Tools of the Trade - The Tailors Ham

The tailors ham is a sturdily padded ham shaped cushion for pressing curves and seams of garments. We use ours all the time for pressing bust seams and curving wool and felts so that the fabric molds around the body smoothly.

Ours is plaid on one side and white on the other and feels as tough as a real ham, available to buy from Jaycotts here.  The Sleeve rolls are also really handy for proper pressing of seams.

DIY - How to Tie a Bow

           

To accompany our first DIY kit is our 'how to tie a bow' video. Tying a bow is one of those almost impossible things to explain how to do and I hope this video will help with the main part of the kit.

To make the ultimate velvet hair bow (or bow tie) have a go with our kit. It includes everything you  need including the needle and thread and a treat all packaged in a brown parcel sealed with sparkles. Feel free to request different colours if black isn't your choice. Available in our Etsy shop. 

DIY - How to Make Bias Binding

Bias Binding is simply the most useful stuff in the 'sewing' world.

It's great for ...................
finishing edges
finishing hems
making seams look beautiful (especially if you don't have an overlocker/serger)
you can back things with it like ribbon belts
make piping from it
trim things with it
and there are probably so many more things to do with bias binding, I just can't think of right now. 

What is the 'Bias' - when fabric is cut on a 45 degree angle this is the bias and this gives stretch and drape to your fabric.

Today I'm going to show you how to make it.

Equipment and Materials Needed

1 metre of fabric

patternmaster - this is a really useful tool but you can just use a ruler buy one from Morplan here

ruler

bias binding mouse - available from any good haberdashery. 19mm

pencil

scissors

iron and ironing board

Fold your fabric at a 45 degree angle edge to edge. The diagonal line is the bias. 

draw a long straight line along this bias line from the corner

with your ruler at right angles to the bias line, mark out dots every 3 cms. This will become the strips of bias tape

once you have marked these 3cm intervals draw lines all the way along the fabric parallel to the bias line

Now cut along these lines to form the tape

With your binding mouse, slip the tape through the widest end and out through the narrow end where it should be folded into three sections. 

Slowly pull the handle of the mouse keeping the tape centred. At the same time iron the tape as it comes through the mouse pressing the tape into it's folds

And now you can use it. You can stitch the lengths together end to end for binding long lengths and seams.

Once you can make bias binding you can make gorgeous patterned trims and start edging everything in it. I love using it for hems when there is enough left over fabric as it looks so much more beautiful than a simple overlocked/ serged hem. You do need to factor in weight, how it will effect drape and extra time though.