Since the beginning of time, fabric collectors have stashed, hoarded, and
hidden their fabric to keep other members of the family from learning of their
desire to keep, fondle, or accumulate fabric. This phenomenon is commonly
referred to in the sewing or quilting world as a fabricoholic. For this illness
there is no known cure. Many of these fabricoholics are coming out of the
closet and creating wonderful sewing rooms which allow them to display in
an orderly or not so orderly fashion their collections for others to observe
and admire. It also enables them to see the collection so that a quick decision
can be made as to whether it is time to sew or shop. As embellished wearables
and quilting have become popular in recent years, so has another phenomenon.
It is the threadoholic. This person collects thread in much the same manner
a fabricoholic collects fabric, though a threadoholic could be worse. There
are so many types of thread for varieties of end use. Some go in the needle,
some do not, but each type of thread offers a multitude of possibilities to
dramatically change the appearance of a fabric. Not long ago my husband came
into the sewing room in the wee hours of the morning to inspect my project.
I had just run out of basic black thread while finishing the final seam. There
was not enough black thread on my walls to complete three yards of sewing.
I was O-U-T of basic all-purpose black thread on the spool and on any bobbins.
He began helping me look. In his endeavor to help me through my dilemma, he
found a spool of black. "No, thatÕs Candlelight for couching or the serger,"
was my reply. "What about this one?" he asked with a smile on his face.
"No, that's Ultrasheen for embroidery or decorative stitching," I
added. After scanning the walls of thread for several minutes and discovering
that every other black thread there was used for other embellishment or utility
purposes, I decided to retire since no store is open at 2 a.m. to sell me
all purpose thread. I would have to complete this project later in the day.
I am constantly searching the market for new threads to play with. They give
me that creative freedom to completely change a piece of fabric. No one can
ever have too much thread! Much to my delight, YLI has created a new thread
called Reflections. This nylon core thread with an iridescent film is designed
for the sewing machine needle. Truly a thread of a different color, the actual
colors will vary depending on the fabric or light source. The unique manufacturing
process causes the color to vary within the spool much like reflections on
water. Reflections is a 40-weight thread. Loosen the tension slightly and
stitch with a metafil or topstitching needle for best results. Reflections
works beautifully with decorative stitches from the machine. My preference
is cotton basting and bobbin thread in the bobbin. Fill several bobbins before
beginning to stitch. You will be amazed how much Reflections adds to the appearance
of fabric. I like to add layers upon layers of thread to my projects. When
a bobbin runs out, I am ready to add another and keep on sewing. As of lately,
I am enthralled with machine embroidery. I am so intrigued with embroidery
that I had Cactus Punch Designs create a disk of my designs. These floral
designs are 3-D. Therefore, it is necessary to use a decorative thread in
the bobbin as well as the needle. While using Reflections to create these
floral designs, loosen the tension, use a large eye needle, and watch wonderful
daisies, poinsettias, fern and other greenery come alive before your eyes.
The reflective nature of this thread is magnificent. And these flowers will
last forever without extra care or watering. Add Reflections to your collections
of thread. There are eight wonderful colors on spools of 1000 yards. I thought
that was a large put-up. Can you believe I have gone through one spool creating
flowers? What a wonderful bouquet it is going to be. (Linda McGehee, designer,
author, instructor, and owner of Ghee's mail-order sewing and notions company,
is a member of YLIÕs Educator Program. E-mail Linda at ghees@softdisk.com
or visit her website at www.ghees.com.)
The difference is clear to see. Finally, a cone thread for your all purpose serging that doesn't cause "the linties"! As a professional serger educator, I was so pleased when YLI asked me to be one of the first to test this wonderful thread. Those of us in the trenches, teaching hands-on serger workshops know that one of the most irritating things about traditional coned serger thread is the quality, with lots of fuzzies, slubs, and the aggravating tie-ons. The extra steps that YLI has taken while producing this designer quality serger thread have eliminated those problems, producing a glitch free thread. YLI's New Elite Premium Serger Thread is a 100% long-staple polyester thread with a smooth, supple texture. With the wide array of colors, matching the top Woolly Nylon colors, you will be sure to have a thread appropriate for all of your serging needs. I have been so excited to be using Elite Premium Serger Thread and the other YLI decorative serging threads in conjunction with the YLI hands-on kit workshops that I am teaching for the YLI Educator Program. With lots of customers serging vest fronts from kits, all were so pleased to be using a cone serger thread that didnÕt break or cause problems, and instead was a joy to work with! Elite Premium Serger Thread comes in 40 wonderful colors, and on a 1000 yd. cone. (Cindy Cummins is a professional serger educator, writer and designer. She lives in Wentzville, MO with her two children. The author of "Serge It In An Hour Or Less" and "Serge Something Super For Your Kids", she is presently on the road again providing serger seminars and hands-on workshops for store owners nationwide. You can contact Cindy at (314) 332-6386, E-mail sergecindy@sew-info.com Visit her new website www.serging.com soon!)
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I have been enjoying and teaching machine French hand sewing (also known as heirloom sewing) for a few years now. When YLI decided to expand their selection into heirloom threads, I couldn't wait...and I wasnÕt disappointed. This was a natural direction for a specialty thread company. I have truly given up using any other threads for my heirloom sewing needs. YLI has created something truly unique in their Heirloom Cotton Thread. Unique because unlike their counterparts (other brands) these threads are highly twisted. This means they are stronger, even at 100 weight! I want to share with you what I used the different weight Heirloom Cotton Thread for and why. First, the 70-weight is used for garment construction and French seams in finer cotton and/or linen fabrics. Seams will be smoother and pucker less when using this finer thread. I recommend the use of a size 60 - 70 Microtex needle. Techniques using lace (lace-to-lace, lace-to-fabric and lace-to-entredeux) should be completed using 100-weight thread. The 100-weight thread just "melts" into the laces and disappears, leaving you only to enjoy the beautiful laces. I recommend the use of a size 60 - 70 Microtex needle for these techniques, too. For hemstitching the choice is also clear, 100-weight. If you make a hole with a large needle then fill the hole with thread you have defeated the purpose of hemstitching, so the lighter, 100-weight is the clear choice. The needle to recommend here is a wing needle or a size 100 - 120 Universal needle. This will depend on the fabric and the desired effect. The last of the basic French machine sewing techniques is entredeux to fabric, for this choose either size 70 or 100, depending on what method you are using. If the thread will show, use size 100-weight, otherwise use 70-weight. I recommend the use of a size 60 - 70 Microtex needle for this technique. I'm sure when you educate your customer about YLI's Heirloom Cotton Thread, they too will love it! (April Dunn lives in North Massapequa, New York. April travels around the world conducting classes and seminars on sewing and serging and is a member of YLI's Educator Program. You may E-mail April at SEWDUN@aol.com.)
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The blanket stitch is an alternative edge finish for a vest, coat or cape, or a blanket. It resembles hand stitching when done with a heavier thread. If you don't want to take the time to create this look by hand, try this variation created on a serger. It is important to mention that because of variations in tension settings, some sergers may not be capable of creating this stitch. The tension in the needle must be loosened greatly, even to the point of no tension. Some sergers may require that you take the needle thread out of the tension disc. What makes this stitch work is the Woolly Nylon in the loopers. The extra tension that Woolly creates is just what you need to pull the needle thread to the edge of the fabric. Needle position: Left (on most). Please refer to your serger manual. Upper looper: Woolly Nylon Lower looper: Woolly Nylon Needle thread: Decorative: Designer 6, Monet, or Woolly Nylon In a - 100 top stitch needle (Larger eye accommodates heavier thread without shredding) Stitch: Blanket stitch Stitch length: 3 - 4 mm Stitch width: 3 - 4 mm Knife: Engaged Foot recommended: Normal Plate: Normal Notions: Air-erasable marking pen, liquid seam sealant, YLI Magic Water Soluble Stabilizer. (Note: This helps pull the needle thread to the edge of the fabric. If the tension is reduced sufficiently, the needle thread will show on both sides of the fabric. The Upper and Lower Looper threads will lay at the edge of the fabric. Steps to forming the Blanket Stitch: Loosen needle tension. Tighten upper and lower looper tensions. Test this stitch on a sample of the same fabric as your garment. Place the fabric under the presser foot. Place a 1" wide strip of water-soluble stabilizer on top of the fabric. Serge through both the fabric and stabilizer, trimming a bit of fabric and stabilizer off as you serge. Serge off. Pull the stabilizer to the edge of the fabric. As you pull the stabilizer, the needle thread will slip into place. Trim excess stabilizer close to the decorative threads. The remainder will be rinsed away the first time the garment is laundered. Note: You may also use an iron away stabilizer on fabrics that are not washable. Now you are ready to try this edge finish on your garment or blanket. Have fun as you learn yet another creative use for your serger. (Linda Lee Vivian "The Serger Lady" is a member of YLI's Designer Program. You may E-mail Linda at: lindalee@tir.com or visit her website at: www.lindaleeoriginals.com.)
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Now you can create beautiful Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts in half the time using this quick and easy method on the sewing machine! Your paper pieces will even be basted by machine using YLIÕs Wash-A-Way Thread. The Wonder Invisible Thread allows you to stitch the individual pieces together easily with a narrow zigzag stitch. This method can be used for many other patterns that are difficult to seam together normally. Half-hexagons, triangles, and diamonds can be basted onto papers, and all of your corners will match up with ease. Using purchased papers in the desired shape, or making your own from lightweight card stock, and then cutting out rough shapes is one reason this technique is so easy. When using hexagons for example, you need only cut a square of fabric 1/2" larger than the widest measurement of the hexagon. I use rectangles for the half hexagons and rough cut triangles, in other words, the fabric pieces do not have to have an exact seam allowance, as long as they are larger than your paper piece. Your precision will fall into place as you sew the basted pieces together.
1. Thread your machine, both needle and bobbin, with Wash-A-Way Thread. Set a long stitch length. Adjust tension if necessary.
2. Lay a square of flower fabric right side down on the sewing machine bed. Place your paper hexagon in the center of the square. Turn one edge of fabric over one side of the hexagon. (I like to use a wooden skewer as an awl to hold the seam allowance in place as I sew.)
3. Stitch that seam down, folding the adjacent seam back before you reach the end of the first fold. Continue till all edges are sewn back.
4. When you have enough flower pieces basted, thread your machine with Wonder Invisible Thread in the needle and YLI Select in the bobbin. Adjust your tension so that the bobbin thread will not appear on the top. Set your machine for a narrow zigzag, just wide enough to catch two patches.
5. Lay out your flower pieces in the desired order. Pick up two pieces and lay them side-by-side, right sides up, on the sewing machine bed. Stitch from along their common edge, backstitching at start and finish. Make sure that your zigzag barely pierces both edges.
6. Continue stitching hexagons together. You will eventually sew two lines of pieces together, pivoting when you come to an angle. After desired layout is sewn together, attach to background or border by using the same zigzag to machine appliqué with the Wonder Invisible Thread.
7. When top is finished, dampen it using a clean wet sponge or washcloth, causing the basting to come out, and remove papers. (When working on a large top, you can remove papers in areas. Just remember to leave them in the outside edge.) If you don't get the top too wet, you will be able to reuse the paper pieces.
I hope you find this technique as easy and satisfying as I do. I love showing off my version of a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt, and what's better, I finished it in record time! (Nancy Hinds, quilt teacher and designer, lives in Covington, Lousiana. She has been published in Quilting Today Magazine and Quilters Newsletter Magazine. We are proud to have Nancy as a member of YLI's Designer Program. You may E-mail Nancy at quilternan@hotmail.com.)
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This is a use for Woolly Nylon we hadnÕt heard of before . . . Linda Vivian received a letter from Margarette Barrett of Margarette Originals, Florida who sews seams in panty hose using Woolly Nylon. "I have used Woolly Nylon to make seamed pantyhose, believe it or not, because I haven't been able to find them ready-made for my height. You must have a REALLY good pair of pantyhose that comes folded nicely in the package so you can tell exactly where the back seam is. Make sure you start just below the heel section and STRETCH THE PANTYHOSE A LOT. When serging the edge, make sure your knife is out of the way, and sew all the way up to the pant section. The seam will look very wavy, but you need the extra stretch when you put them on. I leave the 'tail' at the top and bottom so it won't unravel the stitching when stretched." We had never thought of Woolly Nylon being used that way. But, while weÕre on the subject of different uses what about a little silk ribbon embroidery on stockings?
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YLI recently joined a Silk Ribbon chat line on the Internet. If you have ever thought silk ribbon embroidery might be losing it momentum you might want to join one or more of these groups. Hundreds of silk ribbon embroiderers (or SRE's) are sharing their ideas and techniques.
Back to topDesigners Limited, a group of local women who are passionate about their sewing drew national attention in the March/April 1999 issue of Vogue Patterns. Sewing groups come and go, people move, children grow up, interests change, but these women have stayed together like a fine garment sewn to last. For the past 20 years these women have used their passion for sewing to help the local community. Over the years, proceeds from their annual fashion show have raised as much as $ 8,000 for charities. Deborah Shealy, a member of Designers Limited, is also YLI's office manager in Rock Hill, South Carolina. There's a lot of talent and interest out there!
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