Tips on recycling neckties and on clothing construction for quilters from an award-winning designer.

Easy bound buttonhole

I added a buttonhole to a quilted jacket as an afterthought. Here's how:  Cut a bias piece of coordinating fabric  about 2" wide and 2" longer than the finished hole you want.  Mark a line on the wrong side the length of the button + 1/4" and place it right sides together over the place you want the buttonhole.  Stitch a 1/4" wide box around the line with tiny stitches.  Use sharp scissors to cut neatly between the lines of stitching, then turn the bias piece to the wrong side; press.  Stitch in the ditch around the hole, then hand finish on the wrong side.

Posted on February 06, 2012 | Permalink

Stabilizing a tie seam

If you are sewing ties together for a skirt, for example, you may want to stabilize the seam lines to avoid stretching the fabrics.  Cut the pieces needed and measure the length of the raw edges to be sewn.  Cut 1/2" wide strips of fusible underlining (HTC's Touch o'Gold II is what I use) and fuse centered over each seam line on the wrong side.  Sew seams.  Your skirt will still drape nicely, but the seams won't stretch as you sew.

Posted on January 30, 2012 | Permalink