Revealing Stitching

[Ruben]

I do what I call the baseball stitch it is the one they use to sew a baseball. This stitch is easier for me than the ladder stitch, I can go faster but at the sametime being carefull it is virtuely invisble. Another thing that makes stitchesivisible is how you cut your fleece. If the fleece is cut a little to small I have found that it has to stretch pulling at the seem making the stitch visible. but I have only been building puppets for two years so I'm not an expert. I'm sure I will learn a great more as I practice and thats the best trick practice, practice, practice!

 

[staceyrebecca]

a very thin needle will also help...I use a size 10 embroidery needle..for some reason it just helps to make smaller stitches.

Also if you use a size 10 quilter's between, that helps, too, but even with my small woman-hands, its difficult to maneuver it.

 

[wes]

oh Stacey, I'll have to try that embroidery needle. the baseball stich is great but takes too long.

Ooo found this:http://www.perestroika.ca/html2/vest/handstitching.php

 

[ShiveringCactus]

I do what I call the baseball stitch it is the one they use to sew a baseball. This stitch is easier for me than the ladder stitch, I can go faster but at the sametime being carefull it is virtuely invisble.

I find the baseball stitch easier and quicker too, which means I tend to find I have more patience for making the stitches smaller and neater.

(Sadly I take the easy way out and just machine stitch far more often than I should!)

 

[puppetsmith]

Here are some links to the various stitches mentioned -

The Whipstitch
The Baseball Stitch
The Ladder Stitch

I think hand stitching is the surest way to minimize seams. Both hand and machine sewing can be used for the same puppet. You can machine sew areas not so noticeable and hand sew areas that will be at the focal points of the character. By mixing the two, you can maximize quality and minimize the time as much as possible.

 

[Nojoy]

But what about this "wax" Stacey mentioned? Anything that strengthens my seams and prolongs the lifespan of the puppet seems like a good idea.

Edit: Sorta answering my own question here slightly (amazing what a bit of research does...)
From This site:

Why use beeswax:

• it coats and protects the thread
• it is nonvolatile and will stay on the thread a LONG time
• it tends to slightly darken and enrich the thread color
• it knocks down and keeps down thread fuzz and frizz
• it slightly stiffens the thread
• the process of waxing:
  works the thread to reduce its stretchiness
  work out curl introduced by spooling or coiling the thread
  work out some of the twist in the thread
• it makes the thread just a bit tacky and easier to work with
• snugged down knots on well waxed thread tend to stay tied and resist working loose

How to apply beeswax:

• pull the thread across the wax cake 2-3 times while holding one end and then the other to load wax on the thread surface
• slowly draw the thread across a lighted (and therefore hot) light bulb - the goal is to melt the wax so it soaks into the thread
• pull the thread across the wax cake again, 2-3 times in each direction, giving it a small turn before each pass
• heavy thread will need a little extra wax while light/thin thread will be fine with a bit less wax
• IF the light bulb step leaves wax on the bulb, THEN you're putting too much wax on the thread in the first step
• IF the light bulb step generates smoke THEN you're either moving too slowly or the bulb is to too powerful (50-60 watt bulbs are just right) or both.

And from this one:

To stop getting knots in the thread when you are hand sewing, pass the thread through bees wax. You can purchase a bees wax notion at fabric stores. This just works wonders! There will be no wax residue left behind.

By Janette from Parkersburg, WV

Just in case anyone else was wondering...

 

[Ruben]

I like the idea of waxing. I've never done it because this is the first time I have heard of it.
I'll try anthing to reduce my thread from wearing out when sewing.

 

[staceyrebecca]

Here's a link to thread wax

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat3227&PRODID=prd2989

glide it through after you've threaded your needle & start sewing. I even do it mid-seam if I remember half-way through.

(I've had the same wax since 98...it lasts awhile to say the least..I'm sure if I remembered to use it more often, I'd have less, but still...give yourself at least a good 3-4 year run on the same package)

also, i have NO idea what this does to antron, but for cotton, wool, acrylic & mohair, I've never had any issues.

 

[BorkBork]

I'm having a real Problem here! How would I make it so any stitching on my puppet would be less revealing? I hope someone can shed some light on this. and I refer specificvly to the body, legs and arms.

I've just tried the ladder stitch. I must say it is amazing. I am going to use this stitch from now on. It's fast, and you can see the result right away, since you're sewing from the outside.

 

[dkmontgomery]

Stitch

I like the ladder stitch myself as well. Also, as already pointed out - the Project Puppet blog has great tips on hand stitching.