𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬!

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

welcome to jpc’s patchwork handbook. In this guide, you will find videos on how to do different stitches, how to do knots, and even some extra tips to while sewing for a challenge of ours, or, just for fun.

majority of our aniamljam projects will use what you find below. as we progress, though, our tutorials will get more complex, and we will be adding more stitches and tips you will need to master for completing our contests.

confused on what our group represents? check out our wiki for more information.

stitch guide

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

running stitch

this is the most common stitch you will be using for our projects. this stitch consists of sliding the needle up and down the fabric continuously until you have a line of stitches.

running stitch w/sewing machine (straight stitch)

use the j foot for your machine and select the straight line stitch that should be near the top of your selection choices. you may change the length and your stitch count as well, to fit what you are creating.

quick running stitch

this is the same as the running stitch, but you can complete many stitches at once. do this by sliding the needle up and down through the fabric but without pulling the needle through until afterwards.

whip stitch

this is the second most common stitch we will use in our tutorials. the whip stitch is used to secure the edges of fabric pieces, especially when you are hand-sewing and want to turn something inside out. in this stitch, you constantly poke the needle through the downside to the top, and not the top to the underneath, like the running stitch.

whip stitch w/sewing machine

unless you have a serger machine, you cannot do a whip stitch like this. you must hand-sew instead.

𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

starting knot

there are several ways to start off your knot before sewing. this is just one way, but you can find many other ways online, and we may add more ways to do a knot as our group continues forward. in this way, you wrap the thread ends around your finger or the needle. Then, you roll them, tightly, together. lastly, you roll the mess off of your finger and pull the thread ends to form a right knot. if you do it on the needle, you pull it over the needle’s thread until it reaches the end. knots may take a while to perfect, so keep trying!

starting knot w/sewing machine

press the pedal down for one or two stitches, then hold the backstitch button, ↷, for a few seconds, while holding the pedal. once doing so, you may start your project.

ending knot

this is the knot I use to end my projects. when sewing, you must knot at the end or your stitches will rip out, especially with hand-sewing.

ending knot w/sewing machine

press the pedal down for your last few stitches, then hold the backstitch button, ↷, for a few seconds, while holding the pedal. once doing so, go ahead with two or so more stitches and then you may pull it off your machine.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

stuffing

if you add a little stuffing, it will be more squishy and flimsy. if you add a lot of stuffing, it will be firm and compact. the amount you add will vary for every project, but I suggest that you use very strong stitches if you want to overstuff a hand-sewn project. otherwise, your stitches will burst.

inside-out tip

the most common tactic for making any plush design or mostly any design is to stitch your pieces together and then turn inside out. to do so, put the pieces you are sewing so that the good sides are facing the good sides inwardly. once you turn it inside out, the good sides will be on the outside. you do not want the good sides facing out if you aim to turn it inside out.

also, if you are turning something out, make sure you leave a seam allowance when cutting the shapes for your pieces. creations shrink in width when turned inside out.

patterns

if you want to make your project look identical to another project, use patterns, if given to you. they will help you with the proportions for your project.

hand-sewing vs. a sewing machine

i personally prefer using my sewing machine to make projects, but that’s my opinion. a sewing machine is good for faster work and even, more professional stitches. one downer is that you cannot do a whip stitch on the machine. you must get a serger machine for that, which can be expensive.

one benefit of hand-sewing is that you can use a whip stitch, unlike the sewing machine. with hand-sewing you can also sew thicker fabrics together, while with the sewing machine, you must change your needle to a heavy-duty type in order to prevention error messages due to the thickness of fabric. if you have a simple needle on the sewing machine while sewing thick fabrics, it will often break the needle or send it flying across the room, which is a safety hazard. overall, both ways have their ups and downs.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜