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What is Backstitching on a Sewing Machine?

February 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Just like the meaning of the term “the right side of fabric” eluded me when I began sewing, I was also being unsure about backstitching on a sewing machine. And I’m guessing that if I didn’t know how to backstitch, there are probably a few other people that are trying to figure it out, too.

So, backstitching, as the name suggests, is really just sewing backwards. You backstitch to secure the seam you just sewed. If you don’t backstitch, then your seam will unravel.

Now, these pictures and directions are from my sewing machine, a Janome. Your machine may be (probably is) at least slightly different. However, I’m guessing that no matter what machine you use, you will use the same general process. Your backstitch button may look different or be in a different place, but it should be similar. (Although the backstitch symbol on my machine is an arrow pointing backwards, which I am thinking might be universal.)

Ok. So. Let’s assume you’re sewing curtains or something where you’re going to need to backstitch when you start and when you stop.

Step 1 First, go ahead and sew about 5-6 stitches normally. (When I was learning to sew, I would always slow my machine down when backstitching. I don’t need to anymore, but I did then. So you might want to slow down your speed on your machine.)

first thing to do when backstitching on a sewing machine

Step 2 After you’ve sewn about 5 stitches ( if you sewed 4 or 7 that’s fine, it doesn’t have to be exactly 5 or 6, that’s just what I normally do) push the backstitch button and hold it down for about 5 stitches. (Be aware that this feeds the fabric through backwards. Your fabric will back move up, away from you while you backstitch. It’s supposed to. This is the backstitching.)

**On my machine you hold the button down, I can’t say for certain that this is the case with all machines. I would think so, since you usually only backstitch a few stitches at a time, but there may be some machines that you don’t hold the button down, you might just push once to start and once stop. Just keep that in mind.**

This is the backstitch button on my machine.

button to press for backstitching

As you backstitch, try to guide your thread directly over the stitches you just sewed. (If it’s not exact, who cares! Don’t stress.)

Step 3 After you’ve backstitched your 5 stitches, release the backstitch button and your machine will start sewing normally again.

Now, when you get to the very end of your fabric you’ll repeat the exact same process to secure the seam at that end.

So, sew all the way to the end of the fabric. However, instead of removing your fabric and cutting the thread, once you reach the end, you will:

(refer to Step 1) Press the backstitch button.

(refer to Step 2) Backstitch 5-6 stitches.

(refer to Step 3) Release the backstitch button and sew normally.

Now you’re done, with a nice secure seam.

One last picture, an example of what backstitching looks like.

example of backstitching

Filed Under: Beginner Quilting, Beginner Sewing, Beginner Sewing Series, Sewing for Beginners Tagged With: , , , ,

How I Straight Line Quilt my Quilts

November 20, 2012 by 1 Comment

(First, a little disclaimer…… I must say this is not a tutorial. I have no idea if I’m doing this the “right way” or not. I do know that it looks fairly decent and that my quilts hold up through washings.)

I love to make quilts, but I don’t like to quilt them. Oh the irony, right? But, as I have said before, although I absolutely love the way long arm quilting looks, I love knowing that I made the entire quilt. Just me. No one else.

So when I quilt, I usually just straight line quilt. As the name suggests, all straight line quilting is the process of quilting using straight lines.

If you need a visual, in the picture below I highlighted where I quilted my postage stamp quilt. I used diagonal straight lines. (Forgive the poor quality and my wiggly lines, I’m so not a techie!) But hopefully you get the idea.

quilt with lines drawn on2

So here’s what I do. After completing the quilt top and making my quilt sandwich, I then baste my quilt. After basting, it’s ready to be quilted.

Next, I attach my walking foot. At that point, I’m ready to quilt.

I start from the middle of the quilt. To keep my stitches from unraveling, I do NOT back stitch. Instead, I set the stitch length on my machine to 1 for about 4-6 stitches. Then I move it to 1.5, then 2, and the finally to 2.8. On 1, the stitches are super short (teeny tiny) and therefore won’t unravel like a longer stitch might.

sewing machine buttons

I probably do about 15 stitches before I get to 2.8. (where I leave it) I move it up slowly for 2 reasons. 1) I think it would look weird to go from teeny-tiny stitches to normal stitches without anything in between. The way I do it means that the stitches get bigger more gradually. 2) It gives the stitches a little more strength/staying power.

Then I slowly guide my quilt through my machine. I think the key for me is to go slow. The more experience you have, the faster you can go I guess, but for right now, slow works best.

slowly feed quilt through machine when quilting

I slow my machine way down when I get about an inch away from my stopping point. Then I slowly make my stitch length shorter. I go from 2.8 to 2 to 1.5 to 1.  (Reverse order from when I start.) Same thing, the small stitches will keep your thread from unraveling.

I take the pins out when they get in my way.

take out safety pins as you quilt

And then I just repeat these steps until my quilt is quilted. Starting from the middle and going to the edges.

I’m working on getting braver, and trying to experiment a little with quilting. Maybe trying some loops or circles next time.

We’ll see!

Filed Under: Beginner Quilting, Quilts for Beginners, Sewing for Beginners

How to Make a Pillow Case from an Old Sheet

March 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you have an old sheet lying around, then you can whip these up in no time. And, for the best results, I recommend using the oldest, softest sheet you can find. (So it might not be the prettiest pillow case you’ve ever seen, but it will be the most comfortable!) Old sheets make the. best. pillowcases. ever. My 3 year old calls them “cold pillows,” I guess because the fabric is so cool and soft to the touch. In fact, he’ll wake up in the middle of the night screaming for his cold pillow if it’s fallen on the floor and he can’t find it. :)

First, measure an old pillow case to figure out how much fabric you need. My pillow case was 18 inches wide and 31.5 inches long. So I needed my fabric to measure 37 inches by 32.5. (18 + 18 = 36 and + 1 for seam allowances = 37 inches.) (31.5 + 1 for seam allowances)

Keep the hem! This is the top of my sheet, which is what makes these pillow cases to easy and quick to make.

Since this is a huge old sheet, I wasn’t worried about wasting fabric, so I just used my scissors to cut out a rectangle the approximate size of my pillow case b/c smaller pieces of fabric are much easier to work with, imo.

Iron.

Using your rotary cutter, go ahead and cut your edges to the exact measurements that you need. (Or, if your like me, to “about” the exact measurements that you’ll need!)

Then pin, with wrong sides together. Most of the time you’ll pin right sides together, but not now. Just fold the fabric over to where it looks like a pillow case, all sides lined up and touching, and pin around the top and side. You’ll leave the top open so you can slide your pillow in.

Using a 1/4 seam allowance, sew around the side and bottom.

Iron your seam.

Turn your pillow case inside out.

Now that you have your seam ironed down and your pillow case turned inside out, sew around your seam, this time using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This is actually called a french seam. When you sew around your seam you’re enclosing the raw edges in fabric, so you won’t have any strings or unraveling! Fancy, right? :)

Remember, you’re now sewing on the inside of the pillow case and your seam is on the outside of the case. You can’t actually see the seam, but you can feel it if you run your finger over it.

This is what your french seam looks like, the view from the “inside” of the pillowcase.

Now turn your pillow case right side out and pop a pillow in there! You are done! I’ve found making pillowcases instead of buying them to be one very easy way to save money and if you can use an old sheet, they’re so much better than new ones, at least in my opinion.

I’m going to come back later and show you how to make a pillowcase out of your sheet that doesn’t use the hem that’s already there. They aren’t quite as fast, but they are easy to make, they just require a couple extra steps that this pillow case doesn’t.

Filed Under: Beginner Sewing, DIY, Pillows, Sewing for Beginners, Tutorial Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What is the Right Side of Fabric?

March 9, 2012 by 12 Comments

This post is part of my Beginner Sewing Series. 

Another seemingly simple sewing term that I remember figuring out was the “right side” of the fabric and figuring out how to, “place right sides together.” Maybe I should have known but I didn’t. I had never sewn before. Everything was new to me.

So, in case you’re in the position I was once in…….

The right side of the fabric is the side that is meant to be seen.

And the wrong side of the fabric is the side that’s not meant to be seen. The back of the fabric. (Why we don’t just say front and back, I have no idea!)

This is just the same piece of fabric folded over to give you another view.

So, when you’re given the directions to place right sides together, it just means taking the 2 pieces of fabric you’re sewing together and making the front sides face each other.

Here I am putting the right sides of my fabrics together.

And there you have it!

Happy Sewing! :)

Filed Under: Beginner Quilting, Beginner Sewing, Beginner Sewing Series, Fabric Tips, Sewing for Beginners Tagged With: , , , , ,

What is a Raw Edge in Sewing?

March 2, 2012 by 3 Comments

This post is part of my Beginner Sewing Series.

So, what is a raw edge?

A raw edge is, basically, the edge of the fabric that hasn’t had anything done to it and it will probably have at least a few little strings coming off if it.

Here’s a picture of a raw edge.

If you need to wash your fabric, it’s not a great idea to leave your edges raw like this when you throw them in the washing machine.

You can do a simple zigzag stitch to keep them from unraveling.

Here’s what a zigzag stitch looks like and here’s a tutorial about how to do it, if you need help.

And just in case you were wondering, here’s what the selvedge looks like.

Filed Under: Beginner Quilting, Beginner Sewing, Beginner Sewing Series, Sewing for Beginners Tagged With: , , ,

Beginner Sewing Series @ Just Quilty

March 1, 2012 by 5 Comments

Over the last 4 years, I’ve basically taught myself how to sew. One of my best friends introduced me to the basics of quilting and taught me a little about my sewing machine, but other than that I’ve spent the past few years scouring the Internet and reading books and magazines to figure things out.

While I’ve found no shortage of wonderful tutorials of amazing things I could make, I’ve sometimes had a little bit harder time figuring out the simple stuff.

So I’ve decided to put together a little ongoing series where I will try to explain some basic sewing terms. They’ll be the ones that I remember having trouble figuring out.

Here’s a list of what I plan to cover. I’ll link here to the post after it’s done and add something whenever I think of it.

How to zigzag stitch to prevent fraying.

What is a raw edge? 

What does the “right side of fabric” and “place right sides together mean?”

How to attach a walking foot to a sewing machine.

Chain piecing quilt blocks.

Squaring up quilt blocks.

What is an invisible stitch?

What is a seam allowance?

How to backstitch.

 

Filed Under: Beginner Quilting, Beginner Sewing, Beginner Sewing Series, Sewing for Beginners Tagged With: , ,

DIY Christmas: Christmas Pillows

December 8, 2011 by 5 Comments

I had a ton of scraps left over from my Christmas quilt, so I made three Christmas pillow covers to match it and love the way they turned out.

The first one I made was just 2.5 inch blocks sewn together in strips. (Very simple project, btw!)

I made the next one in strips.

And for the last one, I made a string quilt block. I used this awesome tutorial, and I cannot wait to make an entire quilt from these squares.

The only thing I’ll do differently next time is that I will definitely make a border to go around the quilt block. It was super hard to attach a lining without one.

I installed invisible zippers on all three pillow covers using this (also awesome) tutorial.

And all three pillows again, from a slightly different angle.

Merry Christmas!

(p.s. I am linking up to Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, Holiday Link Party 2011 @ Momnivore’s Dilemma, and Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence and A Craft Soiree @ Katie’s Nesting Spot.)

Filed Under: Christmas, Pillows, Sewing for Beginners Tagged With: , , ,

Kitchen Sewing Project: Decorative Dish Towel Tutorial

September 12, 2011 by 2 Comments

If you’re looking for a way to use up scraps, an idea for teacher gifts or just a way to brighten up your kitchen, these dishtowels are for you! They’re very easy, so they’re a good project for a beginner and they don’t take long to complete.

Iron your dishtowel to get the wrinkles out. I used a bright yellow dishtowel I bought at Target.

Measure the width of your towel so you’ll know how long to cut your fabric strip. Mine measured just under 17 inches.

Cut your fabric strip about 1/2″ longer than the width of your towel. It needs to be longer than the towel so you can fold it under and not have any raw edges showing on the finished product. I made my strip about 17.5 inches long. (And it’s from a Frolic jelly roll by Moda, if you were wondering.)

Fold down the edges about 1/4″ and iron them so they lay flat. Iron all 4 sides. (I just “eyeballed” my 1/4″ folds, no measurements. They’re probably not perfect, but the towel still looks fine.)

Cut 2 pieces of rick rack the width of the dishtowel. You don’t have to use any rick rack, it just adds some more color and detail. To keep the rick rack from fraying I singed the raw edges with a lit match. If you choose to do this, hold the flame a few inches below (don’t place the rick rack in the flame)  the rick rack’s raw edge and do it over a sink in case you need to drop the match quickly. It literally only takes about 1 second to singe the edges. (Obviously, don’t let your kids help with this part, I’m not responsible if you burn down your house, be careful, etc. :)

Pin the rick rack and fabric to the towel.

Stitch around all 4 sides of the fabric, about 1/4″ from the edge.

Backstitch when you start and stop sewing to prevent your thread from unraveling.

Admire!

Maybe even make another!

I am linking up over at Get Your Craft On @ Today’s Creative Blog, Too Cute Tuesday @ The Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, and Turquoise Lovin’ @ Sweet Little Gals.

Filed Under: Beginner Sewing, Kitchen Sewing, Sewing for Beginners, Tutorial Tagged With: , , ,

How to Zigzag Stitch to Prevent Fraying

September 8, 2011 by 3 Comments
This post is part of my Beginner Sewing Series.

When I first starting making quilts, I would just throw all my fabric in the washing machine when I pre-washed. I wouldn’t do anything to prepare it, and when I got it out of the washing machine, half of it was unraveled and I’d have a bunch of wet strings where my pretty fabric had once been. It didn’t phase me too much, I would just order extra fabric and cut off the strings. (Can we say wasteful, much?)

I finally decided that I should do something about all those yucky little strings, so I started doing a zigzag stitch across the raw edges before washing.

It’s super easy and only takes a couple of minutes to do.

First, if you’re zigzagging as part of the pre-washing process, you should know that you only need to stitch around the raw edges. You can stitch around the selvedge, but there’s no real need for you to do so. If you can’t tell the difference between the selvedge and the raw edges, look closely and you can probably see some tiny little threads already unraveling from the raw edges. You shouldn’t see any unraveling on the selvedge.

First, find the zigzag setting on your sewing machine.

 

 

On my machine, it’s setting 8. Look for the zigzag pattern on your machine. Even the simplest of machines should allow you to do a zigzag stitch.

 

 

 

 

 

Run it through your machine like normal.

 

 

And you’re done.

You have a nice zigzag stitch that will keep your fabric from unraveling in the washing machine.

(If you have a serger, you can just serge the edges instead.)

While this tutorial focused on the zigzag stitch to prevent fabric from fraying in the washing machine, you use the same concept to zigzag stitch for other purposes, as well. For instance, you might use a zigzag stitch around an applique.

Filed Under: Beginner Sewing, Sewing for Beginners, Tutorial, Zigzag Stitch Tagged With: , , ,

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