Sewing Machine Cases – How To Find Time To Sew
Do you have you loads of simply beautiful material folded neatly away in the cupboard, unused?
Would your wardrobe increase if a few missing buttons were stitched back on and some drooping hems or the like were stitched up?
Do you want to learn to sew and use that material and recharge that wardrobe?
I often hear my friends moan about a few little mending jobs they would like to do but haven’t quite got the skills.
The other reason given is ‘I don’t seem to have the time to do these things!’
The ‘time’ aspect of it is easily fixed. Try this:-
Make a one-hour sewing session appointment with yourself in your diary, just like you make an appointment for the dentist or the hair stylist. .
If you feel one hour is too long to take at this time, set one for 14 minutes.
Check out what you can do in 14 minutes. Did you know that in 14 minutes you could: -
· Sew on three missing buttons and iron that shirt.
· Pin up a drooping hem, restitch that small length and press ready to wear.
· Dust off and clean your sewing machine using a soft cloth. Dust and check out the bobbin case area.
· Check the sewing machine needle and replace if bent and old.
· Oil your sewing machine if it is an older type.
· Leave it un-threaded and with no bobbin and run the machine, stitching on some tissue paper, just to get the feel and motivation to sew and to get the machine moving again.
· If using oil, leave the tissue paper under the lowered presser foot until you are ready to sew. The tissue paper will collect any excess oil.
· Dream up and draw your next sweatshirt design on paper while having a cup of tea.
· Pin the paper pattern on to the fabric, carefully checking the grain lines are correct, roll up (not fold) and put away carefully.
· On your next 14 minute sewing session appointment with yourself you can cut out the fabric.
· Be a little creative in one of your sessions. Practise using the fancy stitches on your sewing machine. If you do not have the sewing machine manual, write down in a notebook the best width and length to use, cut out a stitched sample and staple or glue in to the book for future reference. This will save you heaps of time at a later date when you want to use the stitches.
· Pin and stitch darts and press. Waist line darts are pressed to the centre of the garment and bust and elbow darts pressed downwards.
· Stitch in a zip.
· Stitch a test buttonhole first then stitch all the buttonholes onto your outfit.
· Tidy up your pattern box.
· Choose your next outfit to stitch and put the pattern in your bag so it is available next time you shop for fabric.
Now I have started the list you can add to it. We can sit down and sew when we know that all those little mending jobs are completed and our sewing machine is clean and ready to go.
Still think you don’t have enough time? Did you know that if we have 8 hours sleep in one day, we still have over 68 x 14 minutes sessions left and, even once we have been to work and taken care of business or domestic tasks, we still have quite a few of these for our ’sewing session’ appointments.
Happy Sewing and Enjoy your Day
Barbara Evans
I have been sewing for nearly 40 years and have a New Zealand Diploma in Fashion Design and Pattern Drafting with Merit, have worked as a pattern maker, clothing cutter, a tailoress, taught sewing in a training intuition, helped many friends with the sewing problems and fixed their machines… and have stitched countless garments.
I have written an e-book called ‘Sewing Easy’ which is a valuable sewing course crammed full of easy, practical methods with loads of diagrams. In it I take you by the hand and show you how to sew, create your own clothes and make your own gifts in a Sewing Easy way.
For more information please visit www.sewingeasy.com where you will also find a free monthly Sewing Easy Ideas Bulletin for you to download, which is full of great ideas and sewing hints. The current one is all about Shirring, which is in vogue at the moment.
Hey Readers! I’ve been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below…
In most cases, they have exploited the machine for a time period so they really know how well they work. They can help to offer you the lowdown on that particular machine. If you've a new sewing machine that has just came out, …
Making Peace with my Sewing Machine
Case in point (what does that even mean? case… in point… okay, moving on), I tried to hem this cute little dress I got for $6 on eBay and broke the hand wheel. Three months and $75 later, the sewing machine declared its victory over …
Singer 7470 Computerized Sewing Machine with 1000 Stitch
Become a master seamstress with the Singer 7470 Computerized Sewing Machine with 1000+ Stitch. Embroider, seam, stitch and hem with endless styles and options to work with. The illuminant LCD display shows the stitch selected, …
Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.
Have a great day!
You can get some great deals on sewing machines when you purchase them online. Companies that sell them don’t have to worry about the overhead of a brick and mortar store and you get the convenience of having the sewing machine shipped to your front door.
Know What You Want
The drawback of buying anything online is that you can’t see it in person, give it a try and get a feel for the quality of the item, including a sewing machine. I prefer to browse through the local stores and find the model I want before I go online to find a great deal on it. You may want to find a few comparable machines that you will consider buying and then start your online search for the best deal.
Buy From A Reputable Source
Buy your machine from a reputable source. You want to make sure that what you are buying is the genuine item and in perfect condition. Remember, you want be able to look at the actual machine before you buy. All you get is a stock picture and an item description.
Return Policy
In case there is an issue with the machine, it’s not working, wasn’t what you expected or was damaged in shipping; you need to check out the online store’s return policy before you buy. Pay attention to how long you have to return the item for a refund and make sure you thoroughly check out the machine in that timeframe. Most stores will have a 30-day return policy. Will you be responsible for shipping charges to return the item to the store, or will the store cover it? Having to ship the sewing machine across country to return it could get quite expensive.
Shipping Costs
Since we are on the topic of shipping costs, pay attention to how much each company charges for shipping and handling when you are comparison shopping. You may get what seems like a great deal on the sewing machine, but then pay much more for shipping and handling than you would have at a different store.
Use common sense and do your homework while you shop for a sewing machine online and you can get a great deal on a machine that is perfect for you and have it delivered to your front door.
For more great tips on sewing machines as well as sewing and embroidery tips visit http://www.sewingandembroidery.info
Mail this post
Tags: Sewing Machine Cases