Okay - so I'm a newbie at both this NG, AND to sewing.
My wife bought me a pair of camo pants, they seem to be made of some kindof nylon or (almost parachute) material. Zip off legs to convert to shorts.
She hems stuff by sight, and I must admit it came out uneven one time... no disrespect to her cuz she can sew holes shut with the best of 'em.
I'm just wondering when someone is barefoot, what point on the leg do you measure to for the hem, and how much extra should she be leaving to do the hem...
Again, forgive the simplicity of this question.
Also what is the groups opinion on thse handheld stitchers...
Thanks
WARNING TO THE GROUP... Some people have been following me around the NG's, so please ignore any ignorant or vulgar comments. Thanks
Hmm.... well, the wearer (me *smiles*) wood like to wear them just above the bottom of my shoes - but yet far enough so I don;t walk on the backs of them.
So a reference point would be......... the ankle ball bone?????
I was in junior high before I even touched a sewing machine and my mom sewed stuff all the time. Sewed an easy blazer and it was about 6 years later that I really began sewing again and made my son a power rangers costume. Come to think of it I actually knew what I was doing after all that time of not sewing. lol.
Well, it depends if you're going to wear the pants barefoot or if you'll be wearing shoes with them. Also what length you find comfortable.
For barefoot or wearing regular trainers or flat shoes I prefer trousers that just touch my foot at the front and are level all the way round. Posh trousers, such as belong with a suit, should just "break" on the foot at the front and be about 1/2" longer at the back.
How much you leave for the hem is personal preference too: if you're going to double-fold and machine stitch, like a jeans hem, you'll need at least
I leave a 1.5" hem, and for hiking pants I measure them with the seleceeted boots on. I fold them to the desired length, do some knee bends to make sure they aren't too short, and hem away.
I introduced my boys at an early age to sewing machines. Also vacuum cleaners, washing machines, irons, stoves, ovens, floor polishers, etc. As I explained to them, this is an Equal Opportunity household, if I can drive a dump truck and operate a bulldozer and backhoe to make a living you can run a Hoover and sew with a machine with no problem at all. Actually it's a matter of perception, "It's just another power tool, darling. If you can plug it into the wall socket it's a power tool, so get your brains back up between your ears where they belong."
I don't measure a hem when somebody is barefoot unless they are going to be wearing the garment while barefoot. If I am measuring dress slacks then dress shoes are worn while measuring, same goes for sport wear, wear your appropriate sport shoes to determine the length desired to coincide with the appropriate activity. Wearing flip flops with bathing attire may be the exception to this rule.
I'm with Kate on those little handy dandy, as seen on TV, hand held, faux sewing machine, stitcher gizmos. They are garbage, too small for a decent anchor, too big for an attractive paper weight, they crush easily so are an unsatisfactory wheel chock, and the aero dynamics are all wrong for accurate aim when slinging them at squirrels raiding the birdfeeders. Needle and thread also gets my vote for the best hand held stitcher. I also give two thumbs down on that button attaching clicker thingy that pops plastic spears through a button and into the fabric.
Hahahahaa, you MUST be kidding, Sgt. Did you ever see the old movie Ten Commandments? Remember that green cloud that oozed through the city wiping out every first born male child of those who had ticked Him off? Well, to make an analogy, in this group Him is a HER and that green cloud is estrogen. We LIVE for ignorant and vulgar remarks. *rubbing dainty little hands together while poised over the keyboard* However, also being the lovely, patient, kind and information laden group that we are, no question is considered stupid. So, welcome to the alt.sewing NG .......
I should have you go to pgh.general to defend my honor ROFL. Actually it's a few people from the Pittsburgh newsgroups that seem to have it in for me despite my past (and recent) behavior. But enough about that, I'll just say thank you for standing up along with me hehe.
I have a confession to make... I have one of those *gasp* ASOTV thingies!!! I only started messin with it tonight, and I gotta tell ya that it DOES SUCK. Waste of $10 I'll say that. I am trying to practice with bandana, but every time I try, the stitches 10 marks back end up pulling out, and I can;t seem to keep it straight... oh well... time to invest I suppose. Any recommendations on a good (yet inexpensive) machine? TIP: I'm a Walmart Fallapart shopper HEHE.
I don't have the links handy but there's been a mess of them posted on how to choose an appropriate machine. You might try doing a Google search in the sewing groups about choosing a machine. I'm sure there will soon be posts following this one with lots of links that will help you make a decision. This question is asked almost weekly. The most popular recommendation, and also mine, is to go to a good nearby dealer and buy a good, used, reconditioned older machine. More bang for your buck and with a decent dealer you will also be able to get up close and personal help, support and instruction if you so desire and usually some sort of guarantee or warranty.........but we'll still be here for you, Sgt, no matter what you decide on.
I should have stuck a winking smiliey in there! First machine sewing I did was standing at my granny's treadle because I was too small to sit at it, helping granny make dolls clothes. I was about 5. I have an embroidery of moon monsters I did for her at school at about the same age. I made masses of dolls clothes all by hand - when they left home to play with some other children, my dolls had a wardrobe of over 400 garments modelled on the covers of Georgette Hayer novels! By that time my own wardrobe was getting rather well stuffed! Birthday money was more likely to be spent on fabric than records or make-up! I went off to boarding school at 14, but my last year at the local school was fun: by Easter I'd had so much fabric (I made 2 Victorian night gowns, two skirts, some trousers, a dressing gown and a few blouses in class), that Ma vetoed any more for my final term! Oh, good, said the needlework teacher, and taught me some basic curtain making and upholstery techniques, and I helped her recover the staff room chairs and make curtains for the windows!
Alas for me! The one BIG drawback of the first boarding school was the crappy needlework teacher - I already knew more than she did! I moved schools for the sixth form and there once ended up making miles of frills using their Bernina and the ruffler because I was the only person other than the needlework teacher who knew how to use it! She bemoaned the fact that I was doing English, Art and Geography for A level rather than needlework... Oh, well!
Then I went off to college, where I bought my first sewing machine - a
1924 Singer Hand Crank! This is the Spinning Jenny on my web site. She has sewn everything from Panne velvet to tarpaulin! I once (22 years ago!) bought a sewing machine instead of a wedding dress, and made my wedding dress and two bridesmaid dresses. One bridesmaid lived in Denver and the other in Nairobi, and I was marrying here in England... I still have that machine, though it no longer works (burnt out motor, and no-one makes one that fits the hole!). I stopped teaching full time a few years back, and have since taught part time in the adult education services, and I turned professional six or seven years ago, and have worked part time as a dress and costume maker since. You can see some of my projects on the web site below... For the next two Saturdays I'm teaching a mixture of adults and kids, making the Christmas Stockings.
I think if you learn to sew properly, it DOES stay with you! One of these days I might manage to collect a bit of paper that says I can sew. I have several bits that will tell you I'm intelligent (ha! Wot do VEY kno! Silly bits of paper!), but nothing to tell you I know which end of the needle is sharp!
Tres Bien!!! Well said. My grandfather was ahead of his time; he is known for saying, "There isn't men's work and women's work, there is work to be done; do it." I've heard that he baked a nice loaf of bread.
You said this soooo well that I left it in for people to read again. May I quote you on this? My sister-in-law (who owns a Bernina and ought to know better) keeps bringing the toy stitchers up as a way to introduce my niece and my daughter to sewing. I opted to grab my mom's old Singer (vintage 40's) and clean it up for my daughters' first sewing experienice. My sister-in-law actually bought a slightly sturdier version than the TV one for her daughter last year. Funny, I haven't noticed my niece using it.
Would you buy a table saw advertised for $19.95 on TV? So why do people fall for the sewing machines? Come to think of it, I'd love to see them pick up a table saw to cut sheet rock on the wall the way they demo the sewing machine sewing drapes in those commercials. 8-}
When I was in high school, we started on treadle machines. Then we got to try the electrics. As for learning to sew properly, my high school home ec pretty much turned me off on sewing. There was so much prep work for everything, that by the time we got to actually do a seam, we had lost all interest. Then I got smart. For the next three years, I found out what my home ec teacher didn't know how to do, and that's what I did. I knit argyle socks, and I did needlepoint. Nobody in my family knitted, they were crocheters, so I learned from one of those "Teach yourself to knit" booklets.
Some years later, I started sewing again on my aunt's Singer - probably a 15 - which had the interesting quirk that if you touched it and it knocked you off the chair, you unplugged it and turned the plug over. Then I bought myself a Featherweight. The biggest mistake I ever made was to trade that in on a Touch'n'Swear a few years later when the wiring went bad on the FW.
Now I am back to treadles and Featherweights. Plus a Pfaff 1475 and an embroidery machine. ;-)
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