Thursday, July 14, 2011

Guest Post-Sweet Sewn Stitches!

Today is a new day for Vintage Gwen!!  I have a guest!!  It hit me about a week or so ago that there's no reason why I shouldn't be having guests!!  In my opinion guest posting is a beneficial opportunity for both parties and it's high time for some benefits!
I'm excited to introduce you to Alyssa of Sweet Sewn Stitches!

She has a lovely blog and what drew me to her place was her fantastic vintage highchair that I featured last week in Darling day.  She was gracious to be my first guest poster!
Enjoy!!



Hi, I am Alyssa from Sweet Sewn Stitches! I have been blogging for a few years, but just recently have been inspired to kick it up a notch and dedicate more time to my story. 

I am thrilled to share a tutorial for pintucking today. Pintucks are a great way to add visual interest and texture to your space. These sewn tucks can be used to add a bit more glam to bags, pillows, clothing, and linens!




Be sure to pintuck your fabric before cutting your pattern piece. 

 To begin, gather all of your MATERIALS:

1} Fabric cut to size. I used 100% cotton and began with a 8 inch x 45 inch strip. The final width after pleating is 2.5 inches. Be sure to allow extra fabric to pleat.

2} Ruler / fabric pencil or chalk {optional}

3} Sewing machine and matching thread

4} Iron



I am sharing two methods for pintucking. The first is very concise, but I had trouble getting my pleats even. The second method is more freehand and gives control to vary pintuck width as desired.


FIRST METHOD
Mark lines using a ruler on the right side of the fabric as a guide. Width between lines should be double the desired width of the pintuck. Here I marked 1/2" lines for a finished tuck of 1/4".



Fold fabric {with wrong sides together} matching the first two marked lines. Pin or iron.



Straight stitch along the marked line.



For the next tuck, match the third and fourth lines and pin wrong sides together. Stitch. Repeat this method until all pintucks are made. Finally, iron pleats to one side.

PINTUCKS USING FIRST METHOD


SECOND METHOD
Tucks can be sewn using your presser foot as a guide rather than marking lines on the fabric. I felt my tucks were more concise using this method.

To make your first tuck, start by folding your fabric {wrong sides together} near one edge. Stitch together using a 1/4" seam allowance.

For the following tucks, fold fabric to make 1/2" fold from your previous line of stitching. Then stitch another tuck using 1/4" seam allowance from folded edge.



Continue this method for all pintucks. Lastly, iron all tucks in one direction.

PINTUCKS USING SECOND METHOD



You can now add your pintucking to any project or pattern. The possibilities are endless! These pillow covers are available in my Etsy shop.

Thank you to Jennifer at Vintage Gwen for inviting me to share with you today. I hope you have been inspired to try pintucking, and invite you to stop by Sweet Sewn Stitches anytime to see what's new!

Yay for pintucking!!  I learned something new, how about you?
Here's some other fabulous features from Alyssa!




Graphic and photos courtesy of Sweet Sewn Stitches.

Be sure and check her out!!

Thanks again Alyssa....fabulous, just fabulous!!

Happy Thursday!!

5 comments:

Alice said...

I'm just starting to sew and am determined to be able to actually call myself a "sew-er." I've been in love with pintucks forever and I think that maybe I can really do this. Thanks so much.

Jennifer said...

So glad you found this helpful Alice!! Good luck with your sewing adventures! :)

Alyssa said...

Alice, I wish you the best of luck with the pintucks! They look intimidating, but are SO simple. Happy sewing!

Abby said...

I love pintucks but have never tried them, thanks for the great tip! I think they look pretty doable now! =)

Pamela said...

Hopped over from Alyssa's site to learn how to do the pin tucks. I'm enjoying looking through your Bog, too. I'll be back!

Blessings,
Pamela