Dear readers, I need your help. Really. I need to know your pain. (Just your sewing pain, please. Not trying to be un-empathetic here, just trying to stick to topics I can actually do something about, you understand.)
So, if you are a beginning sewist, what do you struggle with? Stitching straight? Keeping the two raw edges of the seam allowances aligned during stitching? Reading a commercial sewing pattern? Picking the right fabric for the pattern? Sewing around a curve?
If you are more than an absolute beginner, do you go a little crazy trying to get those collar points sharp? Not entirely satisfied with how your buttonholes look? Tired of the wonky-ness at the bottom of your invisible zippers?
I’m working on a list, peeps. And then I hope to create a new system to help you overcome your pain. Sewing pain, that is. Because after all, that is mostly what I know.
Happy sewing! (And thanks in advance for your help. I REALLY need it.)
Maris Olsen
1. Laying out knits for cutting. With wovens, it’s relatively easy to line up selvedges, smooth out, and place pattern on top. With knits and their stretch, it’s harder for me to feel assured I’ve got the fabric layed out flatly w/o any stretch, etc.
2. Getting a smooth edge when ironing fabric seams. Easy to explain example: Straps for a bag. Take two 4″ strips of fabric, sew them together with 1/2″ seams. Turn right side out. The only way I can get the edge flat is to take a butter knife, or frosting knife, stick it inside the edge and push out as I iron. Otherwise, I get creases at the same line and not a nice straight edge. (I do set my seams with a hot press before I turn right side out).
3. DARTS! Marking them accurately, sewing them accurately.
4. Transferring pattern marking in general (notices, darts, pleats, etc.
5. Bindings. Neck bindings, especially. I cannot get a consistent width to my bindings. They wobble all over the place.
OK, I’ll stop now. More than you probably wanted to know, eh?
See ya Friday!
Cindy
Excellent list – thanks Cindy!! See you in a few….
My biggest struggle is sewing zippers. I hate sewing zippers!
Got it. I can help!!
Maris – I can’t seem to figure out how to do a hem on t-shirts. I have a couple that are too long in the body or too long in the sleeves; should be a simple fix, right? But I’m chicken and don’t really know how to do it or which stitch to use.
Another one is how to hem up jeans so you get a nice ‘jean’ hem. Mine are always too long.
Great – thanks Cindy!
fitting, fitting, fitting! Although I’m with the first Cindy in sewing darts and marking. g
One Word:
SET IN SLEEVES
(ok, that was 3 words)
🙂
Hahahaha! Good one Chris – thanks!
I was born with scoliosis. Trying to adjust patterns for me is very frustrating at times. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.
Absolutely reading the patterns for me! That, and not understanding the techniques they are referring to most of the time. 🙂
I’m with Debbie–reading patterns! I get all excited and ready to go and then I take a look at the pattern and have no idea what to do. Even the “super super easy” ones are Greek to me. (And if I were Greek, they’d be Japanese. . . you get what I mean).
OK Debbie and Molly – you asked for it! I’m going to write an e-book on how to decode sewing patterns!