I Conquered!

My Supplies!

outer seam

Walking into the classroom I noticed such a variety of people.  It amazes me how people who seem so different have the same interests.  As we settled in, my teacher (who was a little intense) spun around the room getting last minute items together.  When class finally started the first thing she taught us were the fundamentals of the machine and the measurement increments and how to thread them. Once the actual sewing began we learned a basic stitch. First, we were shown where to place our hands to help direct the fabric through the machine. We practiced our basic stitch four different times before moving on to "finishing" our seam edges, which keeps the fabric from unraveling. The first technique we learned in how to finish our edges was by "pinking"- using zig-zag shaped scissors (called pinking scissors!) to cut along the very edge of the inside seam. The second method was by using a finishing stitch, which is a basic stitch but much closer to the edge of the inside seam.

My Machine

Moving right along we learned a double stitch, which is a sturdy seam used on items such as jeans and jackets. Our toughest venture, or so we thought, was learning how to put a zipper in! Personally, I was VERY excited to do this. We followed these steps:

• To put in a zipper you need a "zipper foot" for your machine and a seam to put it in. 

• Lay the zipper face down in the wrong side of the fabric in your seam and sew the zipper in using a basic stitch and pivoting. 

• Once your zipper is completely sewn in, use your seam remover on the right side of your fabric to pull out the original seam you lined the zipper up with.  

I think mine turned out pretty well, and I was surprised to see how it is actually done.  We also quickly learned a zig-zag finish, another durable finishing and a blind stitch.  

I think the basics are pretty simple, but I'm glad that I am now aware of what kinds of seams different items require. I had a really good time and even signed up for another class next week making purses! Whoo-whoo!



Pinking!



 

Second Finishing





Double Seam




My ZIPPER!

Inside stitching of the zipper



Zig-Zag Stitch