Sewing from point to point!

It can be challenging sewing a straight line from a particular point to another particular point without some for of reference except the ending points. The Manhattan Bag below has seams sewn on the folds of the bag and represent the technique I am addressing:

 When you have the purse panel flat, you sew from point 1 to point 2 to point 3, and to finish at point 4. There are no guide lines. I put pins at all points and simply sight from pin to pin and sew for it!!!!. 

Sometimes, I press crease marks from point to point, then sew on the crease lines.  This works pretty well.

A third method would be to use seam tape or some kind of 1/4" masking tape. The following picture shows what we mean:

I tried to put tape on all three seams but this particular tape started to fall off before I could finish the seams. Though I love this tape, a different tape might work better for this technique. I sewed right next to one side of the tape.

A Simple Way of Threading Buttons for Fabric Caddies

Some of the caddy versions have buttons (maybe as many as five) on the top trim for embellishment. Looks cute, right!?! But sewing on the buttons, each one by hand, especially if making several caddies, is a nightmare. 

Well, I don't! I pre-thread them and hot glue them on -- so much easier. 

I had one suggestion to use your machine button attach option. Sew each button to a spare piece of fabric, cut the buttons off the fabric, and hot glue them then. But the little swatch of fabric on the back of the button in this process gets in the way of hot gluing the button thoroughly. 

So below are pics of my process:  

Really cute to have buttons on the top -- but it would be a nightmare sewing them all on by hand!

Make a group of threads, maybe ten strands thick and thread your first button.

Tie a knot on the back as shown. The end of the thread is only 2" long or less -- don't waste your thread here.

Cut off the thread right at the knot. You can use your ten-strand thread thing to knot several buttons. The whole process goes pretty fast. Then hot glue the buttons to the trim of each caddy.