Behind the Scenes: Free Motion Sewing
All of the new designs in the Haven Handmade shop feature something called “free motion sewing”. But to those who don’t sew this probably doesn’t mean much, so I’d like to share a little bit more about this unique sewing technique for today’s “behind the scenes” look at Haven Handmade.
“Regular” Sewing versus Free Motion Sewing
Under its regular settings, a sewing machine is designed to stitch in a straight line. It has two specific parts that work together to help the seamstress accomplish this--the feed dogs and the presser foot. The presser foot holds the layers of fabric flat while they pass under the needle and the feed dogs help move the fabric forward at a steady pace. When a sewing machine is set up for free motion sewing, these two parts are basically taken out of the equation. I switch to a presser foot that hovers over the fabric and I “drop” the feed dogs so that I can control the movement of the fabric under the needle. This allows me to stitch backwards, forwards, right, left, or at any angle I choose, which you can see me doing in the video below.
One Technique, Many Uses
Free motion sewing can be used in a variety of ways for a variety of projects. Sometimes this technique goes by different names depending on the way it is being utilized.
Free Motion Quilting: This is probably the most common use of this technique, even though it’s not one I employ since I’m not a quilter. However, if you have a quilt that features loops and swirls of stitches all over it, then you have a quilt that was free motion quilted. Free motion quilting refers to the allover pattern of stitches that goes through the finished layers of a quilt and “sandwiches” them together. The twisting, turning, looping pattern of stitches was accomplished through free motion sewing.
Free Motion Applique: Think of applique like a collage made with fabric. Fabric shapes are arranged on a fabric background to create a picture, pattern, or design, and are stitched down. Various stitching methods can be used to create an applique, from hand sewing to dense zig-zag stitches like you see around buttonholes. In free motion applique, the seamstress has the freedom to stitch around the applique pieces in any direction she likes. It is almost like “drawing” a line of stitches around the applique design. Most of the designs in the Haven Handmade shop incorporate free motion applique in some way.
Free Motion Embroidery: Embroidery is the craft of decorating a piece of cloth with thread. Embroidery can be done by machine or by hand. In free motion embroidery, the seamstress uses a sewing machine to create stitches in any design or pattern to decorate their fabric. This is in contrast to embroidery done by an embroidery sewing machine, which is controlled by a computer program rather than the seamstress’ own hands. The embroidered names on personalized products from the Haven Handmade shop are examples of free motion embroidery.
It sounds a little cheesy, but I love the freedom I have to control the stitching when I am free motion sewing. It can be a little tricky to get the hang of free motion sewing, and the results are a little less predictable, but I also think the effect is worth this effort. Free motion sewn items are not something that are easy to mass-produce due to the nature of the technique, so I’m really proud to be able to offer a product that is unique.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Haven Handmade and how I make the products in my shop! If you are curious about anything else that goes into creating the products for Haven Handmade or into running my shop, I’d be happy to share more about what happens behind the scenes.
