Assembling Your Sewing Kit Pittsburgh PA

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For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.



Like most hobbies, successful sewing projects begin with a few good tools and a little know-how. Sure, you can collect some of these tools from your household: Those old scissors from the garage, the ruler from your desk drawer, and pins scavenged from freshly opened dress shirts, but you’ll have a better sewing experience by using the tools intended for the job. In this chapter, I list and explain the necessities — the tools I use just about every time I sew and that are essential for creating the projects in this book. I also give you some tips about additional tools that come in handy as your skills improve. So you can consider these tools your Sewing Survival Kit. Keep your Sewing Survival Kit in a small fishing tackle box (other than your sewing machine and pressing tools, of course) or use one of the many sewing or craft organizers available through your local fabric store, craft store, or sewing machine dealer. Choose an organizer that has a handle and a secure latch so that you can easily carry it without dumping stuff all over the place. Use the following as a checklist when you round up the tools for your Sewing Survival Kit; afterward, read the rest of this chapter to understand how each one works:

Tape measure

Dressmaker’s shears

Trimming scissors

Fabric markers for light and dark fabrics

Making Sure Your Sewing Measures Up
You use a tape measure for taking your own measurements, checking measurements on a pattern, and other measuring tasks. (See Chapter 4 for more information on patterns.) All kinds of tape measures are available. I recommend that you use a plasticcoated fabric tape measure. This tape doesn’t stretch, so you always get accurate measurements. Many tapes come with both metric and imperial measurements and are two-toned, so you can readily see when the tape is twisted. Keep your tape measure handy by draping it around your neck, but remember to take if off when you leave the house — no one ever believes in this fashion statement. One of my favorite rulers is a clear O’Lipfa ruler. It’s 24 inches long and 5 inches wide, and is marked into quarter-inch increments across the width of the ruler — handy for cutting even strips in many home decor projects. (Read the following section to find out about rotary cutters.) The ruler and the mat together work like a T-square — helpful when marking and cutting perfect 90-degree squares or rectangles and for cutting strips. You can find a lot of clear rulers on the market — many longer than my ruler, but I find that I use my O’Lipfa almost every time I sew.

Cutting Up (Without Cracking Up)
If I could have only two cutting tools, I’d use the following:

8-inch bent dressmaker’s shears: Shears are the best tool for cutting fabric. They have one straight and one bent-angle blade, a round thumbhole, and an oblong finger hole for comfortable, accurate cutting. The bent-angle blade gives your index finger a place to rest when you have a long cutting job. The bend in the blade also prevents you from lifting the fabric off the table, ensuring a more accurate cut.

5-inch trimming scissors: These scissors have straight blades and two round holes for your finger and thumb. They come in handy for trimming smaller areas on a project and for clipping threads. When shopping for shears or scissors, make sure that you test them on a variety of fabrics. They should cut all the way to the tips of the blades. Some brands of scissors and shears are made of lightweight aluminum alloy. The lightweight models generally fit more comfortably in your hand, are usually a little cheaper than other models, and can be resharpened several times. However, with some brands, the lighter-weight blades may not cut as easily through heavy fabrics or multiple-fabric layers. Steel scissors and shears are heavier, which means they easily cut through heavier fabrics and more fabric layers. Because each blade is made of one solid piece of steel, you can resharpen heavy scissors and shears more times than the lightweight variety, and they often stay sharper longer, too. But the heavier models are generally more expensive than their lightweight counterparts. Regardless of the weight, scissors and shears with a screw joining the blades generally cut heavier fabrics and more layers than those that are riveted. After you’ve plunked down money for a good pair of scissors and shears, don’t let the family get hold of them and cut plastic, cardboard, wire, or anything you don’t normally cut when sewing. The blades become rough and dull and not only will they chew or snag your fabric, but they also wear out your hand when you try to use them. I also often use a pair of 3-inch embroidery scissors. The pointed blades are perfect for cutting out unwanted stitches and trimming laces, appliques, and hard-to-reach places. After you decide you like to sew, treat yourself to a rotary cutter, which looks a lot like a pizza cutter, and a cutting mat, which protects the table and helps keep the rotary blade sharp. You use these tools without lifting the fabric off the cutting mat, so you can cut lines very accurately. Rotary cutters come in several sizes — I like the largest model because you can cut more, faster. But don’t discard your shears; you need them for cutting intricate pattern pieces. Cut edges can mean frayed edges, but you can put a stop to that with seam sealant. Seam sealant is a liquid that dries soft and clear so that you don’t see any residue on the fabric and it won’t snag or scratch. It comes in a small plastic bottle with a tip for easy aim. Dot it on a knot to prevent threads from coming out and dribble a bead at the cut edges of ribbon to prevent fraying.

Taking on small tasks with a seam gauge
A tape measure suffices for most measuring jobs, but for measuring small and narrow things, such as hems and buttonholes, use a seam gauge. This 6-inch ruler has an adjustable slide that moves up and down the length of the ruler. When you measure a hem, you use the slide to see how deep the hem is as you move the seam gauge all the way around the hemline. When measuring buttonholes, simply set the slide to the correct length and mark away.

Keeping your shears and scissors sharp
Dull scissors can make cutting a real drag: You have to work twice as hard to use them, and the results aren’t nearly as good. Keep your shears and scissors sharp so they’re a pleasure to use. After all, cutting is a big part of sewing, and if it’s a chore, you won’t like to sew. Most sewing machine dealers sharpen scissors and shears. In addition, many fabric stores have a scissors-sharpener who visits the store periodically. After the pro finishes sharpening your shears or scissors, check that they cut to the point.

Making Your Mark
Sewing is an exact science, in many ways. When you sew, you must match up the pieces of your project precisely — otherwise you get the left sleeve in the right armhole and end up feeling like you’re walking backwards all the time (find out more about sewing in sleeves in Chapter 10). To help you match up your fabric pattern pieces exactly the right way, the pattern for a project includes match points, called notches and dots, which are printed right on the pattern tissue. To use these match points, lay the pattern tissue down on the fabric, pin the tissue to the fabric, cut out the pattern piece, and clip the notches and mark the dots from the pattern tissue to the fabric. Fabric markers made especially for sewing make transferring match points from the pattern to the fabric a quick and easy task. Use one of the following markers, depending on the kind of fabric you want to mark:

Disappearing dressmaker’s chalk: Excellent for marking dark fabrics, dressmaker’s chalk disappears in about five days or when you wash or iron the fabric.

Wash-out pencil: This pencil shows up well when marking dark fabrics and erases with a drop of cold water. It looks like a regular pencil with white, pink, or light blue lead.

Vanishing marker: Best for marking light-colored fabrics, this felt-tipped marker usually has pink or purple ink that disappears in 12 to 24 hours, unless you live in a humid climate where marks can disappear in minutes.

Water-erasable marker: This felt-tipped marker for light to mediumcolored
fabrics has blue ink that disappears with clear water or by washing the fabric. This marker works better than the vanishing marker if you sew in a humid environment. The ink in vanishing and water-erasable markers uses a chemical that may react to the dyes and chemicals in synthetic fabrics. Always test markers on a scrap of fabric to make sure that you can remove the mark and that it doesn’t come back when you press the fabric.

Invisible or removable transparent tape: These are useful but not essential marking tools. Invisible tape has a cloudy appearance that you can easily see on most fabrics. Removable tape has the same adhesive as sticky notes and doesn’t pull off the nap (fuzz) from velvet, corduroy, or velour. I use 1⁄2-inch-width invisible or removable tape as a stitching template for sewing in a zipper, as a guide for straight stitching and for a lot of other little jobs. Hide it from your family, though, or it may disappear when you really, really need it.

Pinning Down Your Projects
You need pins to sew. Period. You use them to pin the pattern to the fabric, pin the pieces of fabric together before sewing them, and for several other pinning jobs. Because pins are such a constant companion when you sew, buy some that keep your fingers happy. I recommend using long, fine, glass-head pins. The glass head fits comfortably in your fingers when you pin through multiple layers of fabric, and the extra length makes pinning more secure. Plus, if you accidentally press or iron over the glass heads, they don’t melt like the plastic ones may. You also need a place to keep your pins. Some pins, like glass-head pins, come packaged in convenient plastic boxes that make great pin holders. But to save time, I wear a wrist pincushion so that my pins stay with me wherever I go. A magnetic pincushion, available in a wrist or tabletop model, is handy in your cutting area and at the ironing board. Besides pins, small scissors and a seam ripper also stick to the magnetized surface. The magnetic cushion is also wonderful for picking up pins and stray metal objects that fall on the carpet. Even though computerized sewing machines have improved, avoid getting the tabletop magnetic pincushion near yours because you may wipe out the machine’s memory.

Pressing Issues
Why are you delighted when someone asks if your pie is homemade but insulted when someone points to your dress and asks, “Did you make that?” In sewing, if someone can immediately tell that your project is homemade, it’s probably because something just looks . . . wrong. Usually this happens because the project wasn’t pressed properly during construction. Using the right tools for pressing is just as important to sewing as using a sharp needle and thread that matches your fabric. Good pressing tools mean the difference between a project that looks good and a project that looks great. Consider these points when choosing your tools:

Iron: You need a good iron. I didn’t say an expensive one — just a good one. Choose an iron that has a variety of heat settings and can make steam. Also, choose an iron that has a smooth soleplate (the part that heats up) and is easy to clean. If you use fusible products, such as iron-on patches that melt when heated, you can easily gum up the iron. A non-stick soleplate makes it easy to clean and provides a smooth, slick surface for trouble-free pressing and ironing. Also, several newer brands of irons automatically turn off every few minutes, which is a real pain when you’re ready to use the iron for sewing, so avoid buying an iron with this feature.

Ironing board: Make sure you buy a padded ironing board. Without the padding, seams and edges press against a hard, flat surface that scars the fabric. This scarring shadows through to the right side of the fabric, so when a seam is pressed open it can look like ski tracks on either side of the seamline. The finished project has a shiny, overpressed look that’s tough — if not impossible — to remove. Choose a muslin or nonreflective ironing board cover: The silver, reflectortype covers are too slippery and sometimes get too hot, causing unnecessary scorching on some synthetic fabrics.

Press cloth: A press cloth is essential for pressing a variety of fabrics, from fine silks to heavier woolens and wool blends. You place the press cloth between the iron and the fabric to prevent shine and overpressing. Use a clean, white or off-white 100-percent cotton or linen tea towel or napkin, or purchase a press cloth. If you’re considering a print or color-dyed fabric for a press cloth — don’t do it. Dyes can bleed through and ruin your project. Terry cloth isn’t a good choice, either. The napped surface of a terry cloth towel can leave the familiar terry texture on the fabric. A professional dressmaker friend of mine loves using a cloth diaper for a press cloth. The diaper is white and absorbent, can be doubled or tripled depending on the use, and is a good size for many projects. After you decide to make sewing a regular hobby and you feel comfortable investing a little extra money into your projects, consider purchasing the following tools:

Seam roll: This fabric cylinder measures about 12 inches long by 3 inches in diameter. You use the roll to press seams open without leaving tire tracks on either side of the seam. Because of the shape of the seam roll, the seam allowance falls away under the iron and doesn’t press through to the right side of the fabric.

Tailor’s ham: This stuffed, triangular-shaped cushion has several curves on it that simulate the curves on your body. You use the ham to press and shape darts, side seams, sleeves, and other curved areas on a garment. Both the seam roll and the ham have a 100-percent cotton cloth side made out of heavy muslin-type fabric for pressing high-temperature fabrics such as cotton and linen and a wool side for pressing lower-temperature fabrics such as silks and synthetics.

Needing the Right Needles
Needles come in hand and machine varieties, and you can find many shapes, sizes, and types within each variety. The needle you select depends on the fabric you use and the project you want to sew. Generally, the finer the fabric you work with, the finer the needle — the heavier the fabric, the heavier the needle.

Selecting needles for hand sewing
When selecting hand needles, choose a variety pack, and you have what you need for most basic hand-sewing projects. Variety packs vary from brand to brand but generally have from five to ten needles of various lengths and thicknesses. Some even have different-sized eyes. In a pinch, you can use any hand needle as long as the point can easily penetrate the fabric and the eye doesn’t shred the thread.

Selecting needles for sewing machines
For machine needles, size #11 (in American sizing) or #12/80 (in European sizing) works well for general sewing on about 80 percent of today’s fabrics. To make sure that you have the right size needle for the fabric, read your Operating Manual or ask your local sewing machine dealer. Some needles offer different point types designed to handle different stitching techniques and fabric types. For most projects, though, a multipurpose or Universal point works beautifully. Buy a package or two of #11 American multipurpose or #12/80 Universal European sewing machine needles and you should be all set. When shopping for sewing machine needles, remember to take the make and model number of your machine with you. Some models can use only their brand of needle without causing harm to the machine. When in doubt, ask your local sewing machine dealer what to buy. During the course of a project, a sewing machine needle gets used and abused, and when the needle becomes bent or burred (like the end of a blade of grass or a fish hook), the needle skips stitches and can snag the fabric. Unlike hand needles, your machine needle will need to be replaced frequently. The best machine needle for any project is a new one, so start each project with a new needle.

As ye sew, so shall ye rip
If you sew, you must stitch rip. Okay, so it may not be a biblical proverb, but it’s a fact of sewing. When you make mistakes, you correct them by ripping out the stitches, or unsewing. Make ripping stitches as pleasant as possible. Buy a sharp seam ripper, a little tool with a point that lifts the stitch off the fabric as the blade cuts the thread. I’ve put too many unwanted holes in a project with a dull ripper simply because I had to push too hard to cut a stitch and ended up tearing right past the stitches into the fabric. When your seam ripper gets dull, throw it away and buy another one. You can’t resharpen them.

Fortify your fingertips with thimbles
Fingers are fabulous tools, but they leave a little to be desired when it comes to pushing a needle through heavy thicknesses of fabric. Protect the soft pads of your fingers from potential pain with a thimble, which is kind of like a little hard hat for your finger. Thimbles come in a variety of sizes; choose a thimble that comfortably fits the middle finger on your dominant hand. Try on a variety of thimbles until you find one that’s just right — and then use it! You can save your fingers a lot of wear and tear.

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For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.

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