Sewing tips

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in all the "sewing tips" talk is the use of pins. I put a pin at the beginning of the two pieces I am sewing together, at the end of the two pieces and in any intersection where 2 seams "butt" up against each other. Also, any other places where long edges may need securing.

I know to some of my "just sew them together and see where the edges end up" friends, that I am very anal when it comes to pinning. But, I don't usually have problems with pieces not lining up or seams not nesting. And, that last pin gives you something to hold on to when you get to that last little bit of fabric.

Good topic!!!!! ~~~~~~~ Laurie G. in CA

Laurie, I pin the same way you do. Sure makes for more uniform blocks.

On the subject of pinning- why do people pin so carefully and then pull the pins out and lose their match? I always sew over pins- I just sew really, really slowly and sometimes even stitch by turning the hand wheel while going over the pins. I'm not about to slave over a perfectly matched bunch of points and then lose that accuracy by removing the pins- not even just a stitch or two from the pin. I'll take my chances by sewing slowly.....

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I sew slowly up to each pin; then, when everything is held tightly by the presser foot, I'll pull the pin out - making sure to press to the left of the foot so that the fabric doesn't 'move' with the pin in the direction of the pull. . In message , Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. writes

While at the VT Quilt Fest this weekend I did notice a new to me gadget...something that apparently is pressed ( sticky back I assume ) to your sewing machine bed...and it was to help hold long strips of fabric tog. as you sewed the seam. I almost bought it as it looked ideal for helping little grand daughters sew even short seams. I didn't catch the name of it but looked like one of those neat gadgets that really work. Mary

Good idea! Having just assembled a group project with blocks made by people at lots of different skill levels, let me put in a word for Pressing! Some of the blocks were Not the Right Size. A close look at seams revealed that they were not well-pressed. What happened to pressing each seam before crossing it with another seam? Making sure that the seam is completely flat, regardless of whether you press open or to one side? The first lesson everyone needs to learn is the importance of pressing as you go! Roberta in D

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Leslie, one of the problems with sewing over pins is that it does affect the tension. When you remove the pin after the stitch is formed around it, there is more slack in the thread, because it has "tightened" around the pin. If you use very fine pins you will probably be okay, but if you use larger diameter pins, and many of them, you may well have "gappy" tension.

I don't use a lot of pins, most of the time. Reason: every time you handle the fabric it can cause stretching/raveling/distortion. This is especially true of bias and curved edges. However, I do use a lot of what is sometimes called "finger pinning". This is a technique where you are only dealing with a short section of a seam at a time, from one "match point" to the next. For example, sewing together the rows of a 9-Patch block, you start with lining up the beginning corner to the first seam and firmly hold the seams as you place the corner under the pressure foot near the needle. You continue to hold that match point until your fingers are at the toes of the pressure foot, stop and line up the next match point/seam and hold that. With practice you don't even really stop, just move on to the next match point.

Another suggestion for pinning, pin parallel to the seam line, with the heads of the pins towards you. If you pin just past the seam line, you can actually remove the pins as the needle goes into the matchpoint. Often the pressure foot will push the pin out as you sew.

Be careful of distortion when you pin too. I have seen many people who match a seam very carefully, put a pin straight down to make sure then tilt that pin to finish the "bite" into the fabric. Which moves the layers of fabric apart and you lose the match. Always use a second pin, inserted at an angle to pin when you have used the "pin straight through to line up a point" method.

An alternative method for matching points: Use the lengths of your seams, not just the seam at the point. Sounds simple, but most people use just the point to match. For example, if you are joining 2 halves of an 8 pointed star or kaleidoscope, etc., (will have 8 seams coming together at the center)and all 8 sections are the same size, then line up all the seams. If the 3 seams of the half come to a nice point (because you have lined up the seams of the quarters, so that they nest and match nicely), then lining up the seams will automatically line up the point. Make sure that all the seams are pressed in the same direction around the (future) center, and they will nest wonderfully. [This is sort of an application of the mathematical idea of congruent triangles, for those of you who never thought you would use the math you were forced to learn in school. ] When you use at least an inch or so of the seam lines to match points, you will get a good match much more easily. And you can pin in that area without affecting the tension, if you pin parallel to the seam.

Remember, this is not meant to upset any> On the subject of pinning- why do people pin so carefully and then pull the