Showing posts with label Needlework. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Needlework. Show all posts
Sew Your Stressors Away
Do you like to sew? Perhaps you tried crocheting as a child but never liked it. It could be that Aunt Grace tried to teach you how to hem handkerchiefs but you never caught on. Or that lopsided afghan throw lying crumpled on the sofa might be your first and last foray into the land of knitting needles. But even if you have never tried needlework, or if the first effort didn't go over too well, it's never too late to try again, especially since sewing is a great way to reduce stress and express your artistic capabilities.
Although sewing used to be largely a female pastime, today more and more men are giving it a try. Mixed Bible studies have produced hand-sewn quilts that included squares sown by male members as well as the ladies. Male nurses join their female counterparts in the break room to stitch a needlepoint design or knit a scarf. Some men even enter quilting competitions-and win-much to the chagrin of their mothers, sisters, and wives.
Whatever your age, gender, or income status, you may want to take up some type of sewing art as a means of reducing the stress in your life. Many hyperactive people claim that sewing allows their fingers to stay busy while their bodies take a needed break. Sedentary folks appreciate the opportunity to engage minds and hands in productive endeavors while seated in a favorite chair or relaxing environment, perhaps watching television or listening to music at the same time, or engaged in conversation with loved ones. There are those who crochet during their break and lunch times at work, or save their needlework for after dinner while resting in the family room. Some use their needle and thread as a focus point for gathering with others who enjoy this hobby.
Sewing, whether it be through knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, darning, or quilting, as well as other forms, provides a creative outlet for those who want to express beauty or meaning through their hands but are unable or unwilling to do so via cooking, writing, or sculpture. It doesn't cost a lot to assemble the needed sewing materials; the correct size needles, thread, and fabric or background item is really all you need to start. You can put together a sewing basket later, if the hobby really takes hold. Learning how to make small, even stitches that repair torn seams or missing buttons is a valuable skill. Depicting artwork on handkerchiefs, pillowcases, or other household items makes a welcome heirloom for generations to come.
If you're ready to give it a try, pick up a starter kit at your favorite craft or fabric store. Choose a time when other people or tasks won't bother you. Then find a comfy spot and begin your labor of love. Chances are that the day's stress will melt away as you find yourself enjoying the creation of art that unfolds with each movement of your fingers.
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Start Sewing- How to Thread a Sewing Machine
www.startsewing.co.uk has over 100 articles and videos on all aspects of sewing and dress making.
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If You Want To Learn How To Sew Dress Clothes
Whether these are for you to wear or for you to sell, there is a lot to learn when it comes to wanting to know how to sew dress clothes. But once you get the hang of things there is no doubt that you will feel that the skill was a pretty easy one to master. Before you know it, with enough practice, you will be able to teach other people how to sew dress clothes. With the skill you learn you will not only be able to make money from selling your clothes but by also teaching other people how to sew dress clothes.
Getting The Extra Advantage
Once you have mastered the art of sewing and you are moving on to the bigger and better projects, it is important to know that there are a lot of tools out there that you could be making use of. There are a lot of patterns and templates that could help you in learning how to sew dress clothes. Some patterns are ones that are only good for one time and the others are reusable. The reusable patterns are generally the ones you would want to go with because they would be the best value for your money. You certainly never know when you would want to reuse them.
In the end, once you have your own skill, pattern, and schedule set you will be able to turn out a lot of different kinds of dress clothes. And make sure that you save a lot of the stuff that helped you learn how to sew dress clothes because you can use those items when you start teaching other people. Even if you decide not to teach other people, you may decide you want to give them away to someone or even resell them in order to make back some of your money.
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If You Want To Learn How To Sew Dress Clothes
When it comes to learning how to sew, most people start out with small projects and then work their way up to the bigger stuff. This is a good thing to do so that you do not become overwhelmed with everything that you are learning. Taking it one step at a time is always the best thing to do and you should organize yourself a little space of your own such as a sewing table. Once you get all of the basics down, you may go ahead and begin learning how to sew dress clothes.
Whether these are for you to wear or for you to sell, there is a lot to learn when it comes to wanting to know how to sew dress clothes. But once you get the hang of things there is no doubt that you will feel that the skill was a pretty easy one to master. Before you know it, with enough practice, you will be able to teach other people how to sew dress clothes. With the skill you learn you will not only be able to make money from selling your clothes but by also teaching other people how to sew dress clothes.
Getting The Extra Advantage
Once you have mastered the art of sewing and you are moving on to the bigger and better projects, it is important to know that there are a lot of tools out there that you could be making use of. There are a lot of patterns and templates that could help you in learning how to sew dress clothes. Some patterns are ones that are only good for one time and the others are reusable. The reusable patterns are generally the ones you would want to go with because they would be the best value for your money. You certainly never know when you would want to reuse them.
In the end, once you have your own skill, pattern, and schedule set you will be able to turn out a lot of different kinds of dress clothes. And make sure that you save a lot of the stuff that helped you learn how to sew dress clothes because you can use those items when you start teaching other people. Even if you decide not to teach other people, you may decide you want to give them away to someone or even resell them in order to make back some of your money.
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Sewing Tips for Fleece
Even though fleece is easy to sew, there are two sewing tricks that can make your fleece experience much more pleasant!
First, you want to use a longer stitch length when you sew fleece. Rather than your normal setting of 2 or so, you may want to go up to a 4 or a 5. Some people even suggest a basting stitch for fleece!
The reason is that fleece stitches can pull through the fabric if the stitch length is too short. Longer is better when you sew fleece. The plus side of this is that it makes your sewing much faster!
Next, you want to make sure of your "right-side/wrong-side" when you sew fleece. Some people are surprised to find that fleece has a right/wrong side -- the print usually appears the same from both sides. Solid colors have the same color depth regardless of the side. How can right/wrong side come into play?
The catch is that fleece will always curl to one side or the other. The side it curls towards is the "wrong" side! When you cut a piece of fleece, you'll not the cut edge will always curl in a certain direction. Take careful note of this when you assemble fleece garments or projects; match your right/wrong sides carefully to up the quality of your finished product!
To make this a little confusing, the selvedge edge of fleece doesn't folow this rule! The selvedge edge normally curls towards the "right" side! For best results, don't leave your selvedge edges raw -- trim them instead. After all, fleece edges won't unravel, so there's no real need to keep the selvedge edge.
Keep these two tricks in mind when sewing fleece and you'll find your sewing experience much more pleasant -- and the results more enjoyable!
Joey Robichaux operates Sewing Machines and Sewing Projects -- offering free sewing projects and reviews of older mechanical sewing machines -- as well as Sewing Stash, an extensive sewing and crafts directory.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/sewing-tips-for-fleece-674338.html
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Sewing a Hobby or Profitable Business?
Now considered a great hobby, fashion-minded folks are designing and also making their own clothing on a regular basis.
Driven by famous celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and P. Diddy and other famous people, young people are adamant about dressing themselves like the people they admire so much.
It doesn't stop there though. Many go a step further and take a stab at designing their own wears for the market as professionals. This can developed into a profitable career in the fashion industry.
As a result of all of this sewing awareness and creativity, sewing and stitching classes are popular these days. This allows interested people who enjoy sewing as a hobby to turn their needlework and pattern creation into a profitable business.
Creating different patterns and sewing individualized hand bags are among the items that are in demand. You can also transform left over scraps of cloth into unique gifts and one of a kind items for friends, family or business associates.
Sewing can be considered just a hobby or you can make it a long term project if you decide to treat it as a business.
Christmas is a great time to make long lasting and memorable gifts. Obviously stockings would be easy to make. Adding some personal touches like names and decorations would be a great way to put your skills to use. Another great idea would be to make mittens and pull over hats for those cold winter days.
A sewing hobby has become the focal point for unbridled creativity. Being able to sew and wear clothing items as wearable art, makes sewing a fun and profitable hobby.
Alan Kircian is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.bigtimewebproducts.com He provides more information on the Sewing Machine at http://www.bigtimewebproducts.com/sewingmachine that you can read about while sitting around in your underwear.
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When You Want To Learn How To Sew Pants
There are a lot of people who are starting to take notice that there are a lot of benefits to learning how to sew pants. When it comes to sewing pants though, it is a good idea if you have already had some practice on some other types of materials and items so that you are not messing up the pants that you are working on. Most people learn how to sew pillows or something or that nature before moving on to bigger and better things. In order to make sure that you are doing everything as well as you possibly could, the best thing you could do is to practice on other things before attempting to learn how to sew pants.
Once you feel that you have enough practice under your belt you can go ahead and learn how to sew pants. In order to get enough practice you will want to do as much sewing as possible. This is to make sure that you have all of the basics down and taken care of before you move on to bigger and better projects. If you are having trouble trying to figure out even the basics of sewing it is important to take action and seek some help on it so that you can know what you are doing.
Finding That Extra Help
If you are still unsure of your abilities then the best thing you can do is to seek the help and advice of someone who can help you. There are a lot of people out there who are always willing to lend a hand to those wanting to learn more about sewing. Explain to them that you are interested in learning how to sew pants and you will be on your way to being the professional at sewing that you have always wanted to be. There is nothing wrong with asking for help because it is the help from those around you that is going to make you be a lot better.
Above and beyond having someone you know help you, there are a lot of books and magazines that can help you out. These types of materials are chopped full of great tips and advice to make even the beginner feel comfortable about learning how to sew pants. Also, there are a lot of classes that you could sign up for so that you can learn great tips and meet other people who are interested in the same things you are. These classes run maybe for an hour each time and are only a few times a week so there is no reason why you could not squeeze them it.
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All About Learning How To Sew Leather
When it comes time to learn a new hobby, there is nothing more exciting for people then being able to sew things for themselves. The thing is though, that sewing is not just sewing because the different fabrics can cause different problems and frustrations. Learning how to sew leather is much harder then trying to learn how to sew pants of regular fabric. Most people would assume that sewing is sewing and to some extent they would probably be right but there are extra things that you need to be aware of when trying to learn how to sew leather in order to make sure that it all works out well.
When it comes to learning how to sew leather, there is nothing more important then making sure that you get enough practice. Practicing is the only way to make sure that you are well prepared for handling the complex material that leather is. Also, when it comes to leather, there is not as much room for mistakes as there is with other fabrics. If you make a huge mistake when learning how to sew leather then you have pretty much messed up that entire piece of material.
Getting Help With Getting Started
The best way to learn how to sew leather is by watching and learning from someone who has a good bit of experience with that kind of material. By watching what they do you will be able to pick up on all sorts of things that they have learned through trial and error throughout all the years that they have known how to sew leather. If you do not have someone around you that knows how to sew leather in a proper fashion, then there are other ways that you can pick up this trade.
When it comes to wanting to learn how to sew leather properly, there are some key things that you have to take into consideration. These things can be taught to you through books, magazines, and even classes that you can take. Taking classes that you pay for is another great way to learn the basics of working with leather. There will be a lot of tips and hints that will be discussed during the class so that you can learn to make the most out of your sewing experience. Just pay attention and make sure that you dedicate a lot of time to practicing so that you will grow better at your new skill with each passing day.
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Keep Your Sewing Notions Close
Sewing notions are traditionally defined as the objects sewn onto a garment, such as a zipper, though most sewing supply stores have broadened this definition to include all the small items needed to complete a sewing project. Most of the things that you’ll find in a sewing box are in fact sewing notions. Just a small overview will make it apparent how essential these little notions are to any sewing project.
Sewing Tools
The most basic of sewing items, the needle, falls under the category of sewing notions according to some fabric stores; that’s how essential this class of item is to the world of sewing. Other useful items that anyone who’s been to a tailor or has even a passing knowledge of sewing includes pins, for holding cloth in place prior to sewing, thimbles, even pincushions are considered to be sewing notions. It’s good to have plenty of these little, useful tools in your sewing kit at home.
Traditional Notions
In the most traditional sense of the term, sewing notions refer more to buttons, snaps, zippers, and other such items than to the tools used to do the actual sewing instead of major industrial sewing supplies. However, that doesn’t make these items any less essential. Many pieces of clothing, barring t-shirts and turtlenecks, require something to hold them closed. Buttons, in fact, are one of the oldest sewing notions, dating back to ancient Roman times and even earlier. Another useful notion is the zipper, which makes opening and closing bags convenient. In this category includes a recent invention as well, Velcro tape, which was invented in 1941. All of these items are useful when used properly in creating garments, bags, even wallets.
Not all of these notions are useful, though most of them are. Trimming, which includes ribbons, lace, and other embellishments that help beautify garments and items, are also notions. Just a little of these, sparingly applied, will enhance a piece of clothing. Or, in the case of fringe, such as on vests and the like, they may help create a look that inspires admiration in fans of Western wear and amusement in those who don’t.
One common notion that is often seen is the little rivets near the pockets of jeans. Whether their purpose is as essential as having a needle to do your sewing with or the purpose is just to enhance the way a garment looks, you will agree that sewing notions are useful little things to have in your sewing kit. If you’re a sewing fan, now might be a great time to start collecting some of these little items so you have a variety of these essential things to help your sewing projects.
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