When my Grandma explained "pivoting" to me, I just didn't get it. But, when she explained a "ballerina twirl," I understood exactly what she meant.
In sewing, it is important to place your needle down
into the fabric exactly on the corner so when you turn
or "ballerina twirl," the edge of your fabric will then be lined up to sew again using the same seam allowance.
In the past, Grandma helped me to sew straight seams and to know where to stop sewing when turning a corner by marking the seam allowances with a water-soluble blue marking pen on the fabric. She said that I need to train my eye to recognize different amounts
like 1/4, 3/8, 4/8 or 1/2, and 5/8.
So by marking the seam allowance, she was helping me to learn how far away from the edge of the fabric 5/8 of an inch looks like.
Another way she sometimes helps me is to place a dot with the blue pen, exactly where I should stop and ballerina twirl.
We've been doing some more practice by sewing, with NO thread, on paper. I pretend that the paper is the fabric and Grandma tells me how big the seam allowance needs to be. It's really a kind of fun game to play together. She checks me with this little ruler she has, and I get one point if I'm right. If I'm not right...Grandma gets one point.
First person to ten points is the winner.
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| Learning new things take practice. |
It takes practice to sew straight seams and turn corners at just the right spot, but once you get it.... then you feel so much more confident about sewing.
So if you worry that
your seams aren't straight enough or that your corners aren't quite right, mark your seam allowance like my grandma does or practice on paper.
Smiles,
Miss E and Me
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