Posts Tagged home sewers

Essential Sewing Gadgets You Can’t Do Without

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Sewing is a unique hobby that is both fun and very useful.  You can sew clothing items and decorative items for your home simply by learning the basics of sewing.  You may also choose to start a new business. Whatever you want to do, there are some essential sewing gadgets you can’t do without.

Sewing started out as a primitive and simple stitch to make clothing and utilitarian items.  However, it has progressed to more advanced and interesting clothing and decorative items.  Today, people all over the world sew, mostly women as home sewers but also men who tend to be more professional such as tailors.

A sewing box is perhaps an essential sewing gadget for all households.  Whether you sew or just simply mend things from time to time, a sewing box will keep your supplies in one place.  By having a dedicated sewing box for your supplies, you will always know where things are when you need to sew that button on.

Using dull scissors is one of the most frustrating things you can use when you are sewing.  Dull scissors make your project much harder to complete than it needs to be.  A good quality pair of very sharp scissors will save you a lot of frustration and time.  Your projects will also turn out better and have cleaner lines to them.

Pinking shears are a special type of scissors which cuts fabric so that the edges are zigzagged and this helps prevent fabric fraying.

A stitch gage looks like a small ruler with a sliding gage on it and helps you measure and also to help you sew straight seams and hems every time.

Taylor’s chalk is a must for making markings on your fabric and cutting out patterns.  The chalk is easily removed from your final product.

Anti-fraying solution can be applied to the edges of your fabric to keep it from fraying while you work with it.  The solution can safely be used on most fabrics but please read the instructions on the can.

A magnetic pin holder can make your use of pins and needles easier and is an excellent alternative to a fabric pin cushion.  Also, when you are finished for the day, you can simply wave your magnetic pin holder over your work area and attract up all of the stray pins before someone treads on them.

Elastic pullers are used to pull elastic through casings in your projects.  They are very inexpensive and indispensable if you will be working with elastics.

In addition to these gadgets and to help avoid expensive maintenance, you should also consider a good cover for your sewing machine to keep out dust and dirt.

Another good item to have in your sewing room is a comprehensive reference book on sewing techniques. My favourite is the New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest)

By purchasing the sewing gadgets above as well a sewing machine cover, and a good sewing book, you will be well on your way to happy sewing.  Sewing isn’t really that hard to master, and when you have all of the tools you will need, it is much easier.

Readers Digest Sewing Guide

Readers Digest Sewing Guide

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What is the Best Beginner’s Sewing Machine?

Friday, August 21st, 2009

When you look at sewing machine, you are likely to be impressed at the amazing array of things these machines can do: all sorts of stitches, embroidery, quilting, and so forth. And these machines come at an impressive price as well.

Then there are the specialty machines, such as Sergers (overlock stitching machines). If you are a beginner, it can be overwhelming. When you begin to sew, there are a lot of low tech things to learn such as how to cut out material from a pattern, how to handle seam allowances, how to sew straight lines, how to handle pleats, and so forth.

When you begin a hobby, it is difficult to tell whether it is a hobby you will want to continue to do or if it is something that is ultimately not interesting to you. Based on these two factors, the beginner should get a relatively simple sewing machine (not a Serger) for under two hundred dollars. These basic machines have a range of stitches to play with and they are great machines for learning all the foundational techniques of sewing with a machine.

Spend the extra money on books to help you learn these techniques rather than on a machine that gets confusing. If you fall in love with sewing, then pass your beginner’s machine onto another beginner and go get one with all the bells and whistles. By then you should have the skills you will need in order to really enjoy the fancier machine.

You can get a good and versatile machine such as the Brother LS2125I for around $79.95, you get a 10-stitch machine that also has an automatic 4-step buttonholer (buttonholes are my nemesis!). This machine is popular with newbies so it may be an idea to check it out and see more pictures.

Brother LS2125I

Brother LS2125I

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Choosing The Right Sewing Machine For Sale For Your Needs

Friday, August 21st, 2009

If you ask someone who sews frequently, they are likely to tell you that the most sensible invention of the last couple of hundred years is the sewing machine.  The sewing machine allows you to sew your garments and household décor items quickly and skillfully that without the sewing machine, would have taken hours to do by hand. It is however, useful to find the right sewing machine for sale to practice your craft.

During its evolution, the humble sewing machine has taken on a whole new dimension.  What was once simply a time saving device has become the master of complex colorful embroidery as well as many other creative tasks.  There are endless possibilities with today’s modern sewing machines.

Because not every seamstress works the same, it is impossible to say there is one “best” sewing machine although it is human nature to believe our choice will be the best if we have parted company with a lot of money for it!  Your sewing needs should ultimately determine the machine you purchase but if you are limited for space, try a small sewing machine.  If you don’t intend to ever use it for embroidery, then you don’t need an embroidery sewing machine so stick to the basics.

First make a list of all of the things you want your sewing machine to have, do you want an embroidery sewing machine, one that does quilting, or that has a free-arm capability. What type of fabrics will you be using, leather, denim or just lightweight fabrics.  Answer these questions and you will outline a list of your expectations when you try and find the right sewing machine for sale for you.

If you are a newcomer to sewing, try to get together with other people you know who own sewing machines and try theirs out and ask them what they like and don’t like about their machine. Use your check list to see whether the machine you try ticks all the boxes.

When you have worked out what you want from a standard sized or small sewing machine, search the Internet and do some serious research.  Go to manufacture websites as well as those which are owned by sewing experts.  Read what is out on the web and see if the machine you are interested in gets good reviews or bad.  Make sure you put in “complaints” in the search engine box as this may prove useful. Find a blog or forum to gain more hints and tips.  If you find complaints, make sure they are valid and not just ‘sour grapes’. One or two people can be a coincidence, but twenty people probably are not.

When you have narrowed down which make and model go out into the stores and look at them, and don’t let the sales assistant make you deviate from your list of wants. Remain persistent with your goal of getting what you want and you need not end up paying extra for features which you will never utilize.

Purchasing a sewing machine is an investment, so it is important to take the time and make the right choice.  If you get the right machine, it will last you for years and should you ever consider moving on to a ‘wings and whistles’ model like an embroidery sewing machine, there will always be other beginners happy to buy a standard or small sewing machine off you.

Start sewing by choosing the right sewing machine for sale now.

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