Anybody have any experience with distance learning dressmaking?

Dear Cygnus,

This may be the best distance learning website there is, and it's free! We are a group of professionals and far advanced individuals from all over the world who love more than anything teaching newbies how to sew. But it depends upon on your learning style. Some can learn from written instructions; some need to be shown in a hands-on way. Kate's website has lots of pictures to help explain techniques. And if you have a question that hasn't been answered on that site or here, just ask, and someone will help.

Teri

I would like to second Terri's kind words about this being the best place to learn. I have improved my sewing skills 1000 times or m ore since I started following this NG. I have never had a question go unanswered and sometimes I'm even able to give a little help to someone. It's a great place to learn. Juno

As a teacher (not at Teri's level! I teach much smaller beginners at the moment! ;D ) and professional sewist, I have to say that this group has also improved MY sewing skills no end, with new ideas and techniques, both for sewing couture fabrics and garments and for more basic stuff, as well as for handling new and different fabrics. I try to pass on my skills, and have some success, I think! :) There are some very basic 'getting started' things on my web site as well as the more complex garment diaries of bigger projects. Dig in and see what you can find, and, as this is a world-wide group, if you get stuck in the wee small hours and cannot sleep for something niggling you, just ask! Someone will be awake to hold your hand and guide you through the snarled threads and bent pins!

Wow, I had been warned by some that asking questions in a group could result in some very unfriendly responses if you weren't careful - obviously they never posted a question here. Thanks for the offers of help. I think I will be putting the money toward a more advanced sewing machine rather than a course now.

Kate - I love the website, it will take a while to read it all, I agree about the readers digest book its one I often refer to.

One quick question - Some of the skirts I make for my wife are very full, 20 feet round the hem or more sometimes, and I often catch some of the main skirt when hemming or adding ruffles/lace to the lower part of the skirt (unpick, start again, I should by shares in a seam ripper company) - is there a trick to keeping it all under control and out of the way or do I just need to practice more and keep my eyes open.

Thanks Cygnus

Look for stitch quality rather than quantity, good buttonholes, and good blind hems! Everything else is extra, though I do admit that having 26 needles positions is a luxury that would be hard to do without!

Glad you like the site. Yes, there is quite a lot there - and though things *change* occasionally, it never seems to get any smaller! :D Sewing for Dummies is good too - worth a look if you are still at the basics.

Practice, practice, practice, and use a big table! ;) With big skirts (and I know all about them, having made plenty in my time! Several with

2 or 3 complete circles in them, quite apart from the historical stuff!), you need to be able to spread them out and have room to manipulate them without them falling off the table.

I'll second all that and add precision as an additional criteria to keep in mind. One of my main tests for precision is how straight and consistently a machine sews a very narrow edge-stitch with an edge-stitch foot--- on a variety of different fabrics. Some of the feet for certain machines are really horrible. Also, does the machine have a good walking foot? A good WF is indispensable I think. Another caveat is to try out the buttonhole on both light and heavier fabrics. Some machines do excellent buttonholes until faced with a couple or more layers of denim, wool or twill.

But I sure am curious, what machine has 26 needle positions, Kate?

My Husqvarna Lily 550! :) Some of them are pre-set for certain stitches and processes, but it sure makes a difference when putting in zips in different fabrics and when adjusting blind hems.

...

Just don't be asking us for help on how to applique lettering across the seat of sweatpants, or create stylish bra straps that are intended to show, or whine about this one mens' pant pattern is cut too high and you need to have yer skivvies showing out the top. Then you'll be seeing our dark side.

Oh, and TSWLTH is Jo-Ann's, The Store We Love To Hate.

HTH

--Karen D.

That machine must have an extremely wide maximum stitch width. The needle position increments must be in like...... what..... 1/3 of a millimeter? Or less?

LOL!

I think it's a 6mm or 7mm max stitch width. Dunno what the increments are... I'm just going by the book on this one! There are things you can do with this machine that I've never got round to in 8 years of owning one!

Good grief, that's nearly 1/4 millimeter. I'm not sure my eyes would even detect much less than a millimeter. Just for the heck of it, I just looked at my Janome (6500) manual to see how many needle positions that has and it's even more ridiculous at *71* needle positions (7mm wide)--- and it's not even an embroidery machine. No darn wonder I can't see the needle move when I press the button! Here I thought something was wrong with it..... LOL. I need to start paying attention. :)

Phae

IIRC, we did have a fairly lengthy discussion on see-through bra straps, which could be embellished with those fake "jools" or other decorative stuff.

Now, would anyone like to help me with getting the Declaration of Independence on the back of my sweats? Do you think I should digitize it and embroider it or print it onto a transfer and iron it on? It is the foundation of the U.S., so it doesn't seem amiss to put it on my foundation....does it? There's plenty of room! ;-)

Lily isn't an embroidery machine either! But I CAN detect a difference when I sew, even if it doesn't LOOK different to the naked eye!

Now, I can just about see the value of all those needle positions, but Lily has ten different buttonhole styles... Some of the newer Machines have 12 or 15! Now unless they have found a way to program in bound buttonholes, what on earth is the USE of 12 or 15 styles??? ;)

Oh don't get me wrong... I love having needle positions and I use them all the time, especially for edge and top-stitching. I just didn't realize I had so many. I figure the 71 on the Janome is kinda like the "Kama Sutra" of needle positions. ;)

I hear ya. The Bernina 200e has ten I think. Three of them are keyholes which I will not likely use much at all. I wish it had one that was roundy at both ends instead of bar-tacked on one end and roundy on the other. My very favorite is the one that looks like it was hand stitched. Far out. And it also has a box kind of a thing for welts and bound buttonholes.

I have the standard square ended type in two widths, then in cross stitch and a super-strong version... Rounded one end and rounded both ends, plus a keyhole with a square end and one with a round end. Then there's the mock hand stitched 'heirloom' one (that's just so neat! :) ), and the box thing, which is supposed to be for leather according to my manual... You cannot get it wide enough to use for bound buttonholes in anything other than silk chiffon, and really... ;P

The ones I use most are the heirloom one and the keyhole with the rounded end, which is for tailored things like men's suits, followed by the standard square end one.

The trouble is, I had to buy a top of the line machine to get the features I really wanted (heirloom and the tailoring buttonholes, the eyelet plate and the multiple needle positions, and a good stretch and woven blind hem). I think of the memory, the alphabets, the rows of flowers, and the other silly stuff as toys that came free. Then just after getting it, the first paying job it did was a silk Christening robe decorated with rows of self-coloured flowers that Lily embroidered so nicely for me... :D

I think my wife would divorce me if I even thought such things. Most of our clothing tends to be of the 'period meets gothic' variety, so I more likely to ask about making a victorian bustle style skirt in PVC - but thats much later this year :)

Cygnus

Cool! :) I make all sorts of stuff, from stage lit for Abba tribute bands to accurate historical garments by way of weddings and posh frockery, with the occasional side swipe at spray decks for kayaks, hill walking gear, and curtains. For relaxation, I make quilts! We'll have lots of advice for you about sewing vinyl and the like, and there are quite a few of us who do Victorian stuff, so bustles are no problem.

The only thing we want in return is updates on project progress, and lots of pix! :D

This is a bit off-topic but I have to ask. The walking foot you mentioned. My machine came with one and so far I have not opened the package. The foot is over a year old now. What am I missing? I thought this little gem was mainly for quilting.

Liz W