TIPS/TOOLS Archives - Page 4 of 6

Wotza? Wednesday – What’s a Directional Fabric?

July 3, 2013 by Nanny 8 Comments

Today’s Wotza comes from Karlie who asks:

“Nanny, I am a newbie to sewing and was wondering if you could tell me:

What’s a directional fabric?”

Thanks Karlie – that is a great question and an important one for you to clear up before you get started.

The terms Directional and Non-directional usually refer to the design or print on the fabric (or the picture) – is it all going in the same direction? If the answer is Yes, then it is a Directional fabric and this determines how we need to place our patterns.

Let’s take a look at some fabrics from my stash!

In this fabric, the trees are all standing up the same way – it is a Directional Fabric.

Robert Kaufman: City Centre

If we turned it upside down

Robert Kaufman: City Centre

Well it just looks wrong – and upside down!!

In this one, the butterflies are flying in all directions and if you look carefully, you will see the same butterfly, flying in different directions .

Michael Miller: Beau Papillon

We could turn this fabric upside down and it doesn’t look a whole lot different! We can look from either side and it’s still the same. It is Non-Directional. We can place a pattern in any direction (as long as it is on the grain)

Michael Miller: Beau Papillon

Stripes are another example:

In this stripe, you will notice that even when I turn it upside down, that the sequence of the stripes remains the same. I could place my patterns facing either way as long as it was on grain and it would be OK,

Babushka

Babushka

whereas this stripe does not. This one is Directional and would need the patterns all facing the same way.

Why is this important?

You need to consider the Direction when you are choosing your fabric for a project and placing your patterns. For example, you need to cut all the pattern pieces with the trees standing upright and
with the stripes going around a skirt, you want the stripes to match at the side seams.

Another place that you will meet this is when you are making a bag whether it be a simple library bag or a more detailed bag for yourself. If the fabric is Directional, you will need to make a seam along the bottom so that you can have the fabric going up on both sides! If, on the other hand, you choose a non- directional fabric for this you can use a long strip that goes down one side and up the other without looking “wrong”.

When you buy a pattern, you will usually find a mention in the Fabric Requirements section that tells you that you may need extra fabric if it is Directional.

I hope that has answered your question Karlie, and that it helps you from making a very simple ‘mistake’ when you are using Directional prints. Thanks for asking!

Remember, if you want to ask Nanny a Wotza question, you can send an email to me at Nannynotes2u@gmail.com

Until next time
Nanny xx

You may be aware of the changes about to occur in the blogging world but if not, you don’t need to worry because thanks to a wonderful tutorial provided by Alyce at Blossom Hearts Quilts, Nanny is all over it’!!!

You are now able to follow Nannynotes2u on Bloglovin!

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WOTZA? Wednesday – What’s a Button Spacer?

June 26, 2013 by Nanny 12 Comments

The Wotza question that I have chosen for this week came from Sharon. Thanks Sharon!

Sharon asks: “Nanny what’s a button spacer?”

To answer this question, I am going to talk about sewing buttons on.

Some buttons have a shank – that’s the little stem at the back with the hole in it. We sew through the holes and the shank holds the button away from the garment so that when you do the button up, there is room for the buttonhole side to sit nicely under the button.

Other buttons are flat – that is, they do not have a shank but have the holes in the button.

To answer Sharon’s question: a Button Spacer is used when sewing a flat button. to create a ‘shank’.

I will demonstrate by sewing a flat button onto a garment.

1. Take a length of thread (about an arms length) and fold it in half so that you have the two ends together

2. Thread the needle with both ends of the thread, push it through the fabric where you want the button and pull through to the loop at the other end.

3. Bring the needle back up beside the loop

4. Put the needle through the loop

5. Pull the thread to tighten

This will give you a neat back with no knots to come undone!

This is where we meet the Button Spacer!!

When I was taught to sew a button on, every home had a supply of matches because the households used wood fires for cooking and heating. So my first button spacer was a match! I’ve noticed that todays’ matches are smaller too! In the years since, I have used a wooden skewer, a large darning needle or whatever else I could grab quickly!

So take whatever you have selected as a spacer and follow along. I will use part of a wooden skewer because it is larger for photos.

When I was taught, you did it this way. Place your spacer beside the thread and stitch over the spacer a couple of times

Then add your button and continue with the button sitting on top of the spacer.

6. Nanny does it this way: I could never see the sense of trying to hold a flat button on a rounded spacer……… so sit the spacer on top of the button!!

7. Sew over the spacer as you sew the button on

8. When you are satisfied that you have sewn enough, bring the needle to the button side but come up under the button not through the hole.

9. Remove the spacer

10. You will be able to see the loose threads formed by the spacer under the button now

11. Holding the button away from the garment, wind the thread around the loose thread formed by spacer about 12 times

– you will see that we have now made a ‘shank’!

12. Take a small stitch under the button

13. Pass the needle through the loop to fasten – I do this twice

14. Take needle through to the back

15. Snip thread and admire your button sewn on using a spacer!

Thank you Sharon – that was another great WOTZA!!

Don’t forget, if you have a WOTZA question you can email it to me at nannynotes2u@gmail.com

Until next time
Nanny xx

SPIN the PINS – Serger/Overlocker Tension?

June 17, 2013 by Nanny 11 Comments

I had my first overlocker/serger many years ago so when my grand children came along I thought I should have another. When I am unable to sew, I am able to sit and look at the computer screen so when I decided to treat myself to a ‘current’ information search, I happened across a Utube presentation by Susan Nixon called ‘The Secret to Taming Your Serger’ and I pinned it for later.

So our’ SPIN the PINS’ for today is thanks to Susan Nixon and her ‘The Secret to Taming Your Serger“. It is sure to solve our Serger/overlocker Tension! During her presentation, Susan gives very clear instructions and I will be following them here:

1. I had to thread my machine using cotton colours to match the tension dials.
(Now rethreading is always good practice so I didn’t tie the threads to pull them through!!)

2. I grabbed a fat 1/4 of homespun and cut it into four 5″ strips.

3. I ruled lines across the strip at 2″ from the end, then 1.5″ intervals.

4. I then labelled the strips, starting at the 2″ end with the name of the dial: Lower Looper; Upper Looper; Right Needle; Left Needle and then in each of the 1.5″ areas number from 1 – 9 (like on the tension dials of my machine)

5. I took each of the strips and starting at the 2″ end – I folded the strip in half so I now had a long strip that was doubled (like sewing two fabrics together) and I turned the matching tension dial to 0.

6. I started sewing and when I reached each line I turned the tension dial to match the number and so on to the end.

7. I then looked at the stitching, concentrating just on the colour being tested, and decided where it was best and marked it with an asterisk

These are the results for my machine:
Lower Looper 2
Upper Looper 8
Left needle 7
Right Needle 5

I now have a record to keep. If my tension goes crazy, I will just have to look along the samples to find a stitching match and change the appropriate tension. (great for the Mums with little helpers!!)

I would recommend you take some time to complete this exercise as either a refresher or as an introduction to each of the threads and their tension. It is a simple exercise with easy to follow instructions and it just may prove invaluable in getting the best from your overlocker/serger.

I hope you found this of value and look forward to our next SPIN the PINS!!

Until next time
Nanny xx

How to Unpick Overlocker/Serger Stitches

June 4, 2013 by Nanny 30 Comments

I was making a cushion cover as a part of a’ Grant Your Wish’ last week, when I decided I really wanted rounded corners instead of square. I didn’t want to just re-do the overlocking/serging around the corners (might do that if it was just for me) so started the unpicking …. and then I thought ah ha! This is what I should blog about!

Have you ever tried to pull out overlocker/serger stitches and ended up with something looking like this?

Well, never again! This is one of those things, that once you have seen, you will not forget, and you will wonder “Why didn’t someone tell me?”

I have threaded my serger with coloured threads so we can see them more clearly:

Green – Lower looper (on the back)
Pink – Upper Looper
Blue – Right needle
Orange – Left needle

So to unpick the stitching EASILY:

1. Snip the Right Needle Thread (Blue) every inch or couple of cms or so – those pieces will pull out easily.

2. Now do the same for the Left Needle Thread (orange) – you can see it crosses over the loops formed by the Looper Thread (pink) – don’t cut the looper!

3. Pull the Looper Threads – front

and back!

How easy was that!!

I hope this has helped and that you never have to see that scrunched up mess again!

Until next time
Nanny xx

How to Cut Squares

May 19, 2013 by Nanny 3 Comments

We are launching the Let’s Sew – ‘Scrappy Square Swap’ this week so I thought I would run through how to cut squares. I will give instructions for cutting from a fat 1/4 , cutting from the width of the fabric, using scissors and using a rotary cutter. I am also giving the instructions right handed – if you are a leftie, just reverse them (I’m sure you are used to doing that – I’m sorry but I am sooo right handed)

So I have washed my fabric (because that’s what I do), I’ve pressed it, folded it in half, selvedge to selvedge or selvedge to opposite cut edge if using a fat 1/4. This is where you will often find the fabric won’t ‘sit’ right – while you are holding the selvedges together with both hands and the fabric hanging down

See the folds coming from my hand on the left?

Just move the front of the piece a little to the left or right until it does sit right and then you may be dismayed at how much you have to trim off! You can see on the left how much ‘out’ it is.

1. Using a Fat Quarter.

Fold the long side to long side again, making sure that it is all sitting flat – no folds.

The first thing we need to do is straighten the cut edge – don’t assume that the person in the shop has done a good job!

(a) Using scissors, a rule, a piece of paper and a pencil

So you don’t have a rotary cutter and a cutting mat – don’t worry! You can use a rule and scissors – I made my first quilt this way!!

First you need a right angle: Take a piece of paper – any old piece is fine – and fold it and crease.

Now fold the fold along the fold and crease again.

You now have a perfect right angle!

Place the folds along the folded edge of your FQ and mark the upright.

Join the dots with a pencil or fabric pen. (I used my Pilot Frixion pen – disappears when you press)

Nanny edit: Please see new, detailed info re these pens here and decide for youself whether you use them.

Measure from that line along 5″ both top and bottom and mark. Join with your pen.

You now have 2 lines marked.

Cut along both lines with your scissors.

You now have a 5″ strip.

Open it so that the two short ends are together and repeat the process to straighten the edge/remove the selvedge.

Measure 5″ top and bottom like you did before and repeat.

You now have 3 lines. Cut along all 3 with your scissors.

and you now have 4 perfect 5″ squares!

Repeat the whole process to get your eight squares. Well done!

(b) Using a rotary cutter, rule and cutting mat.

With your FQ folded in half and then in half again, place the fold along a line on your board. Place your rule so that it is on the same vertical line at the top and bottom of the fabric. Cut.

You can see how uneven the edge was:

Now flip that straight edge to the left hand side and line it up on the board lines – vertical and horizontal.

Put your rule on the 5″ line above and below the fabric – cut. Move the rule along, making sure the fabric hasn’t moved, put rule on the 10″ line and cut.

You now have 4 x 5″ squares. Repeat the process to get your 8 squares. Well done!

3.If Using width of Fabric:

Put the fold along the bottom line on your cutting mat. ( you can see the whoop in the cut edge on mine as it goes up the mat!)

Move the fabric until the rule can sit on, in my case, the 15 at the bottom and the top and then cut:

(You can see that my strip thinned away in the centre and was up to 1/2″ wide at its thickest!)

NOTE: If you have a small mat, by all means fold the fabric again, just taking care that all folds are removed.

Now that you have a straight edge, flip the fabric and put the straight edge on the left of your mat, fold along the bottom:

Place your rule so that it passes over the 5″ mark top and bottom, and cut the strip:

Bottom Top

You now have a 5″ strip the wof (width of the fabric) and it’s time to trim the selvedges. So once again, place the fabric along a line on your cutting mat, with the selvedges to the right and place your rule on the upright line to cut:

You now have a straight edge:

Flip the fabric again so that the straight edge is running up the left hand side of your cutting mat and the bottom of your strip is running along one of the lines:

Place your rule on the 5″ line top and bottom and cut. Repeat across the strip. You will have 4 cuts:

and you will now have 8 squares and a small rectangle for your scrap collection!

Well done!

I hope that this has helped those who were not sure about how to go about it . Now all you have to do is pop your squares in an envelope with a return addressed, stamped envelope and post them off – and then start waiting for the postman!

Until next time

Nanny xx

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