Ooooh, more tips. Get ready.
(And please let me know if there is a sewing technique, well, a basic one, that has been plaguing you and I’ll try to add it to a sewing tips post.)
Sewing right sides together. Now, what does that really mean?
Well, most fabrics have 2 different sides. The right side has the print on it or the correct texture, or the side you really want to see on the outside of your finished product. The wrong side is the other side. When you read, “sew right sides together” in your instructions, place the right sides (or printed/outer side) of the fabric together, line the 2 pieces of fabric up, and sew them together.
If you just sewed 2 separate pieces together, you would then flip it over and see them nicely joined, with no mess. If you were sewing 2 sides of one piece together, you would then turn right side out to see your nice new seam. Then you can iron it flat or do whatever the directions say to do next. Not so tricky now, right?
Zig-zag. How do you do it and what is it used for?
When I received this question I knew this person (any any others) was going to love how easy the answer to this is.
Well, somehwere on your sewing machine, there is a zig-zag function. (The macine does all the work, not you.) The zig-zag stitch is adjustable, meaning you can make the stitches wider/more narrow and very spaced/really close together. just play around with it on some scrap fabric. Here’s mine:
Now, why do I use the zig-zag stitch? I use it to give my seams an extra finish to them and to keep them secure. Right next to my original seam, I make a zig-zag seam (between the seam and the edge of the fabric) and then I trim off the excess fabric. This helps to keep the ends from unraveling and then weakening my original seam.
Also, I use the zig zag as a seam that has some stretch to it. Like if you sew with knit fabric (that stretches), using a zig-zag stitch will allow the knit to still stretch.
I also use it around the edges of fabric that I have appliqued to another piece of fabric.
Anyway, handly ‘ol zig-zag stitch…….try her out.
You might become fast friends.