Old dog, new trick
 

I'm betting Louise will enjoy the subject line since she's into new puppy
lifestyle. Anyhow, I just now happened Pati's tip on birthing quilts.
[ Pati wrote: OH, and a tip: when you are going to leave an opening to
turn
something. If you do a basting type stitch, by machine, on the
seamline of the area to be left open first. That is stitch through
single layers (or one layer and batting) . It really helps a lot. The
stitching helps keep the opening from stretching, and it gives you a
line to turn on. If you need to you can remove the basting, but often
it just disappears into the seam.]
Gee, Pati. I've birthed so many crib quilts and sometimes the opening
has warped and wiggled. Machine basting first really surely will stabilize
the area and prevent that. It's sort of like stay-stitching the neckline in
garment construction. What a super good tip. A million thanks. Polly

Old dog, new trick
 

Another tip for me and my friends who are still learning.

Thanks.

--
Di
I'm creative! You can't expect me to be neat too.
Vic Australia

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
I'm betting Louise will enjoy the subject line since she's into new puppy
lifestyle. Anyhow, I just now happened Pati's tip on birthing quilts.
[ Pati wrote: OH, and a tip: when you are going to leave an opening to
turn
something. If you do a basting type stitch, by machine, on the
seamline of the area to be left open first. That is stitch through
single layers (or one layer and batting) . It really helps a lot. The
stitching helps keep the opening from stretching, and it gives you a
line to turn on. If you need to you can remove the basting, but often
it just disappears into the seam.]
Gee, Pati. I've birthed so many crib quilts and sometimes the opening
has warped and wiggled. Machine basting first really surely will
stabilize the area and prevent that. It's sort of like stay-stitching the
neckline in garment construction. What a super good tip. A million
thanks. Polly

Old dog, new trick
 

What I have always wanted to know, are tips about turning cicles. I
sew a straight (circular) seam, turn it through and it looks like the
wavy-navy. I find it so frustrating. I would love to make mats and
things, but they always turn out skewiff. I've tried understitching,
and lots of other things, but still, in the final pressing (not
ironing) they are just not round. Bleah!

How do you get a circle round?

Nel
(Gadget Queen)

Old dog, new trick
 

It helps a lot to notch the edge. Not just clip, but remove bits where
the clips would overlap. Depending on what it's for and how much seam
allowance you need to leave, sometimes you can trim close to the seam
with pinking shears. But you'd probably want to topstitch anything
with such a narrow seam allowance.

I sometimes use a long metal knitting needle to poke the edge out as I
press. It's also good to press the seam as sewn before you turn it to
set the stitches. And if the piece is big enough to slip in a small
pressing ham, you can press the very edge of the fold open before
pressing it flat.
Roberta in D

On Sun, 8 May 2011 01:13:39 -0700 (PDT), Sartorresartus
wrote:

What I have always wanted to know, are tips about turning cicles. I
sew a straight (circular) seam, turn it through and it looks like the
wavy-navy. I find it so frustrating. I would love to make mats and
things, but they always turn out skewiff. I've tried understitching,
and lots of other things, but still, in the final pressing (not
ironing) they are just not round. Bleah!

How do you get a circle round?

Nel
(Gadget Queen)

Old dog, new trick
 

Yep, that got my attention.

I loved Pati's tip too - but I was afraid I was the only one who had
never heard it before! I figured everybody else always had flawless
closings when they birthed a quilt or placemat or whatever. I add my
thanks to Polly's.

Louise in Iowa
http://community.webshots.com/user/LouiseinIowa
nieland1390@mchsidotcom

On 5/7/2011 10:21 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
I'm betting Louise will enjoy the subject line since she's into new
puppy lifestyle. Anyhow, I just now happened Pati's tip on birthing quilts.
[ Pati wrote: OH, and a tip: when you are going to leave an opening to turn
something. If you do a basting type stitch, by machine, on the
seamline of the area to be left open first. That is stitch through
single layers (or one layer and batting) . It really helps a lot. The
stitching helps keep the opening from stretching, and it gives you a
line to turn on. If you need to you can remove the basting, but often
it just disappears into the seam.]
Gee, Pati. I've birthed so many crib quilts and sometimes the opening
has warped and wiggled. Machine basting first really surely will
stabilize the area and prevent that. It's sort of like stay-stitching
the neckline in garment construction. What a super good tip. A million
thanks. Polly

Old dog, new trick
 

Another old dog with a new trick- and it only took me almost 25 years of
quilting to figure this out. Finger pressing! Yes, I've finger pressed
for a long, long time, but.....

I was making sets of three 1 inch finished strips cut on the width of
fabric. I pressed after I sewed to set the stitches then firmly *finger
pressed* the seam towards the darker fabric from the wrong side. Flipped
it over and *ironed* right down the length of the strip sets- not pressed as
we are told to do- and even used steam. I had no wobbles, the strips
stayed straight and there were no naughty little pleats on the right side of
the strip sets.

Don't laugh at how long it took me to learn this simple trick. It saved me
a LOT of grumbling!

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Polly Esther" wrote in message ...

I'm betting Louise will enjoy the subject line since she's into new puppy
lifestyle. Anyhow, I just now happened Pati's tip on birthing quilts.
[ Pati wrote: OH, and a tip: when you are going to leave an opening to
turn
something. If you do a basting type stitch, by machine, on the
seamline of the area to be left open first. That is stitch through
single layers (or one layer and batting) . It really helps a lot. The
stitching helps keep the opening from stretching, and it gives you a
line to turn on. If you need to you can remove the basting, but often
it just disappears into the seam.]
Gee, Pati. I've birthed so many crib quilts and sometimes the opening
has warped and wiggled. Machine basting first really surely will stabilize
the area and prevent that. It's sort of like stay-stitching the neckline in
garment construction. What a super good tip. A million thanks. Polly

Old dog, new trick
 

Sartorresartus wrote:

What I have always wanted to know, are tips about turning cicles. I
sew a straight (circular) seam, turn it through and it looks like the
wavy-navy. I find it so frustrating. I would love to make mats and
things, but they always turn out skewiff. I've tried understitching,
and lots of other things, but still, in the final pressing (not
ironing) they are just not round. Bleah!

How do you get a circle round?

Nel
(Gadget Queen)


As Roberta said, when sewing circles, NOTCH your seam allowance -- A
LOT! When sewing the seam, either do a double row of stitching right
next to each other or just stitch over the first line of sewing. I
diagonally clip my seam allowance closely in one direction and make the
clips go righ smack up to the stitching, leaving just a few fabric
threads unclipped. The I turn the piece over and diagonally clip the
seam allowance in the other direction taking out little triangular
shaped bits of fabric.
When you turn the item and are ready to press, do as Roberta
mentioned and press first to set the stitches then turn right side out
and use some sort of tool to help push the seam allowance out as far as
possible. If you use something like a knitting needle, be VARY CAREFUL
that you don't poke the end out through the fabric. I like to use an
old ball point pen that doesn't have an ink cartridge in it any more.
This is a fairly pointy ended object but isn't sharp enough to go
through the fabric. Disposable chop stitcks work well too -- also
pointy without being sharp and they are often longer.
Let us know if you find out any more hints, OK? CiaoMeow ^''^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

Old dog, new trick
 

It helps to press the seam open before you try to turn it. You will have to
use just the very tip of the iron. Just enough to pull the two layers apart
is all it takes.
Linda
"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
I'm betting Louise will enjoy the subject line since she's into new puppy
lifestyle. Anyhow, I just now happened Pati's tip on birthing quilts.
[ Pati wrote: OH, and a tip: when you are going to leave an opening to
turn
something. If you do a basting type stitch, by machine, on the
seamline of the area to be left open first. That is stitch through
single layers (or one layer and batting) . It really helps a lot. The
stitching helps keep the opening from stretching, and it gives you a
line to turn on. If you need to you can remove the basting, but often
it just disappears into the seam.]
Gee, Pati. I've birthed so many crib quilts and sometimes the opening
has warped and wiggled. Machine basting first really surely will
stabilize the area and prevent that. It's sort of like stay-stitching the
neckline in garment construction. What a super good tip. A million
thanks. Polly

Old dog, new trick
 

On Sun, 8 May 2011 01:13:39 -0700 (PDT), Sartorresartus wrote:
What I have always wanted to know, are tips about turning cicles. I
sew a straight (circular) seam, turn it through and it looks like the
wavy-navy. I find it so frustrating. I would love to make mats and
things, but they always turn out skewiff. I've tried understitching,
and lots of other things, but still, in the final pressing (not
ironing) they are just not round. Bleah!

How do you get a circle round?

Press it over a template. I'm assuming you're sewing something like a round
coaster here... Sew the two pieces together, after machine basting an area
in both circles for turning through -- this area is best on the straight
of grain (well, straightest you're going to get, as opposed to on
the bias g)

Cut a template of thin cardboard or file folder with the proper edge
curvature. Lay the template over the fabric, and press one layer of
seam allowance over the template, all the way around. Clip as needed.
Press the seam allowance flat towards the center of the circle.

Turn the project over and repeat the pressing on the other side.

Turn through the opening you left, and press again. Topstitch around
the edge to complete the project and close the opening.

Old dog, new trick
 

Thanks, that makes sense. I usually use the pinking shears method of
snipping wedges ('cos I is too lazy to snip each one individually).
But I never thought of doing one snip then going back to do the
other. (Headslap!) Makes all the sense in the world when it's
pointed out!

And I am always poking something sharp through the seams. I swear
I'll do it properly, then, when it comes to it, I can't find a
suitable pokative (I have dozens of special gizmos for doing this
'easily'; I swear they hold a party) so I end up using scissors or a
knitting needle. And then... too late! Poo!

I look at commercial coasters, collars and things, and wonder how they
do it. What's more they must do it quickly and right-first-time. I
would be lousy in a sweat shop.

Nel
(Gadget Queen)