the longer piece matching the ends and edges. Baste, fuse or use a glue-stick to temporarily hold them in place. Top-stitch the long edges to hold the two pieces together.
- Pin the wrap-around ribbon horizontally across the outer cover parallel tot he long edge. The double-layer from Step 2 will be on the left, with the shorter edge underneath. The shorter ribbon should overlap the cover by at least 1 1/2″.
- Mark 1″ over from the left side of the outer cover edge, beside the double ribbon layer. Stitch a large rectangle around the edges of the ribbon to secure it to the cover, pivoting at the 1″ mark.
- Stitch the soft side of your Velcro 2 1/2″ over from the right edge of the outer cover.
- Attach embroidery or label at least 1″ away from all edges, if desired. The right side of the cover is the front, the left side is the back.
Inside Cover:
- Pin the inside cover ribbon down the centre of the cover, marking openings for the rings that match up with your page ring tabs. I marked 3 1/2″, 4 1/2″, 6 1/2″ & 7 1/2″, measured from the bottom edge of the inside cover.
- Stitch around the ribbon edges, leaving the spaces between the markings un-sewn.
Assemble Cover:
- Place the outer and inside covers right sides together. Stitch around the edges with a 3/8″ seam leaving a 3″ opening along one edge. Make sure NOT to sew over the free end of the wrap-around ribbon, it should be in between the layers of fabric.
- Clip all corners, turn, press and top-stitch all edges. Again, do not sew over the free end of the wrap-around ribbon.
- With the inside cover facing up, top-stitch through all layers 1/4″ from either side of the inside cover ribbon to hold the cover together.
Add the Velcro Tab:
- Place your finished Quiet Book pages inside the cover to measure the thickness of the book. (Do not insert them into the key rings yet!) Test the length of the wrap-around ribbon and shorten it if necessary. The ribbon should wrap around the book with all pages inserted and cover the front Velcro.
- Fold the right short edge of the top tab fabric in 1/2″. Fold the left short edge of the bottom tab fabric in 1/2″ – this side will face the cover and have the Velcro attached.
- Stitch Velcro to the bottom tab, 1/4″ from the folded edge.
- Place tab pieces right sides together with the folded edges matching. Stitch with a 1/4″ seam, leaving the folded edges open. Clip, turn and press.
- Insert the free end of the wrap-around ribbon into the open end of the tab. Top-stitch the tab, catching the ribbon and stitching the folded edge closed.
Finishing Touches:
- Insert the binder or key rings into the book.
- Attach the pages in the order you have determined. (Take photos to share with everyone!)
- Gift wrap and give your work of art to a small-someone you love.
- Feel so proud to have accomplished this amazing book! Wow!
** As usual: This tutorial is for personal or charitable use only. Please do not sell items made with the Quiet Book Sew Along posts. If you wish to sell these please contact sherri@threadridinghood.com for information on how to purchase a license. Thank you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 4, 2016
This week I’m making good on a promise I started a long time ago, I’m posting the last few tutorials for the Quiet Book Sew-Along! They have been in the works for so long. I have been delinquent in finishing the Sew-Along, and I apologize for that. I have learned a lot about what I can and cannot accomplish in a reasonable timeline in the last few years – and this was definitely something where I bit off more than I could chew.
Thankfully, the instructions for the pages are finished! So all we need to do is bind them and make the cover. After these two instructional posts, I’ll post a final overview of the whole Sew-Along. During today’s tutorial we will finish each page set for the book. Add the ribbon loops that will secure the pages to the book, stitch on the fun ribbon tabs and finish the top and bottom with bias tape.
(If you are just starting find all the information you need on this Sew-Along page.)
Before we begin/Important Notes:
- Remember to use your iron liberally when you are sewing this book. It is going to be a work of art when you are done! Since it is thick and some of the pages will not be iron-able once you are finished with them it is advisable to take all of the care you can to remove wrinkles so they are not accidentally permanent in your final book.
Materials: (Note – the word “Ribbon” is used throughout the final assembly. I have used Grosgrain ribbon or Twill tape. Be sure to finish all ribbon ends to prevent fraying by using Fray Check or melt them carefully with a flame.)
- Double Fold Bias Tape: 3 1/2 Yds, from the Yardage Overview
- Ribbon Loops: Cut 1, 3″ long 1/4″ or 3/8″ grosgrain ribbon per page (if you are making all of the pages you will need 12, 33″ in total)
Assembling the Pages:
- Stack and match your quiet book pages based on how they will fit together best. For example: Placing two very fluffy pages together might cause an overly-high bump in your book. This is the order I used, the first page mentioned is the top page, the page after the slash (/) is the bottom page – these are arranged wrong sides together. It is also good to pay attention to which side of the page will be on the outside edge of the book and which will be near the middle/spine. Pages with ribbons attached on one edge (ex. puzzle page) look best when the excess ribbons are in the centre of the book.
- Purse or Pocket Photo Album / Puzzle
- Race Track (single page) / Race Track (double page – folded right sides together) / House
- Teddy Bear / Rainbow of Colours
- Abacus / Mitten
- Buckle Up / Telephone
- Tie a Shoe / Button the Flower
Finish Each Page Set:
- Race Track Set:Since this page is different from all the others we will cover this one first.
- Place your single pages RST (Right Sides Together) with the double Race Track page. The Car Garage must be on the right, the other single page is whichever one you have chosen (called the “House Page” below because that’s what I used) and must be on the left. Make sure all the pages are the same way up!
- Remove the ribbon tabs from the House and Race Track pages and pin them on the left side of the House page. Pin as you like. I alternated my tabs so they did not all end up at the same spot when the book was finished.
- Fold two of the Ribbon Loops as shown and centre them on 3″ and 6″ on the right side of the House Page. They should stick out about 1/4″ over the raw edge.
- Set the double Race Track page aside. Align the ribbon loop side of the the House Page and Garage RST. Stitch with a 1/4″ seam, back-stitch over each ribbon loop as you sew over it to strengthen the seam. Press the seam allowance open carefully, not to melt any ribbons or embellishments.
- Match the double page and stitched single pages with right sides together. Trim the double page to the width of the sewn single pages if necessary. Pin the short ends and stitch with a 1/4″ seam. Again, double-stitch over the ribbon tabs to secure.
- Turn the pages right side out. Press and align the seamed edges, top-stitch about 1/8″ away from each edge.
- Align the centre seam between the single pages. Pin and stitch down this seam (stitch in the ditch) to secure it to the back page. The stitching will show down the centre of the racetrack, so choose your thread colour carefully. I used white thread and coloured over the road stitches with a black fabric marker.
- Trim all pages if necessary to make them even. Make sure they are still close to 9″ tall.
- Open the bias tape and lay it along the bottom raw edge with 1/2″ extra on each end. Stitch at 3/8″. Cut off the excess if needed, being sure to leave 1/2″.
- Turn the bias tape over to the other side. Fold the extra 1/2″ in to hide the raw edge, pinning or gluing to hold in place.
- Fold the bias tape up and stitch to finish the edge. Repeat for the top edge of the pages.
- Fold the pages in half and secure using the velcro on the Racetrack page.
- All Other Page Sets:
- Choose a set of pages to sew together based on your assembly stack from earlier.
- Remove the ribbon tabs from the pages and pin them on the right side of one page (this will be the outside edge). Pin as you like. I alternated my tabs so they did not all end up at the same spot when the book was finished.
- Fold two of the Ribbon Loops as shown and centre them on 3″ and 6″ on the left side of the same page. They should stick out about 1/4″ over the raw edge.
- Place the two pages RST. Stitch the tab and ribbon edges with a 1/4″ seam. , back-stitch over each ribbon loop as you sew over it to strengthen the seam.
- Turn the pages right side out. Press and align the seamed edges, top-stitch about 1/8″ away from each edge.
- Trim pages if necessary to make them even. Make sure they are still close to 9″ tall.
- Follow steps 9-11 above to finish the top and bottom edges with bias tape.
- Finish all page sets in this way.
** As usual: This tutorial is for personal or charitable use only. Please do not sell items made with the Quiet Book Sew Along posts. If you wish to sell these please contact sherri@threadridinghood.com for information on how to purchase a license. Thank you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 31, 2016
Knit fabric is really rewarding to sew. It stretches, so the fit doesn’t have to be perfect – and it’s so comfy. (That’s my favorite part.) It has a bit of a bad rep for being tricky to sew, but with a few tips you can conquer knits on any sewing machine that has a zigzag stitch – no serger needed!
I learned a lot about sewing knits and hacked my old basic Janome SUV1122 like crazy to do it. Today’s post covers 12 Tips and Tricks for Sewing Knits that I’ve learned along the way, and how some fun features on the Skyline S7 help the process. Plus I got to make my youngest a really cute spring dress without my serger, entirely on the sewing machine!
Yikes, this girl was hard to take photos of yesterday! Every photo is her dancing around – so much fun to look through, I should really make a collage for our hallway. I suppose that even though the weather co-operated by giving us a “lovely” 14°C – I think she was a bit chilly (and a little bribed with lollipops!)
Disclaimer: A Skyline S7 has been loaned to me for the purpose of writing this series. As with all products I write about, I will always tell you my own honest opinion. I purchased and loved Janome machines long before they contacted me. Janome has not asked me to qualify my opinions in any way. Also, the fabric for this dress was given to me for this post by my sponsor Fabric Please! Thank you for supporting my sponsors.
This week’s project was sponsored by Fabric Please!, a lovely online Canadian fabric shop with a growing selection of knits in both solids and prints. They were kind enough to indulge me when I asked to make a Soleil dress in blue for my youngest. I promised her one last fall and it’s finally getting (almost) warm enough to wear it outside.
The main dot fabric is 100% cotton Glow, Quarter Moon by Amy Butler (*oooooh!*) and the raindrops, cotton/spandex Abundance Monsoon from Bonnie Christine (*aaaaah!*). I love how the two prints play off each other, they’re so fun in this dress.
12 Tips and Tricks for Sewing Knit Fabrics
Tip #1: Ballpoint/Jersey Needle
Make sure to buy ballpoint or jersey needles for your knit projects. The tips on regular needles are sharp and will cut tiny holes in your knits. I know from experience! A couple of machine washes and there will be little holes all down your seam.
Tip #2: Sew with a Stretch Stitch
If your machine has them available, choose a stretch stitch to sew with. This will allow your sewn seam to stretch with the stretch of the knit you are sewing. They tend to look like a lightning bolt (no’s 6 and 7 in the photo below). If your machine doesn’t have a stretch stitch, use a thin, long zigzag stitch or a triple stitch (no. 5 below) instead to allow the seam to stretch. The Skyline S7 has quite a few stretch stitches, numbers 5 – 10 and a knit stitch, no. 14 below.
Be sure to double-check your seam allowance when choosing a wide stitch (2nd photo below). The markings on your machine are based on sewing straight down the middle of the machine foot, but a wider stitch will sew to the left of that. Use your seam gauge and mark or find a new line to guide your correct seam allowance.
Tip #3: Dual Feed Device – Janome AcuFeed Flex
The AcuFeed Flex is a super-cool machine foot, and it’s the first time I’ve used a dual feed device. It is similar to a walking/even foot (next tip below), but is physically attached to the machine’s upper feed drive instead of just resting on the needle clamp screw bar. This means it is mechanically moving the top layer of fabric forward at the same speed as the feed dogs move the bottom layer of fabric forward. The results are so good! It totally eliminates the stretching you would normally get when sewing knits.
This foot is also great for seams in leather and oil cloth – both of which tend to stick to a normal presser foot. Matching plaids, quilting and seaming other slippery specialty fabrics is much easier because the layers of fabric are moving together. The dual feed can also be balanced with the dial on the side of the machine for when you are seaming two different types of fabrics and one feeds faster than the other.
Tip #4: Walking/Even Foot
This foot does a similar job to the AcuFeed Flex in Tip #3. A Walking foot is really helpful when sewing knits, and it is what I have used previous to the S7. The bar on the walking foot rests on the needle clamp screw bar, which feeds the upper layer of fabric at the same time as the feed dogs move the lower layer along.
To comment on it in comparison to the AcuFeed Flex – I do notice more stretching with the walking foot. The AcuFeed Flex is more accurate – likely due to it being directly attached to the machine’s feed drive. The fabric moves through together more mechanically with almost no slippage on the top layer of fabric.
Tip #5: Use a Twin Needle
Twin needle sewing seems complicated, but it’s not as bad as it looks! Two spools are fed down from the top of the machine and one bobbin thread stitches the bottom of the seam together. The threading path can be found in your machine manual. You can also read this post about double/twin needles and how to thread your machine, where I sewed pyjamas using my basic Janome SUV1122 a few years ago.
The twin needle stitch is really stretchy and a great option for sewing knits. It also looks really professional when used for hems and topstitching. You can get different widths of double needles. I like the one with a 1/4″ space for hemming. The 1/8″ one would be better for sewing seams.
Tip #8 – Overedge Foot
First off, my apologies for the fuzzies in this photo, oops! Moving on… This foot is great for making a serger-like overcasting stitch on both woven and knit fabrics. I used it to seam the dress’ pockets using the Knit Stitch available on the Skyline S7. The fabric runs beside the black bar on the foot making it really easy to stitch right along the edge of the fabric. You can see how it turned out in Tip #10 below!
Tip #9: Top Stitching and Edge Stitching
Straight stitches are not really recommended for sewing knits, because they don’t stretch with the fabric. However, I’ve successfully used them for topstitching with a few tweaks. (Though I’d still recommend a twin needle if the fabric is really stretchy.)
Make sure to lengthen your stitch. Instead of sewing with my general length 3, I used a length 4 straight stitch to topstitch this project. Also, it is good to slightly stretch the fabric while stitching to allow the final seam to stretch just a bit more.
Tip #6: Use Tissue Paper
If your knits are not behaving, you can place strips of tissue paper underneath (and over top!) of your seam while sewing them. Then remove the tissue once the seam is finished. This prevents the knit from being stretched by the presser foot pressure. I’ve used it a lot on hems for really stretchy thin knits.
Tip #7: Start off with a “Thread Handle”
This tip comes straight from the lovely Linda Pidzamecky, educational consultant for Janome. She gave me a really helpful tour of the Skyline S7 before I brought it home.
Starting a seam on knits can be tricky since the needle likes to bury the edge of the fabric into the needle plate. To stop this: Pull a longish spool thread out to the back of the machine, insert the needle into the fabric, and hold the thread gently while starting the seam. This has totally changed how I begin knit seams and it would work great for thin wovens and specialty fabrics as well!
Tip #10: Press and Starch
Thinner knit fabrics can tend to roll up on the edges making them hard to cut out and seam. To reduce this, use spray starch and a good pressing to unroll them enough to be able to cut out and stitch them more easily. Pressing also helps to reduce stretched seams. I stitched these two pockets below, then pressed the upper one flat with a bit of steam to show you the difference.
Tip #11: Change the Pressure of the Presser Foot
If your machine allows it, reduce the presser foot pressure to allow the knit fabric to slide through the machine with less stretching. Check your manual for how to do this and do a test seam to make sure the change in pressure will still feed the fabric through properly.
Tip #12: Use Clear Elastic
This elastic is genius! Zigzag baste it onto a seam in your knit project to reduce stretching while sewing and during wear. It is great on heavy seams like the Soleil dress waistline – where the heaviness of the gathered skirt might pull the waist seam down. It’s also great for shoulder seams in drop shoulder and dolman sleeves – again, to reduce the pull from the heavy sleeve.
Next week is going to be so much fun, I can’t wait! I’ve been collecting ideas about how to embellish your projects and I finally get to share them with you. See you then!
