Sewing

 

I've been keeping track of some of the crazy outfits I've been sewing lately. Some of them are really cute and fun, some are just weird. The cute ones are always easier.

 

Most of these I made 10-20 of each. Cute or not, I always LOVE when I finish a set of costumes. Sometimes is the feeling of accomplishment.... sometime it's because I can't stand to look at them one minute more.

 

 

Fronts.

 Backs

These ones took FOREVER! All that rouching!

 

Ew... I don't like these ones. I think it's that tacky ruffle. Yuck!

One of my favorites

 

 

And then there was this swimming suit. Nearly sent me into sewing retirement.

 

 

It was SO hard to make. I had to create a pattern based off that picture and some body measurements, It isn't my favorite thing to do... in fact, I hate it because it's just so hard to get it right but I'm getting better.

 

 

 

I finally finished it after one long weekend (usually I can get a suit cut and sewn in about 1.5 hours) and while clipping threads I cut a hole right in the middle of it. I could have died!

 

I made the customer come try it on anyway while I cooled down for a couple days. I was sure that I couldn't make myself pull it together and fix it. But, sure enough, a couple days later and it was out the door for good. Whew! And now, I want to make one for me. Only better this time, now that I've practiced on someone else. ;)

 

I really enjoy sewing for my little job. It is hard sometimes and frustrating at others. And there are times when I wonder if it's worth it, but I can't think of another job/outlet that would allow me to use my talents, pay me money,  allow me to work when I can/want, and be at home with my kids so I just keep sewing.



Sewing Tips #3: Knits

I had ever intention of keeping up my sewing tips that I started.... way too long ago to remember. And my next post has been planned almost as long. Life has a way of getting in the way and messing with all the best laid plans.

My friend Kristy has been sewing with knits and shared some tips on her blog. As I was commenting and trying to share my knowledge, I realized she probably didn't want a novel for a comment so I'm doing it here. I'm going to FINALLY get around to my next sewing tip: Knits.

Oh my do I have some tips for you. You probably know that I sew swimsuits and dancewear as a little part time job around here. That means I sew on knits, knits and more knits.

I also learned about sewing on knits as a child when knitwear was a huge hit in the 80's with the wide knit bands that could be worn as belts, tops, headbands... so versatile... so funny.

Sorry, all I have is phone pictures, but it was the fastest and easiest so I just went with it.

First... the basics.

Fabric

There are lots of different kinds of knits out there. I couldn't possibly tell you what they all are but there are some things to look at when using knits.

Some only stretch 2 ways. So if you were to hold each selvage and pull it would stretch, but if you turned it 90 degrees and pulled, it wouldn't budge. I don't really care for this kind of knit much, but I tell you, most of the knits at JoAnns are like this.

Some stretch 4 ways. This is best for swimsuits because lets face it, you really want something that is going stretch both ways when it has to form to all the curves of your body. I've had the hardest time finding any knits that stretch 4 ways at local fabric stores. They are all over the internet though.

There are all sorts of thicknesses, stretchiness, textures etc. Seriously, I don't even know them all... Just know that "knit" doesn't really mean much more than it stretches in one way or another.

Tools:

Ever wonder why when you take your t-shirt to your sewing machine to mend a simple seam, and your machine will not even make a proper stitch? That's because knits require a special needle. Instead of a sharp needle, you need a ball point or knit needle. The top of the needle is rounded instead of sharp. That allows the stretchy fibers of fabric to be pushed aside by the needle so it can go down and catch the bobbin thread. With a sharp needle, it catches those stretchy fibers and either tears it, or it stretches along with the needle, interrupting the catching process and  you get skipped stitches.

Another wonder is a double needle. Not all machines are able to use a double needle, but I would say that most will. If you can zig zag with your machine, you should be able to use a double needle. I will talk more about this in a bit but a double needle makes a very professional looking hem or finish on knit fabrics, but it's not all about looks. More on that in a bit.

next.... pins. Really, Until you have sewn on knits for 400+ hours like me... you will need to use pins. And I still use them a lot, just not as much as I used to. It will save you time, trust me. If you don't like unpicking seams on woven fabrics you will HATE it on stretchy ones. Make sure your pins are thin and sharp otherwise they catch and pull which is the opposite of helpful.

Last... I hate to say it because it's an expensive little tool. A serger. What a dream though. Seriously, if you are ever going to be serious about sewing on knits often, you want a serger. Honestly, I think a serger is just as important as a sewing machine for any project, but I sew a lot. I mean, I've been sewing for 5 hours today already and I'm planning on at least 3 more. So I'm certainly not telling you that every seamstress needs a serger, I'm just saying that if you love to sew, and can afford one, you will never be sorry that you own a serger. My current project has too many sequins so I can't use my serger (too many sequins breaks sergers) and Oh! it's so sad. My first serger was purchased on ebay for $80 12 years ago. It's probably 25 years old. It still works great (not as great as my new one) but it has paid for itself over and over again in the time it's saved and the joy it has brought me. :) Did you also know that spell check doesn't understand the word serger? This paragraph is half red. ;)

Now on to techniques:

Cutting knits:

Dull scissors won't cut it when it comes to knits. They just won't do it for the same reason the needles need to be special. If the blade isn't super sharp, the fabric will just warp and stretch instead of cutting nicely.

I do all of my cutting with a rotary blade and self healing mat. They are expensive to be sure, but so nice. If you don't have those things, my friend suggested cutting on the carpet. The carpet helps keep that slippery, wiggly, curly fabric in it's place.

I also use weights on my patterns instead of pins. 1. because if you run over a pin with your rotary blade it's toast. 2. because it's faster and the fabric stays in place better because you don't have to lift the fabric to get the scissors under.

When cutting, make sure that the stretch of the fabric goes around the body horizontally. with a 4 way stretch it's not as important, but usually one way will still stretch better than another. Make the stretchiest direction go around you like a belt. If you don't and it's even a little snug, you can't get it on.

Sewing:

If you fabric is really stretchy and will be stretched a lot in use you have to remember that a straight stitch on the sewing machine is not stretchy. Your seams will pop if you use a straight stitch. This is where a serger comes in awfully handy. A serged edge stretches (if all the tensions are adjusted properly). Therefore, you can have a finished, clean and professionally looking seam in a flash.

If you don't there are some options.

A lot of machines that have more than 10 or so stitch options will have a stretch stitch option or several. My machine has a bunch and my manual tells me which ones are for stretch fabrics.

Some look like serging once they are done only with only one needle and one thread instead of four... it takes at least 4 times as long to complete the seam. But... it works.

Here is an example of some of the "stretch" stitches that are on my sewing machine.

Another option is a zig zag stitch. A zig zag will stretch better than a straight stitch.

Also, a longer stitch will stretch better than a shorter stitch and sometimes loosening the tension will help too.

For hems, a double needle works wonders. It allows two threads on top to share the same bobbin thread. In doing so, the bobbin thread creates a zig zag that will stretch. Some machines work with a double needle better than others. And machines can be manipulated to work better. It's all in the timing. I had to take one of my machines in to a shop to have the timing aligned in order to work with my double needle better. There are three different widths of double needles that I am aware of. I think 4.0 looks and works the best. 2.0 is too narrow and 6.0 is very wide and may be too wide for your machine.

Doesn't the double needle make things look so professional? This is the back. 

Trouble shooting:

Stretchy fabrics have a way of stretching when  you sew them. What started out as a simple seam will stretch and slide so bad that you have no idea what happened.

Use pins... lots of them, practice, and sometimes a vinyl foot on your machine will help. Also, if you are sewing something stretchy to something that isn't as stretchy, put the stretchy fabric on the bottom. The feed dogs will help to move that stretchy fabric along whereas if it's on top, the foot will stretch it out as you sew.

If your sewing machine has the option, the tension of your presser foot can be reduced which can help a bit too. My sewing machine doesn't have that option... although I wish it did.

Skipped stitches are usually a result of needle problems. If your needle has even a little snag or slight bend, it will skip stitches. Anything slowing the needle down will cause it to miss the bobbin thread. Total bummer.

My friend was struggling with button holes. I don't have a ton of experience with button holes so I may be way off, but this is my idea to make button holes in knit work. Stretchy fabric doesn't like to have a billion holes put in it so close together like a button hole stitch would do. The stitching will tend to stretch out the fabric, pull it down into your feed dogs and in general make a really big mess. So my suggestion is to make the sewing machine think it's not stretchy. How? Get some tear away stabilizer. I think they even have a sticky kind but I could be wrong. This is what embroiderers use under their fabric to keep fabric from being totally puckered and destroyed by all those tiny stitches and gives their stitches body. Just place the stabilizer under your fabric so it rests against the feed dogs. After the button hole is made, the stabilizer can be torn away and the hole cut. It really should make the whole process easier. The top picture is my first attempt at a button hole on knit. Not too bad. Below that is a button hole without stabelizer placed underneath the fabric. You can see that the machine ate my fabric and I couldn't finish the button hole. :( some machines might have a knit button hole option. It uses less stitches to prevent bunching and eating and swearing ;)

I can't think of much more... Any questions? I would love to answer them if I can.

The Finale... 10 years in the making. My Sewing Room

I know it has just been killing you that I haven't posted pictures of my finished sewing room. OK, maybe not.

It did, in fact, get finished and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's probably one of my favorite rooms in the house now. So pretty!

Actually I still need some art. But it can wait until I find the right thing. I'm thinking a black and white something or other, and then some vinyl lettering, but I don't do cheesy, so I'm holding out on that until I have just the right words. One that I do like, but I'm still not committed to is "Being creative is messy, and I'm VERY creative". My biggest beef with that one is that I don't consider myself very creative. I'm great at copying stuff, but coming up with stuff on my own is not my forte. However, I am an EXTREMELY messy seamstress. If you have any fun wall lettering suggestions, give it to me. I would love to hear your ideas.


When we moved in this room was a DISASTER! The pictures are just little clips from the video we have so they are horrible, but the only proof I have.

 The people that lived in our house before us made this room their little do-it-yourself project and they were not very handy. The walls on one side were just unfinished drywall while the other side had about 2 inches of plaster over the drywall with 1 inch spikes that would literally cut the skin if you touched it. I sanded those walls for days and days. They still never got perfect but there was only so much sanding I could do. And of course, the ceiling was not finished at all.

 Anyway, after sanding my life away, I painted my walls in a faux suede blue paint when Roman was just a tiny thing. At that time we figured we would just put in a drop down ceiling so I went ahead and painted. I loved that paint, Like plush suede leather on the walls. But, it's incredibly fragile, the slightest touch would leave a permanent mark so 7 years later and a few dings and a lot of dust from putting in the ceiling...it had to go. :( But I was ready to be done with the dark blue walls so I was OK with that. Ironically, I had to sand all the walls again, blah!

There was a built in bookshelf with gigantic drawers on the bottom half. It's my opinion that drawers should never be this big. I guess they were built with files in mind, but good grief!

Sometime ago my dad tore out the abomination drawers, made more shelves and bought me some cupboard doors to hide them. I painted them brown at that time, but the color didn't turn out the way I had imagined and I knew I was going to have to re-paint them. Then I had two more kids and lots more to do so I just tolerated the muddy brown cupboards for a few years. And was just so happy that I could cover up all of my fabric because let's face it... in never stays all pretty and organized like this:

So... this was my sewing room for the last 7 or so years. And I was OK with it, but it wasn't "done" for one main reason....

This:

Those hideous lights were hanging by wire clothing hangers that were wrapped around nails. Yeah... not so great.  Not so... shall we say....building code. Not to mention the way they were wired. I won't go there but talk about an accident waiting to happen. So we fished wires through already finished walls, tore down the lights, put in some recessed lights and my favorite, track lights, for over my cutting table.

We worked and worked and got the ceiling up then had someone come mud and tape and texture my walls so that I could paint my little heart out... again. I'm SO done with painting! UGH!

Then I pained all the trim and re-painted the cupboards and doors then worked out a few storage things and viola! My new and MUCH improved sewing room.

Some of my favorite things are : Wood floors.. well.... poorly installed pergo, but I wasn't about to replace it. It's like ice both summer and winter but it's worth it because any of you crafters might know how difficult it is to get thread off of carpet. If you don't know... it's a pain in the rear and then they get wrapped around the vacuum brush and it's just a mess but with the hard surface, clean up is a breeze!

My sewing desk. A cheap purchase from an office that was re-decorating. It's heavier than a car and I wish it had a bit more storage space, but it is tons of work space which makes up for it's pitfalls.

The paint: After having the dark walls and a black hole for a ceiling for so long I was ready for something more cheerful. I was worried that yellow would clash with the allready quite yellow floor, but it doesn't and it looks so bright and happy with the white trim.

My cutting station: The drop down track light  for that corner that has always been so dark and the wall mounted buckets from ikea to keep my cutting tools right at hand and of course my olfa mats... I just wish it wasn't the ugliest color of green on the planet.

Oh and the cupoards, now with a fresh coat (or three) of white paint and some sleek door pulls. They hide the mess fabulously!

Then there is the closet which is under the stairs, thus, the crazy angle, but without the stairs as a visual "reason" for the angle, it's just odd.

Lots of storage for all the random stuff that I use less often. I love the idea of using shoe storage for oall the little things. I especially love the clear ones so you can see what's in there.

And most importantly..... A Ceiling!

Anyway, There you have it. The place I come every morning at 6 a.m. and the grand finale to our basement project. YEA!