Friday Finds: Inspiration

Cassandra and I are always looking for inspiration - especially now that we're designing patterns - and I, personally, love learning new knitting techniques and stitch patterns. Put that all together and you've got...

New Stitch A Day!
knitting and crochet made simple.

This addictive site, founded by the charming Johnny Vasquez, is chock full of fantastic video tutorials, articles, and patterns. The video tutorials are very easy to follow and there are enough interesting knit/crochet patterns to keep me busy for a loooooong time. Plus, once a week Johnny does "This Week In Stitches" which contains all kinds of useful content and a video communication from Johnny about what's going on at New Stitch A Day. FUN!

Sign up for the email alerts and you'll get a new stitch pattern every day delivered right to your inbox (or you can get a once-a-week recap). ;)

I hope you find as much inspiration in it as I do!

- Alex

Sewing Fundamentals: The Stitch

You know what? I bet if you have spent some quality time with your sewing machine, you know how to rock the straight stitch. Cruising along hemming curtains or maybe even seaming up some pajama bottoms. We all know it and love it...but there is a wide world of stitches out there. And they aren't as scary as you might think. 

Here are 5 basic stitches to get you started: 

Straight Stitch: as I mentioned above, it is the workhorse in your arsenal. This stitch has 2 main functions: 1.) seaming two fabrics together smoothly 2.) top stitching. With this stitch you can make a ton of stuff. Even an entire quilt!

Zigzag: I just love saying the word..zigzag! This stretchy seam can attach elastic, finish the raw edge of a fabric that frays, or even look cute securing appliqués.

Overlock: This is the bad-ass version of the zigzag when it comes to finishing the raw edge of a fabric. It mimics the effect of an edge finished with a serger. You overlock it and that edge ain't going nowhere.

Honeycomb: This stitch isn't used that often, but it is really handy in certain situations. Smocking (which I just love), a stretchy stitch for attaching elastic (like the zigzag), or simply used for decoration.

Blind Hem: Wonder how you can sew a hem on your machine without seeing stitching on the outside of the garment? This is your stitch. You need to use the blind-hem foot that came with your machine and a special technique for this one but the results are awesome. Check out this awesome video I found:

There are a couple things to keep in mind before you sew. Normally you can set the dial on your sewing machine to your chosen stitch and are ready to roll with the preset stitch length and tension. But, occasionally, you will need to fiddle with those settings.

The shorter your stitch, the stronger the seam. So, maybe when you are sewing children's pants or something else that will take a lot of abuse, you might want to shorten your stitch length a little bit. On the other end of that spectrum, the longer the stitch, the easier it is to remove. So if you are just basting or even gathering...lengthen that stitch. Sometimes when I am going through multiple layers (like when quilting), I lengthen my stitch to help ease the fabric through. You get less "bunching up" that way.

Tension...yes, I said it. The word that drives fear into the hearts of many of us sewers. Let me tell you what I know about tension. If you have your upper tension set between 3 and 5, you are probably in a safe zone (don't even think about fiddling with the lower tension unless you are some sort of rocket scientist). Even then, different fabrics have certain tension needs. If you see that your bottom thread loops are peeking out at the top, your upper tension is too tight. Lower that sucker until it looks as it should. On the other hand, if your lower threads (on the bottom of your fabric) look too loose, tighten it up until you have a very even stitch on both sides of your fabric.

Now, this is a very breezy overview of stitches. There is much more to know but we need to start with first-things-first. I have to tell you though, it boggles my mind how little you need to know in order to do so many projects.

–Cassandra

P.S. - In case you missed any of the other posts in the Sewing Fundamentals Series:
Choosing a Sewing Machine
Fundamentals of Needles and Presser Feet

So Easy

The first crafty thing I ever learned was embroidery. I think it was a pillowcase kit. Picture a 10 yr old girl with tangled floss and crazy looking stitches. And, I'm pretty sure that felt the need to use every bright color of the rainbow in every flower. But, I learned. And I got better.


These days, I am quite comfortable picking up or even designing a project. Now, I am not the best embroiderer by any stretch of the imagination. But that's okay. Even hand embroidery that is a bit uneven here and there has a charm unmatched by machine work. I want to encourage any of you who have never tried this craft to pick up a needle and give it a whirl.

It doesn't have to be this ambitious to be beautiful.

Unlike knitting which I think has a rather large learning curve (see Alex's post from Wednesday), embroidery can be picked up pretty quickly. If you know one or two stitches you can really create some fun stuff. There are all manner of great books out there that include stitch dictionaries. Some of my favorites for beginners are Embroidery Companion, Embroidered Effects, and Sublime Stitching. These are contemporary books that really speak to the beginner.


The sample I embroidered of the free pattern we posted last Wednesday only uses 4 stitches. I would like to go into some detail about when to use these stitches and share some images:


Chain Stitch
The chain stitch is a real workhorse. I have seen stunning pieces done in nothing but chain stitch. It is the most basic, and versatile stitch around.

This rabbit is in chain stitch, around his eye I used stem stitch.

Stem Stitch
Much like the chain stitch, this technique creates a line. The difference is that this one is thinner. I tend to use this stitch in conjunction with the chain stitch when I am trying to get a bit of depth by using them to make thicker or thinner lines.

Satin Stitch
As the name suggests, this stitch creates a satiny-smooth texture. For beginners, I think it's best to stick with small areas of satin because bigger areas are really best done with alternative techniques. On our Hare pattern, only a couple spots are done with this stitch.

The fruit is satin stitch.

French Knots
Slightly tricky, but worth the effort. These little knots are great accents on a piece. They are raised higher than the rest of the stitching so they add a little pop wherever you set them. Once you get the hang of it, I guarantee that you will use these whenever you get a chance.

French knots, stem stitch, and satin stitch make these flowers.

Now, before you can even set a stitch in place, you need the right tools. An embroidery hoop, an embroidery needle, and floss. All of these items can be found at any local needlework shop or big box craft store. The embroidery hoop sets the tension while you are working. They come in plastic or wood. For a beginner I think a 5" or 7" hoop works perfectly. Embroidery needles are specific to this craft. They are labeled specifically for embroidery. Not needlepoint, or crewel...you are looking for embroidery needles. Floss is a term for the type of thread that comes in skeins (much like yarn) and has strands you pull apart. When embroidering our patterns, you want to be working with 3 strands of thread at once unless directed to do otherwise. The skein comes with 6 strands stuck together so you will need to pull them apart.

This is a breezy overview for someone considering beginning embroidery. It is really a simple, satisfying and versatile craft to explore. I want to encourage everyone to not be intimidated to give this a try so I think I am going to spend some time on my next few posts talking about the necessary tools and techniques. Hell, we'll just call it a tutorial.

–Cassandra