Need to Baste, Use Needle and Thread or Pins, Not Glue

   I am a member of the Quilting Board which is an on-line quilting community.  I am amazed at the number of people on the board that use Elmers School Glue for basting quilt sandwiches, basting English paper piecing papers to fabric, basting seams, and basting zippers.

    I recently read a post by a person who wanted help because they used too much glue on their English Paper Piecing papers and the fabric was stuck to them and wondered how to fix the over use of glue.   It took all I had not to respond that using glue instead of thread to baste was just not smart.

    I have never used Elmers School Glue in my sewing.  If I want to baste something I get a needle and thread and baste it by hand or by machine.  I use large safety pins to pin baste my quilt sandwiches.  That's what sewing is all about, needle, thread and pins.  Not glue.

    I have used fusible interfacing, fleece, and webbing in my sewing.  I have also been intrigued by the two sided tape used to stabilize zippers (Dritz Wash Away Wonder Tape) but I have never used any.

    I would NEVER take the Elmers to my fabric.  Yes, I understand that the glue washes out, but  I think it's gross and really unnecessary.  It makes me wonder if the folks that are using glue don't really like to sew at all.

Twin Needle Stitching Research Done

      I finished the research into the question of whether my Singer 3400 XL or my Bernina 1530 will do twin needle stitching and the answer is, yes.  They both do this stitching.  The both have a general purpose needle plate so the opening is wide enough for the twin needle and they both have presser feet that accommodate the twin needle.  The only thing I will have to fiddle with is that the Singer only has one spool pin (the Bernina has two), so I will have to place a spool on the lone spool pin and one on my thread holder.  I did some practice stitching.  The blue stitching is the Bernina and the red stitching is the Singer.  I will make a note of these findings in the owner's manuals along with notations about the feet, needle plate, stitch length setting, and spool pins.

    I started the stitching at the normal 2.0 setting but the stitching came out much nicer at a longer length setting, I think I ended up at 3.0 or 3.5.
 

Twin Needle/Stretch Stitch Research on My Sewing Machines

    I pulled out the owner's manual on my Singer 3400 XL (computerized, 2001) and the Bernina 1530 (computerized, 1992) this morning so I could research twin needle stitching and stretch stitches on these machines.

    I read a LOT of quilting, sewing, and crafting blogs and lots of those blogs are about garment sewing, which is something I did when I first started sewing in my teens when I was taking a sewing course almost every semester in high school.

     All the reading about garment sewing reminds me of the first sewing machine I ever owned.  It was given to me for Christmas or my birthday (my birthday is a few days after Christmas so they kind of run together) when I was about 15 years old by my oldest brother.  It was a Singer (I don't remember what model) that did twin needle stitching and it also had a stretch stitch which was super cool.  I wish I still had that machine but I don't.  I lent that machine to someone who broke it and I couldn't afford to get it fixed so I threw it away.  Shame on me.

   My brother did have an ulterior motive for giving me that sewing machine.  He wanted me to make a few things for him.  I made curtains for his room, I made curtains for his van, and I made his girlfriend a really cool stuffed teddy bear made from fake fur.  He supplied the money for all the materials and I did all the work, measuring, shopping, cutting and sewing.  It wasn't a bad way to spend my free time in high school.

   So, back to the research on my current machines.  My Singer 3400 XL doesn't have anything in the manual about twin needle stitching, but I may try it after I check my needle plate to make sure I have enough room for the twin needles to pass through.  The Singer does have a lovely stretch stitch as well as an overcast stitch and and an overcast foot.  My Bernina 1530 manual does not mention twin needle stitching, but after I check my needle plate, I may play with this carefully.  It does have a couple of stretch stitches.

   My hands on research will continue this evening and I'll give you results tonight.

Making Needlebooks With 100% Wool Felt

     Last week I received 10 different 6" x 8" sheets of 100% wool felt in shades of blue, purple and green that I bought from an Etsy seller.   I bought the small sheets to make needle books and they are the perfect size.  I love needle books and I really like the 100% wool felt for needle books, it's pretty stiff and wool is great for needles and pins.  I wanted to make one for my Secret Santa Swap partner and after I made hers, I decided to make one for myself and one for my daughter.  I used embroidery floss to put the front and back together with the classic buttonhole stitch and also to make the lazy daisy decorations on the front.  The ribbon closure is grosgrain ribbon I had in my stash.  Here a picture of the prettiest one.