Learning to sew....

culpepper

You'll probably find pattern drafting books at the local library. They show you how to fit anybody and you can incorporate any part of a garment with any other eg an sort of sleeves etc.
I made myself swimming costumes this year without an overlocker. I sewed the elastic around the edge of the elastane with a zig zag type stitch just stretching a tiny bit, then folded that over to the inside and sewed over it again with the same stitch and it looked like a shop bought costume.
Some years ago I made my son who was 6 a Karate suit using a pattern drafting book and studying the OH's karate suit to see how it was made.
I've upgraded to a better machine now after 22 years .The new one has a walking foot which lets me sew through leather and a locking stitch so I can fasten off the seams just by pressing a button.
If you end up doing a lot of this ,then definitely get a better machine once you can afford it. I can finally sew over more than one thickness without having to lift the foot,turn the handle slowly,lower the foot etc..

D-lite

Being able to sew is a very useful and money saving skill, well done for taking the initiative to learn.

EQUIPTMENT
A basic domestic sewing machine should fulfill your needs along with an overlocker which sews and neatens raw edges in one go and is invaluable for sewing lycra and other stretch or knitted fabrics. It also gives a professional looking finish. A steam iron is almost as important as a sewing machine. 'Press as you sew', - a basic sewing rule.

There is no need to spend a fortune on these items at this stages. I have a standard sewing machine which is over ten years old and I've sewn all sorts on it and my iron is just a basic steam iron. You can upgrade as you get more experienced and your business grows.

Spend as much as you can afford on a pair of tailor's shears and keep them sharp.

NEEDLES & FEET
For pleather you will need a roller/teflon foot (also used for plastic and suede) and a special leather needle which prevents tearing and splitting. Very careful sewing is needed as any unpicking will show needle marks. For lycra use a ballpoint needle.The general rule is; woven fabrics = standard needle, knitted/stretch fabrics = ballpoint needle, other fabrics = specialist needle. The size depends on the thickness of the fabric.

PATTERNS
Making/cutting and grading patterns is - in my opion - a professional job. Very experienced sewers may be able to do the basics but as a beginner I wouldn't attempt it. You could buy simple commercial patterns (or use an actual garment you already own) which you can then modify to your own design. Multisize patterns will give you the correct grading for different sizes. My advice is to re-style a commercial pattern to your own design then get it professionally graded into different sizes.

TRAINING
You will need to know three basic things;
1 how to use a sewing machine. This is fairly easy and some machines come with an instruction DVD. Just practice a lot.
2 how to use a pattern. As ThriftyLady and skintchick have already mentioned cutting is VERY important. Commercial patterns contain a lot of very useful information such as a glossary of stitches and pattern markings, and economical pattern layouts.
3 how to work with particular fabrics eg the pile direction of fabrics such as velvet and corduroy will affect the depth of colour, and a needleboard must be used for pressing.

Overall, I would advice going to at least one class, and practice by making small projects using commercial patterns and for pattern making the Winfred Aldrich book mentioned is quite good.</p>

Rikki

I'm trawling through the OS threads and found this.

Just wondered how the sewing thing went ?

csarina

I would suggest you look at buying a machine that has a stretch stitch especially if you are going to be sewing lycra, what you really need to do is go to a machine shop and ask for a demo...........buying a cheap machine if you are hoping to set up a business is false economy, you will quickly find that you are not able to achieve all you want with a very basic machine. To be truthful making the type of clothes you are looking at you would be better with an industrial machine. You need a fast robust machine for sewing the types of fabric you are looking at. If you want to sew velevt you need to get a rolling foot which enables you to sew without flattening the velvet or the pile creeping so you end up with an uneven seam.

You need to get some experience making simple things first, some of the fabrics you are contemplating using are challenging even for an experienced sewer. I have made wedding dresses in the past and velvet is a nightmare. I have also sewn plastic, if you are not careful you end up with the seams ripping where the needle has pierced the fabric, it too is not something to be attempted until you have some experience. You also need to be aware that fabrics behave differently when under the machine and you will need different needles and thread, an overlocker too would be useful, to give a professional finish to the garments you are making.

I am not trying to put you off, but if you are going to be doing this as a business you need to be aware of all the pitfalls.................I cannot stress enough that you need experienece and a decent machine particularly as you are looking at sewing some challenging fabrics.

bs0u0128

ive just started sewing, but when i sew, one side of the seam gets all bunchy, and theres gaps between the stitches, am i going too fast or pulling the material too fast? i cant seem (haha) to get a nice - - - - - on both sides of the material?

sandy2_2

back to basics
Is the machine used regularly and do you clean it and oil it
Have you got an instruction book which lists common faults
Make sure you have the right needle for the job. If you've got a knitted/jersey type fabric you'll need a special needle
Practice on a spare bit of material folded over double to simulate a seam.
has the bobbin got the same thread as the top cotton.
Then start to adjust the tension and stitch length until you get no puckering
You may even need to use a v slightly zig zag stitch
Have you tried Google to find more results, there are quite a few sewing sites which will give you more info eg http://www.fabrics.net/SarahMachineRepair.asp

bs0u0128

yes, brand new machine
yes, doesnt seem to say much about it
ok possible prob, thought needles were all the same
ok will do
yes
must find tension and length settings in book lol
will do
yes

thank u:D

beetrootjuicer

Sounds like a problem with the tension but check the machine's threaded correctly too.

Rikki

beetrootjuicer wrote: »

Sounds like a problem with the tension but check the machine's threaded correctly too.

I agree it sounds like the tension or incorrect threading.

It is importent the machine is threaded right, both the needle cotton and the bobbin cotton.

Re-thread the machine, put the setting on auto tension. Cut a sample piece of the material you intent to sew, fold over to make the seam and sew a couple of inches.

If the top stitch is tight and the bobbin thread can be seen on the rightside loosen the tension off. Visa versa if the top thread can be seen on the underside.

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Do you have an instruction manual with it? Check that you have not missed any of the hooks etc that the thread is supposed to go through, and that you have the bobbin in the right way round. Also that the needle is threaded the right way for your machine, either from front to back, or back to front, depending on what machine you have.

You haven't said what kind of material it is you're trying to sew. If you're trying to sew slippery material (like satin) then you will need to have a very sharp needle and lengthen the stitch. If, as sandy2 mentioned, you're sewing stretchy fabrics like jersey, then you will need either a ballpoint needle or a stretch one.


Hope this helps
Mrs F x