Sewing Lesson 1b - Turning a Tube, Finishing a Seam, and Hemming Tips

Whenever you start a seam that will not be encased by another seam in a later step, sew a few stitches forward, press the back button and sew a few stitches back over the first stitches.  This will lock your seam so it doesn't unravel.

Now let's get sewing!!!

Here are a few tips as you sew your Freesia Bow:

Sew steps 1- 8.

When you get to step 9, here's how you can easily turn a tube without any special tools.

Attach a safety pin to one of the raw edges.   

Push the safety pin into the tube and scrunch the fabric over the safety pin. 

Grab the end of the pin through the fabric and pull the fabric back to ungather it.  

Repeat, scrunching and pulling until the pin emerge from the end.   

Finish by pulling the pin out completely. 

Finish sewing your bow by following steps 9- 16.

Once you have a couple bows under your belt,  try a bigger project like a skirt!  The Rosewood skirt is a perfect choice! You can start with a simple straight skirt and when you gain confidence, you can use the same pattern to take it to the next level, adding pockets, connected shorts, and tiers.  AND you can get the Rosewood Skirt for 20% off through the end of Feb. with code Seamallowance20.  

I have a few tips for you as you sew the Rosewood.  

For the simple skirt start with step 9.

Whenever you sew a seam that will be exposed on the inside of the garment, you need to finish the seam.  And I'll show you how!

Find the zigzag stitch on your machine and change your stitch width to 4 or 5.

Sew along each raw edge, keeping the zig zag on the edge of the fabric.  Press the seam open.

If you have a serger, serge the seam allowances together and press the seam allowance to the back of the garment. 

Next skip step 10 and proceed with steps 11-14 to create the waistband.  For your elastic,  measure your child's waist and cut your elastic to the size that corresponds with her measurement.  You can choose a different elastic measurement than the size of the pattern pieces.  For example, for my daughter, cut out size 7 pattern pieces, but size 6 elastic.

When you get to step 15, thread your elastic through with a safety pin in the same way that we turned the tube for the bow.  Make sure that the elastic is not twisted in the casing before you stitch the ends together.  Zigzag forward and backwards several times to make sure the elastic doesn't come apart.  

For the Hem, first press the bottom edge up 1/4 inch.  Using a hem gauge while ironing can help you maintain an accurate 1/4 inch.  

Hem tape makes it much easier to get a nice looking hem.  Line up the edge of the hem tape with the folded edge of the skirt.  

Press the hem up another 3/4".  Sandwich the hem tape under the hem, ironing it in place.

Finish the hem by sewing 1/8" away from the folded edge.

And you're done!  Congratulations on making an adorable little skirt and matching bow!  Make sure to post your makes in the Sunflower Seams Page and The Sewing Hub and Instagram with the hashtags #LearnwithTamarHopeDesigns and #LearnwithSunflowerSeams.  Each post is an entry to win a free Sunflower Seams pattern of choice!

Happy Sewing!!!