General chat thread for BB girls who like sewing

Nelle - don't worry hun..everytime I drag my sewing machine out I have to find it's instruction book to re-learn how to do everything :lol:
I just kind of go with it...I don't know much about sewing or the 'right' way to do things, I just do it how I think i should try it, if it works: great! If not..it's a learning experience and then i ask for advice! Lol. I think I've taught myself pretty much all I know (which doesn't amount to much) just by getting in and trying it.

I would love to be able to sew a zipper...I have quite a few cushion covers ready to be sewn together but i don't know how to sew a zip...the last and only one i did DF sewed it in for me :redface:

Maz - I can't help with the quilting thing - I have no idea and have never done it! My MIL is very good at it but you probably don't want to come to SA for classes! Oh and the suggestions for the pattern on clear plastic tablecloth is fantastic - thank you for sharing :)

Nelle - A waist apron would be fairly easy, all you need is a large square that has been hemmed on three sides, a long strip of the fabric folded lengthways right sides together, sewn and then turned to rightside out. To attach the two gather the big square on the side that hasn't been hemmed and sew that to the long strip. I hope that make sense.... Othewise google for a tutorial, there are so many out there with pics and probably explain it a lot better.

Sal - if it is the first time I am making something I make it with cheap fabric so I can make mistakes with that. Once I have worked out the order and how to make it, I use my expensive fabrics.

Ok, now that one bag is made, and I worked out how to use interfacing, I'm thinking about making a purse/wallet and a nappy bag... mmm might have to go to the WIP thread and remind myself of my other projects first :doh:

Just quickly poking in to say hi :D

I try to find the time to sew but not often enough! I'm attempting to make a pettiskirt ATM and have cut it out lol. Probably won't get to sew it up for about 3 years though ;)

Also am considering making drapes too...I siad considering. Haven't made them before so that would be an underatkaing of epic proportions :lol:

Nelle- what about the sewing shop you spoke of? Even smaller shops often run classes, especially if they sell machines.

I went to a sewing basics class in North Melbourne as a Christmas present (google Thread Den), was three hours on a Sunday for the basics and was great. I hadn't used a machine since school (I don't have a machine only a mini one) but you can go there and use their machines and helped me with the mini one. Not sure where you are in Melbourne Nelle but they have a whole range of classes and quite a few are just one off three hour sessions on weekends which for me really worked as opposed to going every evening for a few weeks. Our local community house offers evening classes (Camberwell), but I only know that because go there for Mothers Group - so there might be similar where you are is just often hard to find out about.

Ah a community class, I will have to have a looksee. I'm in Pakenham, and the sewing shop does seem to run classy sort of things, but it's aimed at quilting, and I'm sort of not in that headspace yet.
I shoulda done a class when I lived right near Bayswater Spotlight! :doh:

Nelle I'm sure they do general sewing classes and not just quilting. When I bought my overlocker and I was being taught how to thread it out the back, there was a bunch of girls in there too with their sewing machines sewing along paper with lines ruled on it :)

Ah thanks Raven! I really shouldn't trust websites should I...I might try to pop in and ask...

so what shops does everyone get their fabric from..

espeiclaly online as i have minimal time to actually go out to shops..

Check your local rec centre or community house too, sometimes they have.

I have just about finished a baby sleeping bag I started 2 years ago for DD1, so will now be for DD2, lol. Got a bit confused with the instructions so made up my own a bit and it all worked out, just left to do the neck and armholes.

Next job flannelette PJs.

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there must eb one of those quilters for dummies book, like the internet for dummies book.

google wil be your friend maz ;)

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yes found the dummies book....thinking of getting it :lol: and google..OMG Ive benenon here for 2 hours tonight and my head is SPINNING

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Maz - whats sort of quilt? patchwork or applique?

Spotlight have easy quilt patterns - and classes - usually for both patchwork and applique.

Sampler quilts are good for learning patchwork basics as you get lots of different blocks and learn different techniques.

However they tend to be large (the finished quilts)

I reckon your best bet would be to get a kit thats easy for beginners. You can either get just a pattern and instructions or you can get all the fabric as well.
Let me know if you want the names of some specific quilting places, but if your spotlight has a craft section then they will likley have staff who know most of the local quilters anyway.

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oh hon...you have taught me so much :dance:
Id love to make and start something basic. I have questions :lol:

do I back each piece of 'patch' that I sew together?
Do I need to use wadding?
how the hell do you get all the sewn edges straight and in line???

I'm putting photos in an album of stuff I have done, sewing & other stuff I played around with.

The quilts are HERE ; I did the pink & green one first & it turned out ok, a bit rough, I just figured it out as I went but I learned from it & the second was much better.

When I finally get around to doing Panda's patchwork quilt top I'll put some of those pics up too :)

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how the hell do you get all the sewn edges straight and in line???

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patients and luck, i find..

i only hadn quilt for this reason, but will be going to machine quilting soon :D sooo much quicker


i dont know if i do it right but i dont back every piece. i back in larger blocks adn find once i have then tacked the wadding on and gone over with teh machine for the over stitch it all meshes in nicely.


i dont have any i had previously made as they were gifts and an exs mum helped me..

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I have questions :lol:

do I back each piece of 'patch' that I sew together?
Do I need to use wadding?
how the hell do you get all the sewn edges straight and in line???

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Maz, I started with a ruler & rotary cutter. I cut squares of equal size & joined them in strips, so for example I would join 6 squares in a row, then join the rows together so I had one big square.
Wadding I found the thinner the better, as I was quilting it myself....
the back was one single piece uct to fit. Make the wadding a bit bigger than your top & back (my mistake with my first quilt ;))
edges... just make sure the seam allowance is exactly the same each time you join a square.

I fluked it I think :lol:

ETA - there is a quilting method, I think it's called puff quilting? where you can wad & back each individual square as you do it, then join all of those together. It looks really effective but I haven't tried it - I can't get my head around all getting those puffy squares joined :confused:

I piece the whole quilt top first, cut the backing piece to the same size, and the batting to the same size.
Then I lays the three together like a sandwich with the batting in the middle.
Then I baste it toget her about 10cms apart, both vertical and horizonal.
Then quilt it and last off do the binding on the edge.

I've only done machine piecing, stitch in the ditch machine quilting and hand quilting for the other quilting stitches.

Okay - I am absolutely NOT kicking you quilters out of the treehouse I promise! I just wondered - would it work to have a Quilting chatter thread? If I am being over-tidy then throw something at me that's okay. :lol:

Nelle... I'm with you I have no idea what they are talking about, but I am slowly learning... let them stay... they might teach us something ;)

I'm not fussed, but I don't know much about dressmaking or other stuff and would like to learn about that too

Tough one. Part of me would prefer the quilting specific chatter to be in its own thread, but then there is some cross over with everyday sewing and I can see that people may write about both in the one post.

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I'm not fussed, but I don't know much about dressmaking or other stuff and would like to learn about that too

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:yeahthat: I would love to be making pants & dresses for Pie.
Also I need to learn how to sew a zip, so that the cushion covers I make actually close :rofl:

You could use press studs or buttons for the cushions fleur.

Zippers are easy, bu need to be done first (before you sew any seams).

You need a zipper foot on your machine also.

Line up one side of the zipper and one piece of fabric, so right sides are facing each other and sew as close to the zipper as you can without catching the teeth (which is why a zipper foot helps, becaus it only has one side to it iykwim)

Now repeat for the other side. Then all you have to do is sew the seams at either end of the zipper - between the zipper and the side of the fabric.

Hmm...maybe google a tutorial. That explanation sounds cr@p!

I found my instruction manual for the sewing machine had the best instructions for sewing a zipper. Found it worked better than the method often given with sewing patterns.

Oh Fleur those quilts are so cool. Maybe...don't go away quilters....is it really hard? :rofl: Or should I learn to sew in a straight line first....:think:

I'm confused. How do you put a new foot on your machine? How do they work?

Nelle there should be a release button to take off the current foot, then you just attach another foot.

Machines have different 'feet' to help sew different things- did you get any others with your machine?

Nelle, what brand machine do you have?
I have a bernina and mine have a lever mechanism that you lift up, take off the foot and put on the new one.

I find zips the easier part to do, its button holes that scare me!

Yep my feet are so easy to change, I have a Bernina too. I think mine came with about 5 or 6 different ones and there are heaps more you can get.

Pandora- do you have a button hole foot? That's one of the ones I got, I haven't used it yet, but you don't really have to do anything, just change the foot and let it go!

I'm thinking I might make something special for DD's first birthday...I have about 3 months to get it done (including procrastination time..lol). Any ideas what I could do? Quilting is probably out as I think that would take a lot longer than 3 months for me, and I don't really have the money to spend on a lot of fabric.

Ah okay, thanks for the lesson! I have the world's cheapest machine so maybe it didn't come with anything...maybe one actually...I'll go have a look. It doesn't matter, if I get good at this sewing thing and need to upgrade then I will (I start out with cheap stuff in case it's a phase), and I'm not really at 'different foot' standard yet anyway I don't think! :p

Im miffed :(
I went to my sewing shop and they have classes....all on a weekday or saturday mornings....grrrr....I cant do any of them :( NOT HAPPY!!!!

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Okay - I am absolutely NOT kicking you quilters out of the treehouse I promise! I just wondered - would it work to have a Quilting chatter thread? If I am being over-tidy then throw something at me that's okay. :lol:

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Why? Isnt the idea of this thread so we can all learn from each other? it is general isnt it :hiding:

Im hanging to get our new bed now so I can make the top rail valance and see what fabric ive got left to make the foot end blanket.

OH how 'thick' do you overlock stuff together...eg how many layers???? will I be able to overlock wadding inbetween 2 or 3 layers of cotton fabric?

you should be able to.. just think of how many layers you overlock together for boosters?

I didnt even think of that. thanks chicky.

Just got my order of tillbrook fabric..OMG its gorgeous but im so glad that I didnt get the purple..its looks washed out.

Thanks Nelle :D I actually did the quilts because it is kind of all straight lines... cutting round shapes like for armholes or legs etc scares me :o

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I find zips the easier part to do, its button holes that scare me!

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Lol Pandora, Im the opposite - my machine has a buttonhole thing that kind of does it for you. I think it's the idea of zips that scares me :dunno: - I think I just have a mental block.
Arcadia you make it sound so easy!
I'm going to have to just bite the bullet & give it a go.

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Maz, the sewing shop in Pakenham specialises in quilting I think. You'll just have to visit. :lol:
Probably there are some decent quilting books that teach the basics - Sal got a good one for crocheting from Spotters (how's that going anyway?), I think I saw a quilting one in the same range?


And Sal gave me some brilliant tips, not that I'm sure I can actually achieve any of them...I don't know how to pin, I'm not sure how bias tape works (I've never used it), I'm not sure what all the knobs on my sewing machine are for...

Do I just resign myself to screwing up again and again and learning that way? :think: Hope that doesn't prove to be too expensive...

(actually, does anyone in my area know of anywhere I can do sewing classes/lessons? I thought Spotlight might, but the website doesn't include my local one in their details.)

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Maz- the book was called A-Z of crochet, They have a huge range of different stuff, If you google that title it should give you the links to the other books. Im pretty sure they had a quilting one.

I would like to learn quilting too, but I get so confused with it all.

Nelle- I've got no idea on bias tape either, & as far as learning,I bought a heap of cheap material & some patterns of ebay & started with those. I constantly have to refer to my sewing machines instruction book & I think I've only used 4 or 5 stitches on it.
Pakenham shop does quilting, sewing & embroidery classes But compare prices because apparently they are a bit exxy. If you want I can come round & go over your machine with you. Might be easier when DF is home so he can take DD though.

Pandora- I used to have to do manual button holes with my old machine (that only had straight stitch & zig-zag. All the other stitches were broken), I used to sew a rectangle, straight stitch the length of the button turn 90 degrees, sew 1 or 2 stitches, turn 90 degrees, sew the length again & then turn & finish the rectangle. Then I'd swap to zig-zag stitch (as with the zig-zags as close together as your machine will let you) & go over the top of the rectangle. Then using a quick-unpick or small scissors make a cut in the middle of the rectangle for the button. If that makes any sense, But my new machine has an automatic button-hole, because Im lazy LOL

As far as zips go, I've only done 2, 1 was 3 years ago & I dont think I did it right, & one on DD's christmas dress last Christmas & I had to get MIL to help me.

Well I'm quite excited ladies! I have worked out how to squeeze the entire pattern onto my fabric for DS's flanny PJ's :dance: I've just spent the last hour cutting out the pieces. Now I just have to work out what happens next lol. The instructions say something about stay stitching which I have no idea about! Oh and I have cut out the patterns with wrong side together :doh:I think it will be ok though if I turn them out before I snip all the notches etc. The main thing is the pattern on the fabric is all running in the same direction :lol:

I'm loving reading all the quilting tips. I do want to make a quilt one day. Something nice other than just sewing four straight edges together :) Fleur, yours are just lovely.

Maz, I have borrowed a copy of Sewing for Dummies from my local library and it has been a fantastic reference guide, maybe checkout your library for a quilting one?

The next time I am in my library I'm going to check out the sewing section, I forgot when I was there last time :doh:

Oh and I thought I would try to make a pair of pram pants for Fred the other night, pants that I can put over anything that she is wearing to keep her warm on walks. It is so much easier to sew clothes than nappies! there is no fiddly elastic, no overlocking, it was great!

Elund - well done on cutting out all the pieces, stay stitches are just big stitches to keep the pieces together while you sew them up.

oops, :redface: I was meant to make a nappy for a friends baby shower tomorrow, and have a wedding today, hopefully I'll have time to make it this morning

I always forget about libraries for books :redface: which is pretty silly since my mum was a librarian!! :rofl:

HELP WITH BIASED BINDING????
Hoping to jump on the machine over the weekend, I have biased binding to go around one bib, and it is a pain, as I am using satin BB, if I iron it in half do you think that will help, or just use a heap of pins, which is how i have done it in the past? Then I just have to snap away :D

Then I better get going on this quilt that is sitting in the to do box :D

My local libraries are useless. Op shops are a far better source of information for me, but very tedious as they're never catalogued properly. In Melbourne though, I lived so close to Hawthorn library and it was the BEST!

I've got a buttonhole foot, but I hate doing buttonholes. I know I have successfully done them, once, in 1996 :lol: One day I might give them another go.

Fleur I would love to give you a zipper tute! I have just made some cushion covers recently - I made them the size of half a pillow, so they are filled with pillows folded in half. Then when guests come, we just pull the pillows out of the covers and use pillowcases on them. We have a small house, so not a lot of storage.

I'm much better at invisible zippers than regular ones though! Funny, but I guess I've had more practice on the invisible ones.

Off to a friend's craft morning today. Will take something simple to do. Not feeling up to a lot of sewing at the moment :sick:

Ryatha - just wanted to pop in say I LOVE the bag you made! Looks fantastic and a nice size too, you clever chicky! Had a look at your blog as well and those bright stripy nappy covers are gorgeous!

Audax I live in Camberwell so part of the same group of libraries as Hawthorn, and I have to agree, Hawthorn library is great and because you can transfer books on request for free between any of the Boroondara libraries the range of books you have open to you is fantastic. They have pretty much anything I want and if not can request a transfer from any other library in the state for a small fee. I was on Glenferrie Road the other day and thought I would go check out House of Franke Stuart after you mentioned it but couldn't remember the number and walked the wrong way up the road - oh well DD goes swimming every Wednesday there so I can use the time she spends napping after swimming looking now I know where it is.

Audax yes please! I think mum has shown me how to do the invisible zippers, maybe that's why they seem so daunting.

I've just posted this in the April challenge (finishing your wip) thread but wanted to ask here too (sorry to those of you getting this twice :lol: )

I am finally motivated to finish Panda's quilt top. What I have now I did just after Easter last year :redface:

I was going to add black borders to each square to make the entire piece a bit bigger, and to define the squares but now I am wondering if they don't look better together as they are.
I have posted pics HERE and would love your feedback please :D
There are 25 squares in total.

ETA Ryatha, have just had a look at your blog & I love the bag! Also the pants, I could use soemthing like that. Were they very hard? Did you use a pattern?

wysi - stop it, stop! I miss Melbourne too too much! When you do go in to Franke Stuart, the remnant bin is on the far left side as you step up onto the higher level. Next to all the tulle. If you look super carefully you'll see some of my wedding dress fabric :D Check out everything else, too, but the remnants are the business! Once you get to know the ladies a little bit, see if they'll let you into the side storage room, where the un-priced stuff is. I had a bonanza in there last trip. Meanwhile, I can't recommend the sewing machine centre in camberwell - they wer so rude to me.

I just bought a Tonia Todman sewing book from my local op shop this morning. Plenty of foddr fr scrapheap challenge! Yahooo!

Now, for last stitch. I don't feel too spewy today, so might actually get some work done!