Advice for Newbie Stitchers
Jun. 19th, 2004 03:57 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mistressjennie.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
craftgrrlHello, total newbie to this community, but murdercitygrrrl asked me to cross post this here from sew_hip...
This started off as a reply to the girls who seem to be having trouble threading their new machines, but sort of went off into a post of it's own to newbie stitchers...
When it jams up do you get a big tangled mass of bobbin thread underneith? If so you could be loading the bobbin incorrectly. They are pretty specific, so double check your manual... If there's no giant mass of thread on the bottom, then it is in fact your tension. New machines, at least decent ones, usually come with a small amount of thread in them and a "test swatch" of fabric with a few of the different stitches on it from when it was tested at the factory, with the tensions set correctly. It that is not the case, the manuals usually have a chart as to the correct thread tension for what you are about to sew, ie light fluffy chiffon, or thick rugged denim/twill. If you're trying to sew a knit fabric (ie a streachy one) with a tension for a weave, or vice versa, you'll make a mess, and probably break a needle.
Word of caution! Trying to sew through too much thick fabric with the wrong needle and thread with cause the needle to break at some point. When it does, it can either get jammed in the gears of the machine and require you to do surgery with tweezers, or it can fly up at you and hit you in the eye... I've seen it happen, so be careful... Sewing machines, while seemingly innocent domestic items, symbolic of delicate Donna Read types, can be dangerous. I once saw a careless girl who knew how to sew put her hand through the machine. The needle & feed dog teeth kept going and she stitched through the soft part of her hand beside her thumb before the needle hit bone, and then broke. I then had to watch her pull the broken needle (thread still in it) out and use a stitch ripper to get the stitches out of her bleeding hand.
Damn, I sound so mom-like. Sorry. It's just that I've been sewing on a machine since I was about 7, and I killed my mom's old machine "learning" on my own with no one to tell me these types of things. There was no repairing her machine after the damage I did by the age of 12, so we had to get a new one.
Learning on a cheap "beginers" machine is both good and bad. The machines are in fact cheap and if you break it and can't repair it, well you're not out that much money, but... They are far more likely to break, and to give you endless problems and headaches. I've seen many skilled and intelligent people give up on learning to sew because they were trying to learn on a cheap machine and it kept giving them trouble/and or breaking. They eventually got frustrated and quit. That makes me sad. Sewing is an excellent and rewarding skill, and allows so much creativity and fun... not to mention cheap personal presents for friends and family... If possible find a mom, aunt, grandmother, cousin, friend, etc who sews and ask them to teach you. Sew what if they make quilts & curtains and you want to make punk girl skirts? The basics are the basics, and are always worth learning.
If you begining sewers out there decide you like sewing and want to get a better machine, look into a moderatly priced one with ***METAL*** parts. Singer, while a household name, has quite honestly started making crap lately. In the last 20 years they've gone to hell, as factories have moved overseas. For some unknown reason electronitcs from Japan, Taiwan, and China may be great, but sewing machines suck. If you find an old, I mean old Singer machine, even as new as the 1960's, in good working order, say at a yard sale from someones grandmother who doesn't use it anymore, it's probably a good investment for a beginer. But any Singer newer than that is going to be made mostly with plastic parts that will just break down immediatly and will require constant attention, oiling, and maintenence. Sorry to the singer fans out there, but it's been my experience working in costume shops the last 5 years not to trust them. They are always finicky, and require special parts that don't work with other machines. (If you go somewhere and pick up sewing machine needles or bobbins, notice that Singer is the only one who doesn't take universal parts, and that all their bobbins are now plastic.) Plus I hate when they leak oil onto my fabric...
If you graduate to being a weekend stitchin' bitch, something in the $200-$500 range, while seemingly expensive, is your best bet. My grandfather was a tool salesman his whole life, and he said one very important thing, "Buy the right tool. It's not 'too expensive' if you will use it and care for it. If you buy the right thing the first time, you'll never have to replace it." Grampa was a smart man. On that note, you're probably saying, well, if she's dissing Singers, what does little-miss-smarty-pants think is so great? Well I'll tell you.
Husqvarna (made in Sweeden) and Bernina (Switzerland) are EXCELLENT machines that will give you a lifetime of use with little to no trouble. Try just picking one up in a store, they're freakin' heavy. While some companies try to convince you that "light weight" is good, and something you, as a weak little ol' girly girl would want, they're full of crap. If you ever get stitching fast on a light machine you'll notice it starts to dance across the table and you have to stop every few minutes to pull it back towards you. Go for heavy, and made of all metal parts and gears and such. Also something that is "self oiling" is a good feature too since it will never get grease all over your projects. Finally, if those are out of your price range, Brother and White are good bets if you're a very casual sewer who is on a budget. White is now a division of Husqvarna but I'm not sure where they're made, and Brother is made in Japan now...
Finally, if you're sitting at home with your new machine, and no idea what to make, or no money for fabric, and you need inspiration, go to Goodwill. Right now. Get up and go. Find a cheap piece of clothing you'd never wear, but is made of some sort of fabulous fabric. (If you ever want to see what can become of good fabric when put into the hands of a bad designer, just look around Goodwill.) I gurantee you'll find velvets, silks, adorable prints, fun knits, etc, all already made into crappy clothes. Spend $1-2 on a few ugly blouses in neat silks or bad Hawaiian shirts in colorful prints, take them home, chop them up, and turn them into adorable handbags, toss pillows, or funky skirts. Or better yet, go through the clothes you don't wear anymore and try making them new again... Patches, trim, dye, and some stitchwork, and you've turned worn and tired into fresh and fun...
This started off as a reply to the girls who seem to be having trouble threading their new machines, but sort of went off into a post of it's own to newbie stitchers...
When it jams up do you get a big tangled mass of bobbin thread underneith? If so you could be loading the bobbin incorrectly. They are pretty specific, so double check your manual... If there's no giant mass of thread on the bottom, then it is in fact your tension. New machines, at least decent ones, usually come with a small amount of thread in them and a "test swatch" of fabric with a few of the different stitches on it from when it was tested at the factory, with the tensions set correctly. It that is not the case, the manuals usually have a chart as to the correct thread tension for what you are about to sew, ie light fluffy chiffon, or thick rugged denim/twill. If you're trying to sew a knit fabric (ie a streachy one) with a tension for a weave, or vice versa, you'll make a mess, and probably break a needle.
Word of caution! Trying to sew through too much thick fabric with the wrong needle and thread with cause the needle to break at some point. When it does, it can either get jammed in the gears of the machine and require you to do surgery with tweezers, or it can fly up at you and hit you in the eye... I've seen it happen, so be careful... Sewing machines, while seemingly innocent domestic items, symbolic of delicate Donna Read types, can be dangerous. I once saw a careless girl who knew how to sew put her hand through the machine. The needle & feed dog teeth kept going and she stitched through the soft part of her hand beside her thumb before the needle hit bone, and then broke. I then had to watch her pull the broken needle (thread still in it) out and use a stitch ripper to get the stitches out of her bleeding hand.
Damn, I sound so mom-like. Sorry. It's just that I've been sewing on a machine since I was about 7, and I killed my mom's old machine "learning" on my own with no one to tell me these types of things. There was no repairing her machine after the damage I did by the age of 12, so we had to get a new one.
Learning on a cheap "beginers" machine is both good and bad. The machines are in fact cheap and if you break it and can't repair it, well you're not out that much money, but... They are far more likely to break, and to give you endless problems and headaches. I've seen many skilled and intelligent people give up on learning to sew because they were trying to learn on a cheap machine and it kept giving them trouble/and or breaking. They eventually got frustrated and quit. That makes me sad. Sewing is an excellent and rewarding skill, and allows so much creativity and fun... not to mention cheap personal presents for friends and family... If possible find a mom, aunt, grandmother, cousin, friend, etc who sews and ask them to teach you. Sew what if they make quilts & curtains and you want to make punk girl skirts? The basics are the basics, and are always worth learning.
If you begining sewers out there decide you like sewing and want to get a better machine, look into a moderatly priced one with ***METAL*** parts. Singer, while a household name, has quite honestly started making crap lately. In the last 20 years they've gone to hell, as factories have moved overseas. For some unknown reason electronitcs from Japan, Taiwan, and China may be great, but sewing machines suck. If you find an old, I mean old Singer machine, even as new as the 1960's, in good working order, say at a yard sale from someones grandmother who doesn't use it anymore, it's probably a good investment for a beginer. But any Singer newer than that is going to be made mostly with plastic parts that will just break down immediatly and will require constant attention, oiling, and maintenence. Sorry to the singer fans out there, but it's been my experience working in costume shops the last 5 years not to trust them. They are always finicky, and require special parts that don't work with other machines. (If you go somewhere and pick up sewing machine needles or bobbins, notice that Singer is the only one who doesn't take universal parts, and that all their bobbins are now plastic.) Plus I hate when they leak oil onto my fabric...
If you graduate to being a weekend stitchin' bitch, something in the $200-$500 range, while seemingly expensive, is your best bet. My grandfather was a tool salesman his whole life, and he said one very important thing, "Buy the right tool. It's not 'too expensive' if you will use it and care for it. If you buy the right thing the first time, you'll never have to replace it." Grampa was a smart man. On that note, you're probably saying, well, if she's dissing Singers, what does little-miss-smarty-pants think is so great? Well I'll tell you.
Husqvarna (made in Sweeden) and Bernina (Switzerland) are EXCELLENT machines that will give you a lifetime of use with little to no trouble. Try just picking one up in a store, they're freakin' heavy. While some companies try to convince you that "light weight" is good, and something you, as a weak little ol' girly girl would want, they're full of crap. If you ever get stitching fast on a light machine you'll notice it starts to dance across the table and you have to stop every few minutes to pull it back towards you. Go for heavy, and made of all metal parts and gears and such. Also something that is "self oiling" is a good feature too since it will never get grease all over your projects. Finally, if those are out of your price range, Brother and White are good bets if you're a very casual sewer who is on a budget. White is now a division of Husqvarna but I'm not sure where they're made, and Brother is made in Japan now...
Finally, if you're sitting at home with your new machine, and no idea what to make, or no money for fabric, and you need inspiration, go to Goodwill. Right now. Get up and go. Find a cheap piece of clothing you'd never wear, but is made of some sort of fabulous fabric. (If you ever want to see what can become of good fabric when put into the hands of a bad designer, just look around Goodwill.) I gurantee you'll find velvets, silks, adorable prints, fun knits, etc, all already made into crappy clothes. Spend $1-2 on a few ugly blouses in neat silks or bad Hawaiian shirts in colorful prints, take them home, chop them up, and turn them into adorable handbags, toss pillows, or funky skirts. Or better yet, go through the clothes you don't wear anymore and try making them new again... Patches, trim, dye, and some stitchwork, and you've turned worn and tired into fresh and fun...
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