rostitchery

helping kids learn to sew

 

recently ella made her first dress, pretty much all by herself.  many people have commented to me that they were astonished at her accomplishment.  but honestly, although i am certainly proud, i am not at all surprised, nor would i be surprised if any other six-year-old did the same thing.

the secret is in putting together the correct project with the correct tools.

for example, many people believe that children should start on small projects, such as doll clothes. however, anybody who has ever actually made doll clothes knows that they are fiddly--the seam allowances are very small, the pieces are very small, and the notions are very small.  doll clothes are hard enough to manage when you have some experience, much less when you have NO experience.

likewise, many people believe that hand sewing is easier than machine sewing but in fact i have found over and over, with adults as well as children, that sewing by machine is really easier--it takes very well-developed fine motor skills to make a strong, even seam by hand, whereas sewing by machine only requires the operator to be able to press a foot pedal and to guide some fabric.

along with all of this, it is important to choose a project that really interests the child.  most teachers start out with things like pillow cases or tote bags--which are perfectly fine projects that teach a lot of good basic skills but let's face it:  wearing something you've made is infinitely more rewarding than sleeping on something you've made.  and if you pick the right project, it has no more pieces nor more complicated construction than an ordinary tote bag does anyway.

the dress ella sewed has only four pattern pieces:  a front, a back, and a front and back neck facing.  the sleeve is incorporated into the design, and the only sewing i had to do for her was finish the neck placket in the back.  

i did do the cutting, using rotary cutters, but she could definitely have done it herself if i had a pair of dressmakers sheers for her to use.  :D  i haven't cut anything with sheers in so long--at least 12 years--that i don't even own any.  i'm thinking they might be on the list for our next shopping trip.  if i find a pink pair, she will be in dressmaker heaven.

now--if you could make a first project all over again, what would it be?  dare to dream big.  :)

quilt blocks i have known and loved

 

confession of a patternmaker:  about three days after making my first quilt blocks, i decided that i really did not like cutting to measure.  :D  it's not that i couldn't do it--i had the tools, i had the know-how--but it was really BORING.  every block looked like every other block, and every block looked like everybody else's blocks.

so i gave up doing it that way.  even now, i rarely make a quilt block using a template or cutting to measure--i only do it if i'm working on a project that requires it (which means it is usually not my own project).  instead i cut by eye, or i piece and then cut.

for example, i made these log cabin blocks completely free-hand.  i started with a piece that was more or less square, added a strip that i cut without a ruler, and continued around and around, like usual, but without using any precut or premeasured pieces of fabric.  (i apologize in advance for the low quality of these images--this was the dark ages, when digital cameras first hit the consumer market and cost half a billion dollars--thus these are scans of the actual quilt blocks, not photos).

 

the next block is a variation of the log cabin, it is my version of the pineapple block, which i called "pineapple right side up".  i have no idea why i called it that.  i was in the habit of naming my blocks.

 

some of my favorite blocks for free-hand piecing are houses.  at one point i had so many house blocks that i started giving them away.  these were all made by taking pieces out of my scrap box and piecing them at will.  i'd start with a center piece, usually a door, then add a wall, trim it if necessary, and continue adding bits just like for the log cabin block.  i made many of these to send to my friend tiina who collects quilts for preemies.  these quilts were TINY--each finished quilt was only 15" square.  i have lots of good memories of quilting these backstage during a christmas show.  i hoped the little houses would keep the babies cozy until they were able to go to their real homes.  (tiina, if you see this, i have been thinking about you and pray you are well).

 

    

ocassionally i need or want to make a block for a special project, like the HUG quilts we used to make on the rec.crafts.textiles.quilting newsgroup (the last one i participated in was at least 10 years ago--i see they are still making them!).  this heart block was made for someone i knew only as "singer", a member of the RCTQ group that needed a HUG.  it is pieced freehand, then i did a free-motion embroidery sun on it (from the back, using metallic thread in the bobbin), and i wrote a little message and signed it.

 

these are both moon over the mountain blocks, pieced and then with two different kinds of applique moons.  i don't love these, but i don't hate them either.  i have no idea what i used them for.  LOL

 

  

revisiting these photos makes me think it is time to get out the scraps again.  the little houses were lots of fun and i'm very home-centric these days.

this style of piecing is definitely not for everbody, but if you enjoy a little improvisation, give this a try! you might get hooked too.

*the first HUG quilt we made on RCTQ was for a member named ruth, who died from cancer so quickly after her diagnosis that we were not able to give it to her.  :(  we gave it to her family.  but we had collected so many quilt blocks, from all over the world, that we were able to make a second quilt, which we raffled off to raise money to help her family defray expenses.  i am honored to say that i was able to participate in about a dozen HUG quilt projects on RCTQ and am currently involved in a new local HUG project that has lead me down this memory lane.

*gwen marston has written a series of books on "liberated quiltmaking" in which she describes the process, as well as the philosophy, of this way of making quilts.  even if you have no interest in following this method, the quilts in her books are really beautiful to look at.

old times cape

this is for my sister who needs a cloak but who doesn't have enough faith in her mad sewing skilz.  ;)

our family is deep in the "little house" books right now--we just started "the long winter"--and most of our playtime and learning time and all times in between are about "the old times".

in "little house on the prairie", laura gets a fur cape and muff from the church for christmas.  so one day when we were shopping for fabric ella picked out some fake fur and i made her "an exact copy" (sic) of laura's cape.

details:  i used the free wild things patternmaking program from wild ginger software to figure out the dimensions for the cape but instead of printing out the pattern i just drew it directly on the fabric.  i used some pretty, shiny stuff from my stash for a lining, stand collar, and ties.

this would make a quick and easy christmas present--you could use some fleece, or some pretty wool, and line it with something unexpected so there is a flash of surprise when you twirl!

and now my secret:  95% of the time, if i don't need an exact color or pattern of fabric, i make capes from skirts or dresses i find at the thrift store.  if i use a skirt, i just slash it up the front and finish the edges.  if i use a dress, i cut off the skirt then slash and finish.  sometimes i don't even have to slash--if it has a front opening i can use that as a decorative element.  the skirt/dress doesn't have to be a circle skirt--a half circle will make a more fitted cape, and a rectangle can be pleated or gathered at the neck to make more of a cloak or mantle.  i've made really pretty capes from velvet dresses and you can even use parts of the dress for decoration--the collar can be re-used, the buttons, sometimes there is even a lining already there.  if there are pockets in the right place, you can cut them out and you have instant arm holes!!!

and now--to make the muff!  details when i get it done.

3 ways to improve your sewing TODAY

(this post was origially published on my temporary blog at blogspot on tuesday, 7 april, 2009.  i'm migrating those posts to this blog for those who might have missed them.)

i know what you're thinking: is that tim gunn? why yes, it is. tim gunn, and me. but i'll get to that later. for now, let's talk about you and how to improve your sewing TODAY.

1--iron more than you sew.

supposedly "nobody" likes to iron. well i do, i LOVE to iron. it satisfies the one standard american craving i will publicly admit to: instant gratification. it transforms a crumpled piece of fabric into a smooth field of fiber, right before my very eyes. order out of chaos. and it works on your sewing too.

just iron every seam--EVERY SEAM--before you cross it with another. that's it. i guarantee this one tip will elevate your sewing at least three levels, instantly, or your money back. :)

i use a sussman industrial iron, which has a gravity feed water tank and makes steam on demand--this iron is so heavy that i don't have to press on the project at all, i can just lay the iron down and the weight does the rest. most likely you are using a domestic iron, which doesn't get as hot and is made of plastic to keep it lightweight. consider going to your nearest thrift store and picking up the oldest metal iron you can find. it will be heavier, it will get hotter, and if you keep it full of water it will weigh almost as much as mine does.

2--use your accessories.

did you ever wonder what this is for?

or this?

how about these?

those are just some of the things that make it possible for me to make a dress in an afternoon. these are presser feet for my sewing machine, they make sure everything is accurate, neat, and consistent. the accessories that came with your machine--or that are available to purchase--may be different from the ones i have, but all of them serve the same purpose: to help you do your best work.

now don't fall into the thinking of someone who recently asked me, "is this just cheating? is relying on a foot (he was asking about a flat fell foot) just a lazy way and i should do it properly?". my response is this: if it is cheating, then brooks brothers is cheating all the live-long day. how do you think those factories turn out shirts by the hundreds and all of them so well made? they certainly aren't stopping to fold each seam by hand. use whatever accessories you have or can get, that's what they're for! BUT, make sure to follow point #3:

3--make a test sample first.

anytime you come across a technique you don't know how to do or a tool you don't know how to use, STOP, and make a test sample first. do it as many times as it takes for you to become confident that you can do it well. i know it seems like a time suck, but think about it: the last time you just plunged ahead without first learning how to do something, you had to go back and take it apart and fix it--and maybe go back to the fabric or craft store to get more supplies because you had just enough and no more--and how much time did all THAT take? (how do i know you did that? because i've done it too--but i don't do it anymore--i make test samples).

there are other things you can do to improve your sewing, but these are all things you can do TODAY.

this is just one example of a dress i've made in an afternoon, using the above advice to make it turn out beautifully. this dress has been blessed by the aforementioned tim gunn as "adorable", and "exceptionally well made". i'm glad i took my own advice. :D

now it's your turn. what would you add to this list?

no fabric, no peace--know fabric, know peace

sorry, that was kind of silly.

random things you might or might not have wanted to know about fabric:

269 names of kinds of fabric and cloth, from the phrontistery.  i have no idea what or who or where a phrontistery might be, but isn't it a cool word?

fabric definitions and pronunciations, from fabrics.net.  find out if you have been saying the word "challis" correctly.

fiber identification burn test, also from fabrics.net.  for the pyro in you.

fiber identification burn test, in chart format, from ditzy prints.  for those who prefer a visual.

fabric care symbols, from the soap and detergent association.  yeah, i know, i didn't know they had an association either.

oh, i checked the dictionary:

phrontistery:  noun.  an establishment for study and learning (sometimes including modern universities)

dang.  i should have known that.

 

long distance sewing

if you have ever tried to sew a garment for someone at long distance, you have undoubtedly run into the problem of getting a decent set of measurements.  people who do not sew are not reliable measurers--they tend to measure the body according to the clothing being worn, rather than the shape of the body underneath.

likewise, my experience says that most home seamstresses have not measured enough bodies to be able to spot a problem in a measurement set.  it was only after having measured dozens of bodies--large, small, tall, short, old, and young--that i started to recognize that how things like knowing the height of the person could help me predict the correct side seam length.

and then there is the difficulty of sewing gifts--asking someone for their bust, waist, hip, and inseam length pretty much gives away the element of surprise.

but you can get close--at least as close as ready-to-wear--just use the measurements that ready-to-wear uses.  the superior model form company has done us all the favor of posting charts of all their dressform measurements.  these are the industry standard bodies used to create clothing for mass production.  naturally, using a generic set of measurements will yield a generic size garment, but at least it gives you a place to start.  just ask for the RTW sizes of the person you are sewing for and you can compare the dressform charts to the patterns you wish to use--you just tweak as needed to allow for a bigger bust (industry forms are B-cup) or to adjust for other figure variations.  i think this is probably a simpler approach than trying to get a decent set of measurements, and let's face it:  nobody ever really tells us their real numbers anyway.  we only get them by sheer force of our presence.  :D

knifty knitting tool suggestion #3 and #4

i neglected to get a before picture of this, but it is the KK tool in a wooden handle from the hardware store.  the handle is meant to hold files, it has a hole in it already but rudi drilled it out even more and made it just big enough for the KK tool to fit inside.

but the thing that has become my favorite tool is a dental pick that i bought several years ago at walgreens, it has a long handle that makes it so easy to leverage the loops rather than pull them.  the pick had some raised lettering on it that was irritating my hand so i sanded that off and sanded the rest of the handle a bit too, to make it not as slick.

knifty knitting tool suggestion #2

before:

after:

knifty knitting tool suggestion #1

before:

after:

I'M SO HAPPY!!!

in most shops, custom patterns are not marked with diamond shaped notches--they are marked with just little hash lines--singles for front, doubles for back, and various multiples for situations like matching several panels of a skirt. the notches are marked with either a pencil mark, right in the seam allowance, or sometimes they are snipped into the fabric. either way, unless you have an opening in the pattern, the marks tend to be off line a bit, which doesn't make much difference if you are only using them to reference which piece get sewn to the next, but if you need to match notches so you get the sleeve set in right, then the notch placement makes a huge difference.

so for years, i've wanted a pattern notcher like "real" patternmakers use. this meek little gadget makes a little rectangular slit in the edge of the pattern, allowing you to mark your fabric without roughing up the pattern paper. but good grief, even though this is professional-grade equipment, the cost has been too high for me to justify--i know, they're made to cut thru heavy board, they will last a lifetime, etc--but really, i don't make patterns for production lines, i didn't need anything that heavy duty. so i've been cutting my notches the way most people do, by snipping into the pattern with the tips of my scissors (actually, i do it with a rotary blade, but that's for another post).

however, one day i was inspired to shop the scrapbooking aisle at jo-ann's etc, when i saw...a rectangle hole puncher!!! which cuts exactly the shape and size hole that a pattern notcher cuts!!! and holy moly, this thing only cost $2.00!!! i tell you, i was giddy. i couldn't wait to get home and start cutting notches.

now for those of you who are wondering, "do I need a pattern notcher?"--the answer is YES, you NEED one of these, even if you don't make your own patterns, even if you don't sew clothing. if you use pieces of paper to guide you in cutting something, this little tool will make your life so much richer, your children will be smarter, your house neater, you will be the envy of all who know you.

ok, maybe i exaggerated that last bit, but you get the idea.

and for those of you who use wild ginger software to draft your patterns--you're in luck! i also found a square hole punch, just right for cutting the square matching points on your patterns. and of course, you can always use a regular round hole punch for the circle markings.

now--i just KNOW that the other gadget i need is out there somewhere--a hole punch that cuts in the center of the paper, not just at the edge--something like a screw punch--but within my cheap-o budget. the first person who locates such a thing for me for under, oh let's say $5.00, gets a fat quarter of my own hand-dyed fabric in the color of his/her choice.