NEWFOUND OLD DISCOVERY

It has been so easy motoring through my Flowerville BOM and I really thought I would have it up to date by the time I next posted on my blog.....but.....I didn't take into account that I would run out of embroidery thread for the last few bits.....so I am on to A Country Tea Party sooner than expected.

One of the reasons I procrastinate over ACTP is that I have to do more work and trace the design onto the supplied fabric......it's time consuming, awkward due to a design flaw with my light box (I should write to them about that!) and makes my hand ache badly (an issue I have with my right arm) but worst of all...the # 1 problem I am having is that the quilt shop handling the BOM does not supply enough fabric for the stitching.  I understand this is a way of saving money but it doesn't help me!! Have a look at this ....

1.  shows how close I have to stitch to the edge to fit the design in.
2. shows how badly it frays and I can't get those edges into a embroidery frame...no matter how small.
3. top and bottom is a good measurement but the sides are barely cut to the size the designer suggests after stitching.

I knew I was going to be faced with these problems again and the issues start right from the moment I tape the fabric down onto the light box. I thought I had some sort of webbing tape that I could iron on to stop the fraying.....when I was looking for it, I found my box of abandoned cross stitch pieces...sometime last century, I used to make small gifts and cards...these didn't make it. The reason I am telling you this is because one of the pieces still had masking tape on the edges which I used once when I was without a sewing machine.  It was an Aha! moment for me.

Now, I know many of you use your overlocker to stop fraying. I don't have an overlocker but I have used other methods. Sometimes, sort of successful and sometimes not at all.

1. Fray Stop is a product I have used before and it works adequately but it is messy to apply, you have to wait for it to dry and right when I needed it, my half bottle had dried up!
2. No overlocker, no problem if I have a sewing machine....or so I thought! First I tried zig-zagging close to the edge...what a mess and it somehow managed to gather the edge of the fabric too.....so I tried a straight stitch like I used to with my Aida fabric....no good! It had to be close to the edge which left my fabric misshapen.
3. I gave the masking tape ago and Voila! It worked a treat.

Here's how I did it...

1.  I used what I had and my masking tape roll is just over 1" thick. I cut a strip just longer than the long side of my piece of fabric.
2. I carefully stuck it down the length...covering about a 1/4" of the edge. Pressing the tape well onto the fabric and the cutting board to avoid slippage.
3. Then I trimmed the masking tape right up to the edge of the fabric with a ruler and rotary cutter. Carefully pull both up and repeat steps 2 -3 on all sides....this way I only used one strip of the masking tape.
4. I had cut the tape longer than the fabric and I folded the excess to the back.

I found it gave the edges a lot of support as well as stopping the fray when I taped it onto the light box.  It was easier to tape down and keep taut while I traced. I am not worried about it being there when I finish stitching as I have to cut it down by at least 1/4" anyway. Here is a picture of how it looked after the tracing was complete.

No Fray! See that grey arrow between the 13 & 15" inch mark.  It is not fraying that it is pointing to but rather the whisperweft that I iron onto the back of all my embroidery pieces before stitching. Here is a close up to prove it.

I was so excited by my newfound old discovery....that I traced all 4 of my BOMs waiting in the sidelines....no excuses now! I will let you know how it holds up after it has spent time in the embroidery frame.

p.s....I never did find that webbing tape!

 
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