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Vesper2112 · Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Ringgold, GA

OK, I now have a sewing machine. Nothing fancy, but it's new and ready to go. I also bought the Idiot's Guide to Sewing, so I'm reading up as much as possible before diving in, although I have successfully put yarn on a bobbin. Woooo! Anyway, I kinda get the feeling that any advice I'm going to get is going to be along the lines of, "just start sewing", but just in case... is there any tips or starter-type exercises I should do?

_________________
"All right! It's Saturday night, I have no date, a two liter bottle of Shasta and my all Rush mix tape, let's rock!" - Fry, Futurama

"We'll soon stage an attack on technology worthy of being chronicled in an anthem by Rush!" - Bender, Futurama

a-tastic · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:15 am Post subject:

make a clutch purse for your wife!
cut two rectangles, and stitch three sides together with the machine.
it's a good exercise to get used to using the proper side of the fabric as well as the basic stitch with reversed stitches at the end to finish it off..
you can also attempt to install a zipper, or you can try out a buttonhole function.
good luck... Smile

also, you may want to go ahead and teach yourself how to clean and oil the machine.
because, apparently, for every hour of stitching time you do, you have to oil 'em.

heh heh. i wish i'd known that years ago. heh heh.
_________________
*may the schwartz be with you.*

'that greased up deaf guy is gonna be the death of me' - mort, family guy

all at: http://apriljane.home.comcast.net

Vesper2112 · Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Ringgold, GA

Cleaning? Oil? Shocked

I don't know if it's worth it....

Just kidding. Thanks for the tips and idea, a-tastic. Before reading this, I actually tried stitching up a hole in one of my t-shirts (just for sun as I thought it would be "easy"). Well... I promptly sewed up the stitch, but now there's no way to get my arm through the sleeve as I somehow (careful as I thought I was) sewed the sleeve together. How do you guys put sleeves on. Isn't that a lot of fabric to have to slide past the needle before loweing the arm to sew? I seemed to have a hard time with it (obviouslly).

I'm hoping I can look back on this someday and laugh at how much of a beginner I was. Laughing

_________________
"All right! It's Saturday night, I have no date, a two liter bottle of Shasta and my all Rush mix tape, let's rock!" - Fry, Futurama

"We'll soon stage an attack on technology worthy of being chronicled in an anthem by Rush!" - Bender, Futurama

a-tastic · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:22 pm Post subject:

sleeves are my all-time least favourite thing about sewing.

i turn the main, torso part of the shirt w/ armhole rightside out, and take the sleeve right side out, and hold them together- like how it should be with the bottom seams in the armpit matching up.
then, i pinch the bottom seams flipped outward with my fingers and sort of turn them inward and pin it.
that way you're stitching the two right sides of shirt and sleeve together, but it's a bit more easy to see what you're doing.
i always start sewing with the bottom seam, too, and go halfway up on each side. that way, if there's slack, you can either gather the top, recut the whole, or stretch the fabric to match up the armholes.

looking back on this i realize that none of this makes any sense.
dangit...
that's why i should never teach. heh heh...
_________________
*may the schwartz be with you.*

'that greased up deaf guy is gonna be the death of me' - mort, family guy

all at: http://apriljane.home.comcast.net

Vesper2112 · Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Ringgold, GA

...and goes to show that I probably just need to take up a class rather than rely on books. Although I think I get what you're saying, I'm sure it's easier to show than to describe. Thanks!

_________________
"All right! It's Saturday night, I have no date, a two liter bottle of Shasta and my all Rush mix tape, let's rock!" - Fry, Futurama

"We'll soon stage an attack on technology worthy of being chronicled in an anthem by Rush!" - Bender, Futurama