Tying the knot

Out of all the things I do as a designer and seamstress, the one thing I hate the most is sewing by hand!!  And the part that makes me despise hand sewing is, you guessed it, tying the knot!!!  That might sound silly to some, but there is good reason behind it. I have spent a lot of time trying to get a knot large enough that it won't slip through the fabric as soon as I sew the first stitch!  I usually tie a knot, then tie another, then another and eventually I get two to land in the same spot to make a big enough knot that it doesn't slip through.  Call me crazy, but I think I missed the basic element of tying the knot somewhere in my sewing lessons!!

Well, no more!!!  Heather Bailey has shown me the ultimate in knot tying.  And it couldn't be more simple.  I already use the principle in finishing off my stitching, I just never knew how to start out that way.  So I want to share it with all of those who are starting out on their own, or maybe even who have been in it a while but want to learn an easier way.  The free mini-tutorial is here.  You won't be sorry you took the time to look it over. 

P.S.  I use this little secret to finish off my stitching as well.  Nobody ever taught me, I just figured it out.  So you may already know, but if you don't - try it!!  The same method that Heather uses to tie the knot, except at the end.  When you get to your last stitch, don't pull it taut on the underside.  Hold the needle on the topside with one hand and the loop on the underside with the other.  Take the needle and push it back through the underside of the fabric taking care to run it through the loop.  Wrap the tip of the loop around the needle three to four times then pull it tight.  This will create a nice, strong knot on the bottom of the fabric.  I love this method because the knot is strong and I don't have to fiddle with trying to tie it off.  The only thing you really have to watch out for using this method is that your thread doesn't tangle.  If you take great care to keep the threads taut, you shouldn't have a problem.

Hope this helps all those novice seamstresses out there and maybe even a few pros (wow, wouldn't that make ME feel good!!!).

Oh, one last thing.  Sew 4 Home has some great information here.  This is where I found the Heather Bailey tutorial to begin with, so you might want to check it out.  They always have the greatest info!  Happy sewing!!!