Sew a Long - Week One

Welcome to the first part of my basic's Sew Along, for this I wanted to focus on my own personal sewing issue ZIPS.

Zips, zips, zips I don't go a day where I don't touch atleast one, if it's not on my own clothes then on the childrens clothes, my eldests pencil case, their coats so many zips.

Most people prefer to use them instead of buttons as buttons can be time consuming, I hate putting them on things, my previous tries at zips have gone horribly wrong so I gave up. I have quite a stash of them, ironicly none in the size I need, but I just avoid them.

This is my first tutorial so it may be a bit rough around the edges.

Equipment needed

• Zipper foot
• Zip
• Fabric 
• Pins or needle and thread (if hand tacking)

Skills needed

You need to be able preform a straight stitch.

First think you will need is a Zipper foot this allows you to sew closer to the zip it should looks a bit like this one. You will see it has a bar separated by a middle post this allows you to attach is on either side for sewing.

Universal Zipper foot for Low Shank machines

Underside of a regular Zipper foot

In this tutorial I pinned the zip to my fabric simply because the instructions I was following for the coin purse said to but it would be much to easier to hand tack it in place.
Secure the zip to the right side of the fabric. If your fabric frays easily then you will want

either overlock or zig-zag stitch the edge first.

Start with a securing stitch, sew steadily along with a straight stitch, till the end and finish with another securing stitch.

You then fold it back and you want to press it at a tempreture sutible for your fabric.

You're then pinning (or hand tacking) the other side in the same way and repeating on the other side.

 

Again fold back and press again so the fabric stays nicely at either side of the zip and VOILÀ you have attached a zip!

Now if your accomplished at doing a basic zip there is plenty more versions to play with you can do lapped zips, mu husband currently likes that term as he has learnt it watching the Great British Sewing Bee, it's that and Sweetheart necklines, fly zippers and if you have the right foot you can do an invisible zip, there is tutorials on this on youtube with a regular zip foot.

You can also try on a variety of projects using them as decoration.

I have seen pencil cases and bags made purely from zips so its not as plain and boring as it seems.

Now I hand this over to you lot.

I am really interested to see what other people can do so please share with me your attempts even if they go wrong.
You can share with me via 

Instagram: with #knottednelly and tag me @insonstis  

Twitter: #knottednelly and @Disabledmum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knotonyournelly 
or via your personal blog and letting me know in the comments...

If your taking part from your blog please let me know so I can add you to the list this helps me to view people taking part and see what you are making go here to see how to take part from your blog 

Forget-me-knot
Louisa


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Did ya miss me?

So the last week has been crazy and I don't mean your basic being a mum kinda crazy, I like to think I have adapted to that kind of crazy, I mean the kind of no time to pee non stop stress filled kind of crazy.

I've had no time to blog, craft and limited time for even the necessities like Facebook.
Though I'm hoping that next week will be a lot less hectic, so I am planning on getting a lot more crafting done.

I've got 2 on the go projects at the moment 1 is a secret crochet project secret due to the disaster of my last project, in which I confused English Double Crochet with American Double Crochet, my monster was rather gappy. So if this one looks nothing like it is meant to I shall pretend that's what it is meant to be.
Clever eh! 

The second is new whilst reading one of my craft mags I saw it and I had to do it, mainly as I've a thing for cats, even though it meant new kit. So the stuff came and I started and it's not fab, the magazine made it look easier then it is.

So my felt cats not rounded or looking like a cat, John said make it into a fox,  we will see when he is finished.  The poor guy is camera shy at the moment, I will see if I can tempt him out later with some kitty treats or what ever a fox's eat.

On the subject of magazines, I have this terrible habit of collecting the cover free projects and never doing them, so I am going through using them up right now. I've dragged out four of them, three wee bits and a bag decorating one, so slotting them in too. I have almost finished my 'Mug cosy' which will be a 'Can cosy', mainly as I like my coffee quite cool thanks to my twitchy hands, hot coffee is a burn risk. With summer coming a nice cold can of fizzy, will be nice but the cold can hurts my hands so will use my 'Can cosy'.

See who knew I had a logical brain in there?

So that's my week planned out, though I hope for some books to arrive for something big which is happening in October...

I START MY HISTORY DEGREE

Oh yes you read right, I will be starting a degree, BA (hons) History with the Open University yay!

To celebrate I am hoping to feature some amazing historical seamstresses and/or tailors so watch this space!

Also trying to work on a sew-a-long idea,if anyone has any ideas then please, please, please let me know via the comments below.
Forget-me-knot Louisa


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