A Little Sewing Technique Improv….
Remember this little Zakka Box Pouch I shared with you last week? It was the first time I had made one, so I made sure to take my time to get a nice quilty finished Pouch. And I did, but I kind fudged a bit. Here’s how.
One of the new techniques I learned in this pattern was how to make a zipper-less lining that matches a zippered exterior. Pretty neat once I visually studied it. So I made the liner you see above, but when I finished I noticed that it just didn’t look ‘finished’ to me. So I did a 1/8″ topstitch to the liner, then inserted it into the exterior pouch to finish the final step. This is where I started to improv.
Improv 1. Topstitch the liner before inserting it so it looks more polished. Check. Looking okay still?
So after the lining is in and looking good, I read a bit further to find out I have to hand stitch the liner to the exterior to close it!! I enjoy hand stitching just about as much as I like to deal with bias binding. So off I go to whip out my thread and needle and spend the next few hours stitching with my clumsy hands. Until an idea popped in my head. Glue.
Improv 2: Take a tiny amount of fabric glue and with my fingers, gently go around the lining under my topstitching. I didn’t use large amounts. Can’t be seen or felt. After it is applied, I press it to the wrong side of exterior around zipper and sides so it looks neat and finished. Brilliant!
Improv 3: Take threaded needle and every few stitches, mirror the top stitch you see all around the bag interior. I did 1 stitch for every 3-4 topstitches. Didn’t go through the exterior at all.
Worked like a charm! A half-hour later, my pouch is ready to go and holding a ton of little squares and hexie papers. The lining is secure and polished. Yes, a little glue was used, but I used my topstitching to hide the finishing stitches that went around the pouch. I just improvised a few steps to ensure my pouch was the best I could do until I have mastered certain hand stitches.
When you are working on sewing projects, do you ever improvise? If yes, on what? ~Cindy~
Sounds good to me, nice looking pouch Cindy.
Thanks 🙂 Have fun at Sewing Summit! I need details when you get back!