Sewing Multiple Layers of Heavy Fabric

Many people think their sewing machine can't handle sewing several layers of heavy or thick fabrics because they have broken machine needles while trying it.  Hemming bluejeans is a common problem.  Most sewing machines should be able to handle the job with this simple technique.

First of all, you don't want your machine presser foot to look like this.  The steep angle causes broken needles.  It should be kept level.  So how do you do that?

 Take a piece of fabric and fold it to about the thickness of what you are trying to sew.  You could even sew a few stitches through the layers to keep the folds.  This piece is a bit of my Teddy bear fabric.

Place the folded fabric under the foot, behind the piece you are attempting to sew, and it will level the foot.  Start sewing, and keep it there until the foot is all the way onto to piece.  Just be careful not to catch it with your backstitch!

When you get close to the end of your seam, before the foot starts dipping down, insert the folded fabric in front of the foot.  Finish sewing your seam.  Now wasn't that easy?!

 This is my sewing work from today.  Eight Teddys parts are sewn as much as I can before pressing seams open.  That is a project for tomorrow, after work.

I also finished the pink Teddy fabric, plus paw fabric for two or three bears.  Warp threads started breaking, so I glued up the end of the weaving after repairing the broken warps.  I will cut the completed fabric off the loom tomorrow, and full it.  I only have one more bear fabric to weave, plus two or three paw fabrics.  I need to decide what yarn color and pattern I will be using.  I'll think about it tomorrow. 

Teddy Bears Continued

The weaving continues on the two remaining bear fabrics, plus the paws for five bears.  Click on any photo for better viewing.

This is the pattern for the fabric above.  The threading is a variation of Rose Path.  It is probably in a book somewhere, but I haven't found it.  I'm sure it isn't original, but I came up with it by playing around with the Fiberworks weaving software.  I think the closest to tabby that I can get with this threading and treadling is shown at the bottom.

All the bear fabrics that are woven have been marked with the pattern pieces, and each shape has been stitched around to stabilize the edges, and all openings that have to be hand sewn have been stay-stitched.  I have started on the next part of the assembly line--cutting out half the pieces to sew together.

With the first bear, I thought I would have more control of the fabric, especially with the narrow (1/4") seams, if I cut out only one of the two pieces that need to be sewn together.  It did work out well, so that is what I am doing now.  There is a lot of cutting to do before I get back to the sewing machine.  Sounds like a good excuse to get out Pride and Prejudice and watch it again while I'm cutting!

T1 is Finished

After sewing different ears that were smaller, and embroidering nose, mouth, and claws, I finally finished T1 (Teddy #1) a few minutes ago.  We then held a photo shoot with her 25 year old Uncle Bear.  Don't they look cute together?
    Uncle Bear was one of the bears I made 25 years ago for one of our children.  I found him a while back in the garage, and brought him in a few days ago.  Typical of how my boys were, he had dirty ears and face and was in great need of a bath.
     I put him in the bathtub, and under great protest, I smeared him up with soap and gave him a thorough washing.  He cried because I got soap in his eyes, and he didn't like water in his ears!
    And then, the worst indignity of all was the really fast spinning ride in the washer.  I guess he takes after me, and just does NOT like those scary rides!

Some Hand Sewing Stitches for Teddy

T1 (Teddy #1) is getting closer to being done, but what is left is the time consuming hand sewing.  Here is the body, head and one leg stuffed.  The head has been sewn on, and the back of the body closed.
I found some stuffing at Joann Fabrics that I am pleased with.  It's called Silky Soft and is marketed by Fairfield.  T1 doesn't feel lumpy at all, and I was a little worried about that happening, with it being fabric rather than fur.

Here is how I hand-sew the openings closed.  I knot my thread (this is a heavy top-stitching thread, waxed and doubled), start at one end of the opening, hide the knot inside, and start a ladder stitch.  Click on the photo to make it bigger.  I do quite a few stitches before taking the eye of a heavy needle and pulling the ladders tight.  I take my stitches just outside the stay-stitching at the opening.  The ladder stitch is like doing a running stitch, but alternating back and forth between both sides of the opening.  If the stitches are kept straight across the opening, they cinch up invisibly, without puckers.

When I get to the end of the opening, I use a nifty sewers knot that won't come undone, and is tiny, even with this thick thread.  The first step is to make a loop with the thread and then bring the needle up through the loop.

Another loop forms from the tail of the thread.  Take the needle down through the second loop. (Up through the first loop, down through the second loop.)

Pull on the thread to tighten the knot down to the surface of the fabric.

Can you see the knot?  I can't either, or just barely.  Even with this thick thread, it is a pretty small knot.  Now, just run the needle inside along the seam to hide the tail and exit an inch or so away and snip the thread. 

This is the best knot I have ever learned for sewing, and can be used any time you need to anchor the thread.  I use it for sewing on buttons, hemming, embroidery, smocking, tacking, etc.  The tail can be nipped off quite short, because the knot will NOT come undone!  With a single strand of regular sewing thread, the knot is very small.  Try it--you will never go back to anchoring thread your old way.

Attaching Eyes to Teddy and Starting Final Fabric

Eyes come with a shank and a gripping washer that slides onto the shank.  The newer eyes have plastic washers, but still work the same way.

I make a hole with the awl and push the eye shank through.  These eyes look quite loose because the washers haven't been put on the shanks yet.

The washer is pushed on by hand until it is very tight.  There is a right and wrong way to put on the washer.  If it is right, it can't be pulled off the shank.  I don't think it can be pushed on the wrong way because the prongs grip the shank.

This warp was a natural color with dark brown slubs that I dyed a pinky brown.  It is sett 24 epi in a 12 dent reed.

This is the weft, and it is a wool and angora mix that I dyed pink.  I'm hoping it will show more than the weft, which is quite rough.

I wove a little sample last night with a few different treadlings.  I will be using the one next to the paper tape measure, since it shows the most angora.

Teddy Bear Joints

Teddy bear parts are sewn, and almost ready to assemble.

I needed to press some of the seams open or the stuffing will look lumpy, and needed a tool that would get inside the small openings.  I had some thick felted upholstery wool, so I glued a bit of it around an old towel rod, and sewed the seam where the edges butted together, and closed the end with a few stitches.

It worked well.

On my trip to the hardware store, I purchased the joint supplies for eleven bears. 
1 1/4" x 1/4" fender washers, 8 per bear
3/4" x 1/4" hex bolts, 4 per bear
1/4" Lock nuts with nylon insert, 4 per bear
7/16" hex nut driver
I already had the 7/16" socket and ratchet.  The red plastic circles were cut from old laundry detergent bottles, and the center circle was drilled out on the drill press.

Here is a close up of one half of the joint.  This part will go inside the arms and legs, because it doesn't stick out as much as the nut side of the joint.  The red plastic goes against the fabric.  The other halves of the joints are in the background, another red plastic disk, a fender washer, and the lock nut.

I decided I needed an awl to start the hole for the joint.  This one is about 1/4" in diameter.

Here I am, using the awl to gently pull the weave apart.  So far I have successfully gotten the bolt through without cutting anything.

The bolt will go through the hole in the body, where the awl is poking out.

I used the nut driver inside the leg, and the ratchet, which is a bit bigger, inside the body.  The nut driver just holds the bolt from turning, and the ratchet does the work of tightening the nut.  The legs and arms need to be pretty tight, just barely able to turn.  Once they are stuffed, they will move easier.

Two legs are on.  Arms will be next, but that is for another day.

Started Sewing Teddy Bears Today

More Teddy bear fabric is finished, but I still need to weave a few more.  This is number four from the Finnish Twill warp (Davison, pg 37, version IV).  This one is my favorite, and is very easy to weave.  Both sides are different, but both look nice. 

This is the final fabric from this warp.  It is plain weave, and I will use it for the paws of the bears.  I like the faint stripes from closer denting in the reed.  The warp was sleyed in the reed: 2-2-3-2-2, and then repeated, to give 22 ends per inch in a 10 dent reed.

Here is the line-up of five fabrics.

 Five fabrics fulled and drying in the sunshine.  Because of the different sett, these fabrics were a bit wider than my first ones.  They are all fused, using my new steam press, which I love!  The fabric in the center is mohair, and is very hairy.  I clipped the other mohair that I wove on the backside before fusing the interfacing, but I decided to try brushing this one first to try and bring as much of the long hair to the surface.  It seemed to work, so I was able to iron the interfacing to the backside without clipping.

I traced around my pattern pieces with magic marker, and here I am stitching just inside the marks to further stabilize the edges.  I have been worried that the fabric will start to unravel with the narrow seams, so the stitching is just added insurance.

I have been cutting out one piece, laying it on the uncut piece I'm sewing it to, and then stitching them together.

I'm cutting the underneath piece after stitching.

Here are arms and ears stitched and turned, and the rest of the pieces marked on the cloth, ready to cut and stitch together.  So far, everything on this first bear has gone together without problems.  I'm not looking forward to all the openings that will need handstitching, especially since my right thumb is giving me some trouble lately.

I will need to get to the hardware store to get the joint hardware in the next couple days.  I will finish this one before starting another, so I can see if I will have trouble with any of it.  If it's too hard, I'll look for another pattern.

New Toy (Tool)

The steam press I ordered arrived today, so I put it through it's paces to test it out.  I have been wanting one for quite a while, and when I started working on Teddy bear fabric, I decided to start looking for one.  I ended up buying one called Steam Fast.  It isn't a super good one, so I'm hoping it gets me a few years of use out of it.  It's not like I will be using it daily, so it should. 

In order to stabilize the fabrics, I needed to fuse a lightweight interfacing to all of them, and I didn't think my shoulders would hold up to all the pressure needed with a conventional iron.

So far, after fusing the five finished fabrics, it has worked great.  It has several heat settings, so I set it on the one for wool, filled the steam reservoir with water, and got them all done, and my shoulders are not sore at all!  The interfacing feels good and tight.  I used a lot of steam, plus a damp press cloth, so they are all hanging to dry completely.

The turquoise twill is Teddy fabric number 7.  The warp is fairly thin wool, sett at 22 ends per inch.  It is woven in Finnish Twill, from pg. 37 of Davison's pattern book.  Both of these fabrics are version I treadling.  The turquoise is angora and wool that I dyed (color requested by a granddaughter).  The brown twill is mohair in a varigated color.  It is kind of difficult to wind a bobbin and weave with it because it is pretty hairy.  I tried a plain weave first, but I think my warp was too tight, so I'm using the twill.  The pattern won't show very much once the fabric is wet-finished, but I think it will allow the yarn to be a bit more fuzzy.  Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, you know, and this fabric will be soon!

This photo is fabric number 6 and 7.  The peach colored angora wool stripe (also dyed per granddaughter request) is version IV of the Finnish Twill.  It is one of my favorites of the bear fabric so far.  I think I may try it for some towels sometime.  I think it could look great with different colored stripes.

Dyeing Yarn Again

I'm back to dyeing more yarn for Teddy bears.  I finished winding off 5 more yards of warp last night, and dyed it tonight (Akk!  I mean last night!  I didn't realize it was so late.)  I tried a different dye this time: Cushing's Perfection Dye in a dark brown.  I tried presoaking the four warp bouts in water and vinegar after washing it.  I don't think I like the vinegar process very well, because the yarn didn't dye evenly.  I'm sure it was something I did wrong, but I'm not sure what it was.  So I have a varigated brown yarn, which can still look ok for what I am using it for.  No pictures tonight.  Maybe tomorrow.

The granddaughters picked out colors to have me dye the wool-angora weft, so I will get that done tomorrow.  Hopefully the warp will be dry enough tomorrow or Sunday to start winding it on the loom.

I'm still trying to decide which steam press I will buy, so I can fuse the interfacing to the fabric before cutting out the bears.  I'm leaning towards the Reliable, which is sold by the same company that sells Baby Lock sewing machines.

New Granddaughter

Elisabeth Ann, our new granddaughter, was born Sunday.  She is so beautiful.  She is about ten hours old in this photo.

I just finished a non-weaving project--a dozen newborn diapers for Elisabeth, made from my daughter's pattern, using recycled, 100% cotton knit shirts.  Here is a link to her website:

 http://fernandfaerie.com/frugaldiapering.html

I need to send them to her pronto, before she outgrows them.  Hope her mommy likes them.  I think they are cute.

I haven't done much weaving lately, except for the pick-up band on my inkle loom.  It was a nice take along project that I took when we went camping.

I taught my daughter Becky how to do it, and she took to it like a duck to water. (She is also the daughter that has the Fern and Faerie website for diapers.)

The pretty part is now on the bottom of the loom.  It's getting close to being done.