Only Craft – Craft Blog and Store

September 7, 2009

Sewing Tips – Stitches

Filed under: sewing — Tags: , , , , , — @ 8:48 am

Star Stitch

Work straight stitches into a central point. Stitches can be the same or different lengths.

Shadow Work

Work a row of closed herringbone stitches from either the right side or the wrong side of the fabric.

Cross Stitch

Work one half of each cross stitch in a row, then return and complete the remaining half. Ensure the upper half of all stitches lies in the same  direction.

Trellis Stitch

Tack two pieces of fabric to paper, leaving space between them. Stitch fabric edges together.

Hem Stitch

Draw out a few threads. Bring out a working thread two threads down from the drawn threads. Take needle behind four threads then atound the same four threads, coming out two threads down.

Buttonhole Stitch Loop

Take two or three stitches as long as desired loop. Work buttonhole stitch over the threads without catching the fabric.

Wool Rose

Work a block of four satin stitches for rose centre. Work stem stitches around the centre block, curving them and keeping tension loose.

Bullion Stitch and Grub Rose

Bring the needle through the fabric from back to front at a desired point. Doing a small running stitch go down and back through the fabric and then come back up. Leave the needle in the fabric. Wind thread around needle point six to eight times. Pull needle through fabric and thread, keeping thread twists in place. Position twists and insert needle, arrange a group of bullion stitches to form a grub rose.

Happy Stitching :)

August 18, 2009

More Knitting Tips

Filed under: Knitting — Tags: , , , , — @ 4:20 am

Casting on using your thumb – Sufficient length of yarn must be left for casting on stitches – approximately 12.5cm for every 10 stitches of 4 ply on 2.75 needles.

Place point of needle beneath loop on thumb, drawing loop up slightly. Hold yarn in right hand ready to pass around point of needle. Wrap yarn around point of needle and draw through loop on thumb. Draw up stitch on needle, pull both ends of yarn firmly and repeat until sufficient stitches have been cast on.

Casting on with two needles – Make a loop and hold it on left hand needle. Place point of right-hand needle from left to right through loop on left-hand needle. Holding yarn in right hand, wrap yarn clockwise around point of right hand needle and draw yarn through loop on left hand needle, thus forming a second loop. Place this loop on left hand needle. There are now 2 stitches on left hand needle.

Place point of right hand needle between the two stitches on left hand needle. Wrap yarn around point of right hand needle and draw a loop between the two stitches on left hand needle. Place this loop on left hand needle. Repeat until you have cast on the number of stitches you require. Make sure you always put the needle between 2 stitches nearest the point of left hand needle.

Going great, keep going. Happy knitting :)

August 17, 2009

Knitting Stitches and Tips

Filed under: Knitting — Tags: , , , , , — @ 5:58 am

Garter or Knit Stitch - This is done by using any number of stitches and knitting every row. Both sides of the fabric look the same and each ridge represents two rows.

Stocking Stitch – This is achieved by knitting one row and purling one row. This produces a fabric which is smooth on one side and ridged on the other.

Moss Stitch - Moss stitch is usually worked over an uneven number of stitches. A moss stitch row follows k1, (p1, k1), repeated throughout.

Ribbing – Ribbing is usually worked over an even number of stitches k1, p1, repeated throughout. There are several variations in ribbing such as k2, p2 or k5, p5 – cast on a multiple of stitches repeated to the end.

Casting On -Making a Loop – An even cast on is important for a good finish. Don’t cast on too tightly or the edge will break when wearing. Never knit into the back of the cast on stitches. To cast on wrap yarn around first and second fingers of left hand. Place point of needle under the front loop and draw back loop through. Withdraw fingers from loop and draw loop up on needle. Working with length of yarn in left hand, pass this around left thumb.

Casting on can also be done using your thumb or using two needles these will be looked at in another post.

Have Fun & Happy Knitting :)


August 16, 2009

Knitting – Basic Stitches

Filed under: Knitting — Tags: , , , , , — @ 6:43 am

How to Hold the Needles

Keep stitches on the left hand needle close to the point and hold the needle with hand over the needle.Hold the right hand needle as you would a pencil, with the hand under the  needle. The yarn should come over the first finger of the right hand, under the second, over the third and under the forth. The yarn should flow easily through the fingers, but also be held firmly enough to  help maintain an even tension.

The Knit Stitch

Also known as plain stitch. Hold the needle containing the cast on stitches in the left hand. Holding the yarn at the back of the right hand needle, insert the right hand needle from left to right through the first loop.

Wrap the yarn clockwise round the point of the right hand needle , draw a new loop through and retaining this loop on the right hand needle, slip the first loop off the left hand needle.

The Purl Stitch

Hold the needles as for knit stitch but hold the yarn at the front of the right hand needle. Insert the right hand needle from right to left through the first loop, wrap the yarn around the point of the right hand needle, draw a loop through stitch on to right hand needle and slip stitch off left hand needle.

August 11, 2009

Fabric

Filed under: sewing — Tags: , , , , , — @ 6:23 am

If you have decided to make your own clothes or furnishings follow a few simple rules to ensure your time and effort produces a successful item. When choosing fabric follow the patterns suggestion. Many patterns will not work if the fabric does not match the patterns in weight, texture or design.

Here are a few tips on different types of fabric.

Cotton – Easy to sew, doesn’t usually fray. Needs to be pre shrunk before cutting.

Linen – Easy to use. Straighten grain before cutting. Use sharp scissors. Can fray so allow for large seams.

Silk - Varies  from soft draping sik to firmer types. Silk is very slippery pin selvedges together before arranging pattern pieces. Keep flat when cutting. Use very fine pins and needles and silk thread.

Wool - Comes in various weights and textures. Garments may need to be lined.

Synthetic Fabrics - Synthetics oftrn have a tighter woven selvedge.To prevent puckering when cutting snip selvedge about every 10cm before arranging pattern. Use fine needles and pins and synthetic thread. Machine tension may need to be loosened to avoid puckering. Use drip dry synthetic trims, zips, bindings and linings.

Sheer Fabric – These include voile and chiffon. Use very fine pins, clip selvedge at regular intervals. Use silk thread and small stitches when tacking. Stitch seams over tissue paper and tear away when finished.

Bondedf Fabric - Suitable for tailored garments it needs no lining and is easy to sew. Does not fray.

Napped Fabric - Includes velvet, needs a one way layout of pattern.

Linings, Facings and Interfacing - These should never be heavier than main fabric. Match colour and use washable linings for washable fabrics.

Enjoy :)

August 6, 2009

Making Paper Beads and Threading

Filed under: Kids Painting and Crafts — Tags: , , , , — @ 6:19 am

Children love to thread objects onto string or cord to make necklaces or other projects. Paper beads are great fun to make using old magazines, wrapping paper or coloured paper. For younger children beads with large holes and stiff cord are easier to handle. Make sure the end of the cord is tied so beads won’t fall off. Macaroni beads are an old favorite, macaroni can be dyed using food colouring. After dying spread them out carefully for drying.

What You Need:- Old magazines, darning needle, wool or string, scissors, glue.

Paper Beads

What to Do:- Cut colour pages or magazine lengthways to make long triangles about 5 cm wide at the base and 30 cm tall. Cut cord for threading and thread into the needle.

Making the Beads:- Start from the wide end of the triangle and roll paper all the way to the end. You can roll around the needle or a thin knitting needle will work just as well if its easier to handle. Put glue on the pointed end of the paper triangle and press down to make a bead. Continue until you have enough beads for your necklace or other project. Thread beads onto cord  until you have sufficient for your necklace then tie the ends.

Have Fun :)

July 15, 2009

Applique

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 6:45 am

Applique is the name given to stitching pieces of fabric to a background cloth to make a design. Using a variety of textures and colours will give you an almost endless supply for your imagination. Done by hand or on a sewing machine you can decorate your home with your own personal and unique touch.

Materials and Equipment

Two pairs of scissors – one for cutting out shapes and a fine pointed pair for notching edges and snipping threads. Needles in a packet of assorted sizes should cover everything required.  Choose your needles to suit your stitch this makes for much easier sewing, large needles are best for embroidery.   Pins, very fine will hold the pieces in position while sewing. A thimble will help you keep up a nice pace of work. An embroidery hoop makes large scale work easier.

Regular pure cotton thread is the best though synthetic will work fine. For slip stitching use a matching colour to your applique piece. Transparent thread is useful if you cannot match your colours and a contrast is not wanted.  For machine stitching use a machine embroidery cotton choose a fine lustrous texture if possible.

Tracing paper is used for designing. A non-slip paper is best for backing machine applique work. A hard sharp pencil is needed for designs.

A sewing machine should have a swing needle if it is to be used to apply the pieces. Fabric of almost any description is usually worth keeping for your applique projects. for machine applique is is best to use firm fabric backgrounds and for the applique pieces, finely woven, plain weave fabrics.

Powered by WordPress