Sewing On Thursday: Sewing Skill Builder Part One

This week also starts our sewing skill builder! Yep, that's right. We have a Block of the Month and a sewing skill builder. I've been pretty busy at the machine. Not to mention, I also have 2 quilts in the works!

Ok, so part one!

This first bit is actually pretty easy, but it will give you a chance to play with your machine's zig zag settings a bit. I think this is a function modern sewists sometimes take for granted, but the zig zag function wasn't available until Helen Augusta Blanchard patented it in 1873, 27 years after the sewing machine's first patent by Elias Howe. It wasn't really common to have a machine that could both zig zag stitch and straight stitch until the early 1900s. Even then it took a special gadget to perform the function. Today's machines are electronically or mechanically equipped with a zig zag function built in.

Therefore, behold the zig zag!

Materials:

One 7x12" piece of fabric
Thread
Stabilizer, freezer paper or piece of copy paper

For my sampler I chose shades of yellow and pink. I'm not big on off-white, but think the fabrics I chose have a vintage flavor to them.

Since I changed out the colors of the fabrics, I also wrote a little sticky note to myself on the book with the colors I'm using in exchange. .

So for our zig zag sampler, you may want to iron on a piece of lightweight removable stabilizer or freezer paper or put a piece of typing paper behind it. This helps to keep the fabric from bunching up. I used freezer paper because it irons on easily and peels right back off.

Keep the long side to the top and sew the zig zags spaced evenly apart, but leave enough room to run a line of straight stitching between them. Vary your zig zag widths, but try to leave the stitching distance about the same. We want a nice close line of satin stitching.

Once you have sewn your stitches, take the fabric over to the cutting mat and cut a 2" strip off of both sides. Your center piece should be about 2.75" wide. Take the center strip and turn it upside down.

cut 2" off sides

turn middle section upside down

Sew your sides back on to the center strip.

You now have the front of your first pocket piece. In later sessions we'll be shaping and sewing them all onto a backing and actually making the pockets.

Next week we'll discuss making an openwork sampler pocket. For this you'll need a piece of loose weave fabric along with your other fabrics. I used a piece of burlap, but you can choose something else, as long as it has a loose weave where you can pull threads from. Until then, happy stitching! 

Mattie's Mondays - Edition 1

Mattie and I have been hard at work looking up tutorials and working on one of our own. She patiently droops her head over my leg as I type right now. (However, I think she is slightly irritated at me because I put flea medicine on her. She'll thank me later.) Anyway, we're still in the process of perfecting our tutorial video, so we are going to point you in the direction of some really great online stuff we've found lately. Click on the pictures to follow to the link.

We have involved ourselves in one of the most popular internet sew-alongs going (over 600 and counting). Em-ay-kay-ee (Make) is one of our new favorite blogs and we suggest you check it out! Right now there is a bag sew along with all kinds of accessories to go with it - using a single charm pack and some extras. I subscribed to this through email so I don't miss a single post.

We also have this dress by Nicole Vasbinder that we have all of the materials for, but need time to do. This dress calls for a little bit of materials, and the tut looks easy-peasy. It's printed and ready to go, so I'll keep you updated on it. In the meantime, if you like the look and want to try it yourself, click on the pic.

We'll also try to bring you an upcycled project every week. This helps care for our earth and Mattie's animal friends. She will be especially thankful if you can do your best to help us make our earth a cleaner, friendlier place for all to live! So here is a really cute, useful, and inventive project for upcycling a tissue box. The author states that tissue boxes have such pretty designs on them, that it seemed a shame to waste them. She's right! Check this out.

Have fun being creative. If you make any of this stuff, please let the blog authors know and send us some pics! It would be great to see how you are inspired and how your projects evolve. Again, we'll be working hard on getting our own tutorial ready. There's a lot involved I didn't realize, but we're about 70% there!