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Hurray for Quilt Market!
Like so many of you, I love any type of project that has to do with fabric! Whether it's cotton fabric for quilting or wonderful quilted jackets, minky for snuggly baby wear or a slinky fabric for soft drapable knits, I just can't seem to get enough of them. Oh yes, I have my stash, and it just keeps growing.

One of the best places for fabric finding is at Quilt Market. An annual event held in Houston, this event is the premier fabric buyers' show. It's where store owners find all of the latest and greatest fabric finds. After Market closes, the show is open to consumers, so anyone can browse, buy and learn, just like I did.

Sewing with the Stars

Sewing with the Stars

At Market, not only do you get to see the latest fabrics, but you can also see some really interesting people like Marie Osmond. Marie designed a line of quilting fabric and was at the Market to meet and greet attendees. I was fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with her. I showed her one of the apron designs featured in The Best Apron Book Ever, my new pattern book available in January 2009, in which one of her fabrics is used.

Aprons Galore!

Marie really liked the apron design that used her fabric. She told me that one of her early sewing memories is of her mother making aprons. She has some beautiful fabric in her collection.

The following photo is of Phyllis Dobbs, another fabric designer, and Marie, who's holding a quilt that Phyllis sewed using Marie's fabric. I'm sure you'll all agree that it is a beautiful creation!

Marie Osmond and Phyllis Dobbs

I love to hear your comments about sewing finds. Please write and share with me by clicking here.

More Aprons with Marie

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Readers' Questions

To Clip or Not to Clip

Crystal G. asks:

You mentioned clipping diamond-shaped marks onto a pattern's seam allowance, so they can be used to help measure correctly. I was always told clipping into the seam allowance weakens the seam. Who's right?

Crystal, just be careful that you don't clip too far into the seam when you mark. As I always trim my seam allowance from 5/8 inch to 1/4 inch after I've pressed the seam allowance open, I trim off my marks without weakening the seam.

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Adjusting My Jeans

Deb asks:

I have a pair of jeans that have a flat felled seam on the inside of the leg. I want to bring in the legs of these jeans on both the inside and outside thigh area. What's the best way to handle the alteration?

Hi Deb, the easiest way to do the alteration is as you stated in your letter. Adjust the outside seam with a straight seam. For the inside flat felled seam, open the seam to about the knee. Adjust the upper inside thigh and taper your new seam into the existing one. Also, I would use two threads in the upper needle instead of topstitching thread into the bobbin. Using two threads adds visual weight to the thread, and often I will get a better color match to the existing thread in the garment.

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Bulging Pocket Solution

Debby Albrecht asks:

I have a couple pairs of ready-to-wear pants that seem to fit well, but the front pockets bulge out. How can I get the pockets to lay flat without sewing the pockets shut?

Debby, ready-to-wear has addressed this problem by adding a tummy control panel to pants. Try making your own panel by tracing the inside front area from the waist past the pocket and from the zipper to the side seam.

Cut the panel from swimwear. Open the waistband and insert the top on the pocket and restitch the band into place. Depending on the front closure of the pants, either rip and slide the raw edge of the panel behind the zipper facings and stitch or edge-finish the panel, or position the panel on top of center seam allowances and stitch.

Before finishing the remaining side seam, pin into place to determine how tight the fabric should be stretched. Your last step is to stitch and edge-finish this seam.

If this sounds confusing, you should ask for slacks with the Not My Daughter label on your next shopping trip. You'll see how the panel is created and how it really does work.

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Need a Walking Foot?

Sonja Smith asks:

What am I doing wrong? When I make a quilt, the back shifts as I sew even though I pin it together first.

The fabric shifting is due to the top and bottom layers of the quilt moving at two different speeds. There are several ways to decrease this shifting.

First, whenever I quilt, I use a temporary spray adhesive to hold the layers together first; then I pin by sections. If shifting still occurs, try using a walking foot. This foot is designed to pull the fabric at the same speed as the feed dogs while you are sewing.

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Ballet Finds

Sandy Silvas asks:

I make ballet costumes, but I am having problems finding patterns. Do you have any supplier recommendations? So far I have been winging it, but would like to be able to make tutus, too. However, I am afraid to try this without a pattern or instructions.

Try visiting KwikSew (Kwiksew.com) for children's ballerina patterns, and Vogue fabric (Voguefabricsstore.com) has a great selection. Hope this helps.

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Hem on the Bias

Mindy asks:

Do you have any tips for shortening a dress when the hem is on the bias?

Hemming a dress with a bias hem can be challenging. The first step to successful hemming is to let the dress hang so that the fabric will stretch equally in all directions. Be sure to use a narrow hem with a longer stitch length. Depending on the fabric, I've even used a narrow zigzag.

Do you have any serger or sewing questions? How about a fitting challenge that you'd like to solve? What new techniques are you interested in learning? Send your serger or sewing-machine questions, difficulties with fabric questions or ask me for some alteration tips by clicking here. Your solution is only a click away.

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Readers' Tips

Eliminate the Wave

Cyndi says:

Wavy hems on skirts may be caused by the fabric being cut off-grain (or not being square). Bias hems are another instance where the hems may wave. Since the angle of the bias is constantly changing, these garments often need a little extra help such as hanging before marking and hemming. Soft fabrics, like rayon and chiffon, are big culprits that create wavy hems when cut on the bias.

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Adjust a Belt

Stephanie says:

When I shorten a belt, I just remove the buckle and cut off the extra belt from that end. That way, the finished end and grommets are still in the right place. To reattach the buckle, I re-punch the hole for the tongue, fold the end over the buckle and stitch the seam with a denim or leather needle.

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Pinch an Inch

Gerry O'Dea says:

I was told about 60 years ago to pinch an inch of ease on each side of a skirt. Doing this gives you about 2 inches of ease total, and the skirt will not ride up. Another tip: sit on a chair and measure from your waist to the chair. This will help determine the proper rise for pants.

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Faded Fabric Solutions

Laura Bullinger says:

Faded and yellow fabric is just a loss of color. If the fabric is linen, the yellow color is the natural color of unbleached linen, which looks more like lemon when next to pink. In other words, there is a loss of color on the creases. You could try painting a new pink dye on the creases, but do it in stages until the right shade is reached.

Linda Jenkins says:

Try a baking soda and peroxide paste and then wash the fabric. I have used this solution for some stains, and it works really well. Of course, it depends on the type of fabric, but I do know that baking soda gives a boost to soap. Hope this helps.

Pam Wilkins says:

For stains, especially yellowing ones, try Restoration Fabric Restorer. This product is available at many quilt stores or online at Clotilde.com.

Marilyn Michalls says:

I recently received a quilt that had been through a fire. It had lots of marks and discolorations. I used OxiClean on it, and it worked wonders restoring the fabric to its original color.

Sadie says:

Try putting 3 to 4 cups of vinegar in 2 to 3 cups of hot water (depending on the yardage of the fabric). Submerge the fabric into the vinegar water solution, and continue to add vinegar as needed, making sure there is always more vinegar than water. Let it soak for a couple of hours and rub the yellowing lines every so often. Rinse and machine-wash. Before you dry the fabric, see if the yellowing is gone. If it has disappeared, then dry it. If not, repeat the process again.

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A Growing Hem

Judy Blickensderfer says:

Dixie Pierce asked about shortening her granddaughters jeans without cutting six inches off. Make a large cuff and you can always let it out, even put rick rack or trim if the edges then show.

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Design a Duvet

Barbara Sullivan says:

I have made several duvet covers for my daughters' favorite feather comforters. We use flat sheets because they are easy to work with and you don't need to do much cutting. The trick is keeping the fabric in place while you sew a large button to each corner of the comforter. This suggestion will not alter the integrity of the comforter should you ever change your mind and remove the cover.

Use a scrap of the sheet fabric to make four "buttonholes." To do this, start with a piece of fabric that is 4 1/2 x 3 inches. Fold in half, lengthwise, and press and fold the raw edges to the center. In the corner of the rectangle, make a buttonhole to fit the buttons previously sewn.

Repeat the process for each corner of the duvet. Sew each rectangle into each corner seam line and turn the cover to the right side, so the buttons will not show.

We make the duvet in the style of the old-fashioned sandwich bag, so it quilt is stuffed inside and the top flipped over to the back. To finish, I put buttons and holes on the back of the duvet along the opening to hold it in place!

Remember, get creative and use buttons that are fun and coordinate nicely, so you can use the back of the duvet as well as the front.

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Readers' Comments

Western Fringe Solutions

Joanne York says:

I have been ordering fringe for Western outfits from The Bee Lee Company located in Dallas Texas. As far as I know, they do not have a Web site, but you can call them toll-free at 1-800-527-5271 or e-mail them at pearlsnap@thebeeleecompany.com for a catalog. The other good thing about this company is that you can buy snaps, zippers, thread and buttons for Western wear in bulk or one item for a very inexpensive price.

Corrine Young says:

In response to Nancy Richmond who asked if there is a simple pattern for knitting your own fringe, she should try visiting Lion Brand Yarn's Web site Lionbrand.com. The pattern is called Knit Trim Single Fringe Loop and was listed as trim of the week.

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Today's Darning

Jennifer Levene says:

The most important skill I learned from my grandmother was darning. I have saved many pairs of socks and jerseys with this skill, and on occasions, I've darned a cotton garment because I couldn't stand the thought of throwing it away.

It is always interesting to see how sewing has evolved and changed. I too, learned to darn, on my sewing machine. While I still darn knits, I find that I love to combine my darning foot and apply my skills to free-motion sewing.

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A Sewing Seamster

Gaye Goodwin says:

I want to share an amusing story about what those of us who sew are called. When I was a teenager, an elderly neighbor complimented me on a garment I had made. He said that one day I'd make a good "seamster." My mother and I had a good laugh at this, and to this day, we're still calling ourselves "seamsters." Recalling this story is also a great way to remember the man who gave me sincere encouragement that has stayed with me longer than I could have ever realized.

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Going Really Green

Carrie says:

I love thrift store finds. My favorite thing to do is go in and look for material. From sheets to drapes, I take these long-forgotten treasures and make them new again. After a day of thrifting, I take my finds, wash and dry them, and then sit back to admire their beauty. After that, I slice them to pieces! I reassemble the pieces to make beautiful cloth grocery bags that I can use over and over.

Do you have a comment about sewing that you want to get off your chest? Are you inspired to sew from watching your favorite TV personality, or do you like to try out new techniques from reading books and magazines? Or, perhaps you've taken an interesting class from a great teacher. Let me know, so I can pass it on to our other readers by clicking here.

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