Hello dear readers. Sewing as a craft can be very time-consuming and strenuous, albeit rewarding. I have noticed that many people, including myself, end up with many incomplete projects just because of the amount of time and energy needed to see them through.
So here are 5 things I have found that can make the process less stressful and ultimately reduce the number of hours spent sitting at the sewing machine without sacrificing the quality of your work.
Tip #1 - Prepping and Pressing
Prepping your fabric by either pre-washing or steaming is something I find to be extremely useful. Pre-washing is great for shrinkage, cleansing, and removing extra dye. You can also detect any flaws in the fabric. I don't even like ironing, but I never skip this step. Getting your fabric crisp and flat, ready for cutting, can save you a world of errors down the line.
Pro tip: Let the fabric cool after ironing to retain the smoothness
Having your fabric free of wrinkles also ensures that your pattern remains accurate when cutting, as all those wrinkles are bent lines and excess fabric, just waiting to be revealed later on. If you have power outages in your country like we do, this also helps to stem the frustration you might encounter when it comes time to press your seams, because you can still sew tidily without having to press each seam.
Tip #2 - Measuring Seam allowances
Before cutting out your fabric, you must of course add seam allowances. I would advise that you measure and use a uniform seam allowance for all matching pieces except where a different seam allowance is needed, such as the hem. This will make sewing them together that much easier.
If you are of a mind to draw only the stitching line and freehand the seam allowances, note that you will spend extra time matching up the pieces by the stitching line. Not measuring your seam allowance is permissible with stretchy fabrics (I sometimes just eyeball a 1cm allowance) and when you plan to fit the garment on the model, then it is not a big issue.
Tip #3 - Adding Notches and marks
After cutting out your pattern pieces, it is advisable to transfer your darts, pleats, or any other feature unto the fabric. It is also a good time to make notches which will help you match up the right pieces accurately. You'd be surprised how often one can sew together the wrong pieces, or even flip them the wrong way around, and then out comes the seam ripper.
Tip #4 - Pinning/basting
I know this might seem like a time-wasting step, but honestly taking that little extra time to pin or baste the pieces you need to sew will speed up the sewing process. Use this time to pin darts, pleats, pockets, zippers, and other things in place too. It also allows you to reduce mistakes as you can quickly detect mismatched or misaligned pieces and adjust accordingly.
Remember, having to pick out stitches takes even more time and can make your garment untidy. If you prep all your pieces down, you will sew them up very quickly.
Tip #5 - Batch it up
Doing things in batches is a good way to organise your sewing. It allows you to get off your feet and watch some TV too. So you can cut all your pieces, transfer all your markings, then interface all the necessary parts, pin down darts, pockets, zippers, and so on, before finally going to the sewing machine. This can make your workflow very smooth.
Closing thoughts
And finally, here's a Bonus tip for you, Prep and Sew on different days when possible. Your back will thank you. I'd love to hear what YOU do to make your sewing experience more pleasant and healthy, so do leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!
Comentarios