I had a thought, tried it, and it worked just fine. The thought came when I was hand sewing lining into a Fat Bottom Bag. I thought, "There's GOT to be an easier and faster way to do this! What would Mom do?" That's when the thought came to me. Mom would have used Freezer Paper and sew it on the machine!
The problem I had when trying to sew the lining with the machine before this was unfruitful. It came out horrid because the pressure foot kept tugging and catching on the crochet work I did and the thread would all bunch up making one hundred stitches in the same exact place - the work would not move forward.
All I had to do was put freezer paper between the pressure foot and the crochet work and TA DA! No more catching, bunching, and each stitch went exactly where it was supposed to, one right after the other in a neat line. Yea. Thanks Mom!
You'll need:
Freezer paper, or Parchment paper would work just the same
The fabric lining for your bag (or other crocheted item)
Your crocheted bag
A sewing machine
Several of you have asked about stitch length....
**Set your stitch length to one you would use for everyday, medium weight fabrics.** I haven't tried a zig zag stitch yet, nor have I tried a top stitch setting (where the machine makes a triple stitch) but I'd like to try and I'll let you know how it turns out.
Just put the paper next to the teeth that push the material along (for which I cannot remember the real name of at this moment! ack!) , under the presser foot. The place your work, with the fabric lining pinned into place, on top of the freezer paper, underneath the presser foot as well.
As long as you don't go off the fabric, don't stray onto the crocheted part of your work, this trick should work just fine.
Once the lining is sewed in, just remove the paper, one side at a time, tearing it carefully away from the machine stitching.
(I don't have an example shot just yet of this action because I didn't think to share this with you until I was all done with this bag but next one, if need be, I'll post the photo of actually pulling the paper away from the stitches. For now, this is what it looks like to pull the paper away from stitches I made in an hand towel. lol)
That's It! I hope this made something easier and quicker for you. I do like the results of hand sewing my linings in my bags but when it comes to being cost effective for a boutique sale or craft fair, machine sewing is the only way to fly. We spend enough hours on our crocheting - my doctor figured out I get about 12 cents per hour for my crochet work at the prices I sell my items for. Save time, save money, save your fingers, save yourself. Use the machine whenever you can! ;-D
If you found this post to be useful, please indicate by leaving a comment below. Also, if you found it to be boring or dumb, please feel free to say so. I like to share my secrets but don't want to if I find out everyone already knows everything! lol
Do you have a question about crocheting or sewing that we can help answer for you? Is there something that's been on your mind that you've always wondered about either of the two? Let me know in the comment section below and I'll see what we can do to find the answer for you. Maybe it's something you just discovered yourself, put that in the comments too and I'll create a post for and by my readers that shares tips like this one (without the photos and extreme explanations). It would be nice to help each other by sharing our knowledge, don't you think? It'll be kind of like Heloise's book of household tips except it'll be this blog and about crocheting. We'll see. Maybe we could get together a book like that - I don't believe there is one out there. We'll see.
Gotta go!
Have a great day, God bless you!
17 comments:
I just happened to be sewing a lining inside a purse I crocheted and stumbled upon this post. What a time saver, as you said! It takes me a long time to hand sew because I'm not very good at it. When I used the machine with paper - I used brown paper (we used to use it for packing and shipping boxes) and it worked fine. So much faster and looks a heck of a lot better then my messy hand sewn stitches! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Cathrine P. Seattle Washington
P.S. I read some of your posts about having to move, and should tell you Washington is a very nice place to live, we've been here for thirteen years and haven't missed California at all. It's beautiful, the weather is perfect, and there's lots to do once you get settled in and find new friends. The people here are fantastic. I am so glad we got our children away from L.A., they are much happier here and have a more wholesome, less stressed lifestyle. If you want I could email you photos of the area we live in, I've got them on a SD card and would be no trouble at all. Just let me know. I'll email you my email address so you can respond privately, okay?
Thank you so much! You have saved me hours. I crocheted 4 blankets, one for each of my children, and wanted to sew a backing to one side. I did the smallest by hand but it took me forever, and frankly with four little ones, school, and keeping up the house, I don't have the time to hand sew it! I am trying this with the other 3 blankets. Thank you!
Thank u so so much. I'll try it ASAP with my crocheted pillows. Do you have any suggestions for machine adjustments (stitches, length etc) I should use for better results ? In any case u saved me a lot of time. Tnx again.
I'm so glad this idea is working out so well for everyone. Regarding the Oct. 2 anonymous question, I used a regular stitch length (my Singer 2001 decides the stitch length for me, I don't think I have any control over it which is very frustrating at times lol) I would say a size 4 would be perfect, it would depend on the type of fabric you use to line the bag with. I lined one of my bags with lace and if I had a choice I would have used a smaller stitch length just to be sure the fabric was tacked down regularly. If you want the stitching to be decorative you could use the top stitch setting if your machine has that option (it ends up being three strands of thread per stitch, makes a contrasting line like the gold stitching you find on a pair of Levis.) Hope this helps :-) Have a blessed day, thank you so much for your feedback it helps to know my efforts are actually doing some good.
I am definitely going to try this for a crochet baby blanket I'm making. I want to back it with flannel. Thanks!
Going to try this tonight! I've been struggling trying to attach a binding to my crochet blanket for a friend who's having a baby soon. I've Googled everything I could think of. Thanks for the post!
I'm very happy you found a way to finish your blanket. Thank you for leaving a comment have a blessed day.
We should use matching thread to the yarn, right? Does it show up noticeably on the crochet side? I'll be using this definitely! I have used notebook or construction paper before to sew silks, slippery and other thin fabric before (t-shirt jersey especially! )
I'm glad you found this useful. As long as you pick a thread that matches the yarn it doesn't really show unless you look real close. Yes .my mother and I used to do lot of sewing.... do you remember stretch and sew?
I might have just made some un-type able noise of excitement reading this! I've just managed to crochet a baby blanket in 3 days (love a deadline!) and have hemmed the backing, but was dreading sewing the two together.
I'm new to using a sewing machine, and I was wondering if you had to use a specific type of needle for the sewing machine in order to get it to go through both the fabric and crochet item?
I'm new to sewing with a machine and I was wondering if you have to use a specific type/size of needle in order for it to go through both the crochet item and the fabric?
Could you Please tell me what you set your stitch width and your stitch lengths at, also do you use a special sewing thread. I have several crocheted bags to line. Thank you for sharing this. I've been searching on line how to sew all the linings into my bags. I'm with you on the hand sewing, I'm terrible at it. Thank You Roxanne.
Could you Please tell me what stitch length and width you set your machine at also did you use a special thread. I have several handbags to line and I've been searching on how to machine stitch them in. Thank you Roxanne
Hi Alexis,
I didn't use a special or heavy duty needle for this idea, I used the medium or "normal" needle that I use for fabrics like poly/cotton blends, etc. It really depends upon the thickness of the lining you're sewing onto your crochet item, of course. A number 4 stitch length worked out fine (number 4 on my machine is the median of the choices for stitch lengths)
Hope I could be of some help, if you have any further questions please let me know
:D
Roxanne, I used the regular thread and needle, a medium stitch length and did not adjust the stitch width, I kept the stitches straight but you can always use a zig zag, I'm sure, if you prefer.
If the lining you're using is thick (although I wouldn't recommend a thick lining - it doesn't really work well with a FBB) maybe a heavy duty thread would be better, I'm not sure I've not come to that.
If you want the stitching to show up you could try a top stitch and contrasting thread or maybe the heavy duty thread would be sufficient to get the effect you're looking for.
Good luck, let us know how everything turned out. :)
Roxanne, I used the regular thread and needle, a medium stitch length and did not adjust the stitch width, I kept the stitches straight but you can always use a zig zag, I'm sure, if you prefer.
If the lining you're using is thick (although I wouldn't recommend a thick lining - it doesn't really work well with a FBB) maybe a heavy duty thread would be better, I'm not sure I've not come to that.
If you want the stitching to show up you could try a top stitch and contrasting thread or maybe the heavy duty thread would be sufficient to get the effect you're looking for.
Good luck, let us know how everything turned out. :)
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