Hi,
My name is Ninah and I live in Australia. This is my first time in a chat group!
I am relatively new to sewing and have not have any real instructions other than asking people when I get into too much trouble. I am currently doing a Fine Arts degree at Uni, hoping to major in textile art and I work part-time in a sewing machine shop. I love Threads magazine and I’m glad I finally checked in on this chat-group as I thought it was only me who had problems recieving my copies of the magazine.
Anyway – I have an exam toorrow (today really – it is past mid-night) and I should get my last bits and pieces organized.
Cheers
Ninah
Replies
Hello! Welcome to the forum! I hope you will enjoy exchanging ideas and techniques with us. Mary
Thank you, Mary. I'm looking forward to learning and creating some of the georgeous stuff I see in the magazine. I must admit that a lot of it is way over my head - especially stuff with fitting and pattern instructions. I tend to have to read patterns about 30 times before it starts making sense to me, but I guess practice makes perfect. I am very spacially challenged (have to look at my hands to tell left from right LOL) so anything that asks me to put the reverse of the left piece upside down onto the reverse of the right side following the grain and then stitch and turn around to the right side before flipping over and pressing seams to the left...my head is already spinning as I mentally try to visualize what I'm supposed to do. There has been a few "reverse sewing" sessions when I have inadvertently stitched the left front to the right back and so on...hmmm!
Anyway, I'm hoping to pick up some hints and pointers from more experienced sewers and, if nothing else, just get a little moral support, when I feel like just throwing the whole thing out and start something else...or go clean the house!CheersNinah
Self adhesive sticky dots in different colors might help. Like red dots for the right side of the fabric. Also basting the seams with long stitch length, then if it is right, go ahead and restitch with a shorter stitch length that will hold. There is even water soluble thread for basting but it is expensive.
Keep up your spirits and you will succeed. I find that sewing videos help me because I am a visual person. Have you seen Sewing With Nancy on Public Television? She has a website http://www.nancysnotions.com. She has some patterns that come with a companion video. Sometimes in a set or to purchase seperately. Then maybe you could watch a step, pause the video, and practice it. Mary
My mum used to mark the back of my hands with an L and R in black texta recently my friends have taken up the practice.
Lee
Hi Ninah,What kind of pattern are you using? Those instructions would have my head spinning, also. I try to go by the notches on some patterns. You know, the back has two notches, say, in the crotch on pants, and the front has one notch. I sometimes write a b for back and f for front with a chalk pencil on the back of the cut-out pieces.
I believe you are doing just what you need to do, to help you with your sewing. Reading helps and also, practice.Marcy
don`t you love the chalk best thing ever invented
Hey,Yes, I do love it. I have the Murphy's Law problem; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, especially in my sewing. I have to be very careful and read instructions, look at pictures. If I say I've done this so many times and just jump in with my gut feeling, I inevitably, do a step before another step should have been done. That's the challenge, I suppose. I do love it, though.Marcy
I agree that even the simplest task can go wrong when you are stressed or in a hurry. Recently I was making a straight skirt for my daughter (last -minute as usual) and I was so pleased with the way the invisible zipper went in first go because I hate zippers and they know it. I sewed up the seam and was looking admiringly at the flawless appearance when I realised the darts were "upside down". Sadly it wasn't the darts that were wrong - I had inserted zip at the hem edge instead of the waist. It took ages to unpick as I had matched the thread colour so well!
Pauline (Melbourne, Australia)
Oh, poor Pauline. I think the zippers do know it. I have been wanting to try invisible zippers. I'm all ready to go, but I will be so disappointed if it doesn't work. I wanted to make these tops this summer, have the material and inv. zippers, but never attempted it. I have too many projects and not enough time. I think about all this wasted time at work, LOL. Seriously, after this baby shower I am hosting Sunday, I am going to get in some serious sewing.Marcy
I definitely have too many projects and not enough time- maybe I could finish the baby dresses I cut out for my first daughter 27 years ago and never quite finished for her sister 7 years later or perhaps I could finish them if I ever have grandaughters (LOL) Next week I have a week off work and first step is to tidy the sewing room and get some projects lined up so that I can try and achieve more in small blocks of time as suggested in "making time to sew" discussion. Then of course Threads 128 arrived today with more inspirations (sadly still no sign of 126 & 127 yet) Oh, I am full of good intentions!!
Regards Pauline
Your note reminded me that many years ago a friend mentioned in passing, "shoe box cases." I asked what she was talking about and she said they were all those half-finished projects that reached a problem point and were then just wadded up, stuck in a box and stuck in a closet.
UFO or Un Finished Object... My Mom (age 72) has been cleaning out her sewing closet (she does not have a whole room), found some small girls dresses cut out but not finished (probably intended for my youngest brother's girls). She gave everything to me and I finished them for my grand daughters! One sewist's junk is another's treasure! Now what to do with that bag of yellow eyelet that seems to be the parts of a wedding party of bridesmaids dresses!!
Happy sewing,
Becky
ps my Mom has a friend named Flossie, she called me Little Fussy Feathers because I was 2 yrs old at the time!!
Hi Becky,
I'm impressed. Finishing the UFO's is worth a standing ovation in book. Congratulations!
Marcy
that goes for me to and you need things to do with the ilet make flowers
You mean there is hope for me after all !LOL. Flossie was my mum's name derived by her sisters from "Florence" and they (my aunts) used to call me littlle flossie. Mum is gone now but I use her name here because she bought me my first sewing machine when I was 11 y.o. - she only ever sewed by hand.
Regards Pauline (Melbourne, Australia)
hi I know the problem that is when a cup of tea or coffee is needed and a good song on to get me to want to cleanthe sewing room that was before I moved down into the dinning room so now after a project I clean oh for the threads and lint on the floor when you have a project you really don't like put it awayand plan on using iit in a quilt
Definitely try invisible zippers. I, too, put off trying them for the longest time. Now I don't know why I waited. They are the easiest zippers I have ever put in, plus they look great — no topstitching to go all wobbly. The tricks are to use the special foot and to iron the heck out of the zipper to get it flat before putting it in.
Hi SAAM,
O.k. Now, I am encouraged. I'm glad you posted this to me. I was thinking it would be like learning to put in a zipper, a little scarey at first, but really nothing to it. I can't wait to try it out now. Thanks!
Marcy
I got a good chuckle from your description of sewing left backs to right fronts. Unfortunately, mistakes like that still occur with lots of experience, because anyone can get distracted or preoccupied or rushed...and it seems things happen when I think I'm being most careful. Welcome to the forum!
Hi Ninah! Welcome to Threads! I had to laugh about your comment of needing to look at your hands to tell the right from the left. I do this, too. I'll hold my hands out in front of me and extend my thumbs from my palms, the left one makes an L. This is how I know my left from my right. Scary, isn't it? Anyway - I've had really good luck with people answering my questions on this forum. There is a lot of knowledge here and people are generous with it!
Have fun!
JT
Hi Ninah,
Hello and welcome, I'm only new here too, but I love it already. What part of Oz do you live, I live in Newcastle.
Good luck with your exams.
Lee
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