Happy Saturday,
Hope you are having a great start to your weekend. This weekend, will be going to the North Florida Shop Hop. Visiting 7 quilt shops. This is so much fun as we visit stores outside of our county. You meet so many wonderful people who are passionate about sewing.
Have you ever gone on a Shop Hop? You really need to grab a friend or family member and make a day of it.
Sewing is a very rewarding hobby. It has endless possibilities and there are always things to learn. In my journey, I have managed to sew pajamas for my girls that match their dolls. Sewn plenty of everyday wear, pillows, purses, aprons, quilts and formal dresses for their high school banquets. So many mistakes have been made but I have had learned so much. Here are five things I wish I had known.
Fabric
You need to make sure your fabric matches or is comparable to the suggested fabrics on the pattern. You can’t use denim for a cotton skirt pattern and get the same results. The drape or how the fabric hangs will be different. It is also tough to gather a denim skirt.😂
Before you buy the fabric, touch it. Is it comfortable? Will you like to wear it? Is it rough on your skin? Will it wear well? Ask yourself these questions.
If you do not like to iron, don’t get 100% linen or 100% cotton. Otherwise, you will be pulling that outfit out of the dryer, and it will be in a ball. Spend your time creating instead of pressing. If you are concerned about a fabric wrinkling, ball a corner of it in your hand. What are the results? If it looks like a wrinkle mess, leave it on the shelf.
Also, always wash your apparel fabric before you cut it out. You do not want to do all the work. Then, wash and dry it, and find it is now several sizes smaller.
Fitting
I remember one of my first projects. Pulled out the pattern pieces and cut the pattern to the size of my store bought clothes. Took the time to lay out the pieces on the beautiful fabric and cut it out. It was a big disappointment. There was no way I was going to fit in it.
Your measurements are your friend. Take the time to measure yourself or have some help you. Then look at what measurements on the pattern and the finished measurements to determine the size.
You will probably be 1 to 2 sizes bigger than ready to wear. This will help with fit. As you keep sewing, you will learn more ways to help improve the fitting.
Sewing
Slow down. This is not a race. No medals to win because you finished it one day or in one week. When we get in race mode, mistakes are made. Removing stitches will not save time.
Enjoy the process. Take your time. When you do this, you will save time in the long run. Embrace the process. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.
Machine & Needles
Love your machine. Take the time to clean it. If you don’t know how, pull out the manual or look it up. Does your serger need to be oiled? Do you need to clean out your bobbin area? Does the machine need to be serviced?
Use needles that are designed to sew on the fabric for your project. For a long time, I only changed my needles when they broke. I often had to stop re-thread or clean out a bird’s nest of thread in the bobbin area. The right tools for the right job will save you time.
Time/Space
You do not need a large sewing room to have beautiful results. You can use a kitchen table or small desk in a corner. Your sewing area does not to be Pinterest perfect. Just a spot sturdy enough to hold your machine safely. Don’t let what you don’t have to keep you from sewing.
Time is funny. Once it is passed there is no making it up. There have been days, I just squeezed in 10 minutes. Grab the time you do have and make it work. If you spend 10 minutes a day for 30 days, you would have sewn for 5 hours. There are several projects that can be completed with 5 hours. As you can see the little things do make a big difference.
What are things you wish you had known before you started sewing? Is it a particular sewing technique or a sewing hack, let me know. I always enjoy hearing from my readers.
Happy Sewing,
Valerie
The Saturday Seamstress 