Sewing For Dummies

Jan Saunders Maresh is a nationally known sewing journalist and educator as well as a bestselling author of 15 books, including Home Staging For Dummies. She has worked as the Director of Consumer Education for White Sewing Machine Company and JoAnn Fabrics and is also an interior re-designer, color specialist, and Certified Staging Professional. Look for her Web-TV show at www.nakedroomsolutions.tv.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book Is Organized 2

Part I: Getting Ready to Sew 2

Part II: Mastering Basic Sewing Skills 3

Part III: Fashion Sewing Fun-damentals 3

Part IV: Sewing for Your Home 3

Part V: Making Alterations and Quick Fixes for a Sustainable Wardrobe 3

Part VI: The Part of Tens 3

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part I: Getting Ready to Sew 5

Chapter 1: The World of Sewing 7

Figuring Out What Comes First: The Idea or the Tools? 8

The pleasure of using good tools 8

Understanding fabrics and fibers 9

Getting the sewing notion 10

Pondering the pattern 10

Sizing Up the Sewing Process 11

Preshrinking fabric 11

Finding the right pattern pieces 12

Laying out the pattern on the fabric 12

Pinning and cutting 12

Marking 12

Interfacing 12

Pressing for the best shape 13

Moving On to the Needle and Thread 13

Finishing the edges first 13

Shaping 13

Seaming 14

Closing 14

Hemming 14

Adding Fashion Detail with Sleeves and Pockets 15

Sewing for the Home Is Where the Saving Is 15

Doing Your Part for the Planet with a Sustainable Wardrobe 16

Chapter 2: Assembling Your Sewing Kit 17

Making Sure Your Sewing Measures Up 18

Cutting Up (Without Cracking Up) 20

Making Your Mark 22

Pinning Down Your Projects 23

Getting to the Point with the Right Needles, Thimbles, and Seam Rippers 23

Selecting needles for hand sewing 23

Selecting needles for sewing machines 24

Fortify your fingertips with thimbles 24

As ye sew, so shall ye rip 25

Selecting Thread for Your Project 25

Pressing Issues 26

Real Machines: Sewing Machines and Sergers 28

Working with a sewing machine 29

Finding your way around a serger 35

Chapter 3: Selecting Fabric, Findings, and Interfacing 37

Choosing the Right Fabric for Your Project 37

Figuring out fiber 38

Getting to know common fabric types 39

Taking fabric nap into consideration 43

Considering fabric width and yardage needed 45

Reading labels and bolt ends 45

Getting Notions about Findings 46

Bias tape basics 46

Bonkers for braid 47

Getting elastic 47

Loving lace 48

Piping up for piping and cording 49

Running with ribbons 50

Refreshing with rickrack and twill tape 50

Getting the lowdown on drapery headers 51

Adding zip with zippers 51

Investigating Interfacing 52

Preshrinking Your Fabric 53

Chapter 4: Working with Patterns 55

Shopping for Patterns 55

Sizing Things Up for Fashion Sewing 56

Deciphering the Pattern and Its Parts 58

Checking out the front of the pattern envelope 59

Reading the back of the pattern envelope 59

It’s what’s inside that counts 60

Decoding the pattern pieces 60

Laying Out the Pattern 63

Getting to know your fabric 63

Preparing the fabric 64

Knowing right from wrong 64

Placing the pattern pieces on-grain 64

Laying out plaids, stripes, and one-way designs 66

Pinning and Cutting Out the Pieces 70

Making Your Mark 71

Marking what matters 71

Using the right tool at the right time 72

Part II: Mastering Basic Sewing Skills 75

Chapter 5: Kicking Off Your Sewing Adventure 77

Threading the Needle 77

Hand needles 78

Machine needles 79

Tying a Sewing Knot 80

Choosing and Using the Right Hand Stitches 82

The securing stitch 83

The hand-basting stitch 83

The running stitch 84

The even backstitch 84

The blind hemming stitch 85

The slant hemming or whip stitch 85

The hemming slipstitch 86

The even slipstitch 86

Working with Machine Stitches 87

Examining the basic machine stitches 87

Selecting a stitch type 89

Choosing the length of the stitch 89

Setting the stitch width 90

Stitching in the ditch 90

Topstitching 91

Starting and Stopping 92

…with your sewing machine 92

…with your serger 93

Basting Projects for a Better Fit 94

Pressing Matters 96

Why press and iron as you sew? 96

When and where to press 96

Pressing napped fabrics 97

Repurposed Shirt Pillow 98

Chapter 6: Securing Sensational Seams 103

Finishing the Edges First 103

Pinking your edges 104

Using your sewing machine or serger 104

Securing Your Seams 105

Backstitching or not 106

Tying off threads 106

Fleece Throw with Colorful Fringe 107

Seaming Fabrics 111

Sewing straight seams 111

Turning corners 113

Sewing 1⁄4-inch seams 114

Serging 1⁄4-inch seams 115

Ripping into Seam Mistakes 116

Shaping Up the Seams 118

Starting by stitching the seam on your sewing machine 118

Clipping the curve with your scissors 122

Chapter 7: Fast and Easy Hems by Hand and Machine 125

Marking the Hem’s Placement 126

If you’re the hem-ee 126

If you’re the hemmer 126

Deciding on the Hem Allowance 127

Finishing the Raw Edges of the Hem 128

Using a straight stitch 128

Using a three-step zigzag or overlock stitch 130

Using a serger 130

Securing the Hem 131

No-sew hemming 132

Pinning up the hem for hand or machine hemming 133

Hand blind hemming 133

Machine blind hemming 134

Sewing Tapered Hems 135

Hemming Knits with Twin Needles 136

Part III: Fashion Sewing Fun-damentals 139

Chapter 8: Shaping Things Up 141

Darting Around 141

Sewing the straight dart 142

Sewing the contour dart 144

Finishing the dart 145

Gathering Fabric from One Piece into Another 145

Gathering with two threads 146

Gathering over a cord 147

Ruffled Apron 148

Cutting out the apron parts 149

Finishing the apron side seams 150

Gathering and attaching the ruffle strip 151

Tying up the apron strings 152

Completing Pleats 154

Defining the types of pleats 154

Making a pleat 155

Adding Stretch and Comfort with Elastic 156

Inserting elastic in a casing 157

Attaching elastic on an edge 160

Cuffed Pajama Pants 163

Laying and cutting out your pj’s 164

Sewing your pj’s together 166

Sewing elastic at the waist 167

Cuffing each leg 168

Chapter 9: Zippers, Buttons, and Other Closure Company 171

Welcoming Easy Ways to Put in Zippers 171

Putting in a centered zipper 172

Putting in an invisible zipper 176

Mastering Buttonhole Basics 180

Sizing buttonholes 181

Marking buttonholes 182

Sewing beautiful buttonholes 183

Cutting open buttonholes 183

Figuring out button placement 185

Attaching buttons 186

Checking Out Other Fasteners 191

Fold-Over Clutch with Button Closure 192

Choosing the materials 193

Sewing the clutch 194

Chapter 10: Sleeves: The Long and the Short of It 197

Finishing Sleeveless Armholes 197

Facing sleeveless armholes 198

Binding sleeveless armholes 201

Rarin’ to Sew Raglan Sleeves 203

Taking On Set-In Sleeves 206

Using easestitch-plus to prepare traditional set-in sleeves 207

Setting sleeves in flat 209

Setting sleeves in the round 210

Protective Laptop Sleeve 212

Chapter 11: Pockets Full of Ideas 215

Putting Together Patch Pockets 215

Making unlined patch pockets with square corners 216

Making unlined patch pockets with curved corners 218

Attaching patch pockets 221

Using Your Own Pocket Patterns 222

Coordinating Pocket-Collage Shirt 224

Part IV: Sewing for Your Home 225

Chapter 12: Do-It-Yourself Decorating: Home Décor Sewing 227

Overcoming Décoraphobia 227

Understanding color 228

Unmasking your home’s complexion 228

Determining your color odds 229

Homing In on Home Decor Fabric 230

Tackling Trim 231

Braving braid basics 231

Conquering cord 232

Figuring out fringe 233

Dealing with decorator trims 234

Attaching Piping, Cording, and Fringe 235

Making your own piping 236

Cutting bias strips for covering cable cord 237

Sewing on piping and fringe 240

Attaching and joining cord-edge trim 244

Reversible Table Runner 245

Chapter 13: Quick-Change Table Toppers 247

Selecting Fabric for Table Toppers 247

Making Easy Napkins 248

Figuring out fabric yardage 248

Sewing basic table napkins 249

Serging napkins with narrow rolled edges 251

Party-Ready Lapkins 253

Hip to Be Square Tablecloth 255

Chapter 14: Praiseworthy Pillows 257

Selecting Materials for Pillows 257

A Basic Cover Fit for a Pillow Form 258

Measuring your pillow form and cutting the pillow front and back 258

Sewing the seams 259

Wrapping the corners 260

Stitching the closure 261

The Easiest Reversible Pillow Cover Ever 262

15-Minute Flanged Pillow Cover 264

Plush Pet Bed 265

Making the bolster 266

Creating the fleece pillow cover 267

Putting the bed together 269

Box-Edged Pillow 270

Chapter 15: Adding Wow to Your Windows 273

The Wide World of Window Treatments 273

Dealing with draperies and curtains 274

Exploring the anatomy of windows and rods 276

Determining Window Treatment Dimensions 278

Measuring the finished width and length 279

Calculating cut fabric length and width 279

Custom Draperies 282

Determining how much fabric you need 283

Putting the drapery together 284

Heading off rips with the drapery header 286

Chapter 16: Giving Your Bed a Makeover 289

Saving Money by Crafting a Bedding Set 289

Pleated Bed Skirt 290

Measuring the box spring 291

Buying your fabric 292

Cutting the fabric 292

Double hemming the skirt and pleats 294

Attaching the skirt and pleats to the base fabric 296

Positioning the bed skirt on the box spring 297

Custom Duvet Cover 298

Cutting out the front of the duvet cover 299

Constructing the back of the duvet cover 299

Putting everything together 300

Part V: Making Alterations and Quick Fixes for a Sustainable Wardrobe 303

Chapter 17: When Clothes Are Too Short, Too Long, Too Tight, or Too Loose 305

When It’s Too Short 305

Cutting off pant legs and re-hemming them 306

Letting down and facing the hem 306

Adding ribbing into an opening 308

When It’s Too Long 310

Moving the button on a sleeve cuff 310

Removing the cuff to shorten the sleeve 311

Shortening jeans 313

When It’s Too Tight 315

Moving the buttons over on a jacket 315

Adding room to the waistband 315

When It’s Too Loose 317

Crossover Belt 318

Chapter 18: Making Repairs on the Run 321

Repairing a Split Seam 321

Repairing a seam on woven fabrics 321

Repairing a seam on knit fabrics 322

Patching Holes and Rips 323

Covering holes with patches 323

Patching with appliques 325

Mending Tears in Fabric 326

Replacing a Fly-Front Zipper 327

Chapter 19: Eco Fashion: Giving Existing Garments New Life 331

Felted Wool Hat 332

Sourcing and preparing the wool 332

Felting the wool 333

Laying out and cutting the hat pieces 333

Assembling the hat 335

(Almost) Instant Party Dress 339

Finding the perfect bra and fabric 339

Cutting out the skirt and straps 340

Making the skirt 340

Sewing the straps 343

Hemming the dress 344

Part VI: The Part of Tens 345

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Mixing Prints 347

Stick with One Base 347

Run a Background Check 347

Go Solid and Save Money 348

Mix ’n’ Match Manufacturers 348

Stare Down Your Prints 348

Weigh the Scales 348

Try Before You Buy 349

Rely on a Collection 349

Buy More, Use Less 350

Consult a Pro 350

Chapter 21: Ten Rookie Sewing Mistakes to Avoid 351

Attempting a Project Beyond Your Skill Level 351

Choosing Difficult Fabrics to Work With 352

Choosing an Unflattering Style 352

Using the Wrong Fabric for the Pattern 352

Laying Out the Fabric Incorrectly 353

Neglecting to Use Interfacing 353

Failing to Press as You Sew 353

Using an Old, Beat-Up Sewing Machine 353

Neglecting to Use a New Needle on Every Project 354

Refusing to Cut Yourself Some Slack 354

Chapter 22: Ten Important Sewing Fundamentals 355

Buy the Best Fabric You Can Afford 355

Understand Your Fabric Terminology 356

Know the Difference between Right and Wrong 356

Put Your Foot Down before Sewing 357

Stop and Start Sewing the Right Way 357

Righty, Tighty; Lefty, Loosey 358

Test-Stitch First 358

Sew from the Bottom Up and from the Center Out 359

Press Seams Together and then Open or to One Side 359

Clip with the Tips of Your Scissors 360

Appendix: Sewing Resources 361

Sewing Organizations 361

Sewing Publications 361

Sewing Community Web Sites 362

Sewing Machine Manufacturers 362

Pattern Companies 363

National Fabric Stores 363

Regional Fabric Stores 364

Notion Companies 365

Fabric and Notion Mail-Order Companies 366

Thread Manufacturers 366

Index 367