basic sewing supplies for beginner?
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basic sewing supplies for beginner? friesian@zoocrewphoto.com 10-04-2006
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Posted by Kate Dicey on October 13, 2006, 3:29 am
Joy Beeson wrote:
> On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:01:15 +0100, Kate Dicey
>
>
>>I use cotton thread for cotton and wool stuff, polyester for artificial
>>fibres and mixtures of wool/cotton and polyester, and silk for silk
>>fabrics. You'll need good quality threads: Mettler, Guttermann, and YLI
>>are names to look out for. Here in the UK I like Empress Mills as well,
>>and Sylco for cotton thread, but I hate Drima with a passion!
>
>
> In the U.S., at least, the best cotton sewing threads are still only
> three ply. The spool will be marked 50/3, which means that it's three
> "yarns" twisted together, and the yarns are fifty hanks to the pound.
> (Could be fifty "skeins", rather than "hanks". It's been a long time
> since I looked this up, and all I remember is that skeins and hanks
> are not the same; I have the vague impression that one is a fraction
> of the other, like pints and gallons.)
>
> For durable sewing, you need 100/6 cotton: six yarns that are each
> half as thick as the three yarns in 50/3. The only well-spun 100/6
> left on the market is a crochet/lacemaking thread called DMC Cordonnet
> Special: I buy it by mail order from lacemaker's supply vendors such
> as Snowgoose http://www.snowgoose.cc/ and Holly van Sciver
> http://www.vansciverbobbinlace.com/2Threads.html
>
> Since it's meant for lacemaking, it comes in a ball that has to be
> re-wound onto a spool; luckily I have a collection of old wooden
> spools that are big enough to take an entire ball, and a hand-cranked
> drill that makes the job reasonable.
>
> Cordonnet comes only in white and ecru, so there are times when I have
> to resort to weaker thread. When this happens I take a swatch to a
> particular clerk at the only fabric shop in town, and she walks
> straight to a spool I'd never have gotten around to considering. And
> she is authorized to unwind a spool to lay a thread across the swatch
> and make sure it really matches.
>
> (Pity they don't have fabric that I want: I have a vested interest in
> seeing these guys *prosper*. Luckily, the area appears to have an
> ample supply of patchwork makers (who for some reason call themselves
> "quilters"), who spend extravagantly on cotton prints. But (pout)
> "quilters" never use silk thread; even the well-informed clerk thought
> I wanted *rayon*!)
>
> There are times when a weaker thread is more durable than a stronger
> thread. For example, after patching a nightshirt, I sewed the pocket
> back on with two-ply basting thread: if he catches this pocket on a
> doorknob again, the pocket will rip off without tearing the
> nightshirt.
>
> Joy Beeson

I buy YLI and Aurifil cotton threads, which are readily available in the
US, and frequently used by quilters for both piecing and quilting. They
come in a full range of colours and are fine and very strong, being long
staple cottons. I use them without trouble for dressmaking, and,
indeed, prefer them over polyester for silk fabrics when I cannot get a
good match in silk thread.

50's count cotton threads are tad clumsy for fine dressmaking, but
excellent for hard wearing construction and top stitching. I usually go
for 50's count silk threads as 100's very fine and not quite strong
enough for some applications,. It makes wonderful embroidery thread and
is fantastic for fine buttonholes.
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Posted by chris on October 4, 2006, 9:09 am

Do you have any books? The readers digest Complete Guide to Sewing is very
good. The older editions can be picked up fairly cheap 2nd hand and have
lots of info. Singer also do A Beginners Guide to Sewing and Sewing
Essentials which I believe are very good. (I don't have these 2 books, but
do have some other Singer books which are great)
You could try your local library first and see what they have available or
can order in from another library.

this site has lots of links to sewing related stuff

http://www.needlepointers.com/ShowArticles.aspx?NavID=733

about halfway down the page are some links to info about needles and basic
machine sewing.

Get to know your machine. Read the manual, clean the machine thoroughly, oil
it if needed and learn the stitches it can do. A good machine, looked
after, can be your friend for a very long time :-)
Change your needle frequently and make sure you use an appropriate needle
for the fabric.
Don't skimp on thread. Buy good quality and be very wary of using old
thread. It deteriorates over time.

come back when you need help and to let us know how you are going

chris
:-)



Posted by Olwyn Mary on October 4, 2006, 11:56 am
Hi Meghan. Welcome aboard. You've already got some good advice, but
I'll add a few things. First, buy thread as you need it, i.e. buy
matching thread when you buy fabric. Pins: I like either glass head
ones in various lengths or flower head ones for open knits or lace. Do
NOT pin your pattern to your fabric - it distorts it. I have a few sets
of ceramic pattern weights, but you can use whatever you have around -
tuna cans, heavy cutlery, candlesticks (unlit!!!), heavy washers from
the hardware store - whatever will hold the pattern in place while you
cut it out.

Machine needles. What you have already bought should keep you going for
a while, and, again, buy specialty ones when you buy the fabric. You
need ballpoints for knit fabrics, and special ones for elastics.
Remember, when "they" say to change needles every 8 hours, that means
every 8 hours the machine is actually running. I find I spend much more
time laying out, cutting, pinning, pressing etc. than I do actually
running the machine. In fact, that takes less time than any other
sewing process for me. Mind you, people like Kate may sometimes spend
two or three hours at a stretch running the machine with pedal to the
metal, but it is unlikely for those who only sew for ourselves.

You mentioned you tend to study up on things, so you should go to your
local free public library and look at ALL of the various sewing books.
Some of them will "speak" to you, and others won't. Buy the one that is
written in YOUR mode.

Buying some remnants to practice on might be an idea, but the ones I
have seen lately are a shocking price for leftovers. You might want to
stop by a thrift store and see what they have, I have often found lovely
silk or top quality wool skirts or dresses with lots of fabric in them,
just right for playing with and very cheap. Also, ask around. You and
your family and friends might have discarded but still good clothes, and
if you have any friends who used to sew they might be happy to pass on
fabric leftovers.

Good luck, and keep coming back to tell us how you are doing.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com


Posted by CypSew on October 4, 2006, 6:22 pm
I believe I read here once buying cotton sheets at a thrift store gives lots
of fabric to practice your sewing skills and I started doing that. I use
old ones for muslins, a trial run to see if the pattern is suitable for me.
Those outfits are always good for housecleaning, even if I'd never wear that
pattern out in public. I also make up a muslin for my almost 8YO DGD, send
it to her; she lives in SC and I'm in Houston. Her Mom tries it on her,
then tells me any adjustments needed, and she loves "the sheet dress" for
playtime.
Last month, I sent a great niece her first sewing machine, along with the
Sewing for Dummies book, and a few others I picked up at a used book store.
I also sent her Kate's site for necessary supplies(hope you didn't mind,
Kate) and helpful info. Her husband is returning to Iraq soon and they have
3 children, so she said she'll find many projects to sew to keep occupied
while DH is gone.
Emily



Posted by Kay Lancaster on October 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
> packs for 25 cents each. The two needle sizes are 90/14 and 75/11. I
> asked which she would recommend and what they are for, and she told me
> she didn't know anything about needles, just used the same ones all the
> time.

The most common "cure" for sewing machine trouhles is to replace the
current needle with a nice new one of the right size and type. Works
many, many, many times. Much better than wanting to throw the machine
across the room.

You've got a couple of issues with buying needles:
1) Is it the right type for the machine? Most manufactured since the
1950s take a "needle system" called 130/705 H Some Singer machines
require a slightly different, Singer brand needle to work correctly.
Schmetz and Organ and Klasse are good brands for most machines.
Some of the needles that are blister packed under names like Dritz
or such are not wonderful at times.

2) Needle size: sizes run from about 8 through 16 in one sizing
system and 60 through 120 in another. Needles are typically sold
with both designations, like your 90/14 and 75/11. In both designations,
smaller numbers are skinnier needles, and used on lighter weight fabrics.
I'd use the 75s you've got on anything up to lightweight pants
fabric, and the 90's on everything heavier than medium weight twill.

3) Needle points. If your sister hasn't sewn for many, many years,
she may come from an era when there was only one needle point commonly
available, the "sharp", meant for wovens. With the introduction of
double knits in the late 1960's, the "ball point" became available for
sewing knits -- it has a slightly rounded tip, and slides between
the yarns instead of piercing them like a sharp will.
The Universal needles are sort of a cross between the two, and
will work on most fabrics -- though if you're having trouble with
a needle that should be the right size for the job, try another
point style. Microtex needles in particular (very sharp points)
tend to be problem solvers for me, as I sew a lot of lightweight
closely woven fabrics that want to pucker.


Generally, you want the smallest needle (smallest hole!) that will
sew your fabric. More info here:
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00185.asp


Buy good thread -- not fuzzy or slubby thread. The three spools for a
buck brands are generally useful only for hand basting, or for taking
all the thread off and giving the empty spool to the cat as a toy.
See: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm

Thread brand and type choices get to be almost religious. I, for instance,
can't stand the cotton-wrapped polyester threads like Dual Duty,
considering them the worst of both the cotton and poly thread world.
You'll find folks that will only sew with cotton thread. You'll find
folks who sew almost everything with polyester. You'll find folks
who love silk thread for machine stitching (oh my aching wallet!),
you'll find folks who use serger thread (which tends to be slubbier
and more prone to breaking than sewing machine thread). You'll find
folks who try to use hand quilting thread in machines (it gums up
the tensions) or rayon embroidery thread for seams (it's pretty
weak) or heavy duty nylon upholstery thread types in home machines
(it's too heavy for most home machines) or... or...
My suggestion is that you try either a good quality cotton or
a good quality spun polyester sewing machine thread first, and then
go on from there.) The "all purpose" sizes (not lingerie or topstitching
or buttonhole sizes) are the usual choices for home
machine work, and work pretty well for almost everything.
Be sure to read this article:
http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm

There are three notions I'd add to your supply, as a beginner:
1) a small pair of scissors or a thread clipper, to keep at the machine
Doesn't have to be great quality, but it does have to clip a
single thread nicely.
2) a good iron that gets hot (the little travel jobbies are rarely
good for sewing projects) If you have to buy new, the Black and
Decker Classic, at about $25, is not a bad choice.
3) a roll of Wash-a-way Wonder Tape:
http://www.stonemountainfabric.com/pages/totw061602.html -- Collins
product, findable at most fabric stores; make sure it says
wash away.

When you get into sewing in a big way, you'll probably want a really
good pair of scissors for fabric cutting, and/or a rotary cutter and
mat. My choice for the first among the budget brands is Fiskars,
though for a few bucks more you can have Kai, my favorite among
all the brands I've tried, including some very expensive ones.
You want the longest bladed bent trimmers/dressmakers you can comfortably
work with. Mine are the N5250s:
http://www.bullarddesigns.com/kai/kaiscissors.htm
For rotary cutters, I prefer the Martelli brand. FWIW.


Enjoy!

Kay





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