In this month’s live Q&A, Nicki LaFoille covered everything from what type of needles and thread to use when, and how to deal with and fix thread tangles, skipped stitches and other stitch quality issues. She also talked about sewing all sorts of projects from heirloom sewing to baby blankets, draperies to clothes.
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having problem making “bows” for a mini quit…. any suggestions would be appreciated..
Do you mean you are trying to tie bows to add to a quilt or you are wanting to piece a ‘bow’ quilt block?
What can I do to thread the needle when sewing on my sewing machine?
Hi, Linda. There are many tools out there that can help you when it comes to threading needles. Here is a great video that shows you several that can be used on both hand sewing and machine sewing needles”
https://www.nationalsewingcircle.com/video/how-to-thread-a-needle-with-ease-007513/
No matter how good your vision is, threading a needle can still be difficult. ZJ Humbach shows you how to thread a needle with ease using different types of needle.
When should you service your machine?
Hi, Della. This is sort of a matter of preference in my opinion. If you treat your machine well, use it correctly, clean and oil it occasionally- you may never need to have your machine serviced if you don’t have any problems. I personally have a Brother that I have been using for almost 10 years and have never had it serviced and have had no issues. If you find that you are having issues or you machine seems louder or seems to be having problems that you didn’t used to have, then you might consider taking it in.
What sewing needles do I use to sew. sequin fabric
Hi, Tina. Depending on the type of sequin, I actually recommend removing the sequins from the seam allowances as hitting them with a needle can cause the needle to break. Once you remove the sequins from the areas being stitched, simply use a needle that corresponds to the type of fabric the sequins are on.
How can you keep a 1/4″ right to the edge when sewing triangles or anything for that matter. Fabric always seems to move to an 1/8″even when holding it
Hi, Candis. I recommend using a 1/4″ foot to help you keep your fabric lined up while stitching. If you are still having issues, I would draw your stitching line on your fabric so you have a line to follow and can ensure you are stitching at an accurate 1/4″.
run a pipe cleaning cheele rod through the tension disk. it will pick up all of the lint in there,
Hate I missed you. Please give 24 hour notice for your next webinar.
i am thinking about going in to sewing quilt business , do you have any ideals how i should decide the pricing on them
Hi, Judy. Pricing can vary depending on the type of project you are making and how easy or difficult it may be. In general, when determining pricing you want to first decide how much you feel your time is worth to sew and quilt- meaning how much per hour you charge. From there, you would add on a materials cost. It is always a good idea to take the cost you paid for materials and at least double it, meaning if you spend $20 on materials you charge $40. This helps account for you time getting the supplies and your transportation to and from the store.
If u miss a lesson can it replay
Hi, Fay. We would be happy to assist you; we just need some more information. What is the title of the lesson you are referring to?
Thank for all the great info. Please keep these live streaming shows coming.
What is a sloper?
Thanks so much…
thanks for this format…When fitting slacks how do you fit a flat “bottom”/
YouTube, Silhouette Patterns. She has some wonderful videos, good patterns as well
I am trying to stitch with a twin needle on a very thin rayon-like stretch fabric. I tried using it to hem a skirt, but the stitches keep skipping or no stitch appears at all. I tried using Steam-a-Seam fusible tape to give it more firmness, but it still skips stitches or not at all. Can you help me troubleshoot what the problem might be? Also, what stitch length and tension should I be using? I tried using a small stitch and set the tension at 4.
There is no “SET” tension, it is a matter of trial and error. That’s why you need to test test test. Until it’s right
What thread weight should I use for heirloom sewing on my serger?
Made Christening Gowns, finished seams on serger, just used regular serger thread
And don’t watch the needle! To get seams straight.
To earlier question…quilt cuts should be on grain..if on bias it will stretch..and may cause stretched or crooked seems
Bias grain pieces also creates some issues if you have a “professional” do the quilting. A bias piece in the quilt will sort of bubble a bit on the quilt frame and require a little “manipulation” to get stitched properly
yardage for quilts http://www.quiltersparadiseesc.com/Calculators.php
Looking forward to this download
Do you free embroider or is everything computerized? I have free stitched, but it is not very easy with my machine. I have the same machine that is behind you. I have resorted back to hand embroidery.
Trina, its almost impossible to create freehand machine embroidery. Much easier to do free hand quilting such as stippling, mctavishing, itc
Are you not concerned about drape of fabric if you cut on bias in a garment?
I have a hard time keeping my seams straight. Any tips?
Why would you want to put a straight seam in a binding. I would suggest that a diagonal looks much nicer. There are great YouTubes for binding especially Sharon Schamber who is an award winning quilter
I want to make a purse out of a sweat shirt( no hood) that has letters across the chest, I want to keep that in the purse design, but not sure how to get started on making it. How do I do that. Just something simple. Maybe a shoulder strap purse.
Find the pattern you like and simply “fussy cut” around the lettering for the particular pattern piece. Just put pattern piece on top of the letters so that the letters are exactly where you want them to be on the purse. Make sure you get some really good stabilizer so that the letters remain flat rather than hanging down. Hope I explained that ok for you. FYI, Bosal has a really nice stabilizer for making bags. Check out their site
Just checking the class
Rayon is a great lining fabric under wool, especially in pants
You might want to give a Brother machine a try instead of Pfaff/Viking. The feed dogs are far better and stitching much more even.
Janome is also a good stitching machine, but embroidery is not quite as easy as the Brother.
How often should you change your needle, also on an embroidery machine
Wich kind of elastic should I use to make fitted sheet ?
What is a good underlining fabric for wool trousers?
I just bought a new pattern, and one of the suggested fabrics is Sandwashed Silk. I’m not familiar with that fabric. Can you describe it or compare it to another fabric?
Sandwashed silk is a lightweight, very drapey silk, suitable for blouses and lightweight summer dresses, and one side of the fabric has a texture much like suede, it also tends to be more of a matte finish than the shiny finish of a charmeuse or the nubbly texture of a noil or tussah. At least that has been my experience of fabrics labeled as sandwashed silk.
I often seal my seams on vinyl or oil cloth
with clear fabric glue. Especially if its a rain coat, or used for food
Can you explain and possibly show an example of an even weave fabric?
Willing to hear new technique
Hello – thank you for the class.
very interested to see NSC LIVE August 2016
What is the topic tonight?
how do you sew with plastic. I have made a pouch for crochet items and want to line it
This is my first time and I am look forward to learning new ideas. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful program.
Thank you for your wonderful program.
Thank you for this program.
Like your tips and tricks
pants plackets are to difficult to understand on the pattern sheet, so I have yet to make a pair of jeans.
When making T shirt quilts is it necessary to tack it down if the batting is caught in the edge seams.
Anxious to see NSC live