Monday, April 28, 2014

A Proper Seam Guide Is Essential For Beginners

By Eloise Hewitt


Sewing, knitting, crochet and tapestry work used to be the housewife's pass time. As the world is changing people are adapting and you find more men trying their hand at some of the above. Especially in single parent homes. Cost of clothing has sky rocketed and people are choosing to make their own by taking up sewing. You may want to consider using a seam guide to keep that stitch straight.

Your seam is very important when sewing; this will determine whether or not you can get your hand in your pocket or even your leg right through those pants you just made. With a seam that isn't straight not only will the item look a little off, it really won't function the way you want it to.

This is the role and importance of having and using the guide. After all, what's the point of having something if you are not going to make use of it? Perhaps the question is, most people see it there but what is it and how does one use it?

So the question is how does this guide work? What is its function and how do you know you have one? Well the sole purpose of the guide is to keep your seams running straight. This is normally a metal plate with measurements and lines to follow. Most sewing machines have one, if yours does not you can easily make one.

Once you have yours set up, homemade or factory supplied you can start working. Remember to keep an eye on the marking, you have chosen, while you sew. If you take your eyes off the marking then chances are you will go skew. When you are done you can either remove your home made one, or leave it in place for future use. It may be a good idea to write the measurement on the tape.

Now that you have your marking in place you are ready to get sewing. Line up your material on the chosen measurement and start sewing. Remember to keep an eye on the material and the guide to make sure you do not go off line. Go at a speed that you feel comfortable with, just remember that too fast and too slow is also a problem, you will learn as you practice.

Remember not to use clear tape as this will make it very hard for you to follow the edge as a guide. Write down the measurement used so you know for future or encase you get interrupted later on. When you have finished you can remove the tape accordingly. It's best to use a tape that is not too sticky. You do not want to have sticky residue left on your sewing machine.

Remember that even with a raised one, you can still go off- line. This is due to the materials flexibility. Keep an eye on what you're doing at all times and you will get to sewing straight in no time at all. Soon you won't just be mending old clothes, but making new ones too.




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