WOTZA Wednesday with Nanny -1

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Welcome to our first 'WOTZA Wednesday with Nanny'!

I would like to share a story for our first WOTZA - when I posted about my idea, I immediately had requests - this being the first.  I sought Michelle's permission to retell our interaction because I think it shows beautifully just why I want to do 'WOTZA Wednesday'!

Michelle wrote:  
Oh this is just what I need! I'm making a drawstring bag to hold all my wool but I was reading through the pattern before I started and it called for - Cut (1) 9" x 22" strip, - Subcut into (2) 9" x 10.5" pieces.  Can you please explain to me what a subcut is?

Nanny:
Hi Michelle!  Would you like this to be my first WOTZA??  I will do it on Wednesday but if you are waiting on the info now, I can explain!  Thanks for being supportive!

Michelle:  
Margie if you could that would be great, but if not, I can wait until Wednesday.  I'm recently new to sewing and all the little terms are really confusing me.  Thank you for putting this site and question together, I can't tell you how useful it has been to me and I just love reading everyone's comments.  Thanks also for taking the time out of your day to help us fellow sewers who are just learning.

Nanny:  
It is my pleasure! When I had my accident and lost my career etc, I missed my interaction with others and I have found it again here to some degree.  Some think I am paid for this, but I am not - I do it because I enjoy seeing 'newbies' get a start and most of the things that 'baffle' are simple if someone takes the time to explain.  So I guess I aim to demystify sewing!! lol

When it asks you to cut a strip 9" x 22" and then a subcut, it simply means to take that strip and cut it into more parts.  So you will cut the strip into 2 pieces 9" x 10.5"

Just check those numbers, Michelle, because it will mean you are cutting off 1" .  10.5' + 10.5"  = 21"  That's OK if that's the pattern says - you just cut them to what it says.  Please ask if I haven't made it clear!

Michelle:  Ahh now it makes sense!  Thank you. I have just reread the pattern and it just clicked.  I love those moments when something has stumped you for days and then someone will explain it to you or you work it out yourself.  Now that I understand, I'm really excited to get started.  I know it's only a drawstring bag but I love it regardless. lol  Have a great day Margie and thanks once again.

Nanny:  You are so welcome Michelle!  Would you mind me using it on Wednesday and some or all of your comments?  I won't be offended if you would prefer I didn't.  Thanks!!

Michelle:  Absolutely!  Please do!  I have just finished my drawstring bag and with your help I'm soooo happy.

I then received a photo: 

and I smiled .......

Thank you Michelle for allowing me to share our story and your beautiful drawstring bag - a perfect start to 'WOTZA Wednesday'!

Until next time
Nanny xx

Celebrate with Nanny

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Have you heard the news?

Nannycraft4u has reached 500 likers and Nanny is excited!!!

To thank you for sharing this adventure, for lending your friendship and support, I want to give you, Nanny's wonderful likers, a chance to win a little Nanny love - so the knitting needles have been clacking and the sewing machine whirring to produce the following for the winner to choose from:

1. A knitted neck warmer - knitted from 50% wool/50% acrylic yarn.

OR 

2.  A Fabric Infinity Scarf made from 100% cotton quilter's cotton with 100% cotton wadding quilted in to add warmth and comfort!

Please note:  Nanny's neck is not included in the prize!!!!

How do you enter?  Just follow the instructions below. Good luck everyone !!

Until next time

Nanny xx

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SPIN the PINS - Are you feeling Serger/Overlocker Tension?

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I had my first overlocker/serger many years ago so when my grand children came along I thought I should have another. When I am unable to sew, I am able to sit and look at the computer screen so when I decided to treat myself to a 'current' information search, I happened across a Utube presentation by Susan Nixon called 'The Secret to Taming Your Serger'  and I pinned it for later.

So our' SPIN the PINS' for  today is thanks to Susan Nixon and her 'The Secret to Taming Your Serger".  During her presentation, Susan gives very clear instructions and I will be following them here:

1. I had to thread my machine using cotton colours to match the tension dials.
 (Now rethreading is always good practice so I didn't tie the threads to pull them through!!)

 

 2. I grabbed a fat 1/4 of homespun and cut it into four 5" strips. 

 3. I ruled lines across the strip at 2" from the end, then 1.5" intervals.

 4. I then labelled the strips, starting at the 2" end with the name of the dial: Lower Looper; Upper Looper; Right Needle; Left Needle and then in each of the 1.5" areas number from 1 - 9 (like on the tension dials of my machine)

 5. I took each of the strips and starting at the 2" end - I folded the strip in half  so I now had a long strip that was doubled (like sewing two fabrics together) and I turned the matching tension dial to 0.

6.  I started sewing and when I reached each line I turned the tension dial to match the number and so on to the end.

7.  I then looked at the stitching, concentrating just on the colour being tested, and decided where it was best and marked it with an asterisk

These are the results for my machine:
Lower Looper  2
Upper Looper  8
Left needle  7
Right Needle  5

I now have a record to keep.  If my tension goes crazy, I will just have to look along the samples to find a stitching match and change the appropriate tension.  (great for the Mums with little helpers!!)

I would recommend you take some time to complete this exercise as either a refresher or as an introduction to each of the threads and their tension.  It is a simple exercise with easy to follow instructions and it just may prove invaluable in getting the best from your overlocker/serger.

I hope you found this of value and look forward to our next SPIN the PINS!!

Until next time
Nanny xx

WOTZA ???

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Do you ever come up against something in your sewing and feel an anxiety rush ?

Where you find yourself asking "What the ....?"

Where you have to spend precious time pondering ......????

I was thinking about how difficult it is, when I have been sewing for soooo long, to remember the things that baffled me when I was starting out, and I came up with the idea of a WOTZA!! 

What's a WOTZA you ask?

Well, I am often asked a question:  "Nanny, what's a ...........?"

That, I thought is my answer - I will start a 'WOTZA Wednesday'

So, if you have any words you've come across, tools you don't know etc send me an email at : 

nannynotes2u@gmail.com 

and each Wednesday, I will endeavour to answer some of them for you!  (I will only use your first name so privacy is ensured)

I hope you can join me!

Until next time
Nanny xx

What a week!

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I have had a great week this week, starting with being the 'featured' blog at 'Threading my Way'.  I was so excited by this totally unexpected feature, that it prompted me into 'fixing things up' a bit. I searched for tutorials, asked our supportive group for help, and finally found everything I needed right where I was!!  (Isn't the Universe amazing!!)

Pam at 'Threading My Way' has a list of Blog Tips and in there I found her tutorial for Creating Tables in Your Blog  It is so user friendly that even Nanny could follow it!!!  As a result, I now have a sorted Tutorials page which I hope will make it easier for you to find your way around.

Being featured also resulted in me sending 'Lily' and 'William' off to join Hopeful Thread's - The Fluff Project , to bring joy and comfort to little children - I hope to see them pop up in some photos soon so I know that they are doing OK....

The most important outcome for me personally, was having the chance to meet so many new friends.  So welcome to my new followers - thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me!

This week also saw my 'Nannycraft4u' page reach a milestone of 500 likes!! While this is not a huge number in the scheme of things,  when I think about just starting my page as a way to share my crafts with family and friends, totally unaware of this whole new world,  I am humbled that others have joined me and become part of my 'other' family.  Welcome and Thank You!!

This week also saw the completion of the Rainbow Machine Cover Let's Sew Along where we made a machine cover using a sample pack of quilters solids.  We arranged them in the same order as the colour chart and now have not only a great dust cover but also a colour chart on hand as a reference!

Then while my head was still spinning, I dreamed up 'SPIN the PINS' where I am aiming to pick one of my pins (at random) from my Pinterest pages to try out, and share with you!

All in all, an exciting,productive and hugely satisfying week.  Thank you for sharing it with me!

Until next time
Nanny xx

Rainbow machine Cover - Tutorial 6(a) - Binding.

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If you are making a mat or a mini quilt or hanging you will now bind your quilt.  You may already have a 'favourite' binding method - that's fine.  If you haven't added binding before

Let's sew Along!!

1.  Take your binding strips and join so that it is long enough to go all around with a few inches to spare.
While we didn't need our binding cut on the bias, because we are only joining it on straight edges, we will still join it on the angle to reduce bulk.

1(a)  Place your strips - one horizontal and one vertical.  If you leave a little at the end, it makes it easy to see where you are going to mark it - simply where they meet.  Mark that line.

1(b) sew along the line

1(c)  Trim to 1/4"

1(d)   Press seam open - back

front

 1(e)  Trim

2.  Fold your binding strip in half and press.

I am now changing fabric to continue demonstrating the binding on an actual project of mine:

NOTE:  I am attaching the binding to the front of my project as I will be hand stitching it at the back.  How you choose to do the binding is just a personal choice.

Some prefer to do all the sewing on the machine and so I will demonstrate machine sewing it here.    I will be calling the patched side the back of my quilt from here on.

If you want to hang your quilt, you will attach your rod pocket as you attach the binding at the top. Take your piece of fabric for the rod pocket and hem both ends and then fold in half and press. (Just make sure it isn't too wide for your quilt).  You will pin the rod pocket to the back of your quilt making sure that it is centred (tack it in place if you like).  You will then continue.

2. Pin the binding on the back of your quilt, starting in the centre of one of the sides (I usually start at the bottom). Leave a length of about 6" and starting with a couple of reverse stitches, sew up to 1/4" from the corner - finish with a couple of reverse stitches.

3. Holding the corner to the right, with the side you have just stitched along the top, flip the binding up to run along the same line as the side on the right. Press with your fingers.

4.  Flip the binding strip back so that it is now laying down the side on the right, making sure that you only pull it down until the fold is even with the top edge.

Now just start at the edge at the top (reverse a couple of stitches) and continue down to the next corner. repeat the process.

5.  When you get back to where you started, lay the excess binding on top of the other 5" that we left . At the point where they overlap by 2", flip it up like we did at the corners. Press with your fingers. 

(Note:  This seems like a complicated stage, but just follow along - once you have done it yourself you will see that it's not really - I just had to make it detailed to demonstrate)

6.  Mark the bottom layer to match the fold in the top layer (these are the seam lines)

7. Mark the fold in the top layer

7.  Add a 1/4" to the right of that mark on the top piece (my pen is pointing to the fold mark) and to the left on the bottom strip. This is the seam allowance.

8.  Open the binding strips and cut right across at that second mark on both pieces - make sure you are cutting on the seam allowance line not the seam line.

9. I now marked the fold line and the seam line on both pieces to demonstrate

10.  I will use those marks to help me pin the two ends together (note: they will be sitting at right angles to one another like when we joined our strips - it is just a bit hard to see that properly in the photos) - one side....

and the other.....

11.  Stitch the seam, press it open and trim.

12.  Marvel at how clever you are as it fits perfectly!  Then finish stitching the binding on!

13.  Fold the binding to the front side so that it just covers the stitching and pin .  I am placing my pins just inside the edge on this side....

and so  they are right beside the binding on the back....

14.  Sew along the edge (where we had it pinned) until you get to the corner, where you will see the stitching going along the other side.   Stop just before reach that point.

15.  Fold the corner (it will fold into a mitre very easily).  Continue sewing to the corner and, leaving the needle down, lift your pressure foot and turn the quilt. Lower the pressure foot and continue to the next corner.

16.  On the front of the quilt, you will have a neat row of stitching .....

and on the back, the stitching will run along the binding.  Don't worry if it wanders a bit - like everything, it will get better with practice! (I apologise for the flash but I think you can still see)

The corner on the front .....

 and the back ....

If you wish to, you could hand stitch the mitres.  If you added a rod pocket, you now slip stitch the folded edge to the back of the quilt.

Congratulations!!!  I hope you are happy with your mini quilt/wall hanging - I can't wait to see some photos.  

Thank you for Sewing Along !!

Until next time
Nanny xx

Rainbow Machine Cover - Tutorial 6 - Binding

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I forgot last post, to include a mention of the 'ENDs' of your cover.  These are finished to your liking by joining more squares, using a single colour piece or a panel (as I did).  The ENDs need to be quilted as well.

I used these gorgeous panels and had to trim the sides and add to the top and bottom to make a piece  8" x 12.5".  I stitched around the edge and I then quilted by following the outlines on some of the items

So, when you have completed all of your quilting, it is time to add the binding!

Let's sew Along!!

1. Mark the centre of the top of your END pieces and the centre of your MAIN piece along the long edge. Pin them together at that point wrong sides together.

2.  Continue pinning out from the centre , along the top edge of the ENDs and stitch, starting and stopping 1/4" from the edge.

3.  On the corners of the cover ENDs, snip out the corner - don't snip the stitching!

4.  Fold the END piece back across the MAIN piece (like when you stitched it) and then snip the MAIN piece to match.  On mine below, I am snipping my MAIN (black) at the point where I snipped out the corner.  This will help us turn the corner!!

5.  You can see now that it is easier to bend the MAIN piece around the corner of the END piece. Continue pinning down the sides.

6.  You can now use a large stitch (4 for me) just to stitch and hold them together while we add the binding.  This stitching will be easy to remove later. (if you need to)

7.  Take your bias binding and open it, placing the raw edge along the edge of your MAIN piece - you will stitch along the crease - don't forget to change your stitch length back to regular stitching!

8.   The sides are easy going - this is me coming towards a corner:

 I am going to stop when I am level with that inner corner that we snipped out. ( I have taken it out below just to show you - you won't take it out from the machine) I have put a pin to show you that I have stopped sewing level with the edge of the 'snip out' on the END piece which is on the bottom)

OK let's get back to our side - I am now at that point in the corner - you can see how it all scrunches up - that's fine!  Leave your needle down at that point!!  Lift your pressure foot and turn the cover, rearranging so that the next side is ready..  so from this

 to this

Lower your pressure foot and continue around.

9.  Roll the binding to the back (towards the END pieces) and pin - you might like to do a 'tacking' stitch by hand to hold it like my white stitches below because we are going to sew on the other side.  

I am stitching 'in the ditch' as closely as I can to the ditch where the binding meets the cover.

If you have used black like me you will appreciate how forgiving the black is - it won't show if you don't get it perfectly straight!!

10.   Repeat the process on the other END.

11.  Trim the edges at the bottom of the cover and apply the binding around the bottom in the same way.

I started near an END seam and folded the sides towards the ENDs.  I just folded the end of the bias binding over when I started to give a straight edge when finished.

Well done!!!  It's time to pop your cover over your machine, sit back and give yourself a pat on the back!!

I love how it turned out - it certainly adds a 'splash' of colour to the room!  I also love how we were able to take the samples and make a practical, useful item while retaining our colour chart.

I hope you enjoyed sewing along - Please share some photos!

Until next time
Nanny xx