I'm at the very beginning of my sewing journey, finding your tutorials has been an absolute stroke of luck and I've learnt so much from them, thank you so much Aneka for your effort in creating such well thought and high quality videos. In relation to this tutorial for sewing in a straight line, I thought I'd add in a neat little trick I picked up from the lady I bought my sewing machine from. She showed me that you could use a wide elastic band around the body of your sewing machine and lined up using a ruler. It doesn't need the metal parts to attach to unlike the magnetic guide, it doesn't leave a residue unlike the tape and is reusable. It has a slight amount of depth and tack which helps make it apparent when you've gone past it or over it. You can also use an elastic in a bold colour if you have vision problems or colour a plain one with permanent marker. Hope this helps someone :)
I so agree. I am new to seeing too. This channel is amazing. Everything is explained so we'll. She is amazing. There we're a couple of other channels. They would go to sewing machine, not showing u at all! Or a couple that where all over the place. I was dizzy watching there channel!! Lol..
Hi Jennie, so sorry that I never saw this message and wow, what a great idea. I have also seen people use cardboard pieces in factories! Thank you for sharing. Aneka x
Made to Sew I must agree, such beautiful feminine hands and manicure, the very opposite of mine 😜 These lessons are amazing, concise, informative, well explained, just brilliant. Thank you.
@@MadetoSew No, thank you sew much! : ) (Sorry the sewing puns probably get old after awhile) I agree though, your nails are impeccable and of a size that doesn't seem handicapping.
Isn't it funny how some people find it gorgeous while others of us find it utterly distracting (not in a good way) and it detracts from what is being said? Notice what you said, "as much as I would like to look at the side, I just can't take my eyes off your manicure." The manicure isn't the focus of the video; learning to sew in a straight line is.
Priceless and timely! I just finished a Top Stitch, where part of the seam turned out wobbly. And, I was frustrated with my apparent inability to sew a straight line! I have increasing trouble seeing, and, the lighting in my sewing room is terrible! These are two excuses. :-) Now, having watched your video, I have renewed confidence in sewing in a straight line. Great video. Thank you!
When I first started sewing I knew I was going to run into problems. Sewing a straight line was not something I thought was going to be a problem. 🙄 little did I know that sewing a straight line is my whole problem. 2 years later, I’m still struggling with this problem. I’m am looking at my needle way too much. I’m going to try some of these tip. Thank you
Thank you ❤.. Revisiting your videos … It was your videos that I watched before buying my sewing machine during the pandemic. Thank you for the professional and in depth teaching mentioning minute details. God bless 💐
Great tips, Aneka! Even with years of sewing experience, I occasionally catch myself looking at the needle.. Love using my edge stitch foot for top stitching.
Omg you are the bomb!!! I was listening to you and said I’m not even looking at the needle. Well …. Come to find out I was looking at it not consciously trying to but when I paid close attention and just watched the guide lines I got the sewing in a straight line lol. Now I gotta master sewing in reverse. Thank you so much for this tutorial
Aneka, I want to thank you for blessing me with your beginner sewing videos. They are exceptionally professional, well-done and informative- an invaluable resource made all the more amazing because you offer these videos for free. Thank you so much!
Like other novices, I've had a lot of wobbly stitches and now I understand why! What has also helped my stitching is going extra slow (I have a machine with a variable speed toggle switch) and using my 1/4" piecing foot. Now, thanks to your tutorial, I will try to keep my eyes off that needle and on the stitching guides instead!😀
Thank you Aneka. I always learn something from your tutorials. Actually I've been sewing less than two years and very early I came across your first how to sew series. I studied them closely and it gave me the confidence to try. Bless you for your generosity. Thanks again.
Thanks Aneka , even though I have been sewing for a while STILL cannot completely take my eyes off the needle 😩 Love yr tutorials always something new to learn not just for beginners.
I just found your channel and I am very pleased I did. Thank you so very much. I have not sewed in years and things have changed so much in sewing machine. These tutorials will be very handy for me to get back into my sewing again and to learn about all the new feet that came with my new sewing machine.
Thanks Aneka this is a great refresher for me . I haven’t really sewed since High School which was 30 years ago. Now with your videos I am confident I can begin again.😃
Been struggling to sew a narrow seam, but think I have it sussed after watching your very clear video. Off to practice now! Thank you. I love your videos.
I've been sewing since more than 8 years and still learned a lot from your tutorial. I am gonna buy that 10D bernina foot, i had no idea it existed. Thank you so much :)
I free hand sew, and keeping a straight line can be difficult, even with lines drawn on a finger. The tape method was a great idea for the darker color I'm working with at the moment. Thank you!
Those different feet are nice and I have several which was included with my machine and I can use a few to line up material with, especially the one attachment which can be put on the foot to help in keeping the material lined up correctly. Thanks for sharing these tips on lining up the material and keeping a straight line.
꧁Ira Lol꧂ I’m a little OCD, are you as well? Lol, I must admit I’ve had to let that go sometimes. Like when sewing a zipper between cut pieces of fabric where it cuts in to the pattern.
Thank you!! I'm just starting and I'm pretty terrible. I greatly appreciate every bit of advice you have to offer! One day I will have a shirt to wear that I made!!🙏🥰
Excellent tutorial! So thorough and clearly explained. You have taught me many helpful tips I did not previously know. Thank you so much. Looking forward to watching all your other videos. 💕💕💕
I just ripped a 40 inch seam from not seeing this video before my first "test" with my new machine. Sometimes enthusiasm trumps common sense LOL. Thanks for this series. I need it.
Thank you. Have you also watched my Sewing for beginners 5 day course? If not you might find it helpful. Day 1 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IGITrkYdjJs.html Day 2 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lU3JOK3prZU.html Day 3 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1Ef--qhq25s.html Day 4 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YOsuxTPzqXA.html Day 5 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xBsddRoihVk.html And to make all of your sewing look well finished you could find this one beneficial too - How to press ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G3yc8TRQZUM.html Good luck and have fun!
Thanks so much for these tips. I've only had people tell me "Practice makes perfect" (which, of course, I always agree with) but I'd like to have some tips at least! So, these are much needed. And it turns out I actually have two of these things and didn't know it. :)
@@KM-yw2yb You may find following some of my small basic sewing projects on RU-vid will be a good starting point. For example there is one for a leather purse and another for wash bags. How To: DIY Leather Bow Purse - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a1PLeg0D81A.html How To: DIY Leather Frill Purse - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cfOX4AMA3ac.html How To: Sewing Leather - (Working with a fabric that frays, check out this tutorial, especially for the zip tabs!) How To: Quilted Wash Bag | Make-up Bag Tutorial DIY: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gQIDArjXPO4.html I hope this helps.
There is 1/4 inch seam guide quilting tape that’s great, the zipper foot also lets you get very close to the edge of you cannot move your needle. If you use the masking tape technique put about 5 layers of that or painter’s tape and you have a nice thick guide that is inexpensive and won’t move. Great tips
Thank you so much for your info. I just got a sewing machine still in box till the weekend. I found you gave good info for beginners and now I feel I can sew a straight line. With the edge guide foot or with using wide elastic taped down. ( Which was in the comment section) I am now a subscriber to your channel. Thank you. Have a good day.......
Thanks so much Karen. Really pleased I could help you with your new machine. Such exciting news that you are starting your sewing journey. Good luck! Aneka :-))
Thank you very much for explaining so clearly what must be incredibly straight forward (no pun intended) to you but what is mystifying and frustrating to complete novices, Aneka. I have been staring at the needle, hypnotised by its movement, getting meandering stitches but as soon as I took your advice and focused on the bottom corner of the plate, infinitely better results. Many thanks!
You make great videos filled with important information and tips and you explain how to work things very well! Will you be making more videos? I used to watch all your videos but hadn't seen any in a while. Thank you!
Hi Geri, Thank you for your kind words. What good timing for your question. I have been really busy setting up on online courses on our website, but I've been back to filming for RU-vid this last couple of weeks and in fact have a new video launching on RU-vid Sunday 24th Jan. I hope that you will find it helpful.
I get the waviest lines when I have material feeding problems. With a machine where I can move the needle, I try to adjust it so that the feed dogs are covered as much as possible with material. The feed dogs can not pull the material through if they are not in contact with material. I notice this the most when trying to put a small seam on a large piece of material with the needle to the left. I also try to use a foot that is wide enough to hold the material against the feed dogs. Something like a zipper foot is great when needed, but the small footprint reduces the material that is held against the feed dogs. I could watch you all day, (and sometimes I do). I am a new sewer and have learned a lot from you.
I’m soooooo guilty of watching the needle 😅😋 it’s just so memorizing!! But that explains why I never have a straight line! Thanks for the helpful video!
Thanks Aneka. I learn very helpful tips each time I watch your videos. I have been sewing less than a year and I am encouraged to not give up after I watch your videos. I want to make a coat but I need to figure out the right fabric. Do you have any advice?
Hi Shavonne, amazing news. Thank you. I would go for a natural fabric as a starting point, wool is a great place to start. Maybe a boiled wool, that is easy to work with and quite forgiving.
Thanks HEAPS for this video series Aneka. So thankful that you explain down to the tiny details for overthinking newbies like me. I just wish my machine could sew slowly, as in a slow motion stitch by stitch, like yours and seemingly everybody elses machine does. The lightest touch on my pedal is nowhere near this slow which makes it really hard to practice as a beginner. Is this something they could alter at a fabric store or repair shop maybe? I'm pretty desperate about it at this point. A couple other questions - does the edge presser foot go by any other names? I can't find anything for it here in Australia. And do you have to strictly buy presser foots of your machines brand? There's not many at all for my Brother machine, but there's a tonne of Singer branded feet. Thanks so much if you have the time to answer this.
So pleased you liked it! In this video I think I show two foot pedals: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i0ePqNFTN5E.html at 6:21 The white one is easier to control. It is for machines that have an electronic component (this machines has as a needle up and down button, so it doesn’t have to be anything fancy). However I am not sure that you can swap to a different foot pedal. 😬 You will need to get a presser foot that fits your individual machine; they are made for particular brands. So usually they are not interchangeable and you will need to get a Brother foot. I think I show this here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TfTwK7E_3CQ.html It could also be called: stitch in the ditch? I think that might be what Brother call it? Let me know how you get on. Aneka
Yes thank you for pointing out that it matters where you look ! Haha. It's like learning to drive. You have to look far enough ahead but not too far or close to the car
Ha ha! Yes so similar because there is also an element of doing lots of different things. So you have to learn form some things to be habit and subconscious. Glad I could help.
I have amblyopia ( which is a visual cortex issue not an eye issue) causes me to not see things in my field of view, blurriness, astigmatism, myopia, and uhh, more eye/ visual cortex issues I can’t remember. I love to sew but... I can’t even see a straight line, everything looks crooked to me. I use all the guides on the planet and still can’t sew straight, well, not all, I have yet to use a laser but I can’t see if the laser is set up straight lol It took me a long time to accept this. Now I focus more on “ I made this” instead. No one should ever mention my crooked lines, as long as it fits fine, it works.
What an amazing attitude to have. 💖 I am really sorry to hear about your eye issues. BUT you have the most important bit right - the '"I made this"! That is what is important, the love and work that has gone into a project. Thank you for sharing. Aneka x
Hi Lovely Aneka. Please, I've got a question for you. I wonder whether you could do a video on the thickness of the threads and the corresponding needles. I have no idea what these mean 100, 120, 95, 36... clueless. Thanks in advance for your help. Hugs🌹🌹🌹💕
The problem with looking at engravings on metal plate is that for it to work you've got to have pretty straight and even edge of the fabric (and that's a big problem for me with my current fabric-cutting skills)
Oh know, sorry to hear this. You could try cutting with a rotary cutter and mat, some of my students prefer this. And maybe try one of the other methods I suggest? Drawing a line can work well for some of my students? Or mark the stitching line onto the fabric from the pattern with carbon paper and a tracing wheel? Good luck, I promise you will get there, it just takes time. If the edge of the fabric is not straight then try and go with the majority. Aneka x
Thanks sm for this video I only just noticed the lines lol I have got one problem though. When I use the foot pedal as light as I can, it takes off fairly fast whereas yours goes at a slow and steady pace. Is there any way to slow down the sewing speed? Because it makes it a bit more difficult to sew in a straight line Thanks
Hi Rudi, sorry for the delayed reply. Do you have a speed function on your machine? The ability to adjust the speed? This is a setting on the sewing machine, some have it and some don't. I must also add that some machines have a more gentle foot pedal than others. The Bernina sewing machines have a very gentle foot pedal compared to some of my other machines. I believe there is something called an electronic foot pedal and that can make a difference (I think); as I own Husqvarna Viking Emeralds 116 and 118 and the 118 has a better and more gentle foot pedal (I believe it was called electronic). I hope that helps? Sadly it might just be your machine; but you will get used to controlling what you have. Best, Aneka
If I mark my seams with a heat erasable marker (which I do) how do I keep myself from watching the needle since I’m lining the needle up with my drawn line?
These are great tips. I don't have an issue with sewing in a straight line on shirts or dresses. But I can't manage to do a straight line when I'm sewing the hem on jeans or pants (especially the skinny fit ones). The back part is always really straight but the one in the front is always wonky 🤷🏻♀️. And I can't understand why or what I'm doing wrong.
Hmm… sorry your having trouble. Do you struggle to fit the small amount of fabric in the machine? Is that the issue? Do you have a part of the machine to remove so you can place the hem of the jeans on it?
@@MadetoSew I'm having a bit of trouble fitting the fabric in the machine. But unfortunately there's nothing left to be removed. I guess I'll just have to practice more and see if I'll eventually manage to do a straight line on the front as well.
@@Kristynne. It can be tricky fitting the fabric bulk in some domestic sewing machine. You could try a tool like this: www.amazon.com/Dritz-Jean-Majig-Sewing-Product/dp/B005572NPS I also got one with my machine, it is a little plastic thing and helps to level out the thickness of the machine, so the machine foot is under the thickness at all times. I hope that helps? Aneka
