A few weeks ago on a sunny Saturday afternoon I went out shopping and wandering about the city with my cousin. One of the stops we made was to a big book store. And as I always do I poked around in the craft / sewing books section. There are SEVERAL books that I have been eyeing and would love to buy but I am trying to pace myself. This trip I did buy a book that has already changed the way I sew! It is The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook by Charlene Phillips.
I think this is one of the most useful books I have ever owned. After I read it cover to cover - which is rare for me to do with any type of non-fiction book, I bought 4 new feet to use on my machine. And I actually started using some of the feet I already had and was not sure what to do with.
So far my favorite new find is the "adjustable tape-stitching presser foot". I now know that there is also a different foot called a binder and that one looks amazing too and I am sure will soon be bought. I used the tape-stitcher foot to work on the aprons I made yesterday. I wanted to use bias tape to bind the edges and make them look professional and like I put a lot of work into them. Let me tell you this new foot was a HUGE time saver.
Basically it holds the tape for you and you do not have to pin or glue stick (my preferred method) the bias tape to what you are making to stitch it. It also makes straps out of bias tape beautifully! I alway had such a hard time making any bias tape straps. See how the tape fits into the two slots. The book has great step by step pics on how to use this foot and all the feet she talks about.
This is the GIANT roll of bias tape that I made for this project. Did you know that a yard of fabric makes a ton of bias tape? Well I sort of did but it did not really dawn on me until I started cutting and saw how much it really makes.
You can see the finished apron on yesterday's post. But from now on when I am struggling with how to make something work I am going to consult my new little blue book of solutions and figure out what attachment would be making my life and my sewing easier and more enjoyable.
If you are not familiar with the attachments for your machine I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book, you won't regret it.
Peace Out - C
I think this is one of the most useful books I have ever owned. After I read it cover to cover - which is rare for me to do with any type of non-fiction book, I bought 4 new feet to use on my machine. And I actually started using some of the feet I already had and was not sure what to do with.
So far my favorite new find is the "adjustable tape-stitching presser foot". I now know that there is also a different foot called a binder and that one looks amazing too and I am sure will soon be bought. I used the tape-stitcher foot to work on the aprons I made yesterday. I wanted to use bias tape to bind the edges and make them look professional and like I put a lot of work into them. Let me tell you this new foot was a HUGE time saver.
Basically it holds the tape for you and you do not have to pin or glue stick (my preferred method) the bias tape to what you are making to stitch it. It also makes straps out of bias tape beautifully! I alway had such a hard time making any bias tape straps. See how the tape fits into the two slots. The book has great step by step pics on how to use this foot and all the feet she talks about.
This is the GIANT roll of bias tape that I made for this project. Did you know that a yard of fabric makes a ton of bias tape? Well I sort of did but it did not really dawn on me until I started cutting and saw how much it really makes.You can see the finished apron on yesterday's post. But from now on when I am struggling with how to make something work I am going to consult my new little blue book of solutions and figure out what attachment would be making my life and my sewing easier and more enjoyable.
If you are not familiar with the attachments for your machine I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book, you won't regret it.
Peace Out - C
I love that book! It is so well written and helpful with vintage attachments!
ReplyDeleteI agree I even emailed Charlene and she is super sweet and sent me a nice email back! She is writing another book! I am excited to see what it is about.
ReplyDeleteI bought that book last summer and found it really helpful too. I will need to dig it out to look at that foot you are talking about, though. It might be time for me to purchase it. lol
ReplyDelete@ Susan - you should check it out. There are 2 different types of binding feet. I am looking forward to trying the other one but this one has been a HUGE time saver and the stitching is perfect rather than the wobbles I make when I do binding on my own.
ReplyDelete