Comments on: A Call To Arms, Er, Needles

By: Mary H for Donna K

Mary H for Donna K — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:32:52 +0000

I am submitting these tips for my sister. As much as I am a knitter, she is a sewer so I decided to ask the expert and so, Laura, this is what she has submitted.

Here’s one angle:
1. Invest in a high quality sewing machine, and treat it with maintenance, like you do your car. I’ve had my machine for over 30 years now. It is not electronic, but it does a variety of stitches; it has never bunched the fabric or skipped stitches.

2. If you do have trouble with your sewing machine, I always check 2 things first. Make sure you have a sharp, straight needle, and keep the bobbin area lint-free and oiled frequently enough.

Here’s another angle:
Teach yourself some basic hand-sewing stitches – blind stitch, buttonhole stitch, running stitch and a back-stitch.
There are times when you need some very neat finishing stitches. Some times hand-sewing is just better; for instance, I learned to hand-sew zippers.
Hand-sewing will also save you money; you can get a great bargain on a shirt or slacks, if you know how to do the hemming by hand; buy it on sale and make it fit you!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:51:44 +0000

Karalyn (love the spelling of your name, it’s beautiful), the iron idea is great! Thank you!

Vanessa, 4 copies? Music to my ears. Thank you!!! Merry Christmas to you, too! There will be lots more books in this series…so stay tuned to this website for details on launch dates, etc. And starting Jan 4th I’ll be blogging on a DAILY (weekdays) basis so please come back!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:41:20 +0000

Hi Elizabeth,
I wanted to stop by to say Merry Christmas to you and yours…. I so can’t wait to read more books by you~! I did a small review of your book on my blog a while back dom’t know if you remember me or not…. But I wanted to tell you I have a friend that bought 4 copies of your book ….. Like I said Merry Christmas and I hope you have a safe New Year

By: Karalyn

Karalyn — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:49:25 +0000

I rarely do a sewing project with out having my iron handy. Pinning a hem works but running the iron over it before sewing makes its so much easier to sew…

By: sharon

sharon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:40:19 +0000

Make sure you keep the dust bunnies out of your machine…take a Q-Tip and clean under the machine. I’m pretty sure you should have it serviced and oiled once and a while too.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:22:30 +0000

These are good!!!! Leaving this post up just a little longer to see if we get some more!

By: Lynn

Lynn — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:16:35 +0000

I think my best hint is to measure twice before cutting. I can’ tell you how many times I messed up a pattern because I “thought” I could get away with going against the grain of the fabric or flipping a pattern piece over. But I guess it’s mistakes like that where we learn why something won’t work.

I love Dru’s idea of buyng an extra 1/2 yard.

By: Dru

Dru — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:01:36 +0000

This always happens to me when I see fabric that I like. when buying fabric for a project, always buy an extra half yard. Because if you run out or make mistakes when you go back to the store, they may not have the same lot where the colors will be identical.

By: Karen in Ohio

Karen in Ohio — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:33:12 +0000

Elizabeth/Laura, my best tip almost has nothing to do with sewing, but it can make a heckuva lot of difference to how comfortable one is while cutting out, a crucial step in almost every sewing project. Most of us don’t have enough room for a dedicated cutting table at counter height, which is optimal for good back health. Cutting at a dining-height table, especially for a big project, can ruin your day. I solved that problem by propping my table legs up on bed risers from Bed, Bath & Beyond. They raise the table just enough that I don’t have to stoop over; they have a wide, flat bottom for stability, and a ridge around the top so the table legs don’t wobble off; and best of all, it’s easy to remove them when you need the table for dining.

I also taught sewing for a long time, and using the bed risers allowed me to have more than one cutting table for my students.

Best of luck with the next book!