If your machine has the ability, move the needle position to the right so more of the fabric covers. See if your machine came with a foot for narrow seams. Make sure the fabric behind the foot (already sewn) stays straight as well so it doesn’t pull - but don’t end up pulling the fabric through from behind as this is hard on the needle. It’s tricky to see narrow seams. Sometime you can sew and then trim the seam allowance narrow after sewing.
Thanks for useful sewing tips Sara. Came for beginner sewing tips and got a useful driving tip. I will now stop looking at my bonnet to drive in a straight line - I knew my car accidents were excessive! :-)
I’ve never seen your videos before. I’m teaching five friends how to sew. This will be a nice reminder for them. I can send this to them between our sessions. Thank you so much. Subscribed.
I’ve had my sewing machine for about three years and I’m still new. Because I get so discouraged that I don’t know what I’m doing. My fabric gets stuck down in the machine where the feet are and I don’t understand why I don’t know what number I should have the feet on to grab the fabric. I don’t know the tension I have problems and you are the first person I came along you today, you are the very first person that I have felt like I truly understand and show how you work with not just showing songs over the videos you sit there and take the time to explain and I mean I appreciate that. I know you’re the one for me and thank you for being there and sharing what you do. I was wondering if you could talk about the tension on what number it should be on. When you should change the tension or what width you’re supposed to use for your zigzag lines, straight lines all the lines? Again thank you.
Check out my link. One of my videos here is about tension (I’ll try to link in a minute). In terms of length of stitches, around 2.5-3 on the stitch length setting is good for a lot of things. The stitch width for the zigzag depends on what you are sewing/making.
Here’s just the tension video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hSM_q6i_jag.htmlsi=XZVOSJvmQRZz864K I don’t have a video about stitch length yet here on RU-vid, but I’ll put it on the list. Don’t give up!
It looks to me if the bumpy side was not pressed like the other side, so it looked bumpy and deliberately sewn wavey or sewn by a first time on any sewing machine beginner. I can tell both sides were not treated/sewed the same intentionally. Your points for how to sew a straight seam were on point, though.
Ah, thanks a bunch! I'm making a few bowl cozies for my friend to sell at her store and just knew I'd have to learn to sew in a straight line now that I'm making something for the first time that's intended to be sold. This takes a bunch of stress off my shoukders, thanks a bunch!
Thank you for the detailed information, instructions, & advice, i prefer them so much more than the fast short videos these days. Your channel is a gem ❤
Know what? I’ve been sewing 🧵 for over 50+ years & I’ve learned these really helpful tips in this video. The ☝️ I liked the best is your driving analogy, looking down the road. I too kept my eyes on the needle rather than farther down the material. Makes such a difference. Well done indeed. 🙏🏼
3:42 - not really true unless you're sewing really small and light pieces of fabric. Try a large heavy drape or a comforter. I find the best and most efficient way to get it to sew straight is sit further away from the machine, have it in the middle of a table so there is lots of support for the big item you're sewing, and put your foot hard down flat on the pedal and keep it there. With the machine running at full revs it gets the material through fastest and there is no time for the material to want to go through skew. You'll thank me later for this last tip.
Glad you’re having success in your sewing. I find just making sure I lift a little bit so it doesn’t drag (similar to you using the big table to support it) helps with heavy fabrics/projects. It also helps if you put your needle down when you stop so the fabric doesn’t move when stopped.
OK I just have to say this: I am so grateful and delightfully impressed by your thoughtful demonstration using a Life cereal box and those pretty shoelaces. Thank you so much for your ingenuity in explaining this! I’m a sometimes visual learner and your method is perfect. When I worked in heavy leather manufacturing the ladies used to tease me about the “spider knots” or “spider nests” I’d get from not taking care of my settings on our heavy duty Ferdinand industrial machine. And the first and ONLY time I broke a needle?! They were in absolute hysterics as I’d dived UNDER the sewing table from the tremendous gunshot noise and THUD of the machine as it sent the broken piece flying who knew where! No exaggeration. After that experience I not only gained a great amount of respect for the other more experienced teachings the other ladies blessed me with, but I paid much closer attention to the ‘before and after workday care and daily oiling’ of my Ferdinand, and caution as I worked the thick, hard leather (gun holsters, hunting packs, belts, etc.). Simple care and light cleaning of our lovely home machines is no where near as difficult, and can save time and unnecessary frustration in the long run. Thank you for taking precious time sharing your expertise. ❤
I am so glad to see this tip. I just started working on a French Terry T-shirt. I am a beginner and wanted to try a fabric that I hadn’t worked with before. When I started to do the stay stitching I was having this problem. Even though I’m not starting it on a point, the fabric ends seem to be more inclined to get grabbed. I’m using a ballpoint needle and a walking foot in hopes to avoid potential problems. But I’m going to try the paper trick now. Off to continue with the project lol! 👕🪡🧵🦋 Kinda odd how all of the emojis are blue, lol! I didn’t do that on purpose.
Way to go with the adventurous creative spirit! I don’t work much with knits as I mainly quilt now and when I was garment sewing there weren’t a lot. So I don’t have any more ideas than what you already mentioned. But based on your comment I’m confident that you will figure it out! 💙💙💙 (hopefully that doesn’t mean anything bizarre )
I use to sew often, I was so much better at it years ago. I promised my daughter I’d make her a baby wrap carrier, I think I got in over my head. The material I got is knit, I’m not sure how I need to reinforce the seam. Any ideas on that?
First off: I am mainly a quilter now. I have sewn other things in the distant past, but new fabrics have come out since then. That said, I know you need to use a very narrow zig zag on seams so the thread in the seam doesn’t break when the fabric stretches. So do that. But to keep it from stretching too much, you can reinforce the seam allowance. I found this article, written in 2020 about the products out there nowadays. www.thelaststitch.com/how-to-stabilise-shoulder-seams-on-knit-tops/ But again, not something I know much about. But I think that post looks good. Hope that helps. I’m happy you are sewing again!
I want to start sewing, but know nothing about it. I've only ever mended stuffed animals by hand (poorly), and that was over 20 years go when I was a child. You are the only person one RU-vid that has actually taught me anything. I watched dozens of getting started videos, and they were full of jump-cuts, assumed the viewer had prior knowledge of the basics already, etc. You style of teaching is very effective! I really appreciate you taking the time to share what you know with others. :)
I’m so glad you are learning ❤️. I do want people to learn to sew and enjoy doing it because I love it so much 🥰 Beginners often stop because no one has taught them the basics, and that’s 😞 to me. If you haven’t started on your machine yet, I do have an online course that gets you started from taking it out of the box to starting your first seam. But don’t worry, once you get the basics, things will seem obvious. Just keep pushing through!
