lunch bags for school image
Joanna T
In the way of pencils,folders, etc.. I havnt a clue,cant remember that far back! I have bought a few things like a lunch bag,pencil case,school bag but i dont want her to go with the wrong things, any advice would really help! Thank you in advance...
Answer
The school website may have a supply list posted otherwise she will get a list tomorrow.
What should I know about sewing, as a beginner?
Little Red
I checked yahoo answers already, but the answer I saw said to ask sales staff about the sewing machines. Personally, I would like to hear about good machines from people who have been sewing for years and years, not a person who's just selling them. I'm sure they know about the machines, but I would like answers from people who've been doing it for a while.
I am just starting out. I would like to make little sun dresses for my daughter (She's 2 1/2, so they'll be simple, with ribbon straps, maybe some buttons). I would also like to make sun dresses, tops, and skirts for myself (The most complicated things I aim to do right now, is a corset top, bra and a bathing suit).
I'm super short but MEGA curvy, so shopping isn't always the easiest thing for me. A few other things I would like to learn to make are purses/bags, lunch bags for when she starts school, and other little fun things for her. I'm not really looking to do a whole lot of embroidering, but I do like having different stitching styles for when I'm doing hems. I've seen a few and I like those.
What I have been doing is hitting up the clearance bin at Jo-Ann's. They're usually about a yard's worth of fabric, maybe a little less sometimes. I figure that starting out with the sale stuff is much smarter than having expensive fabric cut. So I've got lots of different sizes and patterns.
So! My questions are:
What is a good machine to start with? I don't want to get some cheap thing from walmart that's going to break in a year. I'm okay with spending a few hundred on a machine, if it means it's going to do what I want (and then some for when I advance), and will last a few years at least.
What are your can't-live-without tools that you guys use when sewing clothing and bags?
Any tips and tricks that you've learned from experience that really work for you?
Favorite website to get free patterns?
Thank you for reading!! Have a wonderful day :)
Answer
For a new "don't break the bank" machine, I'd go with Janome or Juki, personally, but definitely suggest you try some machines out at various dealers, including used machines. A 15 year old friend just replaced her hunk o' junk new machine with an old Italian made Necchi for $100 -- the tradeoff she made is that she has to oil the machine (30 seconds) -- and it'll probably last her the next 30 or 40 years. See also: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtVc8znRrlRdYqlm02KFETbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100423044254AAnGzFy&show=7#profile-info-OKJf8nHFaa Shopping hint: bad machines do not make good buttonholes.
Can't live without tools: a really good pair of scissors, blades as long as you can open them, almost all the way to the pivot point. I like Kai, as they're very light and sharp and well balanced in my hand, and the non-pro series is pretty inexpensive: http://www.kaiscissors.com/category.php?category_id=49 I'd suggest the N9250 or N5275 . If you're willing to mail them back to the Kai/Kershaw plant in Tualatin, OR, they'll sharpen them free. My other gotta have tool is a clapper and point presser, like this: http://sewtrue.com/Store/POINT-PRESSER-and-CLAPPER-P2302.html Watch for them at yard sales and thrift stores. And tailor's chalk for marking fabric, white only. Joann's will charge you an arm and a leg for it, but you can buy a whole box from a professional sewing store like Wawak for $6, and sell half of it to a couple of friends. Then you'll both have a lifetime supply! <g> In fact, consider asking for a Wawak catalog and spend some time with it... the prices are much better than you'll find in a fabric store for thread, sewing machine needles, zippers, buttons, etc. I buy Mara 100 thread there for my machines... about $2.50 for the same amount and quality of Gutermann thread Joann wants $8 for. And more colors.
Free clothing patterns are mostly worth what you pay for them. Have you found the KwikSew books yet? Your daughter is almost (but not quite) ready to go into the Sewing For Children book... it's a book with basic patterns, instructions on making the clothes, and instructions on changing the basic patterns into different designs -- sewing instruction book, patterns and basic pattern design all in one book. Highly recommended. http://kwiksew.mccall.com/books-pages-3505.php Trace the master patterns, don't cut them.
The major tool that I use for most of my sewing is one that I don't recommend for you yet -- a serger. But when you're out looking at sewing machines, if you find a really friendly salesperson, ask if they can give you a quick demo of what a serger can do.
The book or DVD I recommend for beginning sewing is Connie Crawford's Guide to Fashion Sewing (book) or her Studio Sewing Skills dvd. The book is relatively expensive new because it's a standard fashion school textbook, but it's very step by step, drawings and a few sentences, all the way through a process. It's what I reach for when I can't remember quite how something goes. The DVD is also step by step through all the major garment sewing processes, and starts with basics like threading a machine and sewing (and ripping out!) plain seams. As an experiment, I loaned my copy of Studio Sewing Skills to a couple of 9 year old cousins who had Grandma's treadle machine, and gave them a campshirt pattern to try, and they did a very credible job of their shirts -- I did put the buttonholes in for them as their machine couldn't. http://www.fashionpatterns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=67
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