Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Basic Sewing Tips and Illustrations

One of our viewers recently inquired about basic sewing tips and instructions. I decided to do a section on our blog site for sewing and other crafts- crocheting, knitting, etc.  I love this kind of crafting myself, and love to share it with others.

I have sewn since I was a very young girl.  My mother made all my clothes, and taught me how to sew.  I started out making pot holders. We used leftover fabric scraps to make these. Most of our sewing was done on a machine, but we also did hand stitching.  So, I can blind hem a dress by hand or on the machine. I am not school trained in sewing, but I am sure life-trained in it. If you want to learn to sew, that's great. It really is a lot of fun, and rewarding.

There are many good books out there to help you. Patterns are generally easy to follow once you learn how to read them. As far as machines go, there are many out there to choose from.  This will depend on how fancy you wish to go with stitches and various pressure feet for different projects. Sewing machines are like cars.  You can go from a no frills machine , which will give you plenty of basic uses, to a high end unit with all of the bells and whistles- computerized. One day I may have one of these!

I have 2 machines right now. One is an older small starter unit by Brother that is a sweet little worker. I also have a New Home that is a very old unit that still does pretty well, but I have to clean it and adjust it more than I prefer. I really have my eye on those computerized ones!

My son was not happy when I made him learn how to sew on a button, use the iron, do his own laundry, clean the house, and learn basic cooking. But, I knew this was some information that would be useful to him as an adult. I didn't teach him how to use a sewing machine, but I am sure he could do the basics in a pinch.

I love to sew, and that is good, as I am so tall that I have a very tough time finding ready-made clothes that fit. So, I thought that I would start by sharing some basic techniques for altering pants that are too long (don't need this one myself), basic repairs to clothing, things that can help you keep your clothes looking nice and fitting better.   

The best place to start is gathering some basic supplies you'll need for your wonderful spacious sewing basket. I'm getting one of these baskets myself! Lot's of great storage and organization room, and portable.
This site has a pretty comprehensive list that will get you started on the fun aisle - "Notions". 




Here's some alterations and basic stitching instructions for mending, etc.




Recommended reading for the sewing beginner:

Here are some pretty basic sewing machines that you might like to start out with.




Thread can get pretty spendy, so buying in bulk like this can save you some money, too. There are different types of thread. The heavy duty or dual duty is the strongest, the polyester is not as strong, but will do for a variety of projects.

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