I'm sure you're right, Budster. : ) The thing is, about a week ago, I thought I'd practice with the hump jumper; and afterwards, I did some practice sewing, both, on scraps of fabric. Well, the stitches didn't look right - I kept adjusting the tension, but it didn't make any difference. The stitches no longer look 'individual', and they are misspaced and grouped together, sort of thing. I had to change the needle, because I think the old needle was dull, but I ended up putting the original needle back on because the other needle didn't seem to work any better. I got a little frustrated with the stitch issue, which was another reason I put the machine away. And there is the matter of gardening; and, oh ya, spring cleaning that I haven't gotten around to yet... : P

Well, when I make banded sides, I always sew the bands on first, iron the seams and iron fold on the band-the desired widh, iron single fold on the bottom hem,lay the panel on the table and interlining on top of it.Make sure bottom of the interlining goes to the ironed bottom line. Even all out and finish the other fold on the bottom, use pins secure all together and blind sew the hem. Make a ham on the lining too. Lay the panel w/ interling down on the table (right side of the panel facing table,interling facing you), make sure all is even and straight. Lay the lining on top of it, hem facing down. The lining should be about 1/2" shorter than the front panel. Pin it together. Again make sure all the fabric lays flat and even. Now you do the sides. Interling and lining should be cut straight to the ironed fold of the band.So double fold the band material as you would do on the bottom, make sure the band has same widh in the back as in front and pin it every 6-8", do the other side and blind stitch it. Remove the side pins as you sew, leave bottom pins still in. Lay the whole panel on the table and measure your lengh from bottom up,cut straight,fold over, iron. You can add buckram if you want stiffer top or just make double ham and stitch it which ever way you prefer. Remove bottom pins. From my experience w/ interlining. Sometimes I sew it on the lining instead of the main panel. Depends on the fabric I use. When it comes to banding, I would not recomend bias cut unless you put something in to stabilize it- like iron on backing to prevent it from stretching and looking "wavy". When it comes to hem size, if you don't have enough material for 4" double, you can make smaller hem. Personally, I don't like dummy, add on piece. I'd rather put weight tape inside the ham to hang right. If you make smaller ham, make sure the ham on lining is smaller too. Sorry if it is confusing, or my spelling. Any more questions? Just ask.

I suggest a ball point # 11 needle...or the same needle that your machine suggests for sewing double knit, nylon tricot, jersey, etc type fabrics...and set your machine for 10 - 12 stitches/inch. Just make sure the needle is new or in very fine shape. Occasionally...I'm not vigilant enough and I forget to check the head of my needle in use. With these newer microfibers...if there's the slightest bur on the head of the needle...it will pull on the fabric as it goes into it...stretching it and causing problems. HTH Anne

Not sure if this is at all helpful to anyone else; I came across a blog entry (link below) with the following tip but have never used it myself: 'If you arenâÂÂt picky, or if you donâÂÂt need something that looks super high end and you just want some pretty fabric panels sewn, then your new best friend is your drycleaner/tailor. Drapery is sooo easy to sew, its having the space that is difficult which is why i donâÂÂt do it very often. But its just two double hems on the sides and 4-6â³ hems on the top and bottom. Straight seams. SOOOO easy. So normally your local dry-cleaner will do it for $20 a panel (maybe even less).' The blog post continues from there, but it struck a chord with me because my one attempt at sewing curtains was pretty unsuccessful due to the space issue that she mentions. In a small home with a small dining table, there was nowhere to lay the fabric out to pin the seams except on the carpet, which was too squishy to get accurate measurements and really get the seams straight. Add my cats running across the curtain fabric every 2 minutes, and you get... uneven, puckered curtains. But for other folks, this may not be a problem at all! I'm not familiar with sewing studios, but if they have big enough workspace then that might completely fix the issue. If you're not very familiar with sewing, I recommend a very simple treatment like a rod pocket or using clip rings, but of course you might have great success with something fancier! Here is a link that might be useful: Style by Emily Henderson