Tag: how to

Christmas Stocking

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I’m so excited to share this project with you today! It has been quite a while since my last post and I am happy to finally share with you a fun holiday project.

Life and work caught up with me the last few weeks and it took the excitement of Christmas projects to motivate me to get back to sewing!

This is a quick easy Christmas Stocking.

It is fully lined and has a fold over cuff!

The free pattern is available in several sizes.

The pattern works great with flannel, fleece, and cotton fabrics.

If you enjoy this tutorial keep an eye out for future posts in which I’ll show you a few quick alterations to the same pattern.

SUPPLIES:

  • Coordinating Thread
  • Ribbon (4 – 8 inches)
  • 7/8 yard (or less) Fabric for the Outside of the Stocking (Cotton, Flannel, or Fleece)
  • 7/8 yard (or less) Fabric for the Lining and Cuff (Cotton, Flannel, or Fleece)
    • The project works best when the lining and outside fabrics are the same type of fabric.
    • The amount of fabric needed varies a lot depending on the size of the stocking you make and the direction you need to cut your fabric.
    • I recommend reviewing the pattern sizes in the table below if you would like more specific measurements.
    • Remember you will need two lining pieces and two outside pieces.

A bit more on yardage:

For instance, if I want to make a size small I know I need two pieces of outside fabric that will fit the pattern (which is 8 by 16.25 inches). If the direction of my fabric doesn’t matter 1/4 yard would work…but if I have to follow the selvage, for example on fabrics with words or a specific direction, I may need 1/2 yard.

Enjoy!

FREE PATTERNS:

Christmas Stocking 2XLarge by learncreatesewDownload
Christmas Stocking XLarge by learncreatesewDownload
Christmas Stocking Large by learncreatesewDownload
Christmas Stocking Medium by learncreatesewDownload
Christmas Stocking Small by learncreatesewDownload
Christmas Stocking X Small by learncreatesewDownload

QUICK OVERVIEW:

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

Sewing Skill Builder: French Seam

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A French seam provides a great finish to many projects. In a French seam no raw edges are visible, as they all become trapped inside a small casing.

This can be a really great feature as you won’t have any frayed edges. I have found this seam to be very helpful on projects that are going to be washed a lot, which usually creates a lot of strings. I also like to use a French seam on projects in which the inside will be visible.

To sew a French seam you actually sew twice.

You sew first with the fabric WRONG sides together. This can seem strange since we usually sew with right sides together.

Then we trim, press, fold with the fabric RIGHT sides together and sew again along the same edge with a larger seam allowance.

Now, on both the right and wrong sides of the seam, no raw edges will be visible.

Once you get the hang of it, a French seam is fairly simple, and it’s a great skill to have in your Sewing Bag of Tricks 🙂

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO:

Skill Builder – Finishing Seams

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One thing that comes up frequently in sewing is finishing seams. This can be just as important on simple projects as it is on garments and in more complex construction.

Having a bag of tricks for finishing seams can remove the need for linings and can simplify projects. It can also provide a more polished and professional look.

In my video I will demonstrate four different methods of finishing seams.

PINKING SHEARS

This is the easiest method for finishing seams. It takes very little time and is really convenient. However, it does require a nice pair of pinking shears and they can be a bit pricey.

Zigzag Stitch

This method is very convenient as well. Most sewers are comfortable with the basic zigzag. It doesn’t require any special tools or accessories and it gets the job done.

Zigzag Over the Edge

This is a quick substitute for the overcast stitch if you don’t have the overcast foot available. However, depending on the weight of your fabric the edge may roll a bit when it is met with the tension of the stitch. I find it works well on heavier weight fabrics. The fabric shown in the example is a mid-weight flannel.

Overcast Stitch

This stitch provides the most professional finish. Since it is actually designed to go over the edge it is great for finishing seam allowances. However, it usually requires a special foot for your machine, and depending on your machine the stitch may or may not be an option.

Watch the video and learn how to use these seam finishing methods!

Learn to Sew: Lesson 4: How to Thread a Machine

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In this lesson we will be threading Brother sewing machines. This will be demonstrated on two different machines.

The first is a Brother Computerized Machine with a Horizontal Spool Pin. The second is a Brother Mechanical Machine with a Vertical Spool Pin. Brother machines are very similar, so chances are if you have a Brother machine it will be similar to one or both of these.

If you don’t have a Brother machine I encourage you to consult your manual or find videos specific to your machine. Knowing how to thread your machine properly and being comfortable doing so, will solve 90% of your problems when sewing.

Lesson Category:

  • Sewing Machine Basics

Lesson Topics:

  • Quality Thread
  • Threading a Bobbin
  • Threading the Machine
  • Threading the Needle
  • Using an Automatic Needle Threader
  • Inserting the Bobbin into the Machine

First thing to know when threading your machine is that the quality of thread matters! If poor thread is used in a sewing machine it breaks frequently. Not only is this annoying, but if you are just learning to sew it can make you want to give up altogether.

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I mainly use Gutermann and Coats and Clark All Purpose threads.

You also want to make sure you have the correct bobbins for your specific machine. Unfortunately, bobbins were not all created equal and while some look similar, just a slight difference in size can be significant. Most of the Brother machines I have used take SA156 Bobbins.

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Since your sewing machine requires a bobbin in order to sew, we first learn how to thread the bobbin and then how to thread the machine.

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It’s helpful to identify if your machine has a vertical or horizontal spool pin. Thread spools that are wound with a crisscross pattern, such as the Gutermann threads shown in the picture shown at the beginning, work best on horizontal spool pins.

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Threads that are would so that the thread is stacked, such as the Coats and Clark threads, work best on vertical spool pins.

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While I have used both styles of spools on both types of machines successfully, it is something to consider if your thread is giving you trouble.

I also occasionally have to use an adapter on my vertical spool pins in order to use the larger Gutermann spools (1093 yds). My adapter is very fancy…just kidding…it’s the body of a basic Paper Mate pen. I just take off the tip and the ink and use the hollow pen. I simply slide it over the spool pin and then slide the spool of thread over it. It’s definitely not the recommended method, but it has always worked great for me 🙂 It adds a bit of stability for taller spools. It’s also a whole lot cheaper than official spool pin adapters.

A note on a popular machine. The Brother CS6000i (and CS7000i) is wonderful model. It’s a computerized machine, but has a vertical spool pin. If you have this machine, threading the top of the machine and the bobbin will be most like my video on vertical spool pins, while inserting the bobbin casing will look like the one shown in my video with horizontal spool pins. You can just skip to the appropriate chapters in each video.

HOW TO THREAD BROTHER COMPUTERIZED MACHINES WITH A HORIZONTAL SPOOL PIN:

HOW TO THREAD BROTHER MECHANICAL MACHINES WITH A VERTICAL SPOOL PIN:

How to Change a Sewing Machine Needle

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When I was younger and had been sewing for just a few years, my sewing machine started acting funny and I thought for sure it was broken. Turns out, that wasn’t the case at all. The problem was I had been using the same needle the whole time I had been using the machine. My goodness, I was lucky it lasted as long as it did!

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Now that I have quite a bit more experience I realize how important your needle is, both the type of needle and its quality and condition.

When to change your needle?

There are many times and situations when changing your needle is a good idea. Here are a few examples.

  • Every 8 – 10 hours of sewing
  • Whenever your needle is bent or damaged
  • Whenever you need a specialty needle or specific size
    • Ball point / Stretch Needles (knits)
    • Denim Needles
    • Quilting Needles
    • Microtex Needles (vinyl)
    • Small Universal Sizes (8 -10) Lightweight fabrics
    • Medium Universal Sizes (11 – 14) Mid-weight fabrics
      • I usually use a size 12 when sewing cottons
    • Large Universal Sizes (16 – 18) Heavyweight fabrics
  • For every new project (or every few projects if they are small and/or lightweight)
  • After sewing heavy duty projects
  • When your machine is sewing with irregular stitches
  • When your machine has tension issues

Once you become familiar with how to change a needle it’s really quick and easy! And since you can usually find needles at very affordable prices it’s best to change your needle rather than use an old one, if you are in doubt.

I like to purchase needles frequently, so I always have them on hand. Here is my favorite place to buy needles for both regular point universal needles and ball point needles.

Video Instruction:

 

 

Lace Overlay Face Mask

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I just had to give this project a try, I couldn’t help myself. I normally do a lot of costuming, and when I had the idea to branch away from cotton fabrics for the mask I couldn’t resist!

This was a lot of fun to make 🙂 I don’t think it would be my everyday mask, but for special occasions or when I feel the need to be a bit fancy, this mask would be great.

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This mask uses my contoured face mask pattern with adjustable ties. I used 1/8 inch ribbon.

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This mask also has a satin lining. It’s a little bit trickier working with specialty fabrics, but I was really pleased with how it turned out!

Supplies:

These dimensions will work for all sizes. Actual size needed may be smaller if you make a smaller size. Make sure the fabric can be washed and pressed.

About 8 x 15 inches Main Cotton Fabric ( I used satin)

About 8 x 15 inches Lining Fabric (I used satin)

About 8 x 15 inches of Lace

About 8 x 15 inches Interfacing (Optional – I used Pellon SF101.)

Elastic, Ribbon, Bias Tape, or Fabric for Ties

Here is the free pattern:

Contoured Face Mask Pattern by learncreatesew

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:

Thanks for Watching!