Amy Butler's Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags (23 page)

a. Always pre-test product and pre-wash fabric.

b. Cut fusible fleece to desired size.

c. Place fleece, fusible side up, on ironing board. Place fabric,
Right
side up, on top of fleece.

d. Fuse. Cover fleece and fabric with a damp pressing cloth. With iron at “wool/steam” setting, press down firmly for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat, overlapping iron until entire area is fused. For additional loft, use more than one layer of fleece.

e. Machine wash warm and dry medium or dry clean.

a. Always pre-test product and pre-wash fabric.

b. SF-101 should also be pre-washed. To do this, put interfacing in warm water for a few minutes. Gently remove and air dry.
Do not
wring or wash in machine as doing so may displace the fusible adhesive.

c. Trim and steam-baste.

• Pin pattern piece to Shape-Flex following grain line arrows; cut. Trim seam allowance to ⅛″ (0.3 cm).

• Place fusible side of Shape-Flex onto
Wrong
side of fabric piece. Pin, then steam-baste along edges with tip of iron. Remove pins.

d. Fuse.

• Cover with a damp pressing cloth.

• With iron at “wool/steam” setting, press firmly for a full 10 seconds. Repeat, lifting and slightly overlapping iron until all interfacing is fused.

• Use steam iron with metal sole plate. (Hand-held steamers will not permanently bond interfacing to fabric.)

e. Machine wash warm and dry medium or dry clean.

Tip: Use your damp pressing cloth as a temperature and timing guide. After 10 seconds, pressing cloth should be dry. If not, raise iron temperature or hold iron in place a few seconds longer
.

a. Easy to cut with scissors or rotary cutter.

b. Easy to sew, even sandwiched with other fabrics.

c. Will not flatten out or be distorted in steam pressing.

d. Has no grain; can be cut in any direction.

e. Machine wash warm and tumble dry or dry clean.

a. Always pre-test product and pre-wash fabrics.

b. Place shiny adhesive side up and the
Wrong
side of fabric down and work from fabric side.

c. Use a hot steam iron at “wool” setting. Use a gliding motion and slight pressure to iron Peltex 71F to the fabric.

d. Cover with a damp pressing cloth and press firmly for 10 to 15 seconds.

e. Repeat, lifting and overlapping until all fabric is fused.

f. Remove pressing cloth and iron fabric to eliminate excess moisture.

a. Always pre-test product and pre-wash fabric.

b. Place clear plastic side of 72F down against the ironing board. Place fabric,
Wrong
side down, against the rough side of the 72F. “Baste” by using a hot iron at “wool” setting and use a gliding motion and slight pressure to iron 72F to the first fabric. Allow to cool.

c. Gently peel off the clear plastic backing. Put this piece, with the white side up, on ironing board.

d. Position the second fabric,
Wrong
side down, on the Peltex. Cover with a damp pressing cloth.

e. With hot iron at “wool” setting, fuse into place by pressing firmly for 10 seconds per area, overlapping slightly each time.

f. Turn fabric “sandwich” over and continue fusing on the other side to permanently bond.

g. Remove pressing cloth and iron fabric to eliminate any excess moisture.

Gathering stitch—
Using the longest stitch on your machine and a loose bobbin tension enables you to pull the bobbin thread to gather your fabric (do not backstitch at either end).

Gusset—
This is a small square or triangular-shaped piece of fabric that is created by placing a side seam flat against a bottom seam or crease and stitching across them. A gusset will make a square bottom where there was only a flat-seamed bottom.

Interfacing—
See Manufacturer’s Notes and Instructions for Applying Interfacings and Stabilizers,
page 172
.

Lengthwise grain—
See
fabric grain
.

Machine baste—
A machine basting stitch is used to hold sections of the project in place until you are ready to complete final stitches. Use the longest stitch on your machine, so you can easily remove these basting stitches later. You do
not
have to backstitch at either end of your stitching.

Pivot—
Pivoting is used when you reach a corner or any place where you want to turn and continue stitching in a different direction. To pivot, stop stitching with the needle in the down position (keeping the fabric in place in the sewing machine), raise the presser foot, and rotate or move the fabric to continue stitching in a different direction.

Pressing cloth—
A pressing cloth is a piece of neutral fabric, placed between the project and the iron to prevent shiny marks or scorching caused by the heat of the iron. You can dampen the pressing cloth when you want to create more steam to help press seams and press out creases in the fabric.

Seam allowance—
The seam allowance is the fabric extending from the stitching line to the edge. It can be pressed open or to one side as indicated in the project instructions.

Selvage edge—
The narrow, tightly woven finished edge along each side of the lengthwise grain of your fabric.

Slipstitch—
Frequently used to join two folded edges, slipstitching is nearly invisible as the thread is slipped under the fabric’s fold. You will need a long piece of thread and a sharp needle.

a. To begin, feed one end of the thread through the eye of the needle, doubling the thread back on itself. Match up the cut ends and make a double knot.

b. Insert the needle into the fabric and pull the thread taut, hiding the knot.

c. Insert the needle through a few threads on the other edge of the fabric. Pull the thread through until it is taut.

d. Insert the needle back into the first side, through about ½″ (1.3 cm) of the fabric, hiding the thread inside a fold. Push the needle through the fabric and again pull the thread taut.

e. Repeat this process until you have stitched your fabric together, keeping even spaces between stitches.

f. To finish, tie off the stitching by making a double knot close to the fabric and cutting the excess threads to free the needle.

Stay stitch—
Stay stitching is used in the seam allowance before construction to stabilize curved or slanted edges so the fabric on these edges does not stretch.

Stitch-in-the-ditch—
This stitching, done either by machine or by hand as indicated in the pattern instructions, is sewn in the groove formed by the seam. Make sure to line up any seams underneath so both seams will be sewn neatly.

Topstitch—
Topstitching is used for several purposes. It finishes your project and gives it a neat appearance; it is used to close openings left after turning a project
Right
side out; and it can be used as a reinforcement stitch by adding another row of stitching to areas that will be used heavily and receive more wear. To topstitch, stitch parallel to an edge or another seam for the distance suggested in the project’s instructions.

Transfer lines from pattern piece to fabric piece—
On a hard flat surface, using a tracing wheel and wax-free tracing paper, place the tracing paper with the colored side toward the
Right
side of the fabric. Place the pattern piece over the tracing paper. Roll the tracing wheel firmly around or across the line to be transferred. Move the tracing paper to continue with a pattern or, if finished, remove it. The lines will show on the fabric.

Trim in corners—
This is a finishing technique used to add shape and definition to the corners of the project. Use scissors to cut off the tip of the corner in the seam allowance to eliminate bulk. Be careful not to cut into the project or stitching. Once you turn the project
Right
side out, the corners will have a neat, squared-off look.

Trim in seam allowances—
This technique reduces bulk around curved seams so they will lie flat when you turn the project
Right
side out. Use your scissors to cut off most of the excess fabric in the seam allowances. Be sure to press out these areas once you have turned them
Right
side out.

Turning tool—
A turning tool is a pointed object, such as a closed pair of scissors, that can be used to push out the corners on a project after you have turned it
Right
side out. Specially made turning tools, usually constructed of plastic or wood, are available at sewing and fabric stores. When using a turning tool, push out the corners gently, especially if you are working with delicate, lightweight fabric.

AB-25 Honeycomb

Color: Rust

From the Midwest Modern collection

AB-45

Color: Gold

From the quilting-weight Solids collection

AB-32 Fresh Poppies

Color: Rose

From the Midwest Modern collection

AB-34 Wildflowers

Color: Rose

From the Daisy Chain collection

AB-35 Mosaic

Color: Rose

From the Daisy Chain collection

AB-51 Water Bouquet

Color: Mist

From the Love collection

AB-47 Cypress Paisley

Color: Blush

From the Love collection

AB-52 Bali Gate

Color: Pink

From the Love collection

AB-50 Bliss Bouquet

Color: Emerald

From the Love collection

HDABS-13 Coreopsis

Color: Peach

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-10 Sunrise

Color: Seafoam

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-09 Knot Garden

Color: Olive

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-11 Graceful Vine

Color: Moss

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-10 Sunrise

Color: Seafoam

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-15 Full Bloom

Color: Forest

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-12 Fresh Start

Color: Spruce

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-13 Coreopsis

Color: Green

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-09 Knot Garden

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-12 Fresh Start

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-10 Sunrise

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-09 Knot Garden

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-13 Coreopsis

Color: Green

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-12 Fresh Start

Color: Spruce

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-09 Knot Garden

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-10 Sunrise

Color: Grey

From the August Fields collection

HDABS-12 Fresh Start