Comments on A Dress A Day: Oh, yes you can. If you want to. (First in a serie...

Thanks for this post! I knew how to sew a basic s...

2006-11-30T22:43:00.000-06:00

Thanks for this post! I knew how to sew a basic skirt, but I am hopeless at doing something with a lining etc. Do you have any recommendations for classes in Chicago? I think I would do better with one on one instruction!

Growing up, I "sewed" with pins, duct tape, and Kl...

2006-10-01T23:55:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I "sewed" with pins, duct tape, and Kleenex. That was better than facing the (somewhat humorous) frustration my mother had when she sewed the wrong seams together for some pants I was to wear in a play. They were supposed to be pants for Bye Bye Birdie. Instead, they looked like Oompa Loompa pants. My sister tried her hand at sewing when we were younger. I was shocked at the shrieks of frustration and saw material heaved in the corner more than once. Ooh, okay. Never going to sew. There were other things, too. I don't make pies with homemade crust after watching my mom swear at the sticky messes. She otherwise is a very nice, sane person. Just don't get her near pie dough. Ooh, okay, never going to make dough. I overheard the wailing, sick effects of too much alcohol one night when I was a teen and again in the bathroom at a 10-year high school reunion and decided, oooh, never going to get drunk. So how have I done? My husband has made the pie dough, and I still keep my limit to one beverage so I haven't been drunk. But I've slowly started to sew. This summer, I finished a two piece outfit project I started with the help of my mother in-law two years ago. Found the fabric when hanging out with my mom and sister -- who by the way, sews awesomely now. Then a few weeks ago I made some pillows. The fabric was cut for me but I sewed the whole thing by myself. I was sent along with some pieces to sew at home on "my" machine, which belonged to my aunt until she died last year. Looking at that skirt pattern, I was thinking that I just love it. Could it really be easy?

Best post & best string of comments ever. Serious...

2006-10-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

Best post & best string of comments ever. Seriously, I'm copying & pasting this whole thing so that when I do finally hunker down & buy myself a sewing machine & get started on another craft, I can reference all the helpful info here. Thanks!

I'm almost afraid to write my comment on sewing/le...

2006-09-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

I'm almost afraid to write my comment on sewing/learning to/teaching someone here because the previous comments are written by home sewers with some pretty nice machines and who are recomending some pretty nice machines as a first one:) However...

I've taught several young women-teens and early twenties-to sew on a one hundred dollar Wal-Mart bought Singer. The, ah, less expensive machine made it less stressful for me (as if I want some newbie learning on my Super Nova!) and them-if they decided they liked sewing, they could afford the machine right away; if they decided they didn't like sewing, they could at least say they tried. The top load bobbin makes a difference for beginner sewers, I think.

I take them to the Wal-Mart, if they still want to sew, we go to Hancock's and JoAnn; we go 'vintage hunting' to read labels and feel.

Generally, I make them do the things I love as a sewer-fabric touching/notion browsing/pattern dreaming, both on and offline, and if their little eyeballs don't glaze over, we proceed to The Book-The Step By Step Singer Sewing Book. Then we gather the basic equipment, and I give them a nice wicker basket to keep all those little things like bodkins and tracing wheels, etc, in.

Because I have had great success with Very Easy Very Vogue patterns, I try to steer them toward those-some prefer a different company because of the style they fall in love with. Those new sewers I tell, "OK, but I have never sewn/had good results/liked the way the directions are written, so, we'll learn together." And we do. I try to get them to buy a really inexpensive fabric for the first project, often from Wal-Mart, but my son's fiancee chose a beautiful challis, a Simplicity pattern, and let me tell you, the skirt is exquisite. Well, she's French, I think it's in the water they grow up on:)

Most of them are still sewing-the fiancee (sadly now the ex) graduated to a much finer machine as have several of the others.

Now, could anyone recommend any Chicago used books...

2006-09-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

Now, could anyone recommend any Chicago used bookstores that have a lot on sewing? I adore Powells in Hyde Park, but their crafts collection seems to concentrate on quilting and embroidery.

Yes! Yes! I want to sew, and I will sew!I have a D...

2006-09-29T15:42:00.000-05:00

Yes! Yes! I want to sew, and I will sew!

I have a Duro pattern (the McCalls one) since this blog has awakened a lust for my own Duro. And I have found a fabric that I LOVE. But it's a twill. I think it might be too heavy... must read pattern package.

Looking forward to the Duro roundup!

The zipper insertion method Labelladonna described...

2006-09-29T14:33:00.000-05:00

The zipper insertion method Labelladonna described is what my grandmother taught me when I was 8.

I'm going to echo LaBellaDonna's recommendation of...

2006-09-29T14:27:00.000-05:00

I'm going to echo LaBellaDonna's recommendation of Fit for Real People. It is a fabulous book for everyone not just those with obvious fitting issues.

The authors teach in Portland (I'm taking the class right now) and also have trained other teachers around the country. And it is totally worth the $95 I've spent on the class because I feel confident that I can make something flatter my body.

It's nice to see the interest in sewing here. I'v...

2006-09-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

It's nice to see the interest in sewing here. I've been teaching sewing for many years and decided to share what I know that sewing pattern guidesheets don't tell you.

You might like to check out my Sewing Success Sewing Blog for tons of sewing tips, free sewing projects and techniques. I've also written some sewing ebooks using my common sense techniques. You can see them on my website, 1st Step to Sewing Success at http://www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com

I hope you find the info useful. Keep sewing and pass it on!

To Your Sewing Success,
Marian

My first sewing machine was an inexpensive one fro...

2006-09-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

My first sewing machine was an inexpensive one from WalMart (gasp) and it didn't work worth a snot. I spent 2 times as much having it in the shop and it never did work. I thought I couldn't sew....I seem to have a few problems with machinery...lol....anyway, my family chipped in and bought me a new Janome (middle line with right many bells and whistles) and it made the difference for me. I'm not a perfect seamstress, but I've finally learned to sew for my daughter and I've finished two simple dresses for myself.

Of course, with that said, I'm still trying to talk my mom into giving me the machine she used all the years I was growing up. :-)

Thanks Belladonna! I think what you're describing ...

2006-09-29T10:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks Belladonna! I think what you're describing is a system I sort of worked out myself this summer when I was experimenting. But I just can't seem to get close enough to the zip with my regular attachment. Ah well, must fork out the cash I suppose...

Oh, if I wasn't clear (and I wasn't) I do buttonho...

2006-09-29T10:02:00.000-05:00

Oh, if I wasn't clear (and I wasn't) I do buttonholes and insert zippers with my old Singer. It's perfectly possible with a plain old machine. Heh, yeah, it would probably be easier if I got the specialized feet, but I'm usually broke and the regular foot works ok. :)

I've also sewn on an antique industrial treadle machine that was meant for sewing boat sails (how that wound up in Kansas, I'll never know!). It was great fun, and it was much easier to sew leather on.

I personally don't think I would ever buy a modern machine with tons of features--it's like a lot of gadgets, I would only use a handful out of the multitude available and I'm getting the same thing done without it.

Learning SEW much...now if I only had more time to...

2006-09-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Learning SEW much...now if I only had more time to do all the things I want to!

Thanks to everyone for all the great tips!

Thank you, Erin, for encouraging people to sew!

2006-09-29T08:18:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Erin, for encouraging people to sew!

Great topic, Erin! However, while your suggestion...

2006-09-29T08:07:00.000-05:00

Great topic, Erin! However, while your suggestion of going to a fabric store to feel fabrics and find out what cotton twill is, charmeuse is, etc........most of us do not have anything other than the fabric store chains to go to, and they do a terrible job of labeling the bolts as to what they really are. How does one relate XX % cotton/XX % rayon or whatever to what it IS? I still don't know how to recognize half of the fabrics that Sandra Betzina shows in her book Fabric Savvy and that is frustrating to me.

If the stores would TELL me what the fabric is, I'd be a quick learner.....I promise!

I also have a Singer approximately my age (40+). ...

2006-09-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

I also have a Singer approximately my age (40+). My mom has a 44 year old Singer (top of the line in 1962) & her sewing machine guy says it's one of the best machines Singer made.

Love reading this blog, and it's inspiring me to sew, wear dresses (of which I own zero - RTW rarely fits), and figure out how to fit my matronly figure.

WRC

I took on the challenge with a book called "Sew Fa...

2006-09-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

I took on the challenge with a book called "Sew Fast, Sew Easy". It's cute, comes with patterns, and a glossary of sewing terms. Highly suggested for the beginner.

I still try to make fabrics into things that they ...

2006-09-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

I still try to make fabrics into things that they are wrong to become, even when I should know better. Sometimes I find the right pattern in the wrong texture or the right fabric in the wrong colour and I get stubborn. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it's a disaster.

I still have the 40-50 year old Singer that I appropriated from my sister about 20 years ago. It's a portable machine (despite weighing about 50 lbs), only does striaght stitch and zigzag, (but it does have a buttonhole attachment) but I'll love it forever. As long as Ted's Sewing Machine Repair (may he never retire) can keep it humming, I'll keep using it.

Re: machines. I do not diss anyone's choice of ma...

2006-09-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

Re: machines. I do not diss anyone's choice of machine, but my own favorites and workhorses are the older ones, the fewer plastic parts the better. They positively purr while they're stitching. Remember, people were happily and successfully sewing by machine for decades before even a zigzag was available. The innovations are useful, but not absolutely necessary.

Whatever machine you have, don't forget to clean and oil it.

Re: getting help. I fully back the idea of getting help with fitting and with the (for now) hard parts, even if you have to pay for it. It's important to keep the experience fun while you're learning. I would add that you should get someone to show you how to rip seams quickly, because you *will* have to do it-- you will always have to do it no matter how long you've been sewing-- so you might as well make it easy instead of a chore.

Bani, if labelladonna's zipper instructions puzzle you, just buy a zipper that's in a cardboard envelope (Coats & Clarks?)and you'll find the instructions on the inside of the envelope, with illustrations.

Mina, I learned to sew on a treadle machine bought for the purpose because my mom's machine did jackrabbit starts that scared me. It was the only machine I used for years and I *always* had to start up with my hand on the flywheel to be sure it went in the right direction.

Most machine screwups are caused by fairly simple things. I'll see if I can find a troubleshooting list and either post it here or post a link.

Another word on vintage sewing machines: Those ma...

2006-09-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

Another word on vintage sewing machines: Those made before the mid-1960s are often better quality machines than those made later, because the manufacturers switched from metal parts to plastic. My 1940s Westinghouse sews circles around a mid-70s machine that was intended to replace the oldie.

Thanks, Erin. You're positively inspirational!

Selwyn

This post, along with the Secret Lives of Dresses ...

2006-09-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

This post, along with the Secret Lives of Dresses and an entry a while back about roller skating, easily lands in my top ten "wow, I'm glad she said that" mental list for your blog.

So often all we really need is to be reminded that these vast- and mysterious-seeming skills are attainable.

Mostly I just want to take a chance here to say thank you. In the eight or ten months I've been reading your blog I've started my first forays into "professional" life (in this case the wonderful world of summer internships), and discovered the delightful practicality of a well designed skirt. I've actually started mentally designing dresses again - something that trailed off when I was twelve or thirteen and starting to get involved in spinning and weaving groups rather than costume design.

Your writing reminds me of a part of myself that's usually dormant. When I'm done writing my thesis I think I'll buy a sewing machine.

Thank you.

-Tessa in Vermont

I was one of those beginners who needed serious he...

2006-09-28T18:01:00.000-05:00

I was one of those beginners who needed serious help in my fabric selection.

Specifically telling me that neon-rainbow-repeating-cats uber-stiff quilting cotton was NOT the way to look classic and trendy.

Sew and learn.

In my fantasy life I wear a red velvet version of ...

2006-09-28T17:54:00.000-05:00

In my fantasy life I wear a red velvet version of that Oscar de la Renta coatdress as a housecoat and swan around as the queen of the house.

I'm currently using a second generation Elna and it's the best machine I've ever had.

Gidgetbananas, thank you for the kind words, and I...

2006-09-28T17:34:00.000-05:00

Gidgetbananas, thank you for the kind words, and I am, in fact, labouring to set up a blog of my very own. My blogging skills are ... zygotal. Definitely pre-infancy. Also, not good. Not yet. But I do want to be able to share, without hijacking Erin's blog in the process.

Bani, it's absolutely not necessary. But my feeling is anything that helps save your sanity and your time is well worth the money. Here's one of my special Cheatin' Tricks for zippers for a dress or skirt: Sew the seam into which the zipper is going to be inserted, up to and including backstitching (or reducing the stitch length to eeeensy stitches at the end of the seam, which is a better choice, less bulky, less chance of an oops while backstitching) at the end of the seam. STOP. Now, instead of removing the dress/skirt from the machine to prepare to insert the zipper, continue sewing the rest of the seam shut, using the longest possible (i.e., basting) stitch. Do NOT backstitch at the end. Now, go ahead and press the seam gently (i.e., flatten it, but don't steamroller it) and press it open. Pin the zipper along the inside of the seam; the tongue of the zipper will be hidden against the sewn-shut part. You'll be lining up the center of the zipper along the middle of the sewn-shut seam. Once the zipper's pinned in place, this keeps everything tamed down until you've had a chance to stitch the zipper in place. Now that the zipper's pinned, sew it in, either by machine or by hand (because Anonymous 10:55 is right, you can sew by hand if you don't have a machine), removing the pins as you go (don't stitch over the pins, oh beginners, or you will break your last needle on those pins on a Sunday night when the stores are all closed). Then you just take a seam ripper and open up the part of the seam that's been machine-basted shut (you don't open up the rest of the seam, obviously!). Now you can see your zipper! Pick out the little threads, and give it a proper, final pressing, and go on with the rest of the construction.

I absolutely agree with Amy, visit the vintagesewing site. Read as much as you can about different techniques. Go to the Vogue Patterns website, and read the supplemental information; buy the sewing magazines and read them, including - ESPECIALLY including - the ads. There's a lot of really useful information in the ads. You can buy (and probably even rent, through your library or local fabric store) different videos and DVDs on how to sew - you can replay any part you need over and over, as often as you like. My personal sewing reference library passed the 400-volume mark a long time ago, and I'm still learning. Have patience; and if you don't like the way something looks, take it apart and fix it. I've had people stop me on the street in New York to admire clothes I've designed and made. How did I get to be that good? By making a whole lot of mistakes and fixing them. You haven't lived until you've set the same sleeve in wrong three times in a row, and it's been a different wrong way each time! What makes a good seamstress and a good dress? Picking the damned sleeve out, and setting it back in again, as many times as it takes.

(I also find that the ability to swear colourfully and creatively is very useful.)

For those of you folks who'd like to sew, but aren't certain about your ability to fit yourselves: I strongly recommend finding a good seamstress, and having her fit you with a basic shell pattern (the shell pattern is a fitting pattern; it's in the back of each of the big pattern companies' pattern books - it's shown in quarter-inch gingham, with a jewel neckline, long fitted sleeves, a fitted bodice with darts, a waistline seam and a straight skirt). Yes; pay a professional good cash money for a garment which you will then pick apart and never wear. You'll transfer the shapes of the pattern pieces and all the markings for darts, and all the markings where the seams line up, onto paper (pattern transfer paper would be good), and you'll use that fitted paper pattern to make the changes that you need to any commercial patterns. Tell your seamstress why your shell is being made, so that the final darts and the balance marks which match up different seams are made in nice dark easy-to-see permanent marker. This is one of the best sewing tools you could possibly have to work with, and means that those of you who don't have sewing dummies can manage pretty well without them. You'll be able to use the pieces of the shell pattern to alter the commercial patterns you buy to fit you, personally.

Christina, I second that. I remember learning to s...

2006-09-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

Christina, I second that. I remember learning to sew, and I would choose the fabric and cut out and match the pattern, and my mom would set in the sleeves and put in the zippers, at first. She got me involved in the creative part, which got me hooked.

Of course the old treadle machine that she kept up at the cabin and wanted me to learn on almost derailed my sewing career right at the start. I could only make it go backwards! (They don't go backwards.)