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| Day 7 in my isolation, sewing a mask not good stitching on top |
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| Ties at back |
Showing posts with label Sewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sewing. Show all posts
Fleece Infinity Scarf
How to Sew a Fleece Infinity Scarf
Winter is here and I have made a few scarves for my family. All packed now, and ready to go.
Winter is here and I have made a few scarves for my family. All packed now, and ready to go.
Jaile Circle Skirt 2456
Jaile sewing pattern 2456 was pretty easy to use, plus sew. I should have used one size smaller to give the tiered skirt a much tighter fit. Unfortunately I sewed the rolled hem first (lesson to be learnt here). This made it impossible for me to take it in without losing the length of the skirt. You can't unpick my rolled hem without cutting the fabric, hence it's best to cut off. Because the person is tall whom I'm sewing this skirt for it would have been too big a sacrifice too lose some of the length. Also I never made the pants that go underneath so the length mattered...
I did lengthen the waist band slightly, and then doubled it as I did on the red skirt...Next time when sewing this skirt I certainly won't sew the rolled hem first. Also I think I won't double the waist band to attach to the two tiered skirt. This made the seam bulky because of the thickness of the Lycra.
Fabric: 4 way sparkly wet look stretch Lycra
Cost: Around $30.00 per metre for fabric only
Size: AA (14)
Style: Pull on tiered circle skirt
I did lengthen the waist band slightly, and then doubled it as I did on the red skirt...Next time when sewing this skirt I certainly won't sew the rolled hem first. Also I think I won't double the waist band to attach to the two tiered skirt. This made the seam bulky because of the thickness of the Lycra.
Details:
Pattern: Jaile 2456, Download from JaileFabric: 4 way sparkly wet look stretch Lycra
Cost: Around $30.00 per metre for fabric only
Size: AA (14)
Style: Pull on tiered circle skirt
A Cushion Cover Sruce-up
I've never been one to be afraid of colour I can live with it easily...If nothing matches in the house it doesn't worry me. So when choosing the fabric off-cuts to recover my cushions (the others went shabby real quick) my bright yellow walls didn't come into the equation at all.
Anyway I can't do much with the walls they have to stay yellow, my house is still not fixed from the Earthquake. So no renovating, or painting until the claims settled...Would you believe it's almost five years on and I'm still living with a broken slab etc. Very cold in winter...
I made the cushion covers envelope style with a sewn border around the edges...With no zips to sew it was a very happy sewing day. I must say the cushion covers with the invisible zips did not last. Too many pets and a dog that thinks it's a pony, not a Labrador that it was born to be, plus with little and big children all adding to the wear and tear...So basically I went back to my old style of making cushion covers, easy with no fuss. Washing these covers is a breeze because they just slip off.
From my experience, buying the most expensive material at $60.00 a metre is not good either when you find out that cushion cover fabric still falls to bits...I now settle for cheap, or buying fabric in the sales.
Anyway I can't do much with the walls they have to stay yellow, my house is still not fixed from the Earthquake. So no renovating, or painting until the claims settled...Would you believe it's almost five years on and I'm still living with a broken slab etc. Very cold in winter...
I made the cushion covers envelope style with a sewn border around the edges...With no zips to sew it was a very happy sewing day. I must say the cushion covers with the invisible zips did not last. Too many pets and a dog that thinks it's a pony, not a Labrador that it was born to be, plus with little and big children all adding to the wear and tear...So basically I went back to my old style of making cushion covers, easy with no fuss. Washing these covers is a breeze because they just slip off.
From my experience, buying the most expensive material at $60.00 a metre is not good either when you find out that cushion cover fabric still falls to bits...I now settle for cheap, or buying fabric in the sales.
The Christmas Elf
I decided to be an Elf maker for a day, or two....It's Christmas after all, and this year since I have a thing for Elves I'm not making a Gingerbread house, or Pinata. Instead there is going to be an Elf who doesn't give out sweets and isn't made of sugar.
So I thought I would just make up my own sewing pattern, and this did sort of work out. Except the finished Elf didn't look exactly like the pattern I tried to draft. My Elf took on a life of his own...His face is made from the fabric left over from Humpty Dumpty, and the rest of him is made out of Christmas scraps of fabric.
This little Elf was supposed to have a bigger head. and this was cut out with more of a roundish shape to it. Except all this changed when I appliqued the hearts and mouth upside down on the face and the head was already sewn onto the body. I had no patience to start all over again so instead I re cut the head shape out again on the body which made it much smaller.
Also my other problem was the Elf eyes, I forgot to sew them on in a contrasting thread which I really wanted to do. But before you knew it this 'Imp of an Elf' was all sewn up and glued together. Too late to change anything now. So I glued the eyes onto the felt circles and let him loose in the garden...and what a naughty little Elf he was!
So I thought I would just make up my own sewing pattern, and this did sort of work out. Except the finished Elf didn't look exactly like the pattern I tried to draft. My Elf took on a life of his own...His face is made from the fabric left over from Humpty Dumpty, and the rest of him is made out of Christmas scraps of fabric.
This little Elf was supposed to have a bigger head. and this was cut out with more of a roundish shape to it. Except all this changed when I appliqued the hearts and mouth upside down on the face and the head was already sewn onto the body. I had no patience to start all over again so instead I re cut the head shape out again on the body which made it much smaller.
Also my other problem was the Elf eyes, I forgot to sew them on in a contrasting thread which I really wanted to do. But before you knew it this 'Imp of an Elf' was all sewn up and glued together. Too late to change anything now. So I glued the eyes onto the felt circles and let him loose in the garden...and what a naughty little Elf he was!
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| Bells, glue, clips for the Ric-Rac...Buttons for the eyes and silver fringing around the neck |
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| Golden thread laces for the Elf shoes... |
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| Garden antics of the impish Elf! |
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| 'Sorry no room for Elves, twos company threes a crowd... |
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| Is that really me? Who else has sewn Elves this Christmas? |
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| Have a Merry Christmas everyone.... |
Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall...
Who would have thought I would get this costume finished...I started at 6pm last night, it had to be worn by 8.30am the next day, and I have had weeks to do this but didn't know what to do. I looked at all the Humpty Dumpty costumes online to sew. Their are not a lot out there so I just made it up my style.
The problem I had was that I was given this green looking round stuffed pumpkin thing full of Dacron (which I didn't make myself). No matter what I thought to do...that pumpkin thing was my nemesis. It really needed to be re-stuffed.
To make the Humpty Dumpty costume I simply traced around the stuffed padded green pumpkin I was given to make the white egg cover. Then I kept fitting the egg shell cover over the child wearing the pumpkin shape. The fabric I used was a fairly stiff shiny white fabric, a bit like taffeta in texture.
The red bow tie was taken from my own clown costume. The tights are from the clown costume also. The collar I drafted myself, I wanted to use a coloured fabric, but white was all I had. Shoes I did not need as the children have bare feet in the play.
Really I should have made a new padding for underneath, but I kept putting off. I just didn't want to do it...A new stuffed shape would have made Humpty Dumpty more solid looking, more like a big egg.When finally my creative kicked in I had only 24 hours to put this outfit together. So the green pumpkin padding thing had to do. I didn't even mend it...So here is the end result for my Humpty Dumpty costume.
The problem I had was that I was given this green looking round stuffed pumpkin thing full of Dacron (which I didn't make myself). No matter what I thought to do...that pumpkin thing was my nemesis. It really needed to be re-stuffed.
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| My Humpty Dumpty under padding looks similar to the orange pumpkin pattern here. |
To make the Humpty Dumpty costume I simply traced around the stuffed padded green pumpkin I was given to make the white egg cover. Then I kept fitting the egg shell cover over the child wearing the pumpkin shape. The fabric I used was a fairly stiff shiny white fabric, a bit like taffeta in texture.
The red bow tie was taken from my own clown costume. The tights are from the clown costume also. The collar I drafted myself, I wanted to use a coloured fabric, but white was all I had. Shoes I did not need as the children have bare feet in the play.
Really I should have made a new padding for underneath, but I kept putting off. I just didn't want to do it...A new stuffed shape would have made Humpty Dumpty more solid looking, more like a big egg.When finally my creative kicked in I had only 24 hours to put this outfit together. So the green pumpkin padding thing had to do. I didn't even mend it...So here is the end result for my Humpty Dumpty costume.
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| Humpty is looking a bit flat here....His tummy needed to be a bit firmer. |
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| He looks like a sinister 'Humpty Dumpty'. The face paint was painted in a hurry as we ran out of time, but it looks okay he's an egg after all... |
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| The hat dictated the whole outfit...he wouldn't give it up. He was wearing that hat and that was that. |
Easy Christmas Bunting
Spotlight is the place where I found these Christmas bunting flags, all printed on one sheet of fabric. Just waiting for me to buy, cut out, and sew...The best part was that it was half price, a real bargain I thought. But I must say what I saved in dollars here I overspent on bias binding. So actually their was no savings to be had at all...
I decided to buy red FOE (fold over elastic) and then I didn't like elastic it made the job too hard. Next I bought five metres of red bias binding straight off the roll. Only problem was when I got it home it was was a crimson red colour. Who chooses bias binding with sunglasses on? Me, lesson learnt.
After all the extra spending I found the exact red bias binding in my own stash. Who would have thought and I started pinning the flags onto it to realize it was way too short. In the end I used a red 'Hello Kitty' bias binding I had made a while back because I just couldn't be bothered going out again..
If you want to make 'Christmas Bunting' with your own fabric from start to finish. This blog, jenthousandwords.com will show you how to make Christmas Bunting.
I decided to buy red FOE (fold over elastic) and then I didn't like elastic it made the job too hard. Next I bought five metres of red bias binding straight off the roll. Only problem was when I got it home it was was a crimson red colour. Who chooses bias binding with sunglasses on? Me, lesson learnt.
After all the extra spending I found the exact red bias binding in my own stash. Who would have thought and I started pinning the flags onto it to realize it was way too short. In the end I used a red 'Hello Kitty' bias binding I had made a while back because I just couldn't be bothered going out again..
If you want to make 'Christmas Bunting' with your own fabric from start to finish. This blog, jenthousandwords.com will show you how to make Christmas Bunting.
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| Sewn on my faithful Bernina 801 I've been using it a lot lately. |
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| For now it's on the wall... |
Little Legs
There are a couple of free patterns online for leggings that I have been using. One is the Flounced Ruffle Capri Leggings and the other the Girl's Capri Length Leggings Pattern No.8.
Both patterns were very easy to use, and the instructions are clear. So a big thank you to those clever ladies for developing these two patterns. They are perfect...
The size I decided to use was Size 4 and Size 5. It was a bit of guess work for sizing as I had no idea if they would fit the girls or not. They keep growing and I haven't seen them for awhile.
The fabric I chose was a green spotty, winter weight, stretch cotton from my stash. The other striped fabric I bought was a stretch polyester fabric. It hooks up really easily, plus it is not very serviceable. This fabric is going to run, it reminds me of thick nylon stockings, it really is a bad choice. Also it was such a pain to sew, where as the green fabric was bliss...
I used a narrow cover-stitch to hem up the straight leg tights. This worked out very well.
Both patterns were very easy to use, and the instructions are clear. So a big thank you to those clever ladies for developing these two patterns. They are perfect...
The size I decided to use was Size 4 and Size 5. It was a bit of guess work for sizing as I had no idea if they would fit the girls or not. They keep growing and I haven't seen them for awhile.
The fabric I chose was a green spotty, winter weight, stretch cotton from my stash. The other striped fabric I bought was a stretch polyester fabric. It hooks up really easily, plus it is not very serviceable. This fabric is going to run, it reminds me of thick nylon stockings, it really is a bad choice. Also it was such a pain to sew, where as the green fabric was bliss...
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| Here are the first two pairs I made. I sent them over to the girls for a fitting. According to their mother they are okay. I hope so because I have sewn the rest all the same... |
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| Here are the rest of the tights, the girls each got 3 pairs. |
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| While taking the photo's I annoyed a Bumble Bee. Funny how they seem to buzz louder when you're nearby. The Leggings are ready to go plus I'm giving the girls eggs to eat as well. |
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| Janome Cover-Pro narrow hem stitch. |
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| I haven't used the Janome Cover-Pro for awhile....So here is an update on finishing the seam and removing the fabric away from the needles. |
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| So pleased they fitted, thank you girls for the perfect pose.... |
Half Finished Happy Chibi
Where have I been? Well I haven't been blogging, I've been living...Gosh I can't believe I've said that, does that mean when I'm blogging I'm not living?
That's a good question I'll ponder on it and maybe you would like to ponder on it too...Does spending so much time on a computer stop you from living your life?
I've really had to push myself to sew, I have totally lost my sewing mojo!! I think I've lost my blogging mojo as well. Please could you both come back or I'll have nothing to write about!
Today is rather a nice day and I'm making a real effort to show you all what I've been doing sewing wise. Actually I think the real reason I'm blogging is I'm avoiding housework, I hate it.
I had to force myself to sew Miss Chibi here. She's still not finished but at least my stash is a few scraps down.
Not only do we have Happy Chibi standing there in the pic, we have Happy Catti too who is almost too fat to sit on the windowsill...
That's a good question I'll ponder on it and maybe you would like to ponder on it too...Does spending so much time on a computer stop you from living your life?
I've really had to push myself to sew, I have totally lost my sewing mojo!! I think I've lost my blogging mojo as well. Please could you both come back or I'll have nothing to write about!
Today is rather a nice day and I'm making a real effort to show you all what I've been doing sewing wise. Actually I think the real reason I'm blogging is I'm avoiding housework, I hate it.
I had to force myself to sew Miss Chibi here. She's still not finished but at least my stash is a few scraps down.
Not only do we have Happy Chibi standing there in the pic, we have Happy Catti too who is almost too fat to sit on the windowsill...
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| Happy Chibi doll pattern @ oneredrobin.com |
Another Lace Skirt
This black fabric is from my stash, I only had enough for the skirt. I used the lining to make the band which ended up pleating itself, never mind you won't see it!
Both the fabric and lining are stretch. The fabric itself is a black winter weight stretch lace that picks up every bit of fluff....don't like that part. It's the same pattern as the 30 Minute Lace Skirt in pink...
Both the fabric and lining are stretch. The fabric itself is a black winter weight stretch lace that picks up every bit of fluff....don't like that part. It's the same pattern as the 30 Minute Lace Skirt in pink...
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| Looks much better on but I had to settle for the Dummy as model... |
Sewing a Sleepover Pillow
Well I didn't re-invent the wheel on this sleep over pillow case....I found a perfectly wonderful and fantastic tutorial over here. I followed the tutorial, but guessed most of my measurements and ended up making the pillow case a bit big for my pillow....Who would know New Zealand pillows are smaller? I've never measured them...
This pillow case was a total hit, it had barley been ironed and pressed when it was taken into the bedroom and put on the bed...It's been there ever since, hence it looks a bit crumpled in the pics.
My fabric choice is cotton. I would have liked to have used a more interesting fabric rather than the spotty fabric for the contrast. But it's all I had in my stash, and I wanted to finish it straight away so spots it was...
This pillow case was a total hit, it had barley been ironed and pressed when it was taken into the bedroom and put on the bed...It's been there ever since, hence it looks a bit crumpled in the pics.
My fabric choice is cotton. I would have liked to have used a more interesting fabric rather than the spotty fabric for the contrast. But it's all I had in my stash, and I wanted to finish it straight away so spots it was...
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| It's been well slept on...Have a look at the excellent tutorial at a A Lemon Squeezy Home |
Dog Cushion for the Crate
I've been into my stash and this waterproof fabric was for an apron, an art apron to be exact. But I never got round to sewing this one, so the dog is benefiting from a new cushion. I'm making a big envelope style cushion, stuffed with old Dacron that I have saved for 'a rainy day'.
It was a shame I didn't have enough fabric for the cushion to actually fit the crate. Never mind, the dog is coping with an overstuffed cushion.... I don't know how many times I have sewn a comfortable cushion, or a polar fleece blanket. I even made a waterproof cover for a thick foam mattress I had cut to size for the dog crate...
The covered mattress was a perfect fit and you could even take the waterproof cover off to wash it. Except the dog worked out it was done up with Velcro and started to pull the Velcro and then bit all the foam.....Totally destroyed!
Next I made polar fleece blankets, but they got chewed at too. These were cheap to replace but then the dog kept getting big spots on her chin (she looked like a witch). I read somewhere that plastic causes this, so polar fleece was out.
Feeling very sorry for the dog lying on hard plastic I went out and bought her a Dacron duvet inner and I covered this with an old duvet cover. All was well until her rear end decided to poop all over her crate with one sock amongst the mix...You can guess I threw it all out!
You may think she is doing all this out of boredom, she is not...They say it takes three years for these dogs to grow-up. I agree she is still a pup in a big body who loves to chew! Now I am feeling very pleased with myself I've made a very waterproof envelope style cushion. The dog knows nothing about zips, so she hasn't worked out how to get at the Dacron inside.
Do you crate your dog? It's this dogs den, she is very happy in it (wished I'd known about dogs and their dens years ago). Sometimes you can't find her and she's wandered off to her crate and is sitting inside with the door open.... It's her time away from the pesky cats. They are also trying to claim the crate for themselves. Must be my cushion!
It was a shame I didn't have enough fabric for the cushion to actually fit the crate. Never mind, the dog is coping with an overstuffed cushion.... I don't know how many times I have sewn a comfortable cushion, or a polar fleece blanket. I even made a waterproof cover for a thick foam mattress I had cut to size for the dog crate...
The covered mattress was a perfect fit and you could even take the waterproof cover off to wash it. Except the dog worked out it was done up with Velcro and started to pull the Velcro and then bit all the foam.....Totally destroyed!
Next I made polar fleece blankets, but they got chewed at too. These were cheap to replace but then the dog kept getting big spots on her chin (she looked like a witch). I read somewhere that plastic causes this, so polar fleece was out.
Feeling very sorry for the dog lying on hard plastic I went out and bought her a Dacron duvet inner and I covered this with an old duvet cover. All was well until her rear end decided to poop all over her crate with one sock amongst the mix...You can guess I threw it all out!
You may think she is doing all this out of boredom, she is not...They say it takes three years for these dogs to grow-up. I agree she is still a pup in a big body who loves to chew! Now I am feeling very pleased with myself I've made a very waterproof envelope style cushion. The dog knows nothing about zips, so she hasn't worked out how to get at the Dacron inside.
Do you crate your dog? It's this dogs den, she is very happy in it (wished I'd known about dogs and their dens years ago). Sometimes you can't find her and she's wandered off to her crate and is sitting inside with the door open.... It's her time away from the pesky cats. They are also trying to claim the crate for themselves. Must be my cushion!
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| I pinned the fabric in the end, tape just kept moving and unsticking. It was rather a hard job! |
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| Shame it didn't fit, but I'll make more I'm sure! |
Skirt in Linen
This is a pattern from the 80's well used and well worn.....Butterick 3457, style D, size 14-16-18. Linen always is a pleasure to sew even though it hangs all crinkly. I couldn't find a belt to thread through the loops so settled for a red sash for the pic. Otherwise the skirt would have just looked plain boring hanging there.
I lined the skirt too with a cotton type lining, usually I make it without lining...
I lined the skirt too with a cotton type lining, usually I make it without lining...
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| The lens on my camera must be dirty I can see splotches... Dah! it's my computer screen it's dirty....Better clean it! |
Beach Bag Happiness
I've been making use of the school holidays by not sewing, (I think I'm on holiday too, but I'm not really)....However I'm feeling very pleased with myself, I am making use of my sewing. Though it looks rather crumpled sitting there in the sand.
Sewing Plans For The New Year...
I'm keeping myself honest....I have to sew this for my girl now that I've said I would!
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| Zips not for the dress...I just fancied it, as I've never seen them before... |
Lets Make a Cushion Cover
Are you new to sewing, or just a kid who wants to sew his mum a cushion Do you want to use an invisible zip? Making a cushion cover is fun and fairly simple. The tricky part is the invisible zip...
There are plenty of invisible zip tutorials on the Internet. But I learn best by pictures, and so do a lot of children, so this video a good one for a beginner to learn from.
Materials Needed
Approximately 1 metre of fabric if fabric has a nap
1 cushion inner/ or make your own from an old pillow
Thread to match fabric
Pins
Tape measure/ quilters ruler
1 Invisible zip 30- 35 cm. Size will depend on cushion cover
Newsprint/paper to make pattern
Sewing machine
Overlocker/Serger a zig-zag stitch
Sharp scissors
Quilters cutting mat
What Does Nap Mean?
Nap is fabric that has a pile like velvet. This makes the fabric look different shades of colour from different angles. Hence you need to cut the fabric in the same direction, or the garment you are sewing will look like you have used two different fabrics.Cushion size
Is approximately 46 cm. Cover size is approximately 43cm.Okay Lets Start Sewing
Firstly choose the fabric, check for one way designs and nap. Make sure the nap is going the right way if you chooses something like velvet, fur, etc. The big one is to check for flaws in the fabric, there is nothing worse than sewing up your creation and you spot a flaw.
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| Oh no a flaw, I didn't check the fabric before I cut out the cover so now I have one flawed cushion! |
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| Make the pattern out of newsprint. I used a 43x43cm (17") pattern for a 46x46cm (18") cushion inner. |
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| Purchase a invisible zip to match the fabric. Mine is 30-35cm long |
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| Using a iron, not too hot. Iron the zipper teeth flat on the wrong side, one side at a time. Refer to video above. |
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| Three pairs of cushion covers ready to sew out of 1 1/2 metres fabric. Fabric bought from Spotlight |
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| Overlock the edge of fabric you are sewing the zip on to. Make sure you have the design and Nap of the fabric going the right way. The zip is at the bottom of the cushion. |
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| Pin zip approximately 5/8" from the overlocked edge |
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| Use an invisible zip foot start to sew the zip. |
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| Get ready to start to turning the zip to pin to the other side. Refer to video... |
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| Zip turned over now. Pin it to sew. Excuse the messy sewing mat... |
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| The inside/ wrong side of zip finished |
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| Using a zipper foot sew up to zip stitching and stitch a little bit over. It doesn't matter if you stitch a bit below the zip stitching. |
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| This is how the zip will look on the out side of the cover. |
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| Pin 5/8" seams around the cover on wrong side. |
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| Change machine to a straight stitching foot and sew seams. |
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| Next overlock/serge the rest of seams |
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| You don't need to tie off overlocker stitches because you are going to cut them off. |
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| Cut straight across the corners and beware of the seam. Use fabric glue where you have cut to prevent fraying. This is optional. |
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| Use something pointy/or a tool designed for poking out corners. This makes the sewn corners nice and square |
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| Place the cushion into the cushion cover. |
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| If you want a tighter cover just subtract measurements when drafting the pattern. If you want a looser cover just add measurements. Don't forget your seam allowance though. |
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