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Selvedge, Selvage… whether you speak English or American, they’re the same thing. They are a gorgeous piece of fabric that often just gets thrown away. And that’s a shame.
I made this pillow for my partner in one round of the Pillow Talk Swap. I loved it so much I made another for my good friend Sukie, and thought I’d take some pictures along the way so you can see my method. I’m also in the process of using this block, only a little bigger, to make myself a king size quilt!
Tags: pillow, quilting, sawtooth star, selvage, selvedge, tutorial
Here’s how I sew easy inset circles using freezer paper and glue.
1. Draw a circle onto your freezer paper. Or three if you draw the wrong size. Twice. Not that I would do that. Cut out the circle, leaving the exterior intact.
2. Lay this over the fabric you want in your circle, just to make sure that you’ve cut the circle the correct size. You want to have at least 1/4″ behind the circle for your seam allowance.
Tags: circle, how to, inset circle, somerset star, tutorial
I finished up my pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap. I’m so very excited at how it turned out I just had to share. Lots of people were asking how I did the star, so here’s a little tutorial to walk you through it.
The Somerset Star is very traditional. In fact, you may have grown up seeing it used as things like trivets or Christmas ornaments. Things that just scream “grandma” at you. Not that there is anything wrong with grandmas. In fact, I quite love grandmas. However, this is not your grandma’s Somerset star.
Tags: how to, quilting, somerset star, star, tutorial
This one came about specifically with a trip to Disneyland in mind. You’ve got to take your phone and wallet with you, but there are all those rides where you get splashed, so here’s my solution: a small pouch you can sling over your shoulder, it fits your phone and a card wallet, plus chapstick and lip gloss. And the best part? It’s lined with vinyl to protect your stuff from splashing water. Now, it’s not water-proof. Don’t go dropping it in a pond and then get mad at me when your phone is ruined. But it will keep it safe from Splash Mountain.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of little things filling my purse. I love these little zipper pouches to keep those things a little more organized. In fact, wanting a pouch like this was the reason I started sewing in the first place. I’ve been making these little pouches for almost three years and I’m happy to share exactly how I make “Monica” now, with perfect end tabs on the zipper. And if you make it through this, there’s a giveaway at the end.
Here’s what you need:
Here’s part 2 of the invisible zipper post. (Really should have been done yesterday but a clogged kitchen sink took priority.)
Using an invisible zipper foot will unroll the coils for you as you sew. The biggest (really the only) difference in using your regular zipper foot is that you will have to unroll the coils and iron them flat on your own. So start by unzipping the zipper and ironing the coils flat.
Next, line up your zipper according to your pattern directions, laying it right sides together and lining up the edge of the tape with the edge of your fabric.
Tags: invisible zipper, sewing, tutorial, zipper
Oh yes, the dreaded invisible zipper. It’s so scary… until you realize that with the right tool it’s actually the easiest zipper you can install. Seriously, I could type “get an invisible zipper foot” and practically be done!
Many machines have an invisible zipper foot available. If you’ll be doing this a lot, I recommend checking it out for your machine. If you are doing the occasional invisible zipper, just buy this one.
image via coats and clark
Really, it’s like $2 and you can pick it up in the zipper isle. I’ll show you how to use it.
You know when you buy a zipper and there are instructions on that little cardboard piece it’s attached to? Here are some (hopefully) more clear instructions for that type of zipper insertion.
I’ll show you on a pillow back, but it’s the same idea for a skirt – with one additional step I’ve got a diagram for.
Start with your piece of fabric and cut wherever you want your zipper. I like mine offset, probably for the sheer fact that then if it’s not right in the middle it won’t bug me later. Or, it’s more aesthetically pleasing this way?! I cut around 3.5-4″ from the bottom.
This is the first zipper I figured out. And I did it some crazy hard way for way too long. Then I had a flash of brilliance and figured out this way. Turns out, I should have been doing this all along. But hey, I taught myself most of what I know in sewing, since I was unwilling to learn when I was younger, so I still feel pretty good about figuring this out.
Here we go.
You’ll need:
One zipper
Fabric for pocket
Basic sewing supplies
Whatever you’re adding the welt pocket to. I took these pictures as I was adding a 7″ zipper inside my houndstooth tote.
Tags: tutorial, welt pocket, zipper
Welcome to zipper week! It’s nothing fancy, I haven’t lined up dozens of your favorite bloggers to share their projects, I just made a bunch of stuff using different methods to insert zippers and took pictures along the way. Shall we get started?
Here are a few of the techniques I will cover this week. At the end, if there’s something I missed and you want me to write up directions for you, let me know and I will get it done.
Welt pocket with exposed zipper
