A great list of over 50 sewing tutorials, with many different sewing projects, tips and techniques. Many of these sewing tutorials include video lessons.
A blog with special designed quilts, blocked, applique, t-shirt, picture, etc. including pictures, tutorials, techniques, quilting, & giveaways
Wheelchair and Walker Sewing Patterns and Quilt Patterns to Make for Personalized Gifts and Charity Giving
tutorial on joining the ends of quilt binding
I was struck the other day by this bit from Mr X's recent TEDx talk:
Most of my hems I do "by eye," thus the "lazy" method. First, I press up a hem. With the hem pressed, I bring the item to the CS machine and place it raw edge side UP under the needles so that the left-most needle is just at the inside of the raw edge. Most of the time my edge does not line up right next to one of the guidelines because those guidelines are more regularly incremental than my "by eye" amount. So, out comes my handy-dandy "hem guide." Yes, a little pad of Post-It notes. (Thanks to a PR member for this tip.) I butt it up next to the folded edge and press down so the whole pad is temporarily stuck in place. Then I turn the fabric over so the wrong side is facing down and I'm ready to start stitching. Voila! The underside of the hem is encased in coverstitching with no raw edges to trim. (Please pardon the stitch quality of the off-grain hastily made sample.)
Quilters are known for being resourceful and I have noticed many things designed for other uses being hijacked for use in quilting, and to p
I'd like to share with you how I used the Tri-Recs rulers to make the pinwheel blocks in the Pinwheels & Patchwork quilt (free pattern here.) And if you don't already have a set of these handy rulers, stay tuned to the end of the post for a chance to win a set from the Fat Quarter Shop! (giveaway has ended) I bought these Tri-Recs rulers years ago and then they sat for a looong time because I didn't know how to use them! Now that I know, they're super handy and you can do all sorts of fun blocks with them. Today I'm just showing the pinwheel block, but once you get the hang of them, you can start just creating! The pinwheel block for today is really just four triangle-in-a-square blocks that have been rotated and sewn together. Let's get started! First of all, cut a strip of fabric that is 6.5" x WOF (width of fabric). You can keep it folded (the way it comes off the bolt) and that way you'll be cutting two triangles at a time. Line up the "Tri" ruler on the strip of fabric as shown. That nice flat edge on the top of the ruler is helpful here! See how it lines up with the top of the fabric strip? Use a rotary cutter to cut out one triangle, then flip the ruler over and line it up along that just-cut edge. You're ready to cut another triangle! Keep going along the length of the strip of fabric, cutting out as many triangles as you need. For one block we only need 4 triangles. Next up we'll be cutting the side triangle pieces using the "Recs" ruler. Once again, cut a strip of fabric that is 6.5" x WOF. See that notch on the top left of the Recs tool? That notch will come in handy when you start piecing the block. So make sure you trim that notch from the fabric as you cut! Line up the ruler as shown, and cut one triangle. As before, flip the ruler over and cut another one. And then just keep flipping and cutting all the way down the length of the strip. For our one block you'll only need 8 of these side triangles. Time to sew! Arrange one triangle piece with two side triangles as shown. We'll sew one side first. Flip the side triangle over so the two pieces are right sides together. Notice the bottom corner of the triangle? That notch you cut in the side triangle piece helps you line it up with the larger triangle. The notch should line up with the bottom edge of the large triangle. Stitch along the side of the triangle with a 1/4" seam. Flip open the side triangle and press. I recommend pressing open. Now line up the second side triangle - making sure that notch at the bottom is lined up. Sew with a 1/4" seam. Flip open the second side triangle and press open. This triangle-in-a-square (TIS) block should measure 6.5" square. Repeat to make a total of 4 TIS blocks. Take a minute to trim off any little dog ears on each block. Arrange the four blocks as shown, taking note of how each one is rotated. Sew the top two blocks together, and the bottom two blocks together, with a 1/4" seam. Press seams open. Now sew the two block halves together, being careful to line up that center seam. Stitch and then press seam - this time press to one side. The finished block should measure 12.5" square. Fun block, right? Would you like to win a set of Tri-Recs rulers? Just leave a comment below, telling me one thing on your Summer bucket list. Giveaway ends Sunday July 2nd at midnight and I'll announce the winner here on Monday July 3rd. And thank you to the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring the giveaway! International entries welcome, one entry per person please. Giveaway has ended - thank you! Want to see what else you can make with the Tri-Recs rulers?** Check out this pinterest board - filled with different ideas on what you can make using these two rulers! And don't forget to go here and download the free pattern for the Pinwheels & Patchwork quilt. Now that you know how to make the pinwheel blocks, this quilt's a breeze! **This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.
Earlier this month at our March NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild meeting we introduced quick demos - 20-minute sessions with members teaching members techniques, tips, and tricks. An email requesting volunteers was sent out and our VP, Bernadette, requested someone demo Y-Seams, more specifically me! To demo Y-seams I've used an 8 point star (45° points) and I've put together some info here about working with angles around a centre point: The centre of anything has 360° around it - you can add as many pieces as you want around a point and they'll all join up perfectly as long as the angles of each all add up to 360°, English Paper Piecing works in the same way. Your quilting ruler often has basic quilting angles marked on it - 45°/60°/90° or you can use a protractor to really start playing with your angles. Check out large sized protractors in your local DIY store, they're often cheaper than identical tools sold specifically for quilters and artists. Moving on now to a step-by-step photo version of my Guild demo - created for our guild members to refer back to and shared here so you can use it too. Beginner's Guide To Sewing Y-Seams Rather than marking your fabrics as above it's so useful if you can simply use the markings on your sewing machine foot to tell you when to stop sewing. Sewing machine manufacturers know how much quilters love their 1/4 inches so most add markings or grooves to their patchwork/1/4" feet to make life easier for us. Take a look at your 1/4" foot - does yours have markings? If it doesn't you might want to treat yourself to a new foot for your machine that does, it saves you so much time and improves accuracy so could be a worthwhile investment. Aren't those Y-seams easy after all? I hope my beginner's guide makes you want to give Y-seams a go if you do let me know how you go on and share your work too I'd love to see it - Chris :D Featured on: Clicking on an image will take you to a new page of crafty goodness :) Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own. Click to follow me on Follow Linky Parties This post may be linked to some great Linky Parties, always a great source of inspiration too. If you click through to my 'Fave Linky Parties' page you can see where I like to share my work.
Learn how to join quilted blocks with this Quilt as you Go method and tutorial for joining quilt blocks.
Like Jess, I can tell you I am extremely intimidated by sewing with a serger. I'm fairly comfortable sewing with a basic machine but decidi...
Make Flying Geese the No Waste Way In the previous block, Belle, we added some seams, but in this block we definitely recommend reducing the number of seams. By replacing eight A-6 triangles with four A-4 triangles, we can make classic Flying Geese units and eliminate the extra bulk created where seam allowances would meet. Most of the Flying Geese Units in this quilt will be made with size-specific templates as in this block. (Please read the information following the link to the conversion chart about our Multi-size Flying Geese Ruler.) My personal grainline goals for any quilt are: Straight grain on the outside of the sub-units whenever possible Straight grain on the outside of the block whenever possible Definitely straight grain on the outside edges of the quilt Why? To prevent rippled edges and stretching. Straight grain can be either lengthwise or crosswise. Obviously, you can't have lengthwise grain on all 4 sides. Having said all that -- Design overrides grain! The only reason I can think of where you "need" a bias edges on the outside of a unit or a block, is when you want to make a statement with a directional fabric such as a stripe. The A-4 triangles in the Coral block will be cut with the hypotenuse (long side) on the lengthwise grain, which is parallel to the selvage, for the firmest edges. Measure the strip width "the Marti Way" using square template A-5. Here's my Coral Block Click the link to download the Template Conversion Chart for this block: From Marti Michell Template Conversion Chart #6 for Block #24, Coral In addition to our template conversion PDF download, you will want to read Gnome Angel's tutorials for these blocks. Speaking of Making Flying Geese Units We make a specialty Flying Geese Ruler with which you can use to cut both the small and large triangles needed for five popular finished Flying Geese sizes, from 2-1/2 x 5 inches to 4-1/2 x 9 inches. This ruler will also cut the triangles needed for the zig-zag layout Laurie has selected for this quilt, starting on page 260 in the book. Cut strips the perfect width, then use the same ruler to cut the small triangles… …and the large triangles! Making Flying Geese units couldn't be easier or more accurate. For smaller sizes of Flying Geese units, we recommend using the size-specific templates, as in this block. In fact, if you own our book, More Bang for the Buck, you will see on page 29 a chart with 26 additional sizes of Flying Geese, cut with right triangle templates in various Perfect Patchwork Template Sets.
Do you keep a Sewing Diary, sew your muslins with one-inch seams, or keep a pad of post-it notes beside your machine? The 2014 RTW Fasters are rocking the sewing scene with some fabulous frocks and I
Use recycled plastic bags to help tame tricky fabrics.
Fitting a swayback. It's quite simple to get rid of the folds that are on the back of your dresses if you have a swayback. I'll show you how, step-by-step
Save your sewing machine from extra wear and tear by servicing it yourself!
Welcome to my gallery Here you will find many examples of the larger wall art pieces that I have created over time. A lot of these art works have been in exhibitions and art show, some have won pri…
From my experience, feathers are probably one of the least forgiving quilting motif. Sometimes I look at the feathers I quilt, and I can instantly tell whether they are on or off. I have discusse…
I needed a little gift for some guild friends who have been working on their own versions of the Alternate Routes pattern, and thought I would try out a new to me dyeing technique - an Ice Dyed Parfait. The fabric I used was presoaked in a Soda Ash solution. In my large glass jar I began with 1/2m of fabric in my standard scrunch. Next add a layer of ice cubes. Then a sprinkling of dry MX dye powder. Then repeat until you fill the jar. I used three layers of fabric and ice/dye. Then you wait for it to melt.... I started a second batch, but my plastic container is not as fun to look at! A glass jar full of ice is quite well insulated! This is what it looked like after a whole night of melting. I put it in front of a space heater to help the ice finish melting. Here is the before and after of batch #2. And the results.... Batch #1 in the glass jar. (The fabrics are out of order in this picture. Fabric in the top of the picture was on the bottom of the jar, then top layer, middle) Dyes used were bottom : red/cerulean blue, top layer: raspberry/golden yellow. middle: purple/navy. And batch #2 in the plastic. Bottom layer: royal/bright yellow, Middle: orange/burgundy, Top: cerulean blue/golden yellow. The fabric at the bottom had some white spots, so I may try adding some ice and dye to the bottom of the jar first next time. I also might put a little shaved ice on top of the dye powder to limit the intense blobs of color that happened in a few spots. Overall I am very pleased with my first go at this. These are my two favorites with some close ups of the texture that the ice creates. If you are a fabric dyer and have the supplies at your house, give it a try it is quite a lot of fun!
Enjoy this Modern quilt block of the month pattern in kaffe fassett fabrics... a pickle dish quilt variation
Flying geese are often considered one of the many fundamental, beginner-friendly blocks of quilting. They're definitely up there with half square triangles, wouldn't you say? Admittedly, I've only made flying geese a few times in my quilting journey. And out of almost 20 quilt patterns, I'm finally releasing my FIRST quilt pattern that uses flying geese! (Nightingale) yay! Flying geese can be tricky...and I think that's why it's taken me so long to try them. If you don't sew in a perfectly straight line with a perfectly scant 1/4
Let's talk about the stretch stitch. A great stitch to use when sewing with knits on a standard sewing machine. Great for hems and joining seams.
Introducing the Singer Pro Finish Serger!! This is the Newest Video Series which is currently in production Featuring the Singer Pro Finish Serger. This machine is the perfect companion to the Sing…
Here is an ever growing list of tutorials I have completed for The Haby Goddess blog. 1. Laminated Doily Zip Purse 2. Quilted Sun...
There are so many good tools and notions made for the task of binding that you can pretty much choose … More
Happy Monday! I recently finished a pair of fun sewing tool organizers! I pinned the #10 Caddy pattern by Sew Can She to Pinterest long ago, and I've always wanted to make it. Last month I finally sat
I received a note from a reader this week asking me about my experience using Patsy Thompson’s Quilt Suspension system-thank you for the note Betsy! I forgot that I had not written about my e…
Size comparison to a Featherweight 222. www.april1930s.com/html/singer_attachments___fashion_a.html
Explore MagnoliaFly's 15016 photos on Flickr!
Use a French seam to create a clean finish on the inside of your lightweight to medium weight garments. Petro from Easy Peasy Creative shows how to sew a French seam. It’s an easy seam finish that cre
Lately I’ve been quilting most of my quilts, especially the smaller ones, with straight line quilting. I love random straight line quilting, like on this quilt, and I’m also quite fond …
Le sujet "Faut-il huiler sa machine à coudre" ayant entrainé beaucoup de réactions, je vous propose des petites explications en image. Désolée pour la petite
Truco para ahorrar hilo en la máquina overlock o remalladora.
Easy techniques will quickly increase your sewing confidence + helpful tips will guide you to a successful sewing experience.
Full tutorial and video showing you: self binding quilt tutorial. Take the fabric from the back and use it for the binding. Quick, simple & works great!
Color Codes Tell You at a Glance What Size and Type a Needle Is! Most quilters we know use Schmetz needles in their machines. These needles consistently perform well and are easy to get just about anywhere. Have you ever noticed the colored bands on Schmetz needles? There are two bands that tell you at …
How to Make a KitchenAid Cover I have been wanting to make one of these for ages. My KitchenAid gathers a lot of dust because to be honest
The possibilities for three-dimensional manipulation of fabric - gathering, pleating, tucking, shirring, and quilting woven materials - are seemingly endless. To describe them all would be to describe the entire history of sewing. In The Art of manipulating Fabric, Colette Wolff has set herself just this task, and she succeeds brilliantly. Working from the simplest possible form - a flat piece of cloth and a threaded needle - she categorizes all major dimensional techniques, show how they are related, and give examples of variations both traditional and modern. The result is an encyclopedia of techniques that resurface, reshape, restructure and reconstruct fabric. More than 350 diagrams support the extensive how-tos, organized into broad general categories, then specific sub-techniques Handsome photos galleries showcase the breathtaking possibilities in each technique and aid visual understanding by emphasizing the sculptured fabric surface with light and shadow Textile artists and quilters, as well as garment and home decor sewers, will expand their design horizons with the almost limitless effects that can be achieved
Find online sewing businesses based in the UK, plus hundreds of free sewing projects, technique guides and features on the Sewing Directory. The site for people who love to sew.
