How to Sunday - How to showcase your handmade {Photography}

On Monday I started watching the Quiltcon lectures (available for free on Craftsy) - they fit in neatly in my routine as they are about a naptime-long. There is one that has totally inspired me - 'Homemade Lifestyle Photography', by David Butler. David talks about talking photography of course. This is not a technical lecture however, it is about writing a story and how photography conveys the story.  

If you did not know (I did not), David Butler is Amy Butler's husband and the designer behind Parson Gray fabric line (which I used in my Totally Retro Groovy Quilt) .. He also does all the lifestyle inspiration pictures for Amy Butler Designs. 

The lecture really spoke to me because I really find it hard to showcase my handmade makes. It is easier in a way to show work-in-progress projects because it does not need styling. Clothes are easier to show as well because you just need to wear them... But how do you make the most of your quilts, cushions etc? 

I suppose it never clicked that handmade interiors items could be treated like clothes that I can style, despite the fact that I read a lot of interior design magazines. But why not? I put as much effort in making them as I do for clothes, so why treat them differently?

So here I was on Saturday, Baby MiH asleep upstair changing my whole living room around, pulling out handmade items scattered around my house, and styling it, just for fun and see how I can style a space. There are many areas in the house that I can style differently - without foam board (David talks a lot about foam boards).  My living room looked totally different in an hour, which is not too bad considering how long it takes for a quilt to be handmade. 

Another thing came out of this styling, I actually want my living room to look like this all the time - and so does Mr MiH. Guess we should start saving as the whole electrics need to be changed to make it happen... 

Has a lecture, post or article inspired you recently? How do you style your handmade - do you have a conscious process or you have a preferred space to take pictures? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

How to Sunday - how to choose the right interfacing

Interfacing is something that you never see, and a boring topic really, but I always end up using at some point in sewing or quilting. The patterns usually indicate what you need – as long as you use the same the fabric as the pattern recommends. I seem to have to adapt patterns as I choose different fabrics like for the Cami dress (my fabric was heavier than the one recommended), or the toffee chooing clutch (for which I used faux-leather).

So what do you need to know about interfacing to choose the right one for your project.

A thing called interfacing

Interfacing is the additional layer applied to the inside of garments, in certain areas only, to add firmness, shape, structure, and support to areas such as collars, cuffs, waistbands and pockets; and to stabilise areas such as shoulder seams or necklines, which might otherwise hang limply. Interfacing can be used in quilting to apply an applique, stabilize a lighter fabric, and prevent fraying.

Interfacing -- Basic Choices

Interfacings come in two main types (fusible or sew-in), three main weaves (non-woven, woven and knit), and in different weights (light, medium, heavy weight).

The weight of the interfacing should generally be the same as the fabric, or a bit lighter. Generally you should not use a heavier weight interfacing than the fabric, as the interfacing will ‘dominate’ the garment and add an unnatural structure to it. So for medium weight fabrics, use medium weight interfacing. For medium weight knit fabrics, use medium weight knit interfacing. As a general rule, if you try and match the properties of the fabric to the properties of the interfacing, you can’t go far wrong – for very sheer or lightweight fabrics, you can even use a second layer of the main fabric as a form of sew-in interfacing!

The fabric choice is key. Not all fabrics can withstand the heat required for fusible interfacing. Cool Fuse interfacing is a possibility because it adheres at a lower heat setting. Fusible interfacing also adds a bit more stiffness once it is fused than when it is standing alone. 

Fusible	By far the easiest to use. It has an adhesive on one side which bonds permanently with the fabric when applied with an iron, due to the combination of heat and steam – giving complete contact.	Fusible interfacing is suitable for most uses
Sew In	Sew-in interfacing is sewn on to the main fabric just like another normal layer of fabric, and is held in place by the stitches. Sew-in interfacing can result in a more natural shaping and drape as there is less “stiffness” to it.	·   very textured fabrics – the glue won’t bond well to the fabric ·   napped fabrics (e.g. velvet / fur) – the pressing needed to bond the adhesive will crush the fabric ·   fabrics that are very heat sensitive – e.g. sequins, metallics, vinyl fabrics (the heat can melt or distort the fabric) ·   fabrics with a very loose or open weave e.g. lace, mesh (the glue may seap through to the right side of the fabric)
Woven	Like woven fabric, has a lengthwise and crosswise grain. When you cut woven interfacing, be sure to match the grain of the interfacing with the grain of the part of the garment to be interfaced, to make sure the two layers of fabric work together properly. Because of the need to match the grainline, it is less economical than non-woven interfacing, which can be cut in any direction.	You only really need to consider woven interfacing for particularly fine fabrics such as sheers and silks, where a very natural shaping is essential to preserve the qualities of the fabric.
Non woven	Made by bonding fibres together and therefore has no grain. You can cut it in any direction, plus it will not ravel.	Non-woven interfacing is suitable for most tasks unless you are sewing with a jersey of stretch fabric in which case knit interfacing is appropriate
Knitting interfacing	made by knitting the fibres together, and so it has an amount of stretch in it.	Knit interfacing is especially suitable for use with jerseys and other stretch fabrics as it will stretch with the garment and not hinder it (if you apply woven interfacing to a knit fabric, you reduce the fabric’s stretch properties as the interfacing layer is unable to stretch with the outer fabric layer).

Colour of interfacing

Interfacings generally only come in a dark shade (black / charcoal) or a light shade (white / cream). Simply match up the darkness of the interfacing with the shade of the fabric.

MiH Tips about interfacing

· The first step is to identify which side of the interfacing has the adhesive on it. The adhesive side normally has a slightly bobbly, raised appearance, and usually you can see a slight shininess from the glue.

· Before you apply interfacing to your main fabric, it is worth doing a test using a scrap piece of fabric and interfacing. This will let you check that the weight of the interfacing is suitable and that it results in the right amount of shaping to the garment. If you find the end result is too “stiff”, you should try a lighter weight interfacing; if the result is too flimsy, try a heavier weight.

· When choosing the heat setting, it’s usually appropriate to use the “wool” setting for medium or heavy weight fabrics. For light weight fabrics, use a heat setting slightly higher than that which you would use directly on the fabric (as you have the press cloth as a protecting layer in between). When you do your test piece at the beginning, it’s a good time to check the temperature setting is appropriate – too hot and you’ll damage your fabric, too cool and the adhesive won’t bond to the fabric properly.

How to Sunday - Joining when Knitting in the round {Knitting}

Knitting in the round is something I end up doing a lot - for beanie hats (here, and here) and jumpers (here) - and every time there is the issue of joining all these stitches (on DPNs or circular needles). Is there a right way or a wrong way to do it? Probably not, but you know when it is wrong, well I certainly do.

But the 'knit two together' method is fairly simple and gets me a nice result every time - and therefore has not stopped me looking (and making) projects knitted in the round. Here is how I do it... I am sure other knitters have other methods - please let us know in the comment box, would love to try other methods as well.

You must first cast on (or pick up stitches) to have a foundation of stitches on your double pointed needles or circular needles just as you would for straight knitting. Evenly distribute your stitches over 3 or 4 needles. 

Cast on the number of stitches your pattern calls for, plus one (ie, if the pattern says to CO 72, you'll CO 73).

With the cast-on edge pointing away from you, slide the first cast on stitch to the end of your left needle, and the last cast on stitch to the end of your right needle, so both are ready to be worked.

Slip the last cast on stitch off of your right needle back onto the left needle.

Knit those 2 stitches (the last and first cast-on) together. This will bring your number of stitches down to the correct amount. 

Place a marker so you can easily identify the beginning of the round. Begin Knitting!

How to Sunday - Choose between your sewing machine needles {Sewing}

I have found various sewing machine needles in different corners of my house - I try to be organised, and usually put things in the right place, one that is SO logical.. at the time... and inevitably I cannot find them when I want them. So I have started a bit of a collection. Except that until recently I was not really sure what I had - or more precisely what the numbers meant - I got away with it until I started sewing clothes.

Using a large needle on delicate fabric, for example, will cause visible holes - not a good look - and may cause problems such as the needle shoving the fabric down into the bobbin casing - arrghh . You might also find that the stitches slip - and your project.. well.. you can start again!

On the other hand, using a small needle on heavy fabrics can cause problems such as the needle breaking under the pressure - how many times did that happen to you?

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

Sewing machine needles come in different sizes. Confusingly, two systems of naming the sizes run side by side: imperial sizes go from 8 to 19 - 8 being a fine needle and 19 being a thick heavy needle, metric sizes from 60 to 120 - 60 being a fine needle and 120 being a thick heavy needle.

Source 

All my packs - except the French one - are marked with both the imperial and metric sizes.

I was so happy to find that table!! Source

DIFFERENT SHAPES

There's a wide range of needle types to choose from, depending on what you're sewing:

Universal - The needle's point is slightly rounded for use with knit fabrics, but sharp enough to pierce woven fabrics
Denim/jeans - This type of needle has an extra-sharp point and stiff shank, which makes it suitable for stitching denim, heavy imitation leather or other densely woven fabrics
Ballpoint - This needle has a blunt, rounded tip that slips between fibres rather than piercing them. Use this needle for sewing coarse knits, lycra and other fabrics that tend to run if you snag them
Twin needle - Twin needles are constructed with two shafts on a crossbar which extends from a single shank. They're ideal to use for decorative stitching and creating multiple, uniform stitching rows. Two numbers are listed on the packaging; the first number represents the distance between the needles and the second number is the metric needle size. (More on threading a twin needle here)

MORE THAN MEET THE EYE

In addition yo the difference in the shapes of the point the needle eye changes as well, and choosing the correct one for your projects depends on the type of fabric or the thread being used.

Source

MiH TIPS

Changing the needle on your sewing machine (like now!). Needles can blunt quite quickly, especially if you're sewing synthetic fabrics. Blunt needles will not only damage the fibres in your fabric, possibly snagging it, but will also cause skipped stitches and occasionally puckering.

Always test your thread and fabric combination on scraps of fabric rather than the item you are working on. In my case it is as much to see if the needle is appropriate as to see if my machine is well threaded.

How to Sunday - The lazy way to change your serger thread colour {Dressmaking}

So once I decided to make all the seams of the Breton butterfly top red, it also meant changing the colour thread of my serger - boohoo. Well, I am a bit of a novice when it comes to my serger and when I look at the diagrams it is all hieroglyphs as far as I am concerned. I could have really done it in white (so easy, all threaded) - but it was too late, I had it in my head that it would be in red.

Just to let you know, I was taught this quick way to do it - but I had never done it by myself, on my own - I had a vague memory how the different steps...

1. Snip the thread above the machine on all four spools - go on, don't worry it will be fine.
2. Replace your old thread with the new cones, and bring the new colour through the thread guide.

3. Tie the old color to the new color.  

4. Pull the thread through gently - gently is the operative word here. I pulled my looper threads separately from the needle threads, but I don't think it matters - it is just easier.

5. For the left & right needle threads, don't pull the knots through the needle eyes (I couldn't). Snip the threads and re-thread both needles with the new colour.
6. Off you go - funky seams all the way!