ArtsyOne

Thanks, Dunster, for the link - I learned something!

Quiltlove

Then try Hungarian Braided Chain Stitch. Works up lovely. You will have to look it up for directions. Good luck.

Lady Diana

Perhaps I'm not following Quiltlove.....I take the bias strip, fold in half, machine sew the raw edge slightly to the left of the vine line drawn on the quilt, then fold the bias vine over the line to the right and hand stitch the folded side down.....no turning of raw edge, you have it already, with the fold on your hand stitching side of the vine. Hope that makes sense.

feline fanatic

Dunster, thanks for the link that was fascinating to watch. I love everything Yoko does. She is amazing.

Jacqueck, you can make your own bias strips if you want to, it is really quite easy. I have made them as skinny as 1/10" using heat resistant wire ties or Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Stems (which are nothing more than heat resistant wire ties!). Any auto parts store and possibly Harbor Freight would have them and for a lot less $ than Karen charges for her set. Here is a link to a you tube video on how she makes them. I don't have any bias strip makers as I find making bias strips is a very easy process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4fEFsiEQns

madamekelly

I watched it too, but I am not coordinated enough to do it her way. I do start out the way she does by stitching down the the folded over bias piece with a small stitch length, and stitching as near to the folded edge as I need to be for my width. I trim the seam allowance as close to the stitching as I can without making it too thin to hold secure. Next, I fold the bias over the previous stitching and (hand or machine) sew it down depending if it needs durability for a child’s quilt or invisible hand stitches for for show quality.

I have also tried Karen Kay Buckley’s method, but to me it was an extra step, and my method is sewn down as it sewed. My method (grandma showed it to me) also makes the width to be whatever size you need, and no limits based on the size tool used.

institches33

Cut a 3/4" strip on the bias. Fold and press in half. Position and sew about 1/8" along raw edge. Fold remaining fabric over seam line. Machine or hand stitch. Perfect vines.

cashs_mom

I'd just couch some rattail or something similar on for the stems.

IceLeopard

Ladies, I think some of you are missing the point. The OP says she knows how to make a bias stem/vine. What she can't figure out is how to make it go in a loop, where the vine crosses over itself.

Have you tried doing it in two steps? Sew down your vine only up to the point where the loop starts, (the blue section of my picture,) leaving the rest of the vine fabric unsewn. Finish that section. Then do the loop over itself.

Peckish

Are we reading the same post? She clearly states "If I only knew how to make them".

I agree with Dunster, Yoko Saito makes beautiful stems. I've done it both ways - bias tape maker and Yoko's method. I find Yoko's method is much easier, faster, and I get a much skinnier vine. I adapted her method a bit, I sew the first side of the stem on my machine, then fold it over and sew by hand.

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IceLeopard

This is the post I was referring to.