Those gears need work!

And what is more stitch-intensive than quilting? The project I am making a quilted bag for my AEG 760 overlocker - and it's a cube! 30cm x 30cm x 30cm. I decided to quilt all panels individually and then sew them together with flat seams: the batting will always remain in single layer but the…

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The battle of the Titans: zig-zag versus overlock

Oh! Let's open this Pandora's box... For two thirds of my sewing life I didn't have an overlocker - couldn't afford one, and was getting on just fine without it. Then I chanced upon a good deal, bought one and could not understand how on Earth I could live without one all those years... The…

What to do with fancy stitches?

Your machine has loads of them but all you use is straight stitch and occasional zig-zag... Sounds familiar? 😉 Obviously, fancy stitches are there for fancy work. Or are they? What is the difference between utility stitches and decorative stitches? Well, utility stitches are there to help with boring work like sewing a blind hem,…

A great big quilt

For reasons unknown I thought it would be fun to make a great big quilt... 230x270cm (90"x106"). Nice as bedding for the Summer - it's heavy linen (flax) on both sides with a cotton/bamboo batting. Nice and cool, all natural, easy to wash, etc., etc. Not so easy to make though! It's HUGE! 😮 I…

That elusive flexible stitch

Flexible stitch is necessary for sewing jersey so that it would stretch with the material. However, regular straight stitch of a lockstitch machine is usually not flexible. So what to do? Popular solutions include using elastic thread, sewing with narrow zig-zag instead of straight stitch or sewing with an overlocker. But what if you really…

The second round of miracles

I can turn my head and look over my shoulder. I couldn't do it for fifteen years. This is the second round of miracles after I started wearing a corset almost two years ago. The first round was right at the start: the pain vanished. Like many of us, I've been living my life sitting…

The book that will change you forever

...or at least your sewing. One of my all-time favourite books on sewing technique and embroidery, no sewing machine required: ​ The subtitle reads: "The creative guide for dressmakers and needlecrafters that takes your work to a new level." True! All true. This is a sewing guide where all the sewing is done by hand.…