Jodie Davis - Pocket Posh Sewing Tips

POCKET POSH SEWING TIPS

copyright 2012 by Jodie Davis and Jayne Davis. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

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ISBN: 978-1-4494-2208-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011925224

Cover illustration 2010 jill bliss/jillbliss.com

Hand drawings 2012 Iia Owens-Williamson

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When Im a grown-up woman
With hair up on my head
Ill sit and sew the whole night through
And never go to bed

Anonymous

Sewing is back in vogue, and its more popular than ever. More than sixty-four million Americans are sewing at last count, dividing projects equally between clothing and home decor.

We sew for many reasons. Sewing is a creative outlet. Its satisfying to finish a project and say, I made that! We sew to have clothing that fits and is comfortable to wear. We sew to have clothing that is unique and ours alone, not one of tens of thousands cranked out overseas. We sew because fabric is beautiful and we love the tactile feel of it. We sew to give to others and sometimes to save money. We sew for the sheer joy of it.

Whether youre sewing on a button or stitching a ball gown, youll find tips in this book that will make the task faster and easier. They will help make you a fearless sewer, ready to take on any project, big or small.

Any day spent sewing is a good day.

Anonymous

every householdused to have a wicker sewing basket. Today we still need a place to gather all our supplies in one place. The basket (Fig. 1) can be as simple as an empty cigar box (D) or a more elaborate padded and compartmented basket (A) available at your local sewing store. A small plastic cabinet with drawers (B) available at home-improvement and hardware stores will keep your supplies visible. An all-purpose plastic carryall (C) available at craft stores works well, as does a tackle box.

basic sewing suppliesfor most machine- and hand- sewing projects are shown in Fig. 2 ().

A.Measuring tape: Make sure its made of a nonstretch material.

B.Small sewing scissors: Used for clipping notches, trimming, and clipping threads.

C.Large fabric shears: Used for cutting fabric.

D.Seam ripper: Clip unwanted stitches with this gadget.

E.Thimble: Saves your fingers from pricks, and is used to push the needle in hand sewing.

F.Tailors chalk: Used to mark fabric.

G.Needle threader: Makes an easy job of threading hand-sewing needles.

H.Hand-sewing needles: Its useful to have an assortment of sizes on hand.

I.Thread: Keep a supply of basic colorswhite, black, navy, beige, gray, and red.

J.Pincushion with straight and safety pins: Keep additional pins in a small container.

K.Sewing machine needles: Keep several sizes on hand.

L.Beeswax: Used to strengthen thread for hand sewing.

M.Point turner: Used to push out sewn corners when a project is turned right side out.

N.Tweezers: Used to pick out threads after using a seam ripper.

O.Seam gauge: This is a short ruler with an adjustable flange used to measure hems and seams.

as times goes byyoull discover all sorts of gadgets that can simplify sewing projects. Before you know it youll accumulate quite a few.

remember grandmas button tin?Well, you still need to keep a few buttons on hand. Most ready-to-wear comes with an extra button attached. Clip those and put them in your button box. Clip buttons from discarded clothing that has no future life. These will come in handy to replace shirt buttons and waistband buttons that go missing. Start out with a small plastic container you can slip in your sewing box. Youll be surprised how soon youll move up to a larger container.

I love sewing and have plenty of material witnesses.

Anonymous

keep thread snips,not scissors, by your machine. Its quicker to pick up snips to cut thread than to put your fingers through the handle holes in scissors (Fig. 3).

lick your fingerbefore you put on your thimble. This will keep it in place and prevent it from slipping.

heres a great wayto keep your pins from rusting, and youll be recycling at the same time. Take one of those desiccant packs that come in many medications and put it in your pin box. You also can use the small packets that come in shoe boxes.