Sewing a stitch sampler

A stitch sampler is a great way of discovering what your sewing machine is capable of doing. most people buy a new sewing machine, attend a one hour demonstration lesson and then rarely use the full function of the machine.

A stitch sampler is a sewn out sample of every utility stitch, buttonhole and decorative stitch built into your sewing machine. For a smaller machine, such as the Janome D6030, this may be only about 30 stitches but for a larger more complex machine such as the Brother Dream machine this will be in excess of 500 stitches. Compiling a stitch book has lots of advantages. The stitches always look better stitched out than on dials and provide you with a better appreciation of size and application.

Making your stitch sampler.

If you are going to all the trouble of stitching out all your stitches then you want to make sure that it is in a format that you can save. I keep mine near my sewing machine for easy and fast reference.

Choose a base fabric that works with the cotton colours you have chosen. Whilst a white background is good for various colours, a solid background such as black or red can really make the stitching pop. Cotton fabric, denim or calico works well but will need a layer of stabiliser such as tearaway behind the fabric. Spray the base fabric with spray starch and press before using it. This provides added stability to the fabric. Select thread colours that make the stitches easy to see. Although variegated thread looks pretty it can detract from the actual stitch and is sometimes thicker so you may need to adjust the tension.

If you have a lot of different stitches like I do on my Dream Machine, it is a good idea to number them. You can also vary the stitches by changing the length and width of the stitches.