The Tuesday before yesterday I made two pillowcases for one of my daughters, for Valentine's Day. I had read directions for pillowcases online and in a book so I had the general idea how to make a simple pair. To make these special, I decided to applique hearts on the "cuffs" of the pillowcases. I cut out hearts freehand, ironed them on using Steam-A-Seam 2 (no, I get no money for this endorsement!), then used an applique stitch around the edges.
It didn't go entirely as planned.
Initially, after I cut out the "cuff" part from the white cotton, I ironed and sewed hearts on it, then realized I had placed them in the wrong place. Once folded, they would not be in the right place. I started over, and this turned out to be a good thing.
After I cut out another cuff piece the sewing teacher came by and I told her what I was doing. She suggested that I use different stitches, better for appliques. For some reason I had not thought of this and was using a simple tight zigzag. The zigzag is fine but if you have a nice applique stitch how much nicer it can be! (Click on the pictures above to see the stitch up close.) But more than that, I realized I had not looked in my sewing manual for "how to do appliques". I did so, and learned about the "open toe" foot. This is a presser foot that is empty in the middle, allowing me to see clearly exactly where the needle is sewing. I could then do the stitches far more accurately and with greater confidence. I can see myself using this foot more often for situations where the exact placement of the stitch is important.
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