Sewing A Placemat - Looking For Placemat Design Ideas

Sewing Friends:

I just put up a new site at Squidoo.com as a resource for placemats. I especially like to sew my own placemats, but I've also listed some resources for buying them online.

I love to give placemats as gifts. I even find that kids love to have their own special placemat made with love. They really enjoy the holiday themed placemats. And, they really, really like the placemats that they helped to make themselves.

Placemats are hot items at bazaars and craft fairs. You can make a little extra cash sewing placemats. Think about it.

Ideas To Sew Placemats

I have a new idea for a placemat that I want to work out for my home decor. I'll let you know when I get it all together.

In fact, I thought it might be fun to put together a lot of placemat ideas that we could all share. I would absolutely love to have you help me do that.

What are some of your ideas for placemats that you would like to have or that you have already done that you think are great ideas and are willing to share?

Don't want to write the sewing instructions or don't know how to put it together?

Don't worry about that. You come up with the design ideas and I will write the how to if you want. Of course, you will get credit for your design or whatever you submit, so be sure and include your name, address, email, phone number and other pertinent information when you send me your placemat designs.

If you are using someone else's idea, make sure that you give them credit when you submit the placemat. Include their name as the original designer and location (book, pattern, website, etc.) where you found the design along with your name and information as the submitter. We want to honor all copyrights.

What if you think someone may have already submitted your favorite placemat design?

That's OK, too. Submit it anyway. Then, we can determine which is the most favorite placemat design. You may have a different twist to yours, who knows?

Send me an email or photo or drawing or letter or whatever and we will see what we come up with.

Please join me in suggesting placemat ideas to share. Let's have some fun with this idea.

Leave your thoughts or suggestions in the comments section.

Or, if you wish, you can click on this link to find out how to contact me.

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS: Pass along any sewing tips you have to sew your placemat design, too.

I am very excited about this and can't wait to see what kind of placemat designs and sewing tips that you send.


Sewing A Placemat - Design Ideas

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How To Change A Sewing Pattern To Create Flatter Pocket Flaps

Sewing Tip - Pocket Flaps

Sewing Friends:

Sometimes in sewing, we must make changes to sewing pattern pieces to create a better looking finished product. Don't be afraid to do that. A sewing pattern is merely a guide, nothing more. The pattern police aren't going to come knocking on your door if you change it! Think it through, test it and if it gives you the look you want, just do it. You are the designer!

For example: Does the bulk in pocket flaps drive you crazy? Does it seem impossible to make them look flat with all those lumpy seam allowances in that small area.

Check out this simple sewing pattern change when you make your next pocket flap.

This is a technique that Nancy Zieman uses to create flat pocket flaps. Hope you will try it.
Go to: Flatter Pocket Flaps

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS: Think of other areas in your sewing where you can use this simple pattern change to help eliminate bulk.
PPS: Be sure and check out How To Sew Self-Lined Patch Pockets here.

Sewing Tip - Pocket Flaps

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How To Convert From A Zipper To A Button Back Closing

Sewing Tip: Front and Back Garment Closings

Sewing Friends:

When sewing clothes, sometimes you just don't want a zipper closing on the back of a dress especially for small children.

You can change the closing to be whatever you want it to be. You are the designer. It is a quick and easy sewing pattern change.

Here are the instructions on how to convert from a zipper to a button or snap back closing.

• Tape some paper to the center back of the garment pattern.
  
• From the center back line - that is the stitching line - not the cutting line - add 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch if you are planning to use large size buttons.
  
• Draw a line and call this the "fold line".
  
• Then, add an additional 1-1/2 inch for the facing and draw another line. Cut the rest of the paper away.
  
• Fold the paper back on the fold line like the fabric will be when it is finished.
  
• Cut the neckline edge of the facing to line up with the garment pattern.
  
• Interface the facing and 1/4 inch beyond the fold on the fold line.
  
• Place buttonholes 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch from garment fold.
  
• Sew buttons the same distance from the fold on the remaining edge.

You can use this method to change the front of a garment to a buttoned closing, too.

Think about using some of those fancy gripper snaps instead of buttons.

Or, for a tiny baby dress, use the small clear snaps so they don't irritate their sensitive skin when the baby lays on them.

Some older kids including handicapped seniors may like hook and loop tape closings on the front to make it easier for them to dress themselves.

Try it! Let me know how you like this sewing tip.

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

Sewing Tip: Front and Back Garment Closings
How To Convert From A Zipper To A Button Back Closing

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Sewing Some Love For Soldiers!

Sewing For Soldiers

Sewing Friends:

If you sew, you can help others. It doesn't have to be perfect!

If you want to support our troops, especially those with disabilities, they really need adaptive clothing.

Read this article in ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=2977470&page=1

Ginger Dosedel found a way to use her sewing skills to help. You can do it too.

Go to Sew Much Comfort to learn more about this great charitable effort to help our troops with disabilities.

Another item our troops love and really use is the "Cool Ties". Even the kids can help make these. Get them involved.

Our chapter of the American Sewing Guild in Fort Myers, FL makes and sends hundreds of these Cool Ties and Helmet Kisses to our soldiers in Iraq.

See this inspirational story about the The Hugs Project.

Sewing is definitely not dead, ladies. There are so many ladies like you showing their love through sewing. You can do it, too. It really is simple and "sew" rewarding! Get that sewing machine out and start stitching. It's a good way to get back to sewing again or to start sewing if you are a beginner.

I can't think of a better way to use your sewing skills and support those who give their limbs and lives to protect us every day.

Use up some of your fabric stash and sew for our troops! It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success

Marian

Sewing For Soldiers

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Sewing Tips For Pinning and Hand Sewing A Hem

Sewing Tip:

Pinning A Hem

I've already shared this sewing tip with my "Sewing Success Newsletter" ladies, but I thought I would post it here as well.

My college granddaughter recently came for a short visit. She said I should share the sewing tip I gave her with all of you.

I guess I never thought about this much until I noticed while she was hand hemming a garment she brought with her that she was frustrated because her sewing thread kept getting caught on the pins that she had to hold the hem up. I told her there was a solution to her problem.

Press the hem up and place the pins on the outside of the garment hem, not on the inside. Then, when you hand stitch the hem, your sewing thread doesn't get hung up on the pins. Hand sewing goes a lot faster this way, too. It just makes sense!

One more tip: Place the pins perpindicular to the hem going with the grain not across it. Put the heads of the pins toward the top of the hem with the tips of the pins pointing toward the fold of the hem. Pins don't fall out as easily this way and pins are easy to remove as you stitch.

She said, "Why didn't I think of that?" So, now you know if you didn't think of that either! So, now, I posted this sewing tip on my blog in case someone else didn't think of that.

Got another tip about how to take the stitch to help avoid"dimples" in the hem, but I will post it on another blog entry.

Go here to learn How To Hand Sew A Hem Without Dimples . It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

1st Step To Sewing Success

Sewing Tip: Pinning A Hem


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How To Finish The Ends Of A Waistband

Sewing Tips

Sewing Friends:

Sometimes you just don't want to topstitch a waistband and you don't like the way the ends look when you make a tiny seam and turn it right side out . . .so here is a neat way to sew the exposed ends of the waistband without any stitches showing.

This is an old sewing tip that we used when we made classic tailored suits and actually wore them. It is neat, quick and easy to do.

• Before you start to well-stitch (stitch-in-the-ditch) the garment/waistband seam together, pull out about 8-10 inches of sewing threads together to leave long beginning thread tails.
  
• Then, machine well-stitch (stitch-in-the-ditch) the garment/waistband seam as usual, and when you get to the end, do NOT cut your tail threads.
  
• Again, leave about 8-10 inches of the sewing threads at the end of the band.
  
• Thread these threads through a hand needle and slip-stitch the folds of the waistband together at the ends of the band. This is a really neat and secure finish.
  

Think about all the many places you can use this sewing tip.

Extra Sewing Tip:

Leaving long thread tails to hold onto when you begin to sew a seam often helps you start sewing, whether stitching something bulky or even very thin fabrics. Try it!

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS: Please share your favorite sewing tips with us!

Sewing Tips

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Home Sewing Association Sewing Survey

Sewing Survey

Hi Sewing Friends:

I need your help.

The Home Sewing Association (HSA) recently sent out a survey to sewing educators. One of the questions asked was which of the following described your interests:

• Sewing Techniques
• Fashion Design
• Home Dec
• Restyling ready-to-wear garments

Rather than telling you what I think, how about letting me know exactly what your sewing interests really are. If it isn't listed above, it's OK to add something else you want.

If you like all the above and more, rank them in order of your preference.

You can do it on this blog or contact me here.

We are really trying to fulfill your wants and needs. Help us to help you.

Thanks for your feedback.

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

Sewing Survey

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Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

Who has your buttons?

Hi Sewing Friends:

When I was looking for a special clasp to sew on my "mother-of-the-groom" dress, I couldn't find anything appropriate in any of our local sewing stores. So, I searched online and found exactly what I wanted.

I really like to support my local dealers, but sometimes they just don't carry what I need. I go to the "net" to find more and more sewing things these days. I am collecting quite a few sewing resource links to add to my websites.

I understand that JHB International has a new line of buttons made from real rocks. Each button is unique and is one-of-a-kind in shape, coloration and size. Now, I would love to have some of those buttons either to sew on a jacket, as a closure for a purse or even on some of my pillows. I love unusual buttons. They really make a classic jacket stand out.

JHB only sells to businesses. So, if you are looking for some special buttons, here are some links to some retail button resources that you might enjoy checking out.

As Cute As A Button www.ascuteasabutton.com
Button Drawer www.buttondrawer.com
Button Emporium www.buttonemporium.com
Buttons Galore www.morebuttons.com
Couture Fabrics www.couturebuttons.com
Windsor Button www.windsorbutton.com

Have fun finding out who has your button!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS: Add your favorite sewing button site in the comment section below.

Buttons

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Sewing Links Help Cancer Research

Hi Sewing Friends:

Can you believe that a sewing link can help cancer research?

I just added what is known as a lens on squidoo.com. Lens is another word for a website, I understand.

The big difference in a lens is that a portion of any proceeds from the sale of products on this sewing site is automatically donated to charity. I requested that the donation go to cancer research since both my husband and I are cancer survivors along with several of our close friends and family members. We also have lost many loved ones to this dreaded disease. Cancer has touched all our lives somehow.

Hopefully, this lens will become a great resource for sewing information and the donation will be significant. Check it out at:

Sewing-Courses-Projects-Tips

Leave a comment or suggestion on how I can improve it to help serve your sewing needs. We are still in the process of building it, so your input is important. Please help.

I just celebrated my 70th birthday! Who would ever believe that 34 years ago, I had less than 10% chance to live to see my next birthday (cancer in the saliva gland) (That's why I have a paralyzed face.) And then, add to that a recurrence (lung cancer) when I was told that I had less than 2 years to live. That was 20 years ago!

God only knows why I am still here. But, I am grateful to have this time with my family and the opportunity to write about sewing to share my knowledge with you.

Let me know how I can help you.

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

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What Dress Form Should You Use To Fit Your Garments?

Dress Forms

Sewing Friends:

I am often asked what dress form I recommend for fitting garments?

Here is my answer:

None!

No man can duplicate what God made! Use your own body for fitting.

Use a dress form to display a garment in your sewing room, but that's it!

Your body is unique! Unless you can make a complete body mold and mount it so that it duplicates your posture, a dress form cannot produce your fit accurately.

Some of you may have a body mold, but did you put it on a pole? Is that how you stand?
Do you have perfect posture, standing up with a steel rod up your back? Of course not!

• Do you know of a dress form that has one breast larger than the other like most of you do?
• How about one hip larger or higher than the other or one shoulder lower than the other?
• How about a curvature of the spine or forward shoulders or forward neck?
• What about a tilted waistline with a pot belly and a flat rear or heavy front thighs or saddlebag thighs?

Don't spend the money on a dress form. Discover how to find out what you need to fit the body you have. Forget the old rules and just use your common sense.

Fabric hangs on grain. If it doesn't, it wrinkles somewhere. It has got to hang on grain on you to be wrinkle free. It's that simple! So, you must determine where you need more or less fabric to make that happen. It just makes sense!

How do you do that?

You need to know where your natural body vertical lines are so the lengthwise grain is perpindicular to the floor.

Where should YOUR center front, center back, right and left side seams go?

Maybe your centers are off to the right or left. Mine is.

These sections around your body are probably not equal. You need to know exactly what each section needs.

You can not use the standard measuring techniques that you always have like measuring around your total body and dividing that by four to get your right and left front and right and left back.
That doesn't work on most bodies, especially we senior citizens. Things shift over the years.

You need to know how much you tilt in order to keep the horizontal grain parallel to the floor.

When you wear a garment, it either hangs from your shoulders or from your waist. It is critical that you know how much your body tilts at these hanging points to have the fabric hang on grain on your body.

The horizontal lines that must be parallel to the floor are the hipline for the bottom half and the yoke line for the upper half of the body.

See my article in the July 2006 issue of Sew News where I wrote about fitting the senior figure. You can request a copy if you don't have it.

Your waist line could tilt any which way and your shoulders could also be uneven with one lower than the other.

How do you adjust a dress form for that? I'd much rather deal with the real body.

The garment industry makes balanced garments to look good on a hanger, but what happens when you hang it on your uneven body?

You finally realize that you need uneven clothing in order to hang straight on you. At least, that's what I learned about my body.

If you suffer from fitting frustration like I did for so many years, I urge you to take a look at my brand new fitting method, "Common Sense Fitting Method For Hard-To-Fit Sewing Folks Who Want Great Fitting Skirts and Pants"

This downloadable fitting course is a great start to understand the principles of how to determine what you need and where you need it. Fit the best dress form for you - your body! It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

Dress Forms

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