Learn & Create
Baby Lock Ambassador Faith St. Juliette shares why she loves working with our sewing and embroidery machines. She recently upgraded from an Accolade to a Bloom.
Baby Lock Ambassador Mary Davis of Mary-Go-Round Quilts shows us how to add texture and interest to a tote bag with yarn couching using her Baby Lock Regent Longarm! Yes, Mary is talented, but she makes this process SEW easy.
Baby Lock Ambassador Faith St. Juliette shows us how to take an old puffer jacket and repurpose it into a trendy puffer bag!
Baby Lock Ambassador Sarah Hearts shows us how to create a trendy and wearable scalloped dress!
Baby Lock Ambassador Mary Davis aka Mary-Go-Round Quilts has 25+ years of quilting experience. Her quilt patterns and classes help beginners and experienced quilters alike level-up their skills. Mary shows you how to create this summer-ready quilted table topper!
Baby Lock Ambassador Faith St. Julliette demonstrates how to customize a homemade garment with a monogram or a logo.
Baby Lock Ambassador Faith St. Juliette shares her experience as an experienced sewist learning embroidery for the first time.
At Baby Lock we know the decision to buy a serger can be intimidating. We want all of our customers to be confident in their decision and go into their retailer prepared to find their perfect fit. To help ease some of this intimidation we interviewed Baby Lock Curriculum Specialist and Serger Expert Chris Tryon.
An employee in a Japanese factory saw his friend hemming trousers by hand and realized he could invent a better easier and more efficient solution. He decided to redesign the industrial overlocker and began developing a smaller more convenient overlock serger – a “baby lock.” It worked and it worked well -- ultimately revolutionizing the way garments are made.
Looking for a way to utilize your embroidery machine more in quilting? Finish up your project with a custom embroidered quilt label! Labeling your quilts can provide a special touch and help quilters pass on their legacy from one generation to the next.
I presume much like the rest of you reading this when I first learned to use knives in the kitchen I learned to cut away from myself to lessen the risk of injury. It was more than a little startling when I first learned the cordwainer’s (shoe making) craft to find the opposite was true: Much of the work involves sharpened implements that are directed toward the body. Hoping to keep all my organs and appendages unscathed by the slip of a sharpened tool I figured a little preventative maintenance was in order. I bought a standard apron made of canvas. But it just wasn’t right. In short order I found shortcomings and pitfalls: The neck strap that supports the bib – I found it remarkably uncomfortable. The apron strings had to be tied which meant they also had to be untied. If tied at the back and I sat back it would dig into my back. If drawn to the front to tie it got in my way. The apron extended to just above the knee – that was cool. But much of the work I do requires me to sit down. That span of fabric across my legs was awkward. An apron made of canvas is robust – but it’s no protection against a sharpened knife.I researched several unique styles then melded them together to create my own apron – an apron that you will find me wearing anytime I am doing leather work. In fact in the shoe making and accessories classes I teach at Los Angeles Trade Technical College the first project that every student completes is this apron. Made of 3-ounce/1.2mm leather (about the thickness of a dime – two layers of which your Baby Lock sewing machine can manage with little effort) the apron is far from bullet-proof. However it provides a bit more protection than a regular textile. The neck strap and apron strings are continuous and adjustable. The straps cross the back and are supported between the shoulder blades by a “strap keeper.” Below the crotch level (referred to as the “fork” in the tailoring trade) the apron is separated into two panels. Though I hesitate to say “one size fits all ” this particular apron fits “most.” Some students shorten the waist. None found it necessary to adjust the size side-to-side – though it can be easily done if needed. (Suggestions for simple alterations follow.) Click here to download more information on this project and step by step instructions. Click here to download the apron pattern. Check out Russell's video on the project below.
In this article we’ll explore the basic single-point and double-point (fish-eye) darts and how to sew them successfully. Darts are one of a myriad of ways of “controlling fullness”. Simply stated darts help to transform an otherwise shapeless textile into a garment with contours. Darts have the following elements: Legs (the dashed sewing lines) Vanishing point (the point where the legs converge) There are two basic types of darts: Single point Double point/Fish-eye Classically single point darts are found at and above the waist on the bodice and/or where it joins to at and below the waist on the skirt or trouser. They are always going to start at the edge of the fabric. Fish-eye darts are most often found with the “belly” – the largest part of the dart – at the waistline and radiate both up and down helping to define the waistline.They most often are placed in a garment away from an edge. However they can also start at the edge of the fabric. The widest part of the dart intake is the place where the most fabric is taken in – for instance at the waist. They usually narrow as they come toward full shapes (bust hips seat). Most usually darts drop out before they reach the top of any mound. Click here to keep reading.
Sew It Seams - the Sewing Series Introducing the Series You’re all excited. You’ve squirreled away some time and space. You’ve selected the perfect fabric and the perfect pattern. The fabric is prepped cut and ready to sew. Then… You begin to read the instructions. (Cue Beethoven’s Fifth – the first 4 notes…) The instructions might as well be written in Sanskrit and your excitement dwindles away. If you’re anything like me written instructions are your greatest nemesis. Trying to decipher what someone wants you to do with words scribed to the page – not always an easy task. If you’re anything like me getting through the instructions can be quite cumbersome and wrought with frustration. I call it “spatial dyslexia”: I have the darndest time translating directions from a twodimensional page into the 3-dimensional world. Many people consider me quite adept at my craft. I appreciate that. Like many others it was hardearned fraught with many many mistakes along the way. (And yes I still make more mistakes that I care to admit to…) Over time I realized that pattern instructions are simply a person’s attempt to direct you through the construction process. They may be the best instructions for a particular step or process but they may not make sense to you. Over time I also realized that there are many ways to get to the same (and sometimes better) end result. So if you are struggling with the instructions provided for setting the fly in a pair of trousers or a welt pocket in a jacket or a Y-seam but you know another way I’m here to tell you it’s OK to take the detour! When constructing something from a pattern it’s easy to forget that a welt pocket is a welt pocket a fly-front zipper is a fly-front zipper a two-piece fold-over waistband is still just a two-piece fold-over waistband a sleeve placket is still just a sleeve placket even though the instructions may make it appear to be some new type of alchemy. The road is wider. I was thinking wouldn’t it be great to have a repository of techniques under your belt so that when you sit down to sew you could just pull them up? (Yes! That would be great!) To that end I thought I’d begin a series of articles (errr… more written instructions – albeit with photographs!) “Sew It Seams” going over the construction of some of the elements that show up over and over and over. And to sweeten the pot I’ll include links to recorded video instruction to bolster the written word? What do you say? I say let’s get to it! Click here to keep reading.
Join Dana from Made Everyday as she shows you how to make this easy and adorable baby bib! She provides the free pattern and walks you through all of the steps in her fun video. You'll learn lots of tips along the way including: How to cut the pattern How to quilt the layers together How to attach bias tape How to add Velcro to create a closure Click here to read more and download the free pattern. Learn more about the Baby Lock Lyric sewing machine featured in this video here.
If you’ve shied away from machine quilting your own quilts let this be the year you overcome your fear! A twist on wavy line quilting the wavy line grid quilting pattern is perfect for beginners and provides a fun organic texture to complement a variety of pieced quilts.
