Sewing Snip-Its

I went to my last sewing lesson yesterday. I am so close to finishing my table runner quilt! I can't wait to show it to you all. I didn't specifically learn anything yesterday, but here are just some general things that I've learned about sewing:

1. I can do a lot more than I thought I could! It's like anything else, it just takes practice. Duh right? haha, I guess I just wasn't willing to put in the time before. I wanted to be good right away.
2. Getting to know your machine can help you so much!
3. You don't have to go fast. I used to try and sew really quickly, try and take the pins out without stopping, etc. But I just need to slow down. I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm just trying to make something beautiful. As with many things in life, faster does not mean better.
4. Follow patterns, but don't be afraid to change it a little to fit your personality.
5. And the two things that have saved me from all the jamming that used to happen to me!
-Make sure the thread uptake is all the way up before you start sewing
-Hold the bobbin and needle threads when you start so they don't get caught underneath.
(These 2 things are so simple and can save A LOT of trouble!)

Thank you so much to my in-laws, my wonderful husband, and my parents for getting me my sewing machine and the lessons. I've loved them and learned a lot! I've also gained a lot of confidence which is very important :) I love you guys! THANKS!

Sewing Lessons Week 6

Sorry I haven't done one of these in awhile! I canceled my lesson the first week of July because I wasn't quite ready to start my new project. (Last week I just forgot to post...sorry!) My husband and I went to visit his parents over the 4th of July weekend and while I was there I went to their neighbor's house for a little lesson on my sewing machine. She's a Bernina dealer and she's actually the one I got my machine through. I have a little Bernette machine. She showed me all the ins and outs of it and I was surprised to learn it could do so much!
Last week I started my new project! I'm making a table runner quilt and I am so excited! It's coming along quite well and I love how the colors are coming together. I'm hoping to finish in another two weeks (crossing fingers!) but it may take me 3 or 4 more.

Here are some things I have learned in the last few weeks:

1. Whenever you get a new sewing machine take a class on it or find someone who can teach you the specifics of your machine! I learned all about the different stitches I can do, different feet I can attach for different things, how to keep it clean and running smoothly, etc.
2. I love rotary cutters! I'm awful at cutting straight (did I miss a lesson in kindergarten or something? Because I really am so bad!) so rotary cutters are my life saver!
3. When picking out fabric for a quilt find some fabric you like to build off of. A good starting fabric should have 3 colors in it. Then find some fabric that matches one of those colors but for extra flair look for pieces that match the accent colors, not the main one.
3. When laying out your fabric for a quilt there's really not too much rhyme or reason as to which should go where. If you're making hourglass squares (a square made of 4 triangles) you do want to try and match lights with darks, but other than that if you think it looks good, then go with it :)

That's about it :) I'll keep you posted about my progress with this table runner. I got the pattern online at FatQuarterShop.com

Sewing Lessons Week 3

My sewing lessons went really well last ! I finally finished my shirt :) Hooray! I used a surger for the first time and loved it! It has a lot of needles and threads going in and out all at the same time, it's really cool to watch. I am so excited that I actually made a shirt! This week I learned

1. It feels good to finish a project!
2. I can do this whole sewing thing :)

I'll post some pictures later tonight of my shirt. I'm so excited that I finished it!

Sewing Lessons Week 2

Sorry this is late. I had kind of a rough lesson last week. I was making a lot of mistakes! But my teacher was very patient with me! I thought I'd be able to finish my shirt this week, but I made too many mistakes! So hopefully this week! (But maybe I should tell you that it's not supposed to be done for a month so then when I get done next week you'll all be extremely impressed with my skills!) Well, this week I learned

1. Sewing is hard!!
2. Luckily, most mistakes are fixable (thanks to our best friend the seam ripper!)
3. I'm a beginner...but that's ok :) That's what these lessons are for right?

Are any of you readers really good seamstresses? If you are you'll probably really be able to tell that I'm a beginner. If you have any tips or advice for me I would love to hear them!

Sewing Snip-its

For my birthday my Mom found a lady who teaches sewing lessons right by my house and paid for my first two months. I went to my first lesson yesterday! Sorry to all those seamstresses out there, but I am DEFINITELY a beginner! I'm still learning basic terms like baste and surge that you find in patterns and also in the every-day conversations of seamstresses (by the way, baste means sew together [why can't they just say "sew together" it's not like 2 words takes that much longer to say or write than one!] and, honestly, I'm still not quite sure what a surger actually does! Don't tell my teacher! I'm using her machine next week! haha)
My lessons are on Thursdays so each week I'll share a few things that I learned at my lesson.

Lesson #1: I already shared this one above, but Baste just means to sew two things together. I should be able to remember that one!
Lesson #2: The thread take up (or take up lever) should always be at its highest position before you start sewing a new line. A lot of my most frequent mistakes can all be traced to this problem. The thread take up is the thing at the top of your sewing machine right above the needle and if you start sewing with it in the middle then it has a stitch started and it will hook another one right away so you end up with a knot right at the beginning of your line (this happens all the time to me!) It can also cause your thread to come out of your needle thus requiring you to thread the stupid thing again and again!
Lesson #3: You should sit so that your nose is lined up with the needle. Don't sit in the middle of your sewing machine because then you have to lean to the side to see the needle. Keep your back straight and then you can sew for hours and hours without getting back pain.
Lesson #4: Your seam-ripper (the un-picker) is your best friend :)

I'm making a tank-top and I think I'll be able to finish at my next lesson. So I will post a picture next week!