Have you ever needed to mend or alter something and not know where to start? Maybe you wanted to make something entirely new for your home, or perhaps—like me—you were just getting frustrated with the choice of clothes at the stores for your daughters.
Then you need to learn how to sew!
Lets start by getting familiar with the sewing machine. There are many different brands and models available, but they basically all run the same way. You can find an excellent article here that shows the different parts of the sewing machine and what their functions are.
If you are just learning to sew or teaching your children to sew, I suggest that you start by sewing on a piece of paper without any thread. This will be a time of getting used to how the the foot pedal works and learning to guide the material (paper) under the needle.
Draw some straight lines on the paper and then add some curved lines and some right angles to practice on and try to follow sewing on those lines. This is also a good time to learn about safety in dealing with the needle. Learn to keep your fingers and those little fingers away from the needle. If you have little ones around teach the importance of not playing with the foot pedal. If someone pushes on the foot pedal and it is plugged into the machine the needle is going to take off. Make a habit of unplugging your foot pedal when not sewing or if you have an on/off button, be sure to use it.
After getting used to how the foot pedal and the needle work together, thread your machine and continue practicing on paper, except this time you will actually be sewing stitches on paper. Again, practice following the drawings – this will help teach you how to sew straight and follow the sewing line.
To turn a corner, sew directly up to the corner, leaving your needle in the down position (in the paper) and lift up the presser foot. Turn the paper so that you will be able to follow the sewing line. Put down the presser foot and continue sewing. Repeat this procedure anytime you come to a corner.
If you do not know how to thread your machine, look through your sewing machine manual; there should be a diagram that will show you exactly how your machine is threaded, as well as how the bobbin should be placed. Until you are very familiar with how your machine is threaded it would probably a good idea to make a copy of the diagrams and keep it handy, either by laminating it or by keeping it folded in your sewing machine’s storage compartment (which most – but not all – sewing machines have). This way it can be easily referenced.
If you don’t have a manual for your sewing machine, you may be able to locate one at this website which has links to several different sewing machine companies’ websites.
Now for a quick tip: This is from my husband, who is a third generation automobile upholsterer and can sew circles around most of us. Before you begin sewing, hold onto both the upper thread and the bobbin thread with your left hand a little away from the needle and keep it taut until you have made a few stitches. This keeps the threads from tangling up at the beginning of your sewing. After you have made your first few stitches you can release the threads.
If you have any quick tips, please leave them in the comment section so we can learn from each other!
Until next month, happy sewing!
