How to Save Time Sewing

It is the end of May and now the busiest time of the year begins, for me anyway.  This is the time of year that requires more time in the yard and garden.   It is also the time when I preserve food and put unbaked pies in the freezer.  There are more events that most of us attend during the summer months and there are many more family activities.   I think it is harder to make time for sewing during these months.   With this in mind, I decided it would be a good time to talk about ways to save time when sewing. 

The first thing I immediately associate with saving time is an organized sewing space.   Keeping my sewing room organized is probably my biggest problem.  It is surprising just how fast that little six-inch ruler or the seam ripper I keep by my sewing machine can disappear.  I think all my sewing notions must have invisible feet because they keep running away!  It takes precious time away from my sewing when I have to stop to look for these items.  Frequently, I have to stop sewing when I am making a tee top to search for the stay-tape I use in the shoulder seams.  That search requires looking in almost every drawer in the room before I find it.  I know how to remedy that problem.  I can sort each drawer; put like items in one drawer; and place a label with a list of the contents on the outside.  That job goes on my “To Do List”.  I know if my friend, Stoney, is looking down from the other side, she is saying to herself, “That will never happen!”  Stoney was a very organized person, but unfortunately, she did not leave that trait behind for me.  Oh, well, I can at least try to make it happen.

Make sure your sewing machine is working properly before beginning a project.  The sewing machine is like any of us.  It needs to go to the doctor for a checkup occasionally.  It may need a professional cleaning, a tension check and perhaps even oil, although not all machines need oil now.  You can make the need for these checkups less frequent, if you take good care of your machine.  You can do that by keeping a cover on your machine to prevent dust from getting inside it and by cleaning your machine frequently.  Check your owner’s manual to see how to clean the bobbin area.  Keeping lint and dust out that area will keep your machine humming.  I read somewhere that a good rule is to clean the bobbin area after using three or four bobbins of thread.  I don’t really count the bobbins I use, but I do clean the bobbin area frequently.  If I am sewing flannel or some other fabric with lots of fuzz, I clean even more frequently.

Read your pattern from beginning to end before you start a project.  That, too, is easier said than done.  If you are like me, you have been sewing for a long time and don’t want to be bothered or bored with doing that.  So, at least glance through the pattern to make sure there are no surprises.  Make sure the pattern doesn’t use a technique that you are not familiar with or just don’t want to use.  You may be able to use an alternative method, but you need to know about it in order to plan for it.  So, check out the pattern before you begin. 

Gather all the supplies you need to do the project and have them easy to reach as you need them. 

Make sure your cutting area is completely cleared.  You may need the entire area to lay out the fabric and pattern.  You will waste time if you have to stop and remove items to give you more room.  I hope you understand what I am talking about.  Surely, I am not the only one who has a habit of placing items on my cutting surface that I intend to come back to later and put them in the place they belong.  Also, I often find those sewing notions with the invisible feet hiding in this area underneath something else!

I don’t know about you, but I hate cutting out interfacing!  I make it a little quicker and easier by cutting the interfacing last.  After I cut and mark all the pieces from the regular fabric, I look at the pieces that need interfacing and cut a piece of fabric large enough for all of them.   I cut a piece of interfacing slightly smaller and iron it onto the wrong side of the fabric piece.  Then I cut out each piece and it is ready to sew.  It is a lot easier to apply the interfacing first and then cut the individual piece than it is to cut a small item from the fabric; then one from the interfacing and then iron the two together.  I may waste a small amount of interfacing, but it is worth it to me.

 Use the right needle for the fabric.   For most woven fabrics, I use a size 70, 80, or 90 Schmetz needle; the heavier the fabric, the larger size the needle.  For knits, I use either a stretch needle or a microtex needle.  The only sure way to know if you have the right needle for the fabric is to try a few stitches on a scrap of your fabric.  Doing this simple step will save you time and frustration!  It is no fun to start a project and need to stop and rip out a lot of bad stitches caused by the wrong needle.  There is a lot of good information on needles on the internet.  If you search for "How to pick the correct sewing needle", an article on the Schmetz website will pop up.  It tells you everything you need to know to pick the correct needle.  

None of these time-saving tips will help you unless you actually go to your sewing space and begin to sew.  If you have trouble finding time to do that, I suggest you make a “sewing appointment” with yourself.  Choose a date and time and put it on your calendar.  Let your family know you will not be available during that specified time.   Explain to them that you need a little “me time” to get some sewing done.  They may benefit from the appointment because you might be making a project for them.  If you have small children, you may need to schedule your sewing appointment during their nap time or after they go to bed at night.  Schedule the time whenever it is best for you and your family, but do it!  That may be the only way you get to sew this summer.

I haven’t sewn much myself lately, but I did finish a bright pink tee top.  I added an embroidery design to the lower right front.  After I completed the design, I gathered all my supplies and put them in my sewing bag to take to a friend’s house to sew.  There are six of us who meet once a month to sew.  I cut a length of light weight iron-on interfacing to use in the bottom hem and the sleeve hems.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put it in the sewing bag.  It doesn’t help to have your supplies ready if you don’t have them within easy reach!  My friend was able to provide me with a roll of interfacing that was the perfect width for the hems.  I was able to complete the project after all.  A picture is shown below.

I hope you can prioritize your responsibilities and activities so you can include some time for sewing this summer!

Judy

 

 

 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of My Capri Jeans

As soon as I sewed the last stitch on my capri jeans, I felt a sense of relief.  That meant I successfully completed the Angela Wolf Skinny Jean Class and the garment I sewed in the class was also complete.  I quickly asked my husband to take a picture of the garment (front and back) and I included those pictures in my previous post on this blog.  I should have taken a closer look at those pictures.  A closer look would have revealed the good, the bad, and the ugly of the garment. 

Let’s start with the good.  The front picture revealed a pretty good fit of the jeans – not perfect, but okay for the first attempt with the pattern.  It looks like the rise is a little lower than I like.  However, a close look reveals I learned a lot.  I now know that I can use regular sewing thread instead of jeans thread for top stitching if I use the stretch triple stitch.  I also learned to use a decorative stitch on the belt loops and I learned different ideas to decorate the back pockets.   I especially like the idea of adding the Chicken Little monogram on the back left pocket. 

Now for the bad.  The back picture revealed a lot of diagonal folds in the legs.  As some of you know, the folds usually point to the problem.  In this case, I think the problem was the width of the legs were too wide in the back.  I have a flat derriere and don’t need the extra room in the back of the legs.   Also, I think the rise in the back was a little low, too.

The ugly is an entirely different story!  I don’t think the jeans are ugly at all.  However, the front and back pictures are really ugly because I had my shirt tucked inside the waist.  I never wear my shirts that way.  My muffin top is much too large for that!  I tucked the shirt inside so the pockets and belt loops could be seen. 

After I took a closer look at my project, I wondered if there was an adjustment I could still make to the back of the legs.  I was limited with what I could do because the inseams were top stitched with the stretch triple stitch.  The side seams were also top stitched from the waist down to the bottom of the front pockets.  It would be almost impossible to rip out all those triple stitches without damaging the fabric.  I decided to take in what I could on the side seams from just below the front pockets to just above the hem on the legs.  At the widest point I took in ½ inch on the seam.  That means at that point I was able to get rid of one inch from each leg and then taper up to the bottom of the front pockets and taper down to just above the hemline.

I took new pictures of the front and back of the capri jeans.  They aren’t perfect, but that is the best I can do for this garment.  I will adjust the pattern before I use it again.

 

Don’t forget to take a close look at any garment you make to see if you like the fit before you finish the garment.  Adjustments are a lot easier in the early stages of sewing.  If you are using a pattern for the first time, make sure you baste the basic pieces together to check the fit before you sew it together using regular stitches.  Also, don’t forget to take pictures when it is basted together and take a really close look to see if you are happy with the fit.  I hope you will learn from my mistakes.

Good luck with your sewing projects!

Judy

 

Angela Wolf Skinny Jean Class

Recently I enrolled in the Angela Wolf Skinny Jean Class.  No, I do not plan to make jeans that look like I was poured into them!  At my age and size, that would not be a good look; however, I am interested in making well-fitting jeans.  Although I have made jeans in the past, I wanted to learn some tips and techniques from Angela.  I have never taken a class from her, but I did hear her speak and do a trunk show for the Bishop Sewing Group a few years ago.  So, I was excited when I learned she was offering an on-line live class.

I downloaded the pattern, which was included in the price of the class.  I do not like to tape all the pieces of a pattern together after downloading and printing them on 8 ½” x 11” pieces of paper, but I did it.  The problem is that after all the sheets of paper are taped together, there is no good way to fold and store them for future use.   I took my hip and waist measurements and traced a combination of two sizes on pattern paper;  one size for my waist and another for my hips.  

I really wanted a pattern that would store easily, so I got permission from Angela Wolf to take the pattern to Staples and have a copy printed on one big sheet of paper.  They rolled it up for me, so I can easily store it now until I need to trace another pattern for other jeans.

Angela suggested using a stretch denim with 2% - 3% spandex.  I found some at JoAnn Fabrics that I think will work.  However, I wanted to make sure the pattern fits before I cut into that fabric.  I searched my stash for fabric I could use to make a muslin.  Obviously, I couldn’t use muslin or some other cotton.  I needed something with some stretch.  I found some denim in my stash that had some stretch although I had no idea exactly what the contents of the fabric were.  Also, there was not enough fabric to make long pants.  I had to shorten the pattern and make capri pants.  I think that will work.  I should be able to tell if the pattern fits in the waist and hips.  I can adjust the width of the legs at the knees after I cut the pattern.

After I cut the fabric, I basted the capri pants together without the waistband.  I discovered the pants were too big in the waist and hips.  I took in the amount necessary and then made the adjustments on my pattern. 

I removed the basting and sewed the yokes and back legs together.  I topstitched the seams in the yoke and down the center back.  I prepared one of the back pockets by adding three rows of decorative stitching and then I sewed a mirror image of the stitching on the other pocket.  I added a monogram for Chicken Little on the back left pocket.    Then I positioned the pockets on the back and top stitched them with a stretch triple straight stitch using regular thread, not jeans thread.   A picture is shown below.

 

After finishing the back of the pants, I worked on the front.  I sewed and inserted the front pockets with the linings and facings.  Then I tackled the fly front.  I have sewn fly fronts on most of my pants for many years.  I thought it would be a quick and simple project, but I was wrong.   I attempted to follow the instructions in the video lesson, but apparently, I failed miserably.  I discovered when I unzipped the front that it did not open!  I attached the second side of the zipper to the fly facing.  That side was sewn twice, so I had double trouble when it came to ripping it out.  Once that was accomplished and resewn, I proceeded to sew the double rows of top stitching around the fly opening.  I did that with the stretch triple-stitch.  When using a triple stitch, you really have to be careful when sewing a curve like the one at the bottom of the fly.  The stitch sews forward, then back, and then forward again.  When sewing a curve with that stitch it is easy to get off the original sewing line as you try to maneuver around a curve.  I now understand that well because I ripped out two rows of the stretch triple-stitch three or maybe four times before I talked myself into believing the last attempt would look just fine as long as I wear my shirt on the outside of the pants!  I will be sure to practice sewing with the triple-stitch on a curve before making my next pair of jeans.

After my struggle with the fly front, I basted the side seams together.   Then I made the belt loops and pinned one end of each right sides of the loops to the right side of the pants at the waist.  After preparing the waistband, I basted it to the waist and once again checked the fit of the pants.   

Once I was satisfied with the fit, I sewed the side seams with a 2.5 straight stitch and finished each seam with the serger.  I pressed each of the side seams to the back of the pants.  To hold my front pockets in place, I did a top stop using the stretch triple-stitch from the waist at each side seam down to the bottom of each front pocket. 

I sewed the waistband and facing together and pressed.  Then I ran a basting stitch at the lower edge of the facing at the seam allowance.  I pressed that edge under.   I attached the waist band to the waist, catching one end of each belt loop into the seam as I sewed.  I pressed the band again and pinned it on the right side making sure I included the edge of the facing from the back.   Then I topped stitched around the top, bottom and ends of the waistband using the stretch triple stitch.    

I used a jeans button for the waistband and made a keyhole buttonhole.  Then I hemmed the pants using the stretch triple stitch and my pants were finally completed!  Pictures are shown below.

 

It took most of the month to complete this project.  Part of the reason was there were no written instructions to follow for this class.   I had to keep going back to the class videos to remember how to sew part of the jeans.  That process was made more difficult by problems with my computer and internet.  I think Angela Wolf plans to provide written instructions after the class formally ends tomorrow.  That should make the process of sewing more jeans a lot easier.  Also, I think I have most of my computer and internet problems solved.  Sewing and communicating with others should now get easier!

I highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn to sew jeans or wants to improve their jeans-making skills.  Angela Wolf is a great instructor and really makes sure you get your money's worth from her class.

How are your sewing projects going?  Don’t give up if you have set-backs!  All of us have those at one time or another.  Just keep trying and persevere. 

Judy