Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Come Stitching With Me!

I am often asked "do I use a hoop"....well the answer is "no, I do not"........now that doesn't tell you much does it? No.......well I thought I would take you through the final stages of the project I finished to-day to tell you what I do. It's in the mail to Handmade for publication, so I can't show you everything, but I can give you a sneak peek of how I got my finishing result.

I used pretty glass beads for some embellishment....just love them!
Generally, when the design is drawn and I have ironed the wadding onto the back of the front, I use a stitchery backing on the back. This prevents the migration of wadding to the front of the work. I always baste my layers together like this;
and; I fold the surplus of the backing over the edges and baste them down too. This prevents the edges from fraying while you are working on the stitchery;


I roll the surplus part of the unit up to meet where I want to stitch then; using my fingers, I apply upward pressure from the back to minimise creases;

Once hand stitching is completed and the final backing is sandwhiched to the unit, I prepare the binding then create a pocket at the start. The pocket will accommodate the final end of the binding for a neat finish. I only pin the start, then I hold the binding in place all the way around with my fingers to keep it firm;

When I arrive at the first corner, I stop 0.25in inwards from the approaching edge. Then; I sew directly across the angle to the corner; to set up the mitre;

I fold the binding back on itself in line with the previous stitching to the corner.


Then; I fold the binding downwards along the next edge to be stitched. I start sewing again 0.25in from the edges;


I continue sewing until I return to the starting point. Then; I trim the end of the binding and slip it into the pocket;



Once the binding is settled into the pocket, I complete the seam;


This is how the finished corners look on the right side.

Well; this is what I finished making to-day.....what did you finish? I would love to hear.

21 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for showing us how you do this. I will have to try your method. One question...Do you pull your knots into the wadding?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Judith!
    You are such a sweet thang (southern accent)! Thanks for your sweet comments! I am so glad you stopped by for your answers and that hopefully you are inspired as well. That was one of my funnest blogs EVER to do!

    I also loved perusing your blog..so much talent you have my dear. I sew but nothing like what you do! I just LOVeD your Sweet Tea Hanging...just precious, from a girl who loves tea. And what neat tea jugs those are!

    Have a blessed day!
    Lorena

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for those great tips Judith. I especially like the pocket idea for the end of the binding, will try that on my next project.

    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Jude and thats a great tutorial and I learnt something new from it. I will try the mitred corners and the start and finish like you have shown. Great stuff! I finished a Table Mat yesterday and am rather pleased with it. :) hugs Vicki

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Judith, Thank you for the tutorial i can not wait to put a binding onto my first project as a first timer. Just a quick question when you turn the binding over to the back do you hand sew it on would love to see a back picture so that i could see how you finish.
    Many thanks
    Big hugs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Judith--I enjoyed the tutorial and will try to do the beginning and ending the bi nding your way--mine never come out really really neat--do the corners right and I also do not use a hoop--but my how beautiful your work it--just love them all--can't wait to see the whole project in the magazine when it is published!!!
    I do have a question for you--two great friends from AU sent me the Handmade Mag that has your Rudolf pattern in it and I love the red and white fabric you used, but I do not believe I have seen it anywhere--do you remember the name of the line--is it yours????
    I do wished the mag would tell the fabric names they used--oh well--happy stitching--Hugs, Di

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thankyou, Judith, for the tutorial - I now know what to do with my binding. Thankyou, thankyou. Cheers from Donna from Brisbane("Domac" from the Craft Forum).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Is that how you do it...I always wondered. You explain so well...I will have to try this now...you are sooo talented.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love learning new techniques - I don't use a hoop either, can't stand the things, but I've never tried wadding behind my stitchery. I've also never seen a binding technique like that, I love it! I'll try it on my next one!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oopsy, Judith - looks like you received a Comment meant for me! Anyhow - your tutorial is great - I don't re-start my stitching 1/4" down - must try that!
    Hugs - Lurline♥

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Judith Thanks for the tutorial I am still learning and it is very helpfull to me I have just finished A quilt and put it on my blog.So now to attempt to do another one.
    Hugs Mary.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Judith!

    You have answered a few questions for me - thank you so much!! :-) GREAT tutorial! And I am loving that buttery fabric with the small roses.... it is divine!

    Hugs! Vikki xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Judith!!!
    Maravilloso el tutorial!!!
    Gracias..
    Besos

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Judith!
    I was surprised that you do your stitchery with the batting on and then put the backing on when finished. Do you quilt everything together once the backing is on? Your work is stunning! Must try this- thank you
    SO much!
    Paulette

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, Thank you...I have been working on a quilt that has embroidery - and was wondering how to do the finishing - and I am so glad to have seen this before I started working on it...

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a great tutorial, thank you so much.

    gg

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you so much for sharing this technique, it is a really useful tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you so much for this tutorial, As a relatively newbie to all this, I found it very very helpful, especially the bit about putting the wadding on before doing the stitchery, I must try it. And your work is so beautiful and neat. hugs xxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Judith, I love your pictures to show exactly how to do the binding. I learned this technique years ago but your pictures are perfect for some of my friends that are just learning. I will be forwarding your blog to them. Thanks for sharing!

    Stephanie from Maryland
    A Ditchin' Time Quilts

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the excellent tutorial.
    I enjoyed the sneak peek of the magazine project too. It looks to be another gorgeous design.
    A big thank you for the free design I just picked up from the Gum Tree blog. I love the little bag!

    Margaret

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails