To learn all about hemming t-shirt materials such as jersey which stretch, you can watch the T-Shirt Remodeling video lesson on our site.
For invisible hems there are different styles of invisible hem or blind hem presser feet. These feet have a especially designed part which guides and hold the hem in place as you sew. Here is a link where you can watch a video called blind hem click on the quick time video icon to watch. http://www.singerco.com/sewing-resources/presser-feet-help
Look in your machine manual to identify this foot. If your machine does not have a foot like this you can order it on-line or from your closest supply store.
You can still use a standard presser foot to get invisible hems, however you need to pay a lot of attention to make sure your stitches are not as visible from he right side. I have thought this to my students whose machines did not have an invisible presser foot.
Welcome to our site. Thank you so much for the compliments and kind words. We try to make sure that all of our video lessons are clear and explain things in full.
I believe that you have added too much to the front crotch seam line. Just as you mentioned if the back is fine you can do the following to fix the excess fabric in the front.
First make sure that the waistband is positioned where you want it to be. Then pinch and pin the excess fabric along the center front crotch seam. This way you will know exactly how much you will need to reduce the crotch seam line by. Then you can adjust your pattern accordingly.
Hope this helps,
Mary Christmas and happy new year to you and your family as well.
Welcome to our site. I hope that you can benefit from our lessons and grow your skills. Please share your work with us on our member project gallery, I would love to see your creations.
Welcome to our site and thanks so much for your kind words, they are greatly appreciated.
Thanks also for your suggestions. We will be releasing a sleeve pattern making video for our next video lesson, after that we will be releasing collar patterns. Then we will be sewing some garments which will include sleeves, collars etc...
I personally like to sew the seams for the sleeves and the side seams of the bodice before joining the sleeves to the bodice. I use this technique with all types of fabric.
For your second question, from what I understand the sleeve under arm seam should be 1 cm as well. The only part that has a 1.5 cm seam allowance is the armhole on the bodice and the top of the sleeve.
When the armhole and the top of the sleeve have a wider seam allowance it is easier to set in the sleeve. This also prevents the seam from stretching when we work on it.
To make cutting easier I cut the lining fabric from the same pattern piece as the outside of bag.
I just sew the lining seams a scant 1/4" deeper than 5/8".
The seams as the opening of the bag should only be a tiny bit smaller- say 1/8".
So as you start sewing the side seams of the lining...sew only 1/8" deeper for about 1.5" and then add 1/4" to seam until you are 1.5" near the other top of bag then taper bag to 1/8" deeper again.
I try to explain things in a way that even those with basic sewing knowledge can follow the lesson and get good results. Make sure to watch the videos more than once to benefit fully from them.
I'm currently watching this video, but I'm wondering if this project is too much for a beginner. I have learnt to sew in a class for only a couple weeks. I know how to use the machine and I've made a skirt.
The waistband should be cut straight. You need to cut a long rectangle for it. You can use the instructions in the Skirt Sewing from a Pattern Video Lesson, chapters:
In your case add another 15 to 20 cm to the measurement of your waist circumference. This will be for the overlap, seam allowance and to allow you to position the waistband lower than your waistline.
Since the skirt is circular cut, you may only need to go below the waistline of the skirt by 1 cm. Because of the circular shape, moving 1 cm below the waistline will add more to the waistline circumference than it seems. Thats why you may not need to measure down 3 cm all around the waistline of the skirt.
I suggest you pin and baste the waistband 1 cm below the waistline of the skirt and do the first fitting. If the waistband falls where you like it, continue and finish. If not, you can baste it a bit higher or lower to get it right. Once you do the fitting and figure out where you want the waistband to be positioned on your body, you can trim away the excess from the waistband as well.
It is okay if the darts become shorter and more narrow along the new waistline.
However if you notice that during the fitting the pants are a bit loose, you can take in from the darts and the seams as well wherever it is needed. You may need to make the darts longer as well.
For the waistband it is easier to measure around the new waistline of the pattern. If you notice that the waistband is a bit big for you during the fitting, you can deduct the excess from it at that time.
thankyou for that Nehzat. I am using block pattern on your site.
If I wanted to drop the waist line more than 3cm I would loose a lot of the dart. Can you tell me what I need to do with the remaining darts, as they would decrease in size quite considerably. The centre back would start to gape because of such a drop in waistline so would that have to be reshaped. If I take in the gape at the centre back, it would tighten around the buttocks and start to pull would it not?
With the waistband, do I still measure around the new waistline and multiply by two plus overlape nor measure around the body where the waistline sits.
If you are using the block pattern lesson on our site, you already have a waistline on your pattern. Before adding the seam allowance above the waistline, measure down 3 cm all around the waistline and draw a new waistline. Now you need to add the seam allowance above the new waistline.
If you are using a store bought pattern which does not have a waistline, but only the seam allowance lines, read the instructions to find out the amount of the seam allowance and add it to the 3 cm you want to lower the waistline by. Now measure and mark down from the top edge all around the patterns. Connect the marks to get the new waistline. Next you need to measure up from the new waistline to mark and draw the new waistline seam allowance.
When drafting the waistband pattern you need to measure along the new waistline of the front and back block patterns and multiply this measurement by 2 to get the length for the new waistband. You need to add a few cm more to allow for the overlap and incase you need to do some adjustments when doing your fitting.
There could be a number of reasons why you might get puckered seam lines.
You can try and see if lowering the tension on the needle thread or the bobbin thread helps. Use a fine and smooth100 % cotton thread and test the results. Gutermann makes this type of thread as well.
Puckering in the seams can also be caused if the pieces of fabric are cut, off the grain line and then sewn together. Check to see if the grain lines of the fabric are parallel with the grain line of the pattern.
Assuming that you have already squared your fabric before cutting the skirt pieces, you might still have a fabric that is not squared at the corners. This might happen if the fabric you bought was not stored correctly, or was near the end of the bolt and was pulled or not rolled properly on the fabric bolt. The fabric may not have been pressed properly at the factory as well.
To fix these issues square the fabric first, by pulling a thread and cutting along the line it creates. Then check to see if the salvage and the width edges are perpendicular to each other. You can place it on a table with straight corners to make sure the edges are parallel with the table. If the fabric edges are not parallel with the table, you need to pull on the edges of the fabric diagonally along the bias, starting from the corner that has less than a 90 degree angle. Pull the edges gradually moving your hands along the cut edge and the salvage. Once you are done press the fabric to set it. Doing this will make the lengthwise grain lines and cross wise grain lines perpendicular to each other. Squaring the fabric before cutting it will allow the garment to fall nicely on the body and prevent puckering in the seams as well.
As you learn to use your surger, it will become an indispensible item in your sewing arsenal. Having a surger and a sewing machine is not unlike having a regular oven & a microwave oven They both enhance your ability to get that food on the table . The microwave speeds things up & sew (so) does the surger. The surger makes clothing items look more professionaly finished. Just look inside your retail clothes on the inside and see the way the seams are finished. It looks better & seams are stronger (won't fray). Surgers can also be utilized in decorative stitching in clothing & craft items. Once you learn the basics & loose the fear you will wonder how you lived without that little machine. Hope this helped encourage you. Oh. I forgot the most important aspect. Working with knit & stretch fabric is a must. When you get confident you can complete some things without using your sewing machine at all!!
It might be that you need to sew the cowal using a knitted fabric instead of a woven fabric. Knitted fabric is able to stretch and allow your head to pass trough it.
Here is a brief explanation. First use a seam ripper and cut the stitches on only one side of the seam line about every 1 cm. Then all you need to do is pull the thread on the other side to unravel the stitches easily.
Dear Amy,
To learn all about hemming t-shirt materials such as jersey which stretch, you can watch the T-Shirt Remodeling video lesson on our site.
For invisible hems there are different styles of invisible hem or blind hem presser feet. These feet have a especially designed part which guides and hold the hem in place as you sew. Here is a link where you can watch a video called blind hem click on the quick time video icon to watch. http://www.singerco.com/sewing-resources/presser-feet-help
Look in your machine manual to identify this foot. If your machine does not have a foot like this you can order it on-line or from your closest supply store.
You can still use a standard presser foot to get invisible hems, however you need to pay a lot of attention to make sure your stitches are not as visible from he right side. I have thought this to my students whose machines did not have an invisible presser foot.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Sally,
Welcome to our site. Thank you so much for the compliments and kind words. We try to make sure that all of our video lessons are clear and explain things in full.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Barbara,
I believe that you have added too much to the front crotch seam line. Just as you mentioned if the back is fine you can do the following to fix the excess fabric in the front.
First make sure that the waistband is positioned where you want it to be. Then pinch and pin the excess fabric along the center front crotch seam. This way you will know exactly how much you will need to reduce the crotch seam line by. Then you can adjust your pattern accordingly.
Hope this helps,
Mary Christmas and happy new year to you and your family as well.
Nehzat
Dear Amy,
Welcome to our site. I hope that you can benefit from our lessons and grow your skills. Please share your work with us on our member project gallery, I would love to see your creations.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear lovelylove,
Welcome to our site and thanks so much for your kind words, they are greatly appreciated.
Thanks also for your suggestions. We will be releasing a sleeve pattern making video for our next video lesson, after that we will be releasing collar patterns. Then we will be sewing some garments which will include sleeves, collars etc...
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Nili,
Thanks for the kind words.
I personally like to sew the seams for the sleeves and the side seams of the bodice before joining the sleeves to the bodice. I use this technique with all types of fabric.
For your second question, from what I understand the sleeve under arm seam should be 1 cm as well. The only part that has a 1.5 cm seam allowance is the armhole on the bodice and the top of the sleeve.
When the armhole and the top of the sleeve have a wider seam allowance it is easier to set in the sleeve. This also prevents the seam from stretching when we work on it.
Hope this helps,
Nehzat
Amazing ! I love the shabby chic style
Good job ! I can't wait to make this project !
Wow ! I love the fabric !
Hello-
To make cutting easier I cut the lining fabric from the same pattern piece as the outside of bag.
I just sew the lining seams a scant 1/4" deeper than 5/8".
The seams as the opening of the bag should only be a tiny bit smaller- say 1/8".
So as you start sewing the side seams of the lining...sew only 1/8" deeper for about 1.5" and then add 1/4" to seam until you are 1.5" near the other top of bag then taper bag to 1/8" deeper again.
My bags may be seen at etsy.com/shop/joeyandme
I hope this helps!
Kerry
Dear empress4lyphe,
We do have video lessons for beginners.
You can watch the essential section of our video lessons. They are listed first above all the other lessons. Once you have the basics you can start with simple projects such as the cushion cover, make up pouch. Latter you can do the alterations, such as hemming pants and skirts. Then you can learn pattern drafting and garment sewing.
I try to explain things in a way that even those with basic sewing knowledge can follow the lesson and get good results. Make sure to watch the videos more than once to benefit fully from them.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear PixieAnne,
We will be releasing a how to draft a sleeve pattern after the Panel Dress Video Lesson we are working on right now.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear esew4me12,
Welcome to our site, I hope you can benefit from the video lesson and improve your sewing.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
I'm currently watching this video, but I'm wondering if this project is too much for a beginner. I have learnt to sew in a class for only a couple weeks. I know how to use the machine and I've made a skirt.
Dear PixieAnne,
The waistband should be cut straight. You need to cut a long rectangle for it. You can use the instructions in the Skirt Sewing from a Pattern Video Lesson, chapters:
9. Drafting the Waistband Pattern
17. Cutting the Interfacing for the Waistband and Slit
18. Fusing the Interfacing to the Waistband and Slit
20. Forming the Fold Line on the Waistband
27. Pinning and Basting the Waistband to the Shell for the First Fitting
36. Pinning and Basting the Waistband to the Skirt
38. Sewing the Waistband to the Skirt
In your case add another 15 to 20 cm to the measurement of your waist circumference. This will be for the overlap, seam allowance and to allow you to position the waistband lower than your waistline.
Since the skirt is circular cut, you may only need to go below the waistline of the skirt by 1 cm. Because of the circular shape, moving 1 cm below the waistline will add more to the waistline circumference than it seems. Thats why you may not need to measure down 3 cm all around the waistline of the skirt.
I suggest you pin and baste the waistband 1 cm below the waistline of the skirt and do the first fitting. If the waistband falls where you like it, continue and finish. If not, you can baste it a bit higher or lower to get it right. Once you do the fitting and figure out where you want the waistband to be positioned on your body, you can trim away the excess from the waistband as well.
Happy Sewing,
Nehzat
Dear PixieAnne,
It is okay if the darts become shorter and more narrow along the new waistline.
However if you notice that during the fitting the pants are a bit loose, you can take in from the darts and the seams as well wherever it is needed. You may need to make the darts longer as well.
For the waistband it is easier to measure around the new waistline of the pattern. If you notice that the waistband is a bit big for you during the fitting, you can deduct the excess from it at that time.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
thankyou for that Nehzat. I am using block pattern on your site.
If I wanted to drop the waist line more than 3cm I would loose a lot of the dart. Can you tell me what I need to do with the remaining darts, as they would decrease in size quite considerably. The centre back would start to gape because of such a drop in waistline so would that have to be reshaped. If I take in the gape at the centre back, it would tighten around the buttocks and start to pull would it not?
With the waistband, do I still measure around the new waistline and multiply by two plus overlape nor measure around the body where the waistline sits.
Dear PixieAnne,
If you are using the block pattern lesson on our site, you already have a waistline on your pattern. Before adding the seam allowance above the waistline, measure down 3 cm all around the waistline and draw a new waistline. Now you need to add the seam allowance above the new waistline.
If you are using a store bought pattern which does not have a waistline, but only the seam allowance lines, read the instructions to find out the amount of the seam allowance and add it to the 3 cm you want to lower the waistline by. Now measure and mark down from the top edge all around the patterns. Connect the marks to get the new waistline. Next you need to measure up from the new waistline to mark and draw the new waistline seam allowance.
When drafting the waistband pattern you need to measure along the new waistline of the front and back block patterns and multiply this measurement by 2 to get the length for the new waistband. You need to add a few cm more to allow for the overlap and incase you need to do some adjustments when doing your fitting.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Veronica,
There could be a number of reasons why you might get puckered seam lines.
You can try and see if lowering the tension on the needle thread or the bobbin thread helps. Use a fine and smooth100 % cotton thread and test the results. Gutermann makes this type of thread as well.
Puckering in the seams can also be caused if the pieces of fabric are cut, off the grain line and then sewn together. Check to see if the grain lines of the fabric are parallel with the grain line of the pattern.
Assuming that you have already squared your fabric before cutting the skirt pieces, you might still have a fabric that is not squared at the corners. This might happen if the fabric you bought was not stored correctly, or was near the end of the bolt and was pulled or not rolled properly on the fabric bolt. The fabric may not have been pressed properly at the factory as well.
To fix these issues square the fabric first, by pulling a thread and cutting along the line it creates. Then check to see if the salvage and the width edges are perpendicular to each other. You can place it on a table with straight corners to make sure the edges are parallel with the table. If the fabric edges are not parallel with the table, you need to pull on the edges of the fabric diagonally along the bias, starting from the corner that has less than a 90 degree angle. Pull the edges gradually moving your hands along the cut edge and the salvage. Once you are done press the fabric to set it. Doing this will make the lengthwise grain lines and cross wise grain lines perpendicular to each other. Squaring the fabric before cutting it will allow the garment to fall nicely on the body and prevent puckering in the seams as well.
Happy sewing,
As you learn to use your surger, it will become an indispensible item in your sewing arsenal. Having a surger and a sewing machine is not unlike having a regular oven & a microwave oven They both enhance your ability to get that food on the table . The microwave speeds things up & sew (so) does the surger. The surger makes clothing items look more professionaly finished. Just look inside your retail clothes on the inside and see the way the seams are finished. It looks better & seams are stronger (won't fray). Surgers can also be utilized in decorative stitching in clothing & craft items. Once you learn the basics & loose the fear you will wonder how you lived without that little machine. Hope this helped encourage you. Oh. I forgot the most important aspect. Working with knit & stretch fabric is a must. When you get confident you can complete some things without using your sewing machine at all!!
Dear Langles,
It might be that you need to sew the cowal using a knitted fabric instead of a woven fabric. Knitted fabric is able to stretch and allow your head to pass trough it.
Please let me know if this helps.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Langles,
Welcome to our site, I hope you will find our video lessons helpful.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Nehzat,
OH Thank you, so very much! I look forward to the videos on the sleeve block pattern and the garment with the sleeves. :)
Sincerely,
Carol
Hi,
In our Seam by Sewing Machine Essential Video Lessons, I explain how to open a seam.
Here is a brief explanation. First use a seam ripper and cut the stitches on only one side of the seam line about every 1 cm. Then all you need to do is pull the thread on the other side to unravel the stitches easily.
Happy sewing
Nehzat
Dear Carol,
Once we finish this panel dress, I will do a video on drafting sleeve block pattern. After that I will be making a garment with sleeves.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat