sewing 101

on thursday, leslie held of the MIT theatrical costume design shop gave us a helpful sewing workshop. i left with so much more practical sewing skill than i came in with.



it was amusing to see the breadth of sewing machines that materialised in the classroom. people lugged their 50lb vintage singer machines and electronic LCD-screen-bedecked embroidery brothers alike. i fell in the love with the avocado green mechanical monster with mod futuristic styling and an open bottom.

here's what i learned:

general

• there are two needles, one upper (visible) and one lower (bobbin, invisible).
• always turn the flywheel TOWARDS you. never ever turn it away from you.
• thread goes through the tension disks and through the take-up.
• thread the needle from front --> back, or right --> left.
• when you pop the bobbin in, make sure it spins CLOCKWISE. the bobbin tension is usually okay to leave it alone.
• pin perpendicularly to sewing seam (needle can jump over the pins)
• a "walking foot" is great for automatically adjusting for tension
• sewing machine requires regular oiling for maintenance
  

stitches

• basting
• the longest stitch ("4" on the knob)
• good for temporary seams, easy to rip out
• the stretch stitch is stronger, more durable
• zigzag
• for stretchy knit fabrics
  
• stronger stitch
• set the parameters for length and width of stitch

fabric

• the selvage is the finished edge of the fabric piece
• the strongest axis is parallel to the selvage (straight grain)
• the 2nd strongest axis is orthogonal to the selvage (cross grain)
• fabrics are always weak and stretch out on the bias

needles

• recommended: schmetz needles
  
• sizes are 9 to 18; 14 is common use, 16-18 for thicker fabrics like denim
• need special needle for leather
• need ballpoint needle for knits
• insert needle into machine with flat side towards the back
  

hems

• first finish edges with a zigzag stitch to prevent raveling
  
• fold once, then twice over, and then hem

zippers

• use zipperfoot, which is also handy for sewing wiring or cording
• use basting stitch to seam two pieces together
• press seam open with an iron
• put zipper face-down on the seam
• pin in place
• sew down, across, and up (U-shape)
• wiggle needle to manuever through teeth
• rip out the basting seam

invisible hems

• use the stitch that looks straight with poking out to the left
• first finish the edges to prevent unraveling
• fold once, then another in the other direction (accordion-style)
• sew so that most of the stitching is on the edge, but the tips of the points barely catch onto the fold of the fabric
• use color-matching thread!

so now i'm super-excited. i don't yet have a personal machine, but for now i'll use the ones in the lab and check out the singer store in davis square (it was closed when i stopped by this weekend). hopefully leslie can teach us the basics of patterning and draping in later weeks.

next time i'm at winmil, i'll take a look at their fabric selection and see if i can make myself an easy A-line skirt next weekend...