There’s really something quite lovely about taking an idea and then making it into a real thing. I’ve always loved making things and I thought I’d found my ‘thang’ with crochet, and then knitting…and then I discovered sewing. My goodness its frustrating and stressful. But also exciting and nerve wracking, pleasant, soothing and mesmerizing. All at the same time.
Since buying my new sewing machine i have learnt a lot. A LOT. It’s been an incredibly steep learning curve, but i’m having a lot of fun and i hope that it continues.
Things i have learnt so far:
- Check the bobbin. Everything seems to center around this tiny metal circle of hatred!
- If in doubt, re-thread completely. I had a major meltdown a few days after buying my brand spanking, shiny new sewing machine; the bobbin had finished, the top thread had sort of popped a little bit, and I had placed a new bobbin in, but the stitches were all over the place and the machine was LOUD! After a good twenty minutes of trying everything (replacing the bobbin at least seven times, re-threading the bobbin, twisting every knob and flicking every button…even removing the metal feed dog plate and bobbin cover) I had given up. I even called James over to help…which you will know is only called for in extreme situations. We were both at a loss. I sighed a heavy sigh, defeated, and declared, “I’ll just re-thread it one last time and then give up…” Of course this worked because in all of my panic, I hadn’t bothered to re-thread the top. I was missing one step in the threading process: the thread take up lever wasn’t actually taking up any thread. So now I know…and pretty much all of the problems i’ve had have been fixed by re-threading!
- Hold on! When you begin the stitch, hold onto the ends of the thread…after many (many) thread chewing sagas I realised this…
- You don’t always need pins. I have discovered the aptly named ‘Wonder Clips’. These are teeny tiny clips that will hold your fabric together, in place or wherever you want it. And they don’t leave holes in your fabric 🙂
- Buttonholes are EASY!I was scared of buttonholes. I had never actually make one with a sewing machine and to be honest i wasn’t sure how it worked…thankfully the instructions that came with my new machine really broke it down and i can now say that its awesome!
- Always iron your seams. This seriously helps. I promise. It is worth the time and effort it takes. By ironing your seams you are helping the item/garment sit properly.
- You will not be a sewing pattern ‘10’ if you usually wear a ‘10’. A sewing pattern is all about the actual measurements, not your size. I happen to sit quite firmly between a pattern size 12 and a pattern size 14…which i quickly realised is not actually an issue…this is where handmade clothes come into their own. It’s lovely to be able to tweak a garment and make it completely your own. To be honest i haven’t yet fully mastered this skill…but i’m getting there. Slowly.
- No one knows that there are mistakes…unless you tell them. When I look at the first few pieces I made, all I see are mistakes…no one else can tell…they all think the items are fantastic.
Check the bobbin: Everything seems to center around this tiny metal circle of hatred!
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