Thursday, February 26, 2015

Workroom Use of Industrial Sewing Machines

A Creative Touch Draperies & Interiors workroom has several industrial sewing machines.
This post will focus on these 5 machines:
straight stitch, walking foot, 5 thread serger, blind hemmer and the tacker.
The bulk of daily work is accomplished on the straight stitch machine.
Some call this machine a lock stitch.
The straight stitch currently used in the workroom is manufactured by the Chinese company Yamata.  This machine has been very good with no problems using it in the 8 years in use. There are many other machines out there in the industry that are much more expensive than this, but this machine was purchased new and hasn't had problems so far.  There are several different needle plates allowing use of large sized needles (up to 21 or 22). Also, useful are various attachments that are available for this machine such as a ruffler, hemmer and binder and miscellaneous feet like welt feet, zipper feet, edge foot etc.
Chinese made Yamata straight stitch
There are times when you have a project that has something very heavy that requires a straight stitch and a nice walking foot machine is a good thing to have on hand. To see one in action below there is a link to a video that will demonstrate a walking foot sewing together leather goods.

Juki LU-563 Walking Foot Machine
The Juki LU-563 is a real workhorse. This machine will stitch heavy leather and upholstery. Also handy are the welt cord feet that go with this wonderful workhorse machine which assist when adding a welt cord to things like a slipcover or heavy pillow cover with  multiple layers of heavy fabric.
The video at this link shows a walking foot in action:


The serger is another machine that gets used almost daily. This machine uses 5 strands of thread and it also cuts the edge of the fabric straight and finishes it off with a nice edge stitch. It sews up to 2400 stitches per minute which saves time. It's great for sewing together widths of drapery that are being matched up on a pattern.
Juki 5 thread serger makes a beautiful clean edged stitch

The blind hemmer machine is invaluable when sewing side and bottom hems into drapery. U.S Blindstitch makes a very hardy blind stitch machine that definitely cuts down on seam tear-outs and redoes that were previously happening often with other machines that were being used to perform hemming.  The tear out time for this machine's stitch is fast because the machine uses a looper stitch similar to the serger's looper stitch making it very easy to remove with the pull of just one thread. This machine uses one single thread and sews a complex blind stitch that pierces through multiple layers of fabric to provide a clean look on the front side of the project.  A Creative Touch uses this machine for both drapery side hems and bottom hems on drapery panels.
The 2:1 stitch setting is used doubling the space between stitches versus the 1:1 which is used for garments like hems on pants.
U.S. Blindstitch machine saves time when a tear out is needed
This machine makes an effortless single thread blind (hidden) stitch that can be adjusted to the depth and width you want.  The look of the stitch is very neat.

Proving to be a real time saver for pleated drapery headers is the tacker machine. This machine can be a bit scary to use the first few times. I wear safety glasses when using it and this really helps with some of the fear! This machine will sew a neat tack very easily through the layers of pleated fabric on a drapery header.

Singer Tacker machine
 The shop is a bit messy, but that's what happens when you have work to do!!
A bit messy - sorry!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Walking foot sewing machine in action

Full service Upholstery

A Creative Touch Draperies & Interiors offers full service upholstery from a small bench or window  seat to a full size sectional sofa or a room full of furniture.
This post focuses on several project photos from the past to give you an idea of the details that are involved in the upholstery process.
Chair after re-upholstery service & wood color change
Original Chair "before"
The client wanted the color of the wood changed to something more neutral and the fabric a bit more neutral as well.
The back view of the original chair before we reupholstered it
This is the ottoman that goes along with the chair above

The details on the wood color change are shown here










Slipcovers:
Before slipcovers

After slipcovers
Close up of slipcover

Other upholstery projects are shown below:
Chair "Before" upholstery service
Chair "after" upholstery service
Bench seat "before" adding upholstered seat cushion

Window Seat "after" adding upholstered seat cushion, pillows and window treatment  

Cushion re-covering projects are shown below:

Original chair before the cushions were re-covered with new fabric



Chairs after cushions were re-covered with new fabric



Another view of the chairs with new cushions




 Close up of pillows and cushions

Sofa cushions "after" recovering them with new fabric to match window treatments
Bench before upholstery services


Bench after upholstery services
Bench before upholstery services

Bench After upholstery services


Chair after upholstery services







Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Duralee Designer John Robshaw Collection Highlighted

If you love fabrics that look handmade and are imperfectly printed with a tribal feeling, then the Collection by John Robshaw from Duralee just might be a collection you'll love.  As a lover of the old world techniques, John travels and connects with artisans from many different cultures. He prefers to use imperfect printing techniques that provide a human touch element. He uses the color Indigo liberally and often mixing it with reds, oranges, and browns.  John impacts communities overseas where he builds relationships with his artisans and gets involved in their daily lives by attending weddings and other family celebrations.
John enjoys blending colors, processes and designs from each culture. He redesigns them and mixes up the processes in unique ways yet he is able to retain their essence. In piggybacking these designs and techniques with each other or with his own ideas, what emerges is new and fresh, and yet retains that sense of tradition and the handmade.
The Duralee collection offers something for every color choice.
The image below capitalizes on the tribal aspects of his designs by showing off animal prints, tribal symbolism and old world printing techniques.
John Robshaw for Duralee Fabrics

Duralee pattern 21035
Duralee Pattern 15453
Duralee Pattern 21038-157

Duralee Pattern 21040-794

Duralee Pattern 21034-193
For more on John Robshaw's collection upcoming 2015, see his blog and website

Spring 2015 Siam Collection

A collage of Siam 2015 Collection from John Robshaw

Monday, February 23, 2015

Fabric Designer Uses Color to express seasons

One of the fabric suppliers A Creative Touch Draperies & Interiors uses is Duralee. Recently Duralee commissioned an award winning designer to help with a collection of fabrics that is just, in my mind, amazing!
Her collection combines bright colors with white backgrounds giving it a clean, modern, chic look with the vibrant colors added in for a pow! The designer is Eileen Kathryn Boyd.

Eileen Kathryn Boyd for Duralee
Her use of color will make you smile!
In the photo below, the use of yellow with purple and aqua just sing of Spring!
To see the complete Duralee Eileen Kathryn Boyd's collection.
Eileen K Boyd collection from Duralee

Eileen Kathryn Boyd has her own blog with so much to offer anyone that loves color.
The drapery and pillow fabrics are shown below:
Duralee pattern 21009-610 
Duralee Pattern 15379-618

Duralee pattern 15386-246
The chair cushion and pillow fabrics in this photo are included below:
Duralee pattern 15371-618
Here are a few more images using Eileen Kathryn Boyd's collection in other colorways

Duralee Collection from Eileen K Boyd

Duralee Eileen K. Boyd's collection
The drapery fabric is shown here:
Duralee pattern 21008-204
The bench fabric is shown here:
Duralee pattern 15390-588

Friday, February 20, 2015

Fabrics fabrics fabrics and more fabrics......

I love fabrics and being in the design industry is just the right place to be.  When a new collection comes out, I can't wait to share it.
Some of the time, the new collections are so good, I want to share them before they come out!
Since I have the inside track on when the best and most beautiful fabrics are coming out, I can pass that along to my readers.
I wanted to share these embroidered beauties from Wesco Fabrics with you today.

Coming this Fall 2015 from Wesco fabrics a silk/linen blend with a vibrant blue embroidery design



This would make some lovely drapery panels, table runners or anything you can think of that requires a statement design like this embroidered pattern does.

This beautiful embroidery design was released in the Fall 2014 collection


The pattern repeat is huge on this beauty and I love the vibrant colors!
The vibrant oranges and reds make me feel like going to the islands!
This embroidered fabric is available now and is inspired by the tropical island of Maldives.

Love this pallet of color!

A popular color Aegean has been redefined with the use of avocado.
Need some bling? The linen has metal embellishments attached for a bit of shine
 Love the linen with metal embellishments for pillows! So cute. Here it is in a fabricated pillow with gold colored embellishments:


 I can just imagine what these would look like in pillows on a white sofa!

This paisley is fun with the aqua, lime green and grey
 These raspberry prints are all in stock and ready to be made into something gorgeous!

Hints of Indian tribal influences in these fabrics from Vervain
The vibrant magenta and silver really accent one another.
Got bling? These trims add that something special to any pillow or drapery
Love this trim with baubles and braided edging details