Tutorial for faking a coverstitch....

I've been away awhile! Poor blog. :( Why is it so hard to post something daily when I manage to waste at least an hour on Facebook every day? ;)

Anyhow, here is my newest tutorial. I bet there are a million and one ways to do this. Mine may not necessarily be the best method, but it's how I've faked the look I LOVE since getting my serger. The look I am talking about is this:

This is my favorite Baby Sara tee ever. I love how they use the stitching in contrasting colors!

So this is how I've faked it.... You'll need the following things:

A serger
A regular sewing machine

That's it!

Let's work on a cuff. But you can use this look anywhere, including necks, where they look really cool!

Start with your cuff fabric you've cut:

Run each long side through your serger:

And you end up with this:

Iron in half. Actually, wait, iron in slightly less than half. This way you will ensure that you catch the other side when sewing together. I won't show you my ironing board, it's a mess! But here's what you end up with:

Note that one side of your serger exposes the needle thread. I like to keep that side as the top side because I find it's cleanest, and is a good line to follow when sewing it on.

Next, grab your sleeve and put the cuff on it's end, and pin.

Make sure the back is the taller end!

Now, get out that dusty sewing machine (if you have a serger, it's probably dusty ;)

You'll want to pull a little at your cuff as you sew it on. I use that thread line as a guide. You can sew above it, on it, whatever you prefer.

Because you are stretching your cuff, you'll find that as you reach each pin your fabric will not be flat. So remove pins as you approach them and then continue to sew. (Eeegad!! excuse my cuticles!!!)

(Don't do what I did below, and let your bobbin thread run out half way!)

Once you reach the end, you've got your faux coverstitch!

Sew onto your tee shirt:

and you are DONE!

Oh, and just make note that because you've sewn on top of your rib fabric, you've technically removed it's stretch from it. So keep that in mind when you make your shirt that the cuff will NOT stretch.

Hope this works for you! Share any pictures with me of your creations!

And now I'm heading back to Facebook.....