Sew Very Smooth Blog

This week I was able to get a lot done and I'm so excited about that! 

I finished up the smaller block for the BOM, the orange Ohio Star. I didn't take any pictures as I worked on it because I've already done this block before, but I did snap a picture of the finished block next to last month's finished block. I still need to square up the one on the left, the latest one, but otherwise they look great.

This week I also started to quilt the table runner that I've been working on. I was about to get out my Ideal Seam Guides to use for my quilting when I had a bout of curiosity. Since I've been using these guides from the first day I started to sew I was wondering just how much help they were. 

This table runner will be quilted in two stages. The first is to quilt 'in the ditch.' the second will be to quilt some patterns into the individual blocks. I figured of the two, sewing 'in the ditch' would be easy so I decided to see how easy it actually was. 

Now, this is strategic posing on my part to hide how unstraight those lines are, but if you look really closely you can tell. To prove it, I have a picture taken closer up just below this.

I'm a little embarrassed to even post these because the seams are all over the place. What's so crazy I was going slow so I could have better control of where my seam was going and yet it still ended up swerving a bit. 

In my first two projects, some mini quilts, I used the Ideal Seam Guides to quilt. My blocks didn't line up perfectly so the straight seam didn't stay in the ditch, but it didn't matter because the seam that was showing was perfectly straight. It didn't detract from the over all finished look. These crooked seams are distracting. 

It's easy to say that it's faster to just sew free hand and follow the existing seams than it is to line up the guide with each seam you're going to follow, but it's not. When I use the guide it does take a little bit longer to make sure it's straight, but once it's ready to go I can run my sewing machine at a faster speed because I don't have to worry about it swerving. I sewed so slowly to stay "straight" without the guides it took even longer to sew than it would have with the guides and the results are not as good. 

I will be working on the second stage of quilting this next week and I'll be using the guides. I'll always be using the guides from here on out. My curiosity was satisfied. I'm glad I know, but I don't ever want to do that again. 

This week I also started to plan out the heart stockings I'll be making for my family to use next Valentine's Day.

My outline is pretty rough. I just threw it together so I could get an idea of how much fabric I was going to need. It's not pretty, but it worked. 

I'm fighting the urge to sit down and redo the whole thing with straight lines and to scale, but I don't know how necessary that is. 

How do you plan out your projects that you don't have an existing pattern for? Do you sketch it out? If you do, do you try to keep it as even as possible or do you just draw it fast on a piece of paper like I did? This is my first planned project from beginning to end and I'm loving it. How can I improve before I plan my next project? 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and that you find plenty of time to sew!

I am just so thrilled with how this months block turned out. I was a little nervous going into it because there were a few new techniques that I had never done before and I really wanted to get them right. I think I succeeded. 

My favorite part about this week was the fact that I was able to do the whole block just by reading the pattern. I knew I had the tutorial videos available to me if I needed to reference them, but I wanted to see if I was able to follow a pattern even if it was something I'd never done before. 

My Ideal Seam Guide has become my new best friend. I love how simple it makes piecing and getting a perfect seam. 

I also love that I was able to practice my spinning seam. It really does reduce bulk to the back of the quilt and it just requires a little preparation to be able to do it. 

I laid out all of the squares again so I could make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. It also makes glue basting SO much easier. 

And finally, the finished block. I am so tickled with how this one turned out. I can nitpick, of course, but ultimately there isn't much to criticize. The panels are all lined up correctly and the points are all almost perfect. My biggest problem is the edging on the outside. There is one spot that doesn't have much of a seam allowance at all. I'm hoping I can make it work, but I won't know until it's time to assemble the whole quilt. 

In addition to completing the BOM, I was also able to assemble the table runner I've been working on. I still have to baste, quilt, and bind it, but I am really happy with how it has turned out as well. 

I think the colors do ultimately work. My husband thinks it's perfect for the fall or the spring. That's a win in my book. 

The colors really pop in the picture but they're not quite so bold in person. The blues and the orange in particular don't stand out so much in person. The binding will be red like the center points. I'm excited to get it finished. 

I'm also excited to do the smaller block  for the BOM next week. It's the same one I did last month, just different colors. It will be interesting to see how the second one turns out compared to the first. That's what I'm loving about quilting. You can do the same thing over and over again and still have them be different every single time.

What are some of the things you love about quilting? 

However, I did have to tackle one project that I have been putting off for twelve years. For Christmas in 2005 my husband received a pair of pants that were perfect around the waist, but they needed to be hemmed. For twelve years those pants have been sitting in a bag. I had no idea how to hem and I didn't have a sewing machine anyway. 

This last week my husband was going to need those pants. Up until this point he had been able to borrow some when he needed them, but he wasn't going to have that option this time. 

I finally had a machine. I finally had some basic understanding of sewing. It was time to tackle the task.

Normally I would watch a video to walk me through what to do. This time I decided to just figure it out on my own. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. 

I basically pinned them at the length they needed to be. Then I flipped the pants inside out and pressed the ends. I then sewed a 1/2" seam using my Ideal Seam Guide. Once it was sewn, I cut off the extra material and then turned that down and sewed it on the machine without a guide because it was such a small area I was sewing and it would be on the inside of the pants and wouldn't be seen anyway.

It's not very pretty, but it does demonstrate how much straighter the stitch is when I use the Ideal Seam Guide. The seam on the left was done with the guide, the seam on the right was done without a guide.

I know this is not the conventional way to hem pants, but it worked for me. My husbands pants are the right length and they won't fray when washed. I call that a win. I would definitely still love to learn the best way to hem a pair of pants for any future hemming needs I may have. How do you like to hem your pants or skirts? Any tricks you're willing to share? 

Next week I will start working on my block for the block of the month club. I received my material in the mail, I just haven't had a chance to prep it yet. Aren't these oranges beautiful though? 

It is going to make a beautiful block.