I’m always looking for a good way to cover up a stain on a pillow. I finally found one. OK, I’m only half kidding! I just like gluing fabrics together because the bond is just amazing! Hot glue is an amazing fabric bond and did you know that E-6000 is washable? Either glue will work wonders on this project.

Any lace will do for a project like this and if you’re really adventurous, try doing it all over an old ottoman that needs some sprucing up. I think you might really like the results.

YOU’LL NEED:

• E-6000 or hot glue gun and glue sticks
• 1 yard lace that you can cut apart
• Pillow
• Scissors *Fiskars is my brand of choice
• Fray Check
• Straight pins

HERE’S HOW:

1. Cut your lace apart to separate the flowers and leaves.

2. If there is a rough edge or an edge that you think my fray, use Fray Check on it.

3. Carefully remove the stuffing from your pillow (or if you’re making a pillow, do this before you start stuffing it).

4. Lay your pillow flat and start arranging how you want your lace flowers.

5. Pin your lace pieces in place

6. Start gluing them with the hot glue until you’re satisfied.

7. Stuff your pillow and sew the hole closed and you’re done!

For this project and 100 more check out:

THE BIG ASS BOOK OF HOME DECOR!

Also, for 150 terrific projects using items you probably already have, check out

THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2

*This project will work best with a serger, but you can use a zig-zag stitch on a regular machine. The seam intentionally is showing on this scarf so make sure to follow the instructions, making sure your seams are on the RIGHT SIDE!

I had a friend buy me a scarf like this for my birthday and I loved it so much! I had to make one myself. Part of the fun of this project is finding a new way to wear your old stuff. I had a t-shirt that was too big, one that was too small, some extra fabric from making a skirt, and a couple of Goodwill finds that I used to make this gem. You can use any stretchy fabric, which means you could even throw an old polo shirt into the mix to add some texture.

I used 5 different fabrics, but you could use as little as 3; it depends on how big your shirts are, how many patterns you want to play with, and how big you are making your scarf.

Here’s what you do:

1. Cut 28 rectangles measuring 7 ½”H x 6″W (this makes a reasonably long scarf)

2. Divide your rectangles into 2 equal piles of 14 each. One will be for the front of your scarf; one for the back. Choose what order you want to place your fabrics for each side & pin in a line WRONG SIDES TOGETHER.

3. One side at a time, serge or zig-zag the rectangles together straight across. The seam should be seen on the RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR FABRIC!!

4. Once each side of the scarf is complete, pin them WRONG SIDES together. The seam should be showing!

5. Serge or Zig-Zag stitch all the way around the scarf.

Ta-da! Awesome new scarf!

I love celebrating Valentine’s Day with my daughters and their friends. This year I made a little heart garland using scrap fleece. I think I would work better with felt for stability, but it works!

You Need:

• Felt (but fleece works)
• Heart pattern–I used a stamp I had on hand; a cookie cutter would work!
• Ribbon
• Fabric Pen
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing Machine

 1. Trace heart pattern onto your felt & cut out numerous hearts! I cut 14.

2. Fold top of heart down about 1/3 its size and make 2 slits. Because of the proportion of the heart, I recommend cutting the slits fairly high—higher than pictured!–otherwise they will hang upside-down.

3. Thread the ribbon through the hearts. Pin them where you want them.

4. Sew a straight seam through the middle of the ribbon to hold the hearts and ribbon in place.

Hang & enjoy!

A perfect Sunday morning for me would be a steaming cup of coffee and watching “Sewing with Nancy”. Another personal favorite of mine is “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross. I grew up with PBS. Watching their shows gets my creative ideas going and I always get inspired to create. So I was very excited when I was asked to participate in the Nancy Zieman Blog Tour!

I have used Trace N Create Templates before to make a purse, so I was super excited when Nancy designed a template to make tablet keepers. The Clover Trace N Create Tablet Keepers Template allows you to make the perfect size keeper for your tablet or paper pad. As you can tell from the photo below, the template allows you to customize your keeper for your perfect size. It also has markings so you can add the elastic pieces to hold the tablet and strap to close the keeper.

The instructions provided are clear and easy to read. Also provided are stiff plastic sheets for the front and back cover of the keeper. The sheets can be cut to be sized down. You can also buy the Pre Cut Tablet Keeper Shapers separately to make more tablet keepers.

 My finished Tablet Keeper for my MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet!

Blog Tour Details

Each weekday, for 20 days in January, be sure to visit the guest blogger’s site to see their Tablet Keeper creation.

January 3            Nancy Zieman                   http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 4            Amy Ellis                            http://amyscreativeside.com/

January 5            Sharon Pernes                    http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/

January 6            Vicki Christensen              http://www.sewinspiredblog.com/

January 9            Joan Hawley                       http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/

January 10            Pat Sloan                           http://patsloan.typepad.com/

January 11            Eileen Roche                     http://dzgns.com/blog/

January 12            Liz Hicks                           http://blogerisms.blogspot.com/

January 13            Fran Ortmeyer                 http://cloverusa.wordpress.com/

January 16            Ilene Miller                       http://happyvalleyprimitives.blogspot.com/

January 17            Julie Herman                   http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

January 18            Jenny Gabriel                  http://www.sewvacoutletblog.com/

January 19            Natalia Bonner                http://www.piecenquilt.blogspot.com/

January 20            Frieda Anderson             http://friestyle.blogspot.com/

January 23            Cindy Cloward                 http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/blog/

January 24            Beckie Hansen                 http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 25            Amy Webb                         http://www.amylouwhosews.com/

January 26            Allie Robertson                http://thinkcrafts.com/ (That’s us!)

January 27            Mary Mulari                       http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

January 30            Laura Wasilowski            http://artfabrik.blogspot.com/

January 31            Carol Porter                        http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog

 In addition to the blog tour, Clover is giving away an AMAZING prize package! Check out their site for details!

The colder weather brings out all the mittens, gloves, scarves and hats. The little ones look so cute in hand knit mittens, but have you ever had to save a falling child while they were wearing them? My big fear is mitten to mitten, there is not a solid grip on the tiny one as you walk across the busy street or icy parking lot. Kids squirm and slip out so quick, next thing you’re left holding an empty mitten. Without some kind of hand covering, both momma and kiddo complain about the cold. I once saw an ad from the late 40′s or early 50′s about a shared mitten for hand holding. It was marketed for couples, but I think it works great for parents and children. A sure grip while being warm and snug, how wonderful.

Material:

• Momma Mitten Pattern - printable pattern
• 1/2 yard of fleece
• sewing machine
• all purpose thread
• Pins

I am not a terrific seamstress so if I can do this you can too. Print out the pattern provided and cut 2 out of fleece fabric. Pin the 2 together with right sides facing. Sew together using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Turn right-side out. I like a little cuff so I folded them down. It really couldn’t be easier.

The fleece has a nice stretch to it, so it can fit a variety of hand sizes. My little girl is 3 and we have been using this a lot. She loves it! My husband’s hand also fits because of the stretch, so he can wear it with her too. I can’t really say that he and I would wear it, but we could, I guess.

Stay warm and safe this winter.

How many sweaters do you have in your drawer that you really should toss but don’t because you think you might wear them again? My guess is at least three. Well, I’ve got a way to make more room in your dresser and put those sweaters to use. I guarantee these Sweeter Sweater Gloves, when made with girly sweaters in pretty colors and matching knit gloves, will not only be warm, but also very glamorous.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Sweater you’re about to toss
• Scissors (Fiskars are the BEST!)
• One pair of knit gloves
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine with matching thread (I love my BERNINA)

HERE’S HOW

Evenly cut off the sleeves of the sweater in a length you like. If you want your gloves to end at the elbow, then cut them off at the elbow. Pull the cutoff sleeves up your arms by the cuffs. The cuffs of the sweater should be tight enough to keep them in place on your upper arms. But, if they’re not, pinch them and see how much you will need to take in. Also see how much, if any, you will have to take in the sweater sleeves at the wrist. If you do need to take in the sleeves, do so by gathering the extra material along the seam of the sweater and stitching, and then cut off the excess.

Turn the sleeves inside out and place the gloves in the end that you cut off, matching up the openings (the fingers of the gloves should be pointed toward the sweater cuff end).

Place a couple of straight pins in the openings to hold the gloves in place.

Sew the raw edge of the sleeve to the opening of the glove using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you stretch the fabric while you’re sewing so that the glove opening stretches when you put them on. Turn the sleeves right side out.

Not sure what it is, maybe it’s because Valentine’s Day is near, but we are loving all things wedding right now! Of course we love when brides incorporate DIY projects into their weddings, it makes things seem so personalized and special. We are just loving the idea of a fabric corsages! They are just as beautiful, if not more, than using real flowers. What a fashionable gift/keepsake to give your bridesmaids or flowergirl! If you are not a corsage person, wear it as a bracelet!

Here’s a tutorial to make your own Fabric Corsage!

We typically get a tree to decorate our living room, but this year we added a little tree to our family room, which meant we needed another tree skirt! I had fabric, so I decided to make my own. Here’s how to make yours! Note: This is for a SMALL tree skirt. You will need more fabric for a larger skirt and will probably need to make a pattern to do so.

You need:

• 1 ¼ yd. fabric (I used corduroy)
• 1 Fat Quarter or other scrap fabric
• Grosgrain Ribbon
• Heat & Bond
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pinking Sheers

1. Cut your fabric 44″ x 44″. Fold into a square.

2. From the center corner, where all the corner is all folds, measure down 4″ marking in several places.  If you connect the dots, you should have a curved line.  Cut the curve.

3. Measuring from the curve down your fabric, mark 18″ down in several places. If you connect the dots, you should have a curved line. Cut the curve.

4. Make one cut all the way from the bottom to the top.

5. From your fat quarter, cut out a design or designs you want to appliqué.

6. Attach your design: Click HERE for a tutorial on how to appliqué.

7. Finish your edges. Normally, I would serge my edges or fold under and sew, but since I was in a hurry to put it under my new tree, I just used my pinking shears this time!

8. Add your ribbon: Cut 4—8″ pieces of ribbon. Place your ribbon 2″ and then another 6 ½” down from the center back along the “slit” and sew. Repeat on other side of slit.

Place under your tree!

My mom was the genius behind this. (Thanks, mom!) I love these stocking silverware holders, especially because they can be decorated nicely for an adult crowd or fun for a kid crowd. I used fleece to make this one, but I think making them out of linen would be a nice formal touch. Also, for a more formal version, you could use white napkins inside the stocking instead of sewing in the white fleece. So many ideas…so little time.

You need:

• Red Fleece or Felt (or linen or whatever you like!)
• White Fleece or Felt (again, up to you!)
• Ribbon
• Stocking pattern (make your own or google it)

1. Trace stocking pattern onto your red fabric, placing the straight side on the fold. I used this little green stocking for my pattern!

2. Cut stocking out.

3. Using the measurement for the width of the stocking, cut a rectangle from your white fabric that measures width x 3″.

4. Open red stocking and place white piece on the left inside of stocking. Sew directly into the stocking, close to the edge.

5. With right sides facing, sew curved side of stocking. Flip right side out.

6. Decorate with ribbons, bells, or other festive things! Insert silverware & you’re done!

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog Life Sew Good. 

Dear Santa,

As you know, I have so many plans to sew. My closets and dressers overflow with fabric and my thread holder is stocked. I have pens and rulers and even sharp scissors. All I need now is some time, so that’s all I really want for Christmas. Here are some of the projects I want so badly to complete:

The Chloe Party Dress

My little girls need this dress, preferably before Christmas. I have the fabric and the pattern. The pattern is absolutely amazing—color photos and easy to read directions.

I also am dying to make…

The Ruffled Tee: tutorial by Robin at All Things Heart and Home

…for me.

Santa, who really needs a new t-shirt, when I can just re-create one of my own? The tutorial is free and the result is so cute. Please, Santa, more time, please!

I also am in need of some home decor, so I would like to make some . . .

Pillows: tutorial by Elizabeth at E Tells Tales

It’s just that this particular pillow is cute PLUS it looks cozy enough to actually lie my head on. Cute, but functional, and again, with the free tutorial and my overflowing stock of fabric, I definitely need time to make this. Or maybe this would be a good idea for a gift for someone else?

Finally, I really need to make more…

Bitty Booties: a free pattern by Heather Bailey

I’ve made these before & they are sooo cute! I’ve been meaning to make some for a friend, but time is ticking away and the wee one is growing. I’ve gotta get myself some time to make these before it’s too late! Santa, surely time isn’t too hard for you to bring me, right?

My goal was to create a few simple pieces that would work together to make a cohesive, warm & cozy Thanksgiving table. Each project was designed to take less than an hour. I first made the Wine Glass Charm, then a Holiday Votive, and last week I showed you how to make a Thanksgiving Table Runner. In continuing with our theme, here’s a simple way to add decor and mark your wine bottles.

You need:

• Burlap
• Thread & sewing machine
• Leather cord
• Felt
• Leaf Template (Google “leaf template” and choose 1!)
• Scissors
• Crafter’s Glue or Craft/Button Thread & Needle
• Cut 2: 3 ½ x 3″ pieces of burlap for each wine bottle

Cut 2: 9″ strips of leather cord for each wine bottle.

Sew a seam all the way around your burlap, just to keep it from unraveling.

Fold top over ½” on each piece. Sew a seam close to the edge.

Thread leather cord through top of each piece of burlap.

Cut 1 leaf out of felt. If desired, hand embroider “Merlot” or “Pinot”, etc., as appropriate on leaf.

Attach leaf to outside of burlap by either a) using Crafter’s glue OR b) hand stitch it together.

Tie leather cords together on the sides and slip over wine bottle.

Project 4: Complete! Bring on the food.

Day 3:  The Table Runner or Banner

You have table cloths, so why not just use what you already have and make it more special with a handmade runner? You don’t need a sewing machine for this one; all sewing is done by hand.

You Need:

• Felt
• Scissors
• Craft/Button Thread
• Needle
• Pins
• Fabric Pencil (optional)
• Leaf Template or Cookie Cutter (optional)

If you want, google “leaf templates” and you will have plenty of options to print for this project. You will need a bigger leaf and then littler football-shaped leaves. I used a Wilton leaf cookie cutter for my template.

Cut leaves out of felt. I used 10 “big” leaves and 6 “little” leaves. However, you can make as many as you want to make it longer, shorter, or fuller.

If desired, you can hand embroider words that represent what you are thankful for (i.e., family, friends, faith). If may be easiest to use a pencil to draw the word you want, then hand stitch over the top.

Lay out leaves in the order you like and pin together.

Using a running stitch, sew leaves together. It’s helpful to occasionally lay it out to make sure it’s straight!

If you want to make it a banner instead of a table runner, stitch a piece of hemp cord onto the ends and hang.

Project 3: Complete!

My daughter firmly believes in aprons, and wears one whenever she cooks. “What is it with people, Mom? Don’t they like their clothes?” she asked me one day. Good question!

So let’s just assume that if you cook, you need an apron. But what if you don’t have the time, inclination, or skill to sew one up? No worries! Just grab a length of ribbon, pair of scissors, and a café curtain, and you’ll have an apron in no time.

All you need to do is thread your ribbon through the loops or casing of a curtain panel and tie it around your waist, and the best thing is, these aprons will stretch out or scrunch up to fit just about anyone.

Now, I will show you one little thing. One of the panels I chose to make an apron from had its casing several inches from the top. If I’d used the casing, it would have created a “paper bag” waist, which would have been very pretty, I think, but the apron would have been too short for me. (Perfect for a child, though!) If you run into that, check to see if the fabric at the top is doubled. If it is, you can just cut a slit through the inside layer for your ribbon, like so:

Here’s that apron, which is gathered very full. I may cut some of the panel off, which is another plus—these aprons are easy to alter.

I really like this last one, which strikes me as pretty enough to wear for company. (Remember “company aprons”? Let’s bring them back!)

It’s time to start warming up those extremities.  I made these warmers for my daughter, but you can use the same steps to make them adult sized. This retro cold-weather accessory is a hot trend this fall. Accessorize with these cute warmers!

You Need:

• A pair of long socks
• Thread
• ¼” or ½” elastic
• Embellishment (if desired)

Take your long socks and cut the feet off the socks.

Turn sock inside-out. Fold unfinished ends ½”, then another 1″. Sew a ¼” seam around, leaving about 1″ opening to insert elastic.

Measure the circumference of the top of the sock, and cut a piece of elastic that measures the same. Insert the elastic through the opening using a safety pin to help thread it through the enclosure. Sew the elastic ends together. Sew the opening closed.

Embellish, if desired. I made bows and tacked them on in three places.

This is the time of year for costumes, which is good for me. I never did outgrow loving to play dress-up, and I just love creating costumes. But what do you do when you need a costume in a hurry?

The costume at the top is one solution, and got a lot of laughs at our recent Cousins’ Night Out. We were supposed to dress in “French costumes”. Have you figured Mama and me out yet?

We’re French Fries, complete with the fry baskets!

If you want to go as an order of fries, or let one of the kids do it, these are the “ingredients”:

• A red hat and scarf for “catsup”
• Tan pants and turtleneck for the “fry” part
• A plastic basket from the dollar store, with the bottom cut out. (You’ll be surprised how small a basket “fits”, I bet!) To put it on, just step in and squiggle it up until it hits a comfortable “staying” spot.
• Last step, for extra fun: Get two catsup packets from your local fast food joint, poke holes in the flat edge at the top center of each one, and hang them from earring wires.

This was a fun costume to put together and wear, and we even took first prize–for sheer creativity!

Want a couple more quickie costume ideas?

This one came to me just today, as I was cutting and rolling sheets of bubble wrap to take to a local non-profit: Wear white pants and tee, wrap yourself from head to toe in big-bubble bubble wrap, and go as a bubble bath! Make a cap of the stuff, and “accessorize” with a washcloth or back brush. Just be careful if you sit down, lol!

Another one, a little more time-consuming, but fun, is to go as a Rubik’s cube. I did this for one of my girls when she was about eight. First, get a cardboard box big enough to go from the neck to the top of the thighs. If it’s more or less a cube, that’s great, but it doesn’t have to be. Cut construction paper into rectangles or squares the right size to make three rows of three squares across, in six different colors, then glue them randomly on the sides and top of the box. (Yes, it’s an unsolved cube. Never could put those things back right, myself.) Cover with clear self-stick vinyl (such as Contac paper) to make them shiny. Cut holes for the head and arms.

Another costume I created for one of my girls when she was maybe six was a caterpillar. I took a velour turtleneck she already had and lengthened it with wide bands of velour until it was an ankle-length tube. Then I went to the thrift store and bought six or seven pairs of the teensiest baby shoes (fabric type) that I could find, and safety pinned them in a double row down the front of the tube to be her caterpillar feet. We topped her off with an antennae head-band, and painted her face one of the colors of her costume, with bright lips, and a big polka dot on each cheek.

I love the homey feel of my throw pillows in my living room, almost as much as I enjoy using them. And as you can see, I’m not the only one who does! This is my dog Belle’s favorite nap spot.

I wanted pillows that were comfortable but not too soft that they looked sloppy on the couch. The Fairfield Pillow Forms are 100% polyester, making it soft and also hypoallergenic. Since I have down allergies, this is what sold me!

Since the pillow form has a zippered cover, you just have you add your decorative fabric, trims, buttons and any other pretty embellishments. I choose some Amy Butler printed fabrics that were bold, and a soft suede and a burlap material for my throw pillows.

After I cut out the material, and sewed 3 sides together, (with wrong sides together, but you probably know that) I pressed each of the 4th side seams in twice and used iron-on adhesive to finish the seam without any stitches. I added sticky back velcro to these inside flaps so I can take off the pillow case if I need to wash it. Since Belle uses the pillows so much, its really nice to be able to take off the pillow case to spot clean or use the lint roller on.

I made these a few months ago and wished I would have taken step by step pictures. This project started off simple, but once I found hypoallergenic pillow forms and sticky back velcro, it become much more than pillow cases. I added some large, Blumenthal buttons to the side of two of them, and then added a fabric flower to the other pillow. If you want some other ideas check out Pinterest. If you’re new to Pinterest, read this!

Knit fabric is great! At first I was afraid of it, but once I learned cool tricks, I fell in love. I had this great knit fabric sitting in my stash for 2 years so I decided it was time to pull it out and make something I would love.

So, I know this is kind of cheating, but I didn’t want to go through the process of making (or buying) a pattern. Instead, I simply copied a skirt I already knew I loved and fit me. So grab your favorite knit skirt—or technically, it could be any skirt—and get some newsprint or grab paper off your kids’ easel and let’s make a cute skirt/dress. Your skirt will have a roll-down waist. The dress option will be like a tube-top dress.

You need:

• Knit fabric—about 1 ½-2 yds
• Newsprint or pattern paper
• Pen
• Pins
• Scissors
• Thread
• ½” elastic—for dress option only

1. Trace the skirt onto your paper, minus the waistband.

2. Cut it out, then pin the pattern onto your fabric. Remember to add seam allowances: ½” on sides and bottom, and ¾” on the top.

3. Place right sides together and sew and/or serge side seams.

4. Make the waistband. To figure out the waistband, take your fabric, fold it in ½, and stretch it around your waist. Measure and cut a piece of fabric the width you want by about 20″.

5. Take your waistband fabric and fold the WIDTH in ½. Sew side seam.

6. Now, turn the fabric down so that you have a double thick circle. Only right sides should be showing.

You can see the skirt and the waistband in the following picture. The top of our skirt will have a wider circumference than your waistband. IT’S OKAY! It should be that way. You don’t want your skirt to fall off now, do you?!

Next, you are going to pin the unfinished end of your waistband to the top of your skirt by pinning the waistband INSIDE the right side of your skirt. It will look like this:

8. Sew and/or serge 3/4″ seam.

9. Now you have a skirt that with a roll-down waistband. If you want, hem the bottom. I left mine raw. Just because I could!

To Make it into a Dress:

Pull the waistband all the way up over your bust. It should stretch and feel comfortable. I added some ½” elastic around the top to add some extra support!

Ta-da!

Need a quick way to add a snap to a shirt or little wallet? Easier than sewing, I decided to try out this little snap fastener kit. I was a bit excited to try it out! Indeed, it was fun, easy, and cheap!

It comes with three different pieces you need to make a snap:

Once you figure out where you want to place your snap by marking your place, you load the clip with your clamp and snap. These are the 2 pieces you need to load for the first part:

Line up your clip with where you want it and hammer it a couple of times. (Actually, I used my rolling pin!)

Repeat the same process with the other part of the snap. This time, you need these 2 pieces:

After you clamp it down and hammer, you have your snap fastener ready to go!

September is National Sewing Month and CreateForLess is celebrating by giving you the chance to win.  Join the celebration of sewing by entering our National Sewing Month Drawing and also save at our National Sewing Month Sale. Save on all things Sewing!

Enter to win Here!

We want to know what you’ve been sewing lately, from adult and kid’s clothes to purses and home decor.  We’re going to have an online fashion show at CreateForLess!  Share your favorite sewing project, what you’re working on right now, a helpful sewing tip, anything you like! Enter here and you could win a $100 CreateForLess shopping spree! 

Enjoy some of the sewing projects from last year’s National Sewing Month Drawing.

When I first started out sewing, I was intimidated by every technique. After talking to a friend who is a novice seamstress, she shared that she did not know how to gather fabric. Since gathering is a technique used in so many patterns, it’s important to know how to do it. In addition, ruffles are on so many things! Ruffles are easy to make when you know how to gather fabric.

First, adjust your machine to make a long stitch, like a basting stitch. On my machine, I usually sew at a 2.5 for a regular length stitch; for basting or gathering, I adjust it to a 4 or 5. Longer stitches leave more fabric between each stitch, making it easier to pull the fabric together. It is also easy to pull these kind of stitches out, which is why we use them to temporarily sew fabric.

When you put your fabric under the foot to sew, simply sew a straight, long stitch about ¼” from the top. DO NOT BACK STITCH!

When you get to the end, make sure to leave plenty of thread on the end before cutting it off. Depending on your fabric, you may notice that just stitching it causes the fabric to bunch up. If you have a very light-weight fabric, you may want to gather to your desired length now. Do this by pulling on the bobbin thread. Make sure to even out the gathers all the way across. If you have a medium to heavy-weight fabric, don’t gather the fabric yet.

Now, put your fabric back under the foot—this time sewing about 3/8″ from the top. This is important! Remember how long stitches can pull out easily? They also break easily, which is why it’’ good to have 2 lengths of stitches before gathering. (Trust me: I learned the hard way.)

Take the bobbin thread and pull as you use your other hand to push the fabric together, making gathers.

Once you have gathered your fabric to the desired length, tie the ends of the thread so that it will hold your gathers where you want them temporarily.

Change your stitch on your machine back to its normal length (mine is 2.5).

Sew ½” or 5/8″ from the top. This time, you will want to back-stitch on each side. This will set the gathers where you want them. You will probably want to serge the edge off or zigzag along the top.