Tuesday Tip #4

Sewing New Patterns!

The first time you sew a new pattern is a little daunting. You open up the envelope and there inside is that thing you have been coveting for so long. But it can be scary! There are a few things you can do to make it less so and make certain that when you do sew your garment it will be just gorgeous!

1. Read Read Read...

Always pre-read a pattern before you even put pattern to fabric. The instructions are there for a reason!! (I tell this to my partner all the time when he's putting things together.) Just because we know how to sew doesnt mean we wont encounter a new technique we havent tried before. So get those instructions out, give them a good read, notice how the pattern is meant to be laid out, and look up any new techniques you dont know how to do. Information is the key to success!

2. Follow the Instructions and Go Slow...

Go slowly, the first time you try out a new pattern is going to be exactly that, NEW. So read the instructions carefully, even though you have already familiarised yourself with them... (I cant tell you how many times ive stuffed things up by not reading things as I go!)

3. If all else fails, try it out...

If you are still confused after your first read through, perhaps try it out on a cheap fabric instead of your good one! It means you will be able to try things out and remember how you can do things differently next time.

Have fun sewing all your new patterns!

For more Tips head over to Carmel's

Tuesday Tip #3

My Tip for today is to
know your machine, how it works and keep it clean.

Dont be afraid to pull your sewing machine apart. Read the manual and look at the section for machine maintenance and remember to continually clean out all of the lint and dust inside the machine and oil it regularly. A great link with tips on how to spring clean your sewing machine is at craft nectar.

Its also important to remember to change your needle regularly. The lady at my sewing machine shop said that a needle is good for about 4 hours of sewing, otherwise it gets blunt and starts skipping stitches.

The best tip to do with cleaning your machine is DONT BE SCARED! for such a long time I didnt unscrew anything on my machine for fear of not remembering how to get it back together. It has only been since starting to sew really really regularly that I have thrown caution to the wind and picked up my screw driver.

Once you start cleaning your machine regularly you will notice how much better it works and how much happier your craft and sewing time will be.

For more Tuesday Tips head over to solomons sewing.

Tuesday Tip #2

My tip for today....

Trace around your pattern pieces on the fabric.

This is a tip that my lovely boyfriend Mick gave me about 6 months ago. It is something that his home economics teacher taught him all the way back in year 7. (making those lovely, shapeless shorts that we all make in early highschool!) We wont tell him he has been so influential in my sewing... he will get a big head... hee hee.

So first... Just lay your pattern on the fabric. These photos were taken for the purpose of the tip, so the bodice pattern piece isnt actually on the fold as it should be... :-p

Trace around your pattern piece with chalk, a pencil or one of those fancy fabric pens. Anything that washes out is perfect. There has been times when I have used a texta and had to soak the newly sewn item before it has been worn to remove the ink stain... haha silly lady! I generally now use a piece of chalk that I stole   aquired from my daughter's sidewalk chalk set and sawed into manageable sized chunks. whenever they go blunt I just get a new piece out.

This would be the point in time when you mark your notches etc, onto the fabric.

Okay! So now you are ready to cut. Your fabric will be much closer to the pattern as cutting on a line is far easier ( and alot more accurate) than cutting around a pattern piece. It also saves stacks of time!

Hope you all find this helpful! I appologise for the dim chalk, You could see it really well in real life, somehow something is lost when I take a photo! LOL!

Head over to Solomon's Sewing to see who else has joined in on the Tuesday Tip this week!

Tuesday Tip (one day late)

I have decided to join in on Solomon Sewing's Tuesday Tip. This week was to share a crafty tip. My crafty tip this week is...

"Dont let the kids use your sewing scissors for cutting paper... it will ruin them!!!"

To join in, head over to the sign up page.

Happy sewing!