Wednesday, December 26, 2012

How to gather fabric using gathering foot

How to gather fabric using gathering foot.

You already might known how to gather fabric by loosing the stitch length and pull the bobbin thread.

Here I am going to show you the gathering foot. I highly recommend it when you gather skirt panels or curtain etc which are not required to exactly match the matching points.


They look like these. The one in the two top pictures is for high shank sewing machines, the one in the two bottom pictures is for low shank sewing machines.




Attach this gathering foot to your machine. And sew regularly. The foot will automatically gather the fabric for you.



Finished skirt panel.



How to hem jeans the true hem way.


How to hem jeans the true hem way.

1. Measure inseam of your favorite jeans (turn jeans inside out measure from crotch to hem) Now you have your inseam length.
2. Cut the jeans you are going to hem at the length of inseam. ( do not leave any extra)
3. Keep the original fold of hem, ripe off the stitches. Trim off the hem part leave 1/2 inch extra.
4. Keep the jeans insideout. Keep the original fold at out side. Make sure the side seam design matchs.

5. Fold in the extra 1/2". The leg of the jeans is inbetween the hem and sew all layers through. Sew at right side.


6. Finished hem. I like the way which makes jeans don't look they have been altered, and keep the original style.

How to sew boy's cape the easy way

How to sew boy's cape the easy way.

Whenever my son sees her big sisters playing "dress-up", he wants to play too. I know some boys do that too. My son doesn't even mind putting girl's dress up clothes when he wants to play "dress up". However, I do. I have to sew something for him to play too. So, I took him to a fabric store, he picked the "Star War" one himself. This particular fabric gave me an idea, ---- a cape.

It is very easy to sew.

1. Measure the child from base of neck to the length you want it to be, and plus 3 1/2 inch for bottom and top hem. Use the whole width. (usually 45" wide)

2. Iron the bottom hem. Fold in 1/4 inch first and then 1 inch again. Sew the double fold hem. 

3. Sew double hem at sides. Fold at salvage edge and fold it again to form double hem.  Sew.  



4. Sew the other side of the side seam the same way. Fold in the pressed bottom hem first and then the double folded side seam

5. Press/iron the top hem. Fold in 1/4 inch first and then 3/4 inch again.


6. Sew on pressed edge to form a casing.


7. Use a safety pin, bobbin pin, or bodkin which is an "elastic puller" (used in picture) to pull your ribbon or elastic through. I found a black plushy lingerie elastic, so I just used it.

8. After you pull the elastic or ribbon through, stretch the whole top to make the gather even. Try it on the child to see if the gathering is too tight or too loose. Make adjustment.

9. After adjusting the gathering sew elastic or ribbon down through all layers at side stitch line.  Not the very end of opening.

Viola, all done. a cape for a boy.