Some reader requests and tutorial roundups

Right now, we have the monthly $50 gift certificate giveaway going on over here. One of the entries asks you what you’d like to learn more about regarding sewing. Some of the ideas I’ll follow up on in the future, but quite a few have already been covered on this blog, so I thought I’d take a moment to point you all in the direction of some past posts.

Zippers

A lot of you seem interested in and baffled by zippers, so we’ll do a little something on them. But let me tell you something: I think they can be hard, too. I mean, they are definitely not my favorite thing, but I’ve done lots of them, and how hard they are depends on what you’re making and the fabric you’re using.

Applique

Applique
We covered applique a little bit a few weeks ago with the tree pillows. I did a pretty wide zigzag for that, and there are times when I like it to look more like a satin stitch, so one of these weeks, we can do that. 

As for some other ideas: I also like the idea of discussing different types of threads and when to use them. Also, we’ll be doing something with pleats pretty soon, so keep an eye out.

Bias tape

First off, there is a little tutorial here on making bias tape of your own with a handy, inexpensive little gadget.

Bias tape trim
A lot of people fear binding seams with bias tape. I don’t blame you. It’s HARD to do nicely. But there is a technique that can help, and I actually did a little tutorial on it a few months ago, which can be found here.

The thing is, even if you know the best way to do it all by machine, it is still hard to get perfect from both sides. If I really want it to look good, I machine sew it from one side and hand finish it on the other. I always do it that way on quilts. And I did it on these potholders, these finger mitts and this quilt. I did it all by machine on the casserole cozy and wasn’t completely thrilled with the results; ditto with the mixer cover. It wasn’t absolutely, perfectly even from the wrong side. I also tried to do it on the leg openings on a baby shopping cart cover that I made for my friend the other day, like this one, and was not pleased with the results. I even tried to use double-sided sticky tape to secure it for stitching, but because of the curves, I wasn’t happy with the results, so I unstitched and finished by hand.

But you can pick and choose. If it’s a project you’ve put a lot of time and money into, and something you’ll keep around a long time, like a quilt, you should do it the long way for better results. If it’s a cover for your electric mixer, well, nobody is really going to see the inside of that seam, so if the back side of your tape caught a little unevenly, it’s no biggie. Also, if it’s a straight edge and not too bulky, you’ll have an easier time doing it by machine.

Quilting

Easiest baby quilt
I think someone brought this one up. I do have a two-part quilt tutorial here and here. It involves the basics of a one-piece quilt top using one of our baby quilt panels, how to do a quilt sandwich, how to free-motion quilt and how to do the binding.

Someone else asked about some other quilt piecing techniques. I personally love to quilt, but we don’t carry a whole lot of quilting materials, so I don’t do much in the way of quilting on the blog. But I’ll see if I can throw something in there.

Buttonholes

Buttonholes
One reader wanted to know how to do buttonholes perfectly. So do I, but I guess I do them well enough. If you want basics, I have a tutorial here. If you want perfection, maybe you won’t find it in that tutorial but I can still help, hopefully.

Sergers and rolled hems

Rolled edge
Rolled hem
A loooong time ago, we did a rolled hem on a serger. I know someone would like more info on a rolled hem presser foot, and perhaps we’ll squeeze that in.

French seams

French seam
We covered French seams in January, and that post can be found here.