Thursday, November 21, 2019
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Sewing Machines for Beginners, According to Sewing Experts - VS
Finishing your own sewing projects is a huge accomplishment, but you need the right sewing machine
for the job. As a beginner, extra features and fancy additions can be
more of a hinder than help. The best beginner sewing machines are easy
to operate and durable, while producing excellent stitch quality.
When shopping for a beginner sewing machine, you will need to determine what features are most important and what type of projects you will use the machine for, such as embroidery, quilting, and making clothes. Here is what to look for in a new sewing machine:
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/When shopping for a beginner sewing machine, you will need to determine what features are most important and what type of projects you will use the machine for, such as embroidery, quilting, and making clothes. Here is what to look for in a new sewing machine:
- Number of stitches: When first learning to sew, you really only need 2 stitches: straight and zig zag. But as you advance, you will want more stitch options. If you think you will want decorative stitches, make sure the sewing machine you choose has those capabilities.
- Weight: If you plan on bringing your sewing machine to classes or sewing groups, make sure you pick a portable option. Look for a lightweight sewing machine with a handle for easy toting.
- Ease of use: For your first sewing machine, simple is better. Beginner sewing machines should still have a durable, metal frame, and helpful tools, but avoid machines with features you won’t use. These can just get in the way and make it a more challenging machine to master.
If you are looking for the simplest, streamlined sewing machine, look no further. This pick is a fully-functioning sewing machine for $28! Smaller than an issue of Good Housekeeping, this sewing machine weighs under 3 pounds for easy carrying.
Perfect for small, simple sewing projects with 1 stitch, this machine has added ease of use features like a side thread cutter, removable extension table, and built-in lamp.
This machine is the only one in the round-up that can operate by battery power supply for sewing on the go. Note that this machine has no back stitch: To enforce your stitches, it is recommended to sew over the ends again.
Perfect for small, simple sewing projects with 1 stitch, this machine has added ease of use features like a side thread cutter, removable extension table, and built-in lamp.
This machine is the only one in the round-up that can operate by battery power supply for sewing on the go. Note that this machine has no back stitch: To enforce your stitches, it is recommended to sew over the ends again.
Sewing Machines for Kids and Others - VS
Best Sewing Machine For Kids
When making your own clothes, you will need a sewing machine with multiple capabilities, but is not too confusing to navigate. The Brother XR9550PRW model has features great for beginners, like adjustable stitch speed, drop in bobbin, automatic needle threader, and an easy to read LCD screen.
This machine also has features that will come in handy as you advance such as multiple one-step buttonholes, 8 included sewing feet, a free arm, and a wide table for larger projects. As a heavy duty machine with 110 stitches, it's great to grow with you from novice to expert.
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/
Books to Help You Get to Know Your Sewing Machine - VS Enterprises
When I was a kid, sewing was one of those things they taught us in
school – but only the needle and thread version. When I was in my late
teens at university, I started watching Project Runway and decided I
wanted in on the action. I got a cut price sewing
machine, set it up on a table, and taught myself the basics – enough
that I was able to make my own Halloween costumes, but not tailor a
fancy jacket.
The books I’ve listed will help to get a total beginner or a lapsed learner back to the needle and thread and back to the sewing machine. Ever since I was a child I’ve only ever seen pictures of white sewing machinists and tailors – a problem that persists through the sale of sewing merchandise and advertising. The Huntswoman blog ran a great piece on this at the end of 2018, calling on Bernina, Singer, Brother and Janome among others, to increase the visibility of people of colour in their social media imaging. This problem also persists in book publishing on the topic, which is full of incredibly talented people, but very few representations of people of colour.
To that end, on top of the below books, it’s worth mentioning that there are a series of great bloggers of colour who dedicate their online time to sewing and pattern making for real women, featuring themselves in some incredibly photographs that are a total joy to browse through – try Mimi G for amazing patterns and That Black Chic for street style adaptations of patterns I remember as being incredibly boring in school.
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/
The books I’ve listed will help to get a total beginner or a lapsed learner back to the needle and thread and back to the sewing machine. Ever since I was a child I’ve only ever seen pictures of white sewing machinists and tailors – a problem that persists through the sale of sewing merchandise and advertising. The Huntswoman blog ran a great piece on this at the end of 2018, calling on Bernina, Singer, Brother and Janome among others, to increase the visibility of people of colour in their social media imaging. This problem also persists in book publishing on the topic, which is full of incredibly talented people, but very few representations of people of colour.
To that end, on top of the below books, it’s worth mentioning that there are a series of great bloggers of colour who dedicate their online time to sewing and pattern making for real women, featuring themselves in some incredibly photographs that are a total joy to browse through – try Mimi G for amazing patterns and That Black Chic for street style adaptations of patterns I remember as being incredibly boring in school.
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/
Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes
One of my absolute favourite traditional books is Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes, which comes with a number of paper patterns a sewer can cut out and use themselves. The book goes through equipment, teaches basic skills and leads a beginners through a few projects from easiest to more complex, letting the maker pick their own fabrics and sense of adventure. The patterns are fresh with a vintage tinge and super flattering.Sew Fab by Lesley Ware
Lesley Ware wrote Sew Fab for the younger sewer, up to early teenagers. However, if you’re a total beginner and value quirky diverse illustrations and happen to have a younger person you could make some projects for, So Fab is a great resource. For younger sewers, it will help them establish a sense of style and self confidence, with positive images and plucky projects.The Sewing Book by Allison Smith MBE
Any sewer would love a copy of The Sewing Book by Allison Smith MBE. It’s a cornucopia of skills teaching, equipment listings and pattern options. It’s a great book for learning and almost acts as a dictionary of sewing. I never fail to learn something new when I pick it up.Sewing Happiness by Sanae Ishida
Sewing Happiness by Sanae Ishida goes against the modern adoration of instagram perfection in our lives and homes. Ishida writes with genuine warmth about making things for happiness alone after her own difficult illness. Vowing to sew all of her own and her daughter’s clothes for a year, Ishida’s patterns are tied together by season and range between clothing and homewares. The book brought me a great sense of joy and pulled my focus to the things that really matter – home, love, family. Worth a look for anyone who wants something with a lot of inspiration.Sewing a place in history, one stitch at a time - VS
Jessica Young can laugh now, but it was not funny when a client once
asked if an article of clothing she had ordered for a re-enactor costume
was indeed hand sewn.
The stitches, the client believed, were too perfect.
“I said, ‘thank you,’” recalls Young, 34, of Trafford.
Young is a re-enactor and owns Penny River, selling historical accessories, kits and sewing supplies, primarily from the 18th-century era.
The name is inspired by her oldest daughter, River Penelope, 6.
Young is offering a series of historical sewing courses at Bushy Run Battlefield Museum in Penn Township.
Classes focus on the basics of hand sewing from a historical perspective and are appropriate for all sewing levels — from “never-held-a-needle” beginners to proficient craftspeople, according to a course description.
“This is the perfect place to get help fitting your corset, setting a sleeve or making sure that hem is even,” Young said.
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/
Young has presented at Bushy Run before, showing pieces of typical 18th-century dress for men, women and children as part of the site’s History Speaks Series.
“I came in one day (to Bushy Run) — they sell my things in the gift shop — and said, ‘What if we have a class?’” she said.
“Michael Tusay (museum facilitator) said, ‘Let’s go for it. ’ I created a curriculum, and he did the advertising. At the first one we had 12 come to learn the basics. The first hour is instruction, the second is (work on) your own project,” she said.
Keeping history in the forefront
“We have been trying to think of more ways to keep something going during the off-season,” Tusay said, noting Bushy Run closes each year at the end of October.
“She reached out about wanting to start the sewing workshop series and some more conference-style programs later, and that overlapped perfectly,” he said.
Museum officials also condone the learning opportunity Young is offering.
“We like the concept of people doing hands-on, physical things and getting to learn. Her (sampler) workbook is amazing,” Tusay said.
Sharing her skills
“I started sewing essentially to enhance playing dress up when I was a little kid,” Young said.
A graduate of the University of Richmond with a degree in theatrical costuming, she worked at Colonial Williamsburg as a seamstress during college.
The Murrysville native stayed in Virginia and taught theater for a year before she and her husband, Tom, moved back home in 2008 “with great plans and dreams.”
“Then the economy crashed,” she said.
Young worked as a costumer for Carnegie Mellon University’s drama department.
She also taught creative arts and sewing at Propel charter schools for a few years until the program was cut.
“I had some awesome, dedicated students at the high school level. They were making their own clothes,” she said.
Forging a new path
Upon learning she was expecting her first child, Young decided to stay home for a while.
“I made my sister’s wedding dress right after my daughter was born,” she said.
“I did it again for a friend — after swearing I would never do it again — after my second daughter (Rowan, 3) was born,” Young said, laughing.
She launched her business in 2017 and sells her work on Etsy.com
“When I worked in Williamsburg, I made accessories — caps, aprons, undergarments. I started an Etsy shop with the goal of setting up a booth at a local history fair,” Young said.
“There is a really large, historical costuming community I find through social media. … That’s how I do most of my marketing,” she said.
She has clients all over the world and does constant research to keep her work as authentic as possible.
Young, who works out of her home, lists over 100 products on her Etsy site, from stockings and gloves to embroidered pincushions, Colonial caps and kerchiefs and several DIY embroidered pocket and bonnet kits.
Hand sewers can start immediately on the embroidery kits, including for fingerless mitts, which covered women’s arms from elbow to fingers and offered both warmth and sun protection.
“Everyone from the queen to washerwomen wore them,” Young said.
Making it by hand
“Historical clothes are couture, meaning they are made for a specific body,” Young said.
“Historically, you had help when you dressed. My husband has been my lady maid,” she said, laughing.
“I got frustrated with not being able to fit myself. I put out a call online to establish a place and time for people who want to learn hand sewing. I got a good response,” Young said.
Participants have included re-enactors, hobbyists and one young girl who is making puppet costumes.
Two more classes are planned, on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, and walk-ins are welcome.
Young and several friends are planning one-day winter classes at Bushy Run to include hand embroidery, shift-making and creating historical patterns from academic texts.
The stitches, the client believed, were too perfect.
“I said, ‘thank you,’” recalls Young, 34, of Trafford.
Young is a re-enactor and owns Penny River, selling historical accessories, kits and sewing supplies, primarily from the 18th-century era.
The name is inspired by her oldest daughter, River Penelope, 6.
Young is offering a series of historical sewing courses at Bushy Run Battlefield Museum in Penn Township.
Classes focus on the basics of hand sewing from a historical perspective and are appropriate for all sewing levels — from “never-held-a-needle” beginners to proficient craftspeople, according to a course description.
“This is the perfect place to get help fitting your corset, setting a sleeve or making sure that hem is even,” Young said.
http://www.vssewingmachine.com/sewing-machine-showroom-perambur/
Young has presented at Bushy Run before, showing pieces of typical 18th-century dress for men, women and children as part of the site’s History Speaks Series.
“I came in one day (to Bushy Run) — they sell my things in the gift shop — and said, ‘What if we have a class?’” she said.
“Michael Tusay (museum facilitator) said, ‘Let’s go for it. ’ I created a curriculum, and he did the advertising. At the first one we had 12 come to learn the basics. The first hour is instruction, the second is (work on) your own project,” she said.
Keeping history in the forefront
“We have been trying to think of more ways to keep something going during the off-season,” Tusay said, noting Bushy Run closes each year at the end of October.
“She reached out about wanting to start the sewing workshop series and some more conference-style programs later, and that overlapped perfectly,” he said.
Museum officials also condone the learning opportunity Young is offering.
“We like the concept of people doing hands-on, physical things and getting to learn. Her (sampler) workbook is amazing,” Tusay said.
Sharing her skills
“I started sewing essentially to enhance playing dress up when I was a little kid,” Young said.
A graduate of the University of Richmond with a degree in theatrical costuming, she worked at Colonial Williamsburg as a seamstress during college.
The Murrysville native stayed in Virginia and taught theater for a year before she and her husband, Tom, moved back home in 2008 “with great plans and dreams.”
“Then the economy crashed,” she said.
Young worked as a costumer for Carnegie Mellon University’s drama department.
She also taught creative arts and sewing at Propel charter schools for a few years until the program was cut.
“I had some awesome, dedicated students at the high school level. They were making their own clothes,” she said.
Forging a new path
Upon learning she was expecting her first child, Young decided to stay home for a while.
“I made my sister’s wedding dress right after my daughter was born,” she said.
“I did it again for a friend — after swearing I would never do it again — after my second daughter (Rowan, 3) was born,” Young said, laughing.
She launched her business in 2017 and sells her work on Etsy.com
“When I worked in Williamsburg, I made accessories — caps, aprons, undergarments. I started an Etsy shop with the goal of setting up a booth at a local history fair,” Young said.
“There is a really large, historical costuming community I find through social media. … That’s how I do most of my marketing,” she said.
She has clients all over the world and does constant research to keep her work as authentic as possible.
Young, who works out of her home, lists over 100 products on her Etsy site, from stockings and gloves to embroidered pincushions, Colonial caps and kerchiefs and several DIY embroidered pocket and bonnet kits.
Hand sewers can start immediately on the embroidery kits, including for fingerless mitts, which covered women’s arms from elbow to fingers and offered both warmth and sun protection.
“Everyone from the queen to washerwomen wore them,” Young said.
Making it by hand
“Historical clothes are couture, meaning they are made for a specific body,” Young said.
“Historically, you had help when you dressed. My husband has been my lady maid,” she said, laughing.
“I got frustrated with not being able to fit myself. I put out a call online to establish a place and time for people who want to learn hand sewing. I got a good response,” Young said.
Participants have included re-enactors, hobbyists and one young girl who is making puppet costumes.
Two more classes are planned, on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, and walk-ins are welcome.
Young and several friends are planning one-day winter classes at Bushy Run to include hand embroidery, shift-making and creating historical patterns from academic texts.
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