samples

Stitch Vocabulary: Straight Stitch

| ellenanneeddy

In the next weeks, I intend to preview my new Stitch Vocabulary Book. It’s a classroom book to go with the Stitch Vocabulary Book Class. It’s a series of exercises to help you build up your free-motion skills. It’s also a sewn and bound record of your experimenting. The first page explores straight stitch.

A word about where this book is in production. I’m working on it in a daily way, and I’m sharing that with you. It is a work in process. If you are worried about my spelling, rest assured that I have people who help me with that. But if something doesn’t make sense or isn’t helpful, I really need to know.

I’m having trouble with the photos. But I promised to show you as I’m working. So please be patient. Right now I’m working on content.

This book is to go with a class at Gems of the Prairie Quilt Guild, May 3rd and 4th. They are currently sighing people up for class.

So here are pages from the introduction and the first exercise on Straight Stitch.

Introduction

Straight Stitch

Next week I’ll show you the exercise for Zigzag stitching. I’ve created a page on my site for more information, patterns and handouts for the Stitch Vocabulary Book.

Sample Books: Keeping the Records

| ellenanneeddy

Have you ever made a bunch of samples only to find them under the sewing machine table with the glue gun over them? It can happen. Ask me how I know.

I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. This is a little trick I’ve used to keep these things together in a way that works for me.

I make a number of samples, all the same size, make sure they’re stabilized, write on the sample itself any setting or stitch information I need and bind the samples into a small fabric book I can put on my shelf.

I recently got a flower foot. It’s a very cool foot that stitches in circles, and is well worth a blog on it’s own. I did a sample book for it and thought it might be a trick worth sharing.

But I’ve done these also with students in class. We work one skill per page and write on the stabilizer everything you want to remember.

When you have a collection of samples that all are on the same subject, sew them together on one side and take a small piece of bias tape and bind the seam. You’ll have a small permanent cloth book you can put with your references for when you need it.

Several Tips

Use a stiff interfacing you can iron on your pages. It will help your stitches and make your book easier to work with and read. I use a 9 inch square most often. I make them from the same fabric I use to dye my fabric or sometimes from the same fabric I’ve used for the quilt.

Use a pen that you can read on fabric. I had no luck with Sharpies, but a gel pen worked great. Experiment and use what works best.

Trim your pages so they’re the same size.

Stitch your pages down with a straight stitch.

I use left over bias for my binding, but you could use a straight strip as well, I suppose.

You could also keep samples you’ve used testing out fabric and thread for quilts you’re working on so you have a record of your choices.

It’s always great to document information you need. I hope this give you a new way to do this.