Ladder Stitch

Don't you love learning new things?  When I started this blog I barely knew how to sew.  Sure, I could sew straight lines on my sewing machine thanks to the two quilt classes I had taken but that was about it.  I was totally intimidated by the thought of ever hand sewing anything.  I am happy to say that I have learned a lot since then.  But, I also have a lot left to learn.

When I make a big plushie I hand sew all of the details, machine sew it together and hand stitch it closed after stuffing it.  Since I had limited knowledge on sewing I always used the whip stitch (well, my version of it because I really don't know how to do it) to close the plushies.  It worked fine and looked okay, too.  But, in the back of my mind I really wanted to learn how people closed their plushies so it didn't show at all.  Last week a friend sent me a link to a tutorial for the ladder stitch that she found on Fern & Freckle.  This is what I had been looking for!  I just didn't know what it was called so I couldn't look for it.  :-)  I was so excited! 

Last weekend while I was working on plushies for the Austin Craft Riot Holiday Show I decided to give it a try.  The tutorial was awesome, but I was still having a little trouble figuring out from the photos where the thread went into the fabric.  So, my hunt for the perfect video tutorial began...

It didn't take long to find it.  This tutorial is awesome!  She explains it well and demonstrates it perfectly.  I love that it's really close up.

That little trick at the end for the knot (that most people probably already know) is so awesome!  Seriously, I geeked out a little too much over that.  ;-)

Since learning how to use the ladder stitch I have made two and they look awesome!  I am so excited to work on some more this weekend when I get some more felt.

Have you learned any new crafty things lately?