Nuts and Bolts, 2: Finishing your seams

***This is an installment in my series for beginners.  The information included is very basic, but quite helpful if you are learning to sew.***

Did you notice that your raw edges of your seam allowances are starting to ravel?  Wearing, using, washing and drying garments could make that ravel much, much worse.  To prevent a big tangled mess of ravels and strings, you need to finish your seam allowance.

I teach beginners 3 different ways to finish seams.  There are several more, but unless you have a serger, a machine with with an overlock stitch, or a desire for Hong Kong finishes, these will get the job done.

The quickest and easiest way to take care of raw edges:  pinking shears.  Trimming your seam allowance with pinking shears won’t completely eliminate raveling, it will minimize it.

Look for a picture tutorial for zig-zaging your edges and French seams in the next few days.

Nuts and Bolts, 1: What is a seam?

***This is the first installment in my series for beginners.  The information included is very basic, but quite helpful if you are learning to sew.***

What is a Seam?  A seam is the stitching holding 2 or more pieces of fabric together.  This is a seam:

To start your seam, match your 2 pieces of fabric together.  Line the raw edges up with a marking on your foot plate.  How do you know which ruler to use?  That depends on what your pattern tells you to do.  Commercial patterns like McCalls, Simplicity, Butterick and Vogue usually call for a 5/8 inch seam allowance.  (A seam allowance is the space between your seam and your raw edges.  It allows for raveling, fitting changes, alterations, etc.)  That means that you need to line the raw edges of your fabric up to the 5/8-inch line on your foot plate.  Your needle will now stitch a seam 5/8-inch from the raw edge of the fabric.

You can secure a seam by backstitching.  In other words, you sew back on top of your seam to make it secure and keep it from coming “unstitched”.  Start your stitch by sewing two or three stitches.  Then, hold down the reverse (backstitch) lever or button on your machine and stitch backwards two or three stitches.  Let up on the button and sew forward.  You repeat these back stitches for two or three stitches at the end of your seam.  When do you need to backstitch?  Anytime you want a secure seam.

The question I hear most often from beginners is:  “How do you know which stitch to use?”  Basic seams require your needle in the center position and a stitch length of about 2.5 mm.  You can use your sewing machine manual to learn how to change your machine to these settings.

Where do you get your fabric?

There are great and not-so-great fabric stores locally.  I certainly have my favorites (Hancock’s Fabrics over on Kings Hwy, Fabric Boutique, Best Fabrics in Bossier, and PC Embrodiery and Quilts).  The same can be said for online shopping (try Fat Quarter Shop, Vogue Fabrics, and Marie Madeline Studio).   Another trend today—upcycling fabric from another garment, like this skirt that was made from this dress.  Where do you get your fabrics?

New Tutorial! Lapped Zippers

There are plenty of ways to install a lapped zipper. 

  

This is my personal favorite.  

I've also added the link in the top tool bar.

Measuring and Fitting

Learning to make a better fitting garment?  Check out these websites for lots of great information:

Pattern Review’s Fitting-Skirts Knowledge Base

Simplicity

McCalls

Great Instructions for Beginning Hand Sewing

 

Check out this great tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew.  It teaches Hand Quilting, but it starts with the most important and basics of steps—knotting the thread in your need. 

The Easy Way to Gather Fabric

This is not the way I’d teach you to gather fabric if you took my sewing class.  This is not the way most authors would tell you how to gather fabric.  But…if I have a long ruffle to gather, you can just about bet, this is how I will gather the fabric.

I’m showing you how I gather fabric with my computerized machine.

1.  Place fabric under needle and lower presser foot.  Take one stitch and then backstitch.
2.  Set your stitch length to the longest setting possible.  Tighten your top thread tension as much as possible.  If you have a manual machine, just turn your stitch length dial to the longest setting.  You may also have to Increase you tension on your upper thread tension dial.
3.  Stitch and watch your fabric gather on its own.  At the end of your fabric, do not backstitch.
4..  Remove your fabric from your machine and adjust your gathers according to the length you need.  To tighten the gathers even more, gently pull the top thread.

I find that using this method on my machine gathers my fabric to about 1/3 its original length.  It is easy to tug it as tight as 1/6 the original length.

Easy, isn’t it?  The most important step is still to come: 

Do not forget to reset your thread tension to its usual setting.

Happy gathering!

The Big 4

If you are new to sewing, you might have seen “The Big 4” while web-surfing and wondered just what it means. 

The Big 4 refers to the 4 commercial pattern companies that you can find at most chain fabric stores: 

1. Simplicity,
2. McCalls,
3. Butterick
4. Vogue. 

The fabric chains tend to run these on sale from $0.99 to $3.99 about once a month.  You can browse the pattern books at the store or on-line to get those creative juices flowing.

A Thread on Threads

Questions about which thread to choose?  Why not start with the folks who make the thread…

Coats and Clark Threads Advisor

This great table helps you choose the thread and needle appropriate for many types of fabrics you might use.

A hint for threading your needle...

Before threading your needle,

use your finger to wet the back of the needle's eye.

This moisture should wick your thread

right on through the eye.

**Note: I'd love to give credit to the person who first wrote this tip, but I don't remember where I found it!**

Getting to Know Your Sewing Machine Manual

My mom has a saying:

"Get out your manual."

Every time I'd complain about my bobbin thread breaking or my machine making a strange noise or not being able to balance the tension, I'd hear

"Get out your manual."

So, in honor of my mom, for this post, I need you to:

"Get out your manual."

You can find it, right? Mine is here...



That's right, it's within arm's reach of my machine.


Did you find yours yet? Okay then,

"Get out your manual."

...and a stack of sticky notes. In my beginning sewing class, I have my students mark some pages for easy reference. Even now, these are the pages I turn to most often:

• How to insert my needle (You know, flat side to the side or back.)
• How to wind my bobbin
• How to thread my machine
• How to adjust the thread tension
• How to adjust the stitch length
• How to switch out the presser foot
• How to reverse a stitch
• How to use that silly button-holer
• How to maintain, clean, and possibly oil my machine

If you mark these pages with stickies, the next time you get stuck, the answer will probably be close at hand. So, the next time you want to throw your sewing machine out the window:

"Get out your manual."

Remember to raise your needle to its highest position!

Are you having a problem with your needle coming unthreaded each time you get ready to stitch a new seam? Several of my girls in my latest sewing class were having that very problem. I watched them a time or two and found the cause.

When you finish stitching (and locking) a seam, turn your flywheel toward you to raise your needle to its highest point. THEN, you can pull your fabric out and clip your threads several inches away from your needle.

When you don't raise that needle, the tension is still on the thread. When you pull it away from the machine, you are stretching your thread. After you snip, the thread is bouncing back--right out of that needle.

Any questions? Leave me a comment or drop me an email!

My 5 Favorite Sewing Tips

Here are my 5 favorite sewing tips (for today anyway, because tomorrow I'll probably learn something new):

1. Wet the back of your needle before trying to thread it. The surface tension from the water pulls the thread right on through.


2. Compare your pattern pieces to a RTW piece that has a similar fit. This is particularly helpful if you're fitting a difficult client (like my hubby).


3. Instead of chalk, mark your notches, darts, etc. with a dried-up remnemt of Ivory soap.


4. Put a shirt together at one shoulder (or if it has raglan sleeves--at 3 seams). While it's flat, serge your neck binding (or cuffs onto sleeves) on the neck line. (I find it easiest to place if I've notched center front, shoulders and center back on both the shirt and the ribbing.) Then serge the remaining shoulder seam, all the way up the ribbing.


5. Choose your pattern size based on your front width measurement (FWM). This is a great N. Zieman tip. To take the measurement, find the crease in your skin where your arms meet your body and measure straight acros your chest. Round off to the nearest half-inch. A FWM of 14 inches corresponds to a size 14 and every 1/2 inch difference is a pattern size. (I.e., 13.5 inches = size 12, 13 inches = size 10, 14.5 inches = size 16, 15 inches = size 18)

Sewing with Fleece

Well, it's time to get my Christmas sewing underway. This year, that means lots and lots of fleece!

Since I really don't want to waste fabric (and $$$) on bum projects, I have been researching fleece tips. Here's what I've learned.

1. Spend money on good fleece. Splurge on anti-pill. (Note: the pilling doesn't damage the fabric, but it certainly isn't attractive.)

2. Most fleece can be used on either side. If you really want to know, you can determine the right side by pulling along the selvage. The fabric curls toward the right side. (According to one website, you can also find the right side by sprinkling water on 2 different areas on either side of the fabric. The side that wicks the water the fastest is the right side. )

3. Once you know the right side, MARK IT!!!

4. Fleece has a nap! Follow the layout on that pattern guideline.

5. Use a zig-zag stitch or a serger.

6. Use a size 14 needle.

7. If pressing is necessary, use a cool iron and a pressing cloth.