Last week we covered sewing along lines drawn on paper with our sewing machine. This week is the same only you put a new needle in your machine and sew on fabric.

I thought I’d show how I prepare the fabric for my beginning sewers to sew on. It’s hard to sew on just one layer of fabric. It is also too much for them to keep track of two pieces of fabric if they aren’t attached together somehow. Just putting two pieces of fabric together doesn’t work as one or the other will shift in sewing, causing frustration. We don’t want frustration. We want sewing to be fun!

Here are the items you need:

• muslin or other light colored cotton fabric (We have so many sewers in our house that I always have a bolt of muslin on hand for this and to use as lining when making clothes.)
• heat ‘n’ bond
• iron

Step 1: Cut two pieces of fabric the exact same dimensions.

Step 2: Cut out a piece of heat ‘n’ bond the same dimensions as the fabric. Just trace your fabric on the paper side of the heat ‘n’ bond.

Step 3: Place the glue side of the heat ‘n’ bond on the wrong side of one piece of fabric. Iron according to the packages directions. You will be placing the iron directly on the paper. Let cool.

Step 4: Peel away the paper backing off the fabric. It will be very shiny. The piece on the left has the heat ‘n’ bond, while the piece on the right does not.

Step 5: Place this piece of fabric (with the heat ‘n’ bond) on top of the other piece (without heat ‘n’ bond) wrong sides together. Iron again gluing the two pieces of fabric together. This creates an nice piece of fabric to sew on that isn’t too stiff.

Now draw practice lines on the fabric with a pencil . . . .

and let your beginner sewer go at it!