Tag: handmade

Kid’s project: BBQ Aprons for Father’s Day

June 19, 2026

In CraftLAB, we made aprons using the free pattern and video instructions from Made Everyday. (Thank you for a well-fitting, easy to follow project.)

Note that it will probably take you longer than 30 minutes to make the apron on your first try. Allow a couple of hours if you are sewing with kids or are a beginning sewist.

The fabric shown is a heavier-weight denim with minimal stretch I found at Hobby Lobby. The girls chose to add a contrasting cotton fabric for the pocket lining. Thread used exactly matches the denim to help hide topstitching variations.

Three suggestions:

(1) Two ironing stations will make the process flow much more smoothly when sewing with friends.

(2) Use a tube turner to make the ties and neck band. Cut the fabrics as indicated on the pattern, but fold fabric in half RST lengthwise and stitch along one side and across the bottom of one end of the tube. Clip the corners before turning. Love how this video explains things.

(3) If sewing with kids, consider lining the apron. This will eliminate all of the folding and pressing required to finish the raw edges. Shorten the main pattern piece by 2″ before cutting out. Omit the facing piece. Add front pocket as directed. Create ties and neck band as desired. Attach ties and neck band in positions as indicated in video instructions. Place front and lining RST and sew around using a 3/8″ to 1/2″ (or edge of presser foot) seam allowance. Leave a 6″ opening along the bottom to facilitate turning the project right side out. Press and topstitch around the entire apron using 1/4″ seam allowance (or whatever you prefer).

I’ll be making one for me with some personalized touches: contrast pocket lining and matching flower applique on the bib. I’ll also shorten the neck strap by 2 inches because I want a little more coverage.

DIY sliding mat for free motion quilting

May 18, 2026
DIY slider mat for FMQ. Not pretty, but it works great!

Quilters have a number of options for creating a slick surface on their machine bed to facilitate easier free motion quilting. A slider mat (aka Supreme Slider) and teflon spray are two options. I have a Supreme Slider to use with my larger machine in the Horn Quilter’s Dream cabinet. The queen size works great with my machine and required no cutting to achieve a perfect fit.

Using a wide extension table to FMQ while at a class or retreat may require that you trim your slider mat to size. This was the case with my Elna 450. I didn’t wish to spend $30-$40 for another mat. Instead, I took a thin oven liner mat (already on hand) and rough cut it to size. I marked the needle opening by running the sewing machine needle through the exact spot several times and later cut out a thin circle with super sharp scissors. I taped the mat in place and did the detail cuts around the curved edges and the inset to the right of the needle.

Next step was to test things out. I enlarged the needle hole slightly and trimmed up the inset areas a little bit more. Applied fresh painter’s tape to hold the mat in place and began to FMQ. Smooth as butter with no fabric catching anywhere!

Total cost: FREE because I had an extra pack of ThreadNanny oven liners from Amazon in my stash. I use them for applique projects requiring fusible interfacing or glue.

Close up of needle hole area in my DIY slider mat.

Curious about my settings for FMQ on the Elna 450?

Convertible FMQ foot with ruler work attachment (personal preference)
Blue dot (or low tension) bobbin case
Feed dogs lowered
Upper tension set at 4
Topstitch needle in 80/12 or 90/14
Glide thread top and bobbin (with at least 2 extra bobbins fully wound)
Slider mat securely taped in place
Gloves

I use stitch #1 and set the speed slider about 3/4 of the way. I always warm up for 5-10 minutes on practice sandwiches to test settings before I start on a quilt.

Which extra presser feet should I buy?

May 17, 2026

My Elna 450 is a budget-friendly, computerized model. It came with four presser feet: (1) all purpose presser foot; (2) satin stitch foot; (3) zipper foot and (4) buttonhole foot. The dealer also included a 1/4″ foot at no extra charge.

If you flip through the Janome/Elna accessory catalog, you’ll find dozens of additional presser feet that will work with your machine. Buy the extra presser feet that will support the type of sewing that you do and fit your budget. I quilt, so this machine will be used for piecing blocks, machine applique and quilting smaller projects. The kids will use it in CraftLAB to make a variety of projects, including tote bags, aprons and pj pants. I’ll also use it to hem pants, replace buttons and fix popped sleeve hems on t-shirts.

Here are the additional feet I purchased for this machine:

  • Open toe walking foot with guides (set of 2 guides can be purchased separately)
  • Button sewing foot (w/ blue toes)
  • Replacement A foot with leveling button (for going over thick seams)
  • Open toe F2 foot
  • Over edge C foot (use with stitch #11 to finish raw edges)
  • Adjustable blind hem G foot
  • Open toe darning foot

The adjustable blind hem foot can be used for more than sewing a blind hem. I use it as a topstitching guide when I need to sew 1/8″ from the edge (bag straps, pocket edges). I use the dial to move the finger so that it lines up on the right side where the foot clips on. I use stitch #1 and set the stitch width = 1.0 mm with stitch length = 3.0 mm.

Other key considerations when buying presser feet:

  • Max stitch width for your machine: 5mm, 7mm or 9 mm?
  • Bobbin case position: top loading, side loading or front/vertical loading?
  • Machine manufacturer: is it a top loading machine made by Janome?

Over the years, Janome has manufactured machines for Sears/Kenmore, Baby Lock, Juki, Necchi and Elna. This is important because presser feet designed for top loading Janome made machines require a slightly left offset connection bar on the snap on foot to align properly with the feed dogs. (See left photo of blind hem foot above.) Center needle snap on feet may work occasionally, but the needle position will be off and the toes of the presser foot may not align with your feed dogs.