Sewing crêpe, satin and peach fabrics, or You vs. the Pucker Demon

Crêpe, satin and peach fabrics come in several types and fibres, but they always remain difficult fabrics to sew. In particular, most machines have trouble sewing a straight seam along the length of the material - it puckers. Yes, it means the tension is too high, but no, it is not actually too high, and…

The best stitch for blind hem

...is plain zig-zag. Why? Because it resembles manual blind hem most closely, and manual blind hem is, of course, the golden standard. Domestic sewing machines have come up with a variety of special blind hem stitches, from a wiggling attachment for straight stitch only machines, to fixed or programmable combinations of straight stitching or narrow…

Living memory

During the latest clear-out at my mother's prompted by the imminent downsizing and having to move, she came across a stack of linens that she inherited from the clear-out of her late mother, some 20 years ago now. In that stack there were some old linen towels with faded embroidery, some fine but old lace…

Impossible pattern matching

It's quite impossible not only because it's an intricate pattern, but also because it's Chinese brocade - the world's most slinky and stubborn fabric. Plus, it's a mitred corner. And yet, here it is: And here is another one, on the grain: Can you see how it's done? Zig-zag. What? 😲 Yes, humble zig-zag. Put…

Couching wool with a sewing machine

Couching is an embroidery technique of sewing a cord onto canvas with a fine thread so that the cord appears to simply lie on the fabric, frozen in time. In sewing machine parlance it is often called "cording", and there's a cording foot to guide the cord while zig-zagging over it. But this is really…

Sewing my knitting patterns

Literally! I've been sewing pages into leaflets. I have quite a few knitting and crochet patterns (as well as other yarn and fabric related patterns, booklets and books), and I also subscribe The Knitter, but my flat still hasn't turned into a Tardis! This is the wall with pattern paraphernalia. But look at these labels:…