Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Sewing Tip - Test Fabrics

Keep a supply of testing fabrics ready for use before each project. If you do a lot of quilting, keep some "sandwiches" ready as well. Whenever I start a new project, I always like to run a couple lines of stitching on the fabric, or a similar fabric, just to make sure that my tension is right, as well as my stitch length. I have found that different fabrics usually require a little tension adjusting. This is also a good way to try out new stitches for sewing, or for practicing your free motion quilting. If you have them ready to go, you will be more apt to test first.

You will notice that my test fabrics have some shapes fused on them. This is so that I can test my applique stitches before using machine applique on my actual project.

There are also fabrics that I don't use very often, such as organza, satins, and linen. This is when it is most important to have some testing fabrics ready. If the pattern doesn't leave any extra for testing, it's well worth it to buy an extra eight of a yard for practicing or testing.

6 comments:

  1. My eye immediately got caught by the word sandwich :-)

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  2. This is a good idea! I do the same thing every time I use my machine, mainly because I sew so infrequently that I need to make sure I remember what to do, haha.

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  3. Super smarty pants of you! Good to take your time with these types of tests. I have been caught one too many times with a swath of fabric I love only to find that it and my sewing machine don't get along. Wah!

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  4. I always like to test a stitch before I start but I never thought to have a supply of test fabrics

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  5. Great tip! Tension is why I don't sew. I always got frustrated when the thread would break or the bobbin got stuck. I need a class in this!

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  6. I never thought to have shapes ready to test for applique. It makes so much sense!

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