Tip Tuesday: Week #4

I am always looking for  different ways to save myself time when it comes to sewing.  I find the actual machine stitching is the fastest part - especially if you have a machine that runs smoothly.  Most of my time-saving tricks happen during the preparations portion of a project.  Cutting out a pattern takes so much time, and ironing pieces that have been sewn is a necessary evil.  I have found a way to cut down on the time it takes to pin things.  I've heard of women using glue sticks to baste projects, and that's a great idea.  I have mixed feelings about this, because I'm not sure how some of the fabrics I use would react to this.  There is a product on the market that I adore - and should probably buy in bulk:

Wonder Tape. 

Almost as cool as Wonder Woman, but a lot more versatile. 

The beauty of this tape is that I don't get it all over everything like I would glue (in stick form or otherwise), AND it washes out.  This double-sided tape is great for "basting" seams, or placing pockets, Velcro, and (drum roll, please....)  ZIPPERS.  I would dread putting in zippers before I found Wonder Tape.  It seemed like I was always fighting with pins during that initial basting of the zipper, and I always ended up getting stuck by a pin or five. 

What else to I love about Wonder Tape?  I can use it to stick spaghetti straps to my bra, or stick a creeping shirt to a camisole to keep it from shifting all day.  If I need a quick hem on a pair of pants and don't have time, I can Wonder Tape it.  It's a pretty handy product that made my top-ten list for the notions sales at JoAnn Fabrics. 

Hope you have enjoyed this quick tip!  I'm expecting The Big Brown Truck today, and I can't wait to get those boxes!

Tip Tuesday: Week #3

When you aren't sure about a new-to-you sewing technique or maneuver, baste it first.  For example, when setting sleeves, baste it with a long stitch to the right of your seam allowance, check your work, and then stitch it on the seam allowance with the right stitch length.  It seems like duplicate work, but if you end up seam ripping, you'll be happy you have those larger stitches.  If you have a computerized machine, your basting stitch might look something like this:

Speaking of putting sleeves on, I also recommend reinforcing the sleeves with a stretch stitch.  On some machines, this stitch looks like this:

This stitch setting is for stretch materials, but I think it makes a nice reinforcing stitch.  Try this stitch out on your machine.  The needle will sew forward, then backward, then forward twice, then backward once.  (Excuse the poor picture):

 

Did you notice the blue globs on my machine?  Here's a bonus tip for you...  Velcro your seam rippers to your sewing machine!  I still lose them from time to time, but this sure helps! 

That's the tip of the week!

Sewin', Sewin', Sewin'.... Get those Feed Dogs rollin'

Thursday is my busiest day of the week.  Mostly, I'm preparing for the weekend.  I like to start off the weekend with a clean house, despite the fact that I will be cleaning it all over again Monday morning.  Thursday is the day that I steam the floors and change the sheets.  It's the day I pay bills and finalize grocery lists.  It's the day that I start pulling out the weekend projects.  I stack the fabric on my glider and start sifting through patterns.  My family has come to recognize the signs that a sewing marathon is about to begin and I will be somewhat unavailable to them.  The first sign is the crock pot coming out of the cupboard, followed by the overflowing lunch bags on the counter.  The kitchen table is cleared and scrubbed, and the word is out the table is no longer for food or drinks, it is now a cutting table.  The ironing board comes out of its hiding spot.  By Friday, the laundry is caught up, the house is clean, the fridge is stocked, and the bills are paid.  It's time to sew.  I've definitely got my work cut out for this weekend- literally- and can't wait to get sewing!

Tip Tuesday!

Over the years that I have been sewing, I've come up with a few tips that save me time and/or frustration.  How many of us have sewn a seam only to rip it out moments later?  How much time do we waste searching for that seam ripper?  What did we do with that pattern piece that has the placement marks that we forgot to make when cutting out the fabric?  If you haven't encountered some of these sewing woes, I envy you.  For the rest of us, I have a list of ten tips to make things go a little smoother.  Over the next ten Tuesdays, I will post a new tip, so keep checking back for more!

Week #1 Managing Patterns:

Keep your pattern and instructions in a sheet protector. Pattern pieces are like tents: we know they came in that package, but they never seem to fit back in. A sheet protector will provide plenty of room for those delicate tissue pieces, as well as any notes that you may have made for the project. When the project is complete, this sheet protector can be inserted into a binder for the next time.

Check in next week for more tips!

Thread, Thread again.

Sewing machine owners have a hidden motto: "If at first you don't succeed, Thread, Thread Again."  It's the Control-ALT-Delete of the sewing world.  Anytime my serger acts up, I cut the threads and start over, same thing with my sewing machine.  Most issues are about thread.  Is the tension correct?  Is it running through the machine correctly?  Is the thread breaking?   Is the bobbin wound correctly? It seems so simple.  How can such a simple issue cause so many problems?  Is it the thread or is it that malfunction between the peddle and the chair? 
  
There are a lot of brands of thread out there.  When I worked out House of Fabrics, I did my best to steer customers away from bin thread, and over to a sturdier brand.  I'm not sure why 5/$1 thread exists, as the only outcome I've seen from this product is frustration over snapping thread and unraveled seams.  I boasted about Coats and Clarks thread, which was the only brand I'd ever tried.   It was the only brand my mother would buy.  It isn't a bad thread, but I soon fell in love with the colors that Gutermann had to offer.  It wasn't until I had a serger that my love affair with Gutermann came to an end.  Anyone who has had thread snap in a serger knows the frustration of threading and re threading, only to have the thread snap again.  I returned the cone thread to the big box store I bought it at, and they were unhappy that I did so.  I pulled on the thread and showed them how easily it snapped, and they gave me my money back.  It could have been old thread, or it could have just been inferior thread.  Regardless, it was a waste of my time.  I found myself back at the shop where I bought my serger, asking for opinions and advice on threads.  Names like Mettler, Madiera and Maxi-lock topped the list for recommendations.  I started asking everyone I knew that had ever sewed what kind of thread they used, and I came up with two groups of answers:  "Mettler, Madiera, and Maxi-lock" and "Does it matter?" 

I felt like I was in the same loop I was when researching sewing machines.  Did it really make sense to spend more on something?  There were two sides of the sewing machine debate, with lines drawn firmly in the sand.  There was the group of elite sewers/quilters who stood proudly by their Berninas, Janomes, PFaffs, and Babylocks, and defended their machines like the Hatfields and McCoys.  Then there was the group that stood by their $300 machines that they replaced every few years.  All of the debates left me thinking, "Do I really get what I pay for?"  The sewing machine debate was ended by my husband, who reminded me that I never swore when I was running the Bernina Serger, but my Kenmore machines had always left me in a bad mood.  I'm fortunate to have a husband who understands that these machines are my tools.  I still wasn't so sure if investing more in a machine would ever pay off, and I felt the same about thread.
At some point during the last school year, I had been working on a project for my son's preschool.  The Queen was coming for tea, and the teacher had wanted tabbards for the boys to wear.  I didn't have time to make my way to my usual thread store, so I stopped at a higher-end fabric store and picked up four spools of Mettler thread.  Let me stop here and say serger thread is typically two strands of thread running together and should NEVER be used in your regular machine.  That being said, I'm not sure there is any harm in running 3-ply or 4-Ply thread through your serger.  Anyhow, I stitched about a dozen flannel tabbards up in no time.  The ease of sewing with the Mettler was amazing.  I didn't have to re thread ONCE.  I practically skipped through the house celebrating.  I hesitated to throw away all of my cone thread, but I knew it was the best thing.  I was wasting my time making things with thread that might break.

I know, I know, I'm sounding like a thread snob.  Pull out different brands of thread and look at the strands.  I mean really look at them.  There are blobs of fibers on cheaper threads, and smooth grain lines on more expensive threads.  I thought about all of the hours I put into my projects.  It wasn't just the sewing part, but selecting the fabrics, pre-washing and ironing, cutting the fabrics out, and THEN sewing the project.  All of that time and effort goes into a project, why not select the best materials?    The thread is what holds the project together, why skimp there?  If I hadn't honestly noticed a difference, I would just buy whatever was on sale and go about my business.  Now I find myself wondering how many hours I lost dealing with broken thread.   How much of that blobby thread had shed off inside my machine?  Wouldn't that mean more cleanings and maintenance for my machines?  How much time did I spend dealing with thread issues?  How much frustration did it cause?  My time, my sanity and my machines were worth a LOT more than the extra buck I would put into the higher quality thread, so why risk it?  Sometimes we forget that our sewing machines are MACHINES.  They need maintenance, and the products we put into them be problematic.  Avoid the trouble before you even start your project, and purchase quality materials - from the fabric to the thread.  It's worth it!