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72 year old man here trying sewing again for the first time since I was a very young man. I want to alter my second hand clothing purchases. Wonderful and practical advise that makes sense and will be helpful. Thank you
All great advice! When my mom taught me to sew actual finished pieces, she first gave me a piece of paper with a bunch of lines on it, and I sewed those without thread to follow the line. When I got that, she gave me paper with corners to navigate, and eventually curves. I was young and thought it was pretty cool to use one of her machines for that, and it gave me a lot of practice.
That’s exactly the method I teach in my beginner class🙂. It helps so much. Your mom was a great teacher ❤️ I also suggest practicing without paper (presser foot up) for a bit just to get used to the pedal-learning how to sew slowly!
This is soooo blommin' useful! I even have washi tape that I got because it was pretty but didn't know what to do with it, HAH! This is perfect timing for this tip!
I like the way you explained the logic behind this tip. When I first began to sew when I was seven, (I'm 53 now) I couldn't couldn't follow the lines on the metal plate because I couldn't see them so ended up putting masking take on my moms machine just like this.
I learned to sew back in the 1960s on a cast iron, black Singer sewing machine (1947 model) . The machine went forward and backward and had no lines engraved on either side of the presser foot for gauging seam allowance widths. It had a narrow feed dog area with a 1/4” wide presser foot. It always made beautiful stitches on every fabric, chiffon to thick denim. I had no problem sewing straight. I had been watching my mother sew 5/8” and 1/4” seam allowances for years, so I began sewing what I thought was a 5/8” seam allowance and found out I was pretty darn accurate. The more I sewed, the more accurate I became by just gauging the amount of fabric that was on the right side of the presser foot. Of course sewing the 1/4” seam allowance was very easy because you sewed with the raw edge against the right side of the presser foot. When I purchased a more modern sewing machine with wider apart feed dogs, a wider presser foot and engravings on the needle plate I noticed that the sewing machine, though a good one, did not sew every fabric quite as easily and sewing curves was more of a challenge, but I loved the other things this new machine could do-zig-zag, buttonholes, decorative sewing. I learned new ways to handle the fabric as the machine sewed. I kept on improving my skills at cutting and sewing different garments, tailoring and pattern alterations. I love sewing and ended up setting up a studio where I taught children and adults to sew on and off for about 30 years. I now have a very fancy, top-of-the-line sewing machine that has a 9mm wide feed dog area, a 9mm wide presser foot with dual feeding. This machine also embroiders. I still sew mainly garments and I love my big machine, but I recently purchased an industrial sewing machine that only sews straight stitches and goes forward and backward. I find myself gravitating to the straight stitch machine more and more for garment sewing. It is so much easier to sew, handle the fabric and especially when sewing curves. I also find that when I sew on this machine or my Singer featherweight with no seam allowance markings that I am able to gauge seam allowances easily and accurately, just like my teenage years when I was learning to sew. You can gauge any and all seam allowance widths with practice. In fact, sometimes the engraved line gets in the way in sewing curves with wider presser feet. You need to look on the right of the middle of the presser foot where the needle pierces the fabric to make sure that the seam allowance stays the same width as in the straighter areas. Sewing is all about accuracy and judgement. Happy sewing, y’all!
@AngeliqueStevens - Here is an off-topic, but similar, technique for drawing a straight line. - - - - * Put a light dot on your paper where you want the line to end. * Put the pencil at the point where the line starts. * Then draw, looking ONLY at that far dot, NOT your hand or pencil. * This will help you improve the very first time you try. .^_^.
oh me too. I always have my seam ripper out whenever I sew because I know I'm going to need it. :( And I've quit many times because I wasn't given basic tips when I learnt how to sew in my teens.
Now Sara that is the sort of advice that every sewer should have been given but weren't!!! Thank you. And thanks for the chuckle at nobody will honk at you if you sew slowly. Love that.
This video is a God send!!! Thank you for explaining this SO well. Using driving as the analogy for sewing was brilliant. I thank you and my future straight seams thank you, lol. 😊
Thank you for these clear explanations and valuable tips! I've been sewing since I was twelve (am 76 now) and your car driving analogy is the best instruction ever. Thank you, Sara.
Wawwww, first time I see your channel, perfect video from beginning to the end , no BS, straight talk, I really appreciate it, thank you for sharing, and new subbie
My mom taught me to guide the fabric from the edge of the sewing machine table for long seams ... tiny adjustments keep it going straight. And she was making choir robes so I had miles of seams to do.
I just bought a new machine to get back to stitching which I used to do in my younger days. I triec it today and my stitch lines went all crooked. So happy i found your wonderful and useful video today. Will try out your tips now. Thank you !
Thanks so much!!💗before my mama passed she had wrecked her car (ran under her a semi truck) and she tried to drive but was terrified to do so. I encouraged her to try she then had a hard time… when I asked her why she was having trouble keeping the car in the middle of the road she said “ it was harder on my car” then she explained that she was taught to center the car emblem on the hood (in the middle) was supposed to lined up with “right” side of the road!! Can’t believe I never thought of this!! Thankssssssss oh I’m only 72 learned to sew by myself over the phone with a friend lolol
I’m so glad this showed up in my recommended. I’ve only been sewing for two months or so and bought a seam guide to help but even using it my lines aren’t straight. I look forward to trying these tips out tomorrow!
Thank you so much for your tips, I struggle making straight lines and I now know it’s because I’m looking at the hood and tightly gripping the wheel. The washy tape is a great idea!
I just 'found' you today and don't know how I missed you before! I've been sewing for over 57 years and your tips make so much (common) sense in the sewing world. I have subscribed and know that I will be watching everything I can find with you. Thanks for posting such a wonderful video.
I just received my brand new Juki and I’m going to check that it sews straight like yours. My astigmatism makes things look crooked even when they are not. This was very timely.
Thank you for the great and patient information. I have done some garment sewing on and off for years and commonly struggle with going straight, your insights will make a big difference.
I'm no beginner - have been sewing for 60 years on and off. But I have had several yards of fabric sitting around for months because I dont have the confidence to sew long straight hems to make curtains. Perhaps now I can take a deep breath, check the driving mirror and set off, adapting your seam instructions to hem those curtains. Wish me luck!
Thank you so much Sara- I cant wait to try these. I've been really struggling with straight lines and I havent been able to figure out what Im doing wrong lol Im glad I saw this before I went out and bought all the gadgets. Thank you
When I was doing textiles in grade 6 we had to earn our "sewing licence". We practiced on sheets of paper with printed lines that were about 2-4mm thick with no thread. There was corners, curves, and straight lines. We only passed if we could do the full sheet without going outside the lines. After that we made pillows which was a good beginner project before we moved onto frog heat packs with button eyes.
Excellent video. I have seen the tape trick, but I couldn't work out how to get the tape lined up. So simple and easy. It must be a guy thing we work out how to make it difficult. I will be having a close look at your other videos and looking forward to more. Thanks.
What a great video , you managed to explain some pretty technical stuff in a nice non techie way and I love the driving analogy. I have put a servo motor on two of my machines to slow them down and sometimes on tricky stuff I am quite literaly putting stiches in one at a time and nobody honked at me.
I am so glad that you came up in my feed. My middle daughter wants to learn how to sew. She watched me while she was growing up and now wants to make things. Since we don’t live in the same city, I will tell her about your channel so she can watch
Wow- thank you! This made "sew" much sense! I wish I had known this before I made a 2.2 m wide roman blind with lots of long straight seams for rod pockets etc. Love from England.x
Super!! While I have advanced skills in several crafts, sewing has always seemed impossible to me because I can't sew a straight seam to save my soul. You've given me hope!
I just found your channel today & subscribed 😀 I’m 62 trying to learn how to sew. My mother didn’t have the patience to teach me, my hope is to learn enough to share it with those I love . Your channel is truly a blessing.
This was excellent. I haven’t used a machine in decades and inherited my grandmother’s machine. I needed a refresher. Your cues are perfect. Thank you. I’m so glad your video came up on my feed.
This sounds like great advice. I’ve been using a sewing machine occasionally for many years and always struggle to keep a straight line. I’m sure that watching your video is going to greatly help me. The driving reference made so much sense. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video. You’re a great teacher with sound advice that is both concise and memorable. You have built my confidence another step up in just 7 minutes and 12 seconds. Yep. You’re good! 🥰
