Learning to sew....

Majik

PLEATHER guys Not leather It's kinda shiny PVC stuff.

I won't be spending a fortune tan, and thanks for the prewarn - most appreciated! I'll have a good old go at it, but I've sourced some lycra and pleather offcuts to start the ball rolling with practicing.

Love the pj bottoms idea - thanks Rikki.

Maj

skintchick

PLeather will be harder to sew than leather. What the hell costumes do you wear?? Pleather and velvet!!! Is it some kind of cult?

tanith

skintchick wrote:

PLeather will be harder to sew than leather. What the hell costumes do you wear?? Pleather and velvet!!! Is it some kind of cult?

:rotfl: .......................

tawnyowls

Majik wrote:

Please don't laugh too hard, but I am seriously considering learning to sew at the ripe old age of 29 to start a wee business making sports clothes for the martial art I am involved in.

I'll be sewing pleather, lycra, velvet and a myriad of other materials hopefully, and am looking for some way to get started. My plan is to grab a machine from either Aldi or the local second hand shop and get stuck in to try it all out, but being pointed in the right direction would help

I didn't start (machine) sewing till I was in my 30s (turned off it by sewing classes in school) - no need for you to be embarrassed; I reckon most of us are just impressed by a chap sewing at all! The Aldi one hitting the shops on Sunday is a good one; I bought it the last time it was in (same make; Delta), and I've sewn thick fabrics such as denim and four layers of fleece with it. Even 2nd-hand, I doubt you'd pay much less, and it is quite an easy machine to use.

lush_walrus

Other thing that may be worth mentioning, is if you are planning to put any form of sewn lettering onto them (ie: team names etc) then I would seriously consider getting a embroidery / sewing machine or getting someone else to do it on an embroidery machine.

And watch out for the cheap machines, you need a robust one or else it will just be money wasted. To give you an idea I would not consider any brand new machine under about £600. A cheaper machine will invariably not be able to cope with the matrials you are considering.

laughing_cow

Have you thought about doing a course or class to get some help and encouragement?

There's lots of nightschool classes available and you can even do courses at John Lewis. I did some day courses at John Lewis in Oxford Street and they were excellent. OK, they were pricier than nightschool at £50 for a day course (so not strictly O/S I suppose), but all materials were included, it was a small group and the teachers were great. Food was provided too, and to be honest, there was so much of it - morning coffee and cakes, hot and cold buffet lunch with puddings and afternoon tea with more cakes and biscuits, that the £50 was worth it :rotfl: The ladies who teach all work in the fabrics department and you can pop back to the shop for advice in the future if you get stuck with something. They also do 2 hour workshops for specific projects - eg making a bag, making sleeves etc - I think they're about £20. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone in the London area, but they are very popular so you have to book well in advance.

Majik

Thanks tawny - I'm hoping that even if the Aldi one gives me a decent start, then you can't go wrong for £40.

I've looked around the area for local courses, but they're all a bit long - I need day courses to get me going and thats about it - I tend to learn better by getting stuck in and trying

Blimey Walrus - £600!!!!! I'll start with the Aldi one and see how it goes.

Some kind of cult Well, yes actually.... It's a dark, dark secret

Majik

Penny_Watcher

skintchick wrote:

PLeather will be harder to sew than leather. What the hell costumes do you wear?? Pleather and velvet!!! Is it some kind of cult?

Pfft - you're silly

At last - a question I'm qualified to answer! I studied dress-making / needlework at school for years. I even made my own wedding dress. :rolleyes:

Just a couple of points

• If you have stretch material eg Lycra you need to either make the seam stretchy by using stretchy thread and a slightly zig-zag stitch OR stabilise the seam by using a bias binding or thin ribbon along the seam line. I guess as you're using Lycra for sports clothes it'll be the first option.
  
  
• As far as I remember Lycra is 'knitted' not 'woven' (meaning it's made from one long piece of filament (sp?) rather than loads of different threads woven together). This is important because if you make a whole in it, it can ladder like nylon tights. Therefore it is important to use a more rounded sewing machine needle that will push round the Lycra rather than a sharpe one which could cut through the Lycra thread (IYSWIM).
  
  
• Read as much as you can before you start. Setting in sleeves, making waist-bands and inserting zips are an art in themselves, but far from difficult if you know what you're doing.
  
  
• You might need to invest in an overlocking machine. These finsish off the seams, especially on stretchy material. Buy the best sewing machine you can afford, you can burn out the motor on a cheap machine. You have to be carefull to 'finish off' all exposed seams otherwise they'll fray. Have a look in your own clothes and see how it's done
  
  
• Whatever it is you're trying to copy, buy one and carefully take it apart to see how it's made. There might be some hidden extras you hadn't been expecting :eek: - usually stiffening that gives the garment shape in collars, edges and waistbands.
  
  
• Velvet is a whole differnt ball game. Would you believe it has a right way up and a wrong way up. It's a bit like a dog's coat in that it lies slightly flat in one direction (nap). Depending on which way up it is the light reflects from it in different ways. It's very important to have all your pieces cut in the same direction or your finished garment will look different colours and it will be difficult to sew together.
  
  
• I've never sewn Pleather so I can't comment.
  
  

The very best of luck and good on ya for taking the initiative. :T It's not quite as easy as you think to make clothes of the quality you'd want to buy, but with a bit of research and if you stick at it I'm certain you'll succeed

linzibean

PVC sewing can be infuriating - but there are some ways to mak it easier. Obviously sewing with the leathery sides together will be easiest, but if not, use a coated sewing machine foot (tefln coated usually), or sew a ribbon to the garment where you want the stitching line. Not always practical of course! PVC also has directional give like velvet, so make sure you cut everything the same way (patterns will have arrows on).

Good luck! I sew commercially now and then, and it can be a true hassle I'm doing ym own wedding dress too next year.... I;m a bit nervous as the fabric is pricey!!

tawnyowls

Majik wrote:

Thanks tawny - I'm hoping that even if the Aldi one gives me a decent start, then you can't go wrong for £40.

Precisely my reasoning at the time. If you were experienced and were sure you were going to do this as a job, then yes, investment in a decent machine would be worth it, but as of now, I would suggest you're better off making your mistakes on a cheap machine. I've had mine 18 months, and done some pretty thick materials with it, and the motor's still going strong, so it does seem to be pretty robust.

Majik wrote:

I've looked around the area for local courses, but they're all a bit long - I need day courses to get me going and thats about it - I tend to learn better by getting stuck in and trying

Have you checked with your local Adult Ed centre? In addition to the regular courses (usually 10-week terms), most of them do weekend courses on various things as well. Some of the major manufacturers, eg Janome, run sewing course round the country too.

Penny_Watcher wrote:

[*]As far as I remember Lycra is 'knitted' not 'woven' (meaning it's made from one long piece of filament (sp?) rather than loads of different threads woven together). This is important because if you make a whole in it, it can ladder like nylon tights. Therefore it is important to use a more rounded sewing machine needle that will push round the Lycra rather than a sharpe one which could cut through the Lycra thread (IYSWIM).

Good point - ballpoint needle is needed for any sort of stretchy material such as jersey or Lycra.