Talbert - The sewing answer book Solutions to Every Problem Youll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question Youll Ever Ask

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Nancy D. Wood

Art direction and book design by Jessica Armstrong

Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith

Cover photograph by Mars Vilaubi

Floral pattern, back cover and interior, by iStockphoto/Joachim Angeltun
Illustrations by Missy Shepler, Shepler Studios

Indexed by Catherine Goddard

2010 by Barbara Weiland Talbert

Ebook production by Kristy L. MacWilliams

Ebook version 2.0

9/5/2017

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Talbert, Barbara Weiland, 1947

The sewing answer book / by Barbara Weiland Talbert.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60342-543-8 (flexibind with cloth spine : alk. paper)

1. Machine sewing. 2. Serging. I. Title.

TT713.T35 2010

646.2044dc22

2010007170

This book is dedicated to the strong and beautiful women who taught me to sew. I owe them my profound thanks for influencing the direction of my life and livelihood:

• Big Grandma, Emma Gamble Nelson
• Grandma Tina (Sorenson)
• Grandma (Mary) Weiland
• My sweet mother, Eloise S. Weiland

There are many to thank for their support during my lifetime sewing career especially my mother and grandmothers. In addition, I have been supported and influenced by two very special women: Susan Foster (Pletsch) and Pati Palmer. Traveling and teaching sewing seminars for them expanded my knowledge of sewing and of the world.

I have had many opportunities, including stints as editor of two sewing magazines and as editor-in-chief at That Patchwork Place. Special thanks to Linda Turner Griepentrog, former editor of Sew News. Her faith in my ability to sew just about anything she could dream up encouraged my problem-solving, writing, and creative skills for 21-plus years.

I have had the opportunity to interact with many talented sewers and quilters. I was privileged to edit the work of many, while expanding my own bank of creative knowledge. Blessings to all!

Thank you to Storey Publishing for the opportunity to write this book, and to my editor, Nancy Wood.

Special thanks to Bernina USA for the opportunity to act as a National Artisan for Bernina and to interact with others in the same role. Its been wonderful to sew on Berninas during most of my sewing career and to explore machine embroidery on their artista machines.

Most importantly, I owe much gratitude to my sweet husband, Stan. His love and his support in everything I do is a blessing. His daily admonition, Time to call it quits, brings balance to my life. Thank you, Sweetie!

The gift of learning to sew is one of the best legacies you can pass on to children. I did my first hand sewing at the knee of my Big (great) Grandma. Together, we made a dress and bonnet for my best doll by cutting a pattern from newspaper and the pieces out of scraps from Grandmas Sunday dress. I still have it a treasured memento of my childhood. Both grandmothers, and especially my dear mother, encouraged and instructed me as I grew; my love of sewing turned into sewing for 4-H and Make it Yourself With Wool competitions, then a college degree, and a lifelong career of sewing and teaching, and writing about it.

In the intervening years, Ive learned so much and so much has changed. Although computerized machines are now the most desired option, you can sew just as beautifully on a standard mechanical model, if thats whats available to you. New books, tools, and wonderful notions have turned sewing chores into rewarding, even exciting, experiences. Relaxation of some of the old sewing rules, by which my 4-H projects were judged, means you can use a machine for just about any sewing technique (hems included) and relegate hand sewing to mending chores and places where you do need a hand sewing needle and thread for sewing strength or invisible stitching. I love the rhythm of hand sewing, but I do substitute machine sewing when time is of the essence. Doing it right when it comes to basic techniques such as cutting, marking, and stitching will ensure the projects you make will be ones that you are proud to wear or use in your home. This book will help you master the essential steps for planning and sewing garments and basic home-decor items.

Sewing is a treasured creative skill that soothes and satisfies my creative soul. In the pages of this book, you will find answers to many of the most basic sewing questions. The field is so broad that I found it necessary to home in on basic techniques that every sewer needs to guarantee success. And Ive included many that vary from the standard directions youll find in sewing-pattern guide sheets, those that will make your sewing easier and the resulting project more professional looking.

Theres so much more to sewing: Be sure to check out my favorite references in Resources for more great reading and problem-solving and to help you build your own sewing library. As you delve into the pages that follow, I hope youll consider my rules for satisfying sewing that follow:

• Choose fabric you love. Dont waste your time sewing with something thats not perfect for you and your project.
• Be sure to preshrink fabrics and notions that require it before you begin.
• Make sure you have everything you need for the project. Theres nothing more likely to dampen the creative spirit than needing to stop midway in a project to go to the fabric store, especially if you are a sewing night owl.
• Clean up your sewing room/space before you start. Vacuum the floor to pick up lint and scraps. A clean sewing room just begs for some creativity and will give yours a jump start.
• Tape paper bags to the edge of your sewing/serging tables, cutting table, and ironing board to catch threads as you clip. Use a lint roller to clean off work surfaces and even to pick up threads from the floor.

• Make any pattern adjustments to fit your figure before you cut anything. Dont plan on marking them on the fabric as you pin the pieces. Its too easy to forget them or to mark them and then follow the original pattern edges when you cut.
• Cut and mark as you go to ensure accuracy! When youre ready to cut out your project, allow enough time to cut out everything and transfer construction markings before you must stop. That way, when youre ready to sew, youre