What's Your Sewing Experience?

[Alan H]

I still can't sew... I just have Kelly do all the orders and I pretend I did them to take the credit!

Har!!!!!!

You must pay that woman REALLY well....*grin*

[bubba]

Bubba, I wish I could use that excuse but the machine is brand new. It's only been used once by my Partner's daughter to make a set of curtains for the breakfast room when she was visting in August. She had no trouble with it whatsoever. But she's a dressmaker by profession.

It seems to be me but I'll keep plugging at it. :confused:

If you don't have the manual for the machine get a copy from the manufacturer. Pay close attention to the tension settings and threading. Be sure the bobbin thread is run properly and make sure you have the needle threaded the right way. Be sure you have the thread run correctly from the spool to the needle. Follow the manual step by step setting up the machine until you're completely familiar with it. My guess is you may be threading the needle backwards or the bobbin is improperly set up.

[Eujeankilt]

I dabbled with sewing as a kid. After buying my first kilt I decided to try my hand at making a kilt. Friends had given us a Singer and I took it in and had it serviced. My first attempt was to try to sew the edge of a pleat on a scrap of material. Then I sewed the pleats down on my flannel Sportkilt.

I found directions online and bought some cotton poly twill for my first project. I made two kilts from that fabric and I wear the second one.

I had no prior sewing experience but I've used many tools and I learn quickly. I learned that it's easy to make a kilt. I also learned that it's much more difficult to make a kilt that looks good. I appreciate the kilts I buy more now than ever!

Dale

[Sherry]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies & great stories, guys & gals.

While I have not made a kilt from flat fabric up, I did have to work on the kilt my oldest wears. His was passed on to him from the daughter of the man who began the Clan Gunn Society of North America. The kilt was 35 years old when we received it a couple of years ago, & the front apron was very stained & moth-eaten. To make the kilt wearable, I had to serge up both aprons & switch them so that the under apron became the front. I hid the seams in the side pleats. I had to undo the upper lining across the aprons to do this. I also had to do some patching on the original front apron to strenthen the fabric.

As I worked on the kilt, I was able to examine the fine handwork used to make the kilt, & replicate it as I put the kilt back together. Seeing that really helped me appreciate all the work that goes into making a quality kilt.

Thanks again to all of you. I really enjoyed reading your posts.

Sherry

[starbkjrus]

Okay,

I've now figured out how to make the sewing machine work. Now I just have to find something to use it on.

[Sherry]

One way to learn to sew straight is to stitch with an unthreaded needle on notebook paper. After you are comfortable with that, you can draw curved lines & figures to practice with.

One fun & easy project to start with is making up pillowcases in holiday theme fabric.

Sherry