Let’s Take a Nap??

Apr9

Not really, let’s just briefly discuss sewing using a fabric that has a “nap”.  A fabric with nap is a type that usually has a “pile” which means that it has gone through a process to bring the fiber ends to the surface.  Good examples of a fabric with nap are:  Velvets, Corduroy, Terry Cloth, Brushed Denims, Suede, Flannel and Fur.

You can actually run your hand along the fabric and see a difference in shading and design with a napped fabric.  When reading a pattern, it will state the yardage  *with nap  and  **w/o nap.  Most of the time, depending upon the design of the pattern, you will always need more fabric to complete your project if you are using a fabric with a nap.

The reason for this is because YOU MUST LAYOUT your pattern pieces with them all RUNNING in the SAME DIRECTION.  If you don’t cut out all your pattern pieces in the same direction, your garment will not have a cohesive look to it and you will see unusual color/ shading differences.

Personally, when I am laying out pattern pieces using napped fabric, I like to have the direction of the nap heading South or brushing down from the top to the bottom.  You will see that if you rub your hand along the fabric from one cut end to the other cut end, one direction feels smooth to the touch and when you go the opposite direction it will have a slight rough feeling.

Another factor to keep in mind, is that fabric with “nap” is probably better suited using a more simple or less intricate design.  Especially a fabric like Velvet, which is heavier or thicker in weight and will have a somewhat crushed look to it if there is a lot of top-stitching or lots of small design accents.

  • TIP:  If using a bulky fabric with nap that has facings, it might be helpful to use a lighter weight fabric for the facings to help eliminate some of the bulk.  Select a fabric that blends good with the main fabric and has the same type of washing or drying cleaning abilities too.

Remember to always do your pattern adjustments, if any,  prior to cutting out your fabric.  So next time you are planning to do a new “snoozing”, I mean sewing project, check out fabric with “nap” and see if it will work for your design.

  • TIP:  Double check your fabric for any “one-way” designs because again you will want to pin your pattern pieces so they are all going in the same direction so your fabric design will all be running the same way too.

 

Brushing fabric from left to right, rough to the touch on left side/smooth on right

 HAPPY CREATING!!

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Sewing Machine Needle Info

Apr4

When beginning a sewing project, you probably always get your supplies, fabric and pattern in order but don’t forget about the most important item needed for a beautiful finished project and that is your machine’s NEEDLE.

You should only stitch with one machine needle for at most 15 hours and then change it out for a new one.  Doing this keeps your needle sharp, the eye smooth for the thread and makes for less thread breakage and good, secure stitches for your particular project.   Be sure to refer to your sewing  machine manual for recommendations on proper needle sizes for your machine.

A brief scoop on the design of a sewing machine needle is that the higher number determines the diameter of the needle itself using the metric system and the lower number is the US system.  Machine needles range from being thin and flexible to a more heavy-duty thicker and stronger needle.   Also, the eye of the needles are smaller to larger depending upon the needle size to perform the right stitching task for that needle and fabric.

A 65/9 universal needle is a thin needle good for very light weight fabrics making small sewing holes too.   Just like a 100/16 is perfect for denim weight fabrics,  strong enough to handle stitching through your jeans.  You can even purchase a mixed needle package, i.e., size 70/10,   80/12,   and   90/14.   This is a good one to keep on hand because it gives you a wide variety of needles for light weight, medium weight and some heavy weight fabrics.

There are specialty needles too that should be purchased if you are going to sew with a specific type of fabric.  For example, if you decide to use a knit or stretch fabric, you really want to use a needle that has a medium ball point end to it so while you are sewing the needle doesn’t pick the fabric and your stitches are flexible with the stretch of a knit.   A stretch needle  75/11 would work nicely for delicate knit fabrics.

There are quilting and embroidery needles too which will give you a little larger eye to help compensate for all the friction the thread deals with when stitching these type of projects.   A sharp microtex  90/14  is ideal for top stitching and edge stitches.

Sometimes you will start out using one particular size needle and then maybe have to change to another size or specialty needle for the finishing sewing touches.  Just remember one size doesn’t fit all projects.

Now you say, do I really want to take the time to try and place that needle back into its package and not knowing how many hours I have sewn with that particular needle???  Here’s a quick and simple solution that I do with my different needles once I have sewn with them but not ready to discard them.  I purchased one of those cute little red tomato pin holders and I write on the various sections with a black marker the needle size,  i.e.,  9,  10,  11,  12,  14,  quilt,  emb.   As I need to change out needles, I just push the used needle into the proper section or I pull it out when I need that needle size again.   I know I’ve sewn with it already so then I kind of guesstimate my usage time.  You will get a feel for what needles you sew with more often than others.  Also, don’t ever sew over pins that will definitely put a damper on your needle!!

Needle Storage Cushion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next time you have thread breaking problems and you are about to pull your hair out, think when was the last time I changed my needle or am I using the proper needle with my fabric.  Sometimes that very simple procedure of changing your sewing machine needle will fix those frustrating moments.

Medicine bottle pin and needle catcher

  • TIP:  I don’t like to just throw my used pins and needles into my trash can (sometimes I go dumpsy diving for fabric scraps) so I have a used medicine container that I have made a large hole in the top of the child proof  lid and I can just deposit my discarded pins and needles into the bottle.  When full, I can safely toss it away!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Comfy Hold on your Crochet Hook

Mar27

The way you hold your crochet hook is a very personal thing.  The most important thing to remember is not to grip it so hard that your hand muscles and fingers become exhausted.  To me, that takes the fun out of crocheting!!  Just a light but secure grip is all that is needed.

I guess first it is helpful to dissect a crochet hook.  You have the point, throat, shaft, thumb rest and handle.  The shaft and thumb rest is where your fingers will always be when crocheting.  The point and throat are where you actually make your stitches and the handle is basically there for balance.

Hook Description

 

My grandmother originally taught  me how to crochet but being the only left-handed person in my family, she could only teach me how to hold the hook like a right-handed crocheter.  Actually,  I have found that holding and working the crochet hook in my right hand and controlling the yarn with my left hand really is much easier for me because the hook movement is just a repetitive motion but keeping the tension and working with the yarn requires more control.  Using my left hand for the more intricate work (which is my stronger and more coordinated hand) works great for me!!

You will probably crochet using either a Pencil Grip or a Knife Grip.  I use the knife grip when I crochet and find it very comfortable and easy for me.  With my right hand, I place my thumb on the front of the thumb rest which will be facing me, place my index finger onto the shaft and hold the back of the thumb rest against my middle finger.  The handle will just lay against my ring finger and the palm.  There is very little movement of my fingers on my right hand when I crochet.  I slightly move my index finger along the shaft to help hold the loops in place as I make my stitches and that is it.

Knife grip using right hand

Now my left hand does a lot more work for me.  I personally like to wrap the yarn around several fingers to get good tension on the yarn.  I will place the yarn under my pinky finger, over my ring finger, under my middle finger and over my index finger.  My crochet piece will be held in place using my middle finger and thumb with my ring finger and pinky helping to hold ever so slightly.  My index finger on my left hand does all the work.  I yarn over onto the hook with my left index finger, push the point of the crochet hook through the proper loops using my right hand and bracing with my left middle finger, guiding with my left thumb, and using my left ring finger and pinky as support.  I have great success crocheting in this manner.   I don’t know if this is the motion a true right-handed crocheter uses but I have found this a very workable method for me and I am a very left-handed individual.   I even use my left foot to push the pedal on my sewing machine!!

Yarn weave through my left hand fingers

 

Doing a Stich

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep practicing and work on what is really comfortable for you when crocheting.  Hopefully, this will give you some guidelines whether you are right or left-handed for holding your hook and work.  I know there are some good directions for left-handed crocheting if this method doesn’t work for you.  Give it a try, you might like it!!

  • TIP:  If you are really a beginner or if you are trying to teach a youngster how to crochet,  I would suggest that you only wrap the yarn over your left index finger as your tension guide until you get the feel of both hands and yarn working together.   After you feel comfortable with practice, then proceed to weave the yarn around the additional fingers on your left hand.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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A Scrappy Moment

Mar23

If you love and enjoy sewing and quilting projects as much as I do, you know that you always have a ton of SCRAP fabrics leftover.  I just have the hardest time throwing those little scraps away.  I tell myself that surely I can find another use for them.   In the meantime, I neatly (as best as you can neatly store scraps) place them into a large plastic storage bin waiting for just that perfect project.

Actually. what really ends up happening is that storage bin has become the greatest place for little fingers to rummage through and get their creative juices flowing.  Needle and thread is not always required but sometimes glue is a must!!

A lot of those little scraps turn into baby doll clothing and accessories, especially for Barbie and her friends.  Take a simple rectangle of fabric, cut two small circles for arms, take a narrow strip of another scrap for a belt and viola you have a coat, or a beach coverup, or a dress whatever design fits the moment.   Make a temporary bed for your doll by laying out another square or rectangle of fabric placing it on the floor then fold up another scrap for a pillow.   A wonderful opportunity to be creative, not only with a simple design but also with color and texture.

One of my favorite scrappy projects is to let your little one select several different colored scraps (blue, green, yellow, red,) and make a mosaic picture.

Simple supplies needed in addition to your scraps:  Scissors, Glue and Construction Paper (or any paper that you have on hand, a good time to recycle a brown paper bag).

Depending upon the age of your child, you will need to cut or help them cut out random shapes and sizes from all the colors of  fabric that they selected.   Don’t worry about fabric fraying, that is what makes it one-of-a-kind.   Let them draw a picture or a shape or just a doodle design onto the paper.  Now for the FUN part, take a fabric shape and glue it onto the drawing.  Continue gluing fabric pieces until you have a completed masterpiece!

If you have a collection of ribbons, yarns, beads, buttons that are looking for a place other than on a shelf, these items make great additions to your mosaic picture.  Please keep in mind the age of your creative little one, you don’t want to use teeny tiny items with very small children!!

  • TIP:  If your child is older,  a simple gluing method is to pour some glue into a plastic, disposable bowl, thin down with a little water, and use a paint brush to adhere the glue to your fabric shape.

HAPPY CREATING!!!

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MATTRESS/WEAVING STITCH

Mar21

The MATTRESS STITCH or WEAVING STITCH is a very nice joining method especially for garments because it is virtually invisible.  When joining with this stitch, you  have your right sides facing you, side by side. Insert your needle through both loops on both pieces at the bottom edge, leaving about a 4″ tail, repeat again in the same stitch to help secure your thread.  Push your needle through both edge loops on the right side of the seam.  Pull the yarn through loosely.  Now insert the needle through both edge loops of the matching stitch on the left side.  Remember, to always keep your tapestry needle facing to the top of your piece and not to the side.  Continue alternating the joining stitches until you get to the end of your seam.  After completing about 3 stitches, pull your yarn snug and continue joining.

This stitch is a little harder to do with crochet stitches because you don’t have a cross-bar stitch like in knitting.  It is similar to doing a blind stitch in sewing.  As you can see from my pictures though, you form little “x’s” when you pull up your joining stitch snuggly and it is virtually invisible.  I used a very dark contrasting yarn for demonstration purposes but using your matching yarn, the joining seam will disappear.

Inserting needle from left to right under both loops on both sides

 

Pulling mattress stitch snuggly to join

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joining seams for your crochet projects is really a simple procedure.  Take your time and decide upon which joining method you prefer and will work the best for your finished piece.  Remember to weave in all your loose yarn tails too!

Spend some time with a youngster who might be interested in making crochet squares, and work together joining them into a cute baby doll blanket or a small coverlet to curl up with in the car or for reading books.  Who doesn’t like something handmade!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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