First Sewing Projects Completed

One by one the young 4-Hers are finishing up there very first sewing projects' Talk about excitement! One little one, Josie, wanted her picture taken immediately outside by the barn. Um - we will have to wait until warmer weather arrives because your coat will be covering your pretty little dress!

 SEW we improvised using a palm tree.

Josie was SEW proud of her new dress that she danced around for more than an hour. prancing and modeling it for anyone who just happened to pass by. This is Josie's very first sewing project; she picked out her own fabrics and trims making a simple peasant style dress with two pattern pieces. Josie added a fun gingham trim with elastic inserted to draw up the neck edge and tied a pink satin bow around the waist for shaping. If Josie is anything like her sisters, she will wear this dress for several years and later use it as a nightshirt. Great job, Josie!

And just as we were ready to leave, Ava's fun personality had her dancing around the room wearing her first sewing project: pull on pants! She was SEW excited that she wanted to wear her new flannel pants home to show her whole family. Ava was also looking forward to using the rest of the fabric to make herself a matching pillow case and pajama bag. She will be ready for camping and sleep overs by tossing everything in her new matching bag.

Claire also finished up her new pajama pants made in a cotton fabric. She was very careful to keep the elephants that were printed on her fabric all standing on their feet and not on their backs. Great job! Claire is making a couple of matching bags that will hold her personal items when she needs to take them on road trips. The bags will keep her well organized. Well done, Claire!

These girls are only part of a larger group of young seamstress all who are working on different projects, each one challenging. The best part of helping them is that they WANT to learn and can't wait to start up their next project. SEW rewarding!

SEW do you remember what your very first sewing project was?

Cutting Slippery Fabrics

SEW - what are you working on?

As you can see by the pile here, I have been busy weeding through a stack of mending. Now that it is finished, let's move on to some fun things.

And now about that slippery fabric . . . 

 
Cutting slippery fabrics or any fabrics with a nap can be a challenge for most. Not only does the fabric change shape it seems to take on a life of its own! 

It starts creeping toward the table edge, it begins to grow taking on a whole new shape, and it even tries to creep silently out of the room! 

Seriously there must be a better way!

There is! 

If you follow along and try what this young 4-H gal learned a few weeks ago, you will be cutting miles of silk fabric strips. You will find that linings hold true to their shape, and bias edges do NOT grow as you cut and nap fabrics will not creep out of the room!

The trick to cutting any slippery fabric or any fabric with a nap is to pin the selvedge edge of the fabric to the selvedge edge of the paper. 

What type of paper? Any newsprint paper (let 'dry' one week), printed or roll end newsprint paper, Kraft paper, paper bags, etc.


Next pin the pattern pieces to the fabric/paper. 

If the fabric has a nap you have a choice before pinning the fabric selvedge to the paper selvedge. When cutting fabric folded onto itself, lay a piece of paper in between the fabric layers or cut the fabric single layer. Laying a piece of fabric between the fabric layers prevents the fabric from creeping under the table.

Now you are ready to cut your fabric.

Get out your BEST fabric cutting scissors and CUT through all layers. 

Yes, I did say BEST scissors. 

Hopefully you are not cutting with an old pair of scissors that have not been sharpened in years or a multipurpose craft pair of scissors. 

Please - you owe it to yourself to get the BEST pair of scissors on the market. I have had the same pair of scissors for over 30 years and they still cut just as clean as the day I bought them! I now own at least a dozen of the same brand, all in different sizes. 

There is one pair that is PERFECT for cutting any slippery fabrics or fabrics with a nap - the KAI 10" Serrated Edge Shears. I have cut miles of silk bias trim using these scissors without any hand/wrist/elbow fatigue. And for those that know me, cutting can be a struggle with my wrist & elbow problems. These are truly my favorite pair of scissors! I only wish they were as long as my favorite pair of professional KAI 12" scissors. 

SEW - start cutting right through the paper and fabric. Yes, cut through all layers. 

Go ahead, what are you waiting for? 

Pardon me? 

I can hear you mumbling or perhaps thinking - "NOT with my fabric scissors! The paper will dull my scissors!"

Sigh, while the paper might dull the scissors a little, the quality of the scissors makes a huge difference and your pattern will not grow in size or shape when the fabric is pinned to paper. 

This is the only way fabric is cut in pattern making workrooms and all the designers' workrooms. In fact, if someone were to cut fabric without using paper in the industry, they do not keep their job long.

As you can see here, this young designer loves to get on 'top' of her work as she cuts. Remind you of anyone you know?

SEW - what are you waiting for? Treat yourself today and get yourself a pair of serrated scissors for cutting slippery fabrics and fabrics with nap. You will be SEW glad you did!

SEW tell me, what are you working on?