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Q&A
By Marla Stefanelli
I'd like to learn to sew and a friend recommended your magazine. There are no sewing lessons in my town and I have no idea how to use my new machine. How do you suggest I start?
Debbie P.,
e-mail
First buy a yard of 100% cotton quilting fabric and a spool of thread. This fabric is easy to sew, retains its shape and is good for testing and experimenting with your machine.
Also purchase a good sewing reference. Look through a few books–ones with pictures are the most helpful (see "Resources" at the end of this article). Spend some time reading and looking through the book to familiarize yourself with sewing terms and techniques.
Next, get out your machine and its manual. Read through the manual to discover the different machine features and what they do.
Using the manual, figure out how to wind a bobbin and thread the machine. Practice sewing on the fabric. Try to keep the stitching an even distance from the fabric edge using the guides on the machine (this is known as the seam allowance). Watch the fabric as it feeds next to the guide–don't watch the needle.
Cut a fabric piece with a gentle curve and sew along the edge with an even seam allowance. Try pivoting around a corner (stitch to the corner, leave the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot, turn the fabric, lower the presser foot, and continue sewing).
With right sides facing, sew two fabric pieces together, again using a consistent seam allowance. Most patterns have a 5/8" seam allowance, so follow that guide on the machine.
Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam. This locks the thread so the seam doesn't come undone at the ends. To backstitch, sew two or three stitches and then sew one or two stitches in reverse over the previous stitching. Sew the rest of the seam and backstitch at the other end.
Things to keep in mind: Hold the threads at the back of the needle when you start sewing. To remove work from the machine, always stop sewing with the needle in its highest position, then raise the presser foot (when the presser foot is lowered, the thread won't pull easily through the machine). Leave about 4" thread tails on the machine so they don't sink down into the machine when you begin the next seam.
All machine sewing is based on this simple process. Play with the machine until you feel comfortable using it.
Learn to take your measurements by referring to a sewing book. Then go to a fabric store and look through the pattern catalogs. Look for a pattern labeled "Easy." Choose the pattern size according to your measurements–don't worry about the size–these don't correlate with ready-to-wear sizes in the stores. For a top, go by your bust measurement. For pants or a skirt, go by your hip measurement.
Look on the pattern envelope for the suggested fabrics, then look under your size for the yardage requirements. Also purchase any notions mentioned on the pattern (notions are buttons, elastic, zippers, etc.). Ask the clerk to help you with any of these steps–if she doesn't know the answer, ask if someone else does–it's rare that the clerks can't answer your questions.
Preshrink the fabric before cutting out a project (refer to the sewing book).
Read through the pattern guidesheet. The guidesheet gives you information, including the seam allowance width and which pattern pieces to use. It also tells you how to position the pattern pieces on the fabric. It then leads you step by step through the garment construction. If you have any questions, look in your sewing book for more clarification. Don't be afraid to ask friends for assistance–sewers love to help.
Learning to sew is like learning anything else. You start simple and then build on your skills. As you gain experience and knowledge you'll improve and learn more advanced techniques. You have to concentrate more at first, but the process keeps getting easier.
This should get you started. Don't be afraid to try things. Most of all, enjoy the process. If something starts to frustrate you, stop and come back to it later.
resources
Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing: Step-by-Step Techniques for Making Clothes and Home Accessories; The Reader's Digest Assoc. Inc., 2002.
Singer: The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing; Creative Publishing Intl., 1999.
Vogue Sewing; Butterick Publishing Co., 2000.
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