Watch this short video to learn how to use a rolled hem foot.
~Sheryl Belson
Bias Tape Basics
Bias Tape – What is it?
You may know that bias is the direction of a fabric at a 45° angle to the selvage edge. Bias edges are ravel-free, stretchable and flexible and a bias strip can be curved without puckering, whereas a straight-grain cut can’t go smoothly around curves.
Pre-made bias tape is available in several varieties—single fold, double fold, wide versions of each of those, and also in a quilt binding width. Look for it in myriad solid colors, but also prints, plaids, stripes, metallics and satins. Some brands also make seasonal bias tape offerings, like holiday prints. Bias tape can be purchased pre-packaged or by the yard.
Single-fold bias is a fabric strip with each long edge pressed under once. Standard width single-fold bias tape is ½” wide. A wider width is also available measuring 7/8”-1” depending on the brand.
Double-wide bias is a fabric strip with each long edge pressed under and then the strip is folded in half with wrong sides together and pressed agsin. Standard double-fold bias tape is ¼” wide, while extra-wide measures ½”. Quilt binding is a variation of double-wide bias tape and it measures 7/8” wide. All double-fold bias tapes have one side slightly longer than the other and that goes on the underside during application to help accommodate the thickness to the fabric and still ensure catching both layers with the stitching.
What’s it used for?
Single-fold bias tape is often used as a flat trim band. Both sides can be sewn down with a straight or decorative stitch. It’s also great for making casings for elastic or a drawstring, and its wider varieties can be used as a hem, armhole or neckline facing.
Double-fold bias tape is used most commonly as an edge finish and to add a pop of color to a project. Double-fold bias is great for encasing a raw edge, such as a seam allowance in an unlined garment, around an apron or as a tie. The extra-wide version is ideal for binding thicker projects like pot holders and the very wide is most often used to finish the edges of quilts or fleece blankets.
How is bias tape applied?
Stitch & Flip
On double-fold bias tape, open out the pressed folds and place the narrowest portion right sides together with the edge to be bound. Stitch along the crease line, turn the bias over the edge and hand-stitch in place. This creates an application with no visible stitching. If there’s enough space on the underside to ensure catching the fold, you can also machine stitch in the ditch of the seam from the right side.
Encase
The easiest way to apply double-fold bias tape is to simply encase the raw edge to be finished and machine stitch the tape in place from the right side. Be sure that the wider portion is on the underside to ensure the stitching catches it. The stitching can be a simple straight stitch or a decorative stitch along the edge or over it.
Fuse
Some brands offer fusible bias tape, both double- and single-fold. To apply this, simply encase the edge and fuse according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Note that the fusing is a temporary hold, so stitching also needs to be done for security. Single-fold fusible bias tape is used for stained glass and Celtic appliqué techniques to cover raw edges.
If you want to make your own fusible application, simply tuck a strip of ¼” wide fusible web tape under the bias tape on both sides and fuse in place.
How do I finish the end of bias binding?
Anytime you can bring the bias tape ends into a crossing seam line, that is ideal. If that’s not possible, simply turn under the starting end of the binding and start stitching 1” in, then as you return to the starting point, tuck in the finishing end under the beginning point and continue stitching. If the bias tape end is free, like on apron ties, simply tie a knot in the bias tape, as the ends won’t ravel. Another option is to hand-stitch the ends in place for an invisible finish.
Can I make my own?
Absolutely, and there’s a bias tape maker to make the process even easier. Bias tape makers are available in multiple sizes and some offer the option of adding a fusible tape in at the same time as the folding and pressing operation. Using one of these devices makes bias tape a consistent width, which is tricky to do when you just try to fold and press it yourself without the tool. Custom bias tape allows you to use whatever fabric you prefer, instead of being limited by available ready-made colors.
Tip: See our video on how to use this tool at https://www.asg.org/how-to-make-your-own-bias-tape/
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
Specialty Scissors
Chances are good that you’ve got more than one pair of shears and/or scissors in your sewing room. The old standby is a good pair of dressmaker shears, but there are a few other lesser-known varieties that you may want to add to your tool arsenal. These novelties often have a single function, but sometimes they’re the best tool for the job.
Cut Ups
Appliqué (duckbill) scissors are perhaps the funniest looking of our scissor choices. They have one large D-shaped blade and one regular blade and are designed to trim close to an appliqué without cutting the fabric base. These scissors are available with either sharp points or rounded points, depending of your cutting confidence.
Pictured: Havels Duckbill Appliqué Scissors
Buttonhole scissors have a screw adjustment that can set the cutting size so that multiple buttonholes are all cut the same length. These replace seam rippers for opening buttonholes and offer a bit more safety than trying to use larger scissors for the opening task.
Pictured: Tooltron Buttonhole Scissors
Embroidery scissors are small (3”-5” blades) with very sharp points for cutting threads very closely. Available with straight or curved blades, some embroidery scissors have an antique look with filigree designs or animal shapes, like the heirloom stork scissors.
Pictured: Mundial Embroidery Scissors
Machine embroidery scissors have curved blades/handles so that you can trim threads closely while the work is still in the embroidery hoop at the machine. Depending on the brand, the handles can be at a right angle to the blades. They’re not limited to machine embroidery and can be used anytime you need to trim something close to a surface, like quilting or free-motion stitchery.
Pictured: Havel’s Ultimate Curved Machine Embroidery Scissors
Non-stick scissors have coated blades specifically designed for working with fabrics that tend to stick, like vinyl, laminated cottons, oilcloth and some faux leathers.
Pictured: Fiskars Non-stick Detail Scissors
Open-ring scissors have open curved handles (instead of rings), so that they can be used by either right- or left-handed sewers, or anyone with finger or hand issues, as there’s extra space for access.
Pictured: Tooltron Open Ring Scissors
Rag scissors are workhorses designed specifically to cut through multiple layers of fabric at one time, like for rag-edge quilts. Not your typical scissor look, they take on a plier look for more cutting power.
Pictured: Famore Rag Clips
Stitch-cutting scissors have a small hook at one end of a blade to slide under a single stitch and they’re ideal for ripping out stitches without damaging the fabric below.
Pictured: Havels Stitch Cutting Scissors
Under-trimmers, like their cousins the machine embroidery scissor, these quirky looking scissors allow for trimming in an embroidery hoop while it’s on the machine, but also have the ability and shape to reach under the hoop as well to trim bobbin threads during the embroidery or stitching process.
Pictured: Tacony Undertrimmer Scissors
Close encounters
Snips: In addition to this grouping of novelty scissors, don’t forget the ever-handy nippers, snippers, thread clips—the names differ, but the function is the same. Their small, spring-action blades make trimming threads easier than ever.
Pictured: Gingher Featherweight Thread Snips
Kids: If you’re teaching sewing to kids, look for blunt-tip safety scissors to prevent major accidents with sharper pointed scissors.
Pictured: Famore Blunt Tip Scissors
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
Creating a Monogram
Whether it’s an item you’ve made or an item you’ve bought, a monogram is a wonderful way to add a personal touch. And if you’re pressed for sewing time, it’s a great way to solve your gift-giving dilemmas. For example, if you don’t have time to make a robe, buy it and personalize it… with towels to match!
Monograms are usually composed of capital letters. Until the beginning of the 20th century, a single initial, usually the last initial, was the most common style. Today, one-, two-, and three-letter monograms are all equally common but the most conventional monogram arrangement consists of three letters: a larger central letter, flanked by two smaller letters, one on each side. Generally, the center letter is the surname or last name, with the letter on the left representing the first name, and the letter on the right representing the middle name. This arrangement makes sense for an individual with three initials available. Typically, each member of the household sharing the same surname would have their own monogram. A married couple might choose to blend their individual initials into a common monogram. For example, John R. Smith, who marries Katherine L. Brown, might create the common monogram JSK. In contemporary life, it would also be acceptable to use KSJ, with the woman’s initial appearing first.
Arranging the Letters
The spacing of the letters and their position relative to each other will vary depending on the style of lettering, the letters themselves, and your own personal preference.
When you work with individual designs for each letter, you have complete control over placement and spacing. Just move the letters around onscreen until you are happy with the results, then save the combination under a new file name—one that you can easily remember.
Several of the EmbroideryArts styles (e.g., Circle, Empire) have left, middle, and right versions of each letter. Although the individual letters can still be used alone, these styles are designed to make three-letter monograms that form a specific shape, so the left side A, for example, is a different letter than the right side A.
Start with the larger center letter for the surname or last name, and then add the flanking letters, on the left and right. This sewing sequence will produce longer connecting threads between letters for embroiderers whose machines do not have automatic thread trimmers, and will also push the fabric away from the center as the complete design is sewn.
Placing the Design
Once you’ve determined the arrangement of your letters, you’ll need to consider the placement on your project. To do this, stitch out a sample of the monogram and photocopy it. Then:
- Find the center of the design by measuring the height and width, then drawing crossed lines half way between each dimension.
- At the center point, cut away a 1⁄4″ square or use a standard paper punch to make a hole.
- Cut away the excess paper surrounding the monogram and place the photocopy where you intend to put the monogram.
- Using a water-soluble or air-soluble marker, mark the design center on the fabric. If you don’t want to mark directly on your fabric, place a dot on a small piece of masking tape. Slide the tape under the hole in the photocopy until it is centered, then hold both the photocopy and the tape together, and place the two where you want the design to go. Lift the photocopy and the tape will stay in place, marking the center.
- Hoop the fabric, making sure the center mark is in the center of the hoop. If using the tape method, remove the tape before stitching the monogram.
Where the Letters Go
If you’re puzzled about where to place the monogram, here are a few guidelines.
- Golf shirt: 7″ to 9″ inches down from the left shoulder seam and 4″ to 6″ over from the center.
- Wash cloth: 1-1/2″ above the hem, or 1″ above the border for placement parallel to the edge; for placements in the corner, turn the washcloth diagonally until the shape is a diamond, then determine placement based on the design size.
Hand towel: 2″ above the hem, or 1-1/2″ above the border, on the opposite edge from the label.- Bath towel: 4″ above the hem, or 2″ above the border, on the opposite edge from the label.
- Sheets: the bottom of the monogram should be centered at the midpoint of the sheet width, and should be approximately 2″ above the wide hemline at the top of the sheet.
- Pillowcase: centered at the midpoint of the width of the open end, and also centered midway between the edge of the pillowcase and the hem edge.
- Shirt cuff: on the top of the wrist, and from 1″ to 1-3/8″ toward the buttonhole from the center of the cuff. Cuff monograms are typically small, and are placed so that the bottom of the design is 1/4″ to 1/2″ above the cuff edge
- Coat lining: on the right side of the lining, at approximately waist level.
~This article appeared in a previous issue of Notions
Richards Jarden, born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa., studied fine arts in the U.S., India, England, and Canada as a college student. He is a former associate professor of fine arts, and in the late 1980s was head of the Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design. He has managed various art-related businesses, first in architectural restoration, later in decorative painting, and since 1993 in embroidery design and digitizing. He has a particular interest in lettering and monogramming, and is the president of Embroideryarts (www.embroideryarts. com), which designs and markets digitized monogram designs for home and commercial embroiderers.
Jacksonville, FL Chapter wins SVP Presentation
Watch us Grow!
In 2020, while organizations throughout the country were struggling to simply maintain their membership, six ASG chapters increased their numbers by at least 10%!
Winning Approach
One of those chapters was located in Jacksonville, FL and for their outstanding efforts, they won a FREE program provided by Singer-Viking-Pfaff (SVP). I interviewed Chapter President, Lois Kelly, and asked her to share the strategies that lead to this achievement during such trying times. She explained that the chapter planned several events at little or no cost. First, they promoted a “Bring a Friend” campaign. Historically, this kind of “invite-a-friend” approach tends to be the most effective way to introduce sewers to the American Sewing Guild and encourage membership. An invitation is a great way to make someone feel special and wanted and provides company to someone who may not ordinarily attend an event alone.
Another approach they shared was to refresh their Facebook posts at ASG Jacksonville, FL. When I looked at their past posts, I noticed that those earlier than 2020 were interesting, colorful, and inspiring, but the content leaned towards high fashion/historical/creative DIY. In refreshing the content, they transitioned to posting current projects created by their members. In a sense, earlier Facebook posts seemed like a fashion blog that would drive readership. More recent posts highlighted the activities and virtues of the chapter saying, “This is a community to join in person!”
Also, some of the members are sewing teachers and they invited their students to look into ASG. This provided novice sewers the opportunity to bond in a group that shared their creative interests. Just these three small changes brought in new members—a 10% increase in the size of their chapter!
An Eye on the Prize
The chapter was delighted to win the speaker award and despite, or maybe because of a Covid world, they explored other innovative resources to run the presentation in an innovative way. One of the members got permission from her employer to use a large meeting room with professional-grade audio-visual equipment for the Zoom event. While a majority of the participants attended a socially distant in-person watch party of this hands-on workshop with a table for every person’s serger and supplies, others were able to watch from their homes. Attendees could work right along with the presenter, whether enjoying the camaraderie with other members or enjoying the presentation from the comfort of their sewing rooms. It was a great way to think outside of the box and provide chapter programming to their members that took into consideration the comfort levels of participants in this unprecedented time! SVP educator Katrina Walker hosted her Serger Stitch Savvy Workshop from her studio in Spokane, WA.
Katrina demonstrated how a basic 4-thread serger can create up to 18 different stitches, some of which are probably not shown in the user manuals. She introduced each stitch, discussed its application, and demonstrated how to set up the serger for it. Students were able to see pictures of Katrina’s sample garments and finished objects embellished with those stitches.
Katrina’s workshop classes are renown for the sample reference books that students build so they can look back at all the steps in the techniques. For this virtual workshop, Katrina provided the supply list and a blank reference page so students could make copies for each stitch taught in the class. Students took notes from Katrina’s demonstration, then set up their sergers and stitched samples to keep for their records.
Once again, the chapter implemented the “Bring a Friend” approach and put flyers in local fabric stores. This brought 6 non-members to the event.
Congratulations to the Jacksonville Chapter for not only winning this free event, but for continuing to spread the word of ASG and bringing new friends into our family.
~Carolyn Chen
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