July 2012 Summary

If you’ve just recently started reading the Sew Me Your Stuff blog, you might have missed some earlier posts that have really useful information for any beginner who’s just learning to sew. Since it’s the end of the month, here’s a look back at this month’s posts so you can jump to any that you might have missed and want to read.

Stitches:

• Sewing a Straight Stitch
• Sewing a Whip Stitch
• Sewing a Back Stitch and a Blanket Stitch
• Sewing a Slip Stitch

Fabrics:

• The Basics
• Cotton Fabrics: Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Tools and Supplies:

• What to Buy on Your First Trip to the Fabric Store
• What to Buy on Your Second Trip to the Fabric Store
• Notes on Needles
• Video: Notions 101
• A Guide to Common Brands of Thread

Next month I’ll start tutorial videos and project guides once I finally get home from China. Thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to a very crafty August with you!

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Fabric for Beginners Part Four: Cotton Fabrics 103

Over the last week or so I’ve shared part one and part two of a basic guide to the most common cotton fabrics, focusing mostly on apparel fabric. Now it is time for part three to wrap it up, and next I’ll talk about some common synthetic fabrics.

If there are any fabrics in particular you would like more information about, let me know!

And now, the last few cotton apparel fabrics I think any beginner sew-er should know:

• Seersucker
  
  Being from the South, I’m quite familiar with seersucker garments worn in the spring and summer. Funny enough, I was actually told recently by a guy from South Carolina how the unique crinkled texture of seersucker is achieved: the yarn tension is alternated during the weaving process so that certain bunches of yarn clump together and cause the fabric to crinkle. It may look intimidating, but sewing with seersucker is not particularly difficult. It is most often used in men’s clothing but can be used for a wide variety of garments for men, women, and kids.
• Twill
  
  Twill is most often identified by the diagonal lines across its surface. It’s most often used for dresswear such as suits and jackets but can also be found in casual bottoms like shorts. It’s a pretty flexible fabric for a lot of different projects, but it is a little heavy for a beginner who’s first learning to sew, and sometimes you have to use a nap pattern which adds a layer of difficulty. After you get the hang of sewing, twill is probably a good choice for projects in the near future!
• Velveteen
  
  There are fabrics made from 100% cotton sold as “velvet,” but what you’re more likely to find is velveteen. It can be used in clothing, but is also great for decorations especially around the holiday. The fabric itself is not difficult to sew, but there are extra steps you have to take to maintain the fabric. You have to lay your pattern out properly to work with the nap, edges need to be finished very well, and when pressing it’s easy to accidentally press the texture out of the fabric. I would recommend holding off on this fabric because of the extra care and sticking to something more low-maintenance. Maybe around the holidays you can grab some velveteen for crafts and projects?
• Voile
  
  Voile is a very delicate sheer fabric that can be used to make draping garments and beautiful dresses. However, it is so delicate that it requires some special care that may be difficult for a beginner. Definitely experiment with this fabric in your future projects, but for now use fabrics that are more durable but still lightweight as you develop your sewing skills!

That’s about it for cotton! There are a wide variety of cotton fabrics from which to choose, but that’s a rundown of what I think are the most common apparel fabrics you’ll encounter in the fabric store. I mentioned before that I didn’t put a lot of emphasis on purely decorative fabrics for upholstery or other furniture, but in the future if you’d like I can cover those as well.

Know Before You Sew: Cotton fabrics tend to shrink when washed, so you’ll need to prewash all cotton fabrics before starting a project. When you buy a cut of fabric, the care instructions are usually written on the bolt so be sure to look at that before you leave. If you buy a remnant, the care instructions are usually on the label.

Happy sewing!

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How to Choose from the Most Common Brands of Thread

Honestly, when I choose thread for a new project my main criteria is matching color. I’ve never stopped to think about the differences between brands and what’s right for what project until today when I decided to do a little research into the different types of thread and wow is there a lot of information out there!

To help you choose what thread you’d like while you’re standing in the fabric store, I decided to make a little guide to the most familiar brands and their different lines of thread. I’ll include some links at the bottom to more information.

• Dual-Duty All Purpose
  
  I mentioned way back in this post that this is the only brand of thread that I’ve really used since I started learning to sew. This thread has a polyester core wrapped in polyester, and polyester thread typically is good for a wide variety of fabrics including synthetics. The polyester core gives it elasticity so the seams can work with stretchy fabric, and the polyester wrapping makes it glide easily through fabric as you sew. I have never had any problems with this thread, though I did find some claims that their sewing machines reject its cheapness. I still say it’s a good choice for a beginner!
• Gutermann Sew-All
  
  This brand is one of the more expensive options at your typical fabric store. As you can see from the picture, it is also 100% polyester. Reviews of this brand say that it is more durable than Coats and Clark, and the thread is more tightly woven so that there are fewer loose strands that can cause issues on a machine. I recommend that if or when you move from hand-sewing to machine sewing, if you’re ready to make the investment this might be a better choice for more serious projects.
• Sulky
  
  The first time I went to buy thread at the fabric store, I picked up Sulky because it had the closest color to my fabric. Luckily one of the employees thought to ask what I was using the thread for, and I told her I was learning to sew. She told me Sulky is best used for embroidery and isn’t intended to hold seams together. If you’re interested in embroidery, this thread is made from rayon which will lay flat where cotton threads may stand up. It’s displayed in stores right next to all-purpose threads so don’t be fooled! Unless you’re doing embroidery it’s not for you!
• Mettler Silk Finish Cotton Thread
  
  This thread is a popular choice among quilters and is intended to be used to sew cotton fabrics. Cotton thread can also be used on linen and rayon, but should not be used on woven fabrics because it won’t have enough elasticity. This thread in particular gets very good reviews for both machine and hand sewing, but it is on the pricey side compared to some of your other options. I say make this purchase after you’ve built up some skill and are ready to make the investment!

So that’s just a look at some of the more common threads you’ll find if you shop in the mainstream fabric stores. I recommend as a beginner that you stick with Coats and Clark for now because it’s inexpensive but still pretty good quality for your beginner projects. When I’m ready to upgrade to a better quality brand I think my next move will be to Gutermann, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Here are some more links if you’d like more details. Most of these sort their information by the material used to make the thread:
How to Choose the Right Sewing Thread // Types of Sewing Thread
Is There a Difference in Sewing Threads? >> This one is great because it includes microscopic images of each brand!

Happy sewing!

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Video: Notions 101

Hello sew-ers! I have to say, it’s a little hard to think of a word to use to describe people who love to sew because I don’t want to call you sewers! We’ll have to come up with something.

The other day here in Shanghai I went to a place called the fabric market to pick up some tailor-made jackets I ordered. The place is full of different vendors trying to get you to buy their scarves or let them make you an outfit, and the walls are lined with fabric bolts and sewing notions. It makes me so homesick! I can’t wait until I get home next weekend and can start posting my own projects and videos to help you learn to sew.

Last week I shared lists of what I recommend that you buy on your first visit and second visit to the fabric store. The other day I came across this video and wanted to share it with you as well. It touches on some of the notions I recommended before and goes more in-depth with your fabric marking options.

You can see when she demonstrates marking fabric with chalk how the chalk pulls on the fabric at first and leaves a thick line. She demonstrates using tracing paper, but personally I haven’t tried tracing paper yet because my mother claimed it doesn’t work when I asked her about it. It looks like it works pretty well in this video. Maybe I can try it next time I go to the fabric store!

Happy sewing!

Learni.st – Learn how to sew starting from step one
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Fabric for Beginners Part Three: Cotton Fabrics 102

Earlier I wrote this post to begin to introduce you to the various types of cotton fabric from which you can choose and their respective uses. Now it’s time for the thrilling second part of your journey into cotton!

In general I’m focusing on apparel fabrics and shying away from fabrics that are purely for home decor such as bedsheets and tablecloths. If you would like more info on those fabrics, let me know in the comments and I’ll include them in the next section!

• Gingham
  
  This woven fabric is typically found in a checkered pattern. You’ll usually find gingham in kitchen settings, either in upholstery or accessories (think of a basket lined with gingham and filled with muffins…delicious blueberry muffins), and it isn’t often used in adult fashion. However it can make great clothing for children during warmer months because it is lightweight and durable enough to withstand playtime. This fabric is not particularly difficult to sew, but because it may have a nap or one-way pattern if you’re not ready to match patterns yet it may be best to go with a solid color fabric for now.
• Knit
  
  You probably are familiar with knit cotton if you have ever owned a T-shirt. You may often hear this fabric referred to as Jersey, but modern jersey fabrics are not exclusively cotton, so it would be best to check the composition of the fabric before you buy. Knit cotton is very stretchy which makes it great for casual wear, but not so great for beginner sew-ers. I have successfully sewn some jersey garments in my day, but it is a headache because the fabric stretching as you stitch can cause issues, and it’s recommended that you use fancy products to do it properly, and all-in-all you should stick with woven fabrics for now. It may seem a little counter-intuitive; I know when I first started I thought T-shirt material must be the easiest to sew since T-shirts are so ubiquitous, but alas that is not the case!
• Oxford
  
  Typically used in men’s dress shirts, Oxford is a woven fabric with very narrow stripes. It is a relatively coarse fabric, so very sturdy equipment is needed to sew an Oxford shirt. Probably not the best choice for your first few projects!
• Poplin
  
  I bet you a soda you’ve never heard of poplin. I sure hadn’t until I actually started researching cotton fabrics, so either I’m completely oblivious or this fabric is the best-kept secret in the fabric world. Poplin is a thin, breathable, “all-purpose” woven fabric found often in sportswear, mens’ shirts, and uniforms though it can also be used in blouses and dresses as well as decor. Sewing with poplin can be very simple because it doesn’t slide around much as you stitch and it doesn’t stretch. Sounds like a great choice for a beginner!

Check back soon for the final installment of your introduction to cotton fabrics!

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Notes on Needles

To the untrained eye, all needles look basically the same. I bet even to some trained eyes they still look the same. When you first start hand-sewing, you may just grab whatever needle you can find and start stitching. That’s what I did! Generally I don’t think using a certain kind of needle over another will make or break your first few sewing projects, but here’s a list of common needle terms to help you identify needles in the store and find what will work best for you. Knowing your needles will make sewing easier and reduce frustration!

• Sharps and Appliques – Some distinguish between these two, but some use the terms interchangeably. They say that if you only buy one kind of needle for your everyday sewing, make it a sharp. These are medium-length all-purpose needles used for basic stitches.
• Between or Quilting – Also sometimes used interchangeably and sometimes separately. These are thinner and smaller than your average sharp/applique, so they’re typically used to navigate easily through heavyweight fabrics like denim. They can also be used for tailoring as they are handing for making delicate and precise stitches.
• Tapestry – Beginners may be tempted to first pick up a tapestry needle because of its large eye which may seem like it would make threading easier. However, these needles are meant for pulling thick threads through thick fabrics, so they of course have to be thick with large eyes. If you were to stab a more lightweight fabric with one of these, it would leave a large hole that would make your seams less secure. Also, the large eye makes thread more likely to come loose as you stitch. So stick with sharps and betweens for now!

Know Before You Sew: Needle sizes start with 1, which is the largest, and as the size number increases the needle actually gets smaller. Sharps are typically sizes 1-10 while betweens are 3-12. Since the easier fabrics to start sewing with are fabrics like broadcloth that are lightweight but not completely delicate, I would recommend gravitating towards smaller needles for now. Also, you may think it helpful to knot your thread to your needle to keep it in place while you sew, but I strongly discourage this! If your knot is strong it will put stress on the fabric as you pull the thread through, and if it’s too loose the fabric will pull it untied anyway. It is best to simply push the end of thread through the eye then fold the thread back and hold it in place with index finger and thumb.

For even more about the different types of needles (and there are so many!) here are a couple of webpages you can visit:
Choosing a Needle // Hand sewing Needles

Happy sewing!

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Fabric for Beginners Part Two: Cotton Fabrics 101

Cotton, the fabric of our lives. You’ve probably seen those commercials and know the jingle. Actually when I first started sewing, when I thought “cotton” I just thought T-shirts and didn’t know what else cotton was good for. Then I would be wandering around JoAnn desperately searching for a rack that just said “cotton” and not all these other weird fabric names like “broadcloth” and “seersucker.”

Little did I know that cotton can be shaped and molded into many different fabrics with many different names. It’s helpful to learn these before you start picking out fabrics so you know which are good for apparel, which are for home decor, etc.

The first time I went to buy fabric for a sewing pattern, I had to ask a random woman for help finding fabric that would work for clothes because I didn’t understand all the names! I want to help you avoid that feeling of silliness and embarrassment, so I’ll be making a few posts about the most common fabrics and what you can use them for.

In doing my research for this post, I found there were so many different useful types of cotton that I’m going to have to split them over multiple posts, and here goes part one!

• Broadcloth
  
  Broadcloth is a medium-weight cotton fabric that’s tightly woven and very sturdy. It’s a little thin and light for pants but can be used for shirts, blouses, skirts, bed linens, quilts, and lots of other crafts. Broadcloth can be found in pure cotton or in a poly-cotton blend. I think broadcloth is great for a beginner because it doesn’t stretch and is very affordable. Also it only comes in solids, so you don’t have to worry about matching patterns or anything.
• Chambray
  
  Chambray is a woven fabric made with one colored yarn as the warp (vertical strands) and white yarn as the weft (horizontal strands). It is lightweight but durable, and is easy for beginners to sew. You can use it to make spring or summer clothes like shirts and dresses or work shirts and sportswear.
• Corduroy
  
  Corduroy consists of twisted woven fibers that form cords, hence the name. You’ve probably seen this fabric used in pants, jackets, jumpers, and more. It isn’t a particularly difficult fabric to sew, but you have to coordinate naps (making sure all the fabric is going in the same direction) and pressing can be a delicate process, so I would recommend holding off on trying any corduroy projects for now.
• Denim
  
  I’m sure you’re familiar with denim. It’s a form of twill that’s very durable and most often used in jeans but occasionally in bedspreads and curtains. I feel like denim is a little heavy to start sewing with as a beginner, and most items that are meant to be denim would probably be difficult to sew.
• Flannel
  
  You’ve probably seen a flannel shirt and are somewhat familiar with this fabric. It’s a very soft woven fabric with a slight nap, and is used in pajamas, sheets, lumberjack shirts, quilts, and more. It’s not particularly difficult to sew but can stretch and distort very easily, and it dulls needles quickly. I would recommend that beginners hold off on flannel and stick to thinner, stiffer woven fabrics for easier sewing.

This concludes part one of your journey into cotton fabrics! There are many other types of cotton fabrics to learn, so part two will be posted soon. Have a great day and happy sewing!

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How to Sew a Slip Stitch

Hello! I hope you’re having a great weekend. I’m just under two weeks out from coming home from China and am going through major sewing withdrawals. I’ve even thought about finding some sewing supplies here in Shanghai to tide me over until I get back! But I’ll be keeping this blog updated almost every day with important things to know before you sew until we can start sewing together.

So I was thinking back on some of the earlier videos and tips that I’d shared, and I can’t believe I forgot to post this sooner!

This stitch is often called a “blind hem,” but I use it for many things other than hems so I prefer to call it a slip stitch. Here is a video demonstrating how to use it to secure a hem, but that is only one of the many functions of this stitch.

This stitch can also be used to finish plush objects and pillows or enclose seams that can’t be sewn with a machine because they aren’t meant to be seen when the garment is finished. In the future you’ll be learning many of these other functions, but here is just an introduction to the stitch so you can start mastering the art of catching one thread of your fabric at a time.

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What to Buy on Your Second Trip to the Fabric Store

So you’ve mastered the straight stitch, the whip stitch, the back stitch, and the blanket stitch. You could distinguish a knit from a woven fabric backwards in your sleep. Time to jump on the sewing machine and start cranking out couture clothes right?

Well, not yet!

Once you’ve mastered the basics of stitching scrap pieces of fabric, it’s time to throw some premeditation into your sewing regimen. That’s right, it’s time for a craft.

But what do you need before you even choose a craft? What tools could make this easier?

Like last time, the images will come from JoAnn.com. However feel free to shop at whatever store works best for you as long as their products are good quality. Full disclosure, I got my very first needle and thread set from WalMart. As long as you’re still learning there’s no reason to splurge yet!

1. Sewing Gauge

This device is possibly the greatest device in the history of sewing and everything related to sewing ever. Besides the needle and thread. It is the sewing gauge.

Its first and most obvious functions are to measure and to trace a straight line. But its usefulness is much more than that. Notice the thick end in the southwest corner of the picture? That measures 5/8 of an inch across. You probably haven’t reached this level yet, but when you get to sewing patterns and seam allowances you will know that having a quick way to measure 5/8 of an inch is a lifesaver.

Also, when folding and pressing fabric I find it so helpful to slide the blue arrow piece to my desired length and use it to hold down fabric as I press or pin. The combination of the blue slider and the flat edge of the gauge help you keep your fold straight and even. I can’t wait to get home to my sewing supplies and show you how much I love using this tool.

2. Tailor’s Chalk/Chalk Holder

The picture on the left is a tool to help you hold and control your chalk, while on the right you have two bare pieces of chalk. To be honest, when I first bought tailor’s chalk I bought the pack on the right and never thought “Man, I wish I had something to hold this while I hold it.” The sharpener may help, but I always just used scissors to sharpen if needed.

I feel that chalk is most useful for dark fabrics or for fabrics that may not be able to go in the washing machine. It goes on fine when drawing your cutting lines and marks, but I’ve had difficulty being precise with chalk and it pulls on stretchy fabrics which makes it even harder.

So basically it’s perfect for dark woven fabrics, but be careful and be precise!

3. Fabric Markers

I’ll admit, there is a bit of a risk factor when taking a marker to your fabric. When you get to the point that you’re sewing garments you intend to wear or crafts you intend to display, definitely test it first to make sure it comes off.

However besides that I’ve absolutely loved using markers instead of chalk. The lines are more precise and it’s easier to mark clearly without pulling the fabric. This ink will fade and disappear within a day or two on its own from my experience.

The drawback with markers is that they don’t do as well on dark fabrics as chalk does. I’ve tried magic white markers and it was pretty bogus, so if you need to make white marks stick with chalk.

4. Pressing Ham

I just bought my first pressing ham, and I should have bought it a long long time ago. Pressing helps your seams and edges stay in place, and it’s often difficult to press more intricate parts of a garment or craft with a flat ironing board. A pressing ham will help you with curved seams or seams that are hard to isolate.

Once you have these along with the stitching skills you have already acquired, you can start marking your fabric and planning your stitches to make fabric into magic.

Have a great day!

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More Basic Hand Stitches

Earlier I shared videos demonstrating a basic straight stitch or “running stitch” and a whip stitch. By now hopefully you have mastered those two and feel confident holding a sewing needle and navigating fabric, because it’s time for more stitches!

This video from ExpertVillage (only 2 weeks til I can start sharing my own videos – darn you study abroad!) demonstrates what’s called a back stitch. When you start doing sewing projects by hand, this is probably the best stitch to use for basic seams. It’s much stronger and more durable than the straight/running stitch but requires a little more effort.

This video is from GulfCoastCottage. This is a different kind of stitch from the others that I’ve shared in that it’s actually meant to be seen. It can be functional holding two edges of fabric together or completely decorative along the edges of a garment such as this:

Maybe a future project could be a blanket-stitched pillow like this?

Start learning to master these hand stitches and see what fun things you can make even with just these simple techniques!

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