Thursday, January 8, 2015

USING LEFT OVER FABRIC - TUTORIAL ON CONTINUOUS BLANKET STITCHING

I showed this Valentine topper yesterday,  Island Batik Fabrics "Full Bloom".  It is 30" in diameter.  If you cut out the hearts in the center carefully, you can make another topper. 




Here is the Valentine topper made from the scraps of the above topper.  It is 22" in diameter, so yes, we are getting smaller.



I got a comment yesterday saying that this topper must be so hard to blanket stitch so I am going to show you how I do a continuous stitch.  No loose threads, nothing...just a beginning and an end.  

Here we are blanket stitching all the way until I hit a different heart (no need to cut thread).  On my machine all I have to do is punch in the number, blanket stitch is 58, straight stitch is 1.  So I do my blanket stitching and then when I come up to the next heart, I just put it on straight stitch.





I don't know if you can see but I just straight stitch around.



Here is a better view, then when I get to the other side I hit 58 for blanket stitch.  I had a machine one time that I had to toggle and that was not fun but this one I just hit some buttons.



Here we are again....at the end of the road for this heart


Straight stitch...

We worked our way inside the heart and now it is for the top of the heart.  Notice where the light pink meets the dark pink (already blanket stitched)....your starting point should be at the bottom of the light pink, let's call this the "O"...come up, then go down the other side and then come around on the inside of the dark pink and then across the top.  Then go to your next "O" and repeat.

I don't know if this helps or makes sense but this way is sooooo easy.  I actually do this with most of my projects that I blanket stitch if I am using the same color thread.

I also have to say that I am not getting many comments in my email but when I come to my blog there are comments so if I do not answer you that is the reason.  Don't know what is going on but hey....just so you know I appreciate all of your sweet comments.


16 comments:

Lynn said...

Makes perfect sense to me, but that may be because this is the way I do it too. I hate to stop and start. At times I will stitch over an area a second time rather than stop and start.

Lesley said...

Wonderful toppers and great pics of your buttonhole stitching.

West Michigan Quilter said...

I love your pattern. Great tutorial on how to do that blanket stitching!

Gene Black said...

Ha ha.... I love it. I thought I was the only person that switches stitches to avoid thread breaks.

paulette said...

Beautiful workmanship, Barb! Very pretty!

Wacky Woman said...

Oh Wow! Very cool!

Needled Mom said...

Great idea, Barb, and it looks so pretty too.

stela said...

I didn't understand why continuous blanket stitching. There is an other before this one?
Stela Gomensoro

Barbara said...

So clever, and so beautiful!

Missy Shay said...

Thank you for the tutorial!

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Very pretty table topper.

Seams to Sew and Quilt said...

Barb, that is too cute and the stitches are perfect!

Thanks, Rudy said...

Love it!! Very neat stitching. More Round table topper patterns. Round is hard to find.

Gloria Hart said...

I can't wait to get this one started! Love it!

Margot said...

I love your pattern.

Nancy said...

Thanks. I've been cutting threads, but not anymore.