Q. I love using a hot wheat bag on sore muscles but they are expensive. How can I make my own?

A. Lovely wheat packs – a great gift for family and friends and easy to make. Always use a pure cotton fabric, not a synthetic. It will breathe better. I like corduroy because its heavy and cosy.

Cut out two pieces of fabric in the size required. Average would usually be 18 x35cm. However, it just depends what part of the body what size you want. A full back would need a bigger one. Using a sewing machine, and with the right sides facing each other, sew around all four sides but leave a 10cm opening on one of the sides. Turn right side out.

Fill half the bag with cleaned wheat available from most supermarkets. It’s nice to add a few drops of a scented oil in with the wheat as well. Sew up the opening by hand, evenly disperse the wheat along the length of the bag.

When actually heating your wheat bag in the microwave, ensure it always goes in with a glass of water. The glass creates moisture and ensures that the bag does not dry out, get extra smelly and therefore suffer an unnecessarily short life!

 

Q. If a knitting pattern mentions a specific yarn, does it matter much if I pick a cheaper option?

A. Yes, to achieve the exact fit and visual result as in the pattern’s picture, you’ll need to use the recommended yarn. But, if you choose a cheaper yarn, it’s vital that it’s the same ply as the recommended and you will need to knit a tension square to check if it really is suitable.

To knit a tension square:

Knit the number of stitches recommended in the pattern for approximately 15cm. To check the stitch tension, place a pin vertically toward one end of your square. Measure carefully 10cm along and insert a second pin. Count the stitches. If the number of stitches between pins is less than that specified in the pattern, your garment will be too wide. Use needles one size smaller and knit another swatch, measure the stitches again – if more than specified, the garment will be too small. Charge to needles that are one size larger, knit another swatch and measure again.

Q. I love knitting but have always been confused about buttons and knitting. Do I make the button hole to fit the button or do I buy the button to fit the hole?

A. Knitting is a bit different from dressmaking in as much when dress making you can make the buttonhole any size to fit the button but with knitting and following a pattern sometimes you just don’t know how big it is until after you knit it. I suggest you don’t buy your buttons until after you have finished your garment, take it with you to the store where you can check that it goes through the buttonhole and doesn’t fall out and you can also get the best colour match.

Q. I have recently been invited to a wedding in England and we have decided to go, I know the parents of the girl that is getting married very well but have never met the couple. I would like to make something for her and would like it to be uniquely Australian and useful, Do you have any suggestions that I could take with me on the plane easily?

A. Oh you lucky thing, don’t forget to wear a hat or fascinator to a wedding in England, it is the ‘done’ thing.

Anyway, to answer your question, I think I would knit or crochet a throw or knee rug in pure Australian wool in a neutral colour such as cream or soft browns. I’m sure everyone has a chair or bed to throw this over and it does get pretty cold in England. You won’t have to worry about it getting damaged while travelling either.

 

Q. My sister has given me a beautiful smocked dress for my little girl’s Christening that she used for her daughter’s Christening. My daughter is 6 months old and the dress is a little short and has yellowed a bit. Other than the smocking, the dress is quite plain. Do you have any tips on how to make it a bit longer and whiten it up again?

A. I’m sure that you don’t want to change it too much or have it look like a piece has been ’tacked’ onto the bottom, so what I suggest is that you let the hem down as far as it will go and re hem it then cut the dress all around approx 6 – 7cm from the hem, then either hand sew or machine sew a piece of insertion lace approx 3cm wide (this is sealed on both edges) to both cut edges, if it is still a bit short you may have to do this twice approx 3cm apart.

For the yellowing I suggest that you soak the entire dress in a weak solution of Napi san, not bleach as sometimes if you use too much this can make the yellowing worse.

 

Q. I’ve been making throw cushions for my new couches and I wanted to put a piping around them. I’m proud of what I’ve done so far and they look good, but I can’t seem to get the piping really close to the edge of the cushion. What I am doing wrong?

A. There is definitely a secret to this – you need to use the zipper foot on your machine and have it adjusted so that it is over to the left as far as possible. Then you’ll be able to stitch the piping very closely to the edge of the cushion, resulting in a perfectly piped cushion!

 

Q. I’ve borrowed a friend’s quite plain veil for my wedding, but want to find a way to make it my own. For a little ‘revamp’, I thought sequins would be a nice touch. Do you have any tips on making it easy to sew on sequins using clear thread? I’m not a very experienced hand sewer and I’m having a bit of trouble.

A. Invisible thread is tricky – it doesn’t seem to knot very well. Instead, depending on the colour of the veil, I suggest you use a good quality polyester thread in white or ivory and a very fine needle. Thread the needle so that its double and knot it, then loop it back through the tulle and then back through the loop to secure it. Bring your thread through to the front, thread your sequin onto the needle and then through a small seed bead in white or crystal, then back through the sequin. The bead will give each sequin some extra support and definition. Secure with a few stitches at the back and cut the thread close to the sequin so it can’t be seen.

 

Q. I was given a pair of good curtains as a gift – they have white blockout backing. Do I have to get them dry cleaned or can I pop them in the washing machine?

A. Curtains, on average, should have a lifespan of about 15-20 years but that all depends on the way we care for them. For maximum durability, it recommended that you don’t wash them at all. Washing can cause up to a three percent shrink. This translates to 5cm over a two metre drop. Dry cleaning can also cause the backing to weaken and crack.

Most of the time, curtains are just dusty. Hang them on the line and beat them out with a broom and let them air out for half a day. While the curtains are hanging, you can vacuum them with the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If there is a stain on the curtain, spot clean them with a spot cleaner, eucalyptus oil or borax powder. Always to do a test on a not noticeable part section for colourfastness.

 

Q. My mother in law has knitted my husband a lovely jumper for his birthday that he really loves but even though I wash it by hand it seems to be getting longer and longer. Can I somehow get it back to its original shape?

A. Even though you are hand washing your husbands jumper I hope you are not putting it the spin dry or wringing it. Once the jumper has been thoroughly rinsed, squeeze out the excess water gently, avoiding twisting or wringing it. Then roll it in a thick towel to remove any excess water. If you must you can put it inside a pillow case and use a short spin on your washing machine.

The jumper should then be dried flat on either a towel or a clothes airer, away from direct heat never hung on the line Also avoid hanging jumpers on coat hangers, fold them and keep them in a drawer or on a shelf. To get the jumper back to its original shape try steaming it.

 

Q. I recently bought some balls of 100% wool because I wanted to try knitting it then felting it, but it didn’t felt. What did I do wrong? I followed the instructions to the letter.

A. If you followed the instructions to the letter, I think you have probably chosen a yarn that may be 100% wool but it has been treated to make it machine washable. You may have more success if you repeat the process with the piece you tried as you may have washed out some of the treatment. For successful felting the yarn needs to be untreated. Lincraft’s Cosy Wool felts very successfully.

 

Q. I have heard that knitting actually has some health benefits. Is this true and if so what are they?

A. This is true Kate. Of course knitting is a valuable skill in its own right but it actually helps young people particularly, to integrate right/left brain learning skills. It also helps with dexterity, concentration and mathematical skills as adding, dividing and multiplying are important requirements for knitting. Increasing the difficulty of patterns as you become more experienced is great a confidence builder.

When concentrating on what you are making all the other things that are on your mind are forgotten. So teach your kids to knit….It’s great fun.

 

Q. Dear Veronica,
I often need to take up the hems of jeans. What thread can I use that will match the top stitching used on jeans? I find ordinary cotton thread is too fine and looks wrong.

A. Thanks so much Kate for your letter, having short legs is a never ending problem for me too. When I let up jeans I always use Gutermann Top Stitch thread in the machine, it is a strong heavy thread and comes in a couple of shades of yellow/orange which is fairly similar to the colours that are used on a lot of jeans, it comes on a 30 mt spool and is 100% polyester.
Gutermann also sell a thread called jeans thread but it only comes in a dark blue denim colour and is perfect if you don’t want the seam to show or for mending denim, it is 100% cotton and comes on a 100mt spool.

 

Q. I have just completed a beautiful large crochet afghan, The instructions say to 'block' it when complete. How do I do this? I don’t have a board big enough to fit it on.

A. This is a question I have been asked a few times now, and yes blocking a finished afghan does give it a much better shape. I find the best place to block large items such as afghans, bedspreads or tablecloths is on a sheet covered floor or bed. Lay the piece fully out, but don’t stretch it, and arrange it into a nice even shape. Pin all the edges down securely. Using a spray bottle of plain water, mist the piece thoroughly until it is slightly wet (semi- Saturated) and use your hand to gently press each area as it is sprayed. It’s amazing how just the heat from your hand acts like a low heat iron of sorts on wet yarn, but without the damage an iron can cause. After the piece is thoroughly wet down and hand pressed a fan blowing on the project for several hours until completely dry.

 

Have a question for Michelle? Write to askmichelle@lincraft.com.au