Before you start laying your pattern pieces onto your material, it is important to make sure you have a straight edge to your fabric.
One of the easiest ways to get your fabric straight is to find a weft thread (close to the edge) that runs across the width of the fabric – a pin can help to pull out and isolate the thread. Pull the thread gently – your fabric should start to gather up. If your thread breaks, find the broken end and pull again. Continue reading
Before you cut out your pieces of fabric it helps to know a little about how your fabric is constructed and what your pattern symbols mean. Here are some of the main symbols you may come across.
Since making my Zpagetti yarn bag I have had plans to make a crocheted Granny Dollie Rug. I’m always keen to try out new yarns, so was delighted to come across Hooplayarn for my latest ‘StitchShare’ project.
My rug is mainly made up of UK treble (US double) and chain crochet stitches. A key aim of the project is to create a circle that will lay flat on the ground, each time I finished a round I threw her (she is called Daisy!) on the floor and had a good look at her edge. If the rug was lying flat that was perfect. If the edge of the rug was curving down / under, then it meant I needed to increase my stitches on the next round. If the rug edges curved up or became wavy, it was a sign I had too many stitches.
Do you want to see her story?
I have just got back from my first ever free-hand machine embroidery session and totally loved it! I would encourage anyone to have a try – it was so therapeutic as there is no need to keep your lines straight – you just go with your instinct and let your thread and needle do the ‘painting’.
The course was delivered by Lara Sparks @ The Eternal Maker in West Sussex. Lara was a superb tutor and her work is amazing.
To help remember some of the key things I learnt today I thought it would be a good idea to jot down a few notes.
thestitchsharer 