It was only yesterday that I cleaned the holes in the bed of my 1927 Singer 99K and attached the seam guide for the first time. I had forgotten that I had never been able to get the screw in because the hole was gummed up.
Having had good results with paraffin when cleaning up a Naumann machine with a stuck foot, I decided to try the same method to clean out the holes. I twisted the ends of a very narrow strip of cotton material and poked them up through the bed of the machine from below.
Underneath, in the base of the machine, I put a little ramekin with a tiny amount of paraffin in it. Once the machine was lowered back into the base, the cotton strip was left lying in the paraffin. It acted as a wick, soaking up the paraffin and breaking down the residue that was gumming up the screw thread. I left the cotton strip in place for a few hours.
Then, after removing the strip, I dipped an interdental toothbrush in paraffin and thoroughly cleaned the inside of the hole. It only took a few minutes, and then I was able to get the screw in. Success! Now I can use this machine with the seam guide. And I even remembered to take the ramekin out of the base.
Over the past few weeks, having done two little quilts in quick succession, I have hit on a method for sewing on the binding, using the seam guide to keep it all straight and neat. The mitred corners have been particularly trouble-free. On the front the stitching sits close to the edge of the binding, and on the back...
... it is clear of the binding, running parallel to it.
First, I stabilise the cut edge of the quilt with two lines of machine stitching. This makes the edge firm, so it lines up easily against the seam guide when attaching the binding, and if the quilting is widely spaced, it prevents the top layer from rumpling or pleating. It also keeps the corners nice and sharp, which makes mitring the corners easier
The seam guide keeps these first two lines of stitching straight. It has to be placed as far over to the left as possible, so it is right up against the side of the foot.
This places the needle approximately an eighth of an inch from the edge. Once the first line of stitching has gone all the way round the quilt, I remove the seam guide and put a second line of stitching between the first line and the edge of the quilt.
Next, I attach the binding. The binding is one and five eighths of an inch wide, with one side ironed over by about a quarter of an inch. The unironed edge is laid along the edge of the quilt on the back, and the seam guide set to approximately three eighths of an inch.
When the binding is folded over to the front, I place the needle through the work close to the edge of the binding, and then line up the seam guide with the edge of the work. Only then do I start stitching. The seam guide prevents the stitching veering off the edge of the binding.
Using the seam guide has helped me do my neatest binding and best corners ever. I don't know why it has never occurred to me to try this before. Linking up today with Connie's blog Freemotion by the Riverfor Linky Tuesday and Kelly's blogMy Quilt Infatuationfor Needle and Thread Thursday
When it comes to joining quilted blocks, I use the method described by Leah Day on her excellent video, which you can find here if the video doesn't show up on this post:-
Leah describes the method really well, and when I first saw this video I knew I had found the method I wanted to use. There is just one snag - Leah recommends either a line of zigzagging or hand stitching for the last line of stitching. I had to adapt the method so all the stitching could be done on straight stitch machines. I also slightly changed the measurements. Here is the method I came up with:-
I use strips measuring one and a half inches wide for the top binding, and two and five eighths of an inch for the back binding. The seam guide is set to give a seam allowance of three eighths of an inch. For the first line of stitching, I put the folded strip on the underneath and the top binding on the top of the quilted panel. The machine I have been using is the 1949 Singer 15K hand machine, with the hinged regular foot attached.
Then I do the second line of stitching with the same foot and with the seam guide still in place.
Once these two lines of stitching have been done, I lay out the panels with the two edges together. With this project I usually find that there is a bit too much bulk for the edges to lie flat against each other. This is because I have been using brushed cotton for the backing and polyester wadding - when I made the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Quilt I used cotton wadding and standard weight quilting fabrics, so the edges lay flat first time.
Rather than trying to adjust the measurements, it is easier just to shave off a fraction from the seam allowance...
... and then it will lie flat.
Then the back binding can be folded down and pinned into place. The pins need to go through the quilted panel, but not the binding on the right side.
When the work is turned over you will see the pins, and a new line of pins needs to be put in on the right side. Once they are in place, the first line of pins has to come out.
Now the last line of stitching can go in. For this the hinged cording foot is ideal because you can stitch right alongside the top binding. This means that on the right side, the stitching will be barely noticeable...
... and on the back it holds down the binding just a fraction away from the folded edge. I love this method. It makes home quilting possible when you haven't got acres of space in the house. Linking up again with Leah Day's blog for Free Motion Friday - visit her blog so you can see what other bloggers are making!
Work has started on the little dresses, using the turquoise batik that Sew Scrumptious Louise brought round here. With my machines there is no such thing as zigzagging or overlocking, so seams are made the old fashioned way. French seams take a lot of hard wear and washing and are ideal for children's clothing.
Here is the latest video, showing how to make a French seam quickly and easily with the help of the seam guide. And for the sharp eyed, you can just see what is stamped on the slide plate, the date of the patent for Singer's vibrating shuttle machine - 1886.
The seam guide needs to be screwed down tightly so it doesn't shift out of position while you are working. The danger is that a touch too much pressure can damage the surface of the bed of the machine. If your machine is beaten up already, then a few more scratches add a bit more character. However, if you want to prevent damage, the answer is a piece of felt. Cut a little hole for the screw to go through, and you have the perfect protection.
The seam guide is a marvellous little gadget. I wish I had known about them earlier. My mum never had one, and they were unheard of at school, so I never tried one out until I started acquiring old sewing machines and finding extras in the compartments or drawers. Now I'm totally hooked. If you are doing patchwork and need to a quarter inch seam allowance, the seam guide is ideal. It is a lot more reliable than the method I used before, which was to stick a piece of white tape on the bed of the machine and run the material along the edge of the tape. The seam turned out fine, but getting the adhesive wiped off the machine afterwards was a bit of a bore. The machine is a 1937 (more or less) Frister and Rossmann transverse shuttle. It sews beautifully and weighs a ton. I love it.
