The Connection Warren-Watchung Edition June/July/August 2018

www.theconnectionsnj.com PHEASANT RUN CLEANERS Expert Dry Cleaning • Shirt Laundering • Tailoring Leather • Wedding Gown • Drapery • Shoe Repair 120 Mountain Blvd Ext (next to Acme Supermarket) Warren, NJ 07059 (732) 356-0066 HOURS OF OPERATION Mon.-Fri. 7AM-6PM • Saturday 8AM-4PM FREE Pickup & Delivery $ 3.00 OFF Incoming Dry Cleaning orders only (order of $30 or more) Not valid with any other offers. Expires 8/31/18 $ 4.00 OFF Incoming Dry Cleaning orders only (order of $40 or more) Not valid with any other offers. Expires 8/31/18 $ 10.00 OFF Incoming Dry Cleaning orders only (order of $100 or more) Not valid with any other offers. Expires 8/31/18 1 Coupon per order. Not valid with any other offers. Tailoring, suede & leather, shoe repair excluded with “PHDcleaners” coupon. Not valid with delivery orders. BEST WAY TO ASSEMBLE A MODULAR BLANKET By: Carolyn Hanson Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at cchanson3@gmail.com . If you are a lover of granny squares, scrumbles or afghans with multiple shapes that need to be sewn together, read on. It does not matter if you knit or crochet, the pieces somehow need to come together to make the finished product. There are several methods to choose from: • Whip Stitch • Crochet (single crochet or slip stitch) • Mattress Stitch It’s always best to start by blocking all the pieces. Blocking is the process of reshaping pieces to the size specified by the pattern’s directions. This can be done pinning each piece to a blocking board, ironing board, or several thick towels and then either wetting with a spray bottle or apply- ing steam, without pressing. Yes, it can be a lot of work, but it makes the sewing so much eas- ier when every piece is the correct shape and size. It’s a lot easier to block and sew 100 small pieces that are the exact size, than sew curling pieces and block 1 really large piece that does not fit easily on the blocking board. The flattest method is the Whip Stitch. This is the best choice for a crocheted table cloth since there are no thick seams that would cause a wine glass to be unsteady. Whip stitch is done by placing the right sides (front) of two shapes together. With yarn the same color as the edges of the shapes and starting at the bottom edge, join 2 adjacent side by going into a stitch from shape 1 and then do the same on shape 2. Go into every stitch or every other stitch, crisscrossing as you go. Stitches should be soft so as not to form a ridge. The objective is to have the 2 shapes lie flat side by side. If working with small squares like granny squares, stitch a column of squares together and then stitch the 2 columns together. This will make the process go faster and leaves fewer ends to weave. The fastest method is to crochet the pieces together. This will leave a ridge of stitching on either the right or wrong side depending on your design and can be done with the same color or con- trasting color yarn. This works great for afghans that are either knit or crochet. For a knitted afghan, it will stabilize the seams and reduce the stretchiness inherent with knitted pieces. This is the thickest and sturdiest of the seams. The ridge can be done using slipstitch or single cro- chet. Single crochet will give a higher ridge than slipstitch. This method will use more yarn, so make sure there is enough. It’s best if there is the same number of stitches on each shape. If that is not the case, pin the shapes together first so they remain aligned, and then skip several stitch- es on one side or the other to keep the alignment. Begin to single crochet or slipstitch by put- ting the hook through one stitch from each shape and then crocheting together. As with the Whip Stitch, crochet columns of shapes first and then crochet the columns together. Weave in all ends. Another method is the Mattress Stitch. This is most often used for knitted sweaters, but can be used for modular work as well. It’s worked from the right side and creates a ridge on the wrong side. The wrong side is not meant to be attractive, so keep that in mind. This seam is worked flat with the right sides (front) facing out. Starting from the bottom edge and using a tapestry nee- dle and yarn, put the needle under one of the horizontal bars of the knit stitch 1-1.5 stitch from the edge and then bring it up again from under the next horizontal bar. Move to the other shape and do the same. Crisscross back and forth pulling the working yarn just tight enough to make the seam invisible from the right side. Again, work shapes into columns and then sew the columns together. Which color yarn to use for seams? Choose the same color yarn as the outermost edge of each shape to make the seams invisible and recede. If bold seams are the objective, use contrasting yarn. If squares are multi-colored, leave a long tail for each square and use it to weave together. To completely finish your project, consider edging with either crochet, knit or add a sewn binding. Even a single row of stitching will give the edges a smooth look and eliminate any imperfections resulting after joining all the pieces. This was made for a dear friend with the help of 16 other friends. The afghan has 10 sections and is adapted from Babette’s Blanket by Kathy Merrick. This blanket uses both knitted and crocheted squares, unlike the original which is crochet only. Each square was blocked exactly to one of 6 different sizes. Each section was whip stitched together using the long tails left on each square, and then the larger sections were joined using whipstitch. This made the seams recede. Edging was cro- cheted. Love you, PG. One thread binds us all. FREE ESTIMATES • FULLY INSURED • BONDED AREA REFERENCES - 2 CREWS Ask about our “No Emissions” Vacuum Cleaners ON TIME • COURTEOUS • PROMPT 908-338-0718 Email: Cleaningser4you@msn.com www.LandAcleaning.com Laura Aguilar Owner, Operator Call Today for a Free Estimate New Customers Only. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 8/30/18. Min. 2 times per month. New Customers Only. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 8/30/18. Your Second Cleaning Service 6 Months Cleaning Agreement $ 50 Off $ 15 Off PAGE 36 home & design