Bellpull Question

Glad you and baby are doing well.

Ok...bell pull. Let me see if I can walk you through this.

First measure the width of your hardware since you must be able to fit the bell pull onto the hardware. Nothing worse than getting it finished and it won't fit.

First of all when I am working on linen I like to use sewing tread that matches the linen. This helps to hide your small stitches so no one knows they are there.

Both side seams should be folded in toward the stitching. I would try to use as small a seam as possible. I would measure the seam allowance which should be about 1/2 inch. Fold 1/4 inch in from the outer edge and press. Then fold that pressed seam allowance 1/4 inch so this way you have no exposed threads on your fabric. Press and stitch down using a ladder stitch or a blind stitch. You just do not want your stitches to show very much. You probably will need to only pick up one or two ground fabric threads.

The top and bottom will be done in a similar manner but you will need to leave an opening at each side so you can place your hardware in the tube you are going to create. Again you want all rough edges inside your seam allowance. This time you will need to allow a bit more allowance. Best way I have found is to slip the top of the bell pull onto the hardware and pin the seam allowance into a tube that will allow the bell pull to slide onto the hardware. You also want to make sure you are happy with the spacing of the hardware. Is it too close to the embroidery or too far away? By pinning you are able to adjust the fabric until you are happy with the placement. Now you can make your first fold about 1/2 of the seam allowance. Press. Make your second fold so that this second fold line is right where your pin line is. The second fold is then pressed. Stitch this in place using the ladder stitch or a blind stitch picking up only one or two of the ground fabric threads.

I hope I have made this clear for you. This is one of those things that it is much easier to show rather than just tell someone how to do it.

If you have any questions just holler.

Alice in Utah

If there is a first-class needlework shop in your area, you might see whether they will do the finishing for you. Many times, they can do truly beautiful work at a fair price -- bell pulls, belts, cushions, etc.

Nadia Abbasi wrote:

If there is a first-class needlework shop in your area, you might see whether they will do the finishing for you. Many times, they can do truly beautiful work at a fair price -- bell pulls, belts, cushions, etc.

Nadia Abbasi wrote:

I Googled and couldn't find a thing that I would recommend to someone who isn't fairly experienced! So -- when you say the back of the seams will be exposed, just what did you have in mind as "finishing" for the bell pull? If seams are exposed, it's not "finished! OK -- as you may or may not know, I am a professional seamstress and have finished bell pulls in many different ways, both by hand and using the sewing machine. I guess this leads to the first question. Will you be doing the finishing by hand or my sewing machine? I can give you fairly easy directions either way as I have had to write directions when I did the finish work for Stitcher's World. If you can stitch a sampler, then you can easily turn it into a bell pull that looks nicely finished -- honest :-). Anyway, if you haven't gotten directions that you are happy with yet, I'll be happy to add my tuppence worth if needed. Ages ago, I had told Dianne that I would write up directions for doing this type of stuff and totally forgot about it until right now!! Oh Well -- maybe this would be the time :-)! 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

Tia Mary said

I've been known to say "I can stitch but I can't sew." Please, please, please, with sugar on top, do it!!!

Well,

I was planning on using a sewing machine but it looks like the method outlined above calls for hand stitching....(and I don't know either one of the stitches mentioned!).

By exposed, I meant that I'm worried the frayed edges of the fabric will show if I do this wrong. I'm not worried about the stitching being exposed as it's all pretty neat and it's not going into a high traffic home......but then again, would it be more prudent to put a lining on it? If not, I'd rather not as then I'd actually have to go out and purchase some. I suppose you're the right person to answer this one, I am aware that you're the go to person for any sewing questions. :o)

....I suppose this is one of those times I wish I'd paid more attention in Home Ec back in middle school!

Nadia

Tia Mary wrote:

An alternative is to cut a piece of backing fabric to fit just inside the seams (after you press them). Then you stitch the seams to the backing fabric instead of the linen. That way nothing shows on the embroidery side of your piece and the back looks neat as well.

I'm a hamfisted sewer (when it's not stitching), and I've done this several times with great success.

astitcher wrote:

ellice wrote:

LOL -- that makes two of you -- three if you add in Nadia :-)! I'll do my best to get something written up after the first of the year. Of course, that's assuming Dianne still has room for this stuff! OK, as an answer for Nadia, It you have enough needlework fabric left over, you can always use that as a backing. If you really can't manage a backing that's OK, especially since you say the back of the piece is neat :-)! A few more questions first. Is there hardware for the top only or also for the bottom? This makes a difference in how you do the finishing. If there is no bottom hardware, is the bottom squared off, rounded or some other shape? How much fabric do you have for the "seam allowance". I will assume you have just top hardware and that the bottom is to be squared off. If you have just top hardware and you definitely won't be using a backing fabric, then the finishing will be much easier using a combination of machine and hand sewing. You don't need more than about one inch of fabric for hemming the sides and bottom. You need to determine how large a "casing" you need for the bell pull hardware but one that is about an inch is often plenty big enough. If you need one that is bigger, then adjust the amount of fabric you turn to the back of the piece for the casing. For a one inch top casing, you'll need about an inch and a half of fabric to turn to the back side of the piece. The casing for the hardware is the thing that almost makes a backing fabric necessary. You'll see what I mean later in the post. I would turn under 1/2" on all four sides (assuming the bottom is to be squared off). Press this fold well and then machine sew with a small stitch close to the fold line and again in about 1/8" from the fold. This will hold all of the "relatively" loosely woven needlework fabric threads in place better. Now turn the folded and stitched sides and bottom under another 1/2" and HAND sew them to the needlework fabric or the needlework threads on the back. You *could* miter the corners but that's a whole 'nother issue and much more difficult to try and explain in a post! Remember that this line of sewing (on the sides and the bottom) won't be under any stress so it needn't be done really tightly or terribly securely. You will need to stitch this in thread that matches your needlework fabric as closely as possible because the stitches might show through to the front. The hand stitching can be done so that it doesn't show on the front if you carefully place your stitches on the needlework fabric threads that are the "under" threads of the weave when you are looking at the back side. If you have left a minimal amount of unstitched needlework fabric showing on the front then you might likely have needlework fibers (from your stitching) on the back you can sew through. Lastly turn down the needlework fabric you have left for the top casing. This can be sewn down by machine if you have thread that matches the needlework fabric. You could do it by hand but this line of stitching MUST be very secure as it is the one that will be under a bit of stress. If doing it by hand, I would use a nice, neat backstitch over several threads -- it will be seen from the front but if done neatly will almost disappear and not really be noticed. Regardless, this line of stitching should be done near the first fold that has already been machine stitched. The weight of the fabric, stitching and any embellishments hangs from this line of stitching and THIS is why I like using a backing fabric. I will often cut narrow strips of fusible interfacing and iron it to the edges of the needlework fabric where my seam line will be. Then I use some relatively firm pelon interfacing and machine stitch it and the backing fabric to the needlework piece. Then I hand sew the bottom edge of the casing fabric securely through the backing & interfacing and there is never any issue of the stitches being seen from the front and that firm interfacing is sturdy enough to take the weight of finished needlework so that it doesn't start to sag right away. I *think* I have covered most questions you might have. If I missed something -- which I am quite likely to do (taking new meds for my back) -- just let me know and I will try to 'splain better :-)!

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

I'd be more than happy to add any information that helps needleworkers. Dianne

That sounds easily doable - thank you for posting it so soon. I may actually get this done over the weekend while DH watches the baby.

I have hardware for both top and bottom, so should I just follow the directions for the top on both ends? I've left plenty of fabric around the actual stitching so I think none of this will be very difficult. It's a rather small sampler and the hardware is fairly light also so hopefully it won't get saggy.

Nadia

Tia Mary wrote:

Yep -- just do the bottom the way you would do the top. Turn back, firmly press and sew the first half inch on all four sides first. Then turn back the next half inch for the sides and sew in the preferred manner. Lastly, turn down the proper amount for the top and the bottom casings and sew in your preferred manner. I lightly press the second turn on the sides because I don't like the looks of a heavily creased edge -- I very lightly steam the top and bottom casings just to keep them in place when I sew them. Try doing it this way and then, if you want the final edges to be more firmly pressed, you can do that. It's a case of personal preference, like most needlework stuff :-)! 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