Dear Sewing lover,
It is time for the new year; it's time to begin new sewing projects and time to set new sewing goals. To help you with that, I've included some of the favorite topics, tips and comments from 2008. Use these to help as you plan your sewing for 2009. Winter White Sale
After the last holiday guest has left, all the holiday decorations have been carefully wrapped and stored away, and we've resolved to lose that extra poundage we gained over the last month, we begin looking for sewing projects for our homes. Wearables will just have to wait, because heaven forbid, we can't sew clothing at this post-holiday weight! I'm thinking of sewing several different projects for my home. Perhaps new curtains for my kitchen, maybe an updated bath ensemble, or matching pillow shams for my guest room are exactly what's needed for my home. As you know, the possibilities are endless for those of us that love to sew. Have you looked around your home? What needs updating after the holidays? But where to start? I hope the following information will help. I've compiled some standard measurements for home decor sewing. Have fun and remember: You're only limited by your imagination. And, don't forget, those extra pounds will be gone by next month! Description | | Standard Size | Shower Curtain | | 72 x 72 inches | | | | Pillowcase | Boudoir (Travel) | 12 x 16 inches | | Standard | 21 x 27 inches | | Queen | 21 x 31 inches | | King | 21 x 37 inches | | | | Sheet Sizes | Crib Fitted | 28 x 52 inches | | Crib Flat | 42 x 72 inches | | Twin Fitted | 39 x 75 inches | | Twin Flat | 66 x 96 inches | | Double Fitted | 54 x 75 inches | | Double Flat | 81 x 96 inches | | Queen Fitted | 60 x 80 inches | | Queen Flat | 90 x 102 inches | | King (Standard) Fitted | 76 x 80 inches | | King (Standard) Flat | 108 x 102 inches | | | | Bedspread Sizes | Twin | 81 x 110 inches | | Double | 96 x 110 inches | | Queen | 102 x 120 inches | | King (Standard) | 115 x 120 inches | | | | Coverlet/Comforter | Twin | 69 x 90 inches | | Double | 84 x 90 inches | | Queen | 90 x 95 inches | | King (Standard) | 94 x 102 inches | | | | Duvet | Twin | 71 x 92 inches | | Double | 86 x 92 inches | | Queen | 92 x 97 inches | | King (Standard) | 96 x 105 inches | | | | Tablecloth | Square Table: 28 x 28 to 30 x 30 inch | 54 x 54 inches | | Square Table: 36 x 36 to 40 x 40 inch | 64 x 64 inches | | Square Table: 48 x 48 to 52 x 52 inch | 72 x 72 inches | | | | | Round Table: 36 inch diameter | 64 x 64 inches | | Round Table: 60 to 66 inch diameter | 81 x 81 inches | | Round Table: 72 inch diameter | 90 x 90 inches | | | | | Rectangle Table:
30 x 48 inch | 54 x 72 inches | | Rectangle Table:
30 x 72 inch | 54 x 96 inches | | Rectangle Table:
40 x 72 inch | 64 x 96 inches | | Rectangle Table:
40 x 96 inch | 64 x 120 inches | | Rectangle Table:
40 x 120 inch | 64 x 144 inches | Back to top. Best Readers' Questions in 2008 Bev asks: I'm a senior citizen, worried about the high cost of heating, I'm looking for some kind of thermal material to put behind the drapes I made from large sheets. I've found an expandable steel rod that fits a 106-inch window span. It fits nicely inside my window casing, and I can slip the rod through the hem. Do you have any ideas? Bev, for insulated windows and treatments, try going to the Warmcompany.com. They have an insulated batting material for window treatments. Deborah Henry asks: I recently learned how to do foundation piecing. However, if I create a project using a self-designed pattern, how do you know in what order to sew the pieces? The pieces are numbered in purchased patterns. Deborah, when you do foundation piecing the order is very important. Always start in the center of the project and work outside to the edges. If the pattern has multiple borders, finish the complete border in a clockwise manner, before piecing the next border or area. Nancy Myran asks: I'm having trouble sewing on spandex. My machine skips stitches on this fabric. I tried a ballpoint needle size 11. I also tried my serger. I used the differential feed, but it still stretched. There must be a secret. Nancy, you actually have two issues to contend with: skipped stitches and stretched fabric. Try these tips for your sewing machine when working on knits to avoid skipped stitches: - Try a finer ballpoint needle than the size 11. I know it sounds like a funny answer, but this is the reason. A ballpoint needle is designed to slip between the knit stitches. If the needle is too large for the spacing between the stitches, it will "slip" to the next open space, creating uneven stitches or skipped stitches. A smaller needle will slip through the fabric easier.
- Test a sample of fabric with a regular needle. In some cases, this may work better.
- Use a throat plate with a small opening. The fabric may be forced into the throat plate of the machine.
- Make sure the needle isn't dull or bent. Spandex fabric is made with polyester which will increase wear on the needle. Also try cleaning the needle with rubbing alcohol. This will remove any residue on the needle.
On your serger, for distorted or stretched fabric, you took the right first step and used the differential feed. Now, loosen the pressure-foot tension. Any time the fabric is stretched or distorted on a serger, it's because there is too much pressure on the fabric. Dorie asks: I need some advice or maybe a different way of machine embroidering on T-shirts. I have tried several different methods and still come up with shirts that will not lay flat, or they will pucker after being embroidered. Any help will be appreciated. Dorie: When machine embroidering on T-shirts, try these tips for embroidering on knits. - Preshrink your T-shirt prior to embroidery.
- Avoid embroidery designs that are dense or have areas where stitches are built up.
- Make sure to use water-soluble stabilizer during the embroidery process. A temporary-spray adhesive will adhere the stabilizer to the top of the fabric.
- Stay-stitch the T-shirt and stabilizer about 1 inch from the outside edge of the embroidery design.
- Hoop the T-shirt and stabilizer together and position under your machine as normal.
Hope this helps! One final word of advice, some T-shirts are very stretchy and no matter how hard you try, you'll still end up with some fabric distortion. Dana Bender asks: The fabric stores use a cheat sheet when cutting your material lengths for you. Is there any way to get this information? Here's the crib sheet the stores are using. Hope this helps for the premeasured fabric finds! Inches | % of Yard | 1 | 0.028 | 2 | 0.056 | 3 | 0.083 | 4 | 0.111 | 5 | 0.139 | 6 | 0.167 | 7 | 0.194 | 8 | 0.222 | 9 | 0.250 | 10 | 0.278 | 11 | 0.306 | 12 | 0.333 | | Inches | % of Yard | 13 | 0.361 | 14 | 0.389 | 15 | 0.417 | 16 | 0.444 | 17 | 0.472 | 18 | 0.500 | 19 | 0.528 | 20 | 0.556 | 21 | 0.583 | 22 | 0.611 | 23 | 0.639 | 24 | 0.667 | | Inches | % of Yard | 25 | 0.694 | 26 | 0.722 | 27 | 0.750 | 28 | 0.778 | 29 | 0.806 | 30 | 0.833 | 31 | 0.861 | 32 | 0.889 | 33 | 0.917 | 34 | 0.944 | 35 | 0.972 | 36 | 1.000 | | Back to top Top Readers' Tips Virgie Stratton says: My sewing room used to be a bedroom with a carpeted floor. I had trouble keeping loose threads picked up as my vacuum cleaner didn't seem to pick them all up. I purchased a lint roller, and I just roll it across the carpet where the threads have accumulated. It does a remarkable job of picking up the stray threads. It is much better than pulling a vacuum cleaner around. Marion Eggers says: I've made bathing suits for years because I'm a Red Cross instructor. I'm large on top and had to make my own to give me the support I need. I found that if you line the front, it will give you the support you need. If your suit has a seam just under the bust, often, I line only the lower half. However, fully lining my suits made them fit better and last a lot longer. I tried using a stronger tummy support once but it didn't work because the support didn't stretch like the bathing suit fabric and looked wrinkled and non-fitting. Jody Townley says: Check with your local Husqvarna Viking dealer for a sewing machine needle threader. They have a nice one that I've used for years. Also, check out sewing classes in your area. I find that taking a new class always reenergizes my creativity! Besides you get to spend time with other sewers and play with fabric. What could be better? Jeanne says: Try a computer-supply store or an office-supply store to find a battery-operated mouse vacuum. This is a great tool to keep your serger and sewing machine clean. Liz McCarthy says: I've found a great tip for hooping fabric for embroidery. I place the bottom piece of the hoop on a silicone baking sheet, and it keeps the hoop from sliding when you put the top piece on. Kathy says: You can make your own tummy-control panels for bathing suits. Take a piece of swimsuit fabric turned sideways. It has the most stretch from top to bottom (along the grainline) and has limited stretch from side to side. Janice Kamplin says: When I'm sewing, I generally don't slow down to put the pins back into the pincushion during my project. I have purchased a strong magnet on a handle from the auto-parts store. This works great for picking the pins up and not missing any. lt's also great for picking pins up off the floor or carpet. Back to top. | 
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