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Pro: Entirely Machined

Zig-Zag Edges

Sometimes, you just want to finish an edge really really fast – you don’t care if it looks pretty up close.  (Like, say, you’re working on a show where everyone seems to wear a veil that the audience can see through, but the characters mysteriously cannot… Not that that ever happens.)  The zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine is the poor man’s serger…

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The Perfect Turned Hem

Yes, I said perfect. I’ve made a lot of turned hems over the years. The official Right Way To Do It(tm) involves ironing. While that’s a great habit in sewing, it takes time and it’s a little risky when you have two cats in the room. I forget where I stumbled upon this technique, but it works like a charm even for those of us who suffer from advanced iron-itis.

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Stay Stitching

“Stay Stitch inside the seam allowance” is a fairly common instruction in patterns.  Generally, stay stitching is used to make certain that the fabric of a garment will not stretch out during the sewing process.  It’s also a dandy cheater hem, which will fray (but only so far – it’s a controlled fray).  Sometimes, that’s exactly the look you want.

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