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Posted by Mary Fisher on April 22, 2008, 5:50 am
>
>> How hard is it to learn how to sew by hand? I want to mend some of my
>> work clothes without buying a sewing machine.
>
> I've posted part of a prolonged discussion of mending at
> http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/~roughsewing/RUFFTEXT/ROUGH024.TXT
> (I have not yet written the rest)
> and a short discussion of hand sewing at
> http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/~roughsewing/RUFFTEXT/ROUGH022.TXT
>
> A good second-hand straight-stitch machine can be pretty cheap, but
> there's the matter of house room, machine-sewing also has to be
> practiced, and some mends are *much* easier by hand -- re-sewing a
> ripped seam through the original holes, for example.
>
> I remember learning to sew as a prolonged struggle -- but I was
> getting results right from the beginning; it's learning to do it
> quickly and well that takes a lot of practice. My "embroidery gig"
> students can produce a simple medallion all by themselves -- well, I
> re-thread their needles a lot, and don't let them touch the hot iron
> or the scissors -- in less than three hours.
>
> Since of late I've had them for maybe half an hour -- at my next gig,
> I will amuse some of the children who finish their Pinewood Derby cars
> before it's time for the van to take them home -- I do the running
> stitch around the edge myself to speed things up, .
>
> My mother avoided having to re-thread my needles by tying the ends of
> the thread together and letting me sew with a double thread. This
> method has so many disadvantages to it that I suggest that you sew
> with a loose tail from the beginning -- after all, you don't have to
> chase down an adult to get your needle rethreaded. Also, USE A
> THIMBLE right from the beginning. (It is very important that a
> thimble fit properly:
> http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/~roughsewing/RUFFTEXT/ROUGH007.TXT
> (Use "find" to jump down to "thimble"))
>
> Buy "crewel" needles, which have big eyes. I *still* use crewel
> needles for everything, except when I need a needle that's longer and
> thinner than comes in crewel.
>
> It's much easier to push a finer needle through the fabric, and I'm
> somewhat frustrated that crewel needles don't come any smaller than
> #10, but I start my children with #8 at the finest, and the youngest
> get darning needles -- a darning needle is a huge crewel needle, for
> all practical purposes. Coarse needles punch big holes in the fabric,
> but you can find them when you drop them.
>
> Start by mending something coarse that won't mind a coarse needle.
>
> Joy Beeson
Back on topic and excellent advice!
Mary
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