Let's stuff the pillow insert in the cover and admire our handy-work shall we? Yeah! Just the little confidence boost I needed to tackle the rest of the inserts and the other slipcovers. Perhaps the same will happen for you?
Couple of thoughts/tips:
1. Pinking Shears - GET a pair pronto. They are great for cutting edges you don't want to fray. This isn't a substitute for actually hemming fabric to a finished edge but it's a nice time saver if you need it. Or are just lazy like me.
2. Super sharp dressmaker's shears - GET some. I got my Gingher's at a serious discount at Jo-Ann's. This is also where I got my Gingher embroidery scissors which are great for trimming small threads.
3. It's so much easier to operate a sewing machine when you know how and why it works. I've used my sewing machine "green" and I've used it after I read a little about sewing machines. I had a lot more success after doing just a minimal amount of reading.
4. Don't get tense! I realized I used to get very nervous about sewing a straight line. I was looming over the machine like some kind of hunch-backed ogre. My entire body was tense, my jaw was tight, my fingers where cramped. The dogs (the little teeth beneath the presser foot) do a pretty decent job of feeding the fabric straight. Relax. No one will notice a bit of an errant stitch anyway. They will be too busy being impressed with your handiwork.
5. Luckily, this didn't happen to me this time. . .BUT. . .You can always rip out a stitch. Just make sure you have the tools for it. How often in life do you get a "do over"? In sewing, you do. What's not to love?
6. Never, ever, underestimate the power of preparation. It's so much better to take the time to think things through, to measure twice, to iron and launder properly than to have your hard work foiled by a silly but serious miss-step.
