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Before the sewing machine became available to the general public, making clothes was the chief occupation of half the human race. Sewing by hand is time-consuming and a strain on the eyes, so it is no surprise that the publisher of 'Godey's Ladies Book' said in 1856 "Next to the plough, this sewing machine is perhaps humanity's most blessed instrument".
The first truly practical machine became available in 1850 - one did not have to be an expert machinist to operate it. Well constructed, durable machines were made by a number of companies in Ontario, and soon became a leading export from Canada. By the late 1870's, an economic depression and overproduction saw these companies disappear one by one. The heyday of Ontario-made machines only lasted 35 years.
In the nineteenth century, nearly 46,000 patents were issued for some kind of mechanism to do with sewing machines. In the twentieth century, more than 4,000 different kinds of sewing machines were made. In the twenty-first century we take sewing machines for granted, although we are still amazed by all the fascinating things they can do beyond simply sewing a seam |
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Fusibles are used to join two fabrics together in either a permanent or temporary form by melting between two layers of fabric. Which product you choose will depent on what you want to accomplish with fusing. For example, Steam-A-Seam and Steam-A-Seam 2 are two possible products to use for machine applique and embellishing. These products are tacky and allow you to move the pieces, they are not permanently 'glued' until ironed.
There are also heavy interfacings that are fusible, these would be used for items such as fabric bowls, boxes or bags. Each product comes with manufacturer's instructions. If the fusible is not adhering to your fabric, washing the fabric will usually remedy this problem. Caution with a hot iron is important when fusing two different kinds of fabric because of the different iron temperatures the fabric will tolerate. Testing a sample is always in order. Protecting your ironing surface from getting bits of glue on it and watching for glue and removing glue on the soleplate of th iron are small drawbacks from using fusibles. |
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The following tips were gathered from quilting experts, award winners, authors and designers.
"My best tip for improving the overall appearance of the finished quilt is to hand baste it with water-soluable thread. I further baste by machine to anchor the straight lines in the top by stitching in the ditch with water soluable thread." - Ricky Tims
"Be sure you are sitting high enough to be comforable while you are quilting. Think about elementary school penmanship, fluid motions and control." - Holice Turnbow
"Don't forget to breathe. Relax while quilting, remember this is supposed to be fun." - Laura Cater-Woods
"Needles lose their points very quickly and are not the place to pinch pennies. When it comes to needles, if in doubt, throw it away." - Sharon Schamber
"There is no point watching the needle, it stays in the same spot going up and down. Look ahead to where you want to stitch." - unknown |
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How to Get an Accurate Quarter Inch Seam
from www.About.com
- Put the quarter-inch or standard presser foot on your sewing machine.
- Align a 2"x4" light strip with a 2"x4" dark strip, right sides together and edges carefully matched.
- Sew the patches together lengthwise, feeding them through the machine with the presser foot's right edge aligned exactly with the right edge of the patches
- Sew another light strip to the opposite edge of the dark strip.
- Press seams allowances towards the dark strip.
- Use a rotary ruler to measure the dark center strip. It should be exactly 1-1/2" wide along it's entire length. The outer strips should be exactly 1-3/4" wide along their entire lengths.
- If the dimensions of your pieced unit are accurate - congratulations! If the size is off a bit, move on to the next step...
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Read more... [Get an Accurate 1/4" Seam]
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One of the things every quilter should do is to put a label on each and every quilt that they make. This is very important to do, as this documents your quilt for future generations so they know who, when, where and why the quilt was made.
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Read more... [Labelling Your Quilt]
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